In Hollywood: Glorybringer Fanfic.

Chapter Twenty: Peril

At age seven, she learned to kill.

That was the only way she could please Her Majesty. Kill. When she woke up in a hospital room without any memory of her past, she was told that she was an experiment. An experiment that could save anything and everything.

Then she met the Queen. Her mother. Her protector. Her everything.

Queen Scarlet wasted no time sending her to a different hospital where there were more people. She learned that, whatever she touched, it burned. She also learned that they had many experiments in the past. She learned that she was the only survivor.

She loved the job and all- wow, so much exciting, like, hello, I'm Peril, oops, you alive?- But she was so... Alone.

Scarlet paid her many visits at first. Then, almost never. She missed seeing people, even when they were frightened out of their minds.

And there was a name stuck in her head: Kestrel. Who, or what, was it? It definitely wasn't something good, because when she asked Scarlet about it, she got angry. Angry was bad.

It didn't matter, though. All that mattered was what the Queen said: you were made to kill, my Peril. Do my deeds, and I will give you something you don't have. Love.

Please me, Peril.

And that was what she chose to do.

~

Three days ago

He was the first, and the only, to wake up. The brown-haired one with caramel, warm eyes. "Do you happen to have food?" He asked curiously. His stomach growled to back up his question.

She replied back in a monotone, although inside, she was bursting in happiness. Finally, someone to talk to! "Your diet consists of fluids. Nothing more."

He squinted at her, like he was mad at her for not giving him a better answer. "C'mon!" He begged, his eyes wide. He looked like a puppy. "Please?"

She pressed her lips together. "Ugh. It is not my decision."

He narrowed his eyes. "Fine. Whatever. Where am I? Where are we?" He said, glancing at his friends with surprise. "Morrowseer, isn't it? He's all I can remember."

"You were captured for bait. No further explanations." She replied, shrugging.

"Tell me more."

"Uh, the only thing I heard was that you guys were a bait for Glory. The beautiful Hollywood star," she mimicked Scarlet's excited tone. "But I really can't tell you more. Um. They don't really tell me anything." She kicked at the dirt bitterly. Smoke rose from the ground, then disappeared.

He watched the spot where the smoke had risen. "I'm Clay. Who are you?"

"That's the wrong question." She gave him a wolfish grin. He didn't seem afraid, which baffled her.

"It is? Sorry. I never ask the right questions. Also, you seem like a wolf."

She looked at him, puzzled. Clay. "I mean... It's not who. It's what. I'm not exactly... human."

"Then what are you?" He said politely. "Did I talk to a robot this entire time?"

"No." She smiled, and would have laughed if she hadn't caught herself mid-laugh. "Everything I touch, it burns. I don't really think it's necessarily human."

"That's it?" He seemed confused. "You're totally human, then."

"No, I'm not."

"Yeah. You are."

"Nah."

"Yeah."

She growled in frustration. "Then my actions aren't human. I've killed more people with my fire than I care to count. Does that make me human?"

His eyes sparkled with something new. Concern? It made her stomach turn. In a nice way, sort of. "Just because you did something bad in the past doesn't mean you can face the future with better choices. Past isn't everything."

She bared her teeth to hide her weakness. "Future, Clay, does not exist. Only today."

"Then make today better." He shrugged. "I don't see the big deal."

She stated at him through wide blue eyes. "You don't find me scary?"

"Nah." He gave her an easygoing grin. "I'm not scared of wolf girls."

"Wolves are scary. You said I seemed like a wolf," she said, satisfied.

"Yeah. But you don't really seem the... scary wolf type. You seem more of the beautiful, fierce stuff. If you know what I mean."

Beautiful? It made her heart flutter. "Uh. Whatever you say."

He grinned. "See?"

She scrunched her nose. She felt embarrassed. "Go to sleep."

"Whatever you say."

~

"Peril?" Glory whispered. Her green eyes seemed like the grass, the trees, the universe.

She smiled. Fear. A good thing. "Yes, that's my name." She ran her hands through the fire, sighing. "I see that you have come For your friends. But the thing is, I'm supposed to guard them."

"Let them go, Firescales." Deathbringer gave her a sharp-toothed grin. "Then maybe we'll play with you, eh?"

She shrugged. "I'm not going to kill anyone... yet." She reached for her knife and set it on fire, smiling. "Come forward, Black. Perhaps we can have some playtime."

Deathbringer's eyes revealed nothing. They were like frost, emotionless, haunted. Cold. "So soon? Perhaps we can talk first. Maybe w-"

"Stop." Peril whipped her head to Glory, who was staring at her intently. "I-I-"

Peril sneered. "This better be something good," she said, laughing. "I am an inch away from calling the Queen to report you all."

"Have you ever heard of a woman named Kestrel?" Glory seemed, well, almost... curious.

Kestrel? It made her stop. "Kestrel. Hmm." Peril shrugged. "Not really? Why?" She narrowed her eyes. How does this girl know this? Dangerous. Secrets were dangerous. Secrets were meant to kept secret.

Glory bit her lip. "Because," she whispered faintly, breathlessly, "I think I know who your mother is."

~

...the Cleril moment everyone was waiting for XD even me, I dare say. Oof!

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