Hooves of black horses plucked the grassy ground as figures in black cloaks ran through the grooves of foggy forest chasing a deer. The deer jumped over the fallen log running for its life, and disappeared into the darkness of the forest. The horses came to halt, and one of the knight turned to look back at the woman on the horse who was dressed in a high neck black gown and a red furred cape that was draped around her shoulders.
"We have lost the deer, your Majesty." The knight spoke to Tsarina whose mouth was pinched tight in a bitter thought upon losing her hunt on the day of full moon.
"I'll not return palace with a failed hunt." The Tsarina replied taking charge of reins of her horse in her hands and turned her horse towards the thicket of trees to catch the deer.
"But the sun is about to set, your majesty." The knight looked at the disappearing sun behind the trees and soon they would be drowned in the darkness, and it would be difficult for them to return to palace in the thick fog.
"The hunt will be more thrilling then." The Tsarina winked at her favorite Knight and pulled the reins of her horse, running into the forest. The knight rubbed his forehead and ordered others to follow the Tsarina, but in the growing darkness of the evening and the fog that started to thicken in the forest they lost the sight of the queen. She was running her horse through the trees, determined to find her hunt and slowed down her horse when she spotted a grazing deer behind a tree. She stopped her horse and pulled out her hunt bow taking aim with arrow. She pulled the string of her bow closing her eye, and then in a beat of heart she released the string shooting arrow in the direction of deer but the arrow missed her prey which caught sight of its Hunter and fled from her sight. She steered the horse with a cry and ran in the direction of sprinting deer, but the Tsarina suddenly pulled reins of her horse as her eyes widened in horror upon the sight of a girl on the grassy ground with an arrow stuck in her breast. The Tsarina slid off her horse and ran to the girl who was lying on the ground in shock and clutching tail of the arrow in her breast near to her heart. The girl in green garb, Tsarina noticed, had long brown hair which were stringed with beads and had a pale skin like fresh snow of the winter. The Tsarina rushed to the girl's side and cradled her head to pull the wounded girl in her lap and help her.
"I am so sorry, I didn't intend to shoot my arrow at you." Tsarina apologized but the girl continued staring at her with a blank expression and tried to rip arrow out of her breast.
"Don't pull it out! You'll bleed to death." The young queen chided and looked around the forest for her knights whom she had lost back in the forest while chasing the deer in hunt.
"Vladimir!" The woman shouted her knight's name for help and then turned back to the girl who was growing pale and cold with each passing moment.
"Please hold on, my knights will eventually find us." But the girl scrunched her brows, frowning at the young Tsarina and then in a blink of an eye, she ripped arrow out of her breast hissing in a pain leaving a hole in its wake and blood started spurting out of her breast. The tip of the arrow cut the finger of young Tsarina who cursed looking at her bleeding forefinger. The girl tossed the arrow away and sat up closing her cold hands around the queen's hand and brought it near to her mouth.
"W-what are you doing?" The queen spluttered blushing in horror as the girl licked the cut on her finger and put it inside her mouth, sucking on the queen's finger. Colour started to fill in her pale cheeks and lips and the tsarina's eyes traveled down to her breast where the wound started to close itself.
'Oh...oh!'
_
"Are we there yet?" Ava asked for the umpteenth time sinking back into the seat of car. Her spine had killed her for sitting straight for three hours.
"We have just entered the town." The man answered his daughter who was groaning.
"Where in the hell does your boyfriend live? This town is already giving me creeps." The girl shouted looking out of the window to the long conifers trees that were rushing by their car in motion.
"Language kid. David is a good man and this place is refreshing unlike the polluted air of San Diego."
"This man is creepy if he lives in the middle of neverending conifers. What if he is a chainsaw killer?" The girl gasped in mock horror looking at his father who could only scoff at the girl's antics.
"Calm down girl. You'll love here. David has a son, and you have always wanted a younger sibling. You'll get along quite fine. Besides, you might find someone like Edward Cullen." The man teased her daughter who grunted in reply.
"Please no. I already have Jason."
"Had." The man corrected. "Past tense".
"What?" She jolted upright in the passenger seat upright and stared at her father not trusting her own ears. She might have misheard him.
"I broke up with him for you." The man spoke with a sheepish grin on his face.
"What!" The girl shouted sitting upright in the passenger seat. "Dad just what did you do?"
"I called him and said that you didn't want to see his face... ever."
"Dad!" The girl shouted in frustration and covered her face with both hands, groaning "That's why he's not answering my texts."
"What? I have never liked his ass anyway. I have always wanted to strangle him."
"That came out a little inappropriate besides you always fend off any boy who approaches me."
"They all are assholes. Can you believe he tried to make a move on me at the bar even when you two went on a date a day before."
"He, what?"
"He, yes. Even knowing that I'm your father."
"What were you doing at the bar?"
"I sort of followed him there because I had my suspicions and see he tried to hit on me." The girl groaned pressing heels of her palms in her eye sockets.
"This is too much. Why do my dates always go for you."
"Girl, you always have creeps coming after you."
"Excuse me? They're coming after you. I can't believe Jason too!"
"Look I didn't like the child anyway or any child before him, though they were hot but I don't approve all of them. You can meet handsome man like Edward Cullen here..."
"No"
"...or Isabella Swan?"
"Hell No! What's wrong with you Dad?"
"Look I don't mind if you go for a girl, Ava. Look at me and David..."
"No, we are not having this talk!" She put fingers in her ears and started babbling to cut off her father's nonsensical words about love and sexual orientation.
The man eventually fell quiet and they drove in silence towards the appearing house behind the trees. They stopped outside a beautiful house and Ava stepped out of the car walking towards the house where David stood with his thirteen years son at the doorstep to receive them.
"Mason!" David ran to hug her father and Ava rolled her eyes at them ignoring their reunion hug.
"You're Ava?" The boy approached and looked up at her with crossed arms.
"I forgot your name kid." The boy scowled before answering. "It's Alex and if you want to live through the night alive, you better not mess with me." The boy smirked as he brushed past her leaving Ava surprised.
"Hey, what was that!"
"Alex, be good to your elder sister." David scolded Alex and came to greet Ava.
"I hope you feel at home here." Ava looked between her father and David, and then forced a smile. She could do it for her father's happiness who had not been in a single relationship since her mother's death in a car accident when she was four years old and devoted his all attention on taking care of Ava as both a father and mother.
"Thanks, David." David and Alex helped them in carrying bags inside the house. The house was spacious and well decorated; living hall and lounge, open kitchen, three bedrooms, a guest room, library and then rest of the rooms were upstairs. Alex showed Ava her room upstairs and asked her to close the window at night before sleeping.
"Why? Are there dangerous animals?"
"There are inhuman things that eat you alive." The boy answered and closed the door shut behind him. Ava took in the sight of her room and reminded herself to thank David later for the furniture arrangement. The room had dull blue walls, black floorboards and a blue bed placed in the middle of the room. There was dresser on the left side of her bed, two small couches in the right corner of the room opposite to her bed with a glass coffee table, a study desk and a book rack. She noticed the balcony, where little light bulbs were hanging from the Victorian styled iron beam outside the sliding glass door. She slid open the glass door to the balcony and went outside in the small terrace hugging herself against the chilly air. There was a chair and coffee table on the terrace, and the wind charm tinkled melodiously in calm atmosphere of the evening.
She leaned over the painted banister of the railing and appreciated the view of green land and trees in the distance. It was indeed a refreshing sight. She unpacked her luggage putting her clothes inside the closet and took a quick shower before going downstairs to join everyone for the dinner.
"Did you like your room?" David asked and Ava smiled filling her plate with roast pork and zucchini's salad.
"Thank you. It was beautiful."
"Alex helped me in picking furniture and theme for your room." David replied chuckling.
"Oh tha..." Ava felt happy that Alex was considerate about her arrival and her comfort. The boy hadn't been that much bad as she initially had thought of him.
"From what I could tell from Dad's words you sounded like emo child on breakup shit so I picked grey and white for you." Knife dropped from Ava's hand and David broke into coughs glaring at his son who shrugged in return."But I was wrong since you'd still look like an emo shit without a break up."
"Thanks Kid." Ava muttered, silently cursing the boy who was smirking at her. They ate in silence except when David would ask Mason about his job as a writer who was taking break from writing and visiting the small town for the inspiration. David worked as an editor and they both men met at Mason's book opening ceremony three years ago. Ava finished her dinner and stood up to leave before David told her about her new school.
"I have got enrolled at a new college in the major your Dad told me about. You can start your college from Monday." David informed the girl.
Ava nodded and after finishing her dinner retired to her room to sleep. Her entire body had been aching from travelling. The girl changed into shorts and white T-shirt settling in her bed under the covers before she heard a knock on her door.
"It is me, Alex."
"Come in." The boy stuck his head inside the room and looked at the girl with a concerned expression which worried the girl herself.
"What is it Alex?"
"Just watch out for the window. There are things out there that can eat you alive."
"Get out!" Ana shouted and threw a pillow at the laughing boy who closed the door before pillow could hit him.
"I don't want to live here!" She cried before flopping down on the bed with her face pressed into the pillow.
"I hate that kid!"
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