Suddenly Complicated

Beginning

15 years before

"No! Don't! Please don't do this!"

"Oh dear Anne! You know how much I hate doing this. But someone has to be punished for your disobedience, don't you think?",he said, in a calm but cold and threatening voice.

"Please don't do anything to her! Punish me if you want. She's a baby! She hasn't done anything wrong!", she cried. Every escape she planned had failed. She crouched on the ground, her wavy curls swaying against the cruel wind and raindrops pouring on them.

"I know. But she's a part of you." He shows a malicious grin, sliding his left hand inside the pocket of his black coat.

He holds the baby with one hand, ready to drop it.

"No! Please! I'll do anything. I'll-"

DONG!

"Ah. The first bell just rang. Let's finish this business at hand." He looks at the baby and then back at her.With a cold smile he adds,"Shall we?"

CRASH!

This loud noise caught his attention and he looked towards the town. Seeing this distraction, the woman snatches the baby and runs towards the opposite direction.

She doesn't know where she is going. All she knows is that no matter what happens, she needs to get the baby somewhere safe before the loud running footsteps of the man get to her.

The surrounding became a blur as she ran through a forest towards the next town. She could still hear the man's faint grumbling and running steps.

She smiled to herself as she thought,"I have let you play, hurt and torture me Michael. But I would never let my daughter repeat the same in her life. She will get much better. I will make sure of tha-"

Her thoughts were cut short. She saw a few houses that she was approaching.

But what really horrified and worried her was the faint sound of hooves from the woods.

She looked back with her eyes wide. She could make out the people coming by their voices and structures.

It was him! Michael with hundreds of other men.

"Annie? What are you doing here?"

The voice startled her. Her heart was beating so fast and she could hardly breathe. Her daughter's small hand was clutching her dress.

But the familiar voice calmed her down and a desperate idea came to her mind.

She remembered what Michael said.

'But she's a part of you.'

I have to seperate my daughter from me and my life, she thought.

"Annie! Are you listening?!"

She turned around. They were getting closer.

She took her friend's hand and ran to a dark corner. She gave the baby to her confused friend.

" Please do me a favor, Caroline.", she pleaded.

Caroline nodded vigorously.

"They are getting closer and they want to hurt my baby. You must take my daughter to a safe place before they find us. I am going to distract them. Run with the baby! Now!"

"I can't leave you, Annie!"

"But you have to! Please go! They're coming."

"Wait! Who do you mean by they?", Caroline asked, still confused by her friend's unexpected state.

"They are dangerous. I don't want you, your family or Losaine to know about them. Just go before your life is ruined. Take her away from here. Give her a family she deserves ...."

Carolline had already begun to run away when she heard name called by her Annie.She turned to look at her friend.

"Please take my place in Losaine's life. I'll always owe you." Annie's eyes shimered with unshed tears.

Carolline smiled.

Michael has arrived. She heard their footsteps. With one glance at Losaine and a grateful smile towards Carolline, she told her friend to run.

Carolline ran out of there just as Michael came. She didn't wait to see who were 'they'. She knew she shouldn't.

As she ran through the town and towards her house, she could hear a man's cruel and cold voice and her friend's shreik's.

Tears strolled down her face as she became aware that she couldn't save Annie from a living hell.

She looked down at the baby.

"Losaine. What a pretty name for you. Your mother is a great fighter. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything.But I'm going to make you strong." She looks back and stares longingly at the way she came from then looks at the still sleeping baby."From this day onwards, I'll be your mother and give you a new life."