Once Upon a Happy Ending: An Anthology of Reimagined Fairy Tales by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Casey Lane
Published: 2016-11-02T04:00:00+00:00

Not Afraid of the Big Bad

Renewed fervor ran through me. Hunter and I talked for hours as we made our way through the woods, a straight line toward salvation.

He told me about his own family: a quiet mother, an ever quieter father, and three older brothers who were all loud and rough enough to compensate for the rest of them.

It had been hard on them when he decided to take this position, to throw himself into that isolation chamber for an entire year.

“They understood, though,” he said, tipping his head back. I followed his gaze to look at the canopy above. “They’re good about stuff like that.”

“What if they never see you again?” I asked, taking in the way the quickly setting sun cast an orange flow on his skin. The day was almost through. We needed to keep the pace up if we were going to get out of here before the rest of the beasts woke up.

“They’re prepared for that,” he said. “They’re not necessarily fans of the idea, but they understand that there are more important things in life than living.”

“You sound like my mother,” I said, biting my lip.

“So do you,” he answered, smiling.

“How well did you know her?” I asked, looking up at him expectantly.

“I read her files and watched her tape. She seemed like an amazing woman, like the sort of person who valued character.”

“She was the best. That’s why I’m afraid you might have made a mistake.”

Hunter narrowed his eyes.

“You chose me because of my mother,” I continued. “Because of how good she was. But I’m not like her. No one was or ever could be. I hate to think that you people have wasted your last chance, our last chance, on someone who could never live up to what my mother did.”

Hunter dropped all pretense as he looked over at me, his bright eyes searching my face. “It’s not just because you’re your mother’s daughter. That was only part of it. They watched you, Lila. They saw the way you rose to the challenge when your mother left. They saw the woman you’ve become and the strength you have. They saw the way you were willing to give everything up for the people you love.” He shook his head. “It’s all you, Lila. They saw it, and I saw it. Take the credit—you’ve earned it.”

My heart thumped in my chest. Maybe they saw more in me than I saw in myself. If we were to survive, I needed to change that. I might not be my mother, but I was me.

Hunter ran a hand through his hair as he walked a few more paces. Then he stopped, turning to face me. “You’re the reason I chose this mission. It’s why I couldn’t say no. Lila, you inspire me.”

I smiled up at him. “Yeah? Guess we’re even then.”

A long moment passed between us, unspoken words hanging in the air between us. But as we stood there, something started to feel…wrong.

I pulled back a little, and Hunter’s expression changed.

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