Mine Peaches

PIETRO GIACOMETTI

I hated the noise. No matter how quiet they tried to be, they could not be quiet enough for me. I didn't just hate the noise, I hated the smiles on their faces and I hated how free they were, running around.

If there was anything I wanted to do right now, I wanted to tie them all to a tree and drench them in fuel and watch them shake in fright while I played with a lighter. The children of the workers in our home. My mother was the reason they were here, she was the only one who thought it was a good idea to have a home built for all our workers, where they could live with their family.

I shaded the drawing I was making. A drawing of a dying man with his toes chopped off. The inspiration for the drawing? Watching my dad chop toes off a pathetic man last night.

"Who are you?" I heard the children ask in one loud voice. I raised my gaze and saw them gathered around a tree. A little girl was sitting under the tree, a drawing book in her hands too. I had never noticed her around before.

"I am Caily, daughter of the gardener. Nice to meet you." She got up on her feet, a smile parting her lips. I hated seeing the other kids smile and I should have hated the smile on her face too but strangely, her smile wasn't annoying.

Weird.

"Well, Caily. It's not so nice meeting you." the son of the cook, Journie said to her and the smile on her face vanished while the other kids laughed, seemingly finding that funny.

"What are you drawing?" Journie guffawed and optimism lit up the face of the girl.

"Oh, it's a drawing of a..."

"Who cares?" She was cut off and a girl pushed her.

"Don't be mean."

"She says we are mean." Journie's voice was loud.

I looked away from them and returned my focus to my drawing. I couldn't care less what childish things they engaged in but it only took a few seconds before running steps approached me.

My fists clenched around the edges of the page I was drawing on and I groaned before raising my gaze, ready to teach whoever it was their place.

"Can you help me please?" A soft voice called as my eyes met with hers. The scowl on my face smoothened away as our gaze fixed.

Her eyes were of a bluish colour, a colour so light that it seemed so easy to get lost in them. She was close to me and I could breathe in her scent, a cheap perfume that smelt like peaches.

"They are being mean to me for no reason." her voice brought me out of the world of her eyes.

I have always had the urge to ruin, to hurt but for the first time, I felt the urge to protect.

Weird. Again.

"And what would you give me in return for helping you?" I asked and saw confusion in her pretty eyes.

"Please get back my drawing for me, I... I will give you anything I have." she said the words thoughtlessly.

"Anything?" I questioned and she nodded repeatedly, very willingly.

"I will give you anything I have."

I have had many ideas in my thirteen years of existence, ideas my mum says I shouldn't have but I had never had the idea of owning a human until right now. I wanted to own her, I wanted her to be mine.

I got up from where I was seated and took her by the wrist. Soft. Her skin was so soft.