𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐥𝐲, 𝐞. 𝐦𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧¹

16. fruit salad

s2e12: the descent

Brynley woke up the next morning and heard a noise downstairs. She knew her father was leaving early to go to work, so it couldn't him. Bryn got out of her bed and grabbed her wand before walking downstairs.

"Hello?" Brynley called.

"Brynley, it's just me." Brynley turned around to see Elijah.

"Elijah." Brynley sighed in relief. "What are you doing here? How'd you get in?"

"Your father let me in after I explained how you and I are on the same side now." Elijah said as he continued to cut strawberries.

"What are you doing?" Brynley walked over and pulled her hair into a ponytail.

"Making you breakfast." Elijah replied.

"But I'm not hungry." Brynley opened the fridge and grabbed a water bottle.

"I can hear your stomach from here, Bryn," Elijah informed. "It's okay to eat."

Brynley sat down and Elijah placed a small of fruit salad in front of her. She grabbed a fork and picked up a piece of tangerine. She stared at it as Elijah watched.

"What are you thinking about?" Elijah sat down next to her.

"It's stupid." Brynley shook her head.

"No, it's not." Elijah assured her.

"I haven't eaten in so long, and I'm still not pretty enough. Eating is just gonna make me worse, Elijah." Brynley pushed the bowl of fruit away and looked at the ground.

"Brynley, look at me," Elijah whispered and Brynley looked into her eyes, tears flooding her. "Eating is good for you. It's gonna make you more beautiful than you already are. Please just try, for me?"

Brynley nodded before picking up her and eating a piece of tangerine. She didn't remember the fruit being so sugary. She swallowed the fruit and slowly started to feel nauseous.

"Good job, butterfly," Elijah looked at her proudly and Brynley looked at him with a slight smile. "I saw your room from when you were three, you were quite obsessed."

"It was a phase." Brynley shrugged before taking a deep breath and eating a piece of strawberry, also very sugary. "So do you eat regular food on the daily or just blood?"

"I eat regular food often, but not like people who wake up and eat breakfast," Elijah explained. "Breakfast is usually a blood bag."

She picked a grape with the fork and brought it to Elijah's mouth.

"No thank you." Elijah shook his head and Brynley smirked.

"Come on, for me?" Brynley begged and Elijah looked into her big, blue eyes.

"God, those eyes." Elijah thought and ate the grape, Brynley laughing.

"Your turn." Elijah said and took the fork from the table, getting a piece of kiwi.

"No, I'm full." Brynley turned her head and laughed slightly.

"Just one more." Elijah negotiated and fed her a grape. Brynley's nose scrunched up at the sourness and Elijah laughed.

"Stop laughing! It was sour!" Brynley pretended to be upset but she just ended up giggling.

"I'm not, I'm not," Elijah smirked. "That was adorable."

"Sure." Brynley ran a hand through her hair as she tried not to laugh, blush rushing to her cheeks. "Can I tell you something?"

"Anything."