Goodbye Diane

The red glare of the traffic light blurred the woman's vision. She looked around at the empty intersection the two had paused at. “Alright ma’am, this is as far as I go! Sorry, they just don’t let guys like me in, what can I say?” He chuckled, the rear view mirror pointed away from his face, instead towards the bare road behind them, as well as the dark night which hid any potential onlookers.

Her breaths became shallow, her chest still felt heavy. Steeling herself, she held onto a carefully encased cooler, her eyes fixed towards the tall yellow building proudly erected in front of the two, the neighborhood around them distinctly unassuming and small. Her grip tightened on the bag while exiting the car, but before she could leave, the lack of weight on her shoulder helped to remind her of her purse. The driver pointed his rear view mirror towards himself, he had bright green eyes, a tan face and sharp ears with thin eyebrows, and a great big smile. “Thought that was the tip! You oughta be more careful, you know that? Don’t let ‘em hassle you too much over there! Especially you know who.” He said jokingly, but to her it was anything but a joke.

She paused before answering, then gave a feigned laugh. “By the way- sorry if this is nosey, but uh… What's so important about the cooler? Sounds like something all squishy in there!” Her laughter stopped altogether, then answered, completely flushed ”Nothing…. Just food. A delivery. I uh- I’ll be going now… take care.”

Before he could reply she quickly stepped out of the car, her eyes darting about the place. She took a deep breath of the cool air hitting her caramel skin. Small locks of hair flapped against her neck tickling her and easing some tension. Then, decisively, she slammed the door from behind her, jogging from the intersection towards the sidewalk in front of her. She muttered quiet affirmations to herself, her heels clacking against the pavement as she tried to personify confidence, subtly she looked to her left, then her right, her side of the street although quiet with no one around, the left side of her had teenagers and young adults emerged from the darkness, all leering at her leather handbag, coat and heels.

Picking up the pace, the bright yellow building, seemingly embellished in gold, acted as a safe reminder to her that she would be a few steps away from safety. Her body tightened as she could no longer discern whether those same eyes were starting to narrow in on her. Instinctively, her head swung back to a group of young boys and girls teaming up on her, though leading the charge was a girl with pigtails no older than twelve, her face steeled and not at all embarrassed to be caught for what she had tried to do.

Without a hint of hesitation, the woman’s facade dropped, she ran, her heels clacking against the pavement, anxious of whether her heel would break before she could so much as knock on the door, or if they would overwhelm her altogether. The faster she ran the more voices erupted, cursing her to slow down, their voices all meshing together into one incomprehensible mass of noise to her.

Finally at the front entrance, rough music played, encouraging her nerves. The footsteps eased as her authoritative knocks echoed through the dimly lit neighborhood.”Dex! Let me in, I’m here! For the love of God let me in!!” Fearing the worse she banged on the door incessantly. The people from behind her cowered before anyone could even come out. The rags one could hardly call clothes along with the equally young and old faces involved in the chase suddenly shrank at her boldness, one of them hissed, “He’ll eat you alive of everything, coward!”.

A few moments later, and still no one answered, the group exchanged briefly confused and amazed looks, before encroaching further towards her with big smirks on their faces- but then, suddenly, a short man with a thin slit subtly across their forehead, a large flat top, and a thin build underneath a refined tuxedo with pointed shoes showed himself, they all immediately backed away, some yelping.

He gave a long drawn out yawn, not at all phased by the woman’s piercing pleas for help. Her eyes shifted to the drool staining his chin then the dark circles under his eyes. She mustered up a response, her words slightly shaky and timid,”S-sorry to wake you like that… They were just chasing me and… I-” he interrupted.

“Y’know… It’s pretty hard for me to go back to sleep after eating a good midnight snack…Especially after a big family with loads, and loads of moolah just settled into town…” He yawned once more, his voice groggy. He scratched the pants leg of his suit tiredly, she watched his movements as close as the onlookers behind her, wanting anything but to get on his bad side. “Normally, I’d have to give you the nasty version of Kilead greeting for that… But for you… my sister?” He cleared his throat then his eyes lit up. He smirked, wiping the mucus from in between his eyes with a cocky grin. “You who’s been hollerin’ my name at the dead of night oh so desperate to see her little brother…?” Opening her mouth to correct him before he could finish that sentence, he quickly pulled her in for a hug, patting her back with a giant pearly white smile. “I don’t mind so much! And here I thought all I was good for was being the moral scale of the family, I mean isn’t that what you and dad said!?” He asked, letting go of her, while taking her all in. “I-I didn’t say it like that exact-”

“By the way!” He interrupted curtly,”What's up with the coat?” He asked, pointing at her. “Oh- and bag, and shoes, and… You’re entire fit actually. You know where I live, why’d you come dressing so extra? What? You wanna impress me too?” He asked teasingly, his fingers tracing upon the leather of her bag. The woman looked around warily as all of Dex’s neighbors stared in envy, wanting to do more, yet seemingly unable to move any farther. “What is this Feeling… Oh… Oh… I know it, I know it! Don’t you dare tell me!”

Her voice rose slightly, asking,”Dex can we please just-” “Shut up for a sec! Oh yeah, I know! This is the ostrich leather mom got you for all those Christmases ago!? Ha! You bougie girl, you didn’t even care about that stuff all those years back, you know how desperate these guys would get for a piece of this? For an ostrich leather bag!?!?!” He yelled loudly while holding the bag above his head so everyone could see. They groaned, while others wailed at their failure to secure it. Suddenly cautious eyes turned enraged as she recalled this had always been how her brother was. Shoving the cooler into his short arms she hissed at him, "This isn’t the time to play cute! Let me in, now!”

Still not taking the situation seriously he laughed. “There she is…!” He smiled, stepping to the side allowing her to force herself in. As he readied to close the door behind him, looking back out into the crowd of lingering eyes, some children with sullen cheeks shed tears as the wave of warmth from inside eased their stiffly cold bodies. Dex looked onto each of their malnourished figures, whispering with a darkened tone,”Don’t spoil my appetite…” He slammed the door, their awe struck faces left disturbed as the cold of outside chilled the little bit of hope they had of retrieving their material possessions.

Inside was as nice as you’d expect from a house seemingly made up of gold, though not quite the size one would anticipate for a building only forty feet tall. Not even their family's house could compare, despite their methodical approach to decoration. Her eyes were drawn to the high ceilings and long hallways, every inch constructed with layered and intricate swirling designs, which to her meant something given how difficult fluid lines were to engrave into this material. Her mind raced to questions of, “How long did this take to commission?” or “How much did it cost?” Though as her mouth hung to ask any one of these questions, an urge to look mature- or rather unimpressed emerged. She closed her mouth, then clenched her toes as a way of calming her still present excitement.

Heading further into the empty, Dex said thoughtlessly. “Record player.” Then poof, out of thin air a record player was summoned beside him, dropping to the floor. She looked at him with shock,”Aren’t you gonna pick it up?” “Nah! Save it for later.” She groaned, annoyed by his lack of care. This continued throughout their walk, toys, candy, gaming consoles, even live creatures filled the hall, until finally, she retorted,” Just stop! These things don’t even mean anything to you, and you know it!” He tilted his head. “It’s a habit for a reason, sis. Rule of cool, demands constant use. First, I claim the names of small objects, then animals, then… People, and then… I dunno.” Her eyes bulged out of her skull upon hearing that. “What?! I let ‘em leave after, I just like seein’ how some people come to me… It’s not like “poof!” Guess cuz people have souls…”

Silence ensued, she reflected on her brother's confident stride, confused how one could be so happy despite the pain they’ve caused. “You know Shawn broke down about it the other day when we talked, but he still wanted more stuff- At least I’m honest.” She scoffed. “Right… Like that’s better.” “How is it not? He feels bad and still doesn’t, I don’t.” Just then a pang of guilt shot through her chest, she quieted.

Noticing another gap in silence, he spoke up quickly,”You know I helped with the flowy design.” Her eyes practically bulged from out of her head, her eyebrows furrowed,”You?!” She questioned, worriedly. “Yep. Over there mainly.” He pointed towards the most plain wall. Unlike the others, which flowed into a spiral pattern, immersing her into a tidal wave of thought and movement as she treaded onwards, a wall near the very end of the hallway completely halted the illusion. The spiral pattern was rigid, and far more shallow than the designs which dominated the walls before. Along with this, one distinct crack followed high up towards the ceiling, as if mocking the work put in before altogether.

“Oh… That’s uh… Good attempt.” She said, obviously disappointed. “Oh you’re full of it, I knew you’d make your voice like that!” “Like what?!” She asked sheepishly,”All soft and pitying- I don’t need it. And for the record, I didn’t do that. One of the workers messed up. Freak accident with the ladder caused by… Y’know (Rule of cool and all). I thought it suited the place anyways, so they didn’t fix it.” “Right…” She replied, stroking her braids, a bit uncomfortable with the implications of a freak accident.

She gripped onto her cooler, the tightening of the inside revealed liquids as well as a pink surface. As they reached the end of the hallway, Dex opened the grand door, revealing a surprisingly down to earth lair of sorts. Her eyes first pulled from a series of butchered forest animals hanging above a fireplace, a group of chandeliers, each composed of millions of crystals all leading towards the kitchen then dining area, in which the largest chandelier sat above a seat reserved for two. Another woman with gray hair and a steady disposition playing the piano passionately though thoughtlessly. She cringed slightly as the flurry of notes, although sometimes melodic, felt like the pointless hammering of a child pressing keys for fun.The before quiet slightly intimidating designs faded, turning into

Noticing her reaction, Dex asked,"What's wrong? Not a fan of atonal? I get so bored listening to prissy little harmonies I need something to spice it up here and there. Guess my ears have spoiled from all the fortune, huh?” She shook her head, giving a feigned smile. “No, it’s..It’s… Interesting.” She turned to her right, observing the kitchen further, her eyes pulled towards a blank painting with a small yellow dot. Her mouth hung open slightly. Although it hadn’t suited her taste either, she couldn’t help but notice the signature now well renowned abstract piece, she could have sworn their parents speaking of just this week.

“Oh that? One of the neighbors apparently commissioned a painting from the renowned Oliver Mattise. It was a shot in the dark when I asked! Crazy huh?” “You didn't have to take it, you don’t even care about art!” She retorted, a bit apprehensive to even walk near it. “What’s the big idea? I can’t form new interests?!” “That’s-! Ugh!” Ignoring him, she realized a pair of cargo pants and a button up shirt. “Why’d you leave your clothes out…?” He quickly answered,”What? my clothes? But I only- Oh right… Just cuz..” “But why here…?” She asked, approaching them..” “Closets are overrated. What? Gonna judge me? Call me a monster?” The last line stung, reminding her of the tension built between the two.

“Look… I’m sorry I never reached out sooner… You’re not a monster. Maybe cursed, But I-!” “No, no I’m just playing mean. Coming here is enough trouble-I’m trouble….” She frowned at his conclusion. As he strolled towards the kitchen as Danielle’s music picked up, transforming into something sinister as he outstretched his hands proudly. “So come, dear sister! Before we engage in more trouble, let us make… A toast!” He said, his tiny body then speeding towards the kitchen, opening every cabinet in search of any drinks. “Trouble…?” She asked, genuinely confused. “Yeah, yeah! Aren’t you here for your advice? Cassidy just came down here last week about redemption or whatever, that’ll get the big man upstairs on her good side!” He responded, cups falling onto the floor as he rummaged further in search of any drinks. “Wait, hold on- She was!? Weird… but that’s not why I’m here Dex!”

She advanced further towards his hunched over figure. “I’m here to give you this!” She extended the bag in front of him, he stood up scratching the temple of his head confusedly. “The heck is this?” He asked as she plopped it into his hands, he knelt dramatically under the weight, smirking a bit from how cold yet soft the inside felt. “Ewwww! What is this, raw meat!?"

“Remember… The day this all started? Or at least when we think this started?” She asked, searching inside her bag for something. “Course. April 1st 2015. The week after we moved in here… Why?”

Decisively she pulled out a black flip phone, privileged as he was. Dex didn’t laugh at the old technology, instead his lips tightened. After clicking on a series of buttons, she then revealed a gallery of photos showing a little boy, with a large high top,surrounded by a younger version of herself, box braids, lock neck and all, and a series of other children with wide eyed grins playing. As she scrolled his expression became more perplexed. “W-where did you get this? This is like from a… From a million years ago… And why… Why do they look so…?” As she scrolled to the final picture of a younger Dex unconscious in a hospital, his head left unclosed revealing their brain, as if someone forgot to screw on the lid to his head. “What the…?” He whispered.

“...Ten years ago somebody- In the family- Either mom or Dad probably- they paid somebody to steal your orbitofrontal cortex. And… And I think that's where you got this ability to take whatever from people!!”He paused. Looking at the bag carefully. For a moment his lips lifted, then immediately fell as he became anxious.

“Where in God's name did you get those photos!? What is that, Ai!?” “No!” She said assertively. He eased his lips as well as his body. “Really? Are you sure?” He repeated to himself in a hushed whisper, “Because as we both know, I can make anything bad that can happen come right your way…” “Right! And the same’s true with anything good! So maybe you asked for a solution to your problems, maybe you asked for a reason for me to visit, and here I am! I’m here to help and get you fixed!”

She said, rubbing his shoulder affectionately “Okay…? …You can finally understand why these things are supposed to feel bad, you can-!” “… Do you really think I wish for things all willy nilly?” He asked, his voice lowering, his before vulnerable eyes glossing over with sternness. In the background Danielle quickly ran upstairs. “See… I already knew about the reason I can do what I do… It’s in our blood. The perception of one's self controls every possibility available to them. And through believing I deserved fortune with every fiber of my being, with no brain to stop me, I get everything… And I like that. So why would I care about the poor out there? If I asked for you, and a normal brain, why did the universe make the deal sold separately, huh?”

She quieted for a moment. Although he had a point she wasn’t lying. This was in fact a part of his brain. It had to have been! “I’ll give you a hint… “ He leaned closer, his once small figure towering over her. “The bloodline needs an heir whose gluttony never ends alongside their greed…!” Her eyes widened. As then in that moment he pulled her in for a hug, something sharp poking her. The last words leaving his lips being,”Goodbye, Diane!”