Two

   She felt as if she was in some kind of trance. She had locked eyes with him and had been drawn in by a force that wouldn't break off. Not that she wanted to. There was something about him that made her want to run into the strong arms  that flexed beneath the top he wore. She would give anything to be cradled by those arms. And yet, at the same time she felt like running far away from him. There was something about him that spelt trouble and danger boldly. Something that that said he was definitely going to be a handful.  Hailey felt herself toss and turn in the whirlpool of those two emotions.

"Hey,excuse me", the hunk said rapping a finger on the counter. Hailey gasped. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't realized that he was right in front of her.

"Sorry....i....i....didn't know...," her words came out in a stutter.

"It's okay", he said and flashed her a reassuring smile. His smile was the type that could make a woman all buttery inside. A smile that would make many a woman drool. Not ber though,definitely not her.

She tried to compose herself and her  straying thoughts. "What would you like to order sir?"

"Well, if it isn't much trouble, i'd like some pork roast and salad dressing to go with".

"It ain't no trouble handsome," Ruby cooed from beside him. Hailey had forgotten that she was even there. Ruby was obviously turning whatever she considered charms on. She preened and stretched lazily on the counter. It seemed such a pitiful sight to Hailey. The Man seemed immune to those charms and had only graced her statement with a quick smile and an almost imperceptible nod. For some reason, it made Hailey happy. She took out a blank sheet and started writing down his order.

"So,what's your name Sir?"

"Uh, Trey Kristov."

Hailey blanched on hearing the name. The name was so  strange to her ears. "What?", she asked in total bewilderment.

He smiled apologetically.

"Trey ends with an "Y". He said this with an eye roll, implying it was obvious.

Hailey wrote it down.

"Then K-R-I-S-T-O-V, but it's pronounced Kristoph...with a P-H".

The look of understanding on Hailey's face brought a smile to his face. That smile again,Hailey thought.

"You'll have to make your payment at the register while we get your order ready." She gestured towards Peggy.

Trey Kristov nodded and then walked past puppy-eyed Ruby to Peggy's station.

Peggy also wasn't immune to his charms as Hailey could see the makings of a blush on her cheek and how flustered she was. Her eyes couldn't even raise to meet his. She kept it lowered and focused on her desk. Peggy remained like that till she was through with him and he returned to Hailey's side of the counter. Poor Peggy. Hailey held out the parcel containing his order and as he took it, his fingers gently brushed hers. Emotion coursed through her and she shuddered a little at the onslaught. She looked at him, searching his face to know if he had noticed her body's reaction to his touch. His face remained neutral though, not disclosing anything. He gave her a nod of acknowledgement and then turned on his heels towards the door. He walked with the kind of stealth as one would imagine a wild cat. When he got to the door, he turned to look at her. The smile was back on his face. That fucking smile. And then, just before Trey Kristov left,Hailey could swear she saw his eyes glow for a minute.

"Phew!! that was something," Ruby said breaking the silence that had descended for a few minutes. Strangely,Hailey found herself nodding in agreement. Having seen the chance,Ruby prodded her for questions.

"What was it between the two of you anyways?"

Her eyes were rife with the expectation of answers and so was Peggy's. But even if she wanted to answer, she had no answer for that question. The whole thing had left her confused too. She was more than relieved when Chuck the manager showed up. He was quite friendly but he didn't tolerate any slacking on duty. 

"Ladies,what's going on here?"

Ruby was quick to retort. "Nothing".

"You've left your work station once again". He reprimanded.

"I just needed some fresh air,Chuck. Don't be an ass about it."

"Well, i hope you don't become an ass when you receive that slim paycheck."

That said, Chuck stomped off in righteous indignation. Ruby followed in hot pursuit with pitiful shrieks and cries. Peggy and Hailey stared at the retreating figures for some minutes before bursting out in laughter.

"I really hope this keeps her there more but i doubt it".

"Except if she's nailed down",Peggy replied.

The two burst out laughing again. They were still laughing when Chuck re-appeared with a foul look on his face. That was more than enough to remind them that the shift wasn't over.

   Some hours later and Peggy was dropping Hailey off in front of her house.Hailey had been under intense grilling on the ride home. That girl belonged in an interrogation room, she thought. She kept on pressing and pushing till she had all the cold,hard facts about her date and what she thought of Trey Kristov in her hands.

"About time",Peggy had said on hearing that her date was Brandon.

"For who?"

"The both of you. You've wasted too much time already".

Hailey knew she was right. It was time for her to return to real life and quit living in that bubble world she had created. And she was kick-starting it by going to a date with a nice,regular guy. He had called on her way to know if she was still on for the night. He sounded so nervous and skittish through the phone although he always sounded skittish and nervous. He was great guy though, the kind of person Hailey needed in her life right now.

   

      As she unlocked the picket fence,  something furry rubbed against her and then ran past her. Shit, she thought, Mrs. Winters cat . Mrs. Winters was the old lady who lived next door. Her cat was a real wild thing that had quite the knack for trouble and all whatnot. The cats favorite place was Hailey's untended backyard and whatever dark alley it happened to find itself. To go searching for the devil spawn wasn't exactly what Hailey wanted to do but it was Mrs. Winters only companion and she always threw a fit whenever she couldn't find it. Sighing, she turned back into the streets. The cat would probably be having a field day in one garbage can across the streets. The stupid cat was having fun and making her late for a date she had been looking forward to. The street was unusually empty and scarce of people. Silver creek was a small town and didn't normally have much people milling around but tonight's own was quite different. She looked up to meet the dull gaze of the moon. For some reason, the Moon looked a lot bigger to her and it seemed ominous. Like a herald of all the things to come. She stood there, entranced by it, a cold feeling settling deep down in her stomach. The trance was broken by the clanging of metal and a squeal. She walked towards that direction hoping the cat hadn't run off.

       It was a small path that led off the asphalt. Hailey knew there was a garbage can along the path and so it made sense that the cat had ran there. She heard the cat squeal again. But this time, it was different. It sounded painful and deathly. What exactly had the devil spawn gotten into now? She turned on her phones flashlight. The stench of something rotten hit her as she got closer. The cat had done quite a good job letting the contents of the can onto the ground. She raised an elbow to protect her nose from the foul smell. Hailey looked around the upturned can, stepping over the debris whilst making sounds she felt would beckon to the cat. But the cat didn't respond, it wasn't even making anymore noise. Then she saw it. The cat lying in a bundle of fur and blood. Its head turned in an unnatural position. The chest was carved open and blood was oozing out from it. The gory sight had her blood curdling and her hair standing on end.

what the hell happened here ? What sick thing could be capable of such? And what if it was still lurking? 

The notion didn't bode well with her and so she turned to flee scene. Instead, she ran into a solid wall of muscles and leather. Strong hands grabbed by the shoulder and shook  her roughly.

"Miss Brookes, we finally get to meet," the muscled man said in a thickly accented voice. It was only later that Hailey could place the accent as Russian.

"I'll give you whatever you want.. anything...just don't hurt me please." He seemed to consider what she had said and then replied in a cold, measured voice.

"I need the blood orchid."

"Blood what? I've  never heard of that I swear it . You must have me mistaken for someone else i don't know what that is," Hailey rambled on with apprehension. 

For reply, he started squeezing her shoulders tightly and then she felt something sharp dig into skin. Pain shot right through her and she screamed out.

"Shhh, the cold voice came again, no ones coming to save you." Hailey nodded out of fright, tears already streaming down her face.

"Now, i'll ask again, where is the Blood Orchid?"  Scarcely had the words left his mouth when someone hit him hard from the back. He groaned in pain, releasing Hailey. She dropped weakly to the ground and watched as her captor turned to face his assailant. He was quickly flung aside and the other person came towards her. The last person she expected to see Trey Kristov, but here he was in flesh and blood muttering something about staying down to her. He stood up and Hailey thought she saw his eyes change to a golden yellow. She also thought she heard him growl. With the fact that she had lost quite some blood and had hit her head hard on falling, she wasn't quite sure if she wasn't just imagining things. As she slipped off into unconsciousness, the last thing she heard was a snarl and more growling.

"oh boy, what in the hell was happening?"