She's a Monster

11

I hadn't seen much of Ash the next day.

When I woke up, there was a slight indent in the mattress where Ash's body once was, like a crater formed by some sparkling meteor. I sat up slowly, half-dazed and mostly asleep, rubbing my eyes with my hands to try and keep them partially open.

The digital alarm clock on the nightstand read 10:32 a.m. but the curtains were drawn, and they blocked out every inch of light trying to pass through.

The fabric of the bed was so soft around my skin, much of which was bare thanks to Ash's skimpy choice of pajamas. I stretched myself out and groaned slightly as I forced myself up and out of bed. My feet touched the dark, hardwood floors as I rubbed my eyes again.

I felt rude for wandering around someone's house without their permission, but then again I was kidnapped. At the very least, I wouldn't stand being a hungry prisoner.

The climb down the stairs was pretty long and tedious, but seeing the impressive layout of the penthouse made it bearable. The place was a lot bigger than I imagined. It was hard to believe that Ash would just live in this sky palace all by herself...

Once I made it to the living room, I crept quietly to the kitchen, just to check if she was there first.

"Hellooooooo? Anyone hoooooome?" I yelled, hearing my echo bounce faintly off of the walls. There was no response. I shrugged to myself and gasped as I took in the sight of her kitchen.

The dark oak panels and the sleek, metallic appearance of the kitchen fit in with the muted and simplistic theme of the rest of the penthouse. I ran my hands over the smooth countertop, surveying all of the cupboards, sinks, and stoves. There were a few ovens and a gigantic fridge too. I opened it up to see what I could steal from Ash.

All of the contents were meticulously organized into impossibly straight rows and groups. I hated it. Ash had mentioned during one of our talks that she liked to be organized. Guess she wasn't kidding.

I pulled out armfuls of ingredients at a time and shut the fridge. I scoured the cupboards for various spices and seasonings. When I was finally satisfied, I prepared all necessary tools. I'd decided to make myself eggs benedict with mini blueberry muffins for dessert (and a nice midnight snack).

It must have been a good hour of mixing, stirring, and tasting before I stood in front of the stove with the fire burning for a long moment. I couldn't just use Ash's ingredients and not make Ash any brunch right? I quickly made a second portion's worth of food along with my own. I hoped this would make up for me messing up her fridge.

As I laid out the plates of food and started to put the materials I scattered away, I heard a loud crash in the living room. Without a moment's hesitation, I ran out to check what'd happened and quickly went into a state of shock.

Ash was on the floor, bloodied and panting. She was kneeling, but looked like her footing could give out at any moment. There was a large gash on her left arm, one that make me want to puke just from looking at it.

"Holy crap are you okay?" I asked, concern completely overtaking my tone. Ash smirked as she caught her breath and cheekily replied:

"Of course, Princess. Just peachy." She tried to stand up, but her legs were shaky so I swiftly ducked under her right arm to be a sort of crutch for her. My eggs benedict could wait I guess. Maybe.

I continued to give her as much support I could, even though I was quite weak and was getting pretty tired from her weight pressing onto my body. Once we reached the bathroom on the second floor, which wasn't far from where the staircase dropped us off, I started clawing through the cabinets for a first aid kit.

When I finally found one, I dropped to Ash's spot on the bathroom rug and went to work cutting off her sleeve and disinfecting the wound. Ash didn't even wince when I swabbed her gash with alcohol. Instead, she chose to keep staring right at me. It was slightly awkward to have her stare at me like that, but I had more important matters on hand!

The wound wasn't deep enough that it'd need stitches, probably thanks to her superior regeneration skills. I decided to just wrap it firmly in the gauze and taped it shut. When I was done, I huffed and noticed there was some blood on my hands, so I stood up and turned around to wash them using the sink.

I felt familiar arms snake around me, as well as an intoxicating scent of lavender. Ash kissed the top of my head.

"Didn't know you cared so much about me," she whispered with a chuckle. I blushed and shut off the water abruptly.

"Y-You're hurt! Am I just supposed to do nothing?" I turned around in her arms, matching the intensity of her gaze. "It's not because I particularly care about you."

A look of hurt flashed across Ash's eyes.

"I'm sorry," I quickly apologized, "I didn't mean it that way at all." I looked down at my feet but Ash tipped my chin to direct my face upwards. She held her hand there firmly so that I couldn't look away.

"Then why'd you say it?" Neither her tone or facial expression was accusatory. I think she was just genuinely curious.

"I..." I thought about my next words carefully. "I just don't want you to misunderstand our relationship."

"Our relationship?" She raised an eyebrow. "Like how you're my pet?"

"I'm not!" I cried with indignation. My face was burning with a furious blush. Ash smirked down at me and stepped away slightly. She tore the bandages away to reveal her arm, which had no sign of injury. She threw the slightly bloodied bandages in the trash and winked at me. I didn't know, but unconsciously my jaw must've dropped. Her regeneration was a lot faster than I thought.

"Thanks for the help," she said, "but it was more of a spectacle for me than actual assistance." Her smirk widened as my look of disbelief just got stronger.

I pouted.

"If you're going to be so condescending then you're not getting any breakfast!" Ash's face morphed into a look of amusement and confusion.

"You fixed something up for me?" Her glaringly white teeth were peeking out through her curled lips. Her smile was so patronizing.

"Maybe. But you're only getting some if you tell me how you got so beat up." She scoffed in response.

"I'm the one who did the beating up." I rolled my eyes at her statement.

"You looked pretty defeated to me," I gloated.

"And how do I look now, Princess?" She pressed her body against me so that I was pinned to the sink with her hands on either side of the marble countertop. I was completely closed in by her. I gulped.

"Fine, I guess."

"Just fine?" She leaned in, her face onto centimeters from mine.

"J-Just fine," I squeaked. She planted a quick peck on my nose and stepped away through the doorway.

"I know you're attracted to me, don't play dumb~" she said in a melodic way. "And I'm coming down to eat after I change, but you're welcome to join me now!"

My face was burning upwards of a thousand degrees after she said that. My feet wanted to take me upstairs but my brain knew better and directed me downstairs, where I laid out all of the food and sat patiently. I couldn't wait for Ash's crazy story.

  ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────  

A/N: Hey guys!! Hope you're liking the story so far!! Again, sorry for such a long break. Thanks for waiting up on the update xoxo