The troll is snoring and I thankfully note that he is sound asleep. “Someone has to go pull those teeth quickly,” I whisper. The shifter shakes his head in refusal, which comes as no surprise, and Keagan takes a step backward. I look at Kole, praying that he won’t leave me alone.

“I’ll do it,” Kole whispers. “I’m stronger than all of you and can pull them out in less than a second.” I dislike that he plans to put himself at risk, but I agree with a nod.

Domino flies from my shoulder and lands on Kole’s, whispering something in his ear. His hazel eyes lighten and he shakes his head. She comes back and perches on my shoulder, not saying a word. Kole turns to the beast and I turn my attention to her. “What did you say?” I ask curiously. She pulls a sly grin onto her face and shakes her head.

My attention is entirely on Kole when something else becomes apparent beyond him. It looks like rope laying on top of the bone fragments. It piques my interest and I wonder why there would be rope lying beside a sleeping beast. It’s not like he needs a rope to capture his victims. It is the only human item, other than bones, in this cave. I allow my eyes to follow the rope across the cave floor and up the wall.

And I finally come to the realization that there really shouldn’t be rope lying around.

“Kole, stop!” I shout. He takes one more step before stopping, but it’s too late. His weight triggers the rope mechanism and a metallic net surrounds him, lifting him from the ground effortlessly and dangling him above the troll’s head. The snoring stops and the troll sits up, looking around the cave curiously.

“Visitors,” he moans before standing to his full height. His head doesn’t come close to the cave’s ceiling, but he has to be ten feet tall and five feet wide.

“We need a plan,” the shifter says from behind us. Domino flies from my shoulder and grabs a jagged rock from the ground before flying upward. She lands on the rope above Kole’s net, beyond the reach of the troll, and begins cutting.

“Oh, now he speaks,” I reply angrily. The troll looks at Kole and then back at us, ignoring him for the moment. “Hey, uh, Mr. Troll,” I shout up to him. He looks down at me as though I’m a speck of dust. “Can I ask a favor of you?” I ask kindly, hoping that he understands kindness.

“Are we friends, now?” He asks with an ounce of hope in his voice.

I cough into my hand, smelling his disgusting breath from a distance. “Of course. We can be friends,” I say to him. “But I need a favor.”

“I don’t have any friends. Nobody likes me,” he says solemnly, as though he doesn’t fully grasp what’s going on. My eyes veer to Domino, who is still cutting Kole’s rope. I need to buy her time.

“I’m Snow,” I say, taking a step in the troll’s direction. I’m risking a lot, but he seems lonely, and if I play my cards right, I may be able to get what I need from him. “What’s your name?”

“I don’t have a name,” he says. He bends down, getting closer to my face. I hold my breath, attempting to control my gag reflexes. “Snow is a pretty name. You are pretty. We are friends?” He asks again.

“Of course we are,” I lie. “But we can be best friends if you do me a favor,” I say. I look at Keagan and the shifter, who are standing many feet behind me in shock.

“Really?” He asks with a broad smile. His teeth are rotted and gums are blackened.

“Really,” I reply. “I need three of your teeth to help out my family. They are dying and your teeth will save them,” I say.

“I can help?” He asks in surprise. “I’ve never helped before.” Without hesitation, he reaches into his mouth and yanks out three of his front teeth. I grimace, realizing how painful such a thing must be. He wants friends so badly he would rip out his own teeth for someone. It’s sad to see such a lonely individual.

He isn’t scary. He’s simply lost and yearning for a friend. “Here you go,” he says, handing me the teeth with a toothless grin. He yanked out his front three teeth, so his smile is now lopsided and uneven. I reach for the three teeth in his filthy, dirt covered right hand and am disgusted to touch them. The roots of each of the teeth are bloody and the rest of them are black. I shove the teeth in my pocket, equally grateful and disgusted.

I hear the rope snap and Kole falls ten feet to the ground and lands with an oomph. He immediately begins separating the net from his limbs and freeing himself. The troll takes no notice of the man behind him. He turns his attention to Keagan and the shifter. “Will you be my friends, too?” the troll asks them. Keagan smiles falsely, evidently still terrified of the creature.

“Sure, buddy,” Keagan responds with a shaky voice. When the troll turns his attention to the shifter, he doesn’t say a word. I feel Domino land on my shoulder and hide behind my hair.

“What about you?” The troll asks the shifter. I look at Kole, who is standing behind the troll, unsure of how to get through.

The shifter stares at the troll with uncaring eyes and shakes his head. “I don’t like friends,” the shifter responds. I gasp and the troll stands to his full height.

“I eat people who aren’t my friends,” he says, reaching for the shifter. All the troll wanted was a friend, but the shifter couldn’t be civil for three seconds.

“Run!” I shout, standing my ground. If someone was able to drown Jasmine using her own body fluids, I might be able to do the same. The shifter and Keagan run while Domino flies off of my shoulder. I raise both of my arms and push all the power I can muster into the water inside his body. I pull at the fluid, attempting to force it into his lungs, but I can’t find enough power. I visualize the water perforating his lungs and fall backward, still using my remaining concentration on the troll.

“Friend?” He says sadly as his knees buckle. In my peripheral vision, I notice Kole running toward me, but I don’t break my concentration. I won’t kill him, but I need him to be incapacitated long enough for us to get away.

Kole lifts me in his arms and I feel the dizzying effects of exuding so much power. The troll is coughing harshly, so I drop both of my arms and release my hold on his body fluids. Kole carries me through the cave protectively, holding me close to his chest. “Friend? Where are you going?” He asks sadly. “Don’t take my friend away,” the troll shouts at Kole. I bury my face into Kole’s chest as he carries me into the sunlight. I look over his shoulder at the troll. It’s approaching us quickly.

“No,” I shout at the troll. He’s not going to be able to stop before hitting the sunlight and I widen my eyes. I push Kole away and attempt to stand on my own, but collapse. “Stop,” I cry, but my voice is far too quiet to be heard by the beast.

“Snow?” the troll shouts, rushing out of the cave and into the sun. He immediately begins turning to stone, staring at me in utter confusion. All the air flows from my lungs in devastation. Kole falls to one knee and wraps an arm around my back, but I pay him no attention. The troll has a permanent look of distress on his face as he becomes fully encased in stone.

I did this. I killed a lonely troll who wanted nothing more than a friend. What have I done?