Leslie sat on the couch,fidgeting every so often. BOOM! Thunder cracked; the rain pitter-pattered on the roof and streamed down onto the window. Opposite him was his father,who was eyeing him curiously. He sat comfortably in his chair in the drawing room; listening to the fire crackling in its hearth,drowning out the sounds of the rain. Leslie moved in his chair; he glanced up multiple times before bowing his head. The room was like the graveyard at midnight. The only sound that could be heard was the rain and the distant claps of thunder.

After a few minutes passed Leslie's father cleared his throat.

"Have you succeeded in defeating the hunters?"

Leslie held in his breathe and reluctantly blew it out. He looked at his father. ''No.'' A tight lipped smile appeared on his face;he slouched in his one- seater. He shook his head and laughed jovially. Leslie scrunched his eyebrows and tilted his head.

"Why are you laughing?" he said.

"l knew you couldn't beat them," his father replied.

Leslie looked away from him. He glowered at his feet and clenched his fists until they turned white.

"The only reason l failed is because l underestimated them," he said angrily. The man laughed raucously the sound echoing as it ricocheted off the walls. This made Leslie grit his teeth.

"l'm serious!"he said. "She was relentless..."

Leslie's father tilted his head,his blond curls falling to the side. He leaned forward and furrowed his brows. "She?"

He played with his fair hair. That was not what he wanted to say. He sighed and thought back to the day he first saw her. The image of her small, lithe frame battling skilfully with a rosewood bow flitted into his mind. He expected nothing more than an easy fight. What harm could such a pretty face cause.

"Leslie."

His father was calling him but he couldn't hear him. He was too focused on his own thoughts.

"Leslie!"

He shouted louder in an attempt to pull him back into reality.

"Leslie! LESLIE! LESLIE!"

He flinched. Leslie looked at his father with wide eyes.

"What?" he asked in a small voice.

"You zoned out," his father explained.

Leslie lowered his gaze and scratched his neck. He muttered an incoherent apology.

Silence shrouded them; the fire crackled as tongues of its flame licked the logs. Leslie stared into the hearth; he watched the red and yellow flames blacken the wood before it turned to ash. His father rolled his eyes. He could not comprehend his son's childish fascination with fire. He drummed his thick fingers against the sofa. He quickly leaned forward and licked his lips.

"Son, who is this girl who has you wrapped up like this?" he said. Leslie bit his lip and wrung his hands.

"Her name is Fuchsia."

He bit his lip again before he lifted his eyes and set them on his father. His father sat on the rouge leather couch in a dazed state. He shook his head. "No,it can't be... No! There must be another girl with that name." As soon as the words left Leslie's mouth relief washed through him. He reclined on the loveseat and put his feet up. He relaxed while his father continued rambling and muttering to himself. He closed his eyes and thought about Fuchsia. Leslie's father sat back. He closed his eyes and tried to assimilate the information he recently received. Then he came up with a plan. He opened his eyes and grinned like the Cheshire cat.

"Hard to believe she of all people could defeat you..." he paused, to make sure Leslie was listening. Leslie's eyes were still closed but he nodded stiffly.

"That's why l need you to give her special attention," he rubbed his hands together.

"That's why l need you to keep an eye on her. Can you do that?"

His eyes suddenly fluttered open. He bobbed his head up and down slowly. His blue eyes gazed intently into his father's blue eyes.

"Yes,I'll make sure of it."

He smiled impishly. His father smiled as well.

"Good."

His father picked up a mug and sipped it. He looked at it. Really it was an ugly mug. It was dabbed messily with brown and pink paint and glued with macaroni, but it reminded him why it was so crucial to stop the hunters that were prowling around his property.

"You're dismissed."

"I'll make sure she gets my full attention," Leslie thought as he closed the door on the drawing room.