The words were simple, spoken in Grey's usual soft, flat tone. But their meaning was no different from a bucket of ice water pouring down on Amy and Snow, Emma on the other hand couldn't control her lips from curling upwards as she held back her laughter.

Amy froze. Her hand, which had been resting on Grey's arm, went stiff. "W-What did you say?" she stammered, retracting her hand, her voice turning small all of a sudden.

The words were said by Grey and yet, the chill in it was far different. It wasn't the gentle, slightly awkward voice of the girl she'd just been sharing childhood stories with.

Ever so slowly, Amy turned her head to look at Grey, But she didn't need to complete the turn, for, from the corner of her eye, she saw a change she never expected.

Grey's warm expression was gone, replaced by an icy look one would've expected from Snow, her lips stretching across her face and revealing a mouth that was no longer filled with ordinary human teeth, but elongated, razor-sharp fangs, glinting in the firelight. And Grey's sapphire blue eyes, now held a faint, eerie internal glow, like moonlight on a frozen lake.

The friendly girl from the forest walk was gone. In her place stood something more horrific.

******

The air around the campfire, which had been filled with the warm smells of cooking and the comfortable sounds of settling in, now felt thin and brittle. Grey's simple, chilling statement hung between them like a knife waiting to drop.

Snow's was wide eyed, yet silent, her blue eyes locked on Grey as if seeing her for the first time. Her carefully maintained composure cracked, revealing a flicker of pure shock.

' What's suddenly gotten into her.' she wondered.

Grey's head tilted at Snows on reaction, she expected her to be happy and yet she looked like she wasn't in the least, a faint frown creased her brow, Her fanged smile faded, replaced by an expression of genuine confusion.

"What? Did I say anything wrong?" she asked, her voice still carrying that unsettling, hollow chill. She looked from Snow's stunned face to Amy's frozen one, as if seeking clarification. "She said she would take darling away from us…" Grey continued.

"We can just eat her and tell mother that a wild animal did it. That way she can't separate darling from us…"

She took a small step forward, her glowing eyes fixed on Amy with a possessive intensity that was far more terrifying than any snarl. "He's ours… not hers. We can't let her take him away from us." Her voice began to change, losing its flat monotone and gaining a ragged, obsessive edge.

"We can't. We can't. We can't. We can't. We can't. We can't. We can't...." Each repetition became more and more agitated with time, as if she was struggling to hold herself back even at this very moment.

Snow finally tore her gaze from Grey to look at Amy. Her expression was unreadable, yet it looked like she was pondering everything that had played out. No one could tell what thoughts were truly running behind those serpentine blue eyes of hers.

A brittle, forced laugh broke the silence. "Hahaha… this isn't funny," Amy said yet she looked completely devoid of humour.

"I like jokes, but don't you three think this is going a bit too far?" The unease in her voice was visible.

She had known, intellectually, that Grey wasn't human. But knowing and standing two feet away from a creature calmly discussing eating you as a solution to a romantic rivalry were two very different things. Grey's speech had also violently clarified that Snow and the silent, watchful Emma were not human either. The cozy fantasy of simply winning over a boy from some strange village girls evaporated, replaced by a much more primal struggle for survival.

Instinctively, Amy tried to take a step back, to put space between herself and the unsettling trio. She hadn't gone far when her body bumped into something small and solid. She whipped her head around only to realise that Emma was there.

The very same girl that was standing next to Snow, moments ago, had actually moved behind her without a sound. Emma's lips were curled upward in a slight, unnerving smile that didn't reach her glittering emerald eyes. A sadistic light returning to her eyes.

Amy's blood ran cold at the sight. She glanced around and stiffened when she realised that she was surrounded. "What do you two think you're doing…" she hissed, looking every bit tense. never did she think it would all turn out like this. This wasn't a petty squabble anymore.

Neither Grey nor Emma answered with words. Instead, they began to move closer towards her. inching toward her from the front and the side. As they moved, their mouths parted further. Grey's fangs gleamed anew, and now Emma's own needle-sharp teeth were revealed, the appearance of such teeth on a beautiful petite face like hers was a bit unnerving.

Amy's hands unconsciously reached into her fur cloth, grabbing a hold of something within her cloth but her conscience had her contemplating on whether to use it or not.

"That's enough." Snow's voice finally dispelled the unnatural tension.

She wasn't looking at Amy anymore but was glaring at her two supernatural sisters. "Are you trying to get darling in trouble?" she demanded, sounds angry.

The mention of Adrian, of causing him harm or distress, acted like a spell. Grey's predatory focus wavered. Her head tilted again, the eerie glow in her eyes flickering.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, genuine confusion mixing with her menace.

"All we're doing is getting rid of her before she's causing darling more trouble." In her mind, she believed that she was protecting him, sparing him the pain and complication Amy represented. She remembered the strained look on Adrian's face as he rejected Amy, and it fueled her resolve.

"I understand what you're trying to do," Snow said, her voice lowering, before she took a step closer to Grey, putting herself partially between the wolf-girl and their intended prey. "But did you for once stop and think? Whether we like it or not, darling still cares for her." Snow paused at this point, looking a bit hurt, but she bit her lower lip and continued.

" He has a history with her. If you eat her, what do you think would happen?" She let the question hang, her eyes drilling into Grey's. "Wouldn't he be heartbroken? Or maybe even furious? What if…" Snow's voice dropped to a terrified whisper, her own lips trembling slightly. "What if he decides to hate all of us instead? For taking his friend from him?"

The word "hate" struck Grey like a physical blow. All the beastly certainty drained from her face. The fangs retracted, the eerie light in her eyes snuffed out, leaving her looking pale and suddenly very young. Her hand flew to her chest, clutching at the fabric of her dress over her heart as a dull, awful ache spread through her.

' But I don't want darling to hate me…' The thought was more terrifying than any she'd experienced before.

Emma, who had been watching the exchange with detached interest, let out a soft, derisive scoff. The next moment, her fangs vanished, her predatory stance melting away into one of casual boredom.

As if the entire life-and-death drama had suddenly become tiresome, she simply turned on her heel and walked away, soon retreating into the carriage.

Grey stared at the spot where Emma had been, then back at Snow. The fight had gone out of her. She looked deflated, upset. "I guess we won't eat you then…" she grumbled, her voice now its usual soft tone, like a child who's meal had been postponed.

With a last, sullen glance at Amy, she too turned and trudged away.

Left alone with Snow, Amy finally allowed herself to inhale, a deep, shuddering breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. The tension drained from her shoulders, leaving her feeling weak-kneed. She had put on a brave front, but the cold certainty of death had been inches away.

Amy's worry didn't come from having to deal with the three of them, but of what Adrian would have to do if their identities were revealed to the other's. Not to mention the mercenaries who might raise up arms to slay them, which Adrian wouldn't let happen, but might end up in him having to risk his own life.

Amy stared at Snow who began following after the others. Not knowing how to feel.

" Thank you..." She muttered, making the gorgon pause in her step.

" Think nothing of it... I only did it because of him, if a situation really did present itself." She paused, turning around to stare at Amy. " I wouldn't mind being the one to swallow you whole." She ended with a cruel smile before continuing on.

' That being said... You're not completely terrible for a human...' Snow thought to herself, s

tealing one fleeting glance at her. Recalling how she seemed so protective of Grey back then.

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