Vicious Minds: Part 2 (Children of Vice 5)

“Did she really help?” Calliope asked as she came to stand beside the serving tables. “Seems like you still have a lot to work to do.”

I followed her glance to the line of kids that were waiting for me to cut a cake to serve to them, and they still looked terrified. I was sure if Gigi weren’t beside me, they would have been too petrified to come up. God only knows the stories their parents had told them of my family or me.

“Hi, dear,” Calliope spoke sweetly to a little freckle-faced girl who hid beside her slightly older brother.

He was a skinny one, with jet black hair and thick eyebrows for a child. Which made the glare he gave me even more striking. My eyebrow raised slightly at him.

“Is this your brother?”

“Yeah, who’s asking!” The boy puffed up his chest as he stared at her.

“I am, silly,” Calliope giggled.

He was flustered by that and just looked over to me. “Are we getting cake or not?”

“Not,” Calliope huffed. “I only give cake to cute kids. And you are not cute.”

“Well, you are not giving out the cake,” he shot back. Then pointed to me. “Mr. Callahan is.”

He turned to me, holding out his plate. His face was now less menacing, which made me wonder if he had forgotten who he was supposed to be giving his attitude.

“If Mommy says no cake, no cake for you!” Gigi popped up like a hedgehog at my side, her head held high.

“That’s not how it works!” he once again yelled, making a face back at her.

Gigi made a face in return.

“Would you like a piece of cake?” Calliope asked the little girl, this time, using her hands to sign toward the girl as she spoke.

Immediately she came from around her brother, nodding, which caused the boy to put his plate down, turning to sign to her quickly and drawing her back to him.

“Excuse you, mister spider brows. I will have you know, I am not scary or bad,” Calliope said, signing back to him, too.

“Spider brows?” He looked at her in horror.

Calliope nodded, signing again, “Spider. Brows.”

His little sister snorted, trying to hold back her laugh. He looked at her angrily. “Forget it. I didn’t want cake anyhow.”

He stomped off.

“Mr. Callahan, may I please have cake for my cute new friend,” she asked loudly, still signing. “A very big piece.” She took his forgotten plate, giving it to me.

Saying nothing, I cut the biggest piece that could fit onto the plate. Calliope took it and then bent down to face the little girl. Setting it in her hands, sticking two forks into it.

“Here you go, dear,” Calliope signed to her. “Would you like juice?”

She nodded.

“What she would like is her parents. But they were crushed under a rock from the last time the Callahan Family came to church,” an older man grumbled from one of the seated tables.

All of the patrons here had done their best to avoid holding a conversation, grabbing food and moving to their tables, where they mumbled and whispered among themselves—every once in a while, looking to us.

But now, after the man’s comment, they were openly staring…correction, glaring.

“Gigi, can you take two juices to her?” Gigi hopped down, going to the cooler, where Sedric pulled out the drinks.

“Are you deaf, too, woman? She ain’t need no juice!”