I squinted as I leaned towards Sin and observed him. I was looking for a person behind the madness but I was struggling to find one. Funny thing was I was seeing myself in his eyes, not reflections of him.

His eyes. There was something strange in them. "They need to make up their mind," I huffed as I sat back and pushed my chair away –slightly –with an annoying scrape across the floor.

"What?" Sin looked at me with bemusement. I was sure he thought I was nuts even though I told him I wasn't.

I lifted my hand, index pointed to his eyes. "They shift from blue to green and it's making me want to..." pluck them out with a spoon sounded better in my head so I decided to keep it there. "They say people with green eyes are insane. But you're not," I scrunched my brows, "are you? I mean, they aren't really green."

Sin chuckled but I didn't get the joke.

"Let's call your eyes blue then," I said yet my mind screamed they really aren't true blue, Christine! Have you gone colour blind?

It was his damn shirt. There was blue and green in the pattern making the colour in his eyes flicker before me like a bad Dario Argento flick. Like Suspiria made by armatures. Apes even. Maybe even drunk apes. I took a breath. For the first time that day, I was aware that I was drawing air into my lungs.

Despite the green flecks bubbling up like something toxic, Sin was the only person I trusted in this loony bin, even though my inner Jiminy Cricket tried telling me not to on a few occasions. I hadn't known Sin for long but I remembered the first time I saw him. It was early morning a couple of months ago, too damn early really, like six-AM-this-feels-like-death early. I hated mornings about as much as I hated jokes. When I saw Sin walking down the hall, it was as though someone had punched me in the gut. Good and bad and hell and havoc all swirled around him like a hurricane. I saw inside the marrow of his existence, behind the veil – what I have, this ability to see inside a person is a gift... or a curse (I'm not sure which). At times this knowledge comes like flashes. I can see what others cannot. I base my murders around how much darkness, atrociousness, and cruelty someone carries behind that veil. That day I told him killing felt good.

Now I found myself leaning towards him again, needing to pull him into my secret. "It's Connors," I whispered.

"What about him?"

"He has to die."

I said it as plainly as I could. He has to die.

Sin let out a stream of air, something akin to a whistle with no sound.

"It's that stain, Sin. That filthy human stain. It's in whatever he touches."

Sin raised a brow.

I wasn't sure if he was interested in me going on or if he wanted me to shut up. I didn't shut up. Couldn't now.

"Even if he just looks at someone or talks to them or thinks about them, they become stained. Like...like spilling ink over suede, that's what it's like. You cannot get that stain out no matter how much you rub. It only becomes worse."

"I think I –" his voice was low.

I cut him off, "Understand?"

Sin nodded.

But I knew that Sin didn't know. Not really. Not in depth. He had no idea just what kind of bastard Connors truly was. Or what that psycho truly did to run this place; like over or under-medicating, making those he loathed see flavours and taste sounds with experimental drugs. The fucked up therapy and things he did there which I'm sure were not legal. Connors flashes were black as tar. He was the worst of the worst – even worse than us killers and nutcases in this joint. I knew I was one of Connors' pets, a favoured guest in his house of hell. I was planning on letting Sin know everything I knew. I wanted him to hate Connors as much as I did. To drool over the thought of murdering that maniac. Now that I decided Connors had to die, I needed to put my trust more into Sin. After all, I needed his help.

"You said he has to die," Sin commented.

I nodded as I rested my elbows on my knees and touched my fingers into steeples. "I also can't do it alone."

Sin raised a brow, "What? You're not implying I –?"

"I'm implying nothing. I'm saying it straight. I need your help. Simple as that."

The look on his face made me unsure whether he was pleased I wanted him to be part of this or if he would rather pluck his nose hairs out one by one. "And how do you expect us to do this?"

I tapped my fingers together once, loving the way the pads of my digests felt when I did that. "I'll let you know soon, Sin." Lowering my hands I rose off the chair and began to walk to the door. I'd tell him, but not right now. I was hungry and if I didn't get a PB and B (that's peanut butter and bacon) soon I'd lose my shit.

"You mean you're not going to tell me now?"

I lifted my finger and waggled it. "No."

"So you tell me you want Connors dead, then that you want my help but you won't tell me anything more? You sure you're not nuts?" Sin said, but I ignored his comment.

Stopping by the door, something shiny caught my eye. A penny twinkled by my toe.

"You going to pick that up?" I heard Sin say, a rising pitch in the last syllable.

Glancing at the coin, I shook my head. "I'll leave this for you." I looked over my shoulder and at him before heading out the door. I knew his little quirk. I knew he coveted the penny.

Flip and catch. 

The amazing Nyhterides joined Sin in The Human Stain chapter. So inspired was she, she only went and wrote her own continuation to the chapter! No way? Yes way! The chapter above was penned by her. Clearly having a new-born baby has sent her along to the asylum along with Sin and friends!

I'm proud to feature this chapter here. Check out Christine's (Nyhterides) other work too!