Safe Haven - The Hidden Charter

Chapter Two: Braelyn

Braelyn looked at the two girls she pulled into the bushes with intrigue. 

They glared back at her with petrified eyes.

She took one last glance at the gathering from a bare spot in the bush she was hiding in before crouching down slowly, careful to not let the dry leaves on the ground crunch beneath her.

"What happened out there to make you want to go in the direction she was taken? I mean, what do you think you were doing?" Braelyn hissed.

"And what happened out there to make you want to pull us into a bush?" The girl who sat in front of her shot back in a whisper.  Braelyn rolled her eyes.

"Because you guys seemed to at least know something about what happened. I mean, you were in the crowd after all," Braelyn responded.

"Speaking of, why are you hiding in a bush?" She asked suspiciously. Braelyn narrowed her eyes.

"I don't think I can trust you just yet," Braelyn said, shaking her head.

"What does this have to do with trust?" She shrilled.

"Everything!" She shouted, her voice getting louder.

"What do you mean, everything?" 

"Keep your voice down!" Braelyn moaned.

"Why?" She asked, her eyes blazing like a wildfire.

"Guys, what does fighting have to do with anything? Just cut to the chase!" The other girl said, shaking her head. Her coily coal-black hair bounced slightly. She looked at her surroundings cautiously. 

"But it must be a good explanation," The girl closest to Braelyn remarked. Her tone was cold, and she looked at Braelyn with harsh eyes.

"Okay. You're here because I saw you both cutting through the crowd in the direction that Xara went in-"

"Xara? Is that her name?"

Braelyn eye's widened as she stared at the darker of the two girls.

"How do you know that's who I'm talking about?" Braelyn asked.

"Because she was the only girl to be seen," She said with her chin high. Her dark hair swished behind her.

"And how do you know that?"

"Ok guys seriously, this is getting petty."  noted. "Amirah, there's no point in pursuing this rubbish-"

"One more thing," Braelyn mentioned.

"Your names?" She asked. They both squatted back down in front of Braelyn.

"Amirah." She turned towards the other girl. "She's Skye, my sister. We're from Ylore. You?"

"Braelyn."

"What colony?"

Braelyn looked at her before looking away.

"I'm an outcast."

***

What she said was true. An outcast. Someone who didn't belong.

She was sure she fit that category.

Her father was strong and powerful. She was the unwanted baby of him and a mistress. From the moment she was born, she felt the unsteady gaze of her father look down upon her and demand she be locked away. Hidden forever. 

Now, sixteen years of age, she grew strong and disdainful of the colonies, specifically her father. 

She worked alone, sneaking into museums and buildings, and secretly went to the monthly gatherings even though she was forbidden to. 

She was about survival and hanging on. Being heard while ordered to stay quiet, even if it meant sometimes taking risks. 

Braelyn at a young age vowed the rest of her life to one thing.

To make a difference in her community.

She would work to change the rules about the leaders, making it harder for someone who was publicly named 'corrupt' to come to power. She would try to end segregation against those who didn't have money and those who did, making everyone's voice heard whether their income was big or small. To her, it didn't matter if they were disposed of by the public because of their looks, or how they came to be.

To her, everyone deserved a voice.

Sure, she was brutal at times, but she had always wanted to help in one way or another. 

And that's why she decided that she liked Amirah and Skye.

She saw undeniable potential in them. They were fierce and spoke their opinions whether it was popular or not. She liked that about them. She was soon sure about the fact that maybe they could help her make a difference for the better. 

But she wasn't going to tell them that just yet.

What about Xara, you ask?

She wasn't going to tell them about how she possibly knew who the girl was, either.

No, she wanted to build a bond with them, and hopefully be deserving of their trust. 

Maybe she was an outcast, but she was proud of her smarts.

Little does she know, that much more is coming than just a better in her community.

A better for the human race.