Roisin

II

    I wake up the same everyday: a boop on the nose from Aradia. If that doesn't work, I get a nip on the ear. She's my personal alarm clock. Do I need one? No.

    Aradia paws at the sheets as I sit up and stretch. The last of the day light filters in through the window. A sliver of sun reaches my skin. It warms me, but five minutes later, that spot begins to itch. Begrudgingly, I get up and close the blinds.

    I stretch again, bending my back over the backs of my legs and reaching upwards. My river of hair tickles my thighs. A groan escapes my lips, then a sigh.

    "Well, time to get ready, huh?" I consult Aradia, who is chewing on my shoe string.

    I take my shoe away from her and pick her up. She struggles to get down. I grab her food and set her down to feed her. Aradia happily devours her meal.

     My feet drag as I head to the bathroom to get ready for my day. Really, the sun is setting, but you understand.

    I step into the bathroom and I look in the mirror. My face makes me wince every time— I'm still not used to it. A thick scar runs from the middle of my forehead, down over my right eye (rendering it useless), and ends at a wicked point on my cheek. Years ago, a few months after I turned, I took a route I've never taken and ran into a pack of wolves. This is the result of that tumble.

     Green eyes are apparently not normal, either, but here I am, with the one that's left.

    I turn on the faucet and fill the sink with warm water. Careful to not let the soap get too close to my eyebrow piercing, I wash all the grime off of my face.

    Before I leave, I quickly tie my hair into two extremely loose pigtails and call it a day.

     After that, I go back to my room to get dressed. I don't particularly need a meal today so I can wear whatever I want. Blood is a pain to wash out so I normally don't wear clothes when I hunt. It's not like anyone is gonna see me.

    I pull on a pair of black ripped jeans, some old T-shirt, and put on my regular red zip up. I head over to my front door and shove my feet into my pair of (also red) Converse. I bid Aradia goodbye and walk out into the forest.

    The blood hits me like a freight train. It's not the usual animal mix, there's a human somewhere and the sweet smell invades my very being. They are close. I've preyed on humans before, but their blood wasn't as sweet as this one's is.

    Despite my appetite being quenched from the day before, I walk around the back of the cabin and start following the scent.

     It takes me a good forty five minutes to get to where the smell is the strongest.

    The moon peeks through the leaves as I hoist myself up a tree to get a better view. I look down at the base of the hill. Movement from the top makes me snap my attention to it. The smell gets unbearable and suddenly, there's a yell, and the brush underneath begins to tremble down the mountain.

    I tilt my head with my eyebrows raised. They fell. A second later, something hits the tree.

    I look down to see a head of bright blonde hair laying against the tree. A painful groan floats up to my ears. I quickly put up my hood to conceal my ears and I quietly jump down a few feet in front of. . . him.

    His head snaps up when he notices me and I'm being stared down by two big blue eyes. I expect fear, but instead he lets out a sigh of relief. His breath puffs out and he puts a gloved hand to his temples.

    "Thank God," he says, voice trembling. "I was starting to think I was going to die here."

    "Die?" I entertain a conversation.

    "I've been lost for a few days and I ran out of food this morning. I'm glad I stumbled upon you, haha," He nervously laughs.

     I tilt my head and decided to offer him a hand.

    "The name's Alfie," he greets as I help him up.

    He towers above my small form. He has a strong build with an intimidating face but radiates the feeling of a small boy— especially with his name.

    "Roisin," I return.

    "Russian?" He asks quizzically.

    "No, Roy-shun," I pronounce.

     He opens his mouth in and 'o' and nods.

    I watch as he takes my appearance in at full blast. He looks down and quirks and eyebrow.

    "Are you not cold?"

     I shove my hands in my pockets and rock back on my heels.

    "I've lived here for a while, it doesn't phase me."

    He nods again and takes a deep breath.

    "This is rude of me to ask, but would you mind helping me out of here?" Alfie abruptly pleads.

    I wince and take a step back.

    "I'm sorry, I can't help you," My mouth begins to water as I see a droplet of blood run down his face.

    Shock ripples across his face.

    "I-I'll pay you," Alfie drops down to is backpack, ripping off his gloves, and starts fumbling for his wallet.

    "I don't want your money, Alfie," I say, dropping down and putting a hand on his.

    I pull it away immediately. He's colder than me, and his whole body is trembling. I realize that his body is not equipped to survive days stranded in Washington's rainforest in the middle of winter.

I purse my lips.

    "How about you stay at my cabin for a few days to regain your strength?" The question comes out of my mouth before I can stop myself.

    His eyes meet mine.

    "Really?"

    I rise again and put my hands back in my pockets.

    "Um. . . yeah. I don't have a spare room, but my couch pulls out."

    His body relaxes and he hangs his head.

    "Thank you so much," he says softly.

    "No problem," I stoop down and hoist up his backpack.

     I look back at him and am met with a blinding smile. I look away, my face feeling a bit warmer than usual.

    "Come on," I say, turning on my heel and starting our long trek.

•••

I absolutely love odd names, but when I envisioned Alfie, that name immediately came to mind and I can't see him as anything else!