I open my eyes. My head is spinning. Ropes hold my body. Of course. Vincent tied me up after knocking me out.
The air is cold. I open my mouth and exhale. The air condenses and crystallizes. Small pieces of ice fall to the ground. Right. I have no reason to hold back anymore.
Vincent killed someone in this room. A woman. So I could eat her flesh disguised as a dish. It's not Manon. He never knew Manon. I drove her out of town a long time ago. Ever since I told her the truth about who I am. She's terrified of me. Who wouldn't be, after knowing what I'd done?
I focus. The ropes freeze, turn into silvery crystals and I break them as easily as I can break wood. I stand up. Memories surface.
Me, at 4 years old. My fingers are blue from the cold, but I feel nothing. Ice forms at their tips. I put my hand on a wall and it starts to freeze.
Me, at 7 years old. I can hear my parents talking to each other. They're worried because their "son has an ice heart." They're not wrong. I don't feel anything. I only pretend to be happy or sad.
Me, at 10 years old. Bullies give me a hard time at school. I always ignore them, but when they pick on someone else, for the first time in my life, I feel something. Anger, rage. I lose control. One of the attackers died frozen. I don't regret killing him with my powers, but since then, my life has turned upside down.
Me, at 15 years old. Always pretending to have emotions. Holding the ice inside me. I meet Manon for the first time. She seems interested in me. I pretend to be interested in her. After all, isn't this the beginning of a "love relationship"?
Me, at 18 years old. I'm in a "relationship" with Manon. She hates secrets and lies, so it's time she knew the truth about who I am. Manon is terrified. I force her to leave town. I don't want to hurt her if I ever lose control.
Me, now. I'm standing in the freezer room of La Gueule de Saturne. Vincent's plan has failed. I didn't eat his victim's flesh. He plans to kill me. I know this. He thinks that by eating me he'll be able to taste again. That's impossible. If Vincent inherits anything by devouring me, it will be my ice heart, my powers. A curse worse than his own existence.
I hear the door open. Vincent enters, armed with a kitchen knife.
"Useless." I said in a cold, neutral tone. My real voice. The Rody who smiled at customers, who is always happy, is gone.
I extend a hand in the direction of his weapon and the knife freezes. Vincent drops his weapon in surprise.
"How...?" He manages to say to me. "All this time, you..."
"Yes." I said. "I have no reason to hold it back anymore. Farewell, Charbonneau."
I form large ice chunks around myself. Charbonneau takes fright and flees, closing the door behind him. A waste of time. I throw the ice chunks and they smash through the door. I emerge from the freezer. Charbonneau is at the back of the kitchen. He can't hide his terror.
"Ro-Ro-Rody! W-Wait, you don't have to do this. What's the point of killing me?"
"Because you're going to do it again. Even if I leave, you're going to turn more innocent people into dishes."
"It's not true! I killed that woman for you! My plan..."
"I know your plan. How do I know you won't try to eat someone else besides me? To be able to taste again, you'll do anything, won't you?"
"I-I-I... Don't come any closer!"
He grabs another kitchen knife. Does he really think he can intimidate me with that? I'm forming big ice spikes.
"RO-RODY! I LOV--!"
Charbonneau didn't have time to finish. The ice spikes slammed into him and stuffed him against the wall. One goes into his neck. Two in his chest. One on each leg. His blood flows freely. I look into his eyes. They're wide and frozen with terror. I make the ice spikes disappear. Guts spill out of Charbonneau's chest before his corpse falls to the floor. I think I even see his bloody heart fall to the ground. His threat is gone. I turn my back on him and leave La Gueule de Saturne.
Strangely enough, one question kept popping into my head. What would Manon think of all this? I've killed again. Like last time, I regret nothing. Charbonneau said he loved me before he died. Yet who would try to kill those they love?