Black Blood

My eyes fall on Floris. He turns around slowly and our eyes meet. His brown eyes look at me with concern and compassion. Now that I am closer to him, I can see that he should be about my age. The bags under his eyes betray that his situation is not easy. His face is more covered in dirt than I had seen from a distance.

I don’t want to think about what would have happened if he hadn’t walked down the street. This proves once again that it is not safe for me to go out alone. I don’t understand why men always have to have me. This was one of the few times I opened my mouth and it led to nothing good. If I even thought about opening my mouth inside the castle I knew it would end up like this but I didn’t foresee it would be the same story outside the castle.

‘Are you unharmed?’ Floris asks. Many a woman would be shocked after the incident just now, for me it’s something normal. I haven’t been as shocked as I used to be for a long time. Nice is different, but it is not new anymore.

‘Yes, thank you. I owe you something,’ I reply sincerely. He immediately shakes his head.

‘It’s no problem. Willem is an asshole with an ego that is far too big.’ His choice of words gives me a little smile. Floris laughs along.

‘You look very calm for someone who has just been attacked,’ Floris remarks. I shrug my shoulders. I am not going to tell him that I am somewhat used to this treatment. So I don’t answer his question.

‘May I ask you what your reason for being in these streets is? It’s not a place for ladies of the class.’ Again he surprises me with his choice of words. His words are so neat that I almost feel encumbered by my clothes. I start to pick at my nails and avert my gaze.

‘I’m lost,’ I reply, a little embarrassed.My eyes have deviated from Floris’s so I can’t see his reaction.

‘I will take you back to the Main Street.’ I immediately shake my head with the shopping list in my mind. I lift my head causing me to come face to face with Floris’ surprised look.

‘As I said, it’s not safe to wander around here, you’d better go back to your place of residence,’ he repeats. I take the note from the bag I took with me from the point I left ‘home’.

‘I am looking for products,’ I reply softly. I extend the note to him. He takes it with a puzzled look and lets his eyes slide over the curly letters. The further he reads the note, the more his eyes frown. After a minute, he hands me the note again. I really think you should go back to your place of residence.

‘The items on the list are not for sale in the shops.’ His tone is harsh and somewhat disapproving. I look at him in surprise. He turns around without saying another word and starts walking towards the end of the street.

‘Wait,’ I call after him. Something in me says that he knows what the products on the list are and how I can get them. I run after him until I am walking beside him. His gaze is fixed forward, his hands are in his pockets.

‘Do you know where I can get them?’ I ask, holding the note in my hand. Floris seems to ignore my question. When I realise that he has no intention of answering my question I do something beyond my expectations. I grab his arm and hold him still. He looks at me irritated.

‘Do you know where I can get these products?’ I repeat to myself. He visibly.

’Listen, you can’t get the products on your list here and it’s better if you throw away that note.’I already didn’t understand what was on the list but now everything I thought I understood has been wiped off the map. Floris pulls his arm out of my grip and continues walking in front of me.

I lift the note in my hand and let my eye slide over the unknown products again. Why should I forget these products? Why is nothing for sale in a shop? So many questions go through my head and the answers are nowhere to be found.

In silence I walk behind Floris. We walk through different streets. People look at us several times. I start to realise more and more that I don’t look like the average citizen. My clothes are too neat, too clean. The average woman here walks in a grey-brown dress with an apron. I walk in a neat black dress with lace and diamonds.

There are several questions running through my head that I would like to ask him. What is his job? How old is he? What was he doing in that place? I have no idea what to do with this situation. Floris does not seem to have the attitude that he would like to start a conversation either. I can already draw the conclusion that werewolves are not the most sociable creatures.

‘This is Main Street, I think you can get home this way.’ Floris has stopped walking. My eyes glide over the big street I started in this morning. I nod slowly.

‘Thank you, if I can ever do something in return you must let me know,’ I say sincerely. Floris nods but his face betrays that there is little chance that he will accept my offer.

‘Goodbye,’ he says before walking away. As I stand here on this street by myself, I only realise what has happened this afternoon. I have been called names, beaten, assaulted and rescued. Just now it felt normal, but the more I think about it, the harder it is to realise.