Chapter 3

Fear,the one word that makes us take great risks.....

but then again,no risk is the greatest risk of all......

"Open the door Fatima"

"Open up we know she's in there"

I snap my eyes open at the loud shouts and bangs on the door in a flash.

It's not even day break yet and they've already come to punish me.

But why am I not surprised? Of course they would believe their dearest Jade no matter what she said whereas I the true victim is left to face the consequence of her own actions.

But then again who would believe me,I'm the freak of the town after all aren't I?

I jump out of my bed with the speed of lightning with my heart banging on my ribs hard I don't even bother checking how many they are-any sane person can tell with the amount of noise they are making that they are alot.

"Come out Fatima and see what that monster did to my daughter!!"shouts a woman who I recognize too well to be her mother

I'm such a fool I should have known coming here was a mistake.How do I get out of this?

I scan the room for any clothes I can put on along with a new scarf I can use to cover my face.I grab anything I can find.All mismatched but I can't care less.I rip my pillow out of it's casing and stuff my things in.I jump into some sandals which are also mismatched ready to make a run for my life.

I literally hop to the other side of my room and jump out the window and land on the tree before carefully climbing down making sure I don't make too much noise although that won't exactly be necessary being the fact that their noise was loud enough to cover every other sound but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

"Where is she?"I hear more bangs before I hear the opening of our front door follow suit.

Doesn't matter though I'm already long gone.I'm a fast runner after all and I'm thankful to God for that.

The bangs and shouts continues as they lift their torches in rage.I turn around to get a glimpse of the angry crowd, within the crowd I spot Jade,the light from the torches Illuminates the stitches that have been made across her face.I flinch as my stomach churns in guilt.

It's not my fault it was self defense

It's not my fault

It's not....

I shake my head a little as if that would get the thoughts out of my head but that only seems to make my head spin in guilt and fatigue.

As far as I can see the stars are still up and from what I know it's barely even daybreak yet I'm out on the streets running like the way a mad woman runs from the asylum.

The hunger from yesterday bites and feeds on my insides and the fatigue punches my limbs but I'm still running with hopes of making it out of here.

I keep running till I reach at a junction which has two crossroads.One at the right and one at the left.

I decide to take the path at the right side being that I'm quite familiar with it-I sometimes take this path into the forest-I could hide here till I find a proper escape route.

I tumble and fall from the sight in front of me.

.....her brothers,and her father's henchmen. All huge and bulky with scary looks on their faces that can make anyone quiver in fear at the sight of them.

I try to scurry away from the scene but only end up falling again making loud rustle sounds on the leaves.I feel their stares shift in my direction as I run out of there.

"Hey who goes there?"shouts a sharp low voice.

I run into the other path of the junction still clutching to the pillow case in my hand not even looking back once.

I'm not sure they are even running after me though-they must think I'm just a stray cat that stumbled along-but it's better safe than sorry.

"Hey there she is"I hear from behind

I increase my pace even with the burning pain in the side of my stomach.I whisper quick prayers in hopes that today won't be my last.Even if I am bitter at heart I'm still a frightened little rat at the end of the day.

I run and run till I reach to a point where I hear sounds.... chugging sounds.

Warmth of relief hits my spine as I sight a train station.At this point my legs were already giving out but I know taking a breathing break would lead to my death so I keep running.

From what I can see there was already a moving train.

An insane idea comes into my mind as I get closer and closer.

Jump in....

It is now or never.I would rather die trying than to die in the hands of my accusers.

The doors are already starting to shut and I'm running out of breath.

"There she is!!"

I muster up the last strength I have left and jump into the moving train slamming right onto the walls and falling to the ground.

My unexpected act of stupidity draws attention as people begin to gather around me.I sit up weakly and slowly and swat an arm that stretches towards my direction away.

I hear a few mumbles

Including a few"what's wrong with you" as I limp from where they are and into some place darker.I slump in the back seats and before I know it my eyes are heavy then they close shut.

☾☾☾☾☾

Just right in between my sleep I feel my body landing on the steel floor of the train from the already hard seats.

I groan lowly as I open my eyes but close them again from the bright light of the sun generously shining on my face.

The train isn't moving....

I hear loud bustling from the outside before peeking through the window.People of all kinds walking and talking loudly each either carrying luggages or trying to sell something to the passengers.

I search my belongings then pull out my scarf and quickly cover my face making sure that only my eyes are left open.

"Hey you get down from the train"shoots a male voice that makes my spine cold.

I jerk my head up hoping that it is not who I think it is.

"The train has stopped so you should get off now"comes who I presume to be the train conductor.

I nod my head and grab my belongings walking fast passed him out towards the exit of the train.

The dry air chokes my throat as I get down from the stairs.Once I get down the train immediately starts moving again leaving me in this odd new surrounding in between the middle of nowhere and somewhere with people in it.

Where do I go from here?...

"Move it you're blocking my way"comes a voice pushing me 'out of his way'

"Hey watch where you're going"shoots another voice

"Are you blind?"

"Move it"

The place is too crowded and everyone is trying to get somewhere.

I squeeze my way through the crowd in an indefinite direction.All as long as I got away from it.

"Get out of the waaaaaaay"comes a voice owned by a young boy riding a bike startling me as I jumped out of the way.

What is this place?

I look up at the huge billboard right across the train station as I struggle passed the crowd.

Welcome to Galria...

Even with the struggle to stay on my feet goes on I still manage to look around and get more glimpses of my surroundings,I spot tall glass buildings that seem to reach the heavens-or at least try to-the sky seems somewhat grey instead of the usual blue,the people here have a distinct look that makes me stand out from the crowd if I take off my scarf,the haphazard movement of the crowd is just too mechanical-unhuman even,even the air seems different.

Just then it conveniently starts to rain and the crowd beings to lessen as some scrury out of the rain while others simply shield themselves with the their umbrellas from the rain.

I on the other hand also scurry to find shelter but I can't find any space to squeeze in from the rain due to the large population none wanting to squeeze in some space for me as they eye me when they think I'm not looking.

By this time I am already partially soaked but I still have no where to hide from the merciless rain.It is then that I bump right into something .....shall I say hard?

I stumble back a little before looking up at a fairly tall lady with a big black umbrella.She turns and looks at me with an annoyed expression plastered on her face before it softens within seconds with pity reflecting from her dark brown eyes.

"Aww you're all wet"she says with a strong accent I can't seem to decipher.

She reaches for her bag and brings out an equally big black umbrella using it to shield me from the rain before gesturing me to take a hold of the umbrella. I am instantly startled by her act of kindness but manage to take hold of it anyway.No one has shown me kindness for as long as I can remember.

I mumble a muffled "thank you" through my now wet scarf and to my surprise I think she heard me.A small smirk appears on her face before giving me a curt nod.She turns around towards the opposite direction and starts walking away leaving me to stare in awe at her frame in the rain before she disappears completely.

Strange....