BEAUTIFUL MONSTER

3 : Cheese and Tomato

As I slowly walked up the stairs, I played with the sandwich in my hand, fiddling with the wrapper of it and squeezing it too tightly. He wanted food which I had gotten, the only problem was I had no way of contacting him. I wasn't about to blunder around the forest, hoping and praying he'd appear.

Letting out a long sigh, I held the sandwich under my arm and then took of my backpack, quickly taking out the toffee packet before slipping my backpack on. "Just do it, Bea and leave. It's not your fault if he doesn't find it." I set the food down on the forest floor, not stepping in but just brushing against the edges.

I took a step back, glanced at the food and then took of at a brisk walk. "Don't look back," I muttered, biting my nail. Images of squirrels and foxes destroying the food came to my mind and I grimaced.

If animals got to the food before him, would he go hungry? Would he be angry?

"Oh, damn it to hell," I groaned, spinning on my heel as I headed back to the forest.

I picked up the food, looking towards the sky in a sore grimace and then blindly set off in the hopes I'd somehow find him.

Fifteen minutes later, I was lost and grumpy and I wasn't any closer to finding him than I had been. It was peacefully quiet, but my loud footings and occasionally curse word as my bag scraped and scratched against another bunch of snarling leaves left a thrashing wake behind me.

I looked down at the toffee packet, thinking hard. Two seconds later, I ripped open the packet and untwisted a wrapper to one of the brown sweets.

"What are you doing?" His voice came from the side and I turned, almost choking on the sweet in sudden surprise. He was shirtless and his frayed shorts hugged his lean legs while his feet embraced the muddy floor nakedly. He strode over and snatched the packet of toffees, glaring at me. "First you just throw them on the ground and leave and then you eat them? I'm ashamed of you."

My jaw would've dropped had it not been for the sticky substance binding my teeth together. As I furiously chewed and swallowed to enable speech, he picked out a toffee before shoving the rest down his pocket.

"You were watching me the whole time!" I placed my hands on my hips, "why didn't you say anything?"

"Cause it was funny watching you walk around and get lost." He shrugged, taking the sandwich and once again sniffing at it.

"How funny would it be if I never bring you food again?"

He narrowed his eyes, "You wouldn't do that."

"Oh yeah? Try me." I answered, sassily.

"You wouldn't because you'd know the next time you pass here to go running home, there'd be a blade heading your way." He looked calm however there was a fire blazing in his eyes as he towered over me, looking to intimidate.

"You're sick." I dropped down, scrunching my face up in distaste at him. "And ungrateful."

He took a bite out of the sandwich, before raising his eyebrow. "Ham and cheese? What, were the tomatoes finished?"

"I would've got you it, had there been any left." I grumbled, picking at the fluff off my sweatshirt.

He grunted, and there was silence while he finished the sandwich. I glanced at him, before looking away. "He might be a murderer...or a rapist." I muttered lowly.

"I'd say you might be a lunatic but there's no doubt about it, you definitely are. Why do you talk to yourself?"

I shrugged slowly. "I dunno...sometimes it's better to have a conversation with yourself rather than with others."