Bringing Fable along was a bad idea. Too emotional.
Inside the coffin, Snow White had her arms crossed over her white dress like an ancient Pharaoh Princess in an eternal beauty sleep. She was only sixteen but exuded an aura of being ancient. Loki felt as if he was pulled by an invisible power from his chest toward her. It was a strange feeling he hadn’t experienced before; a feeling of belonging. His eyes scanned every inch of her body. Her whole being screamed three colors: white, red, and black. It was as if every other color in the world disappeared when he looked at her.
Her skin was pale, the color of a peaceful dove; the color of snowflakes on beautiful winter nights, lighting up the dark. Those snowflakes that urge you to tip your head back and enjoy their tiny splashes against your face; the kind of snow that makes you want to build a snow castle or a snowman and stick a carrot in its face, gifting it with a new nose. The color of her skin was hypnotizing. Yes, it was pale, yet it flowered with blooming youth. Loki hated when he found himself thinking of her that way, knowing that her beauty was only a mask of the great darkness in her.
She had red-manicured fingernails, and Loki wondered if it was the blood of her victims. He couldn’t help but notice a faint red glow on her cheeks as if there were two small red apples shining through from underneath. Then there was that red ribbon in her hair, making her look innocent. It was one of the few things that didn’t change about her when she changed into a vampire.
That damn red ribbon! That damn innocent feel about her. It makes it hard to plunge the Alicorn into her heart.
She had a red apple tucked between her hand and her chest. She was gripping it tightly as if it had sentimental meaning.
Snow White’s hair was smooth, tumbling down her shoulders as if it had been combed every day, handled with the finest natural oils, reminding Loki of ocean tides in a moonlit night. It had the power of sending you to a shore with a loving or drowning you between its tangled arms.
How did she clean up all the blood? How does she look so goddess-like?
Watching her sleep was euphoric. Loki thought he’d forget about the Mona Lisa, or the Seven Wonders of the World, or even how every child pictured Sleeping Beauty in her sleep. Snow White’s beauty, in normal form, was a serenely beautiful sight. She had that beauty Loki never saw on the cover of magazines. It was pure, not artificially hiding behind plastic surgeries and plastered colors on her face. She didn’t need it. Loki even noticed Snow White’s cheeks were a bit chubby, but her beauty wasn’t something you could fully comprehend with the eyes. It was that feeling he had in his tummy. He thought that this was why the evil stepmother never asked the mirror: Who was the most beautiful of all. Instead, she asked: Who was the fairest of them all.
The exact word Loki thought described the girl in the coffin now: Fairest.
Loki shook his head, trying to wake himself from this trance.
What’s wrong with you, Loki? She’s playing you, and you should not be tempted to end your quest. Evil looks so good sometimes.
“She spared your life yesterday,” Fable reminded Loki, sewing cobwebs of guilt into his being. “She must’ve done it for a reason. Why do you insist on killing her?”
Fable’s words were cutting through Loki’s half-angel soul. He stood there silently, unable to make the next move.
“You’re not falling in love with her? Are you?” Axel said. “You saw what she did yesterday.”
“I’m not falling in love with her, you hear me?” Loki grabbed Axel from his shirt and said with a firm voice. “I’m not falling for a demon girl again. You understand.”
This time Axel didn’t say anything—he didn’t even understand what he meant by falling for a demon girl again. Loki scared him more than ever now. Even Loki noticed the anger that welled up inside of him was ridiculous, as if he suddenly had no control of his actions. He finally let go of Axel.
What’s happening to me? How can I be so villainous?
“Wooh, I don’t want to get you angry at me again,” Axel said. “That’s more like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Next time, please warn me before you turn into the Incredible Hulk.”
Loki fidgeted a little, unable to take his eyes off Snow White. He had his fortune cookie in his grip. Again, it was the only object he trusted whenever he didn’t know what to decide in this world—especially when Charmwill Glimmer wasn’t nearby.
“What should I do?” he asked it, almost sweating. Then, gritting his teeth with closed eyes, he crushed the fortune cookie in his grip.
When he opened his eyes, he read the small paper with the answer. It simply said:
Kill her.
Loki let out a sigh. Something didn’t feel right wanting killing the vampire princess, but Loki had no choice but to trust the fortune cookie. It had always helped him, and had gotten him so far.