Special Blood

Ice Prince

Okay, let me tell you my story properly. My name is Ava. Yes, just Ava! And up until recently, I was literally the happiest, luckiest, and most spoiled girl in the entire universe! I swear!

I had everything a girl could ever dream of! My closet was bigger than a supermarket! I had shoes that could fill up a whole swimming pool! I ate food so delicious and expensive, it tasted like magic! My parents loved me so much, they would literally catch the stars and put them in a box for me if I asked! Life was perfect! It was like eating a giant mountain of strawberry ice cream every single second of the day! Sweet, cold, and absolutely amazing!

But hey, they say good things never last forever, right? Especially when you are the main character in a big dramatic story like me! Trouble is always hiding behind the door, waiting to jump on you like a crazy cat!

And boy, did trouble come! It came like a huge, heavy tsunami wave that swallowed everything!

It all started on a very dark and gloomy day. The sky was grey and crying buckets of rain, just like my heart was about to cry. I was coming home from shopping (yes, I was still buying things because I didn't know our money was gone yet! I am so clueless sometimes, haha!).

I opened the big front door expecting to smell my mom’s delicious cooking or hear my dad laughing at the TV. But nope! The whole house smelled like worry, sadness, and old wet socks! The air was so heavy you could almost touch it! It was scary!

I walked into the living room and froze instantly. My feet stopped moving!

My parents were sitting on the sofa holding hands tight. They looked like they had seen a ghost! Their faces were white as paper, their eyes were big and round like saucers, and they looked so tired and old!

"Mom? Dad? What's wrong?" I asked, putting my shopping bags down slowly. "Did the cat run away? Or did we run out of chocolate? Because that is a tragedy but we can fix it!"

My father put his head in his hands and let out a huge groan that sounded like a dying whale! Ooooooohhhhh...

"Ava... my sweet child..." my mom said, her voice shaking like a leaf blowing in the strong wind. "We have... we have a very, very BIG problem."

Turns out, it wasn't just a problem. It was a DISASTER! It was the end of the world!

My father’s big company, the thing that made us rich and famous, crashed! BOOM! Just like that! It fell down like a tower made of cards that someone blew on super hard! Gone! Poof! Vanished into thin air!

We lost all our money. Every single cent! We owed so much money to other people, it was like a mountain of debt so tall it touched the sky!

"We are bankrupt, Ava," Dad said finally, looking at me with eyes full of pain and tears. "We have nothing left. The house, the cars, everything will be taken away by the people we owe money to."

I stood there with my mouth wide open. My brain literally stopped working for a whole minute!

Bankrupt? Me? Ava? The girl who used to throw away clothes just because I wore them once? Now I have no money? Is this a joke? Is this some kind of prank show?

"No way! No way!" I shouted, shaking my head wildly. "Tell me this is not real! Tell me you are acting! It's not funny guys! Stop it right now!"

But it was real. It was painfully, horribly real.

And then, to make it even worse, the door burst open!

BAM!

The sound was so loud it made the windows shake!

In walked the bad men. Oh my gosh, they were terrifying!

They were huge, tall, muscular like giant trees! They wore black suits and dark sunglasses even though it was dark and rainy outside! They looked like walking monsters with mean faces!

"Mr. Wilson!" the leader said. His voice was deep and rough like stones grinding together. "Time is up! Where is our money?!"

My father stood up trying to look brave, but he looked like a little mouse facing a hungry cat! "Please... give us more time! Just a little bit more time!"

"No more time!" the bad man screamed, hitting his hand on the table so hard things jumped up! "You promised! If you don't pay tonight... we take the girl!"

THE GIRL?!

They looked at me! Their eyes were greedy and scary!

I hid behind my mom instantly! My heart started beating like a drum machine on fire! THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP! It was so loud I thought they could hear it!

"Take me? Take me where?!" I stammered, feeling my legs turn into jelly. "I am not a thing! I am a human being! You can't just take me like I am a bag of rice or a sofa!"

"You are the payment!" the man sneered evilly, looking at me like I was a piece of meat. "Come with us nicely, or we carry you out and make you suffer!"

I was so scared I wanted to cry! I wanted to run away! I wanted to turn into a butterfly and fly far far away! But my feet were stuck to the floor like glue!

This was it! My life was over! I was going to be taken by bad guys! I would never eat pizza again! I would never wear pretty dresses again! I would be locked in a dark room forever!

I closed my eyes and tears started rolling down my cheeks like waterfalls! Goodbye world! You were nice while it lasted!

Just as the scary man walked towards me to grab my arm...

A voice came from the entrance.

A voice so cold, so deep, and so powerful, it made the air in the room turn into ice!

"I think... you are disturbing my future family."

I think my heart literally stopped beating for a few seconds! I forgot how to breathe! I forgot I was in danger! I just stared at him with my mouth wide open like a stupid goldfish!

He was... he was... breathtaking! He was so handsome it actually hurt my eyes to look at him! Like, seriously! How can one person be that perfect?! It should be illegal to look that good!

He was super tall! Like, giant tall! A walking tower made of marble! He was wearing a perfect black suit that looked so expensive, it probably cost more than our whole house used to cost! His hair was dark, shiny, and perfectly styled. His face... oh wow! His face was carved by angels! Sharp jawline, perfect nose, and skin as white and smooth as fresh snow!

But his eyes! Oh my days! His eyes were cold! So cold they could freeze the entire ocean! They were dark, deep, and mysterious like two big black holes. He looked like a Prince from a fairy tale, but also like a scary Ice King who could kill you with just one look!

"Who... who are you?" the leader of the bad guys stammered.

I swear, the big scary man was shaking! He looked terrified of this new guy! That’s how powerful Matthew looked!

The handsome man walked slowly into the room. Step by step. Click... click... click... went his expensive leather shoes on the floor. He walked with so much confidence, he looked like he owned the whole world!

He walked right in front of me. He stood between me and the bad guys like a human shield! A very hot, very expensive shield! I felt safe instantly, even though I didn't know him!

"My name is Matthew," he said. His voice was smooth like silk, but also sharp like a knife! It sent shivers down my spine! "And I am here to settle the debt."

He waved his hand slightly. Suddenly, more men appeared behind him. They were also big and scary, but they looked like professional bodyguards. They carried big black briefcases.

"Open it," Matthew commanded coldly.

His men opened the briefcases.

I almost fainted!

They were FULL OF MONEY! Stacks and stacks and stacks of crisp cash! So much money you could swim in it! It was green and shiny and beautiful! It was like a mountain of gold!

"Take it," Matthew said, looking at the bad guys like they were just dirty ants under his shoes. "All of it. It is more than what they owe you. Now... get out of my sight. And if you ever come back here again... I will make you regret being born."

His voice was so low and dangerous! The bad guys didn't say a single word! They grabbed the money and ran away like scared little rabbits! They were gone in seconds! Poof! Disappeared!

Silence came back to the room. But it was a different kind of silence. It was the silence of shock and wonder!

I was still standing there staring at Matthew. Who was he? Why did he save us? Was he an angel sent from heaven? Or was he another kind of monster?

My father walked towards him, shaking like a leaf. He held Matthew’s hand with both of his own. "Sir! Thank you! Thank you so much! You saved our lives! You are our hero!"

Matthew didn't smile. He didn't even look happy. He just nodded his head slightly, looking bored. "I do not do things for free, Mr. Wilson. You know that."

Oh right! Oh right! Nothing is free in this world! Especially not millions and millions of dollars! I knew it! I knew there was a catch!

My parents looked nervous again. "Yes... yes of course! What do you want? Tell us! We will give you the company! We will sign anything! Just tell us!"

Matthew turned around slowly. His eyes moved past my parents... and locked right on me!

Oh no! He was looking at ME!

His eyes were intense! He looked at me from head to toe like he was checking if I was good quality or something! Like I was a bag of apples he was buying at the market! I felt shy, I felt small, but also... my tummy had butterflies flying around like crazy! It was weird!

He walked closer to me. Step by step. He stopped right in front of my face. He was so tall I had to lift my head all the way up just to look at his chin!

"She is the one," he whispered softly. More to himself than to anyone else. "Perfect. She has the aura I need."

"Uh... excuse me?" I said, finding my voice. I tried to sound brave and sassy even though my legs were jelly! "Who are you talking about? Me? What do you want from me? Are you going to take my parents away? Or are you going to take the house? Because I tell you now, I am not afraid of you! I kick hard!"

Matthew looked at me. He raised one perfect eyebrow.

"I want neither the house nor your parents," he said calmly.

He looked at my parents again, his voice firm and strong.

"I will pay all your debts. I will save your company. I will make you rich again. You will have everything back. Safety, money, status, everything."

"Then... what is the price?" my father asked, scared to hear the answer.

Matthew pointed his finger straight at me.

"The price is... her."

I gasped so loud I almost choked on air! "ME?! What do you mean you want me?! I am not a toy! I am not a car! You can't just buy me like that! What are you going to do with me? Make me your servant?!"

Matthew didn't blink. He looked serious as a rock!

"I want you to marry me."

MARRY HIM?!

BOOM! My brain literally exploded!

I thought I was going to faint and fall flat on the floor! Marry? Me? Marry this stranger? This man who looks like an ice statue? This man who just appeared out of thin air?!

"Marry... you?" I whispered, my voice sounding like a squeaky mouse! "But... but I don't even know you! I don't know your favorite color! I don't know if you snore when you sleep! I don't know if you eat vegetables! You can't just ask to marry me! This is crazy! This is insane! This is... this is..."

"It is the only deal," Matthew interrupted me. His voice left no space for arguing! "You marry me for one year. We sign a contract. After one year, you are free to go. And your family is safe forever."

He leaned down a little bit, getting closer to my face. I could smell his scent. It was cold, fresh, and smelled like night air and expensive things!

"So, Ava... what is your answer? Save your family... or let them fall?"

I looked at my parents. They were crying, looking at me with so much hope and sadness.

I looked at Matthew’s handsome but scary face.

I realized I had no choice. I was Ava. I was the daughter. And I had to be brave!

I took a deep breath. I puffed out my chest.

"Okay! Fine! I will marry you!" I said, trying to sound cool and tough! "But listen to me carefully, Mr. Matthew! You have to be nice to me! You have to buy me good food! You have to let me buy shoes! And if you are mean, I will bite you! Deal?!"

Matthew stared at me for a second. Then, a tiny little smile appeared on his lips. It was so small, but it made him look even more dangerous and handsome!

"Deal."

And just like that, my life changed forever. I was no longer just a rich girl. I was now the wife of a mysterious man named Matthew.

And I had no idea... that I was walking right into the arms of a monster.