Black

VIII

Third P.O.V

"You can run as fast as you want, but I'm going to catch you, petal!" the woman yelled as she chased after her happy daughter.

It was a sunny day, no clouds disturbed the blue sky. Fresh air surrounded the place and you could hear the birds chirping from everywhere.

The playground was filled with kids playing happily; pets running around freely and parents watching their children with love. It was a happy day.

The mother and the daughter were the ones who caught most the attention in the park. People would have probably assumed that they were sisters, due to the mother's young appearance and carefree manner, if it wasn't for the little girl yelling 'I'm going to win, Mummy!' every now and then.

The kid giggled and forced her tiny legs to run faster, "You will never catch me! I'm young and little, but you are old and big, I run faster!" she exclaimed. Her mother closed her eyes and laughed at what her daughter had just said, "I'm so going to get you for that," she shouted.

The girl looked behind her, hoping she was far ahead of her mother, but she soon realized she wasn't as far as she had expected. Shrieking, she turned her head around and pushed herself harder.

But, it wasn't a few minutes later when the mother took hold of her kid and turned them around, both of them giggling and laughing.

"I told you I'm going to catch you," the mother smiled as she whispered in her daughter's ears.

"That was just because of luck! I slowed down so you would be able to win because I love you!"

"Yeah, I know. My little girl is as fast as lightning," the mother played along upon seeing her baby girl's eyes shining with happiness.

She nodded and got a kiss in return from her mother.

"Shall I reward you with ice-cream then?" the little girl's head bobbed up and down excitedly, so, the mother put her kid down and went to the ice-cream truck just a few feet away.

The girl was scanning the park when her eyes rested upon a little boy looking at her from beside a bush nearby. She was known for being shy, but something made her wave her hand at the boy and smile. He didn't make any move or smile back.

'Maybe he was shy too!' she thought, so she moved closer to him.

"Do you want to play with me?" she asked and smiled one more time. But, the boy didn't get to say if he would play or not because her mother came shortly after with the ice-cream.

"Baby, who are you looking at?" she looked at her mother and then turned around again to point at the boy she was talking to, but he was nowhere in sight. She shrugged and looked back at her mum, the boy long forgotten as soon as she saw the chocolate ice-cream in her hand.

~

Black P.O.V

The world was no more than a blur as I ran through the streets of New York. Everything was silent but for the sound of the vigorous pounding of my heart. My hip burned from the sensation of pain, throbbing with every move I took.

I tried so hard to push away the thoughts of guilt and fear at the back of my mind, but I still found them creeping into my thoughts as I realized how far home still is.