Mimi's Demons

Chapter 72: Just Your Normal Animal Crossing Death Threats

For how much fear was in the world, Mimi was always surprised she didn't see more fear demons like Honrye. Occasionally she'd see a flash of gray or see something curled in a corner from where a feast was going on, but never something all green eyes and floppy wings and little black horns.

She wondered that more than ever as she curled up in her wardrobe and listened to Serena clean her room. Mimi did a good job keeping her room clean herself, but Serena still insisted on coming in to dust or wash her windows. Mimi wondered if this was bad parenting, then decided she didn't care. If it meant she'd be left alone among all her dresses and shirts, all the better.

At length, though, Serena didn't have any more excuses to leave her alone and came opening up the wardrobe.

"Chit," she said, softer than usual. "How about some sun? Everything gets less scary with the sun shining on it."

That wasn't true. Mimi could see more demons when the sun was out and more people were about. The guy with the stuffed animals had come out in daylight too, though it had been cloudy that day. Point was, the sun didn't do jack shit.

When Mimi didn't respond, she could all but feel Serena pout. But when she looked up Serena didn't look disappointed. She just looked sad. Mimi had never seen Serena look like that, even when Mimi had been sick or kidnapped or scratching at the scars on her arms.

"Where's my brave girl?" she asked. "Did she get tired of being cool and ran off somewhere?"

Mimi turned her face back into her arms, folded over her knees.

"She was stupid," she mumbled.

"And why's that?"

Mimi didn't know how to say it all, or even if she should.

Serena reached out to smooth away some sticky hairs from her forehead. After a minute of that, she convinced Mimi to at least come out to take one of her calming lavender baths that Mimi had grown so fond of. As the water level rose and the bubbles grew, Serena vanished only to reappear with a little bowl of grapes and a cup of her famous tea. She said something about getting Mimi's blood sugar up and she'd gone through all the effort, so Mimi drank the tea and nibbled on the grapes, even though eating was the last thing she felt like doing. Serena, at least, only ever had a slinky demon on her shoulder occasionally and even not that much anymore. Duke had told her she just liked to read dirty stuff. Mimi didn't know reading books could attract demons. But of course they could. Anything could.

Mimi would never be safe.

Serena washed Mimi's hair for her. Usually Mimi preferred to do it herself, but she felt listless and a bit disconnected.

"You're very smart, chit," Serena said as she smoothed conditioner through Mimi's hair. "A bit too smart, even. Kids need to be a little stupid."

Mimi gave her a look. "What?"

"We learn from being stupid. Being a kid's all about learning. And being stupid can be fun and when you're a kid's the only time someone's there to help catch you when you fall."

Mimi pulled her knees up to her chest. A field of bubbles came in with them.

"No one's going to catch me," she said.

"Rubbish." Serena dipped the little plastic pitcher into the water and blew off the bubbles that came with. Then she poured the water gently over the back of Mimi's head. "Maybe no one was around for a while there, but they are now."

Mimi's eyes got all hot and full. She sniffed.

Yeah. Yeah that had been a nice feeling. Maybe, if she'd been stupid...maybe it would be okay to be stupid for a little while longer—no. What would happen if she did? What would Duke do? No one could stop him, not even Serena.