Hazel- On the Run

Chapter 7- The start of freedom.

Chapter 7: The start of Freedom

It took a few minutes for Hazel to register who it was. Someone who thought she might be able to hear her, someone who needed her help… Melanie.

A searing pain entered her head, bringing up hot tears behind her eyes. This was what Melanie was going through.

Where was she? Blinded by pain, Hazel stumbled in the direction of the call.

She found Melanie lying on the concrete, her arms outstretched towards the grass nearby. Her fingertips just reached the edge and it was as if she was trying to get life out of it.

Hazel ran to Melanie’s side. She lifted Melanie’s head so that Melanie was sitting up against her chest. She carefully brushed the black hair out of Melanie’s eyes and they fluttered open. The pain eased in Hazel’s head as Melanie looked into her eyes.

“Hazel,” Melanie managed to stammer out.

“What is it? What happened?” Hazel asked worried for Melanie.

“The s-s-sun,” Melanie stammered out, her last words fading off as she passed out.

The next few minutes were a blur. Adults appeared, obviously having walked over, and took Melanie away. Hazel was left sitting with arms now empty, shocked and bewildered.

Another adult came over and stood Hazel up, leading her back to her dorm.

As Hazel fell onto the hard mattress, she thought back to a conversation when Melanie and Hazel had first met. It felt like a lifetime ago. The conversation played out like a movie in Hazel’s head; Aimee, Melanie and herself standing in the shade of the trees, hiding down the driveway.

A section of conversation caught Hazel’s attention and repeated itself in her mind.

“...I live off sunlight. Without it I die...” It hit her and Hazel bolted upright. Melanie was dying and it had to be the chip. It must have blocked Melanie’s abnormal cells from taking in sunlight. It was designed to stop powers and it definitely had for Melanie, her source of power and life coming from the sun.

That was it. In the hospital, or wherever she was, Melanie wasn’t going to get any better. Hazel needed to work out how to escape.  But just getting out wouldn’t help Melanie, Hazel didn’t need to just escape but also get the chips out. A piece of information floated into Hazel’s thoughts. The chips had trackers in them. If they escaped now, they would just be brought straight back and that would mean the whole attempt had been pointless. Hazel lay back down, feeling better. Tomorrow she would start working and there was no point losing sleep when she would need it for these upcoming days.

Hazel woke up and went through the morning routine. When it got to breakfast, Melanie wasn’t there. Hazel decided she needed to know more.

Hazel’s eyes searched the room before she found what she was looking for. An unsuspecting guard.

Gently she entered his mind, travelling straight to the information she needed. It turned out he knew exactly what was happening to Melanie...

***

Hazel sat in a dark corner of a room. A pain once again jolted through her arm. She couldn’t get it out. She had been trying for the last hour to get the chip out but each time she used her power on it, it sent a shockwave through her body. She tried once more, this time forcing all her concentration on the small disc lodged just beneath her skin. This time it moved. The pain was almost unbearable as the disc pierced the skin. Hazel kept at it until finally the disc was out. The disc clattered against the ground as Hazel turned her concentration to her arm. The sharp pain from the shockwaves was gone but now the gash in her arm, through which the disc had come, throbbed and ached. Hazel ripped off a piece of fabric from a nearby sheet and bandaged her damaged arm. She pressed the edges of the wound together and wrapped it tightly so it could heal easier. She hoped it wouldn’t bleed too much but at least it would be awhile before any blood showed through the bandage. As she was walking out, Hazel bent down and picked up the disc.