7. Oh, I'm dead!

"It's gone?" Precious thought, surprised by the sudden disappearance of something she had just seen. The blood streaming from the deep scratches on Chris's face caused by Rainey a moment ago had vanished. She still wanted to feel it though, wanting to know whether his skin was still normal. With a trembling hand, she reached out to touch his face.

However, before she could accomplish what she had in mind, a sensation circled her legs, specifically the back of her thigh. Turning around to see what it was, Precious's eyes widened as she realized it was Lucas's tiger touching her.

Precious was wearing peach-colored pajamas with short pants, and the touch of the tiger's paws on her skin filled her with fear. Chris, aware of Precious's fear about the tiger, gently held her hand that was hanging in the air and guided it to his face.

"It's all healed and fine, and don't worry, he won't hurt you," Chris said, trying to reassure her. Precious's eyes were still wide from the tiger's touch, but Chris's actions brought her attention back to him. His face somewhat assured her that she was safe.

A chilling sensation flooded through her body as the tiger touched her, causing her knees to go weak. If it weren't for Chris's support, she would have collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

"Shouldn't we eat already?!" Veronica exclaimed, walking around the table to settle back in her chair.

"You may turn around, Precious. Clint wants to say hi," Lucas said, interrupting her action earlier by sending his tiger her way.

Precious's eyes searched Chris's for assurance and a go-ahead. At this point, Chris was the only one she considered a sort of pillar in that unfamiliar place. She would only move if Chris convinced her that she wouldn't die if she turned to see the tiger.

The tiger stood as an obstacle between her and the dining table, separating her from the chair she had been seated on before. Chris, deciding to convince her through his actions, gently turned her around by the shoulders.

Precious immediately closed her eyes upon seeing this, but she did not resist. Fear caused her chest to tighten, and her heart grew weak as her body reacted to the fear by losing all strength.

She fell back into the chair, causing the tiger's paw to rest on her thighs. "Oh, good Lord," she breathed.

Still quivering, Precious decided to open her eyes and face her fear. She might die, but if she didn't confront it now, she would have to face it someday soon. So, why not confront something that would eventually happen?

Precious trusted her father, believing that she just had to stay with the beasts for six months, waiting for him to come and pay his debts to secure her release. She had to be strong for herself and her father during this ordeal.

However, as she opened her eyes, the tiger, with its mouth wide open, intensified the fear multiplying inside her heart by growling.

"He's going to eat me! He's going to... Oh, I'm dead! Papa!" Precious screamed in panic.

Veronica, who had been watching with a pout, suddenly burst into laughter. Chris and Lucas joined in, although their laughter was restrained.

"He wouldn't eat you, Precious," Lucas walked closer to her.

"Why wouldn't he?" She questioned with a shaky voice. "He's a wild animal, he feeds on humans, and he probably... he's hungry, he can smell me!" Precious stated, her eyes tightly closed.

"Why didn't you tell me it's the end, Chris?!" She wanted to cover her head, but she couldn't lift her hands, fearing that any movement might arouse the tiger's hunger, or so she thought.

"Why me?" She murmured. "Why me? Why?"

"I've tamed him, he's under my control, so he can't eat you. Besides, Edgar wouldn't want you to be devoured by my pet. Now, stop acting scared and just get along with him." Lucas stated helplessly, attempting to help Precious overcome her fear. He reached out to hold her hand and gently placed it on the tiger's head.

"He growls as an expression, but not out of hunger," Lucas explained, showing that he understood why Precious would be so convinced that the tiger was hungry for her.

"What does he eat?" Precious asked slowly, trying to momentarily ignore what her hand was resting on.

"Humans and animals," Lucas answered.

"H-Humans?!" Precious exclaimed, and although she had suspected it, hearing the confirmation was a different story.

Seeing Precious's reaction, Lucas nodded and continued speaking.

"Well, Edgar could have offered your father to Clint because of his debt, but thank fate that your father has you. And thank Edgar for wanting you. Just make sure you cooperate, or else... I think you can figure out the rest."

"Why are you guys so cruel?" Precious asked, her internal sobs slowly starting to pour out.

"That's how we are created, that's our mission, and we love doing it. But if you conspire with us, you'll be fine, and your father will be safe," Lucas stated matter-of-factly.

Precious opened her tear-filled eyes and looked up at Lucas, who was facing her. She sniffled and managed a smile. "Is it hard to?" She asked, then turned her attention to the tiger. "Your pet doesn't seem that bad," she stated as she slowly began to stroke its head.

After stroking the tiger slowly on its head and realizing that it didn't pounce on her, Precious's confidence gradually grew. She started rubbing the tiger's large head with a small smile.

Lucas, observing this with furrowed eyebrows, glanced at Rainey, who was leisurely eating vegetables on the table, and then looked over at Chris. Something was definitely off.

Was that the reason Edgar chose Precious instead of killing her and her father? They all knew it was unlike him to take in a human and consider her someone they must protect. Humans were and would never be their friends; humans were nothing more than tools to them. But Precious seemed to be different.

A moment ago, she was terrified of touching the tiger, but the moment Lucas spoke harshly to her with threats, she suddenly became brave. Lucas suspected that there was more to Precious than they knew.

These thoughts were swirling in Lucas's head, but there were still some things clouding his judgment. For one, Precious smelled and appeared just like a human, so she couldn't be the person they were searching for. With these thoughts in mind, Lucas stepped back slowly and returned to his chair, and Chris followed suit, choosing a chair close to Precious's own.

With time, they would learn more about Edgar's plan and who Precious truly was. They had plenty of time, after all.

On the other hand, Precious didn't communicate vocally with the tiger, but as she gazed into its mesmerizing, golden-yellow eyes, strange feelings enveloped her, as if she could hear its thoughts. She could sense that Clint would never harm her. It sounded foolish even to herself, but some kind of instinct was telling her this, and she gradually started to believe it. At least Clint still appeared well-behaved.

With that realization, she grinned and ran her hand along Clint's back, feeling his fur and majestic body. He was similar to Rainey, but much larger and stronger.

As Precious continued petting Clint, he comfortably licked himself and emitted a soft growl, though it still sounded menacing to the average human ear.

Noticing the sudden rapport between the two, Lucas began feeling uneasy about how well Precious was getting along with his pet. He instructed Clint to return to his room, saying, "Playtime's over, boy. To your room!"

Hearing Lucas's command, Precious knew she had to let Clint go and watched as he slowly left her side before turning her attention to everyone around the table. They only occupied a corner of the long table since there were only four of them. Chris sat next to Precious, while Veronica and Lucas sat across from them, with Chris facing Veronica and Precious facing Lucas.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked Precious as he prepared to eat.

"Shouldn't I be?" Precious responded, her face displaying a hint of detachment. "I have to cooperate. I don't want my father dead, so yes, everything you, Veronica, and Chris have been saying is true. I'm old and shouldn't be terrified. Like, what's the worst that could happen? I'll probably die," Precious stated matter-of-factly, shrugging to show that she had already accepted the fact that this was the life she would be living now.

Her words elicited different reactions from the others around her.

"That's strange," Chris telepathically conveyed to Veronica and Lucas.

"My question now is... where's this Edgar you all have been talking about?" Precious asked, repeating a question she had asked before seeing as the dining hall fell into silence.