Mia

Mia could hear the loan sharks bellow from behind, which in turn caused her steps to hasten. Behind her, was Kelly who was panting heavily as she followed Mia for their escape. The pregnant mother honestly didn’t know what she is doing right now.

“Mia, wait-” Kelly halted to catch her breath, gasping in between each inhale she made.

Mia’s face contorted into a look of conflict, the urge to run away almost made her forget that Kelly is a woman who’s almost near her labor days. She darted her eyes to the surroundings, trying to register any information she could use to dely the loan sharks’ search of the two of them or to be precise, Kelly.

The woamn then saw the signboard of a disabled people’s toilet that was empty and decided to go there instead. Trudging through the people in the airport, she managed to make way into the toilet and locked the door behind her. The two of them then caught their breaths.

“Thank you so much…” Kelly began, on her face is written with gratefulness as she peered at Mia’s slightly taller figure from her slightly crouching stature. Mia nodded subtly before leading Kelly to sit on the toilet seat to rest.

“We wil be safe here, at least for now.” Mia said after catching her breath.

She could still hear the loan sharks shouting from behind the thin door. They might be safe, but sooner or later, those people will definitely think of wanting to check the toilets. She couldn’t risk herself like that.

“We will rest here for a few minutes. When the time comes, we will leave this airport, okay?”

Kelly nodded in understanding. A few moments after she finally stabilized her breath, she gazed at Mia’s wary face who was pressing her ears against the door, her back facing Kelly to hear the loan sharks.

“I’m sorry I got you entangle in all of this. You could just leave me there yet you didn’t.” Kelly said.

Mia slowly angled her head to Kelly behind her and their gaze met for a brief second before she looked away. She replied, “I don’t know why, but hearing your story makes me relate so much with my life.”

Kelly tilted her head, curious. “Really?”

Mia pursed her lips in return. Once again, she can only muster a weak nod and then fall into a long silence.

The hesitance Mia showed caused Kelly to heave a chuckle. Given how extremely secretive she is, this anxious girl in front of her must have been through a lot to show such complicated look by such question. She thought that she shouldn’t ask anymore, however…

“If telling me a bit can make you fell better, I’m all ears, you know?” Kelly fathomed her arms, as if she is a mother who is open to listen to her children’s problems.

Mia’s anxiety wavered a bit. Seeing Kelly like that made her remember her late mother who died after letting her go to her stepdad. After her father’s death when she was 13, Mia had to stop going to school to help her mother bring food to the table. She never blamed her mother although her mother always expressed her regrets that she couldn’t send her to school.

A year after her father’s death, Mia thought that her life would get better when her mother found a new man to be her stepfather. Unfortunately, her stepfather was actually the worst man alive; a violent drunk, a bastardious man who has his eyes on Mia’s 14 years old self. Because of her safety, Mia’s mother sent her to live with her aunt.

She spent the next 8 years growing as a normal girl. Going to school, having friends, and even having a loving family. Though, at the age of 22, she discovered her horrors back.

Her stepfather kidnapped her from her aunt’s family and she was sold in auction for a high price. Soon after that, she was arranged for marriage with the most notorious Mafia King in the underworld, and that was when her nightmares continued for worse.

“Mia?” Kelly snapped her daze.

Mia realized she has been staring at the air for awhile now while she trudged down the memory lane, causing Kelly to look at her in concern.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, don’t worry.” Mia curled her lips into a half smile.

Suddenly she heard a shout stating to check up the toilets. Mia gulped nervously and fell silent as she listened again. The voices of the loan sharks are faint but it’s just a matter of time until they reached the cubicles where the two of them were at.

When there were no longer shouts coming from those people, Mia and Kelly resumed their escape. Mia planned to bring Kelly to her hideout, where Jayden—her best friend and the one who helped her in all the matters regarding her overseas escape—lived.   

‘Jayden will surely know what to do with Kelly.’ Mia thought, quickening her pace to the east exit of the airport so she could pull a taxi. An announcement stating that her flight will depart in an hour bellowed through the airport, yet the woman doesn’t care. She has a more pressing matters at hand.

“Mia…” Mia heard Kelly calling her from behind. She slowed down her pace, probably thinking that Kelly couldn’t keep up with her without looking behind.

“I don’t feel too good…” Instantly Mia turned around.

Not too far from her, Kelly was trembling when pools of blood began to form beneath her soaked clothes.

Mia gasped in horror as she stared wide eyed at the blood. People around her were chattering while shooting worried glances at Kelly, yet they stayed still without lending much help.

“There they are!” One of the loan sharks resurfaced from the increasing crowds and shooed them away, rendering them to scatter quite easily.

Mia stepped closer to Kelly who was gasping for breath as she looked at herself.

“Mia… Please, go…” Kelly said, giving Mia’s shoulder a firm grasp before letting her go.

“But-”

“Just go! Who knows what they will do to you if they know you were acquainted with me.” Mia stated and she started to slowly crouch from the pain.

Mia gaped, horror filled her eyes and her mind gradually became empty.

Out of nowhere, a hand covered with black cloth snaked to her face and covered the entirety of her nose and mouth. She struggled for a bit before soon after that, fell unconscious.