-Four years later-

A little girl with light golden blonde hair was running down an ally way, while this usually wouldn’t make any look twice, since most children were seen playing tag around the village. Sometimes in the strangest locations, childish curiosity and lack of fear giving many parents a bit of a scare when their eyes were taken off their offspring for more than five seconds.

No, the thing that would make visitors look at the scene with horror; was the mob of adults behind her. While the young girl knew it was only half the number if had been when they started catching her and twin brother; the two had decided to split up; thinking that they might be able to confuse them, and they would leave them alone.

It had worked before and they were sure it would again, but it hadn’t.

Over the last three years of her life; Aldona had gotten used to mobs. Had learned they were only fun if you were part of it and not the thing they were after. That if she and her twin were out after dusk, they would get chased by drunk mobs.

She always wondered why they would chase them, neither she nor her brother knew them, hadn’t gone anything to warrant this level of hatred. But she knew there had to be a reason, since people didn’t try to kill others without a reason; good or not didn’t matter.

Aldona hoped she would lose them as she ran down another alley way, but it wasn’t her day and she tripped over a starving stray cat. Before she could blink, the mob caught up with her and they started punching and kicking her small body. Curling up into a small ball, her hands went to cover her head.

She knew it was pointless to cry, if she cried then they would just hit her harder. Only a few things would stop them: one, she would pass out; two, they would get bored and move along or three, one of Apsauga stopped them.

Shouts of ‘Fox brat’, ‘Demon’ and ‘Monster’ were thrown at her from people who weren’t close enough to harm her. Aldona was happy that they never used anything sharp, didn’t hit her with glass bottles. There were some words they shouted at her, that Aldona knew were bad words; since adults would tell each other off for using them.

Soon the drunks got bored and moved on, some tripping over lose rubbish and others swaying into the walls. Aldona wondered if her brother was okay, she hoped that Katė or Šuo had found him before his half of the mob did.

Katė didn’t look happy when found Aldona, she was covered in healing cuts and blood. Both she and Šuo were able to pull Azuloas from his mob before notching that Aldona wasn’t with him. When they asked, Azuloas admitted that they had spilt up in hopes that the mob would get bored of the chase and leave them alone.

This just angered the brown-haired woman more, while she left Azuloas with the blond-haired perverted, she went looking for the other Vitkus twin.

“Is Azu, okay?” Aldona asked in a small voice, pale blue eyes wide as she looked at the Apsauga member. A mask covering the lower half of her face, leaving her dark blue eyes to look over her small form, before picking her up.

“Azuloas is fine, mažai vienas.” Katė knew both Aldona and Azuloas would one day be trouble markers, pranksters. After all, their mother was one of the biggest pranksters that Sashan had seen in years. Mother Vitkus had been Katė’s teacher, which was why she had started to look after the two and as time went on, she fall in love with the two.

Mother Vitkus had once told her that pranking was in her family’s very blood, even if some members were better at hiding it then others. She even once said that the ruling family was even worse, but after the last major war, both the Vitkus and the Jankauskas clans were almost gone.

Neither Katė or Šuo see that changing with Aldona or Azuloas. Even if their father had been one of the calmest members of the Apsauga unit. At least that was what Šuo had told her, she had joined after the man’s death.

Pulling her fingers through the golden locks, she loved how much Aldona looked like her mother with pale golden hair, periwinkle blue eyes and pale skin. While Azuloas looked more like their father with dark blond hair and dark green eyes.

The twin’s apartment block wasn’t far away from the site that Aldona had ran to, it wasn’t long until Katė was walking into their apartment. Šuo sitting at the table, while Azuloas was sitting on the couch, his bear sitting next to his right leg.

“Katė, Aldona,” Šuo greeted looking up from his book.

“Azu!” Aldona shouted as Katė put her down, she pulled herself next to her brother and pulled him into a hug. He was her best friend, while she was his best friend, they knew each other best and they were one of the few people who treated each other kindly. Apart from Katė, Šuo and the Paslėpta liepsna.

“Good night, Šuniukų,” Šuo told them putting his book away before ruffling their hair, making it messier than it already was. “We’ve got to go to the Paslėpta liepsna, tell him what happened.”

“I left dinner on the bench,” Katė told them.

“Goodnight Katė, Šuo,” Azuloas and Aldona shouted, waving their hands when Šuo closed their door, Aldona quickly locking the door.

Azuloas kept his eye on Aldona as they collected their dinner. The last time this had happened, the last time they had been caught after splitting, he had been the one who had been caught by the mob and beaten until they had gotten bored.

He had hoped, if one of them had to be caught, it would him like last time. He was the older brother; he was the one who had to protect his baby sister from getting hurt. Azuloas didn’t like it when Aldona was hurt, even if she was only a few minutes younger than he was.

“Dona, you okay?” Azuloas asked.

“I’m fine, Azu, they didn’t hit hard,” Aldona told him.

They both knew their speech was more advanced than most children their age, since they mostly spoke to adults. That and the Paslėpta liepsna needed to understand what they were saying, so they didn’t have a choice in the matter.

“Of course, Azu, I’m just tired.” Aldona knew that was the only way Azuloas would drop the issue and get some sleep. She hated lying to him, but she knew it wasn’t that bad, it would be gone in the morning. So, there wasn’t a reason to worry Azuloas more then needed, and she was sure that he had done the same more then once.

“Okay, Dona,” Azuloas told her putting his plates into the sink before getting changed into his night clothes. Azuloas had a plan pair of grey pants and a black top, while Aldona was happy with her navy nightdress.

Climbing into bed they were asleep before their heads hit the pillow.