Quiet Little Monsters

"Dolly, don't cry," Finn whispered. His light green eyes shined with concern and his cold fingers moved to wipe at the wetness under my eyes. I smacked him away.

"I'll cry if I want to, okay?" I sobbed sourly, "I don't even know why I'm crying. But I'm gonna just k –keep going because I n –need a good cry, okay?"

Finn seemed to be fighting a smile and I shot him a dirty look as I wiped my nose on the sleeve of my black cardigan. It took a few more moments until I could get my tears to stop leaking before I found my normal voice again.

"So... Finn. Does that mean... You can read minds?" I asked. Maybe it was genetics! Maybe that was why he was the exception when it came to me reading his thoughts. I looked up at him excitedly, maybe this was it. Maybe he understood. And I didn't know my father. Maybe he passed this to me, like a gene or something! This was the explanation!

My hopes were squashed. Finn shook his head at my glowing features.

"No. I can't," he whispered.

I blinked back tears again. "No?"

"Nope," Finn said softly, "But I think that being related to my dad makes me... impervious to mind reading. He doesn’t know what I'm thinking, but he reads my mom's thoughts. But she's not related to him by blood. We're trying to figure it out, Dolly. We're thinking it skips a generation, so maybe one of your grandparents was a mind reader too-"

I held my hand up. This was too much to digest. "Stop. Stop. My brain hurts and you're making it worse," I whispered and leaned against the wall, then found myself too exhausted to hold myself up and slid down to the ground. Finn followed suit and kneeled in front of me.

"Do you want to go home?" he muttered softly.

I nodded. My exhaustion and now newfound confusion was causing my restraints against the voices to falter. People were interfering with my head.

"The man across the street is wondering if he should call the cops. He's afraid you're going to do something to me," I muttered and made to get up, "The woman who owns the book shop right there is about to come and help me. We need to go."

Finn shot upright and gave me a helping hand.

"You know that wouldn't be happening if you hadn't started running down the street screaming bloody murder," Finn complained as I stood up too.

I sighed and felt my head cloud as I swayed.

"Whoa. Are you okay? Maybe you should sit back down?" he murmured.

"No. I want to... go home," I whined with my eyes closed.

"Okay, c'mon," Finn laughed and lugged me forward.

I do have to give him credit here. I had just ran two blocks away from the restaurant and now he was practically carrying me back. I put in little effort in walking and by the time we reached the parking lot, Finn was out of breath.

"You didn't e-even try," he wheezed as he sat me on the hood of his car.

I looked at down him, his face was sweaty and he was leaning over in my lap, trying to catch his breath. I started laughing.... really hard.

"You're evil," he whispered as my laughter grew harder.

"I know," I said and lifted his head up from my lap. His pale green eyes faltered and my laughter died down. He glanced at my lips and then back at my eyes and then back to my lips again. I leaned down and he immediately swooped in to plant his lips on mine.

His lips were a little bit salty and rough. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he gripped my thigh which was still on the hood. But then I remembered that I barely met Finn and pulled away, and reached back to slap him.

'"Ow, Dolly! What the fuck is wrong with you?" Finn cursed and placed a hand over his stinging cheek.

"I don't know. I see girls do that in movies all the time. It seemed like the thing to do, okay?" I muttered, "Look, I'm tired. My head hurts and my feet are aching. I need to get home."

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, we should get you home," Finn stated, seeming a little disappointed.

"Okay. Get me off your hood," I said and reached my arms out for him to lift me off and set me on my feet.

"You are getting progressively lazier," he complained.

I smiled and got in the car.



"So this is it?" Finn asked, staring up at my apartment building.

My head was pounding mercilessly. Voices and feelings thrived in my chest and I could hardly keep my eyes open. I felt beyond depleted.

"I need to get up there," I whispered and opened the car door.

"Listen, be careful," Finn warned, "You seem a little out of it.

"Um. I'll be fine," I mouthed and got out and slammed the door shut before stumbling my way up to apartment 21B and collapsing on the lavender velvet couch in the living room.



Dolly? Dolls, are you okay?

Luella's soft voice chimed in my head, which was still throbbing because I'd left the door open overnight, which was very unfortunate because Stacey in 20B was fighting with her boyfriend because he'd forgotten her birthday was yesterday.

Luella poked me. Dolly. Oh my God. Are you dead?

"Why would you ask a dead person if they were dead? Seriously, Luella," I huffed. Honestly because I was still angry at Stacey's boyfriend for being such a fucking douche bag.

"Are you alright?" she questioned and I sat up on the couch to try and get my scruples together.

Are you hungover? Lu asked as she got me a glass of water.

"No," I said, "I just... You know that guy I mentioned a couple weeks ago? The... one I couldn't hear?"

Luella's eyes widened, Did you see him again?

I nodded my head and took a huge gulp of the water she had handed me. "Not only that but he took me to dinner. It was awful, Luella. He knows about me. He knows what I can do. And then I acted like a buffoon and ran a lot and we kissed-"

You KISSED him? Luella screeched.

"Yes. Aah. Be gentle, Lu. My head is throbbing," I whispered.

Oops. Sorry. How does he know about you? How would he know? I haven't told anyone, I promise!

"I don't really know how he found out, but he said his father can read minds.... Lu... Isn't that amazing?" I looked up at her.

Her soft features were a little pinched. I dug into her mind. She was blank... because she was shocked.

I was about to open my mouth to say something when the buzzer rang. Luella went over to the phone, "Hello?"

"Yeah. Dolly? It's Finn Watson. Can I come up?"

I shook my head, "No! No!" I mouthed.

Luella smiled a little, "No. This isn't Dolly. I'm her roommate, Luella."

"Oh. Well. Is Dolly there? I, um, brought her some breakfast."

Awww. He brought you breakfast. That is so sweet. I think he likes you!

I shook my head furiously. I didn't want to see Finn just yet. I was mortified with myself and needed to recoup before facing his piercing green eyes again. How had I allowed myself to kiss him?

"Sorry. Uh, Dolly is out," Lu fibbed horrendously.

"Oh. Where –where is she?" His voice crackled on the intercom.

"Uh. She's out at the doctor's. She, um, needed some medicine for her... hemorrhoids," Luella lied.

"What?!" I cried, disrupting her, "You are the worst fucking liar on the planet!"

I'm sorry! That was all I could think of! Luella thought, I panicked!

"See, Dolly! I knew you were there," Finn's voice resonated loudly.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay. I'm buzzing you in," I said and pressed the big white button.

I rushed to the bathroom and decided I needed to change because I remained in the same clothes as the day before and that was pretty embarrassing. After washing my face and pulling my dark hair up in a bun, I changed into some sweatpants and a David Bowie shirt I had stocked under the white porcelain sink. So it wasn't my best, but I was pressed for time because I could already hear Finn and Luella talking in the living room.

I tentatively peeked out and was met with Luella and Finn sitting on the velvet couch. It seemed very awkward and Luella's thoughts hit me like a ton of bricks.

You did NOT mention how gorgeous he was, Dolly! Oh my God. He is beaut-

"Okay, Luella. Uh, why don't you get some rest? You came back from the bar pretty late," I said pointedly and Luella smiled and got up to go to her room.

Tell me everything as soon as you're done, Luella reminded me as she shut the door of the bedroom.

I finally looked at Finn fully. I had been avoiding actually making eye contact with him because my face and neck had turned beet red.

"Um. Hi," I greeted him.

"Hi," he said.

His dark hair was tucked into another beanie and now he wore a tan sweater with a black Bad Religion shirt underneath it. I suddenly felt very ugly in comparison. His perfect pale face smiled and I couldn't bring myself to smile back.

"I brought you breakfast. Belgian waffles." Finn shook a plastic bag in my face.

"Oh, right," I said intelligently and jerked my head in the direction of the worn white table in the kitchen. Finn sat down on a seat and started untying the bag and getting out plastic takeout containers that smelled heavenly. I rushed to the mismatched kitchen cabinets to find some plates and utensils.

"That smells so good," I whispered and placed the plates, forks, and knives on the tabletop. I was just making my way to sit down when I focused on shutting the door in my mind fully. Stacey's livid thoughts were now blurred out as I slammed them away and locked the portal.

When I was done, I looked up to find Finn smiling at me.

"What?" I asked, taking a pastel pink plate and plopping two huge waffles on it.

"Syrup?" Finn offered and I nodded eagerly.

He dumped the thick amber liquid from a small plastic tube on my plate.

"Yum," I murmured and took a huge bite.

Finn ate too, chewing slowly and methodically. I looked up at him as I finished chewing.

"How did you know I was... like your dad?" I asked him the question that had been pulling at me since I woke up.

"Uh. Well. Do you remember that day I first went to the bakery?"

"Of course," I replied.

"Well. You had that same look about you that my dad always has. Like he's talking to someone in his head, or like... like he's doing a hard math problem. It was very small, but it was enough to trigger something in me."

"Mm," I murmured, "Trigger what?"

"I kind of... researched you. I know that sounds strange, but I've got some idea of who you are, Dolly."

I froze and a flashback of the night before pierced my thoughts. Do you, Dolly Gunn... Do you read minds?

"Is that how you knew my last name?" I asked blankly.

"Mmhmm. That among other things," Finn said and took a bite of his food.

"Is that why it took you so long to come back to the bakery?"

"Yes. I had to be sure before I asked you, or else you would think I was crazy," he spoke through a full mouth.

"I do think you're crazy," I grumbled.

"Says the girl who can read minds," Finn teased.

I fought a smile.