Unconditionally

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Why Jacklyn chose to stay in Brooklyn she was never quite sure. It could have been the busy streets that amused her. Or the new smell of city air. It could have been that it was a crowded city and made it a great place to hide. Maybe she just wanted to stop running for a while. Stop living her life in constant motion and take a breath.

For a year all Jacklyn did was run. Run, and run until she could no longer stand. She had to get away. The people that had kept her, tortured her would not stop looking for her. She knew that for a fact. That was why she kept going, the reason she had not stopped until she reached a different continent. She still did not feel safe, but the distance between her and Hydra was something she enjoyed immensely.

Now, two years after Jacklyn had stopped running, at the age of seventeen, she has a little apartment to herself (One room with a small washroom) and a small paying job as to afford the shelter and food. She finally feels as if life is looking up and Hydra is no longer controlling her every movement.

Jacklyn always knew that she was not like the other kids her age. While she yearned to play like they did, and to do everything just the same as they did, it was apparent that those normal childhood moments would never be hers. From the moment of her birth, her parents had hidden her away in the attic. They had had a home birth, with one of their friends as the midwife, when their baby came out, purple, with a spade-tipped tail, pointy ears and bright yellow eyes, they had their friends sworn to secrecy. The friend promised to keep their secret but no longer wanted to be involved in a family that would keep such a 'beast' around. Her parents saw letting all their friends go as the only way to keep their daughter safe. They pretended that their child had been stillborn. They would do anything to keep their daughter safe, even if she looked odd. This was something that Jacklyn would never forget, even in her adult life, she would appreciate the lengths that her parents went to too keep her safe. It was too bad that despite all their efforts, Jacklyn would end up running for her life from Hydra.

Up in the attic, Jacklyn had plenty of toys and books, and even a radio, but nothing could replace that empty feeling she would get when she peeked out the window and saw the other neighbourhood children running down the street without a care in the world. She had to keep the windows drawn so that no one saw her, but she figured that a little peak every once in a while would not do anyone harm.

It's not to say that she was ungrateful of her parents, they had kept her safe and as entertained as possible, it's just that no child is meant to be kept locked away in an attic. Her father and mother knew this, but were unsure of how to help their daughter. Her father was a military man, meaning that he was often gone. Many times it was just Jacklyn and her mother in the house. On these occasions, her mother would let her sneak down to the second floor, into her parents' bedroom, and she would snuggle up to her mother as the two fell asleep. While she missed her father, these were some of her favourite memories.

However, as hard as the family tried, their lives as they knew it, came to an end. It was one fateful day, the sun was shining and all the children were out to play. Jacklyn was peeking out her window, that familiar empty feeling filling her chest, feeling jealous that she too could not go out and play. She thought that maybe just today she could open the blinds a little more and let the sun hit her face. However, when one child look directly at her window, his eyes widened when he saw her, she knew that she had made a mistake. She closed the blinds as quickly as possible. Hoping that nothing would come of it if she did not mention the incident. Maybe it would all just go away.

Around two weeks after the incident, Jacklyn had pretty much forgotten about what had happened with that little boy. She felt safe once again in her house, as though nothing could reach her. She was sorely mistaken. Around 2 in the morning Jacklyn was awoken to the muffled yelling of her parents. Her heart racing, she grabbed her favourite stuffed bunny and she slipped out of bed. She stood at the top of the stairs, trying to listen for what was happening.