Sweet Sick Teen 17

 The Babyfaced child look suspiciously at the Girl. “Who is she? What’s that awful smell??”

“We talked about this. I’m trying to help her out, same as you.”

The child grumbled, and looked away resignedly. From a distance, the child looked perfectly healthy, but seemed utterly helpless and almost incapable of moving on her own without help. The Mystery Man looked around, and pointed at an inconspicuous place nearby. “Let’s talk somewhere quieter.”

Curious, she followed the man with the old kid inside. There, she saw was the place was a Diner where food was being passed around and served indiscriminately. People were openly eating and shoving portions of meals in their mouths with casual abandon. The Girl became visibly uncomfortable in a way she never was before.

“I’ve... never been in a place like this.”

“Don't worry. I’m buying.” The Mystery Man ordered something off the menu, and did the same for the old kid.

“I could’ve done that myself!”

“What did you want?”

The Babyface looked at the menu, her face scrunching in indecision.

“May I recommend - ”

“I’m not blind, you know! I’m always on the precipice of sticking with the safe and familiar or trying something new, and I never know what to choose!”

After several seconds of uncomfortable seconds that felt like hours, the Babyface finally decided on two liquid-based diets that she could handle. The Girl had yet to place an order.

“Don’t you want anything?” the Mystery Man asked.

“No, I’m good. What’d you want to talk to me for, anyways?”

“I see people like you all the time. You come here on the faint hope that a lie will vault you to great riches and powers. Maybe even take away some of your problems. What you have to understand is that here, lies aren’t just transitional - they’re random and arbitrary. And they don’t always conform to the liar’s needs.”

The Girl looked at the Babyfaced kid. “Let me guess - someone told you not to keep making that face, or it’d freeze like that, right?”

“Close. I’m the result of an indirect lie. When I was still young, my mother said those very words to my older sister. I just happened to be in the vicinity when she said it. It didn’t affect her, but those words affected me. Since then, my face has remained the same age as back then, while the rest of my body has withered away. All things considered, I got off lightly.”

The Girl was curious. “How could it have been worse?”

“My face could’ve remained static, leaving me unable to articulate or verbalize even the most basic sounds that involve moving my lips. I might not have been able to move my eyes, instead having to move my whole head, just to look at something at the corner of my field of vision. I wouldn’t have be able to change my expressions, even though my general mood is perpetually pissed these days.”

“At least you’ve still got your looks.”

“Don’t be fooled. Because of my looks, people aren’t generally put off by my appearance, but I’m looked down because of how immature I appear at first. I’m a lot older than I look. How old do you think - ”

“Two hundred forty-three?”

The Babyfaced lady looked shocked. “How... how did you know?”

“You certainly don’t look it.”

The Babyface fumed and made numerous incoherent sounds before deciding to turn and pout. The Mystery Man confidentially whispered to the Girl; “Don’t be fooled. She’s secretly flattered.”