Chapter 2 – Three Rules
“Three rules.”
Zill was busy tossing a soccer ball, it shuffled from one kneecap to the other, at every fifth bounce, managing to rise high enough to block the sun in the bounce’s apex.
“One; you can’t lock her up.”
“Two; you can’t take advantage of her sexually.”
“And three. You can’t sell her.” Grimm extended a finger for each of the rules he recited.
Zill nodded. “Right, do I have to feed her?”
Grim shrugged, “We’re broke and I have to take out a girl tonight…so…”
Zill smiles at him his eyes lighting up cutting into the conversation. ”So its at my discretion.”
“No, feed her. I still have a little bit left under the mattress. So I’ll be back tonight, or if I’m lucky, tomorrow morning.”
Zill catcalled towards Grim. “You horn dog, you.”
Grim returned an uncertain grin that was mischievous then returned back to his usual gentle demeanor. “Let’s hope.
“Hoping is worthless, just do it.” Zill gave the ball one final kick, letting it fly off against the side off the house. It resounded with a strong shake of the houses weak wooden frame. It rolled down against the grass with a few weakened bounces it settled settled in front of the incline of a hill.
Zill headed back towards the door of his house as Grimm repeated again. “Three rules Zill.”
He slammed the door behind him, wondering what Grimm’s deal being so worried about a stranger.
Sterling silver chains screeched along the wooden ground until they came to a halt with a clank, stuck against the brittle leg of a table. The metal chains led back to a slender ankle.
She looked up at him jaw open complete in disbelief. Zill didn’t notice her, he was laid back against a stalk of hay covered under a blanket. One leg was bent towards him, his hand against its thigh, magazine folded between his fingers and thumb.
“Its illegal to do this!” She rattles her chains once again. “You’ve kidnapped me.”
He flipped the page of the magazine, paying no attention to her.
She gave a few more tugs on the chains, her ankle turning a swollen red color, a rash forming from the consistent rubbing of metal against her bare ankle. “You’re just a miserable person.” Her hand leans over the top of the table, she blindly shuffles around, barely skimming past a cutting knife, then hits a loaf of bread. She throws it his way.
It leers towards his head, about to collide head on, before his free hand make a grab for it. The loaf catches his attention. He takes a bite out of it, then finally looks her way, studying her.
He swallows his bite. “First of all, you vandalized my friends house, and of course I’m miserable, because of you I have to babysit you while Grimm is away.”
Zill extends the piece of bread in her direction. “Hey girl, throw me some cheese too.”
She growls. “I have a name, asshole.”
“Girl works just fine, unless I can call you nice legs.” He responds.
Nice legs makes another huffy noise extending her arm over to the table again, moving past a vase and a cutting board, her hand grazing the knife from the wrong end, blade edge first. “Ow…” She pulls her hand down, blood streaming down her fingers, in a thick slow glaze.
His eyes shift towards her, inspecting her hand, then they turn back towards the magazine, letting out a frustrated grunt.
In one swift motion he kicks his legs off the hay his body follows like a trapeze artist. He straightens up, stretching to one side quickly while making his way to the cupboard in the room.
As he bends over onto one knee taking her hand in his, he can’t help but notice how small her hand seems in his. He opens up her fingers placing a bandage on her bleeding finger. “You should becareful there legs.”
She looks up at him twin emerald orbs peering and in one swift motion she grabs the vase from the table top swinging it down on Zill’s head. It crumbles into pieces over his dark reddish hairs, his face falling flat into the broken pieces of the vase, his body lumbering in followed suit.
“I told you. The names not legs.”
*****
The sun hadn’t even risen as he arrived back to Zill’s hut where he would make his residence till he was able to repair his own broken hut. He wasn’t thinking of his own house, instead he was caught on the dryness in his throat as he opened the door to Zill’s hut. The door always creaking with a forceful nudge against the Earth as it drudged open. His heart didn’t merely choke, it felt missing, a vacuum that tugged at the strings that once supported his vascular muscle.
The vacuum in his heart wasn’t enough, once the door swung wide open, a void slumped in his stomach and he was grateful. For what he saw was Zill passed out on the table, bottle in one hand, legs propped up in a spread eagle position with a girl in between.
Grimm’s face reflected shock, for Zill and the falling star girl hadn’t gotten along and now she was somehow spread between his legs. While Zill has charm with women, it was always Grimm’s more romantic sympathetic nature that appealed to them and well, falling for Zill was much like asking to be put under a guillotine.
“Zill.” No response to his own name.
“Zill.”
He shifted slightly in a drunken haze, grunting then turning before his body jarring against the naked girls body, her body turned over revealing her front to Grim. she had supple breasts and small hips that looked awkwardly proportional, not at all how he imagined.
He turned his sights away, blushing at the thought of even seeing or imagining her naked.
In his hand he clenched a blanket, bringing it over to cover the decency of them both. None of which Zill had.
As the blanket covered on her head, hiding her whole body, the sudden sense of decency seemed to jolt Zill awake. His body shot up, the girl rolling to the other side of the table slumping into her quite slumber.
“Grimm….Back so soon?” Zills eyes squinted, focusing on his fuzzy figure, a cold chill running up his back. “Its not even…” He glances at the sun preparing to rise for its morning glory. “Seven? Eight? Nine?”
In response Grimm shook his head, picking up a few things around the place. “Seven thirty.”
“Quit being such a one minute man.” The words stretch and gargle as Zill yawns loudly.
“And did you really have to sleep with her?” Grimm turns his sights on Zill again with a plate in his hand, twirling along the roll of his fingers.
Zill’s eyes were dimm, half shut still. “Why not?” He shrugged almost unsure of what the big deal was that he was sleeping with a girl, its not something new and it most definitely was not the first time, or second, or…you get the idea.
“We don’t even know her name, you know.”
“That’s never stopped me before.”
Grimm stopped in his tracks, realizing there was a new chair in Zill’s place along with a plethora of random objects. “Where did you get all this stuff? Since when did we have money for alcohol and food that isn’t consistent of loaf and cheese?”
Zill got off the table, letting the blanket completely fall off of him and the girl giving a full view to Grimm once again. She was a girl with dark brown hair and dark eyes. She was not the falling star but one of the local girls who’d fallen for Zill’s wicked disinterest and off-standish demeanor.
“That isn’t the fallen star.” Grimm said in shocked disbelief.
“I know.” Zill nodded in return. “Wait…” Zill moved towards Grimm inspecting his face. “You thought I slept with her?”
Grimm let out a sigh of relief and Zill let out a deep laugh. “You wouldn’t believe the things that little mugster Tran will buy these days…I sold her saying she’s a virgin princess.”
Grimm’s eyes were losing their blue hue instead burning deep with anger, almost a sea of fire. He grabbed Zill by his shoulders. “What?
