The Little Cheeseboy

Chapter 9

Hugo looked outside his cabin window still thinking about what the twins had told him. He had only met Isabel but he had already fallen for her. He liked her a lot and he couldn't suppress the feelings she brought upon him. Hugo never had a girlfriend before or any romantic experiences so this was new terrain for him and part of that was the reason he was afraid of all of this. 

Isabel looked over to the pondering cheese boy who seemed to be lost in thought. 

"Hugo?" Isabel asked the teenage boy that was ignoring her.

 "Hugo!" Isabel yelled startling him a bit. 

"Oh, sorry Isabel I wasn't paying any attention to anything," Hugo said blushing at the pretty redhead. 

"You don't say?" Isabel said in an annoyed tone. 

"Sorry," he responded frowning. 

"Are you okay?" Isabel asked in a softer tone. 

"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm okay," Hugo said going back into his own thought. 

"You sure?" Isabel asked again. 

"Positive," Hugo said with a thumbs up trying to hide his blush. 

"Okay then," Isabel said still looking at the cheese boy. 

She also had confused feelings about Hugo and how he should feel towards him as well. She'd also barely met him but there was something about him that made her feel warm whenever she was around him. He was her friend and she cherished that but a part of her wanted more. 

These feelings towards Hugo made her afraid since Hugo did not appear to be human but there were times Isabel could see the human that lived inside him filled with emotions. She also liked him but she kept rejecting the feelings that she was slowly filling her empty bottle. 

When her mother had passed away she held her feelings inside of her, she didn't show any pain to anyone and held herself isolated for a long time.

 One thing about bottling feelings is that the bottle will eventually overfill itself and explode and that happened to her. She couldn't hold these feelings inside her forever and when she released them she found her father there to comfort her. 

This was different though, Isabel wanted to release these feelings but she didn't have the courage to do so. Fear and insecurity were always present whenever she wanted to come out despite her adventurous nature. 

"Hugo, how did you deal with your curse after it happened?" Isabel asked Hugo which made him look at her curiously due to her sudden question. 

"To be honest it has been hard to deal with. I have been a cheese boy for a while now so I got used to it eventually. Being far from my mother has been the hardest though and it's something I can't get over even to this day. I miss her but I also understand I can't go back right now," Hugo said frowning at the last part.  

"I see," Isabel said frowning as well. 

"It's never easy to get over certain things is it?" Isabel said looking down unable to look at Hugo. 

"Maybe but we can learn to look at the past for what it is and make way for a better beginning," Hugo said thoughtfully. 

"I guess so," Isabel said looking at the same window Hugo was originally looking at. 

Hugo took this opportunity to look at Isabel and examine her beautiful features. 

Her red locks draped over her shoulders while her blue eyes reflected themselves in the window. Her lips held a curved yet delicate shape and her freckles looked like stars that spread across her face. 

Hugo felt his breath being taken away by the sight of Isabel. Both their thoughts were interrupted when an abrupt announcement was made in the intercom. 

"Fellow passengers," the smug yet familiar voice said. 

Both Isabel and Hugo felt fear wash over them when the voice spoke menacingly. "We are searching for two delinquents one who goes by the name Isabel Jones and is the only human redhead on this train and Hugo Horvart that is also the only cheese boy on this train as well," the voice said.

 "Crap," Isabel said under her breath. 

"How did he find us?" Hugo asked. 

" I don't know," Isabel said clearly scared. 

"Guys what happened?!" Mark asked seriously. 

"Munink found us," Hugo stated.

 "We have to get out of here," Isabel said. 

"How if the train is moving?" Hugo asked. 

"I have an idea, follow me," Mark said before running outside the cabin. 

The teens ran throughout the train following Mark and Joe as different fingers pointed at them. Isabel could feel the deadly glares that some freaks sent her for being "human".

 Hugo had told her humans were not accepted in this magical place and that put her under a lot of stress. 

"There goes the human!" one of the freaks said menacingly which sent Munink's sword throwing minions after them. 

"They're following us!" Isabel screamed as Munink's minions began throwing knives at them similar to the way they did at the circus. 

Isabel could feel the daggers miss her body as she continued to run following Mark throughout the different train rooms. Hugo also continued to run feeling a huge amount of adrenaline course throughout his body until he felt a sharp pang on his right leg. 

Hugo looked at his wounded leg which was bleeding nacho cheese instead of regular blood but the pain was strong nonetheless. Hugo let out a shriek that was loud enough for Isabel to hear. 

Without a thought, Isabel carried Hugo bridal style as before running behind Mark again who led them to the outdoor balcony of the train. Hugo clenched onto Isabel's shoulders as Mark looked out at the moving train. 

"What now?" Isabel asked holding onto Hugo. 

"We jump," Mark said bluntly. 

"What?!" both Isabel and Hugo exclaimed.

 "Look it's our best shot right now unless you guys want to be stabbed by Munink's minions," Mark said bluntly again.  

Isabel looked down below the moving train, it was steep and filled with pine trees which would be a hazard if they jumped down. 

"It's too high!" Isabel said as her hair blew across her face. 

Mark didn't say anything, instead, he grabbed Isabel's wrist and pulled her off the train making the four teens fall off the train with a pair of screams following them.