(Mira Oka)
You’re probably confused about what went down there. Let’s go back and I’ll explain my side of the story.
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That morning, I got up from one of the beds in Lena and Laura’s house. I told them I needed to go, but they insisted I’d at least have some breakfast first. We ate in their small kitchen. Pancakes with warm chocolate syrup drizzled on top. The sweet flavour entered my mouth. I was satisfied. I stood up from the table and Laura helped me pack my bag by adding a small medicine bottle. I thanked her, and waved goodbye before leaving their house.
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Now that I regained some energy, I was ready to explore new places to create more hideouts. The more, the easier it was to travel. I used my previous hideouts to get from place to place and stopped by an area quite far from Diamond Street. It was an area I wasn’t familiar with, but I knew a hideout would come in handy.
That’s when I found a forest with several leaves on the ground in shades of red, orange and yellow. In curiosity, I entered it. It was quiet, which felt nice, but I needed to make a hideout somehow. One that would be stable and camouflaged. I observed the trees, and examined their branches to see which ones were most stablized. I figured that I might have to walk deeper into the forest for better branches. After a few steps I happened to fall.
I landed deeper into the ground. I rubbed my hip, wincing at the pain. I glanced around at where I suddenly was. It was dark, and a dirt ground. Was below me. There were dirt walls with a ledge. A few leaves have fallen, considering I fell through. Was this a hideout of some sort? I thought. I knew it wasn’t mine, it was my first time seeing such a place. I was confused about this place’s existence.
That was when I saw a boy looking my age sprint up to me. I didn’t have enough time to react because he immediately pinned me down. I was one my back. I didn’t know who he was, or why he was fighting me. But he was giving me an intense glare and I needed to leave. I pushed my legs to kick him off. He knocked back and I tried getting back up. He pinned me down again and I tried to push him off. He was probably some crazy kid. I suddenly felt a stinging sensation in my left ankle and I let out a breath. I felt somewhat defeated.
I eventually got up again, only to see that he was gone. I looked down at my ankle. A burn exposed in red was there. I grimaced and opened my bag. I brought out a roll of bandages Laura helped me pack. I tore a piece of it off and wrapped it around my wound. After that, I placed my roll of bandages back inside my bag and helped myself up. I staggered to the wall where the ledge was. I figured using my air abilities would be easier to leave than using the ledge. So I forced some air out and flew over the ledge back onto the grass and continued searching for better branches. I began thinking about that boy again. He was crazy. What was his problem? But I suppose I’m glad he didn’t capture me. I shook my head at the thought. Now’s not the time to think like that. He was a dumbass for missing an opportunity like that.
Just then something wrapped around me firmly. Something in a pale yellow shade. I could feel its texture around my arms. Hair. It seemed to have some sort of source since it held me in place. I wriggled but it didn’t budge. Not long after, its source arrived, swinging by the trees. A tall person with pale skin, violet eyes, and blond hair appeared. In an instant, someone else jumped in. A younger girl with tan skin, black hair in a floral outfit sped up and appeared right in front of me. Before I knew it, handcuffs that glowed in red were clamped around my wrists.
“We got her!” She cheered.
The blond rolled his shoulders. “Now we need to pin her in place for the professionals.”
Seriously? I thought incredulously. I’ll just blow them away. I flicked my finger to blow them off with tornado air but nothing came out. Huh? I tried again. Nothing.Am I doing something wrong? I shook my wrists. “What did you-”
The tan girl began to appear smug. “The council’s new and advanced technology! Power resisting chains. Once they’re clamped onto someone, they are unable to use their powers unless removed.”
I scoffed. “You two are here to capture me?”
“You and Ace,” She replied. “Both of you are trouble to this city.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Who’s Ace?”
The blond just stared at me as if I said the dumbest thing. “Tell me you’re joking.”
I shrugged. “I don’t seem to have enough time doing icebreakers while I’m being a target.”
The tan girl looked as though she was deep in thought. “I mean, it's not like there’s any posters of him. We weren’t able to find him in months.”
The blond turned to me. “He’s about 5’7” or 5’8” with black hair tied in a ponytail with an undercut. He also has brown eyes and he wears a lot of black.”
Black hair, I thought. Undercut. Brown eyes…I suddenly seemed to recall. The guy who attacked me in that hole. “That was Ace? I know him!”
The tan girl raised an eyebrow whilst crossing her arms. “Two troublemakers interacting? Is this a setup?”
“No, we did meet not too long ago,” I said, before using my right leg to pull up my left pant sleeve up slightly to expose the burn he left on me. “I can’t say it went well though.”
The blond loosened his hair around my body as they jumped back in fear. “That looks nasty!”
I sighed. “He suddenly started attacking me when I fell nearby.”
The tan girl and the blond exchanged glances.
“Hey,” I started. “I can pin up Ace for you if you let me go.”
The tan girl shook her head. “No. We already have spare handcuffs for him.”
“He couldn’t have gone that far,” I reasoned. “Maybe I can find him. Besides, I’m planning to take down those borders anyway.”
“How does locking Ace for us benefit you?” The blond asked.
I shrugged, playing it casual. “I don’t mind revenge. I can pin him for you, and then we can part ways while I find a way of how to get out of here.” I didn’t trust them. But I had to sound cool with everything and show them what I’m capable of in order to have less enemies.
The tan girl took a step closer. “But can we trust you?”
“I don’t expect you to trust me easily, so I’ll be proposing a deal,” I explained. “Stay here for ten minutes, and I’ll pin Ace for you and come back. If I don’t make it back in time, you can search for me and kill me.”
The tan girl and blond shared a conflicted expression. At last, the tan girl said, “Alright, then. Ten minutes.” She undid the handcuffs and I sprinted through the forest.
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