Dedicated to @ShortyLoveRose because I love her comments. ❤

Trigger warning: This chapter contains some non-graphical content which might be disturbing for some readers. Discretion advised.

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Chapter 10 Little Red Riding Hood

"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

-Neil Gaiman, Caroline

• • •

"Why did you skip school today?" Ben demanded barging into Mallory's room.

Seeing her best friend in her room, she hurriedly fumbled with the buttons of her shirt. She took a shower minutes ago, and Ben ran in, while she was dressing up.

"What the hell, Ben! For all you know, I could have been naked in here!" She said annoyed.

"There is this thing called 'lock'..." Ben said with air quotes. "...and you can always make use of it!"

"And their is this thing called 'knock' which you never seem to understand!" She mocked his tone.

"So, tell me. Why did you skip school?" He said as he jumped upon her comfortable mattresses.

"I was tired." She said, looking in the mirror while combing her hair.

"Did something happen yesterday?" He raised an eyebrow.

She almost forgot how well he knew her. Sometimes, it was annoying. She blow dried her hair in silence while Ben kept on staring at her impatiently, waiting for an answer.

Finally, she sighed. "Well, yeah. Something happened yesterday." I may as well tell him. She thought.

"So, you know, how I went to see Andrew yesterday..." And she launched into the story, leaving a few parts such as a weird man trying to molest her etc.

By the time she was finished, Ben's mouth was in the shape of an 'O'.

"Are you stupid? Following him like that?" Ben chided her. "What if something happened to you?" He flicked her forehead.

"Ow..." Mallory grunted in pain rubbing her injured forehead. "What was that for?"

"For being a total idiot and a nincompoop!" Ben said. "And believe me, next time I see that Andrew, I swear, I swear I will break his nose."

"That won't be needed. Your little friend here already took care of that." A voice said. Two pairs of eyes darted towards Andrew, who was standing in the doorway of Mallory's room with hands crossed over his chest.

"Seriously people never heard of knocking?" Mallory shook her head in disbelief.

"What are you doing here?" Ben looked at him puzzled.

"I came to check on her." Andrew pointed at the girl sitting on bed.

"And since when did you become my well-wisher?" Mallory scoffed.

"Wait." Ben raised his hand in air. "Let me get this straight. When you said you hit him, you meant you hit him this bad?" He looked at her friend who was leaning back on the pillows.

"Yes!" Two voices (one beaming and other scowling) said together which got Ben rolling with laughter. She gave him a dirty look.

"So what are you doing here?" Mallory said getting up from her bed.

"Just wanted to see if you are alright."

"What happened to me?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Why didn't you come to school today?" He said ignoring her previous question.

"If you really wanna know...my knuckles hurt from all the punches, and my legs are cramped from all the running." She said glaring at him. And of course, I couldn't sleep the entire night because of nightmares. She mentally added.

He looked at her with long face. "You know, I am sorry. I think that it is somehow my fault."

"Aww...sweetie, don't think too much." She patted his cheek. "It was, no doubt, your fault."

He rolled his eyes. "And here I thought you would be all crying and an emotional mess." He unknowingly muttered out loud.

"Look here Andrew." Mallory said taking a step forward. "I really appreciate you coming down here. I really do. But, for God's sake, quit pretending like I am made of glass. I am not fragile. Okay? I won't break into pieces or something. Little things like these don't faze me anymore."

He pondered over her words. Little things...

"And that's my Melly." Ben said placing his hands on her shoulders. He had finally recovered from the laughter spell.

"Okay. I guess." Andrew said. He had started respecting her. A lot. "Anyway, is your mother home?"

"Yeah. Go wait downstairs. I will get her." She said. "And you." She turned towards her best friend. "Come here."

She pulled his ear and dragged him all the way through the stairs and the living room, finally pushing him on the couch.

"Stay here and never come to my room, ever again. That is your punishment for barging into my room without knocking." She said with hands on her hips.

"Ouch!" Ben said rubbing his ear. "You almost pulled it out. I am never talking to you again." He said pouting.

Andrew couldn't help but smile at their relationship. They were so perfect together. And her mind darted back to his childhood, he remembered his best friend.

"What are you smiling at?" Ben broke his train of thought as he narrowed his eyes. Andrew shrugged.

"Heya, Melly's mom." Ben beamed as she came down the stairs.

"Heya, Melly's friend." Her mother smiled at him.

"So, how is the most beautiful lady today?" Ben winked.

"The blue berry muffins, you wanted me to make, are on the kitchen counter." Eva said rolling her eyes at the glutton kid.

"What did I do to deserve you?" Ben said wiping away fake tears and skipped his way to kitchen.

Eva rolled her eyes. Kids these days.

"How are you Andrew?" She turned towards the silent boy, sitting on the couch.

"I am good, ma'am." He replied politely.

"Ma'am." Mallory scoffed.

"How about the cut and the nosebleed?"

"I unwrapped it yesterday night and put some icepacks on it. And bandaged it again. It is much better, now. Thanks." He said with a decent smile.

"No problem sweetheart. It's my job. Now, let's have a look." She unwrapped the bandages. "It looks alright. Let me check your heart rate."

Andrew nodded as she took out her portable pulse rate machine.

"Andrew, your heart rate is still a little high. So, I suggest you take another anxiety pill."

"Okay, ma'am. Thank you, once again." He said and then continued hesitantly. "By the way, Ms. Millington, yesterday I didn't have my wallet. But today, umm...I can pay your fee." He said reaching for his back pocket.

"Nonsense...You are Melly's friend. Do you think I would accept money from you, kid?" She said slapping his hand.

Melly's friend. Andrew thought.

"Okay, I guess." He muttered, unsure. "I better be going."

"Do you have a car?" Eva asked.

"I didn't bring it. I live close by." He explained.

"Wait a second. Melly would drop you." She said.

"No, it's oka-" Andrew began but was dismissed.

"Mallory...sweetheart..." She turned around, looking at her daughter who was standing in the middle of living room with cellphone in hand.

Mallory looked down at the message that she had just received.

'Elle Avoit vû le Loup.'

It was just a sentence, a handful of words that chilled her spine, words that brought back innumerable memories. Words that were enough to make her world crash down

Suddenly her legs felt like Jelly, which couldn't support her weight. As she leaned on the dining table for support, her lower lip quivered and a sob escaped her mouth.

"Mom..." She muttered as her breathing became heavy. Her chest heaved as her lungs were unable to take in the air. She was on the floor gasping like a fish out of water as stars spotted her vision.

And then, she did something, she swore she would never do. She fainted.

• • •

"So, you tried to force yourself upon a girl. Huh?" The hooded figure said.

"I-I didn't m-mean to. I am s-sorry." Marko muttered. Never had he ever begged in front of anyone. Never. And now he had to. Just because of that Andrew and his little girlfriend. I will get back to you soon, Andrew. He swore to himself.

As he felt a shoe connect with his cheek, he looked up at the boot and then upwards at his boss who like always was wearing a hood.

"People like you disgust me." The hooded figure almost spat.

"I-I was drunk."

"So?" He could feel the haughtiness in voice. "Throw him in the slaughter house." The leader's voice boomed.

Marko's eyes widened with fear. Slaughter house, was a place whose stories they had all heard. And they were no fairy tales. He struggled as his hands were being unchained, involuntarily shudders ran down his body.

"It's not that bad, mate. You will see." His boss said playfully. "Or ask Drew, maybe?"

Marko couldn't see his face but knew that his boss must be smirking, from the smug tone of voice. He vividly remembered, when Drew had done the same thing. He could almost see, him stumbling out of the basement blood dripping down his body. An involuntary shudder ran down his body.

Looking at his friend been dragged to his doom, Drew remembered everything that he had to endure, just because he had barely touched the girl. She was a captive, and she deserved it! He thought as his hand ran through his hair.

"So, who was this girl?" The voice echoed in the large meeting room.

"The new guy's girlfriend." Sean muttered.

"How old was she?"

"Sixteen, seventeen? We didn't see her face." Sean recalled.

A laughter escaped the lips of their master. "So, Marko was beaten up by some teenager?"

"He was drunk, and she was really...umm...brave. She tackled him to the ground, single handedly!"

"Oh, well! Sometimes we get surprises from unexpected people. Don't we?" The voice said. "Is Andrew here?"

People looked around and then muttered a collective "No."

"So the meeting is dismissed. You all may go."

"Uh...boss, I need to talk to you in private." Sean said.

"Very well. Come to my cabin. I am waiting."

And with that the master left the room, with the followers murmuring about Marko's fate.

• • •

"Let me read it to you, princess?" He said smirking as she flinched at the familiar nickname. Something bad always happened when he called her that.

"Piss off." She spat as he caressed her cheek. She scrunched her nose as he touched her, making no effort to hide her disgust.

"Aww...don't be such a brat." He said cooing her. "I know you cannot sleep, and I promise, this will help." He said flashing her the book covered with a plain book jacket. It wasn't like she couldn't sleep. It was more like she wasn't allowed to!

"So tell me, princess, are you aware of the phrase, 'Elle avoit vû le loup'." He muttered tucking her hair behind her ear as she slapped his hand away.

"If, this is another of your games..."

"Don't spoil it, baby. Just tell me. Do you know it's meaning?"

"No, no I don't." She said, trying to compose her anger. She knew he was trying to piss her off, and she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Let me tell you a story first. It's called 'Little Red Riding Hood'."

Mallory raised her eyebrow. This can't be that simple.

"I know what you are thinking. And no, it's not that boring version at all. It's the original one, the classic. And you know what? After we are done, we can actually play this really awesome game. I will be the wolf and you can be Red Riding Hood?" He winked at her as chills ran down her body. 'You already are a wolf.' She almost spat.

"So, as you know, Little Red Riding Hood went to her Grandma..." He began as her eyes began to droop, tiredness taking toll on her.

Immediately, she was woken up as ice cold water was dropped upon her. "Wake up, princess. You would miss the best part." Her tormentor said grinning. That was something new he had started doing. He didn't let her sleep. He tucked her in bed every night then pour freezing water on her when she was almost asleep.

"I think you missed the part where the wolf cooked her grandmother's flesh and poured her blood in a wine glass for the girl? Should I repeat it?" He said as Mallory scrunched her nose in disgust. Why was he doing it?

"No?" He said beaming. "Alright, so let's continue from, here." He traced his finger along some page and started reading.

His words punched hole in her chest as the meaning dawned upon her. "And the wolf asked her to remove her clothes and burn them in fire..."
He continued and looked up. After he seemed content by her reaction, and by her tears he continued.

But, she didn't pay any attention to rest of the story. Because his words echoed in her mind as truth dawned upon her face.

'The wolf asked her to remove her clothes.' He had said. 'After we are done, we can actually play this game. I will be the wolf.'

Tears trailed down her cheeks as her body was racked with sobs. 'Why, god why you doing this to me?' She asked hopelessly.

"So, now, Fact File!" He said over enthusiastically keeping the book aside and picking up his smartphone. "Elle avoit vû le loup is a contemporary French idiom which literally means 'she has seen the wolf' and here's a fun fact! It is basically a French idiom for a girl having lost her virginity." He beamed as her eyes widened. She gulped down the lump in the throat, looking in the eyes of her tormentor. They were burning, with hunger, almost like a wolf...

• • •

"Mallory, Mallory..." Her mother woke her up. "What happened?"

Tears were dripping down her face and her clothes were drenched in sweat. She pointed a shaking finger towards her cellphone which was lying on the floor. A few meters away from her.

Eva got up with a puzzled expression as she looked down at the cellphone screen. She couldn't understand the foreign language. "What is it, sweetie?" She looked at her daughter who was on the verge of another panic attack, just looking at those words.

Andrew walked over to Mallory's mother and took the cellphone from her hand.

He read the message.

' Elle avoit vû le loup '

He looked at the girl and then at the screen. He tried to remember the French he had learnt at the boarding school.

And all of a sudden his eyes widened, "She has seen the wolf..."

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VOTE? Maybe? If you like the chapter. ;)

Hello everyone,

So yeah, that was the classic version of Red Riding Hood, which was later modified for kids. I am sorry for ruining your childhood memories. :/

Anyway a few things I wanted to tell you. (I already told you people before too.)

1) I entered my story in Teen Writer's Award. I did a CHARACTER INTERVIEW thingy for it and if anyone wants to know more about Mallory or Andrew you can find the link on comments.

2) Lastly thank you so much for votes and comments, they do motivate me a lot. Keep voting, keep leaving comments.

Thank you so much for all the support.

-Ridhima ☺