Lured [The Broken Lollipop]

Gazed{incomplete}

As I walked to the dining table that moody morning, I saw Hansel get up and pull the chair for me. I raised my eyebrow. He just smiled very sweetly at me at this, I wondered why.

 I reached for the smoked meat on the table. Before I lay my hands on it, Hansel already have placed it in front of me. Once again, I looked into his glistening eyes. He seemed to be unusually cheerful...and flirty. A beautiful smile was painted on his handsome face. I smirked as I accepted his offering.

"Thank you." I whispered softly .

"You are very much welcome." he said, gazing quite passionately at me. I gave him an uneasy smile.

Right after breakfast as I was going to my bedroom, I felt a sudden cold grasp on my wrist. It was Hansel. I looked at him blankly.

"Umm..would you like to have a picnic later?" he asked, acting a little shy.

"A picnic?" I asked.

"Yes, maybe we can eat in the gardens?" 

I looked at him, I studied the look on his pale face. He looked at me, waiting for an answer, hopefully a yes. 

"Why not?" 

"Yes! Will lunch time be alright?"

"Sure." I said as I winked at him.

I went inside my room to change my clothes and just as I was opening and unbuttoning my blouse, a button fell and slid under the wooden wardrobe. I crawled down to peek but I could not see it. I tried to move it but it was too heavy. After the hard pushing and pulling, I finally asked for Hansel's help. I knocked on his door.

"Hansel?"

"Yes?"

"I need your help."

"About what?"

I opened his door a bit more. I saw his eyes glisten, quietly staring at me, at my chest. My blouse was opened, I remembered. I tried to keep it closed inside my hand.

"A button slid under my wardrobe."

"Oh...that explains the--"

I looked down to see my exposed breasts. I quickly grasped my blouse in embarrassment. "Yes. Help me?"

"Should I?" he laughed teasingly.

I stared at him with peircing eyes.

"Okay, Okay."

I led him to my room, which smells better than his, by the way. He planked down to peek but he couldn't see anything as well. So he pulled the wardrobe away from the wall forcefully. At that, we saw carvings at the back of the wardrobe, something that, somewhat looked like tally marks, the kind prisoners make to count the number of days they're caged.

I felt those carvings with my fingers, carefully examining them. I counted the number of marks which added up to almost 1000 days or even more. Hansel fearfully watched  as I counted the carved lines, silence was pure present, echoing in the room.

 "Who could have done this?" I asked Hansel.

"I don't know but, Gretel. I think we shouldn't stay any longer." fear was clearly present in his voice.

I didn't want to leave Ulysses, but I didn't want to leave Hansel either. "We should stay a little longer, they would ask us why we leave in such a hurry and so suddenly."

"You're right, but we have to leave as soon as-"

"Knock! Knock! " Diana opened the door. "I hope you two are not talking about leaving so soon." she said in a sweet voice. She looked at me in shock, "Oh dear Gretel what happened to your clothing? Oh change and I will have Asuda sew that for you.I'll be waiting outside." She walked to the door and turned to Hansel. "You wouldn't want to see her naked, would you Hansel?" she raised her eyebrow. 

"Of course not."  Hansel pushed back the wardrobe and looked at me in terror as he walked outside. Diana closed the door.