TERRIBLE THINGS

twenty-four

He shot her again and again, aiming at random. He knew that her weak point had to be in a place that most people wouldn't think to shoot her. So he tried those rare and unlikely places, hoping and praying that something would work.

Nothing did.

Jase was just annoying her. Red scowled. "You're such a bothersome little human with such a disgusting scent." Fear splintering down Jase's spin as his finger faltered on the trigger. "But if you wish to die so badly, who am I to deny you?"

She lunged at him, her fangs bared and Jase swore that his life was about to be cut short. He had frozen. But that was when something came flying from behind him, hitting Red smack in the face. A shoe, Jase realized. He had been saved by someone throwing a show at Red's face and for a perfect moment, Jase turned, expecting to see Kova in his full glory.

Who else could it be?

But instead, Jase saw a blur of black speed past as someone kicked Red across the room, sending her crashing into the wall. And instead of Kova, Jase found himself staring at Cinderella, her chin raised as though attempting to make herself look taller than she really was... which was when Jase realized Cinderella was tiny. And she had just saved him.

Red staggered up. She was pissed now. "That's cheating," Red said, her rage now focused solely on Cinderella. "I taught you better than that, Cinderella. I'm disappointed in you."

"I do not care," Cinderella said, her voice still eerily familiar, but Jase just couldn't figure out where he'd heard it before. Red lunged again, going faster than she had before as Cinderella met her halfway. The two Smiles clashed together, clawing and biting like feral cats.

All Jase could do was stand there, watching them. He had lost his mind somewhere between the point when he was saved by Cinderella and when he realized Red was toying with him. After all these years, she was still messing with him. She could have killed him whenever she wanted. She could have eaten him, just like she had eaten his mother.

So why was he given mercy while everyone else died?

The next thing he knew, Cinderella was sent flying. She was doubled over and panting, her jacket torn open and the seams of her black leather suit ripped open to reveal... red. Cinderella's weak point. It was right there and Red had clearly been aiming for it.

Red grabbed Cinderella by her neck, twisting one of her arms back and dangling her in Jase's direction. Cinderella let out a pained noise, thrashing against Red's grip, but she was pinned, her weak point exposed and so, so easy for Jase to shoot.

"Hey human," Red called. "You want to know a little secret? Cindy's got a weak point right here, under her mask." She tapped the spot between Cinderella's eyes. "So Jason -" How sick his name seemed on her tongue, "-are yah gonna kill the monster?"

Jase raised his gun, hands trembling but mind focused. He could do this. Whatever discord was going on between these two Smiles, Jase needed to take advantage of. Who knew when he'd get another chance like this?

And that was when he noticed a thin trail of blood running down Cinderella's mask. And beneath her hood, the origin of the blood.... bright red petals. Bright red rose petals that had been woven into a thorny crown by his own fingers. A crown identical to the one on his own head.

Everything clicked at once as Jase fired a perfect shot right at Red's eyes.

She howled in pain, blinded by the light of the shot, but she also released Cinderella, who scrambled away from her grasp.

Three more individuals entered the room. Jase muttered a curse. So the other three members of the Big Five had finally come out to play. Tightening his grip on the gun, Jase tried to figure out who he should shoot first.

"Cinderella. Where's Pan... nevermind," the Tooth Fairy said. "We'll take it from here. You focus on getting the humans out." A decisive order.

Cinderella nodded, mutely, turning away from Red who seemed to have recovered from Jase's shot and was now grinning, her mouth full of fangs. Jase shuttered as he suddenly felt a hand on his arm. Cinderella. "Come, Jase," Cinderella said, pulling him away and using the nickname that Jase had only given to a select few.

But he didn't say anything, just let himself be tugged away from his mother's murderer in a daze by a Smile whose life he had somehow managed to save time and time again. And a Smile who had saved his own life just as many times over. He didn't want to be wrong again, but as Cinderella disappeared back into the building, leaving Jase for the second time that night, he swore he caught another glimpse of the crown of blood and roses that adorned Cinderella's head.

He caught another glimpse of Kova, red petals swirling around him to create the colors of the sunrise.

[author's note]

annnnd that's the end of part ii. i'm going to be going on a brief hiatus with this story but i hope to be back in 2-3 weeks hehe. 

thank you so much for reading! please feel free to share any thoughts/theories!