5 The giant and the witch

Celeste's heart hammered like a drum against her chest as she stared wide-eyed at nothing in particular ahead of her as she took rapid breaths, her chest heaving violently.

Cara touched her arm and she jumped in fright, splashing out more of the water, soaking the floral dress of the elderly woman. "Please calm down," Cara urged. "You are safe."

Celeste stared at the unfamiliar woman with bulging eyes. She was a small woman with pale, shriveled skin, greying black hair, and a peculiarly structured face. Her appearance was frightening to Celeste who thought she might've been a witch from the books she used to read.

Loud and heavy footsteps resounded from outside the small bath area after the sound of a screeching door opening. 'It must be the man that brought me here,' Celeste thought as she tightly clenched her fists under the green water.

Her silver eyes widened when she saw the gigantic man bend the upper half of his body to fit through the doorframe.

He had a gruff and violent appearance. There was a huge and ghastly scar on the right of his orange-bearded cheek. There was no hair on his head, but there were some scars and marks Celeste thought were possibly tattoos.

The giant man adorned a pair of soiled khaki trousers; abnormally, his legs were quite slim for his otherwise large upper half.

His dark green shirt was bloodstained by the bleeding dead deer slung over his shoulder. The cut on the neck of his shirt was so deep that Celeste could see his bushy orange chest hair.

Celeste has never seen such a huge person. It seemed to her all the characters from her books were coming to life before her eyes; it made her wonder if the plots would be the same.

The giant at the top of the beanstalk wanted to grind Jack's bones into bread, and the witch wanted to cook Hansel and Gretel in the stories. The main characters always managed to escape, but what would be her fate?

Celeste didn't know what to do; she could only sit in the strangely soothing water in silence.

"Oh, she's awake," Ben commented. He offered the frightened little girl his friendliest smile. "You don't have to worry little lady, you're safe with us."

Even his smile was scary, but Celeste didn't want to seem rude so she gave him a small smile in return.

"You should start dinner," Cara told her husband. "I reckon she hadn't eaten in weeks by how tiny she is." She reached for the ragged towel hung by the door. "I should have some clothes to fit her."

Celeste sat on the bed made of wool with her legs tucked under her naked body and her fingers gently caressing the wound on her back. Physically, it didn't hurt anymore, but psychologically, the pain was harsh and recurring.

The sound of Ben's chopper connecting with the wooden table in the small kitchen made her slightly jump as she finally blinked. He beheaded the deer and chopped off all its hooves. It was bloody and messy, and cruel; why must the strong hurt the weak?

Cara emerged from the wooden chest she was rummaging through with an oversized beige T-shirt. "The dresses were too small." She sat beside Celeste, "Do you want me to help you put it on?"

Again, Celeste didn't want to seem rude and ungrateful, so she nodded and allowed the woman to help her dress.

'What a strange girl,' Cara thought as she put the shirt over Celeste's head. 'She looks old enough to be conscious of her nakedness, but she didn't even cover herself when my husband appeared.'

Cara smiled as she pulled the shirt to cover as much of Celeste as possible. She quickly ran her hand along the oblivious angel's fair skin, admiring its tender smoothness.

Celeste's silver eyes followed the old woman as she pulled a wooden chair toward the bed before sitting down. "So," she started with a smile. "What's your name?"

Celeste was grateful to be saved by these strange people, but she was finally understanding what the leader of the mermaids meant when she told her that not everyone who smiles at her is a friend.

"Let the little girl be, Cara," Ben interjected. "She doesn't need to tell us anything."

Celeste never moved from where she sat on the bed and she didn't make any noise. She trapped herself in the painful memory of losing one of her wings, Kole, and her first friend.

Thinking of Kiira, Celeste's eyes widened as she anxiously looked around the messy area surrounding the bed. 'Where's Vinnie?' she thought in alarm. 'Is she still in the boat?'

Celeste wanted to dash out to look for the red-haired doll, but would these two scary-looking people allow her to leave?

"You're looking for this?" Ben questioned in his gruff voice.

Celeste looked up at him and her eyes widened when she saw Vinnie in his large hand. With a small smile, he handed the blue doll to her.

"Thank you," Celeste whispered, her words coming out a lot quieter than she intended. She was speaking for the first time in days; her own voice was foreign to her.

'So she can speak,' the giant of a man thought as he smiled at her before returning to the kitchen. He glanced at her from the side of his eyes, 'I was beginning to wonder if she was mute.'

The scent of the deer being cooked reached Celeste's nose and her tummy viciously growled at the lovely aroma. It smelled so delicious that her mouth salivated; she had never been so hungry before.

Celeste never felt the same after arriving on Earth; her thoughts and emotions were unfamiliar, and even her reflection was like a stranger to her. She was changing, and it terrified her greatly.