PLEASE READ:
Hey guys! So, I didn't get many reviews for this story. I'm going to keep updating, but I'd really like to get your opinions. This story is mainly about Gretel and Ben, but I'm thinking about adding in a small romance for Hansel. Again, please tell me what you think. Thanks for reading! Enjoy.
-ProWriter1996
Gretel's Pov.
I was awakened by a hand touching my shoulder. My instincts kicked in immediately, and I pinned the culprit beneath me, holding them down with my body weight. The drowsiness cleared from my vision to reveal Ben. Shock ran through me at his expression of annoyance and displeasure. I gracefully climbed off of him, not offering an apology.
He should have known better than to wake me up by physical touch. It'd happened a few times before with the same outcome.
"Damn it!" Ben suddenly exclaimed, making me jump from the tone in his voice.
What could he possibly be mad about? Ben climbed to his feet beside me in a surprisingly fluent manner. Huffing, he dusted off his clothing before turning to me with a sheepish smile.
"What was that about?" I asked him, my own voice lacking the snappy tone I'd been hoping for. "I thought we agreed to never wake me that way again."
"Yeah, but I wanted to see if I could dodge your attack this time."
My eyes narrowed at him.
"My instincts aren't something to play around with, Ben. You could end up getting killed and it would be your own doing."
To my shock, he didn't try to defend himself as usual. Instead, he sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"We shouldn't be bickering right now. I woke you up for a reason."
I placed my hands on my hips.
"Which is?"
"Hansel went hunting for food this morning. He found a town not far from here."
I could feel the surprise on my face.
"A town? How far?"
"Only a few miles. We're all packed up and, according to your brother, it's time to move."
I frowned and took a moment to look around. Hansel and Edward were tying up the supplies and putting it on the cart that Edward usually carried. Had I been the only one still sleeping?
"Okay, then," I said simply, moving to join the others.
Ben followed beside me.
"You're up, perfect. Let's move," Hansel instructed.
"Not so fast," I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
He turned to me with a confused look.
"What?"
"How do you know this town isn't crawling with witches?"
"I don't, but we're almost out of food and we need more supplies. This town probably has both." I went to open my mouth, but my brother stopped me as he continued to speak. "I already know it isn't deserted. There was smoke coming from most of the huts."
I clasped my jaw as I thought. This could definitely be a trap. All witches were sure to know we were hunting them down by now. What should stop them from pulling a trick like this? Absolutely nothing, and that's what worried me. Then again, we were almost out of supplies, and our food source was running low. There hadn't been an animal in sight for a good hundred miles.
"Fine," I agreed reluctantly.
Hansel nodded to me and turned to start out journey. He was holding the map that Ben had snatched before we had left Augsburg. Edward smiled over at me before lifting the cart and following my brother. I trailed behind a bit, keeping myself on guard. Ben seemed to think the same as he stood beside me. Unlike him, though, I could multitask, meaning I could keep up a conversation and watch for any threats at the same time.
"Was I the only one still asleep?" I asked him in a hushed tone so the others wouldn't hear.
I could feel Ben's eyes on me, causing a chill to run up my spine, but I kept my own on the land around me.
"Yeah, we all thought you deserved some time to sleep in. Yesterday seemed like a long day for you," he replied just as quietly.
I snapped my eyes to meet his and frowned my eyebrows in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Looking a bit flustered, he answered, "You took down most of the witches yesterday, Gretel."
"So?"
"So, it seemed only fair for you to rest and get your strength back."
I raised my voice to a volume the others would be sure to hear.
"Are you saying I'm weaker than you?"
His expression turned to pure shock.
"What? No! What would even make you think that?"
"Because Hansel usually kills the most witches in the course of a day and he never sleeps in."
I heard a cough from in front of us and I knew immediately that it was my brother trying to cover up his laughter. Edward even grumbled in his usual, amused fashion. They had a right to, anyway. Ben was the only one who still couldn't understand that I hated being treated like a woman. Although I was one, I couldn't stand being seen a stereotypical, weak maiden. Ben's hand shot up in surrender.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I never meant to make you angry."
My anger quickly melted away at his honest expression, something that usually never happened. I was one to hold a grudge for long periods of time. It was one of the reasons why so many people were afraid of me. They seemed to know that I'd return for my revenge. That wasn't the case this time, though.
So, I faced forward and continued to keep watch for anything suspicious. We traveled in silence for a few minutes before I hissed at Ben again in a whisper.
"Is that what you were talking to my brother about last night?" I sassed.
Ben seemed to jump five feet into the air at my question. Hansel gave him an odd look before checking the map once more. I waited for an answer, staring down the young boy, even though he was taller than me.
"You were awake?" he questioned me back.
"Yes."
"For how long?"
"Why does it matter?"
"It does."
I was startled by Ben's sudden change of voice. His tone was much lower than usual, and I could tell that he wasn't in the position to be amused. It was a perfect example of how serious he could be since he met us. Those smoldering hazel eyes of his seemed to stare a hole into my heart. My reluctance shattered and I sighed before answering.
"I woke up just as you and my brother agreed to never mention something to me. What was it?"
Ben's serious expression fell as it was replaced by something that resembled relief.
"Nothing important," he mumbled, eyes still closed.
I watched him closely.
"It must be by the way you reacted. Tell me, Ben."
He locked eyes with me once more, a fire blazing in them, different from the one he'd send at the witches. I couldn't place the emotion within them, though.
"It's nothing, Gretel, just let it go."
And with that, Ben sped up his pace to walk beside Edward, leaving me to trail behind by myself. I sighed as I returned my attention to the land around me. My guard had been let down while I had been talking to Ben, something that happened quite rarely. That boy seemed to make me do and feel things that no one else had ever managed. The way he had stormed off caused a pang of pain in my chest. What in the world was wrong with him? What was wrong with me?
Hansel's Pov.
The rest of our journey was mostly silent. Gretel trailed behind looking a bit out of it, but still focused on the land around us. Ben was walking beside Edward, which only served to prove my theory that something was wrong. The younger boy would usually stick to my sister's side like a lost puppy dog. The smoke in the distance came closer with every step we took. And, after what felt like ages, we reached the outskirts of a town we'd never lied eyes on before in our lives.
Ruinsburg.
It amused me how all of the towns we'd ever been to always ended with 'burg.' It made me wonder if there were any without it.
"Finally," I heard Ben whisper under his breath.
I rolled my eyes at him. Of course, the first thing he'd say after a good hour had to do with his lack of patience. The town, unlike most we've seen, had small huts instead of cabins. They were lined up beside each other, a simple dirt road in the middle. No one seemed to be out and about, though. The smoke coming out of each surely gave out their whereabouts, but otherwise, it seemed like an okay place.
"Keep your eyes open," Gretel warned us.
"I hardly think witches would be so public with their whereabouts, Gretel. They tend to go for the more secluded, dark areas if you haven't noticed," I teased her.
I didn't have to glance behind me to know she was shaking her head in displeasure. Even though I teased my sister, I knew to take her advice seriously. Witches could be sneaky, and I wouldn't put it past them to use a town like this to lure us in. I took every step with caution, tensing as we moved farther into the town. Everything was perfectly silent.
The sound of a door slamming shut caught my attention. My head whipped to the right, along with the others'. I could already hear my sister taking the safety off of her gun. When I held up my hand, all movement behind me stopped. I didn't bother to look, already knowing that the others were waiting for my que. Slowly, cautiously, I took a step forward. The only sound was that of my boot against the Earth.
A sudden shot came from my right and I ducked by instinct before turning around. My sister was already shooting at the hut from which the single bullet had come from. My trained eyes caught sight of movement in the shadows behind Gretel, and I instantly came to the conclusion that there had to be more than one threat. Unfortunately, my body hadn't reacted as fast as my mind like usual, and by the time I realized what was going on, the other figure behind my sister had managed to fling a thin object in her direction.
"Gretel!" I shouted out in warning.
Before she even had time to look my way, my sister was pinned to the ground by a familiar brown-haired teenager. I never thought the kid had the ability to move as fast as he had. The unknown weapon flew by the two of them and into the side of a hut just as they hit the ground. I heard a surprising cry form their direction and stiffened. Having been concentrated on my sister's safety, I'd forgotten about the shooter and dodged a bullet by instinct as it zoomed past my head.
Edward charged at the hut from which the fire was coming from and practically tore down the small home as he crashed through one end and exited out the other with a shadowed form on his shoulder. The large troll drove the enemy into the ground with so much force, I'd be shocked if the threat was able to walk away without a scratch. My attention returned to the other menace as another unknown weapon was tossed my way. Deciding I had stood my ground long enough, I lifted my large gun to aim at the target and shot a round of bullets in their direction. The warrior-like threat dove behind a pile of hay, which I stalked at while still firing my own weapon.
Just as I was only a few feet away from the pile of straw, my enemy flew out from behind it and managed to kick the gun out of my grasp. They managed to get a few quick punches in before I tumblesaulted out of the way. I was surprised the amount of strength the menace was capable of. Now having a good amount of space between the enemy and myself, I was able to get a good look at my opponent. Shock overtook me as I got a glimpse of who I was going to fight. For one thing, it was a woman, and a pissed off one at that.
There was a flash of vengeance in her forest green eyes, and I was almost positive it had to do with Edward taking out her partner. Long, curly blonde hair framed her flawless flake like a mane, and her athletic body was covered in a full black suit much more professional than Gretel's or my own.
"You aren't a witch," I pointed out in a sure voice.
"I'm not sure I can say the same for you," she hissed before launching herself in my direction.
I managed to dodge her punch, but couldn't stop the kick that connected with my face. I groaned, but quickly shook it off as I continued to avoid her heavy blows.
"You think I'm a witch?" I exclaimed in shock.
"I've come in contact with male ones before. And I've never failed to take one out."
I hadn't expected the knee that plunged into my stomach and hunched over in pain, giving her the chance to sock me in the face once more. I crumbled to the ground in pain and glanced up at the blonde vixen staring down at me.
"I'm not a witch."
"You lie!" she screamed, pulling out a gun from her boot and holding it to my head. I stiffened from the feel of the cool metal against my skin. "We got a reading from a witch!"
My body went from stiffening, to turning to full on stone. I didn't know how they managed to get readings of witches, but I knew why they'd gotten one from us.
Gretel.
"You don't understand-"
"Yes, I do."
"No, you don't!" I fought back, which probably wasn't the best idea while having a gun pointed right at my head. "We're on your side!"
"I know better than to believe you. Tell me, are there any more like you headed our way?"
"We aren't witches, we KILL them."
"I'll believe that when I see it. Say goodnight."
Just as she was about to pull the trigger, I saw an opening and took it. Quickly, I forced her arm to the right with my hand, and a bullet impaled itself into the ground beside me. Before she could make another shot, I flipped the uninformed warrior over onto her back, ripped the gun out of her hand, and hit her in the side of the skull with the back of it. I sat there beside her unconscious body for a moment as I tried to catch my breath.
"Goodnight," I finally replied.
Gretel's Pov.
Everything was moving so quickly it was hard to keep track of what was going on. One second I was shooting at the hut from which the gunfire was coming from, and the next I was under a relieved and surprisingly pained looking Ben.
"What are you doing!" I demanded as I attempted to push him off of me.
To my shock, he seemed to be applying as much strength as possible to keep me in place.
"Stop, there's gunfire right above our heads. We can't get up or we'll be shot," he explained in an agonized voice. "Are you okay?" he asked a moment later.
"Why are you asking me? You're the one who sounds like you're dying."
"Gretel, you were about to get something lodged into your head, I think I have a right to ask if you're okay."
I froze.
"What do you mean?"
"I can't explain fully right now, but there was another person in back of you ready to take you out. I'm sorry we're in this...position, but I kind of acted on instinct."
I sighed.
"It's fine, thank you." Ben nodded and kept silent for a few more moments. I narrowed my eyes at him as I examined his posture and facial expression. The position we were in was awkward for both of us and from the sound of gunfire above our heads it didn't seem like we were getting out of it any time soon. On the other hand, there was also a stiffness to his posture that caused a chill of fear to run through my body, fear that he was hurt. Ben was usually always careful in battle and that was mostly the reason he rarely got ingered.
The stiffness in his form could have been the result of a million different situations, but the pain written on his face only left one in mind. "Ben," I called over the battle around us. He lifted his head to look at me. "Are you hurt?"
Instead of trying to deny it like I expected, the boy above me seemed to be in too much pain to bicker.
"Whatever was supposed to hit you caught me in the leg. It was sharp, but definitely not a normal blade. My leg feels like it's starting to freeze and it hurts like a-"
"If you swear I'm going to be even more worried."
He gave me a sheepish look.
"Sorry."
"Can you move it?"
"What?"
"Your leg, can you move it?"
"A little, but it's starting to go numb." Just as Ben answered my question, the gunfire above us stopped abruptly. The boy above me attempted to stand, but as soon as he moved his leg, he collapsed all over again. I pushed against his chest to keep him from crushing me. "Sorry," Ben managed, but his voice was strained.
I quickly and fluently slipped out from under him and held out my hand.
"Don't put any pressure on your leg," I instructed. Nodding, Ben took my hand and I did my best to haul him to his feet. To my surprise, it took most of my strength. A few months ago it would have took almost no willpower, but now that Ben had built up more muscle, it took a lot more backbone to get him to stand upright. Once Ben could stand up straight, he put most of his weight on his good leg and kept the other one off of the ground. I instinctively wrapped his arm around my shoulder and helped carry a good amount of his weight.
With Ben up, I searched the grounds for Hansel and froze. He was kneeling on the ground before a woman who held a gun to his head. It felt like a third body experience as I watched my brother dodge the woman's gunshot at the last second and take her out in the next. I hadn't even realized I'd been holding my breath until after the unknown assassin was unconscious. Hansel stood up and from the looks of it, he seemed to be fine. "Come on," I said as I tugged on Ben to walk with me.
He hopped beside me as I tried to help him out. When we made it to my brother, he was staring down at the unconscious woman. "Hansel-" I started, but my brother beat me to it.
"I'm fine, just a little shaken up," he answered my unspoken question. When his eyes met mine, I saw a flicker of worry in their sparkling blue. "She's a good fighter, too good, and she knows one of us is a witch."
"How?" I demanded.
"I don't know, all I could get out of her is that she got a reading."
Just then, Edward trudged up beside us, holding another mysterious man by the leg like a ragdoll. He dropped the figure down beside the blonde without a care in the world before revealing a shotgun in the palm of his hand.
"Bad man try to shoot us," he explained.
My brother nodded and took the gun from him. A sharp intake of breath made us all turn to Ben.
"What's wrong with the kid?" Hansel questioned.
"His leg's ingered, and I feel like it wasn't by a normal type of weapon," I exclaimed.
Hansel looked back down at the two unconscious bodies and narrowed his eyes.
"Whoever they are, they aren't amateurs. They're skilled."
"So what do we do?" Ben asked.
Worry ran through me as he seemed to be forcing his eyes open.
"You're ganna take it easy. You don't look too good and we need to get you back to heath as soon as possible." Hansel then turned to me, and if I wasn't mistakened there seemed to be a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. "Us, well, it looks like we'll be doing some interrogating, and I have a feeling these guys won't be spilling their guts willingly."
I smirked.
"I'll get the daggers."
Well, I hope you liked it. This isn't the main part of the story, but I don't want to rush through it because it sets you up for the actual thing. I'm already working on Chapter 3, but expect the actual story to start around Chapter 4. Comment and tell me what you think about a romance for Hansel. I'd really like to have your opinions. Be patient, if you like the story now I'm sure you'll love it as it progresses. Review and tell me what think!
-ProWriter1996