Volume 1: Ch.2

The prince came to save the day

         

The young man gazed at the stream in front of him, his thoughts turning to despair. The burbling sound of the water would probably cover his cries, even if he tried to scream for help. The dense forest surrounding them would make it easy to hide a body. He shuddered at the thought, realizing this place was perfect for an execution, although it was not their intention. But when someone crossed a hot-headed woman like Anastasia, things could spiral out of control quickly.

Anastasia stood in front of him, her hand stretched out. "Hand me the brass knuckles, Mr. Grayson," she ordered, her eyes blazing with anger.

Pacia, the nervous-looking girl, hesitated to hand over the weapon. "B-but Ana... this is dangerous. We shouldn't do this," she stammered.

Anastasia's frustration grew by the second. "What the hell, Pacia! Just give them to me!" she bellowed.

Pacia's voice trembled as she tried to explain. "B-but... b-but..."

Kyna, one of the girls behind them, stepped forward and snatched the brass knuckles from Pacia's hands. "This wimp! If you're just going to act like a coward, then you better leave our gang, you bitch," she spat out, her eyes daring Pacia to defy her.

Anastasia's face lit up with excitement as she received the brass knuckles. "Finally, someone with guts. Now that we're ready, it's time to finish what we started," she said with a twisted smile.

The young man braced himself for what was about to come. He saw Kyna's accomplice smirk and whisper something, but before he could finish, a powerful punch landed on his cheek. He felt the sharp edge of the brass knuckles cut into his skin, and blood dripped down his face. He gasped in pain, but to his attackers, his faint chuckle only fueled their anger.

Anastasia's fist connected with his face again and again, each blow more brutal than the last. "Do you think this is funny?" she screamed, her face contorted with rage. "You think you're tough? Well, aren't you?"

Pacia stepped forward, her voice trembling with fear and guilt. "A-ana? We shouldn't do this. It's not right."

"ENOUGH WITH YOUR BLOODY WHINING!" Anastasia screamed as she lunged towards Pacia with a fake punch. The sight was too much for Pacia to bear and she remained silent, unable to respond. Meanwhile, Wayne kept chuckling as he continued to provoke Anastasia. He coughed up blood, feeling weak and helpless. He realized that this could be the end of his life and had given up any hope of survival.

Anastasia, fueled by anger, was inches away from killing Wayne. Her friends were too afraid to stop her, they knew she meant business. Pacia, unable to take the tension any longer, collapsed onto the hard ground and lost consciousness. Kyna, on the other hand, appeared to be enjoying the scene.

"FUCK YOU, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Anastasia yelled as she punched Wayne with even more force. Wayne braced himself for the end, but it wasn't his time yet.

Just then, a familiar voice shouted, "Fight someone your own size!" A blonde girl appeared, beating up Anastasia and her friends with ease. She looked at Wayne with intense, deadly eyes and offered him her hand, "Come on, let's go!"

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? CHRISTMAS? GO!!!" Anastasia ordered as she tried to get back on her feet.

PRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!!

A sharp whistle interrupted them. They assumed it was the daily patrol from the town and stood still, watching as the two attackers fled. Wayne was puzzled. He felt a rush of emotions in his heart, as if time was slowing down and each step the girl took seemed to take a mile. Her smile was all it took to send him into a state of love and infatuation.

"I'm sorry," the girl apologized as she helped him up after he stumbled and fell. "I ran faster and forgot you were hurt. Let me help you." She then tended to his wounds, using a cloth and alcohol to clean his face, and a branch of moringa leaves to help with the pain.

"Can I know your name?" Wayne asked, captivated by her canary eyes.

"Are you serious?" the girl responded in an irritated tone.

"Yes, I don't know your name," Wayne replied, confused.

"Jeez, JILL! COME HERE!" the girl called out to another girl, who came over. "Hi, I'm the one who whistled," she said, introducing herself. "Can you believe it? Wayne doesn't even know me."

"Do you know me, Wayne?" the other girl, Jill, asked.

" “Listen,” The girl held his cheeks and looked at him seriously. “We’re your classmates. I’m April and that’s Jill”

“Hi…” Jill waived her hand and smiled.

“O-oh? Sorry I can’t recall your names,” Wayne answered while scratching his head and feeling embarrassed.

“You can’t remember us?” April asked.

Wayne looked embarrassed, his face turning red.

Jill’s smile faded as she watched the two interact. April realized how close she was and stepped back, looking embarrassed. “Sorry,” she said.

“I remember the name Jill, the teacher calls you out all the time, right?” Wayne pointed at Jill. “But you're new to me.”

“We’ve been classmates for almost two years!!” April shouted in frustration.

Jill giggled, “You two look cute together.”

April stood up and cleared her throat. “Anyway, we’re classmates okay?” she said. “I think you can stand on your own now, right?”

"I think so?"

"Good, I guess I'll leave you here," April said, grabbing her bag from Jill. "You should drop by the drugstore to buy a band-aid." She looked behind and said, "Take care and stay out of trouble. I'll leave you behind."

"April, wait!" Wayne stood up and called out to her.

The girl sighed and turned around. "What is it?" she asked.

"I never got to say thanks," Wayne said.

"Don't thank me, thank Jill. She's the one who told me to come." April waved and continued walking, her figure slowly fading as the distance between them grew. She had given the two an opportunity to talk, acting as a wing-woman if such a thing exists.

"Thanks," Wayne said.

Jill noticed that Wayne's tone was different, more monotone and gloomier, avoiding eye contact and looking down. She knew she had to do something to keep the conversation going. She shifted her smile to a more serious look and matched Wayne's tone. "That's it?" she asked.

Wayne quickly realized that a simple thank you wasn't enough. He wanted to make it up to Jill for her help. "As a token of my gratitude, you can ask me for anything. What do you want? I'll do it," Wayne offered.

"Interesting. Just a moment ago, you were ready to give up on life, and now you're saying you'll do anything for me," Jill pointed out as she walked closer to him, raising her eyebrows in curiosity.

"Yes, I was at a low point, but I didn't ask for your help," Wayne explained.

"Well, I may not have heard you asking for help, but I did hear you flirting with a girl named Anastasia, and then a prince came to save you," Jill said with a smirk. "And now you're complaining."

"I don't appreciate this kind of interaction," Wayne said, clearly uncomfortable with the teasing.

"Still, you said you'd do anything, right?" Jill reminded him with a playful smile.

Wayne sighed and reluctantly agreed. Jill took his hand and they started walking, leaving the place where death had once threatened Wayne's life behind.