Maleficent

Bentley Harper sat alone beneath the shade of a forest green café umbrella. A porcelain cup sat snugly atop its dish, the boy’s fingers slowly spinning the cup as he stared with intense concentration at his phone. A frown set into his face, not changing for almost fifteen minutes until I decided to finally make my way over.

“Bentley,” I said tonelessly, taking a seat at his table.

Almost immediately he smiled, appearing to be a kind greeting but the longer I waited, the more sinister it became. I shivered inwardly at the unsettling smile, forcing myself to shake the feeling off. His grin only widened, bright blue eyes flashing devilishly, as if he could read my thoughts.

“Raven,” he returned with a slight nod. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Slowly but surely, Bentley was beginning to change. His eyes had hardened, piercing through me with distrust and contempt. Once upon a time he had adored me; following my steps like a little puppy, his attempts at wooing me not going unnoticed. And yet, here we were, the hatred simmering civilly between us as I saw through the lies he’d created. I didn’t understand any of it.

“Who are you?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. Leaning back in my chair, I folded my arms over my chest in the hopes that I didn’t show the fear shaking my body.

Bentley’s blue eyes sparkled with dark mischief. “Tut tut,” he clucked. “Do you really think I’d give my name up so easily?” Flashing his pearly whites at me, he winked, mimicking me as he leaned back and crossed his arms.

I frowned, giving a sigh of frustration at his amused grin. “So you’ve been playing me all along?” I snapped.

Bentley laughed darkly, his eyes deepening a shade and yet still keeping that infuriatingly amused twinkle. This was like a game to him. Stringing me all along, making me believe in this fake world. I hated that he’d known all this time. I hated that he’d merely sat back and enjoyed the show. What had it gained him?

“Now now,” he answered slyly. “We both know that’s not why you’re here, little witch.”

He was right. I hadn’t come here to accuse him of hiding this secret. I sought him out for the one answer that Jeremy couldn’t provide me, and hopefully some way to sort this scrambled mess in my head.

“What happened to us?” I asked tightly.

As if his grin could get any wider, he gave me a smile reminding me eerily of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. Tilting his head to the side, he leaned in closer to me. “As luck would have it,” he whispered loudly. “I’m growing quite tired of this game.” He paused.

“What do you mean?”

He raised his brows. “It means I’ll tell you all you need to know, of course,” the boy exclaimed matter-of-factly. “Whatever your little heart desires.”

I wasn’t sure I liked his tone. The prolonged dark edge tinting his voice as he twirled his wrist at me in a mocking half-bow was probably what disturbed me the most. Having cracked past the shiny white shell, I’d gotten to a darker and deeper, more sinister being and he reeked of peril.

“And there is the matter of you doing a little something for me,” he added, his lips curling at the corners. “A deal, of sorts, in return.”

“Of course,” I muttered.

“Of course.”

The boy raised a brow at my defeated sigh, the smile never leaving his face. He could see the question in my glare which only seemed to amuse him more.

“Your first born will do,” he winked, and I groaned in exasperation.

This was going to be interesting.