Grim drove over to his thoughts like 'What if something bad happens to the little fawn?', 'What if the demon shows up since he is not around?'. Again he couldn't care much about good-for-nothing humans. He would never step on his pride and take a turn back. That was what he was known for, a prideful grim reaper living a high-and-mighty life while hugging dignity close to his chest. Why would he do something against his pride for an ordinary human? He would not. Never.
Instead of driving back to the little fawn, he drove to her house and waited there. When Ellen didn't show up in the next twenty-five minutes, he drove to the place where Ellen got off the car and parked his car on the side of the road. Checking the time on his phone, he started walking. When he reached her house, he calculated that it took him fifteen minutes to walked up to the place since they had driven halfway through the distance. He would add ten more minutes for Ellen since her stamina was low as compared to him.
"Where are you, little fawn?", leaning against the passenger side door, he took his phone out and texted Jeremy to pick up his car.
What he felt like forever, he finally noticed a small figure walking up in his direction. He checked the time again. It had been fifty minutes by now.
"Where have you been?", when Ellen started walking towards the door, ignoring his presence, he stopped her by standing before her.
"Sorry, when you threw me out of your car I realized it was too early to come back so I stopped at a nearby club on my way", Ellen snorted at grim who just raised his brow.
"Did you hurt your head somewhere? Because as far as I remember it was you who yelled at me and jumped off my car", grim responded.
"Well, you were being an inconsiderate, thoughtless piece of trash who kept babbling shit, making me do that. So, technically it goes to the way that you threw me out!", grim didn't believe how this little fawn had put all the blame on him. If she hadn't been so stubborn, they could have ridden back in peace. Instead of apologizing to grim for her rude behaviour, she was still lashing out at him. Was that another way of amusing him? He didn't expect this from his little fawn. Not when they were standing in a street with darkness engulfing their figures whole. Indeed, mindless humans.
"Still, you're twenty-five minutes late. What took you so long?", grim knew that there wasn't any club around the road they were following back to her house. So, Ellen was lying.
"Are you expecting an explanation from me? You're not my dad", Ellen rolled her eyes not wanting to look at grim.
"If you're being that desperate, you can call me daddy", the corner of grim's lips curved upwards, but that curve didn't reach his eyes.
"Here you go ruining the moment, again", Ellen stopped by a park. She wasn't feeling good. She sat on a swing and cried her heart out. God had taken her parents away from her.
Now, she only had a few people in her life she adored with all her heart. She just wanted to live with them. Was it too much to ask for? Why her life had to be this miserable? Why her parents had to leave her alone in this whole world? Why didn't they take her with them? Why wasn't she in the car when the accident happened? What was she left for? What was her reason to exist? She was tired of finding answers to all these questions. Years in, the years out. She held onto a fibre of hope for too long, now that thread-like thin piece was also appearing to disappear. Why was she failing at finding the answers? Could it possible that answers to those questions never existed? Or she might be looking at the wrong place?
"My little fawn is looking for a moment with me?", the mischievous grin never left grim's face. Ellen was feeling exhausted. Exhausted from overthinking. Exhausted from crying. She didn't pay attention to grim calling her his. Looking into grim's eyes for one last time, she let a sigh of exhaustion out and went inside her house.
Changing into her oversized hoodie with nothing underneath, she plopped in his soft mattress and snuggled her small body with the covers. Warmth. That was what she needed at the moment, feeling as if the will to do something was sucked out of her body. After shifting sides for about an hour, she decided to call Chloe. She was the only one Ellen could call anytime. However, she first hesitated as it was very late. It wasn't that she would be disturbing her sweet family moments. Chloe's family lived in another city. She visited them once every month. They loved Chloe very much and appreciated her in every decision in her life. After completing high school, she moved to Los Angeles where she took a part-time job and continued her university.
The reason for moving to another state was that she got admission to the Business and Management School of LA. Her family didn't want to work while studying but she persisted and she was glad for doing that. She wouldn't have met her innocent bestie the other way around. When she graduated, her father wanted her to join his company. Yeah, she was from a well-off family but Chloe refused as she wanted to explore herself and try different things. It would be too boring if she had to wear formal suits and attend the meetings in the office, doing the same thing for the rest of her life. So she started working in a club just to gain new experience.
Ellen sighed for the nth time and called Chloe. When the call was connected, she was about to hang up but Chloe picked up right away.
"Hello, my lovely duckling", Chloe beamed on the other side of the line when she saw Ellen's name lighting up her lock screen. She came out of the bathroom after brushing her teeth, ready to sleep when her phone started ringing.
"Duckling? I look like a duckling to you. Explain", Ellen chuckled as Chloe would always call her different names, but the duckling was the least she had expected.
"Well, you're just like the baby of a duck who's fresh and too innocent for this world", Ellen narrowed her eyes, thinking hard. She heard something similar like this before. But wher- wait grim had said the same thing to her. Too innocent for this world.
She's not innocent. She was 22 years old. Well, she might be a little bit innocent but not the way her best friend treated her. What was that she didn't know about? Did she not know how to talk to people? She did but only to a limit. Did she not know how to fight for herself? No, she always ran from violence. She would say a word or two, eventually stepping back as her peace of mind never let her get into nasty talks. Why? She always grew up like this. Far apart from violence. However, she wouldn't hesitate to talk back if necessary. But that wasn't a marking on a scale of not-being-so-innocent. Was it?
Did she not know about sex? No, she did know the term and that people kiss and involve in some intimidating moments. But she never knew what exactly meant by those? Her hands would always skip the parts of movies when the couple started kissing. When she was twenty, she once had a stay over at Chloe's place. Chloe made her watch a kiss scene. Just as the boy started unbuckling his belt, Ellen subconsciously covered her eyes with her hands. Chloe glared at her as the real thing hadn't even started yet. She removed her hands off her eyes and locked them in her lap, forcing the baby duckling to watch. Ellen tried. One last time for her best friend.
The boy pulled his pants down, leaving himself in the boxers only. He then proceeded towards a girl who was laid on his bed and ripped her shirt open. Just as he hovered over her, Ellen's eyes were shut tight, her face turning into a shade of red and in a matter of seconds, she was looking like a flushed red tomato. When Chloe asked if she was okay, she shook her head and ran out of the room. That day and today, Chloe never forced her to watch any romantic scene. But that doesn't mean she was innocent.
'I'm not innocent~~', she thought pulling her lips into a pout. Damn, girl yes you were.
"Why did you call at this hour anyway? Is everything alright?", Chloe asked getting under the blanket.
"Yep, I was just missing you", first Ellen thought she would have her come here but the thought of Chloe driving late at this hour changed her mind. She might as well have woken her up by calling this late. But the didn't sound sleepy.
"Aww, should I come over?", Chloe cooed at her little girl. Ellen was a year younger than Chloe. Although the age gap wasn't that huge, Chloe always considered herself Ellen's elder sister who she had to protect at every cost.
"No. It's late plus we are having a stay over on the weekend so...", Ellen yawned, her eyelids slowly falling shut. After hearing Chloe's voice she was feeling better.
"Okay go to sleep sleepyhead. Lots of love and kisses. Good night!", Chloe lifted a little, supporting her upper body on her elbows and reached the lamplight on the nightstand.
"Good night, Chloe. I'll meet yo-", the call disconnected before Ellen could finish. The phone fell to the side and she was already sleeping.
Sleeping and slowly getting into a dreamland.
Unaware of what the next weekend had held for her.
Unaware of her short time on earth.
Unaware and sleeping soundly.