Thorn in the Rose {Book 1 Of The Once Upon A Time Chronicles}

Chapter 44: Time Out

"I'm sorry, Papa. I got scared."

"You can't just forget about all those safety tips I have you just because you got scared. There are going to be lots of moments where you get scared but you have to rise above it and keep a level head before you end up doing something you'll regret for the rest of your life. Do you understand me?"

Wiping my tears with the back of my hand I nod. "Yes, Papa."

Ringing fills my ears pushing the screams from Maurie and the others into the background. My grip on the handle of the knife tightens to the point that the pain is almost unbearable but despite this discomfort, I don't dare let go of it. I can hear the air rush past me as he lunges into the air hurling himself right at me. My brain is screaming at me to run constantly repeating the mantra 'Move, Valerie! Move!'. But, while my brain continues to scream at me my feet remain firmly planted where they are, and my hand remains raised in the air. This was the moment my father talked about. The one where I needed to rise above my fear.

"Valerie, please don't!" Amelie calls out to me her voice breaking mid-sentence.

I try my best to push my fear away using all my power to move my hand but fear is my master and in this moment I'm powerless to resist him.

Squeezing my eyes shut I wait for the moment that my knife slices through his flesh, but it doesn't come. Right before Beast can reach me I feel a weight hit me from the side and I'm flung through the air landing hard on the cold ground below.

A roar of frustration echoes all around me and I look to my left where the Beast is laying in a heap on the floor growling in frustration and pounding his fists against the floor. My gaze quickly shifts to the other person laying in front of me.

"Mon Cher!" Fabienne frantically calls out to Maurie as she rushes toward him.

"I'm fine," he mumbles gently refusing her attempts to help him.

Breathing frantically he sits up and looks between the two of us pure disappointment shining in his eyes.

Eventually, he speaks up, "What were you two thinking? You could have killed each other!"

I try to speak up first but before I can even get a word out a deep voice cuts across me, "That was the whole point."

My head snaps in his direction. Pure anger surges through me. I may have pointed a knife at him but I only did it because I was scared. I didn't want to hurt him. He clearly had other plans for me. "You seriously would have killed me? Just like that."

"What about you? You had a bloody knife pointed at me!"

"You lunged at me I was scared for my life! I didn't... I wasn't trying to hurt you I just wanted to scare you so that you'd back off."

"Back off? While I was in mid-air!"

"Don't patronize me," I snap.

"I'll do whatever the hell I want because you just tried to kill me... again!"

"And you tried to kill me again!"

"Will you both please shut up!"

We all turn to Maurie shocked by his sudden outburst. He crosses his arms over his chest and looks between us like a disappointed parent getting ready to scold his two children.

"He—"

"She—"

"I said shut up!" he yells, and we both close our mouths and look down at the floor in shame.