Stepping Out of the Shadows (Part 1).

The girl's hand touched the rough wall, her fingers cramped. For Amelia, the cold was her weak point, but now it seemed to her that all her feelings were aggravated even more. The moon was silently looking at the lonely traveler with its lifeless light, a long wolf howl was suddenly cross from afar.

Amelia flinched, she realized that when planning the escape she didn't take into account that Marcus might not be the only one who would open the hunt for her. This thought did not cause the girl to panic, as she knew for sure, not only how her life could turn out, but also how it could end.

The knowledge about the future instilled fear and confidence at the same time, the hopelessness of what was happening and the burning desire to fight to the last. It was this desire that pushed the girl to an absurd act to escape from the enemy, to fight with whom did not make sense at all.

She was afraid of him. She was afraid of the cold, which was sometimes in his eyes, and was afraid of the fire raging in his heart. She was afraid of herself, her feelings, her craving for this fire because she knew that if she touched him, the flame would consume her without a trace.

His eyes in the sunlight were shades of the ocean, the Pacific Ocean, just as deceiving and treacherously dangerous. Just as the Pacific Ocean met its first travelers with a peaceful and cloudless expanse of water, so these eyes captivated you at first sight. But as night fell, its calm turned into a formidable storm, sweeping away everything in its path, forcing the ships to sink to the bottom without the slightest chance to survive. One look - and your body no longer belonged to you, one look - and your soul fell into the depths of his black abyss, losing the last hope for freedom.

The girl took a deep breath and went forward. She saw another abandoned building ahead and decided to take shelter there. By and large, it did not matter where exactly to hide, since the whole village was no longer inhabited for a long time and there were dilapidated buildings here and there.

According to the shabby inscriptions on some houses, Amelia suggested that they were in some part of southern Europe. And the climate was milder compared to cold London at this time of the year.

A faint smile traced her lips. Marcus really had amazing abilities - he carried them both to such a distance as if he just took one little step. She was sure that this was only a small part of his hidden talents.

The girl remembered the unfinished picture that remained standing in that room. When Amelia came to the canvas, she did not immediately believe her eyes. Her face, painted on cold paper, glowed with warmth as if it were alive. At that moment, it seemed to her that the girl in the picture smiled, seeing the confusion of Amelia. Marcus was a terrific brush master. If his work was shown at any exhibition, then critics would recognize him as a genius.

She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds, one of them, resembling the roar of the car engine, intensified, approaching her. Amelia squeezed through the rickety door of the nearest building and looked around. Judging by the drawings and inscriptions on the wall, this building was once a rural school, she could see classrooms with tables and chairs behind half-broken glass.

Once this place was filled with children's laughter and hopes for a brighter future, but now there was only a cold void and lifeless shadows created by the dim light of the moon.

She quickly went upstairs and wanted to go to the farthest room first, but then decided that it would be too obvious and went into one of the first rooms. Having run between the desks, the girl climbed under the teacher's desk and pressed her knees to her chest, squeezed a pendant hanging on her neck, closed her eyes and practically stopped breathing.

It was one in a billion chance. The chance that he will not notice her and will let her go. The chance she wanted to use, whatever the cost was so that later she would have no regrets.

Time passed so slowly that it seemed to Amelia that centuries have passed before she heard the door on the ground floor creak, and the sound of breaking glass followed.

Her body flinched, wild horror shackled her heart. The girl looked into the darkness, and the hair on her skin rose from the suffocating energy that filled the building. Waves of someone's rage enveloped her in a dense cocoon, penetrated inside, paralyzing the ability to think. Now she most wanted to run. Amelia tightened her grip on the pendant as if this little thing could be her salvation.

"Ameelia!"

A confident male voice echoed through the empty classrooms of the school.

"Amelia, baby, please come out. Don't make me look for you for so long, my patience is running out," Marcus said it with such tenderness that for a second her determination faltered.

The man's footsteps were heard closer and closer, making her heart freeze in horror at the fate he had prepared for her.

Marcus was angry. Very angry. She felt his emotions ringing in fury even in the air.

The man walked slowly upstairs to the second floor and went along the corridor, towards the classroom where the girl hid.

"My little girl was so obedient last week that I thought you decided to agree to my offer," he slowed down and stopped in front of the room.

"But you decided to play with me?!" the man shouted, the rumble of breaking glasses echoed. Each window, which was still at least somewhat intact in this abandoned building, shattered into small fragments as if an invisible tornado swept over this place in a matter of seconds.

Amelia shivered and then closed her mouth with her hands to hold back a cry from the pain that pierced her. The girl looked down, blood was flowing down her leg, a huge piece of glass dug into her skin. She wanted to reach out and pull it out, but the fear of being heard made the girl remain motionless.

Marcus exhaled slowly and ran a hand through his hair, "Listen, I understand that I behaved rudely, locking you in the basement, but you too, try to understand me," his voice sounded like a soothing lullaby, soft and gentle tones could make one want to succumb to his soothing charms, "If you had immediately agreed to cooperate with me, none of this would have happened."

He paused and listened, except for the trees creaking from the wind, nothing was heard outside. Glass on the ground floor crunched under the pressure of heavy male steps. "Sir, it seems we tracked her down. Most likely the girl hid in a barn nearby," reported a voice from the first floor.

"I'm coming," Marcus answered and headed down. Amelia listened as his steps gradually moved away from her, the voices fell silent, and she heard nothing but the beating of her heart.

The girl sat still for a while, lowered her hand and grabbed a piece of glass shimmering with silver-raspberry glare, reflecting drops of her blood in the rays of the full moon. Amelia clasped a hand between her teeth and sharply pulled the glass out of the wound on her leg, her teeth sank into her flesh, drowning out the groaning from pain. Tears came into her eyes. Breathing heavily through her nose, she sat with her palm between her teeth for several seconds, pulled it out of her mouth and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Amelia climbed out of the shelter and looked out the window. Not far from this old school began a dense forest where she needed to get. This distance was sufficient between her and Marcus so that she could see his next actions. Next to him, she could not see the future.

The girl raised her eyes to the sky and looked at the cold and pale moon. And why should there be a full moon today? Why is there not a single cloud to hide this treacherous dim light illuminating everything around? Even the stars were so bright as if it was the first time they came to the horizon and wanted to show themselves in all their glory.

"Bewitching view, isn't it?"