Reincarnated as an Ugly Step Sister

Chapter 34

*Trigger warning: sexual assault*

"Give. Me. Back. My. Horse!" I yell as I approach him. Anger courses through my veins, giving me strength and confidence I didn't know I had. I reach him and kick him behind the knees so his legs buckle and he falls to the ground. "What did I say?" I grumble at him. He tries to get up but I kick him in the gut. I'm so glad I got these heavy boots. "Leave me, my horses, and my friends alone you pathetic piece of trash!" I kick him once for everyone he should leave alone. "I will bash your head in, the next time you come near me," I threaten. Then I help him to his feet. At first I think I'm satisfied but apparently not because I punched him in the nose for good measure. He staggers away, holding his face to stop the blood as Chase and Nicholas approach me.

"Nice job," Chase says with a smile.

"Yeah, no thanks to you."

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I hesitated. You did great on your own though."

"It's fine. I'm going to bed." It's crazy to think about how far we've come and how much has changed in just a few days.

The day after we made our plan, Nicholas and Chase approached me separately, both offering to join me. Nicky said he wanted to help me help my sister, Chase said he wanted to protect me. That night, Nicholas got a bunch of money, Chase stole some horses, and I wrote a letter, explaining where we were going, then slipped it under Miola's door in case she needed some help telling everyone why we disappeared. I had Chase and Nicholas sign it so everyone would know they aren't being held hostage. Or maybe they would still think that... doesn't matter now. Then we left, only bringing a few important items and a pair of pajamas. I figured we could buy new clothes since our fancy outfits would scream "rob us".

Chase explained to me that since the road we'd be taking is through forests that stretch across several kingdoms, there are inns placed about a day's ride apart. The trail was a common one when it came to travelers, traders, and highwaymen, which is why it's so well planned out. The innkeepers agree to live far away from civilization since running a motel and bar makes a lot of money.

That first night we rode for hours. We wanted to get far away from the Litus kingdom before the guards came after us, or specifically Nicholas. I didn't have much experience when it came to riding horses but Chase showed me the ropes, so to speak. It was kind of exhilarating to be escaping in the middle of the night and riding a horse at full speed away from the castle, if I'm being completely honest. As the night wore on, I could sense the original adrenaline rush of escaping in the middle of the night was starting to dissipate so we wandered into the woods, tied our horses to a tree, and fell asleep on a bed of pine needles. We were still hours away from the next inn so we probably wouldn't have made it without someone falling off their horse. It was a rough night. It was so cold and we neglected to even bring blankets, but we cuddled close to each other, all sharing each other's body heat.

The next day we reached a small town. After getting breakfast we made our way to a clothing store. I put together an outfit of black pants, a dark long-sleeved shirt, and a leather knife holster that wrapped around my leg.

"You look like a bounty hunter," Chase told me.

"That's what I was going for. Would you be scared of robbing me?"

"Totally," Nicholas said. "You look like you could kick some robber ass."

"Aww, thanks Nicky!" I was getting really excited about this outfit.

"Try smiling less though," Chase said. "And saying stuff like 'aww' and 'Nicky'."

"Ah, good tip. How's this?" I knitted my eyebrows, pursed my lips, and gave him a fake grimace.