Cruel by nature

Chapter 4

The sun is setting, coloring the dark sky into a burning shade of orange. Speaking of orange, it's been so long since I last had one, I'd forgotten what they tasted like up until today.

Staying true to her words, Mila let me rest for a while before returning with a tray filled to the brim with food. She told me that she wasn't sure what I liked, so she'd brought a little bit of everything. I could barely eat anything at all, despite the fact that I haven't had a proper meal for years. The amount of food overwhelmed me, and I'm thankful that Mila left me to eat in peace.

It's been hours since she brought in the tray, and all I've managed to consume is a bowl of soup and an orange, but I haven't felt this full in so long. I'm not used to the luxury of eating how much I want, and my body needs some time to adjust to the change. It's frustrating, to put it lightly, but I won't pressure myself into eating more, knowing that it might very well end up with me losing what little I managed to get down.

Time. It takes time.

Time that I'm not sure that I have. I have no idea if I'm running on a clock, or if I have all the time in the world. I have no idea what is happening right now, and although I want to believe Mila when she says she's a friend, I can't just drop the guard I've been keeping up for the last couple of years. She's still one of them, no matter how nice she acts, and I'll just have to wait and see if she's speaking the truth or not. She seems genuine, and it confuses me beyond words. I've always seen them as monsters, I still do, but she's far from the picture I've had in my mind for so long. If she's a friend, which I really hope, then she's an exception to the rest of them.

The sound of a car engine snaps me out of my thoughts, and my head immediately turns towards the source. There's a window to my right, and I strain my neck to be able to see the red truck that's pulling up onto the driveway. I can feel my heart start racing in my chest, and I gulp down the fear that's creeping up my throat as a man steps out of the car and passes by the window.

I hold my breath as what I assume is the front door opens, followed by the sound of Mila's voice. I can't hear what she's saying, but she sounds happy. They talk for a while as I try to be as quiet as possible, but much sooner than I expect, I hear the sound of footsteps approaching the room I'm currently residing in.

There's a small knock on the door, but my voice is nowhere to be found. When I don't answer, the door slowly opens and Mila peeks her head in. Her eyes light up as she sees that I'm awake, and she steps into the room, followed by the man I saw through the window.

"This is my father", she hurriedly says as she sees the fear and confusion in my eyes.

I swallow once, and try to untie the knot on my tongue. Her father takes a step forward and smiles. His movements are slow and careful, as if he knows how uncomfortable I must be.

"Hello, I'm Taras. Mila tells me you got into a bit of trouble yesterday. Mind if I take a look?"

I stare at him skeptically, the thought of him coming any closer and examining my injuries making me uneasy.

"It's alright", he assures me, his eyes meeting mine. They look just like Mila's, grey and soft.

"My wife was a doctor", he adds in a reassuring voice. "Mila said you don't want to go to the hospital and I just want to make sure you'll be alright."

I can't help but notice the change in the atmosphere as he mentions his wife. Mila looked away almost immediately, but I saw the look in her eyes; sorrow.

Slowly, I nod. He just wants to help, right? Mila's already done so much for me. I'd be rude to turn down her father's help because of my own issues with their kind, as Mila put it.