Why am I running?
Maybe it's because I'm being chased by older kids? Maybe? But why am I running?
My heart beats harder in my chest. My small boots tapping against the water underfoot, pushing me as hard as I can, as fast as I can, as fast as a two years old can run, which...isn't that fast.
And this brings me to my earlier question. Why am I running?
Looking behind me. I see something bad, real bad.
Three older kids. Two teenagers, and one a bit younger. Each with weapons, all sprinting toward me. They're far, really far, the street that leads to the playground is a long street.
We're far away, but they're sprinting. And I have baby legs, baby legs that definetly can't outrun them.
Fuck.
Why are they running!?
I push my head forward again and focus on running, on pushing all of my energy to go as far as possible from them, where should I go? To the library? Would Okari do something? I doubt she can beat up an angry teenager with a bat to be honest.
Angry? WHY ARE THEY ANGRY!? How did they even see me!? Wait, are they angry? Why am I running, do I even need to run, can I even run away?
I'm not thinking straight.
And I do believe it's because of the sheer amount of feelings that's rushing through my veins right now, never felt that alive since I was born, if I wasn't being chased right now, I would probably try to meditate or something to try and figure out what the fuck is wrong with me.
Right now though? I've pushed my legs as hard as I can, and a quick look over my shoulder reveal that it's useless.
No matter how much I push myself, I'm still in baby territory, there's no way I can outrun teenagers.
Where would I even run away? The library? I'm not that sure but maybe? A big popular street? Possibly, but I'm not sure anyone would do anything, the weapon street?
THE WEAPON STREET!
Yes, I can go there. I definetly need to go there, I'm safer there than in my own home.
Only problem is that they're way faster than me and the weapon street is the farthest choice of all my choices.
They're closing up to me. One of them, the oldest, is way faster than the others, running at me with a single minded focus that's kind of terrifying considering that he's two times my size.
He doesn't stop to wait for his friends. And I don't think he needs to.
I also don't think he knows why he's chasing me.
Or is he?
Does he want to kidnap me or something? Maybe? Maybe they were just fucking curious about a kid there and....
And I don't even know what I'm saying.
I don't think sprinting the second I saw them was the best of decision, that's suspicious as fuck. But like. WHAT ELSE COULD I HAVE DONE!?
Speak to them? Alone? Give them the time to surround me while they have an history of kidnappings kids to fuel their little army? All while trying to bullshit my way out of getting grabbed?
Maybe I should have.
Or maybe I shouldn't have stared at the void while hyperventilating, maybe not doing that would have helped.
My legs start burning and showing their exhaustion, the exhaustion of this morning, of the workout I put them through. And with that come relief from the pain.
One I'm not glad to see because it just means I'm getting more and more exhausted by the second.
Looking down under me. I see the ground. Rain tapering on it, like it tapers on my cloak, it makes running unsteady, at least it would if I wasn't used to running under the rain already.
I look forward. At the big opening forward that leads to the dead end of the library. First turn on my left.
I don't believe in Okari.
I look at my left, at the open turns of the big street I'm in. It's where I first went to explore the city during my first birthday. The street is giant, even if deserted now, there's dozen of small turns on my left and right that leads to other streets, small or big.
Most smalls.
A look right. A turn on my right, in a small connecting alley to another street. I sprint inside, bolting as fast as I can, ignoring the burn and the exhaustion of my body.
I would have thought this kind of chase would feel bad, but really, I don't feel much apart from this new feeling of mine.
Maybe it's because of my pain resistance? Maybe not?
Or maybe it's something I shouldn't focus on right now considering that I can hear the fast tap of footsteps coming right behind me, splashing puddles and catching up on me.
The alley I enter in is small. Really small. There's two ugly house on my left and right side, both walls, almost no separation between them. As if the entire city was just a village of dirt houses before they upgraded it's foundations and became a city, while keeping the disorganized huts at the same place.
It looks like something out of a horror movie because of how dark it is in there. The inclined roofs of the houses on my side, left and right, blocks the rain from falling on me if I stay close enough to one of the walls.
I hear a voice from behind. Pretty high, pretty loud, pretty far too.
Can't understand what they're saying, but someone runs even faster. I can hear their footsteps.
I feel like I'm a racing against a car. I can't beat that.
My breathing is fast, I constantly let clouds escape my mouth, my shoulders rising and dropping under my cloak fast, really fast.
Lifting my right hand, I get to sprinting again, focusing on the end of the hallways. My fingers fumble with my inner pockets, but I know how my new image book feels like.
It's smaller.
I grab the bigger book I stole and yank it off my inner pocket, almost making my other book fall, but I manage to keep it in as I pass the exit of the hallway. With a wild throw of my hand, I send the book to fly on the left.
Me, however, go on the right. And look at which street I fell in. Desolate too. No one around, pretty big, similar to the housing streets around my own house.
Just a tad smaller. But of course, big enough for me to not see any hiding spot.
I hear a muffled voice and footsteps rush in the alley I was in.
I stop sprinting. I literally can't outrun them.
Instead, I put my back on the wall behind me, house wall, and look at my left. At the exit of the alley.
I squat down. Hear a single pair of rushing footsteps traversing the hallway in half the time I took.
I close my eyes. And breath, forcing myself to breath through my nose. At the same time, other footsteps rush in just behind the first pair, finally catching up to the oldest.
I focus inside. At the pain through my veins, at the magic flowing inside it, at the way my body reacts to it. And with all of the practice I put out, with the realization of my little superpower, as my heart beats through my chest, rain avoiding me because I'm under an inclined roof, I focus.
I really don't want to be seen.
I focus. And let this weird flowing sensation move through my body, I feel it expand, push through my body, like it did before in the library to envlop the door.
The first boy bursts out. Grabs the side of a wall with one hand to stop himself, he has a uglier looking cloak compared to me but a cloak nonetheless, hood down, blond hair sticking to his face.
He looks fifteen.
The second he grabs the side of the walls, he drifts on the ground to skid himself to a stop, water splashing around his own pair of boots. His head slams to his sides, left, and right.
Searching for me.
Me. Myself. Who's currently busy squatting just beside him, on his right, eyes closed, feeling the flow inside myself envlop the wall around me, the ground around me and....I scratch the ground, creating an annoying rhythming sound....the boy around me now.
He stop for a while taking some big breath before stepping closer to the book I threw. He grabs it from a hanging page, it's wet and dead.
Another kid barges out, his eyes focus on his friend directly but not on me.
My flow keeps expanding around me, as if it was liquid bleeding off my pores.
Soon enough, the last kid reach them.
They search, confused, they talk, confused.
In the end, as they leave.
None of them find me.