Beat Down

ONE DAY. I'D GIVE IT ONE DAY,

I woke to bruised elbows, an achy forehead, and a stiff back. And, if the red behind my eyelids was any clue, a shaft of sunlight spilling through the window. I squeezed my lids closed as a shadow blocked the light. The floorboards creaked. I opened my eyes.

Every muscle froze. I was looking straight into the blue eyes of a small white alligator.

"Pascal, this is Elsa," a tiny feminine voice whispered.

It was Coraline-on her knees, leaning over the sleeping bag, a burgundy, jewel-encrusted mask pushed atop her head-holding a small white alligator directly in front of my face. All it had to do was snap and my nose would be history.

I held my breath, afraid to breathe on its milky skin.

Finally Coraline sat back on her heels and turned the alligator to kiss its nose. "Good, Pascal," she whispered, and set him on the floor, pulling the half-mask down over her face. The corners swept up into points adorned with two small feathers.

Pascal waddled away and out the door.

Releasing my breath, I sat up, unsure of what to say to the peculiar girl, who had returned to her staring. Her tiny white hands were laid flat on her knees, and the black dress she wore looked like it had once been a woman's cocktail dress. She had on tights underneath, or they might've been knee-high socks meant for an adult, but whatever they were, the disappeared under the hem of the dress. Her shoes were boys penny loafers and a size too big.

"Was that your alligator?" I checked the door to make sure Pascal hadn't decided to come back in.

"He is no one's." Coraline cocked her head. "He likes your hair. Its like his skin."

Without thinking. I reached up and shoved a loose strand behind my ear, forgetting that I'd unwound it before bed. What I wanted to do was gather it up and shove it behind my shoulders, but for some reason I didn't want Coraline to think the hair meant anything, so I left it hanging long and loose, veiling the sides of my face, the ends resting in my lap.

"He likes my teeth. They're like his teeth," Coraline said, her large eyes blinking through the holes of the mask.

I stayed still, almost frozen. "Why are your teeth like his, Coraline.?" I braced myself, hoping the question wouldn't set off and make her go all fang-girl on me.

"To eat things, of course." Her head cocked. "You are different." Then she stood and walked out with silent steps despite the heavy black shoes.

I watched her disappear from view, a little confused and thrown by how much she fascinated me. But it was more than the masks, and her sharp teeth. Coraline made me feel softer inside, like some kind of weird big sister/mothering instinct was being awakened. I guessed it was the same feeling Eugene and Rapunzel had when they first met me-just an explainable connection or need to care. I shook my head. Didn't matter, though. I'd be gone tonight.

I went to drag my gaze away from the door when Jack passed by, his head turning. It was clear by falter in his steps that he didn't expect to see me sitting there.

My stomach flipped. Heat stung my checks. His blue eyes drew me in like two fascinating pools of ice. Yeah, and ice is cold, you big dummy.

But he wasn't looking at me, I realized; he was looking at my hair. Just like everyone else.

It seemed like forever, but in reality, it was only a second or two before his gaze dropped and his footsteps continued on.

I blinked out of my haze, quickly gathered my hair, and began twisting it as I got to my feet and headed after him. "Jack!"

He stopped halfway down the stairs, body language screaming reluctance as I approached, tying my hair into a knot and trying to ignore the fact that the guy made me extremely self-conscious.

Two steps above him, I dropped my arms to my side. "Look, I know you don't want me here, but. . .the Novem, do you really believe they're not out to hurt me?"

One corner of his mouth almost lifted into what might've been a smile. Or a grimace. "Yes, I do," he answered.

I bit my lip, making a quick decision. "If you help me find the information I'm after, I'll go with you, willingly, to see the Nov-"

The front door flew open, slamming against the wall, the knob sinking through the drywall.

Coraline appeared, stopping just inside the parlor with Pascal tucked under her arm, as three men entered the house.

They were all similar in age-late teens, early twenties. The guy in the middle tossed a glance at Coraline, shaking his head. "Welcome to The House of Misfits."

His friends laughed as he lifted his eyes to the stairs. "Adding another one to the ranks?" His attention shifted from Jack to me. "Darlin', you're better off in the swamp than with these losers."

"What do you want, Ray?" Jack's hands gripped the railing so hard his knuckles turned white. I took another step down as Wilbur shuffled from the dining room with an orange, starting to peel it, when Hans snatched it out his hands.

"Hey!"

Hans threw it on the ground. "What's up, Wilbur? You half-breed little shit."

"Fuck you, Hans."

Hans reached for Wilbur.

It seemed like the next few seconds happened in slow motion.

Coraline put Pascal on the ground, pulled her mask over her face as though preparing for battle, and then launched her small body at Hans. She was on him like an octopus, arms and legs wrapped around his middle. Her sharp teeth sank into his bicep. He shrieked, trying to pull her off. He succeed in getting space between them, but Caroline's legs and hands clung tight. He cursed in French and yanked again at her, this time flinging her small body across the room. She hit the floor and slid down the smooth hardwood hall.

Something in me snapped.

I flew around Jack and down the stairs as Wilbur and Vennolope ran to Coraline. Coraline stood up on her own, swiped the blood from her mouth and chin, and then darted out the back of the house and into the garden. I just caught a glimpse of her diving under the dead leaves before I turned back to Hans.

Adrenaline thrummed through my veins, fueled by fury. Nothing got me going like seeing a kid being hurt-I knew first hand what that was like.

"Why don't you try that on me?" Better yet, I slugged him in the jaw

The pain that shot through my knucklebones and up my hand felt good. And when his friends came to his aid. I welcomed the fight.

Bring it on, you assholes.

As the first guy reached out, I spun on my heel and grabbed his arm over my shoulder, flipping him onto the floor. As soon as he was down, the other one's breath fanned the back of my neck. My gaze met Jack's. His eyes were smiling at me, challenging me, seeing what I could do. I cocked a grin as the second guy grabbed me around the waist. I threw back my head, bracing for the crack as my skull collided with his face.

He grunted. It hurt him way more than it did to me. I spun and kicked him in the gut. He went down next to his friend.

I took a step back and surveyed my handiwork, heart racing. Wilbur whistled from somewhere behind me. But my attention was fixed on Hans. He was the only one not on the floor and therefore still a threat.

"You Fucking Bitch!" he snarled, one hand over his bloody shoulder and the other rubbing his jaw. His face was a shade paler than when he'd first arrived.

I smirked and flipped him the finger. Red blushed through his skin, and his lips drew back slightly as though he was about to bare his teeth.

Jack appeared beside me. "She's mine," he said in a calm voice. "I found her first."

"Yeah, and you just got to be the golden boy, don't you, Jackie?" He spit on the floor as his friends finally managed to stand.

"Oh, and you'd better get her there soon. Otherwise Grandmere will start wondering."

After they were gone, Wilbur wrenched the door handle from the drywall so the door would close, as I whirled on Jack.

"I'm yours? What the hell was that?"

"Hans works for the Novem too. He's just trying to find you first. Someone must have seen you come in with Venny."

"Venny?"

"Vennolope." He paused. Four seconds went by. "I'll help you find the records." And then he walked toward the back door.

All righty, then.

Drawing in a deep breath-I was going to need it dealing with Mr. Personality-I followed him through a set of massive French doors to the backyard garden. Wilbur and Vennolope were standing on a moss-covered stone patio, staring at a lump in the leaves. Despite the winter season, humidity had settled over the district, making the garden more like a jungle, a damp place that reeked of earth, decaying leaves, and those pungent white flowers that crawled up the house.

"Cora, he's gone. And you missed Elsa's awesome smack-downs." Wilbur reinforced his words with a few air punches and an imaginary body slam. C'mon, Coraline. You stood up for me. Come on out so I can say thanks in person."

Two black eyes blinked beneath the leaves. I slid closer to Jack as Vennolope talked to Coraline.

"What's with the baby vampire teeth?"

"She's not a vamp," he said with a quiet laugh. "Wilbur found her out in the swamp last year. She was living alone in a trapper's houseboat. She fed her for three months before she came back with her. She comes and goes as she pleases, takes to weird things like the masks and fruit. Never eats it, though."

My eyebrow lifted, and I rocked back on my heels. "So you actually do speak more than one sentence at a time."

He glanced over and frowned. "Come on, we better go. Coraline will come out when she's ready."

To be continued

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Ayo, so please excuse the bad spelling and grammatically errors. If you have any questions about the story or your just confused about certain things, tell me so I can fix it and clear it up. Djicecoldgirl156 made me a bootiful cover. So all credit goes to her.

1800 words, dang that's a lot. Thank you for almost 60 followers in less than a month it means so much to me. If you listen to the songs I recommended, tell me what you thought about them.

I love the picture of Elsa up above it's so fierce.

I'm thinking of changing the story title idk.

Jack and Elsa are gunna go on a little adventure. I wonder what they're going to do? May I add that Hans and his goon got their butts kicked

This is all my of my thoughts jumbled in one paragraph so, deal with it.

SEE YOU IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!