I'm Sorry, My Bundle of Sunlight.

Chapter 1, The Introduction.

       Noelle raced through the winding streets, taking sharp turns as she tried to lose the people who were chasing her. She tried to be as discreet as possible, ducking behind corners and hiding in shadows, but it seemed like the more she tried to hide, the more the pursuers found her. She expected it. Everyone there was trained vigorously in battle, strength, tracking, you name it. Topaz always made sure everyone was strong and could hold their own incredibly well. She already had experience from her grandfather, and that's what Topaz liked in her. Or, so he had said. Now she wasn’t sure of how Topaz felt about her. After all, he had demanded her be killed on the spot.

          As she ran, she saw an old building ahead of her and dashed towards it, hoping it would provide her with a safe hiding spot. She ran through the front door, breathlessly looking for a place to hide. She hauled ass, lifting heavy left behind furniture, and blocking the door with it since she had some time. She ran and looked around for a hiding spot, sliding under a desk that was facing the wall to cover her. It wasn’t much, but it was the best chance she had. She kept absolutely still, breathing through her nose even though her mouth would have given her more air. She couldn’t risk anyone hearing her. No, not now. Especially not when they could come in at any second now.

          Sudden footsteps echoed through the air, even though no crashing sounds of the furniture piled up at the door as it hit the ground rang through the unpopulated building. Her heart was going a million miles per hour. Surely she can quickly kill this one. There was just one pair of footsteps. Hopefully they would go away, though.

          Though her hopes quickly faded as she saw the desk slowly being pulled away. A woman about 5’7, blonde long hair that flowed down her back in strong waves to the bottom of her shoulder blades, a black turtleneck, light beige pants, and a long black coat that reached to her ankles and black leather boots. She glanced back at the door before looking back over at Noelle with sharp, observant gray eyes. She took Noelle’s hand, lifting her up and letting go. Noelle quickly pulled out a switchblade she carried often just in case, and held it up to the womans throat. She hesitated before speaking.

        “Noelle, don’t be like that. You know it’s me.” She said, her tone calm for a woman who has a blade against their throat.
“I don’t trust you anymore, Maple. You could be here to kill me like they are. You've always followed Topaz far too closely..”

        To that, Maple sighed and thought for a second.

        “I don’t want to hurt you. I understand your situation, and I’m here to get you out of it and away from him.” Noelle squinted, and slowly lowered the blade.
“I’m listening. But if you dare try to trick me, Topaz will have a dead sister on his doorstep.”

           Maple grinned.

          “I’ll take you far away from here. I have a friend the long way around from here that will take you in. He went through a situation like yours. We’ll sneak into one of the Right Wing train cars, and ride it down to Sarva and take a path to get to his barn.”

             Noelle squinted, raising an eyebrow.

            “It sounds like you’re trying to lure me somewhere.”

            Maple sighed.

           “I swear in the name of Bacchus himself that if I’m luring you into a trap, he can smite me himself.”

           Noelle stared at her in thought. She knew that swearing in any Gods name was a serious deal, and she knew that Maple knew it as well. Besides, Maple had never made such a big promise. She decided to trust her.
         
           “Alright. I’ll come. But just know that I have my eye on you.”
           "Then we'd best get going, Noelle."