Elena. Nice name. She is pretty, I'll admit it. Her auburn hair, olive skin. And her eyes were like the leaves that littered the ground. She was quite enchanting. And her filthy language was spectacular. My favorite part was her French accent. It was strong, but not to where it was hard to understand her. "Okay, so have you done any fight training before?" I asked. "Oui." She put a hand over her mouth and nodded. She doesn't like speaking French? She was in some trousers she miraculously sewn through the few hours of night and the top part cut off her dress from yesterday.
I put my hands up in a ready position and faced my punching bag. She mimicked my movements, but only after tying her hair into a ponytail with a strip on cloth. I gave her a small smile and punched the bag. She followed rather well. I gave her a nod of approval. "Très bien." I said slyly. She blinked. "You know French?" She asked. I tipped my chin to the bag and she punched it twice. "Yeah. Mom was French." I said. She gave me a small nod and punched the bag again. I kicked the bag with my left leg and looked at her. She tried to copy me but fell on her behind.
I extended a hand with a laugh and she frowned. I helped her up and she looked to be in deep thought. "Penny for your thoughts?" I asked. She gave me a weird look as I grabbed a small copper coin from my pocket. She smirked and I tossed her the coin. "I'm thinking about three things. You get one." She teased. I crossed my arms and faced her. She mimicked and faced me. "A, B, or C?" She asked playfully. "A." I said flatly. She giggled at my tone. "Well, I was thinking about how I was beaten by an inanimate object." She said, scrunching her brow.
I laughed softly and she frowned. "Hey! Only I can laugh at me!" She said with a pout. I laughed more and gestured to the bag. She faced it and got into her position. She kicked the bag, succeeding this time.
After training for six hours, it was now midday. I had helped Elena up from the ground. She just finished 50 sit-ups and was winded. 50 was a lot for her first time, especially for her size. She had to be only 5' 7" which made her four inches shorter then me. She couldn't seem to catch her breath, and I was getting cold. I picked her up and slung her small body over my shoulder.
"Hey!" She shouted. She kicked and punched my back. I ignored her shouts and pleas as I carried her to and in the house. I lightly kicked the door shut and set her on an armchair. She huffed and crossed her arms. I laughed and felt a stirring in my soul. It was directed to Elena and her every movement. I ignored it and walked to the stove. "You didn't have to do that." She snapped. I grabbed a pot and extended it to her. When she didn't grab it I faced her.
"Get water from the well outside." I said. She glared at me but didn't move. I walked to her and set the pot on her lap. "Water." I said. She looked away and I frowned. "What?" I asked. She was fine outside. Now she was mad. Why are women so hormonal? When she didn't answer, I snatched the pot up. "Fine." I snapped before exiting the house.
When I came back, the house smelt wonderful. It was warm as well. I found Elena by the sink and walked to her. The stove was lit and she was chopping food. She looked at me and smiled. "Put the pot on the stove." She instructed. I obeyed and watched her carefully. "Sit. It's a surprise." She said. I laughed softly and walked to my armchair.
After no more than 10 minutes, Elena walked over with two bows of lunch. I carefully grabbed mine and looked inside. It was a type of stew. She handed me a spoon before sitting in the other chair. She watched as I took a slow bite. It was delicious! I took another bite to show how much I like it. She gave me a hidden smile and started to eat her own food.
"So, MacBeth." She looked at me. "What actually happened that night?" I asked calmly. She swallowed her food and set her half empty bowl down. "I don't know what you mean." She said softly. She was a great liar, but she can't fool me. "Yes, you do." I pressed. She blinked and shifted in her seat. She bit her lip, which I soon learned was her nervous tick. "Well, it's too long of a story." She said, her voice pitch a bit higher. "I have time." She shot me a look.
"Well, started out as a normal day. I got up, dressed, did my chores. By the time all that was done, it was noon. I had heard stories of werewolves, and wanted to prove them wrong. So I grabbed my best friends, Lola Vashen, and we snuck out. We made camp at the edge of the wood and waited till nightfall. We started a trek into the Kaplin Forest when we heard howls. We started heading back when Lola disappeared. I called out for her and the beast appeared before me. I turned and ran. After running for hours on end, I found this little place and took shelter. I scrapped my arm when Lola went missing."
I blinked. That was...almost tragic. Is Lola the girl I ran into that night, when I was killing a werewolf? She seemed so distressed. Said a giant wolf snatched her and tossed her like a doll. "What does Lola look like?" I asked. She wiped away tears I didn't realize were there. "D-Dirty blonde hair to her waist. Light skin and freckles. Bright blue eyes. My height." She said. She tried to hide her tears and failed. She stood up and quickly walked to the basin.
I walked over and had her face me. She was pretty even while she cried. I pulled her to my chest and hugged her. She quickly hugged me back and cried into my red flannel. "She's alive." I said softly. Elena craned her neck to look at me. "What?" She asked. I used my thumb to wipe away her tears. "Lola. She's alive. That night, she found me. Not a scratch on her. She is home and safe." I said soothingly. Elena started crying more and but her face into my chest once more.
I reached over and grabbed her cloak I gave her from the coat hook. I wrapped it around her and tied it off. We separated from the hug and she wiped her tears. "I got your shirt wet." She said with a frown. I gave her a quiet laugh. "It will dry. You okay?" I asked. She gave me a small smile. "Now that I know Lola is safe, yes." She safe. She went on the tips of her toes and kissed my cheek. "Thank you, Sam."