Slave Princess

Chapter 1

"Scarlett, run!" her voice shouted, her eyes bearing all the pain of the world. It was all I could do but listen to her.

I hadn't known it was this serious. My feet started moving on their own accord, away from my mother and her cries of pain as they whipped her. I wanted to stop them, to kill them for even laying a hand on her, but I knew she'd hate it if I did. I was running for her.

Not seconds later, the whipping stopped, as did her screams. I held back a cry and continued running as fast as I could, away from them. She was gone. No, I couldn't afford to think like that, at least, not right now. I needed to run. My heart was pumping ferociously, my head covered in a thin sheen of sweat, but I continued. I needed to be as far away from them as possible.

It was her last wish.

I had to keep myself safe, for her, so she'd be proud of me. There was nothing more I could do for her now that she was gone. My feet pounded on the concrete floor, making me an easy target, but I knew I was ahead of them by now. Either they were far back, or they'd given up trying to chase me, seeing as their footsteps and heavy, shallow breathing had long stopped.

I continued running, my muscles starting to ache, but I ignored them. My pain was nothing compared to hers. She was whipped, whipped so bad that they killed her.

She was dead.

I'd never see her again, never hear her soothing voice, never listen to her lullabies as I went to sleep, never hold her hand when I was scared, never run with her, away from them.

I just wanted it to stop.

I just wanted her to come back to me, so we could talk and be together again. The pain of her departure was already coursing through my veins. Unlike most, I accepted she was gone straight away, and for me, that was even harder. There was no false hope, nothing to lift my spirits as I ran away from them. Without my approval, a stray tear left my eye, travelling down my cheek until I could taste salt on the side of my lip. I wiped it away.

I don't know how long I had been running, but when I came to a stop I was far from home. I knew that because there were no streets anymore. Everything around me looked like waste, thousands upon thousands of pieces of scrap metal and plastic was piled up in mountainous piles. There was no sign of life, or movement apart from the wind that was softly ushering me on, pushing me further into the wasteland.

I was scared.

I didn't want to admit it, but I knew I was. Without her, I was nothing. Sure, she'd taught me how to fend for myself, but whenever she did, she was always there. But now she wasn't.

I pushed my thoughts away, stepping forward and making my way through the ocean of scraps to put my mind onto something else. My chocolate coloured hair blowing into my face as I walked, but I made no effort to move it. Every thought I had moved back to her. I couldn't help it. I missed her already.

My mother.

Before I knew it, I had collapsed onto the ground, my legs going limp beneath me and tears forcing their way out of my eyes. I couldn't cry, not even over her, she wouldn't want me to. I could see her looking down at me now, frowning at my weakness, telling me to be strong and conquer my fears. Telling me that she knew I could.

But, for the first time, I couldn't.

I couldn't force even one tear to stay inside as I sobbed, crying for her. I just hoped she'd understand that this was the one thing I couldn't be strong about. I loved her, and she was gone. Sixteen years of her embedded in my memory forever. All of her laughs, the way her eyes lit up as she smiled, the way she looked down at me with pure unconditional love, the way she'd help me when I got hurt, the way she kept me strong, but mostly, the way she was there for me when I needed her. She never left me. Even through everything she'd been through for me, she was still willing to take on more.

For me.

My heart clenched in pain, and I held my hand there, wanting it to stop. I wish it was me that was taken instead of her. She didn't deserve to die, she was so young, beautiful, and strong. She was the best mother anyone could ask for.

I choked on the sobs that were wracking my body, but I couldn't help it. Pain like I'd never felt before stabbed me multiple times, and I cried out at the weight of it. I couldn't hold myself up anymore, and I fell onto the junk, scratching myself numerous times as I went down. 

The burn in my heart never ceased. If anything, it increased tenfold. I was sure it couldn't hurt more if someone chopped my arms and legs off. I whimpered in pain, allowing myself to be weak. I knew she'd hate it, that I was being weak over her, but I honestly couldn't help it. It was as if the agony had taken over my whole body. I couldn't control anything.

I was so in pain I didn't even hear the sound of the drones in the sky, that I normally would have hid from. My body was working on its own accord, not allowing me to move from the centre of the wasteland. I didn't hear the voices of the men, deep and angry, coming closer to me. I didn't see the bright white light that, instead of going over me, had stopped, illuminating my body. I didn't feel the rough hands of the men as they grabbed me, pulling me up by my hair and slapping me repeatedly. I didn't hear them as they laughed at me. I didn't see them as they dragged me over to the drone, carrying me away to my horrible fate.

All I felt, in that moment, was the burning pain of loosing her.

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