𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝 - 𝐀 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠

CHAPTER 2

I could only ogle at the headlines screaming my name.

THE TRUTH OF LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD- UNCOVERED!

Approved by the Assembly of Fairies

You think you know her story? You don't. Because sources have recently discovered clues leading to the devastating truth of our not-so-little Red Riding Hood.

A few years back, a local hunter paid a visit to Granny Muffet, the mother of Little Red's mother, Sally Muffet Hood. He says, "I knocked on the door and waited outside patiently for a long time, but there was no answer. Knowing that this was unusual for Granny Muffet, I brought a little pig to chop the front door down.

There was no sign of Ms Muffet in the living room, nor her bedroom, nor the basement. So I decided to check the kitchen-

I tore my eyes from the paper, gasping for air. The scroll crumpled beneath my pale-white knuckles.

No. No no no no no.

Flashbacks of the incident whizzed past my mind. The wolf's ruby-red eyes. My outstretched knife, ready for the kill. His salty blood spraying in the air. Grandma. Dead. My head throbbed; my knees buckled. It was over. They've caught me. I am going to die.

Laws in the Charming Kingdoms were unlike those in others. Wonderland, Oz and Narnia didn't have the idea that "you couldn't kill a magical creature without a license". Even hags and witches who tampered with illegal magic were prohibited to be killed immediately, but rather tracked, caught and punished by the glorious dwarf police. Any victim would've been long gone by then. I did my act for self-defence, or I would've been in the wolf's stomach already, along with grandma. How was preventing that from happening a crime?

I sank to the ground helplessly, waiting for tears to come. They didn't. I stared into space in a daze. What would I do now? Run?

"Charlotte?" a gentle voice asked. "Charlotte, sweetie, are you okay?"

I jolted out of my misery and trained my eyes on Aunt Lisa. Lisa Muffet. My mother's sister. With her smothered white apron, graying brown curls and sea-green eyes. Afraid of spiders; but brave enough to house a wanted orphan. If she were ever discovered...

I stood up, no longer afraid to face the truth. "They know," I mumbled.

She gazed at me with kind, solemn eyes and pulled me into a hug. "I knew it would happen at some point. I-I just didn't want-"

A loud rap at the back door interrupted our hushed whispers. We gaped at each other in horror.

"Miss Muffet? We are conducting a search for a wanted teenager around town. If you could please open up-"

"Quick. You must leave. Now." She hissed.

I nodded and sprang upstairs to grab my scarlet hooded cloak. It was long and elegant; soft as silk, yet perfect for any situation. It was a gift from grandma when I was born. Woven by Rumpeltstitskin and his hay, and charmed by a fairy's magic to make it perfectly fit the wearer.

I quickly fastened it around my shoulders and lifted the hood over my head. I grabbed my emergency satchel and lace-up boots before climbing out my roof window. Looking back inside my small, bright bedroom, I realised that this would be the last time I'd see this place for a very long time. Maybe even forever.

"If we could just take a quick look upstairs-" deep, muffled voices sounded from below. I turned away. This was my only chance.

I slid down the blue-bricked roof, a plan already forming in my mind.

***

That's it for Chapter 2! I hope you enjoyed reading it! :)

~ LKS ❤