Mimi's Demons

Chapter 21: Children Aren't Like Dogs

"I need to go to school."

Duke looked up from his laptop, where he'd been doing some...light business work.

His new kid was standing in his office doorway, stiff and happily still as blond as when he'd seen her last night over a rather quiet dinner. She had that thin-mouthed, steely look he was beginning to think she put on when she was pretending to be tough.

Pretending, because he'd heard all the reports from Serena and the Doc.

Adorable.

"You'll be homeschooled," he said, pulling up another tab, just in case.

"I have a school," she said, so very, very stiff. Like a new soldier recruit in boot camp.

"Oh?"

"...I need a computer. Or a ride to a library."

So she did realize she had no clue where she was. "I believe I said you weren't leaving the house until you've adjusted and gained some weight. You look like a toddler. And we'll have to wait on the computer until I can prepare one with the proper protections."

"I've used computers just fine, what would I even need protections from?"

"Pornography. Pedophiles. Scam artists. Identity theft. You probably haven't hit on most of those since you're too young to even know what they are."

There, that made her tough face break and squirm. She hated being treated like a child, even if she was one. He felt the corner of his mouth twitch. Smiles didn't come easy to him, which just made him all the more satisfied in his decision to obtain his daughter.

"They'll—they might wonder where I am," she said. "The online school I used. Maybe send out cops."

He wanted to laugh. How cute, his baby knew how to make indirect threats. Well, he should humor her until she realized her mistake. Kids were allowed a few warnings before punishment, right?

He closed his laptop to give her his full attention. "I'm surprised you went to a public library while homeless. Didn't anyone notice a kid wandering around during school hours?"

"People don't notice much if you don't give them a reason to. I went after school was out."

"But you smelled."

He loved her scowls. She put her all into them to look threatening.

"I did not! Just because soap doesn't work as well as shampoo doesn't mean I smelled!"

"You smelled."

She inhaled deeply, puffing up her cheeks in the process. He wondered if she knew she looked like an angry squirrel when she did that.

"Let the adult handle your schooling, yeah? Your lesson for today is remembering how to play like a normal kid. Pretend or whatever you do. Did you like your toys?"

"I don't play with dolls and girly shit."

He tisked. "That's not appropriate language. I got some rather acrid soap bars I'm not afraid to use."

She huffed and looked to the side. "I'm not afraid of a guy with a scoop out of his gut."

"The guy who commands Omen."

"He has a weird name. What's with his turban?"

"It's part of his religion. He's a Sikh."

"Seek?"

"Ask him yourself if you want to know." He patted the armrest of his chair. He was getting rather tired of sitting so much. But it only fueled his vengeance to the bastard who did this to him. "Why don't you come in and visit?" He might even forgive her lie if she did.