THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER

Part 1

        The boiling sun shined in the streets of New Italy. This marked the beginning of a new day for Violet. A new day to die or to survive. She groaned and flickered her eyes open, her body still sore from the previous day. She had to get up now before they found her (they, meaning the government, more specifically the hunters).  Forcing herself to move, Violet got off the dirty mattress and stretched her legs, still avoiding rays of light with her arms. Glancing at her clothes, she tried to brush off the remaining caked mud from her pants and hood but it was no use. Violet had been a beautiful girl once, belonging to a family, but that had soon changed. On her thirteenth birthday she had been diagnosed and ran away. Ever since she had been running. Running from the ones that meant to hurt her.  Violet grabbed her backpack and pulled her hood, looking in every direction to make sure no one would spot her.

     Violet scanned the streets trying to identify the few faces.  She had to make sure none of them were hunters. Walking at a slow pace, she tried to blend in with the small crowd. There was one woman and five men, all wearing work clothing.  Looking down often, she made sure her eyes were covered and hidden as much as possible. Her eyes were the key to her identification. Their purple pigment told them who she was; an alien. To her, they all seemed normal enough.  Once she had looked behind, she hopped down the stairs to the metro. She had to be quick, they we're. Suddenly she heard a screech. The metro. The door glided open without a sound, and a familiar face
appeared. A hunter. Her mind spun like a spinning wheel. Fear and anxiety struck, and cold sweat perspired through her thick hoodie. Walking slowly towards her direction, he picked up the pace. There was no denying who he was. Violet turned her back and started to sprint. She refused to be captured, and certainly refused to be killed.

     He was now running too. Sprinting with force, almost breathing down her neck. She was terrified. The quiet streets of New Italy were now in full swing and the city buzzed with life. She tried to keep a low profile but hiding behind people was not  keeping her cover. The  masked man grabbed her arm. He was definitely a man, his strength had been too great to be a woman's. Violet kicked the outside of his knee, sending him buckling down to the ground. She smiled, then bolted.This was her moment to escape. Sweat dripped from her hoodie and the back of her neck felt wet. Her mind started to feel eased and her muscles started to relax, but no ideas came to mind as where she could go. They had found her once, and they would definitely find her again. Violet decided to head to the trees. There she could camouflage  and hide till morning, or at least she hoped.

     The tall green skyscrapers above,  filled her burning lungs with oxygen, and every breath felt like paradise. Violet stopped and observed the area. The bushes were small, and yet full of fresh berries. The trees on the other hand were different. Tall and sturdy like buildings. Suddenly a loud crack replaced the sounds of the wild. Listening for any sign of the hunters, she prayed that none had found her. She
looked from  side to side, then front and back. Nothing. Knowing they would attack, she tensed. She knew that they were here. Almost immediately,  someone pounced out of the bushes. The man was back.