Nobody is stupid enough to venture into unknown territories, except for Ilya. Don't get him wrong! He never meant to enter that mysterious village.
Fate led him there to save, or be saved.
"Peekaboo!"
Beast is a cruel creature that used to be human...
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Once they were alone in front of the backdoor, Maggie turned around and shook Ilya by the shoulder.
"Now, listen to me, you little wuss!" She closed her mouth and inhaled through her nose, a little part of her left fang was visible over her red lip. "If you don't toughen up around here, they'll be eating you for..." Her blue eyes inspected Ilya's lean small body then continued with pity, "A snack."
Ilya shrunk upon himself and tried to wiggle away from Maggie's grip.
"W-what? Who are they?" Panic was hogging his wobbly voice. "Who else is out there to eat me? And why? Why would they do that?"
Too many questions were messing up his brain. To his surprise, Maggine answered him with a slap on the face.
"I said, keep your shit together!"
Ilya'a face was turned 180 degrees. He had to rub his cheek from the force of that slap. Moving his jaw, he thought she might have wiggled a tooth or two.
"Sheesh." Maggie faced the door and snatched a thick winter jacket hanging there. "Boys these days. What the hell are they feeding you out there?"
"Out where?" Ilya replied after he checked his hand for any blood.
"You know..." She grabbed one of his arms and helped him wear the jacket. "Out there." She snapped her head to the side. "In the real world?"
Ilya was shocked to hear Maggie talking about his world like some forbidden place. He was starting to warm up to her despite her violent behavior. He also felt a little sorry for her that she never experienced anything beyond this old town.
"I'm... I'm not sure how to answer that."
In his shocked state, Ilya let Maggie dress him. Her skin was so cold, yet it didn't bother him like Anne's touch. She made him less scared and more protected in this crazy town.
"Are you..." He looked into her eyes with sympathy that warmed her cold stare. "Are you not allowed to leave this town?"
"Pfft. Don't be silly." Maggie helped him wear the other sleeve but with less enthusiasm. "I can do whatever the fuck I want."
Ilya noticed that her tough demeanor was replaced by sadness.
"It's." She sighed. "It's complicated."
It was quiet for a moment. Maggie's eyes were wandering in deep thought. Then she smirked and gazed back at Ilya's confused face.
"I'll tell you all about it if you survived tonight. How about that?"
Survived? Ilya gulped and played it cool. He didn't want to panic and receive another slap in the face from a girl with supernatural strength.
"Fine." He looked away. "Whatever."
When Maggie reached for the hoodie of the jacket behind Ilya's head to cover him, she stopped to inhale. Her nose was too close to Ilya's fluffy hair, but mostly closer to his head wound, that particular red spot on the bandage.
"Mmm. God," she moaned. "You smell so good."
Ilya recoiled and pushed her away. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, sending shivers down his spine.
"Relax." Maggie chuckled. "I'm vegan."
Ilya's shoulders relaxed when he heard the word, vegan.
"A vegan... vampire?" He arched an eyebrow. "What does that even mean?"
"It means." She pulled a dagger from a holster around her thigh and held it up to check its sharpness. "I'm not some savage cannibal who drains the blood of my own kind." She gave the dagger to Ilya. "Here. You'll need this."
Ilya took the dagger with a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. After Maggie gave him a weapon, he finally breathed the first calming breath of fresh air since he arrived here. This tiny gesture that Maggie had just shown proved to Ilya that she was honest about helping him. Otherwise, why would she give him something he could use against her?
Maggie opened the backdoor and a gust of snow twirled in front of her. She wasn't bothered by the cold, but she dreaded the thick snow they were about to walk through.
"God damn! Cover your head, human," she said over her shoulder. "Before you freeze to death."
She cares. Ilya accidentally let out a short laugh.
"What are you laughing about?" Maggie growled.
"Nothing." Ilya zipped his mouth shut for a moment, then he added, "I'm just thankful for your help."
Maggie stared at him up and down from the sides of her eyes. She didn't like the way he looked at her, like a lost puppy who grew attached to the first kind person he met. She didn't like attachments, period, let alone from a helpless human in a town full of monsters like John.
The gratefulness of the boy shone in his serene green eyes. They were captivating. The kind of eyes that would melt a cold heart in seconds.
"Well." She scoffed then quickly turned away. "Don't get used to it."
Maggie stepped on the snowy road, and Ilya followed her. Together, they traveled to face the unknown and hopefully make it through the night alive.
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I loved writing this chapter x3
It was full of cute and funny interactions between Ilya and Maggie.
