A.N. - Sometimes I wonder about my sanity...
Northstar
V.
Fifteen years ago…at noon…
I'm busy looking for dead bugs to poke with my stick when an old lady walks up to me.
"Well, aren't you just adorable. What's your name?" she asks me.
She smells weird and has a twichy eye. I take a step away from her.
"You're not supposed talk to strangers," I tell her. Daddy always told me that, but maybe her daddy never told her.
She laughs, but it sounds more like she's coughing up a hairball. I watch her warily, I don't want to be hit by a flying hairball.
"That's true, but I'm not a stranger, I'm a friend of your mommy's" she smiles, and I see her yellow teeth.
Ew.
"I don't have a mommy." Now I'm suspicious.
Daddy told me I didn't get a mommy, but it was okay because he'd do all the mommy things for me too. I don't mind. I have Daddy, and he loves me lots.
The old lady's twichy eye is getting worse, and I'm afraid it's going to pop out of her head or something. I wonder if she'd let me keep it.
She doesn't say anything for a while, so I return to searching for more dead bugs.
"I have a puppy," she says triumphantly after another minute.
"Is it dead?" I ask excitedly, my suspicion forgotten.
She looks at me oddly, her twichy eye winking at me. "Uhm….no."
"Oh," I look back at the dead cockroach impaled on my stick.
"I mean yes, of course it's dead. It's very dead in fact." She says quickly.
I look back at her, "Can I see it?"
"Of course you can sweetheart," she smiles, and I wish she'd stop doing it. It's not pretty.
"But you see," she continues, " The puppy is back at my house, so we have to go there for you to see it. Do you want to come?"
I look at my dead cockroach. A puppy would be much more interesting.
"Okay," I decide, smiling at the old woman.
1PM
"Where's the puppy?" I asked the old lady.
We've been driving around forever and I'm getting sleepy, but if I fall asleep I might miss the puppy. The car smell like old potato chips and it's very messy. I don't like it at all. It's nothing like Daddy's car that's neat and smells like lemons.
The car finally stops in front of a big metal building. She lives here? I can't really see anything else because the window is so high up and the old lady keeps poking at me when I try to jump up to see.
I do not like being poked. I'm the one that does the poking around here.
A big burly man comes suddenly comes up to the old lady's window and they start whispering. I don't like big burly man. His face is all red and he looks really angry.
The old lady turns to me. "There's been a change of plan. You need to stay here with Karl while I go get the puppy all right sweetie?"
I don't really want to stay with big burly man, Cain. But before I can say so, drags me out of the car and drags me toward the big building.
"Hi." I say, looking up at Cain.
He just looks down at me with his big red face, but doesn't say anything.
"Are we waiting for the puppy in there?" I ask him.
"Yeah, sure." He mutters.
"Okay." He's not so bad I guess.
2PM
"Is the puppy here yet?" I ask Cain.
He's is sitting on an old sofa while I'm stuck tied up to a chair. Cain said that I had to be tied down for the puppy to come, but I don't really get why. Besides, it's uncomfortable.
"No." He answers finally.
"How much longer?" I am really bored now.
"I don't know." He shrugs.
He hasn't really looked or anything so I ask him if he's sure.
"Yes! Now look kid, there's no dead puppy coming. The old bitch lied to you. So just shut up and quit bugging me."
Lied?
Why would she lie? Cain lied too. He said I had to be tied up for the puppy to come, but if there's no puppy, why am I tied up.
I don't like this anymore. I want to go home.
I tell Cain this, but he says I have to stay here for a while and to quit bugging him. But I need something to do so I decide to bug him anyway.
3PM
"Stop staring at me, kid!"
I've been staring at Cain for long time now, and it seems to bother him so I keep staring.
"You're ugly." I inform him. In case he didn't know.
"And what, you think you're so freaking adorable?" He asks.
"yes."
Duh.
4PM
"In the beginning, God created Quinn and he commanded him to go and collect all dead bugs. Poke'm with a stick he told Quinn. Then build me a shrine. For I am the Cockroach God!" I chant.
"Shut the hell up." Cain's face is getting redder now.
"I can't." I say worriedly.
"Why not?"
"Because I've been possessed by the Cockroach God. BOOM SHAKALAKA, BOOOM SHAKALAKA, BOOM….agh."
I'm cut off from my screaming when Cain comes over and ties a rag around my mouth.
"What the hell is wrong with you kid?" He's screaming now.
I think he's angry.
I just snarl at him, and start chewing through the rag.
5PM
A short red haired man comes into the room and Cain runs over to him, waiving the rag I had chewed through.
"I can't take this anymore Mac. The kid's freaking insane. He chewed through the gag. Chewed though it!" He tells the red haired man. I guess his name is Mac.
I don't like Mac. I think it's his fault Cain won't take me back to Daddy.
"C'mon, he can't be that bad. He's just a little kid." Mac tells him.
He walks toward my chair and I smile my best smile at him.
"aw, aren't you cute." He goes to pet my head, but I bite his hand before he can reach.
"AH, let go my hand you little shit." He's trying to pull his hand away, but I bite down harder.
Now his face is all red like Cain's and it matches his hair. I growl through the hand in my mouth.
He grabs my head and forces my jaw open, taking his hand out.
"grrr…"
"Gag him." He orders Cain.
"No way man. He'll bite me, you do it." I think Cain looks scared.
Mac shakes his head, looking over at me.
"Look kid, we won't gag you. But you have to stay quiet, ok?"
"I can't." I tell him smiling.
"Why?" He asks.
"No! Don't ask him that." Cain yells, but it's too late.
"Because I've been possessed by the Cockroach God. BOOM SHAKALAKA, BOOOM SHAKALAKA, BOOM…
6PM
"…BOOM SHAKALAKA, BOOOM SHAKALAKA, BOOM…" My voice is sore now, but I keep up my chant scream.
"I don't care how much the guy owes you Mac. Nothing's worth this much agony. Can't we just cap'em?" Cain asks Mac.
I wonder what cap'em means?
"No. We don't murder little kids. Not even this one." Mac says.
Murder? Cain wants to kill me?
Nah.
"Fine. Can I at least knock him out for a while."
I know Cain's just trying to scare me so I keep chanting without a worry.
"No. Just take him back home."
Yay. I'm going home!
"And if Jon don't have the money?"
Jon. That's Daddy's name…
"We'll find another way for him to pay us. Now, you think you can take the kid back? I have to go to Reece's soccer game."
"Sure thing Mac." Cain nods at Mac and then Mac leaves.
Cain comes over and starts to untie me, careful to avoid my mouth. I stop chanting, I'm too excited about going home.
7PM
"Okay kid, out of the car." Cain tell me once we're back home.
I can see Daddy running toward the car and I wave at him. I start to get out of the car, but stop to lean over and hug Cain.
"That was fun. Are you coming back to play with me again?" I ask him.
He pushes me off, a weird look on his face.
"I don't think so kid. But you're ok, weird as shit, but ok."
He smiles at me and I grin back before getting out of the car and running to Daddy. I hear the car speed off behind me.
"Oh my god Quinn! My baby boy. I thought I'd never see you again. Don't ever do that to me again. You hear?" Daddy's hugging me so tight it hurts to breathe.
"yup."
"Are you ok?" He asks, let me go a little bit so he can look at me.
"yup."
"Look at me Quinn." He tells me so I looked at him where he's kneeling in front of me. "You know I love you very very much, right?"
"Mhmm."
"And I'd never let anything bad ever happen to you, no matter what, I'll always be there to protect you." Now he's crying and I don't want him to be cry because I don't like it when Daddy's sad.
"Don't cry Daddy." I tell him, and then add. "I got you a present."
"Oh, really. What is it?" He's smiling now so I'm happy.
I grabbed the dead cockroach I had put in my pocket that morning and gave it to Daddy.
"It's beautiful Quinn. Thank you." He hugs me again, and I squirm until he lets me go.
"Can we have milk and cookies now? I have so much to tell you." I say excitedly.
"Yeah, let's go."
A/N- Sorry guys, updates will probably continue to be slow until my classes end for summer. Please bare with me. I also haven't gotten around to thanking all my reviewers personally, but I do read most of your stories, and if I'm not, let me know so I can go check them out!
On to other news. I've updated my profile thingy so go check it out. There's important news about my other story 'Jude'. There's also a photo of a guy I who looks just like I imagine Quinn looks like. Funky haircut and all.
So yeah, please review! It really have to be anything intelligible, just a howdy to let me know you guys enjoy the story.
And ain't 6 year old Quinn just adorable?