"Charline? Charlotte?" Chase whispered as she entered the pitch black house. She placed her hand on her head as it pounded ferociously.
The fuzziness in her head would not leave. Thousands of words, thousands of scenes, and thousands of emotions flooded through her head. Being abandoned. Being left alone. Being broken away from everyone.
"Stop," Chase said, "stop, please stop." The memories didn't stop. they only got clearer and brighter. They kept going. They kept hurting. It hurt so much, but it also felt nice. The fuzziness felt good; it felt numbing. However, the memories that came with the fuzziness burned Chase. Chase's parents leaving her. Chase's friends leaving her. Eric leaving her. Eric letting go. She didn't want him to let go. He came back for her. The others didn't come back. They didn't even look back. When she felt alone, he was there.
So why was he absent now? Why wasn't he with her? Why wasn't he making her feel safe with his words and touch.
The last memory of Eric being seized flew by. Chase collapsed.
***
Chase woke up to commotion. She could hear people bustling as fast as they could down the street. Chase couldn't remember the last time the streets were so busy that you could hear their noises through the walls.
"Wait," Chase said, "why am I here?" Yesterday's events were blurry, but Chase recalled why she was at her house after a few minutes of thinking.
Immediately after realizing why she was there, Chase started screaming for her sisters. They had to leave. Eric did not tell Chase where she was supposed to take her sisters. Chase had no idea what was outside of Reslington; she had no idea where she would take her sisters. Chase ran through the house, searching the rooms for her sisters or anything that indicated where they were. But the house was completely empty. Everything was clean and nothing out of place, which was highly unusual. The two girls were never neat or tidy.
"The guards have been here," Chase said, her hands starting to tremble.
Chase rushed out of the house and out onto the street. Immediately, someone bumped into her. She would have been trample if that someone wasn't Vivica, the baker, but Vivica was more known as Chase's mother figure. Vivica pulled her off of the dirt-covered floor and held her close to her body as they bustled with the crowd.
"Oh my gosh, Chase, sweetie, what are you doing here?" The crowd sped up, almost causing Chase to fall again.
"Do you know where Charline and Charlotte are?" Chase asked, not bothering to answer Vivica's question.
Vivica hesitated, "that's what the crowd is for, Chase. They declared that they were going to execute your sisters if the person they are looking for does not turn themselves in. I thought it might be me since I helped your sisters manage the guards when they visited a day after you left.
Chase's eyes widened in realization, "it's not you, Vivica." Chase ran away before Vivica could obtain more information that would lead to her being in danger as well. Chase had to get to her sisters. She had to turn herself in. They did nothing wrong. The shouldn't be punished. They shouldn't—
"Execution starts in two minutes, get your popcorn folks." The voice that boomed through the speakers belonged to the guard Chase had spoken to on her second day.
All of these people were here for entertainment. Chase was disgusted by the people around her. The people she pushed through in desperation. She couldn't let her sisters become victims. She couldn't let her sisters pay for her crimes. "Thirty more seconds, citizens! Remember, if you don't want to be executed as well, you will shut up the moment those thirty seconds are over.
Chase wouldn't get there in time. She couldn't get there in time. It was impossible.
"The execution of Charline Never and Charlotte Never will commence at this time." After this announcement was made by the executioner, King Montague's thick voice rang across the silent town center. "Hello, my fair citizens! Very nice to meet you on this fine day! I apologize for the difficulties you must have faced to get here, but I promise today's events are for a good cause. You are all assisting on capturing one of our most atrocious and violent criminals. The criminal has brutally murdered a honorable guard. She has taken a needle-like weapon and shoved it into the poor guard's throat. Trust me when I say this, my dear citizens. This execution will ensure this criminal's capture."
Everyone cheered, excited that they were not useless to the king. Excited that they would not be thrown away like Charline and Charlotte Never; two pawns in an elaborate scheme.
Chase gazed up at the podium where the executions take place. The girls were not up there yet. She still had time. She still had a chance to save—
Eric made eye contact with her. He was standing next to Lexi, who was holding a dagger at his lower back. Eric shook his head slowly, a gesture which told her to not save her sisters.
A tear slid dripped down from Chase's eye. How could he say that? How could he tell her not to save her family? More tears started to leak from her eyes as she stood there, frozen. The girls were walked up to the stage, and more cheers rang through the center as their heads placed on the two tree trunks.
"NO!" Chase shouted, ignoring Eric. She was too late. Her voice was drowned by the elevated cheers as she heard the faint sound of an axe swinging.
They were gone. They were really gone.

YOU ARE READING
Broken Away
AdventureMy dear friend, Chase, lived in the kingdom of Reslinton. Once every girl or boy turned 16, they were instructed to go to a training camp. At this camp, they fight each other. Battle for the best. It's every brave kid's dream and every nerd's nightm...