Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
We stare at each other for a moment. Man to man and eye to eye.
Maybe even… brother to brother.
“Either way, Pell, you will lose everything. The only decision you’re making right now is how you want to spend your eternity. Being used by damaged gods to do horrible things? Or at peace.”
He shrugs.
Then he gets up from the table, downs the rest of his whiskey, and walks out the door.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO – PIE
Jacqueline is waiting for my answer. And what can I do but agree?
“OK,” I say, breathing out a long breath. “But Jacqueline, you have to go with them. Who will take care of them?”
“I’ll take care of them.” This comes from the teenage boy. Cecil, I think his name was.
I smile at him, then grab Jacqueline by the arm and turn her away so he can’t see us whisper-fight. “You can’t just send a bunch of kids into the monster world with a teenager, Jacqs. That’s… wrong.”
“What are these worlds like?”
“Umm… I mean, they’re all different, I guess. They’re… I’ve only been two places through the doors. And both of them were kinda fucked up, to be honest.”
“I know a place they can go.”
Jacqueline and I both turn in the direction of the voice. It came from Cookie.
“You do?” Jacqueline says, eager.
Cookie looks at me and offers up a small smile. “I do. ” Then he directs his attention back to Jacqueline. “It’s where I grew up. ” He glances at me again. “It’s not Vinca. It’s not anything special like that. It’s just a little village in the countryside. But my people are there and they are good, Pie.”
“You know this guy?” Jacqueline asks.
I nod. Cookie and I are staring at each other again. “He took care of me.” I grin. “Thank you, Cookie. Do you want me to call you by your real name?”
“I rather like Cookie.”
“The Cookie Monster. You’re called the Cookie Monster?” Jacqueline laughs. Then the kids do too.
I don’t think Cookie gets the joke, but he’s cool with it. “If you drop us off in Vinca, it will be a long walk. But—”
“I won’t have to drop you off in Vinca, Cookie. I have fifty—well, forty-five-ish doors. I think we can get everyone pretty close to the right place with that many doors.”
Cookie looks at the kids. He’s a little bit scary when you first meet him. He has very big monster teeth, almost like tusks, but not that pronounced. And they are sharp. He’s not older, like Eyebrows. And he’s not really handsome, either. He’s big, and muscular, and quite hairy. His fur is a very dark mahogany brown just like his eyes, and horns, and hooves. But his skin is a little bit golden and this contrast gives off a little bit of a warm glow-y feeling. Even before pants started gaining in popularity at Saint Mark’s, Cookie always wore an apron. Not the bib kind, but just one around his waist. And I always appreciated this about him.
“Thank you, by the way,” I say.
“What for?”
“For taking care of me.” I look at Jacqueline. “He’s very good at taking care of people.”
She and Cookie look at each other for a long moment. Then Jacqueline says, “They’re independent. Even the little ones. They don’t like to be bossed. They like to be asked. They’re small, and young, but they have not been children for a while now.”
Cookie offers her an understanding smile and then he offers her his hand. Jacqueline’s hand is engulfed by Cookie’s, completely disappearing into his palm when they shake. But again, this isn’t as scary as it could be. When Cookie puts an arm around you, or shakes your hand, or hands you a sack lunch on your first day of work in a brand-new world, it comes off as… just what you needed.
When Jacqueline pulls her hand back, she nods, satisfied.
“But Jacqueline, why not go with them? Where are you gonna go if you stay here?” I ask.
“I’m going back to do my job.”
“You stole children, Jacqs. You can’t go back to Philly. They’ll put you in jail.”
“They don’t even know those kids are gone, Pie. We were in a bright blue bus on the highway. No one is looking for them. Kids go missing all the time. They just stamp the word ‘runaway’ on the file, put it away in some storage closet, and never think of them again. I’m just getting started here. I’m—”
But she’s interrupted by the opening of the bar door. I turn, expecting Pell.
Instead, I come face to face with him.
Cookie is already ushering the kids down the street when Eros directs his gaze to Jacqueline first. He’s working some kind of magic on her. And it’s right there on her face. That adoration.
Eros flicks his fingers at her. “You are… dismissed. Go away.”