“You can run, Princess, but we will always find you.”

My heart races as my feet pick up speed, the brush of grass underneath me, the scrape of bushes scratching at my calves as I dive between the shrubbery. My vision blurs for a moment, my breaths coming out ragged and unsure, and I have to stop for a second. My fingertips reach out behind me for a surface, for anything to lean onto. When they find a rough hard surface, I relax against it.

It’s only a matter of time before they find me.

Footsteps circle me, and I hold my breath for a moment. But as soon as they appear, they’re gone again. I just need to keep on moving, keep using the shadows to escape.

I clench my fists, willing the feeling in them to return, but they’re tied behind my back and I have nothing to release myself with.

“Elara,” a deep voice calls out, sending shivers down my spine. “I’m running out of patience. And you know what that does to me.” 

I try not to think about what he’s saying. About how thin his patience is, about what happens when it stretches too far. I try to forget how I once enjoyed the way my name sounded coming from his mouth, the way he would taste each syllable. I try to separate the person and the voice it belongs to, because everything he says is just as dangerous as the person.

“Come on, Princess,” comes the other voice. “We’re not going to hurt you… much.” An evil cackle erupts from somewhere behind me, making my toes curl; the blades of grass catching between them. I close my eyes, trying to steady my breathing, but it’s no use. Between my nerves and need, I’m a complete mess, and I can feel how close they are. One wrong move and I’ll give up my hiding place.

“You know there’s no way out of here,” the deep voice reminds me. “And you won’t survive long out here on your own.”

He’s right. I can already feel the bite of the cold slithering through my veins. My hands are going numb, and I’m trying really hard to forget that I have no shoes on and I’m wearing only a t-shirt. Note to self, make sure to go to bed with more than just a pair of panties and a shirt on in case someone decides to kidnap me.

The footsteps reappear again, closer this time, and a flashlight passes by, narrowly missing me. A few inches closer, and they definitely would have spotted my position.

“Princess,” the second voice calls out, adding a disappointed whimper at the end. “I wanna play. I know how much you like our games.”

My stomach turns, and I take a deep breath to try and calm myself, but it’s no use. The footsteps are closer. My heartbeat is pounding so hard it feels like it might explode.

“Elara,” the deep voice growls. That’s a tell-tale sign that he’s about done with playing nice, and any minute now he’s going to find me and show me just how mad he is.

Serves him right. He should have thought about that before all this started.

A tear rolls down my cheek, and I try to cover up the sniff that automatically escapes me. I don’t know where the hell I am, or which way is home. But I know that as long as I’m not near them, I’m safe.

Safe. I scoff at the word. In this world, nothing and nobody is safe. I should have known that the moment I crossed into their territory. But my stupid need to defy my father is exactly why I’m here in the first place. I have nobody to blame but myself.

The rustle of bushes behind me startles me, and I momentarily lose my footing, stumbling sideways. The cold earth beneath me cushions the sound of my fall, but makes it harder to get back up. I struggle sideways, leaning on one knee and then the other. The flashlight that was following me earlier has disappeared behind a long line of bushes, so I use the moment to get back on my feet and creep in the opposite direction.

“Princess!” The first voice calls out after me.

My eyes widen, the darkness of the forest seeping in. But I can’t afford to get caught. I sprint forward, darting between bushes and trees. In the distance, I can hear the faint sound of cars passing by. Hope lunges to the surface as my feet pound harder into the ground. I can almost taste the freedom, the smell of liberation so close.

I move faster and faster, only my feet can’t keep up with my body, and my toes catch on something on the ground. Probably a tree trunk. Whatever it is, it causes me to fall forward, my body hurtling to the ground.

My eyes close, and I hold my breath, embracing the impact I know is going to come.

Only it doesn’t. 

Warmth envelops me instead of the expectant cold. Solid heat that should feel safe. But what wraps around me isn’t welcoming. It’s inhabited by darkness, by danger, with steel grey eyes that pierce my soul even in the rabid pitch black.

“Hello Little One.”