Leo

"Who did this? Just who could I be? Is it one of the four families? No, they don't care about Meraki. Only I and that boy know about the bond. So, what's going on here?" Aurora feverishly typed on her computer, trying to make sense of it all but only turning up short.

"The boy doesn't know much about it and he doesn't appear like he is lying either. I want to stay mad at him and keep blaming him for that has happened but I just can't. Not after learning of what had happened to his village. Even I would have done the same."

Aurora's room is a complete mess, with books and pictures scattered all around the room. She hasn't slept in four days, every time she closed her eyes, Meraki's screams fill her ears and she will wake up in a cold sweat.

She still makes lunch, dinner and tea, only because of the boy. If he wasn't there, she wouldn't have eaten or even moved out of her room.

"The most important thing at the moment is Meraki, I can worry about finding them later. How will I do this? What will I do now? The longer she sleeps, the hungrier she will be and I don't know what to do. Miss, what do I do?"

"She's really worried, isn't she?" The boy stood on the doorway, watching Aurora try her hardest to stay awake while tapping away at the keyboards.

He left the room and walked up the stairs, to the one where the snake is.

Sitting in front of the cage, he stared at it with confusion. It looks nothing like the one that attacked his village nor does it have the same threatening aura to it.

"I'm annoyed. Why couldn't you have been a murder snake? Why couldn't you have been the one that killed everyone in my village? You obviously knew that the poison in my body isn't enough to kill you. So why? Why'd you have to be nice?"

The boy shouted at the snake, face burning with anger. He racked his hair, feeling conflicted.

"But … Is this compassion? You are now in slumber, once you awake hundreds of people will die. If you had just eaten me, only I would have died. You're not being compassionate, are you? No way is compassion like this. Endangering more people for the sake of one, what kind of logic is that?"

"I hope you never wake up. It will finally be peaceful that way."

Yes. What I did wasn't wrong. The only one suffering is that woman. Sacrifice one person for the sake of everyone else. That's the way it should be.

I did a good thing. I'm not wrong.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

"Hey, learn to eat slower." Aurora smacked the boy over his head while she continued to pile food onto his plate. "And leg off the chair when you're eating."

"Fine. Fine." The boy sat properly and continued devouring the food.

"By the way, what is your name? I never asked did I?" Aurora smiled at him, seating down in her chair.

"Why?" The boy glared at her suspiciously.

"Why not? Asking a person their name is common courtesy. Don't you think so?" Aurora leaned against her hands and looked at him. "How about I start? A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, my name is Aurora Windsor and you are?"

"You sound like a grandmother." The boy mumbled, playing with his food.

"Your name, good sir." Aurora tried again, standing this time and giving a bow while she held her hand out to him.

"W-what are you doing?" The boy moved away from her.

"I will continue to do this until you tell me your name. Now, what other type greetings do I know? Oh!"

"No 'Oh!'. Don't 'Oh!' Just leave me alone." He walked away from the table and tried to leave when Aurora called out to him.

"So you're saying that you don't want my Spinach Puffs? Ok then. I will have to eat them, alone. By myself. Every one of them."

"Spinach puffs? You made them?" The boy stopped and turned, mouth-watering.

No. No. It just might be a trick. Definitely a trick.

"Of course. I already put them in the oven, they will be done soon. But, you don't want them right? Such a shame. Given that I made four batches."

F-four batches?

"A-are you expecting guests or something?" He scoffed, wiping his mouth.

"No. It's just for the both of us. Oh, I mean, it's just for me. Go on, boy. I will take care of the cleaning here after I've eaten."

A savoury aroma filled their nostrils, a sly smile came on Aurora's face when she saw the boy's expression.

"Oh, that must be them. Excuse me. I think I will eat in the kitchen. Maybe with a nice glass of wine." Aurora spoke to herself as she neared the kitchen.

"Wait!"

"Yes?" She smiled.

"I- I want some too!" The boy refused to look at Aurora while he fiddled with the hem of his shirt.

"Really? I thought you didn't. Well, I'll give them to you if-"

"My name is Leo Kuri. Age: sixteen. I worked on the farm before I got here. Family is dead. My blood type is AB and I do not have any education beyond grade six. I like to look after the cows before they died and also watch the sunset."

"H-hey, wai-" Confusion came over Aurora's face as the boy continued to babble on.

"I am also good at fishing and chopping wood. Everyone in the village has always told me that I might have super strength because of how easy it is for me to work but I can't even climb a gate since that incident happened, so I doubt that. I always play outside, maybe that's why I am so tan. I had a girl I like, her name was Ruby. Her family were-"

Aurora placed her hands on his shoulder and wiped his tears with the sleeve of her shirt, "Enough. It's enough, ok?"

"C-can I eat them now?" His lips quivered as he asked. He seemed as surprised as Aurora by the tears.

"Of course. I was going to give them to you, whether you told me or not."

"Why?" Leo shouted at Aurora, breaking down again. "Why are you being so nice to me?! I stabbed you and I did that to your Mistress. B-because of me, so many more people are endangered? Why? Why can't you just hate me?!"

"Leo. I'm sorry, I have been too hard on you, unnecessarily. You've been through a lot, haven't you?" Aurora gently embraced the crying boy, not saying anything else while the puffs were left to burn in the oven.