UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #1)(48)

“Not exactly, Mina. There is a word for her kind in your world, I believe?”

“I don’t understand.” She turned and picked up a large rock and held it in her hands.

“An older woman who preys on the attention of younger men, she uses them, eats them up and spits them out?”

“A cougar?” Mina asked in disbelief.

Jared snorted again, “A man-eater.”

“OH!” Mina replied still dumbfounded. She thought back on the young Claire with her red heels and brightly painted nails, the way she sashayed when she walked and thrived on the younger male attention. It made sense.

“Your teacher was lax in his duties to watch after you and you entered the factory alone, the same as the incompetent father in the tale. Then you were greeted by the young hungry female man-eater who lured boys into her clutches with her good looks. She’s quite a bit older than she looks by the way.”

“What 30?”

“Older.”

“40?”

“Try 120.”

“How is that physically possible? I mean I saw her she didn’t look a day over 30!”

“It’s the power of the tale. This particular Grimm fairy tale was set in motion a hundred years ago in preparation for you.” Jared turned and stepped closer to Mina. “Think back, didn’t she seem familiar to you?”

“She did seem familiar but where have I seen her before? I wouldn’t know anyone 120 years old?”

“Come on, Mina. You have to figure this out for yourself; I can’t solve all of the tales for you? Think hard.”

Mina tried. A picture of a smiling Claire flashed into her mind and then a Claire’s face after the accident seared itself into her brain. She was no longer smiling but somber; and then she knew where she had seen the woman before. “Mrs. Brimwell the severe wife of Larry Brimwell, the founder of the company.” Mina remembered the stern unsmiling blonde woman from the mural.

“Very good, anyone else?” Jared smiled encouragingly.

“Well B.J. looks like the young boy but there are some slight differences.”

“That’s because he’s not the boy from the mural. He is Brimwell Jr. He is in fact Claire’s great grandson, although he doesn’t know it.”

“How can that be possible, how come the boy aged but Claire didn’t?”

“Because the tale didn’t need both of them to live forever. Just one and the makings for the Hansel and Gretel tale was all there, so fate used what it had. It helps that Claire is part Fae and won’t age as long as she continues to bring young boys and girls through the factory. The power of the tale keeps her young, she literally feeds off the energy of the youth, especially boys. I told you earlier that Fae feed off of human energy and feelings.

She also can’t leave the grounds of the factory, which is why she alone does all of the tours, she doesn’t understand why it works the way it does, but she is quite content with the fact that she won’t age.”

“But what happens now?”

“Well, you saved Hansel from being fed to the man-eater by interrupting the tour and causing Brody to fall and then save him. Brimwell Jr. won’t allow any more tours for fear of a law suit. You, Mina, outsmarted the story's old woman, or witch, and completed the tale.”

“But doesn’t the story end with the old woman getting pushed into the oven and burned alive?” Mina shivered at the thought. “I can’t do that.”

“Doesn’t have to. As long as you fulfill certain requirements of the tales, the Story will be satisfied. The heroine saved the boy and defeated the witch, the power of that tale has ended and so with it the enchantment that kept Claire young, will fade away and she will age and die. When she dies, the tale will be complete.”

“Oh,” Mina was saddened. Her actions will now cause Claire to die.

“Relax, Mina she had lived a very long and youthful life, it’s time for her to join her son and husband.” Jared tried to be consoling but it made it seem like he was taking it too casually for her.

“I feel horrible, like I’ve done something wrong.” Mina clutched her stomach and sat down on the edge. It was worse than she imagined, she didn’t have the stomach to do the task put at hand before her.

“So do you see why you can’t run anymore Mina? Your mother can no longer protect you. You’ve already completed two of the Grimm tales. Hansel and Gretel and another lesser tale when you found the Grimoire.”

Mina shook her head. “I feel sick, you should leave.”

Jared reached down and helped her back up. He kept one hand on her elbow and led her to the fire escape steps. Mina barely held onto him and he had to reach down and make sure her hands still had a hold on the railing. He would have hated to have her fall and injure herself; he needed her to finish what she had started.

He felt a sense of guilt at what he was putting her through. Then he remembered he had a part to play and shouldn’t be feeling any emotions regarding the girl. Jared decided he needed to steel himself against her, harden his feelings.

When she maneuvered the steps to her window, Mina was so exhausted she didn’t even confront Jared on how he knew where she lived. She had begun to accept the fact that there were numerous things about Jared that she would never understand and she was too tired to care.