Dillydally

"You gotta be kidding me." Eva groaned but Kai seemed to have turned ignorant to her deliberate attempts at dissuading him.

"Come on now. The sooner you start, the sooner this will end," he stated, and folded his arms, leaning back against the pole.

Eva cast him a withering glare. "What does this have anything to do with training?!"

"You'll realize it one day," he spoke, patting her head and Eva narrowed her eyes.

"And what are you going to do?" she asked with a sweet smile and he returned it with one of his own.

"I'm going to watch your progress. Remember? I have these." he said and pointed to his wings with a cocky grin. Eva had the sudden urge to call Davina and show him how sweet she could actually be.

"How the hell am I supposed to reach the end of the markets by evening!?" she demanded. She wouldn't have protested so much if she didn't have to meet him after getting free from her work.

The thought still managed to make her shiver every time she thought of it.

"Do you have plans or something?" he questioned and Eva's eyes flew to his face and glimpsed at the amusement flashing behind those dazzling emerald orbs.

"I had to... uh... meet Gwen to talk about... girl stuff." she ended her statement by nodding as if she was convincing herself that this is what she was actually going to do.

Kai didn't look like he bought it for a second.

"Okay..." he slowly spoke and patted her shoulder. "Then it's better for you to start as quickly as possible instead of wasting time here."

Rolling her shoulders back, Eva broke off into a run and cursed Kai inside her head as she heard his chuckle behind her. Her clothes were appropriate for covering such a long distance but that didn't mean it would tire her any less.

Her hair which was tied into a ponytail flew behind her as she picked up speed and remembered Kai's words before he ordered her to start running.

'Plan your sprint. Focus on your breathing since if you feel out of break in just a mile, it's game over for the rest of the distance. Make sure your posture is correct and don't stop. You could slow your pace halfway but don't forget that you have to complete it before the sun sets.'

Her feet slowed down as she faced the vast orchard in front of her. The forest was on the other side of the house but this orchard was the only direct path toward the market and beyond.

She couldn't remember the path Theo had led her through but it had been different from this one. Probably she had missed a cut that they had taken previously and ran straight without thinking that there could be a shorter route.

Eva wondered if she should go back and search for the shortcut or continue to race through this massive orchard. Her mind raced along with her thoughts and in the end, she settled for the latter.

Quickening her pace once again, her eyes briefly got enchanted with the tall and breathtaking cherry blossoms that were decorated all over the land. The wind was cool and the branches fluttered with the moment and Eva wished that she could stop and enjoy it all for a moment at the least.

But she didn't have time to dillydally.

So she maintained her focus on completing the sprint as soon as she could and didn't let her eyes wander anywhere. Neither on the sky nor on the gorgeous cherry blossoms.

Her chest, which had been stable until now, started heaving as she placed her hands on her knees and paused for a while.

'Don't stop no matter what. Run as if a wild hyena is chasing you.'

Stretching her arms above her head, she continued dashing after something she didn't understand. Somehow, it described her life and the current situation she was stuck in.

Always running away from something just because she couldn't handle looking back.

The pain.

Heartbreak.

Regret.

She closed her eyes, her lips drying up because of dehydration.

Chasing something and traveling a path which she didn't know the end too. It was meaningless yet she still continued. Racing after her hopeless dreams and people who she couldn't take for herself.

Her heart thudded in her chest as her eyes caught sight of the massive marketplace that greeted her. By now, her clothes were sticking to her body as beads of sweat formed on her forehead no matter how windy it was.

The Sun was still high up in the sky and a black figure could be spotted flying up through the clouds.

She couldn't go racing past the hundred or so people that were walking around, busy in their daily life. Eva's eyes darted around for an easier path to go through this obstacle and she decided to follow the path behind the markets.

Her ribs ached as she sprinted past the few people who were roaming behind the shops. Eva felt shocked beyond measure at the smiles she was receiving from everybody despite the fact of how absurd she was currently looking.

Passing them a small smile in return, she felt branches nip her on the arm at her momentary lack of focus. She hissed in pain but continued stumbling past the thorny trees with all the strength that was left in her body.

Her throat felt parched as she continued sprinting and her eyes focused on the exit way which somehow made her run faster. With the sun low on the horizon, it cast a fiery orange shade on the sky.

The dusk seemed to have followed her all the way, the sky awash with opal, pinks, and aquamarines woven seamlessly together as only Mother Nature knew how. A breathtaking evening with the stars twinkling at her in hope.

And as she neared the end, Eva finally forced herself to stop and breathed out.