CHAPTER NINE: DEATH

She stood up suddenly, startling him, and looked at him with this strange sense of urgency. It was odd.

"Jack," she said, her voice higher than usual.

She looked afraid, he realized. He's almost never seen her afraid. For the first time in months, her face is not painted. He's forgotten how young she looks with her face bare. She looks like she did before the wolves and the giants. It takes him a moment to realize she is holding a baby.

"Hey… you… I'm busy right now. Looking for a giant."

"Don't," she said, "We found her… and she's looking for you now."

Jack looked around, "Something's different."

She snorted, laughing without humor, "Well, let's see, there's a giantess running around the kingdom, and I'm holding a baby. No, I don't see anything unusual about that at all."

"No, I mean… something else. It seems awfully quiet…"

He sees her eyes widen with the realization.

"Oh, the narrator's gone."

"What!" he shouted incredulously, "Where did he go."

"I killed him. Well, not really. The witch killed him, but I wanted him dead anyway."

"What? Why?"

"Because I knew that I was going to get killed off next."

He was silent for a moment.

"How could you know that?" he asks quietly.

"Because I'm the only person who didn't have a family," she said flatly, "My mother's dead."

"Oh… I'm sorry…."

"My granny's probably dead too by now," she said, her voice breaking slightly, "Anyway, the giantess doesn't see very well, so everyone was trying to find someone who she would think was you. It was only a matter of time before they figured out who the best option was."

"They wouldn't-"

"Well, they wanted to kill you, and you're a hero. Why do you think they would spare the likes of me?"

There is another long pause.

"Why do you have a baby?"

She laughed a bit, nervously, "Oh, well, it's the baker and his wife's baby. They're off looking for you and told me to stay here."

He gulped, "So they want me dead?"

"No, I don't think so. But you can't be sure. I think it is best if you hide."

He looked at her, surprised for an instant, "Why don't you want to kill me?"

She shrugged, "You're the only person I really care that much about at this point. I'm too far gone to think justice is going to solve anything. She's right in wanting to kill you, I know that, but I'm a villain, so I don't care what's right."

After all this time, he was still unsettled by how honest she was. She had very little emotion in her voice, though he could tell she was afraid.

"Well… thank you… I guess," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

She shrugged.

"At least the baby's asleep, thank heavens. He seems to be able to sleep through anything. I don't know what I would do if he were crying. He woke up for a second and pawed at my breasts for a while but I think he figured out that I'm not his mother."

Jack glanced at her breasts for a moment and blushed, embarrassed that she would admit that to him. He wondered if she knew what talking like that did to him, and thought he wouldn't be surprised if she did.

"Oh… well…" he says, unsure of how to respond. Damn it, why was he so flustered by this of all things? There was a giant on the loose and all he can think about is her breasts? Was he actuall jealous of a baby? What is wrong with him?

He looks at the ground, and for a moment he could have sworn he'd seen her blush and hold the baby tighter to her chest. After a moment he looked up at her again. Her lips were a nice shade of pink, and full on their own despite not being painted for the first time in months. He also noticed that her eyelashes were brown, not black. He forgot that. It was then that he came to a realization.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" he said.

The girl nodded solemnly, "Probably, unless we can figure out how to kill this giant. You've done it before, can't you do it again?"

"It was an accident, I'm not that smart." he said, honestly. That was the first time he'd admitted that to anyone.

"I had a feeling," she said, "But you're no stupider than the average boy. Granted, boys are stupid, but you're better at hiding it than most."

He laughed nervously, "Umm… thank you?"

She smiled at him, and for a moment, they weren't quite so afraid, until they heard footsteps in the distance. She becomes rigid and alert again.

"Someone's coming. Go now!" she hisses.

He just stares at her for a moment, heart racing, unable to move.
"What are you doing, run!" she says, her eyes filling with fear.

"Yeah… thank you," he says, and be turns and begins to run away, but then quickly turns back, grabs her by the shoulder, and kisses her.

She has no time to respond, and the kiss is somehow either slightly too short or slightly too long. He releases her before she can push him away, and their eyes meet for a moment.

"Well, what are you waiting for, go!" she says, and he sprints away, leaving her alone with the baby. For a moment, she smiles a bit.

He'd paid attention to what he'd taught her the other day.