Aimee

Being alone and locked up somewhere she don't know made her heart tremble in fear. But she held on, she believes in her family. They will surely come and rescue her.

Time passed and night arrived. It was cold and dark. She curled up atop the hay and silently cried, calling out her brothers' and father's names. However, they did not arrive.

Morning came and a man with a scary, scarred face tossed her a piece of hard bread and placed an aluminum cup filled with dirty water. She ate and drank silently, determined not to die due to hunger. She still believes someone will come and take her.

Leone waited with anticipation, listening intently to every sound and footstep that approach the hut, staring at the wooden door. She hopes that the person who opens it is someone who would save her. Those hopes were broken more than once, twice, until she lost count.

It had been days but there had been no news about her family. She grew weary and more afraid as she could feel her abductor's displeasure and impatience. They had been arguing among themselves.

She immediately realized that they could hurt her to put pressure on her family. It was then that she finally decided she would not wait any longer and take matters into her own hands.

The night she planned to escape, she waited for the person to deliver her food and stayed more closely to the door.

She patiently waited until the door opened and the scarred-face man entered. She lunged at the man and intensely struck him with a stack of hay she tied together using the cloth of her dress she has torn. She hit the face with the intention to take away his sight.

The man cursed and tried to grab Leone to no avail. In great displeasure and annoyance, the man unsheathed the dagger he hid in his back and thrust it in front.

Leone barely avoided the blade, yes, it didn't pierce any of her organs but she was still stabbed at her left side.

The pain that followed after the blade was withdrawn bombarded her mind and tears fell from her eyes. She bit her lower lip so hard it bled.

She gripped the hay tightly and struck the man more intensely, bringing down her fury as well. She did not hesitate to kick the man in the groin who kneeled in pain. She kicked his chin again and scrambled to take the dagger away. And she used the dagger to stab the man's thigh before finding her way out of the hut.

She could feel her blood flows through the tiny spaces between her fingers as she clasp her wound. She staggered as she walked but she could not stop while knowing any minute now and her abductors would chase her. That's what she's worried too. There are drops of blood on her trail.

Not far away, she saw a waterway. She did not hesitate and came down in it, crying as the cold water entered her wound. The sting stabbed her body. She hugged a floating log and welcomed the current as it pushed her away.

It was morning when she woke up to the cries of a kettle and to the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling. The fragrance of candle entered her nose as she pushed herself up on the bed, falling to her lap a piece of drenched cloth.

She looked around the room and saw different herbs tied on the walls and the various artifacts for the practice of rituals and some sort of things related to such belief.

She moved out of the bed to reveal a shirt perfect for her size. She wobbly walked and exited the room to find herself in a living room more normal than the room she woke up in.

Seated before the table was an old man, stirring his cup of coffee. Noticing Leone's presence, he glanced back and nodded at her.

"You're awake. How are you feeling now?"

"I am fine. Thank you for taking care of me."

"You should thank my granddaughter. If she has not picked you up who knows where your corpse would be found."

"..."

"Grandpa! Don't be rude."

"Tsk."

It was then that Mimi entered the humble cabin with a basket full of fruits.

Leone laughed reminiscing the past.

"You had a great teacher. Then I shall experience this massage skill of yours."

"Of course. Look forward to it, miss."

Leone and Mimi were at the bottom of the stairs when the main door swung open with a loud thud, followed by hurried footsteps.

"Call the doctor this instant!"