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I wait for her to come into the house, but the minutes trickle by with no sign of her. Quiet as a mouse, I creep down the stairs, pausing with every step to listen for any sound. When I reach the bottom, it seems she hasn’t noticed anything. I look out the peephole, curious about what could have made her so unaware of her surroundings.
Her hair, a mess of gentle waves, is gathered up into a high ponytail as she faces away from me. Smoke wafts around her from the cigarette between her fingers. She’s deep in thought, unaware of my presence. I can’t help but smirk.You’ve made this too easy for me, my Little Finch, I think.But how will you be able to handle a direct confrontation? Especially afterthat night.
I want to see the rage in her face,breatheit in.
I turn the knob and push open the door. She startles, swiveling around and dropping her cigarette. Quickly, she smashes it under her shoe and then turns to me with a contemptuous expression. Her fury is striking in its beauty.
“What thefuckare you doing here?” she asks, her voice cold and dangerous.
I raise my palms in appeasement. “I just want to talk,” I say, my tone tinged with mockery.
“Liar!” She stands at the foot of the steps and grabs the knife from the sheath clipped to her belt, brandishing it stiffly. “I know what you did, and I won’t let you get away with it!”
My lips curl into a smirk, noting her upgrade of a weapon. “Oh? And what exactly do you think I’ve done?” I say, crossing my arms as I lean against the doorframe.
She takes a step forward, her eyes blazing. “You know damn well what you did!” She swallows and points the blade at me. “You killed her! And I’m gonna make you pay for it!”
“Did my gift not meet your expectations?” I chuckle, unmoved by her threat. I’m more interested in seeing how this all will proceed. In how far she’ll go. “How exactly do you plan on making me pay?”
“The power to take away life, to bring justice in our own way,” she says, parroting my brother’s words. “You took Jen’s life, but I will make sure that justice is served.” She takes another step closer, her voice wavering ever so slightly. “I will avenge her no matter what it takes … even if it kills me.”
She readies her stance and prepares to lunge at me. I can still see the lingering fear in her eyes. And as much as I enjoy it, I know I have to help stamp it out. It’s also the very thing that will prevent her from actually ending me.
And anyone else, for that matter.
“You really think you can take me down?” I snort derisively, retrieving my knife in a blink. “Let’s find out, shall we?” With a wild grin, I launch at her.
I don’t think she expected me to make the first move. She stumbles back and tries to regain her footing. With training and time, she can overcome her sloppiness. She leaps at me, but I dodge her and grab a hold of her hair. I yank it, laughing as she cries out in pain. She swings at me with her free hand, but I block it and push her back.
“Bastard!” she bites out, fury clouding her judgment.
She grits her teeth and lashes out once more, this time with the knife. With a vengeance-filled scream, she jumps at me. I step out of the way, the knife grazing my arm as I grab her wrist. I squeeze it tightly, making her wince, the blade falling from her grasp. Taking advantage of this, I spin her around and push her to the ground, pinning her there.
“Looks like I won this round,” I say, pressing my knife against her throat. She glares at me as I continue. “This is only the beginning. Are you ready to learn more?”
Her rebellion is clear in her silence as she refuses to respond. Standing up, I offer her my hand, only to be met with a scowl as if my grasp is poisonous. After a few moments, she hesitantly accepts my offer for help.
But my Little Finch thinks she’s clever, scooping up her knife the moment she rises. The blade is almost upon me when I crack my neck and let out a loud sigh.
“I offer to help you, and this is how you repay me? How disappointing.” I tsk, and she falters, stopping short of plunging the blade into my shoulder. “If I were you, Little Finch, I’drun.”
A whirlwind of emotions plays across her face as she processes my words, her knuckles white from gripping the handle of her weapon. Almost as if she’s considering attacking me again. But in the end, she takes off in the opposite direction, toward the woods of the property. I watch her go, a smile tugging at my lips until she vanishes.
“Let the game begin,” I say, sheathing my knife.
The thrill of the hunt invigorates me as I begin the pursuit, determined to catch my little birdy before she can escape. Only minutes ago, she had been so self-assured. But now, she runs as if her life depends on it.
And maybe it does—at least heroldlife.
I narrow my eyes in concentration, searching for signs of my quarry. The sun is dipping below the horizon, and I need to move quickly—but I can’t resist playing with my food. Once I catch sight of her, I follow close behind, making sure that she notices my presence every time. I want her to understand that this is a game. A game in which I’m the hunter, she the prey.
And I’m always one step ahead.
Gwen runs faster and faster, desperate to get away. But no matter how hard she tries, I will never cease the chase. Trees rush by in a blur of green and brown as I pursue her, twigs snapping underneath my boots. Every time she thinks she’s avoided my grasp, I surprise her, appearing out of nowhere and making it clear that I’m still here and won’t give up so easily.
The chase carries on until she trips over the roots of an old tree. She gasps for breath as I close in on her, seizing her and trapping her against the wide trunk with my body. Her heart beats wildly, her fear mixed with excitement palpable. She struggles as I lean close to her.
“You should have known you could never escape from me,” I murmur, nuzzling into the crook of her neck through the mask. “This is only the beginning.”
