ALL THE GUEST had gone home. Gretel’s body ached, and her eyelids were heavy. Hansel was not around to pick her up when she told him she’d be late. She wondered what happened to her brother. He must have fallen asleep. Now she had to walk home by herself.

“Gretel, are you going alone?” asked Nimfa. She was one of the hired dishwashers, along with her younger sister Nina.

Gretel nodded weakly.

“My brother did not come to pick me up, so I had no choice.”

“Will you be alright? We wished we could join you, but we’re taking another route.”

“I understand, Nimfa. Don’t worry. I guess I’ll be fine. The moon’s still bright.”

“Okay. Take care.”

“You, too.”

“Bye, Gretel,” Nina said.

With a sigh, Gretel began on her journey. She was carrying her small satchel with her compensation for her work and a shoal to protect her from the cold. Her mother did not want her to go, but she was one stubborn woman. She could not miss such an opportunity to save money.

She looked around her. The road was silent, and the woods looked scary.

Gretel took a deep breath as she mustered up her steps.

She was looking forward to catching a glimpse of Javier del Mundo a while ago. But he did not come. It was Mr. Martinez who showed up instead to hand Lady Arcie’s gift. The latter was utterly disappointed. Gretel understood. Lady Arcie must have a thing for Javier already. They would make a perfect couple.

But Gretel did not welcome the idea. And she could not understand herself. What was it to her if Javier and Lady Arcie became a couple? They have the same status in society. Lady Arcie was beautiful and educated.

Gretel looked behind her abruptly when she heard a rustling sound. Her heart began to pound, but she saw no one.

She drew a breath as she caught her chest. That was not the perfect time to get scared.

She was about to continue when someone appeared a few meters away from her. The figure which belonged to a man came from behind the tree. He was walking toward her slowly.

Gretel blinked and saw him pulled something out of his clothing. Her eyes could only stare in horror as the object in his hand looked sharp.

“Give me your money, and I’ll let you live,” he said in a cold voice.

Her body began to tremble. She could not move a single step to escape.

“P-please,” she uttered in a whisper. “D-don’t hurt me.”

She pulled her satchel away from her body. But before she could even surrender it to the robber, another figure appeared behind her and put her attacker down.

Gretel inhaled sharply as the two struggled. The second man wore a thick, black hood. When he lifted his hand to punch the thief, Gretel saw long, sharp nails, which were unusual for an ordinary human.

A monster!

The robber groaned in pain as her hooded savior punched him non-stop. 

“Get off from me, monster!” the man roared.

Gretel swallowed. She could not think straight. She was supposed to run away and save her life, but her feet were fixed on the ground. She must be out of her mind!

The hooded figure finally stood up as the robber stopped moving. Gretel gasped.

Is he still alive?

She was too scared to breathe!

He glanced at her, and Gretel saw a creature that only existed in her imagination. His complexion sparkled under the moonlight. He was as pale as candle wax. He did not have eyebrows and hair. His peeking ears were pointed, and he had sharp teeth.

“What are you looking at?” he snapped in a hoarse voice.

Gretel jumped and blinked. He was about to turn around and leave, but something told her to grab his arm.

“Don’t leave me!” she begged.

The creature smirked.

“Aren’t you scared of me?”

“N-no. You saved me. I beg you, don’t leave me.”

The creature tried to pull his arm, but Gretel did not let go.

“I beg you!” Tears sprung from her eyes.

The smirk from his face disappeared. His expression softened, and it somehow made him look less scary.

He walked quietly, and Gretel followed as she stepped over the unconscious body of the robber.

“Are you from here?” she asked.

“Why would I tell you?”

For a moment, his attitude reminded her of Javier del Mundo. But that was just ridiculous. They did not look the same. They only have the same height and physique, and yes, attitude. Maybe because she was thinking about Javier before this incident happened.

“Are you human?”

“Do I look like a human to you?”

Gretel sighed. Maybe it was a wrong idea to stop him from leaving after all.

“My name is Gretel. Thank you for saving my life.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

That took Gretel by surprise.

“I don’t mean to be rude to you. It’s just that I can’t be caught, but you saw me.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” Gretel said. “I won’t tell anyone about you. I don’t think they would believe me, either. Right now, I’m still wondering if you are real.”

“I’m sure of that.”

“Do you have a name?”

“I’m Ha—Alexander. My name’s Alexander.”

“Your name means ‘warrior.’” Gretel smiled.

“How did you know?”

“I read a lot of books to pass the time,” she said proudly.

“Yeah. You look smart to me.”

Gretel wondered if he meant it as a compliment or he was just being sarcastic. She laughed awkwardly.

“T-thank you.”

“Are you alright?” Alexander asked.

“I am. Thanks to you.”

“You shouldn’t be here walking alone at this hour.”

“I know. I was working on a part-time job, and my brother must have forgotten to pick me up.”

“He sure did.”

“Do you always roam around the village at this time to fight off evil people?”

“Well, sometimes.”

“That makes me lucky somehow. I can’t afford to lose the money I got from my job.”

“Your life is more important than that,” he stressed.

“I know. But my family also needs money to survive.” Gretel smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.

Gretel sighed in relief as they finally stopped outside their gate.

“This is where I live,” she said. “Alexander, I want you to know that I’m not scared of you, and I want to be friends with you. We have a vegetable garden in our backyard. I want to meet you at the stream after sunset if it’s alright with you. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I just want to show my appreciation.”

“I’m not sure about that, though your offer is very tempting. No human has ever wanted to be friends with me before. They were always scared of me.”

“I bet you were scared of them, too. But trust me, I’m not like them.”

“I have to go. Good-bye, Gretel.”

Alexander walked away swiftly. Gretel could only watch him as he disappeared into the darkness.