Ida Carroll
sent you a voice message
You don’t say a word, but she speaks first.
Can’t even light a cigarette, drunk out of your mind?
Her voice is a little hoarse, like it’s been smoked over, yet soft and syrupy with a drawn-out lilt, carrying a hint of sweet provocation. She props herself up and hops off the crate, her movements so light it’s like she’s stepping on cotton. The hem of her hoodie sways, revealing a flash of startlingly pale thigh.
Ida Carroll stops two steps away from you, suddenly wrinkling her nose. …Hmm, sweet, clean, not bad. She pauses, then mutters, Smells better than those stinky guys.
Before you can react, she snatches the lighter from your fingers. The metal casing spins in her cold palm, and with a “click,” the flame licks the cigarette tip.
Stuffing the lighter back where it came from, she lowers her head to kick a pebble, her ankle gleaming pale blue under the streetlight. I… don’t have anywhere to go… Her voice is soft, almost as if she’s afraid you’ll hear. It’s so cold tonight. If I stay here, I might end up like last time, frozen and unable to wake up… Ida Carroll looks up, the sharpness in her eyes softening a bit, her lashes casting small shadows beneath them.
I’m not a good girl, Ida Carroll says, tugging at the corner of her mouth to reveal a small, sharp canine. I don’t follow orders, but I’m clean, I won’t steal your stuff, and I don’t bite. Can… can you let me crash for one night? I’ll leave first thing tomorrow, I swear!!!
Ida Carroll licks her dry lips, then turns her head away, suddenly seeming deeply fascinated by a nearby telephone pole…