Disclaimer: Thank Craig Mccraken. I don't - nor will I ever - own the Powerpuff Girls.
~ CHAPTER 10 ~
Realizations
He squinted his eyes at the approaching silhouette. Her extremely loud yelling could be heard from miles away. How obnoxious of her, to not even consider the woodland creatures; to disrupt the peace.
On the other hand, he wasn't the most perfect person, either. Now that he thought about it, she was actually quite like him. Despite the fact that she seemed to absolutely adore Travis, was accepted into the group, and not to mention that long, flowing hair.
Scratch that. She wasn't like him at all.
She didn't have to grow up on the streets with a filthy beast that did nothing except stuff himself with the goods he had raked in. She didn't have to deal with two annoying brothers; one that was too controlling, and one that was possibly the dumbest person he had ever met. She didn't have to get yelled at for not pretending to be a wonderful and polite prince when guests visited.
They were practically opposites.
Butch's hands twitched. He wanted to strangle her, to watch her die right in front of him. But even though in his mind he was screaming curses at her, he put on his most dashing, courting grin and stood up straight.
"Travis! Hey!" Araceli said brightly as she leapt down from her horse, her green eyes gleaming like emeralds.
How revolting.
"Is it alright if I brought a few of my friends over? I really wanted to introduce you guys to each other. They're the castle guards, but they're not stuck up or anything."
He tilted his head to look over her shoulder at the two figures behind. It wasn't really part of the plan for her to bring guests along, but he'd make do.
"Sure, no problem. Are they good at hunting?" He inquired rather skeptically, his eye brows raised high. "Hunting animals isn't exactly like fending off potential assassins. It is quite similar, but there's the tracking and the not startling and not to mention the they-can-run-twice-as fast-as-you-can part."
She nodded as the two men - well, not exactly. They looked to be around seventeen or eighteen - slowed their horses down as they got closer. "Floyd and Lloyd are great with throwing knifes and using a bow and arrow. They used to sell meat at the market and their business was so good, they were offered the job of guarding the castle."
"Hmm…"
Perhaps this would be harder than he thought. Killing the girl had already poised somewhat of a challenge; taking down two almost full grown men with her would rather be difficult.
But he would do it. If it meant getting Travis kicked out of the Night Owls, he would do anything.
"You are honestly doing this? How immature. I thought you were a proper and sophisticated princess." Brick laughed loudly as he chased her down the hall, amused by her foolish decision.
Blossom turned her head to glare at him, but continued to run none the less. He chuckled to himself and put on more speed.
What an idiotic girl. He had been living here since he was eight, and before that had crawled through the tight spaces between the walls, hoping to steal food. He knew this place like the back of his hand. If she thought she could out maneuver him, she was wrong.
The girl in front of him turned sharply, taking a small, dusty corridor branching off the main halls that was separated from the main wing. He smirked triumphantly. It was a dead end. There were nothing but dusty old rooms, long forgotten by the castle staff.
As he rounded the bend, he realized he could no longer hear the pitter-patter of her feet against the carpeted floor. Brick halted and his eyes swept across the hallway. No sign of the girl.
"Decided to hide instead, huh?" He spat, his eyes squinting and lip curling. Then suddenly, he started laughing.
It was like poison. No, not poison itself. More like a snake. A venomous one. A deadly, poisonous snake, slithering through the halls, biting anyone in sight. It was loud, very loud, and seemed almost like someone scheming, if laughs could sound like that. Not a evil warlock scheming, but like someone who was truly evil that no one realized was, and they were extremely amused by their foolishness.
But perhaps it was just Blossom's prejudice against him. She was fairly certain the prince, no matter how terrible, couldn't be evil.
"So, you want to play a game of hide and seek. You know you're going to have to come out eventually, right? Might as well give up now." He announced, and she could almost hear the sneer in his voice.
She didn't reply. No reason to give him a hint about where she was. There were only so many doors he could open and she knew her short-lived peace would soon be over.
As Brick started to fling open doors, counting down loudly so she could hear, Blossom whipped around and locked the door. Although it would definitely give away her position, at least the worst harm he could do was scream and yell at her through the wood. She took a deep breath and scanned the room.
It was small and quaint, like the room of a middle class peasant, perhaps. The light streamed in from an wide window, and tiny particles of dust danced through the air as she took a step forward. There was a single bed against the wall, with two faded pillows propped up. At the foot of it was a large chest, which presumably had been used for storing clothes, but was empty now, for sure. In front of the window was small desk, covered in a thick layer of dust and a wooden chair was seated before it.
She strode over to the window, and peered outside. Nothing but an endless sea of trees, with two snow capped mountains in the distance. If she moved to the left a little, though, she could see the tiniest bit of Selodia, far off, nestled between the hills.
This must be one of the older parts of the castle, before the new renovations were made.
Blossom tilted her head just a bit, and caught sight of a dark, flashing red. She blinked and look once more. There standing in the hall, his back to the tall windows that lined the walls, was Brick. He slammed the door to another empty room with a loud crack, that she could hear through the walls, cursing.
Slowly, he turned around, a devilish grin appearing. He walked swiftly to her room, not noticing that she was watching him. Blossom quickly dashed away from her viewing point and positioned herself next to the door, book in hand. If he somehow busted through the wood, she'd knock him out.
The doorknob turned slowly, her intense gaze focused on it. When it did not click and open, she heard a small snicker.
"I found you." He cooed, in a sickening way that made her shudder. "You know," He went on, drawling out each word. "This was actually my room when I was a child."
She froze. Turning around, she took in the dark burgundy curtains that were ripped and the chair with multiple knife marks and other signs that suggested a young, extremely violent boy used to live there.
"Regretting your decision?" He said, and from the corner of her eye she saw he had lowered himself to look through the keyhole. His strange, dark red eyes glinted with malice.
"Go away," She whispered quietly, turning her body to meet his gaze through the tiny opening.
The red eyes narrowed. Silence.
"No."
After a moment of contemplation, Blossom sat back down and took out the book she had stolen, and began to read.
"I don't mind waiting for a few hours. Just keep in mind that I am not one to give up so easily."
She ignored him and read in silence, then she noticed his faint breathing. He was still outside, waiting by the door.
Deciding that she ought to have a little fun, despite the incredibly inappropriate situation, she started to read aloud. Each word was clear and flowed through her lips, weaving between each other, telling the story of a man that traveled throughout the lands, looking for a potion that could end his eternal life.
She sensed him tense, which was followed by "Are you seriously reading that book? Out loud? Can't you at least be quiet?" muttered in a disdainful voice.
Smiling to herself, she continued. He'd either have to sit through the entire story, which she highly doubted he would considering his obvious dislike for literature, or leave.
There was loud groan, but was not followed by any more noise, save for the barely audible breathing.
"I still can't believe we caught three rabbits and a deer! That's a huge haul considering we only spent a few hours in the woods!" Buttercup exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air as they reached the market.
Travis shrugged and grinned widely at her. "It helps having the greatest hunter in all of Selodia on the team."
She rolled her eyes and scoffed at his flattery. "Seriously, no man would say that to a girl unless they were trying to get with them." There was a pause. "You're not trying to get with me, are you?"
It would be terrible if that were the case. Absolutely terrible. It would mean he didn't care about her real skills, only her outside. She had always been disgusted by men who did that. Fake flattery and fake respect and fake everything. All for a one-night stand.
She furrowed her eyebrows. It would also mean the end of their - maybe fake - friendship. She'd have to go back to bringing a princess. A proper, dainty princess.
Travis smirked and bumped her with his hip suggestively. "The question is: do you want me to?"
Buttercup slugged him playfully and barked a laugh. "Seriously, though. I hate guys that use fake compliments to make girls like them."
"Seriously, Araceli. You're that good. Don't be modest."
She sighed and dropped the sack of meat on the countertop. The butcher's eyes widened in shock. It was a lot.
"It's just that I've seen so many of my friends get hurt, you know? They're just girls. All they want is someone to love them and buy them flowers and be there for them."
Travis snorted. "Hey, pass this message onto them for me. Friends. That's what they're looking for."
She sighed, swiped the sack of one hundred coins from the butcher's table, and stalked back out, letting him fawn over the meat. Travis followed close behind.
"I guess so."
"Where's Blossom?" Bubbles inquired, peeking into her father's study. He sighed and looked up from the documents spread across his desk.
"At King Him's castle. Apparently she wanted to spend some time with Prince Brick. The letter from Gadrea said she might stay over for the night."
"What?" She burst, eyes wide with shock. "What if something happens to her? We have to go get her!"
He shook his head and said, "I'm afraid we can't. It's tricky business, calling a truce. If we go, it'll seem like we still think of the Gadreans as the enemy."
Bubbles pursed her lips and nodded reluctantly. "Alright. I understand." She closed the door and retreated back to her room.
It felt so lonely, sitting in the vast room. With Buttercup and Blossom gone it was so quite, and there was no view or nature to distract her.
She stood up and swung her arms around, desperately trying to get rid of the emptiness. It didn't work. Giving up, she flung herself onto her bed, staring at the ceiling.
The stars were already starting to fade. The constellations she had asked for her father to paint onto the wall as a child that were once an iridescent yellow, had been reduced to a dull lime. She'd have to fix that sometime.
Rolling over in the bed, she faced Blossom's desk. The corner of her sister's diary was peeking out from one of the drawers.
I shouldn't.
A tiny look won't hurt… She'll never know…
Bubbles sat up.
Oh geez. I'm so sorry. So very sorry. I know I'm a horrible person. I promise to update sooner next time.
