Secrets Beyond Time

The Escapee

Far below in the dimly lit underground city, where the air hung heavy with continuous conflicts, stealing and other nefarious acts, Juice slipped away into a nearby alleyway. The once loud booming, and menacing voices slowly began to subside. He knew continuing on was the only option he had, but with every step he took the water that had seeped within the cracks of the cobblestone sloshed. To Juice, it felt like bombs were going off, and within any moment his hiding spot in the alleyway would soon be found.

He held his breath, praying that would somehow muffle the noises. The last thing he wanted was to go back with those... men. Though, sneaking was his only option at the moment, his appearance stuck out like a sore thumb. He used to have beautiful, cream colored, fluffy hair, but now it was tangled with knots, covered with dirt and damp from the prior nights of rain. He used to have beautiful wings that adorned his back, but all that was left were slash marks and the dried blood of where his wings used to be. His fur bore stains of blood and grime, and his pants were but a tattered mess. His shirt was long abandoned now, so he felt every gust of wind that had hit his body.

Luckily, Juice's will to live burned deep inside of him, with the little bit of strength he had mustered up so far he yearned to escape this hell hole. Juice had one small problem though, the deep growl emitting from his stomach, along with the sudden jolt of pain in his gut. Hunger was quickly taking over and he could definitely feel it.

He slowly reached the end of the alleyway, he cautiously peered around the corner to scan his surroundings. The distant echoes of turmoil send shivers down Juices spine, but he knew he couldn't back down now. His eyes barely graced upon a neighboring fruit stand, the fruit showed signs of aging, but to Juice it was heaven seeing anything other than the moldy bread and rotten fruit he had been eating the past few months.

Again though, he encountered one more problem, Juice was an honest person. He had never engaged in illicit activities before, so the anxiety was kicking into maximum overdrive. He took a small step forward, staying low, he forced himself to come to terms with his new life now, and within a quick swoop Juice was able to execute a perfect roll, seamlessly standing up as if nothing had taken place. Juice clenched the apple close to his chest as he hastily made his way into another alleyway to eat in peace and quiet.

He was extremely ecstatic to see something other than an orange, and in near perfect condition too. He was basking in the now comforting darkness, ready to indulge in his treat. He opened his mouth but his hands no longer bore the heaviness of he apple, he opened his eyes and it was no longer there. Juice blinked in disbelief, had he just made up the entire scenario in his head?

As he tried to comprehend the sudden disappearance of his prized possession his glaze quickly shifted to the hooded figure at the far end of the alleyway, holding his hard earned fruit. The accumulation of everything he had endured bubbled inside of him, and the adrenaline kicked in before he could even make sense of what he was doing.

"Give it back!" Juice yelled at the mysterious being, his nails grazed the man's skin as he gripped as hard as he could.

The hooded figure looked down at Juice, they slowly removed their hood as piercing orange eyes glared Juice down. The hooded figure was a boy, not much older than himself, he had brown hair that covered half of his face and little ears sat upon his head. "Why?" The male asked as if he was challenging Juice.

Juice was no fighter, and his adrenaline was slowly beginning to wear off. He took a step backwards, stumbling over one of the cobblestone rocks. It took a couple of seconds for Juice to muster up the courage to speak, he lowered his head and looked at the ground before shooting his head back up and meeting the man's gaze. "I-I took that fair and square! I also haven't eaten in two days!" Juice held up two of his long nails to emphasize the amount of time and importance this meant to Juice. Juice's voice was quivering, his pitch raising with his anxiety. It made him sound as if he was a teenager, but he was freshly eighteen.

"Well its mine now, I took it fair and square." The man began to turn away and Juice let out a defeated sigh.

"Please.." Juice begged once more, his voice cracking in desperation, but he knew it was futile. This was the Underground after all, the rules are fend for yourself and trust no one.

"You're pathetic." The man spat out, tossing the apple back over to Juice who nimbly caught it before it touched the ground. "Why are you even down here?" The man took a breath in, trying to make sense of the anomaly that was Juice. "You're a Luminoth." He said, almost like he was asking a question instead of a statement. He had just noticed his antennae atop Juice's head, his confusion becoming even more apparent.

"I don't have to tell you anything." Juice shot back at him, hugging the apple close to his chest and trying to prove he could defend himself.

"Black market dealings I presume." He said with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Juice looked up at him with a scowl. "I don't have to tell a Rakuun anything. You're all the same."

The man took offense to Juice's statement, he bent down to meet Juice's gaze, which in return caused Juice to turn his body and hide the apple from the man. "It's Ace."

"Ace?" Juice asked but was quickly interrupted.

"My name, and the fact I returned your stupid apple means I'm a little bit different, doesn't it?" Ace seemed to want confirmation more than anything. "But why would I listen to a child anyways." Ace's tone was mocking as he shook his head.

"I'm an adult!" Juice's voice rang out but he quickly hushed his tone as he heard whispers passing by the alleyway.

"And you're what? Trying to escape or survive down here? Looking like that? You're a Luminoth, you'll get eaten alive." Ace rolled his eyes, scoffing as he turned away from Juice. "Good luck."

"I-I don't know what my plan is.. okay. You know what happens to a Luminoth when.." Juice let out a defeated sigh once more as he pointed to his back. "I don't know how anyone could enjoy life down here, its suffocating."

"Majority of us didn't get a choice, we were born down here. So I hope you enjoy the wonderful prison that I call home." Ace pivoted his feet, turning away and walking down the other end of the alleyway before he paused. Glancing back over at Juice, his still orange eyes judging.

Juice watched as Ace hesitated to leave, lingering for a moment before deciding to leave. Alone in the alley, Juice held his apple in hand, the weight of loneliness settling over him, it had just dawned on him that, that was his first real conversation in months. He glanced back down the alleyway, hoping Ace would appear again, to help him escape or even find him a place to sleep for the night.

Juice laid his head on the hard rock, something he was used to, he savored every flavor of the delicious apple as his eyes suddenly grew heavy, and he laid his head down, ready to enjoy a peaceful sleep.