Run. Run. Run faster.
Ell’s legs moved as fast as she could muster, her heartbeat raced with fear, grimacing in pain; she tried to force her legs to go quicker. The narrow streets of Tetra City’s back alleys blurred, her footsteps aligning with her breathing. She looked at the little girl, whose hand she gripped. Mia was faring no better; the little girl’s tiny legs struggling to keep up. Their pursuers were gaining on them, not only decreasing the distance between them but also the young woman and child’s hope of survival.
Ell’s fear was not for herself, but for the child she swore to protect. At the tender age of seven, she had to witness her mother’s death, with no time to grieve or visit her grave one more time, she was being chased by men who were deplorable by nature, aroused by flaunting their strength, they seemed dead set on getting to Mia. Ell was just an ordinary citizen, tasked with protecting a child from professional hunters. But protect her she will, even if it costs her life. All for the sake of Cynthia and her memory.
They rounded a corner, and Ell’s eyes frantically searched for a place to hide. The alley ahead was narrow and dark, a sliver of shadow between two towering buildings. Without thinking, she grabbed Mia’s hand and pulled her into the darkness. They pressed themselves against the rough brick wall, hidden from view, as Ell tried to calm her breathing. The footsteps of their pursuers thundered closer, and she prayed the shadows would be enough to keep them hidden.
The footsteps slowly faded away, leaving the two girls alone. Ell’s arms wrapped around Mia. She could feel her ragged breathing. She tightened her embrace. “I’m sorry Mia, I’m so sorry.”
Mia understood little of what was going on. Her mother had died and now some scary men were looking for her. She tilted her head so that she could look up at her aunt Ell’s face, drowning in panic. She wore a pair of red cat eye glasses that slid off her face, due to all the running. Her usual pale complexion was now red and blotchy and her shirt a mess along with her torn boots. “Ell,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, “who are those scary people?”
Ell gently ran her hands through Mia’s hair, before responding softly, “They’re very bad people, Mia. They want to hurt you. But I won’t let them. I promise I won’t let them.” The words, more for her than the child, felt like an attempt to find courage within her own slumbering spirit.
Mia buried her face in Ell’s chest, her small hands clutching at Ell’s shirt as if she could hold on to safety itself. Ell stroked the girl’s hair, trying to soothe her, though she knew battled her own fear.
Slowly regaining their breaths within the narrow alley, Ell’s mind raced back to when all of this began. It felt like a lifetime ago, but in reality, it had only been a month at most. Mia had suddenly called her in tears, begging for help from her mother’s phone. Ell had been at home when the call came. She had expected Cynthia to be on the line, ready to vent her frustrations about Vincent or something else, but when Mia was on the line, she instantly knew something was wrong. Mia cried as she told Ell that her mother wasn’t waking up. Ell’s blood had run cold as she listened to the little girl describe the scene at the hospital, Cynthia’s lifeless body, the cold sterility of the room, and the strange men lurking in the hallways.
Mia was clever for her age, clever enough to know that she couldn’t trust anyone. She had taken her mother’s phone in secret from within the car’s dashboard without any of the hunters and government enforcers, who arrived at the scene, from noticing. Once safe in the hospital and when no one was looking, she dialed the number of her only other family member.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
The poor child could barely contain her whimpers as Ell tried to force her to give her a description of where she was and the name of the hospital. With Mia’s shaky directions, she found the hospital quickly, one of the largest hospitals run by the Luxor family. Her heart had broken when she saw Mia, her small face pale with fear and her eyes wide with shock.
Making sure no one was looking, Ell took Mia by the hand and escaped back to her home. Ell knew Cynthia would one day fly too close to the sun. Her relationship with Vincent was dangerous. She had always warned her about the dangers of associating herself with nobles.
Upon her burial and looking at her grave with no tombstone, she made a silent vow that she would look after her child. Ell didn’t know the specifics, but Cynthia’s death being a murder was only a suspicion, yet only a couple of weeks later, hunters came looking for Mia. She knew her suspicions were the sad reality. Vincent was truly scum.
The hunters weren’t just hired thugs, their allegiance to the Voltaire family was on full display through their blue uniforms. They were a part of Zeus, a top 5 guild that was subsidized and essentially run by the Voltaires. Ell still shivered at their cruel smiles, and their eyes which viewed everyone else as inferior.
Those thugs had knocked on doors, demanding information, and when they didn’t get what they wanted, they killed without hesitation. The thugs would drag neighbors out of their homes, beat them, or even kill them if they dared to refuse. The streets, once familiar, were now stained with blood and echoed with screams.
It hadn’t taken long for the enforcers to find out about Mia. Ell had tried to stay hidden, to protect the girl as much as possible, but she knew it was only a matter of time before the enforcers found them. When the hunters came knocking on Ell’s door, it was the beginning of a desperate scramble to get away, to run as fast and as far as they could.
Although the men had lost their trail now, as they lay crouched in silence, Ell knew they weren’t safe yet. The Voltaires wouldn’t stop until they had Mia in their grasp. Ell knew they had to leave the city, or they’d be captured sooner rather than later. She looked down at the little girl in her arms, her heart breaking at the sight of Mia’s tear-streaked face. How did it come to this? How had an innocent child become the target of such ruthless pursuit?
But there was no time for questions, no time to dwell on the injustice of it all. The only thing that mattered now was survival.
Ell gently lifted Mia into her arms, the little girl clinging to her with a desperate trust. “We need to keep moving. We can’t stay here.”
Mia nodded, pressing her face against Ell’s shoulder and tightening her grip. Ell could feel the young girl’s body shake. Taking a deep breath, she summoned enough resolve to keep her and Mia safe. Ell stepped out of the shadows and back into the maze of the city. The narrow alleyways twisted and turned, with any possible threat capable of jumping on them from the darkness.
She had lived in Tetra City her whole life, knew its secrets and its dangers, and she would use that knowledge to keep Mia safe.
As they ran through the city once again, Ell’s mind returned to Cynthia. It wasn't just Mia, that didn't get the time to grieve. She also suffered from the same fate. For Mia, she lost her mother, but for Ell, she had lost her only sister. Cynthia was her light. She had helped her when she had given up on living as a human. When Ell had watched as Cynthia fell in love with Vincent, seeing the light in her eyes when she spoke of him, Ell had worried, deep down, that it would end in tragedy. But she had never imagined that it would cost Cynthia her life, or that it would put Mia in such grave danger.
Ell’s feet pounded against the pavement as she ran, her grip on Mia never loosening. She could feel the girl’s tiny heart beating against her chest, a rhythmic reminder of the life she had vowed to protect. They had to keep moving, try to make it to the train station and get to another sector before it was too late.
Ell adjusted Mia in her arms, feeling the girl’s tired weight as she continued to run. The night was closing in around them, but Ell kept moving. She was the only family that little Mia had left. Her mother was dead. And the rest of her blood family, out to kill her. A woman and a child fighting the pursuit of one of the Seven Great Noble Families. All they could do was run.
Run. Run. Run faster.