Fire in Your Hands

Young Butcher

By the time they left the airport, it was already quite late. Elysia spent the night at the hotel with Russ. When she woke up groggily the next morning, she had missed a dozen calls from Edward.

"Your brother must be worrying sick now." Russ who was still in sleep mumbled with great effort.

"Great." Elysia blocked her brother's number right away. The hardships she had encountered on the trip made the small grievances in her heart grow, and she blamed her brother for everything.

But after cooling down a bit, she still posted a status update on sss saying she was safe and sound, making it visible only to her family. She couldn't deny that deep down, she was very family-oriented. In order to stay close to the family, she hadn’t even gone abroad for university, choosing to study near home.

She was used to being the center of attention and care since childhood. Hence, being forced into an arranged marriage hurt her even more, and she was furious with her brother.

Thinking, she then decisively pulled out the unlimited credit card her brother had given her from her wallet and snapped it in half, as if she wanted to sever ties with him entirely.

The crisp snap woke Russ, who jolted upright in bed. "Hey! Do you have money to just throw it away like that?"

"Well, don’t you? I came to you because you’re rich too." Elysia blinked innocently at her. The two were college mates and close as sisters, so sharing everything was the norm.

However, Russ hesitated to reveal her own situation, that she had also had a falling-out with her family and was now working part-time while studying, struggling to make ends meet. Both of them were runaway princesses, neither better off than the other.

After learning the truth, Elysia was taken aback for a while. She then crossed out a long list of plans in her notebook, leaving only two.

"I've figured it out," she read out to Russ. "First, I must complete the advanced course at the Royal Academy of Arts, so the trip isn't wasted. Second, I'll create new artworks, exhibit them, and sell them. Then we'll have money." As for the initial funds, she still had some money from selling her paintings during her student days. At home, she had everything she wanted, so she never really paid attention to her own savings. Now, however, she was wholly reliant on them. This made her feel an unexpected sense of accomplishment and boosted her confidence.

But as someone who had experienced the same struggles, Russ worried for her. "Honey, we're really on our own, huh?"

Russ's suggestion was to just enjoy a short break and return home, as it was hard out there, especially for someone like Elysia, who was a pampered princess.

Elysia was adamant, stating, "If I don't want to accept my family's arrangements, I must learn to live independently. If I only knew how to throw tantrums, my brother would never let go."

Anger aside, she had given the matter serious thought on the way. Respect and freedom have to be earned.

"Alright." Russ sighed, rubbing her temples. "Let's not think too far ahead. Let's find you a place to stay first."

Renting in London, known for its exorbitant housing prices, wasn't easy, especially with a limited budget and Elysia wanting a spacious place. After searching online all morning, they finally found an affordable old mansion for rent.

The next day, as they arrived to finalize the lease, Elysia stood outside for quite some time, hesitant to go in.

The mansion was genuinely old, with ivy covering its exterior walls. The vast living room was empty except for a dark fireplace, making it a perfect setting for a horror movie.

"Scared?" Russ teased.

"Not at all," Elysia bravely entered and took a look around, forcing a smile, "It's great, the open space is perfect for a studio."

She then quickly shifted the topic, asking Russ, "Oh, by the way, I need a new model for my paintings. Can you help?"

Upon hearing this request, Russ immediately waved her hands in dismissal.

Elysia's painting style was classical realism, portraying subjects in a realistic and ethereal manner, mainly focusing on human portraits reminiscent of renowned artworks like "The Birth of Venus." Influenced by the Florentine school of the Renaissance, her works integrated contemplations on desire, divinity, and ideals. But Russ, not understanding these artistic concepts, simply summed it up as "Elysia loves to paint nude handsome men."

Choosing a model wasn't easy either. Elysia's standards were incredibly high. Once, Russ had introduced her to a hundred top male models, but none met her criteria.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Russ was baffled.

As they chatted and shopped for basic living essentials, they passed through an alley across from an older neighborhood.

Lost in thought, Elysia struggled to answer Russ's question. The kind of person she wanted to paint was someone with... And just then, an image flashed in her mind — broad shoulders, dark hair, deep eyes, a pair of cold yet enticing sculptured hands with a mole between the fingers, exuding both divinity and temptation.

"That kind of feeling," she murmured.

"What kind?" Russ was puzzled.

Before Elysia could elaborate, she felt a jolt in her vision, thinking she spotted the silhouette of that man from her memory walking distantly across the street. She quickly turned to look, but the alley was empty, with only the wind blowing.

She must've been mistaken. Staring in that direction, she felt a tinge of disappointment. This mysterious man, whose name she didn't even know, had inexplicably entered her thoughts more than once. Perhaps she was still the same as when she was young, a princess in a castle who would remember forever anyone who saved her, let alone twice.

"What are you looking at?" Russ snapped her back to reality and pointed at the direction she had been staring, "I've checked. That area is called Butcher's Valley, a dangerous place where girls often go missing. The shops there are known to be shady. Don't go there alone."

Upon hearing the name, Elysia felt a chill crawl up her neck. "Butcher’s Valley". Such a macabre sense of naming by the British. Just hearing it conjured images of human meat buns.

So they intentionally took a detour, avoiding Butcher’s Valley, heading down the main road to the supermarket. Their conversation shifted from artistic pursuits to everyday necessities.

After Russ meticulously selected some essentials for Elysia, she left to attend to her own affairs. And so, Elysia's solo adventure began.

With a mixture of excitement and trepidation, Elysia returned alone to the desolate old house. She imagined herself chopping wood, lighting fires, cooking meals, and then, during her free time, snuggling in a blanket by the fireside, relishing in peace and freedom.

However, daydreams are often kinder than reality.

Firstly, there was no heating in the old mansion. As deep autumn approached, the temperatures dropped close to zero once darkness fell.

Wrapped in her thin clothes, Elysia attempted to light the living room fireplace. Initially unaware that it required some technique, she wasted all her matches before begrudgingly giving up. She decided to huddle under her blankets and wait for the dawn.

Yet, the next mishap struck — the old rusty pipes in the bathroom burst, flooding the mattress she had placed directly on the floor. In an effort to save her bedding from getting completely soaked, she dragged it upstairs. Amidst this chaos, she tripped on the stairs, stubbed her toe, and got splashed with cold water, all before she could finally turn off the main valve. By then, the first-floor carpet was drenched, turning the entire area into a swamp with puddles everywhere.

Staggering through the watery mess, Elysia finally took a moment to rest, her stomach growled mournfully.

Having been picky and not eaten properly for the past couple of days, and now exhausted, she felt a painful pang of hunger. Although she had some cookies and chips Russ bought for her, a few bites made her feel even worse. She never liked junk food in the first place.

Checking the time, it was 11 p.m. After some hesitation, she decided to brave the outdoors, hoping to stumble upon a 24-hour Chinese restaurant.

Soon after she stepped out, rain began to pour, intensifying with every minute.

Without an umbrella and already damp from the house's mishap, Elysia was quickly drenched. After a lengthy run, she noticed a lit-up butcher shop and quickly took shelter under its eaves.

Collecting herself, she realized she was standing right in the dreaded Butcher’s Valley, the same area Russ had warned her about due to its history of frequent female disappearances. Against this ominous backdrop, the dimly lit butcher shop behind her sent shivers down her spine.

How could her night get any worse? Cold, hungry, and terrified.

Misery often begets tears, and feeling overwhelmed, Elysia felt her eyes moisten.

Just then, there was a soft tap-tap behind her. Someone was knocking on the window of the butcher shop.

She jumped, turning around to face a familiar yet unfamiliar visage. The man gently tapped the window again, drawing her attention.

Through the old patterned glass of the shop, their eyes met. The pane's design blurred the man's features, making him appear all the more enigmatic and dangerous.

For a moment, Elysia recalled all of Russ's warnings about the perilous area and its unsavory inhabitants.

But still, without giving it another thought, she pushed open the door of the butcher shop.

The doorbell chimed crisply. The young butcher, dressed in white, placed his knife down and looked up, his gaze resting on the unexpected visitor. He appeared unfazed, his demeanor nonchalant.

There seemed to be a momentary freeze in the atmosphere before it began to ripple. Perhaps it was the growl of Elysia's stomach that disrupted the silence.

Soaked to the bone, she blinked back tears, which rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably.

"It really is you... Why is it that every time I see you, I'm so hungry?"