A Human’s Guide to Surviving Magical Mishaps by Kit Bryan
Rule 88- Evil people are like weeds—ignore them, and they take over your garden; pull them up, and the view improves instantly.

I find myself standing outside of the interrogation room listening in this time. Apparently Ashton has no intention of letting me go anywhere near this kid again and honestly I don't really mind. I don't want anything to do with him either. I only participated in the last interrogation because she insisted on my presence, not because I particularly wanted to be there. Luckily, it doesn't seem like we're going to have the same issue. This kid doesn't appear to have any objection to answering any and all questions we have to ask. It's actually suspicious how talkative he's being, and how relaxed he seems. Does he not realise how much trouble he's in right now? This time we aren't trying to get information about the other assassins, we've already caught all three of them after all. Now we want to know what exactly he did to those children, and why he killed Lara. My head aches at the thought. My dad is in the interrogation room with them both too, but he agreed that while this is his station, Ashton would be more of an authority figure to the fae so he should take care of the interrogation. Dad might not know Ashton's exact status, but he's smart enough to realise that Ashton is someone they fear, even if they don't respect him the way they ought to. Fin is hanging around out here with me. He probably would have gone in too but Ashton asked him to wait with me. I don't think he wants to leave me alone which is unnecessary but sweet.

"What is your name?" Ashton starts. His tone is harsh and unsympathetic. He might be talking to a child, but this is a sadistic and murderous child. From the moment he saw those two sick kids, I'm pretty sure Ashton lost any and all pity he might have had for the kid. There was no adult around leading him or pressuring him into hurting them, that was all him, and he might be young, but he's old enough to understand that he is hurting and killing people. Old enough to understand the consequences of his actions.

"You may call me Erren. I have not seen my family in years, I do not go by their name." the kid answers imperiously. He doesn't sound even remotely frightened. The sight before me is almost a little comical. Two fully grown men standing over a kid and interrogating him. But rather than intimidated, Erren seems relaxed. Like he's exactly where he intended to end up. It's just making me feel even more suspicious. This was all way too easy. Maybe being on the run wasn't everything he had hoped it would be. Maybe he's just decided to give up without a fight.

"Very well. Erren then. Erren, what did you do to those children?" Ashton demands.

"I poisoned them, obviously." He answers like Ashton is asking a stupid question.

"With what?" Ashton continued, undaunted. The kid shrugs.

"I have no idea. My magic allows me to produce poison, I have never really tested what exactly is in it. I just know that it works. It kills people who need killing." He answers casually. There is definitely something not right with this kid's head. He should not be talking so casually about murder. It's extra disturbing hearing the words come out of his young face. Plus, how relaxed he is feels so disconcerting.

"Will the children recover? Is there an antidote?" Ashton says forcefully. He's putting on a good poker face, but he still looks a little rattled to me. I can't blame him. This kid is creepy as hell. Erren laughs, a sort of manic little giggle that sends a shiver down my spine.

"Those children will be fine in a few weeks. I only gave them two doses of poison. It is not lethal until you receive a third dose." He answers, then continues to explain without prompting, as if he enjoys talking about his disturbing power. "One dose is nothing, it might make you a little lethargic and I have found people get somewhat emotional. They second guess themselves a lot. It is useful when you just want to plant a bit of doubt in a person's mind, or ensure that they are not feeling their best." He sounds disgusted when talking about people getting emotional, but seems to enjoy the thought of people doubting themselves.

"As long as they are not given a second dose, most people will get over the effects of one dose in a few weeks. If I give them a second dose they will get violently ill, like those children. It is enough to seriously debilitate someone, and as you saw it is very useful as a show of force. They will be weak and feverish, nausea and paranoid thoughts are also very likely. It might take them another week or so to recover. Two doses might have more of an impact, but it fades a lot faster than one. I am unsure why exactly, maybe because it works so much faster." He looks like he is contemplating his own power. He doesn't seem even remotely bothered that he nearly killed two young children just to get his way. I never thought that I could believe a kid was evil, but I'm starting to rethink my stance on that. Maybe some people are just straight up evil. He doesn't seem like he has any regret or guilt for his actions at all.

"The third dose is what will kill someone. It works very fast. It takes only a few minutes before the person is unconscious and maybe one minute after that they will stop breathing. I do not know if it is a painful death... No one has ever survived it for me to ask them." NOW he sounds regretful. Like he wants to know how much his victims suffer. I feel sick and my head is pounding even worse. I close my eyes and shudder. A throat clears beside me and Fin hands me a glass of water. Where did he even get that? Oh whatever. I drink it gratefully. The kid shakes himself from his disturbing musings.

"Either way, the children were only given two doses. As you have me locked away here, I cannot give them anymore poison so they will recover on their own eventually. Just treat them like they are sick." He tilts his head to the side thoughtfully. "They may be at risk of catching other illnesses for a while too. I have noticed that those who have recently recovered from two doses of poison tend to fall ill more often than not. But from natural illnesses." He adds. I guess that's helpful information to know. I suppose it's lucky that this kid is so cocky and willing to answer our questions. At least we can set the Logan's minds at ease. Or as close as they're going to get to it. I can see Ashton take a deep, calming breath before he continues.

"There was a woman who died-" he doesn't even get to finish asking the question before the little monster starts to answer. He seems to almost light up and his face becomes more animated than it was before.

"Oh, the police woman. Yes. I killed her. Three doses of poison given in rapid succession. She probably did not even have a chance to begin feeling ill before she died." he sounds positively gleeful. My dad looks murderous and I can see Ashton clenching his fists tightly. He didn't know Lara, but he knows how much we all cared about her.

"Why did you kill her?" He asks, his voice cold. The kid shrugs.

"To get her out of the way mostly. Also I thought the humans could use a bit of a warning, they were getting restless. I was comfortable there. I did not want to have to kill them and find new humans to serve me. I suppose I could have just killed one of the children, but I suspect that would have made the humans unbearably emotional. I thought killing the woman would be the better option." he answers, as if he's just talking about what brand of cereal he likes, totally casual, almost dismissive. I can't watch anymore. I just can't, I feel sick. I leave the room and head to my dad's office since I know it'll be empty. I sit in dad's chair and rest my head on his desk. I flinch as Fin speaks, I didn't realise he was following me, although I probably should have.

"Are you okay?" he asks. I don't look up from the desk as I answer.

"No, not really. But I will be. I'm just glad this is all over."