Chuck sat up, rethinking about my backstory. “Ouch. There has to be more. I can see it in your eyes.” I blinked, shaking myself out of my flashbacks. I slid the amulet into my hand, looking at it shine.
“Of course. Let me continue.” I uttered silently.
-~-
The policeman took me home without a word. Told me to be safe, and went on his way. All I did was go up to my bedroom and went to sleep.
No food, no bath, no nothing.
Just sleep.
In the morning, I did eat some of the leftovers we had. Somehow, many people knew about what had happened the night before, therefore implying to come drop off gifts for my mother at our house. I acknowledged them kindly and sat them by her bed. As I did, sometimes I would go around her room and check her belongings. I didn’t take them- just looked to make sure that they were there. After a while, I went up to my room and began to pack a couple of the things I owned, as well as clothes and other necessities.
Some of my mother's friends asked if I wanted to stay at their house, and I took the first one who asked. I still felt the ache inside me from not having my mother around. It made me not want to go outside and play in the grass, or even eat for that matter. However, the one thing that I was doing consistently was practicing my “humanity.” Every so often, I looked in the mirror and pointed my ears downwards so I looked normal to human eye. I used my mom’s friends and family as test subjects, and eventually didn’t need the mirror anymore.
One night, as it began to grow dark, I ate the last of the leftovers and went to bed.
I had a dream that night, but it was no mere dream—it was a nightmare. It had me, but with lots of fur and dark eyes. It was attacking people, and chased me around. It almost seemed like it was the sadness, bitterness, and evil rising up out of me and took a human form. However, I was awoken by a smell.
The smell of smoke and flames.
I shrieked and ran out of the room, hoisting the mostly scorched book bag around my arms. I somehow made my way to the front door and out of my house, which came crumbling down in front of me. I fled to Ms. Johnson’s house, shooting inside as soon as she opened the door. She made a call to the fire department moments later while she tried to call me down. I tried staying calm, worrying about my mother yet again.
The next morning, I went over to the rubble I once called home.
I sighed, kicking a piece of wood that was leaning on another. It flew across the air, smashing into smaller bits on a tree. I sniffled, shoving my hands into my pockets.
“I’m so sorry, Mom… I don’t know how this even happened…” I managed to say before more tears came pouring down my face. I gritted my teeth, clenched my fists, and fell apart. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. Between my mother and the house, there was nothing more. No family, no hope, nothing.
Through my sprawling tears, I noticing one of my mother’s jewelry boxes that sat on her dresser. Wiping my face, I opened it up.
Inside was money, and lots of it. She must’ve been saving up for something.
But something that caught my attention was a yellow amulet, fighting with the sun to shine all by itself. I picked it up, twisting it in my fingers. It spoke to me, and started to make me feel closer to my mother.
I smiled, holding it in my hand tightly. I knew what I had to do now. I turned and walked away from my fiery home, never to recognize it again.
“I was ten years old when I left, and now here I am.”
Chuck sighed, recapping my story again in his head. A smirk crawled onto his face.
“Huh, nice backstory. You’ve had quite the trauma as a toddler. Thing is though, I still haven’t found your motive in that little speech. Still want to tell me something?” I rolled my eyes as I picked up my cup of orange juice again, taking a slow sip. I held it out in front of me, looking puzzled.
“The orange juice tastes a little funny, why don’t you try some?” I grinned as I shoved the cup of OJ at him, landing right in his eyes. He let out a painful scream as I scurried out of the room, running through the hall on both hands and feet. Chuck cringed angrily as he grabbed his walkie-talkie from his belt.
“He’s escaped… goddammit! Where is Beatrice?” he yelled into the microphone.
“She told me she was out on business! She also said you could handle it!” Someone on the other side responded.
“Jesus, she’s going to pissed… She’s the only one who can find him, too…”
“You know what, I’ll tell her about your little predicament. You’re the one who’s going to get demoted one of these days.”
“I know…” Chuck pouted, rubbing the back of his head.
-~-
I bursted through the main office and front doors, running down the sidewalk and into a back alley. I stopped at a trash can and tugged at the top of it, flinging it off and grabbing my backpack. I grabbed it by the handle and climbed a fire escape, reaching the top of the building in mere minutes. I took a few steps back and leaped onto another building. Sinking my fingers into numerous shingles, I made my way to town via rooftop. As I was about to jump onto another building, I felt something lodge into my stomach, forcing the rest of the air I had out of me. I was thrown to the ground, coughing with pain.
“Jesus… you didn’t have to be so brutal…” I said, pulling myself up. My vision was fazed, but I could tell that it was the woman.
Beatrice.
She walked over to me, kicking me in the side. I was slammed to the wall, recovering to kick her in the face with my boot. I smiled, watching her react to my action harshly. But that smile disappeared as she pulled herself up and flipped her hair.
“That’s not a way to treat a lady, now is it?” She threw a jab at me, but I quickly dodged it, moving behind her. I sunk my knee into her back, making her fall. I sprinted away, slipping past people and going into another alley where I had to climb again. I made my way up as I looked behind me, meeting eyes with her again. I forced myself upwards, landing quite harshly on the roof. I turned to see her staring at me, standing there with her arms crossed. She looked kind of annoyed.
I ran to her, only to get slapped to the side. My ears slipped out of their hiding position, my tail almost doing the same. I growled, jumping back up and running towards her again. She jumped up as I slid under her, flipping to kick her downwards to the ground. I landed on top of her and punched her repeatedly.
“Just,” Punch.
“Leave,” Jab.
“Me,” Hook.
“ALONE!” Her head was to the side now, blood dripping out of her nose and mouth. I jumped off of her, trying to grab decent air. I sighed, turning away from you.
“Do you see what you’ve done to me… I have no intentions to hurt anyone. Just leave me alone!” I ran away, jumping off of the building and back onto the streets. Beatrice sighed, doing the same on the other side.
-~-
I pulled up to the curb of a McDonalds, alone and tired. I entered the building and made my way to the bathroom, realizing that someone was already in there. I sighed and leaned against the wall next to it, waiting. A man eventually came out, taking an interest in my appearance by looking at me from head to toe. I smiled slightly as I slipped into the bathroom, trying to be friendly.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror, it agreeing that he was tired of running. He was tired of getting caught.
He was tired of being himself.
I took some water and dowsed my face in it, washing away the blood stain that marked the side of my mouth and cheek. I also washed off the occasional dirt spot that littered my face. I finished up and exited, my eyes widening as I was held at gunpoint, noticing that it was the man who was previously in the bathroom.
“For God’s sake…” I muttered to myself, looking down. I raised my hands up slowly.
“Yup, that’s right. You’re coming to the station, and we’ll figure it out from there,” the man proclaimed, ushering me to walk out of the building. I chuckled a little bit.
“Sure.” I grabbed the top of the bathroom doorway and swung my legs at him, knocking him down. His gun fell to the ground and fired, the bullet barely grazing the side of my head. I leapt out of the restaurant, throwing on my black hoodie and running into the night.
-~-
The woman shifted through numerous papers on her desk, scribbling something in pen. Chuck pushed himself into the room, keeping his head low.
“I’m sorry I let him get away… he took me by surprise…” He apologized, folding his hands.
“You should be. You had specific instructions. ‘Don’t let him get away’, I said. How hard is it to follow them?” The woman’s nagging ended with the loud boom of her hand slamming on her desk. Chuck kept quiet, knowing that she wasn’t finished.
“No response? Why are you still here? I’m not going to fire you, if that’s what you’re waiting for. Leave. I need time to think,” she said, placing her papers to the side. Another man snuck into the room, much like Chuck did.
“I didn’t catch him,” the other man abruptly said. Beatrice slammed her hand on the table once more, standing up in fury.
“Goddammit, am I the only one who can catch this damn dog?!” she yelled. Chuck and the man nodded simultaneously. The woman scoffed and turned to the window that was behind her desk, looking over the streets below.
“You too are a disgrace. You’re lucky I’m letting you keep your jobs, let alone live in this city.” Chuck’s eyebrow rose in question.
“I’ll just have to do it myself. Chuck, you’re in charge until I get back, and I WILL be dragging him in here, dead or alive.”
“But, Tris, what about—” Beatrice flinched, her hand starting to twitch. She climbed on top of her desk and put her foot on his head, sending him down to the ground.
“Do NOT call me that, you hear me?! Beatrice, and that is it.” Chuck got back up slowly, looking away. The woman smirked and hopped off of the desk, grabbing her coat off of the hanger for the second time of the day.
“Wait, what about me?” The other man squirmed.
“You’re coming with me; I have someone for you to meet.”
“Hot dog! Let’s go then!” The man ran after the captain, shutting the door swiftly after her. Chuck sighed and stretched, hearing the roaring of an engine outside.
It’s been such a long day…
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