Amongst The Shadows

Chapter 1

"Ariel!"

Ariel sighed heavily before plastering on her best smile and turning at the lady who looked frantic and walked quickly towards her.

"Quick Jackson needs your help"

Ariel sighed looking at her meager left over Thai food that was her lunch before standing up and following a frantic Minnie.

Yep that was her name and she truly did not know how someone would legally change their name to a Disney character. However one look at Minnie and the Disney obsession was evident with her clothes covered in various Disney quotes and pictures, down to her big puffed up skirts and ballet flats that were always an odd colour.

"Ariel?"

Ariel blinked and looked up to see Minnie's panicked expression at the door leading to the lunch playground.

"Jackson needs you, be careful!"

Ariel simply nodded at Minnie before heading out and shaking her head at Minnie. Ariel truly didn't understand how Minnie got the job at the school office. The woman did not fit well within a school that catered to children with specialised needs.

"Ariel!"

Ariel looked up ahead and laughed at Jackson who was trying to make one of her favourite students laugh. She knew she shouldn't have favouritism but to hell with that. This boy honestly had her heart.

She approached the students who happily sat in their wheelchairs watching their friends play out in the playground.

Jackson heard the approaching footsteps and turned smiling at Ariel with his red nose making her laugh.

"Minnie said there was an emergency Jackson. You with a red nose is not an emergency" she said with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh listen yes I know, but Ariel, I needed a second pair of hands to help me with my act!"

Ariel laughed at his excitement. Jackson was a large man with a good beard that she couldn't help but admire and she liked the hint of tattoos that showed on occasion under his shirt sleeves. She also admired his charisma for teaching and the love he poured into everything.

"Look who is here everyone!" Jackson cheered and Ariel laughed and waved at the boys and girls.

She felt her own smile grow when Noah, the little boy in his wheelchair laughed with his ever present smile and gazed at her adoringly. She knew he was non-verbal and his cerebral palsy had him confined to his wheelchair but oh did this boy have such intelligence laying within him! She could always see it in his eyes when he watched the world.

"Alright Noah you made her smile well done! Part 1 is complete!"

Ariel laughed at his antics and worked with Jackson on his act that had her in stitches and had drawn an audience from the other students who eagerly watched.

She shook her head at her friend, truly she loved her job.

-

"Why are we heeeere!"

Ariel groaned internally at the whiny voice at the petrol station. She did not need this right now, her head was absolutely pounding.

"We needed to fill up petrol! Why else would we be here?" A gruff voice replied and Ariel thanked the man for shutting her up.

"Yeah duh no shit Xander!"

"Ugh" she groaned, so the man didn't shut up that stupid voice.

"We leave when I say we can leave" the man threatened

That voice of his sent a chill down her spine. It was like death was talking.

"I get that duh, doesn't mean I enjoy it" the female hissed. Ariel frowned, seriously? That's how you talk to death like a whiny brat? Ariel thought shaking her pounding head at the woman.

Ariel continued to watch them silently but when the two walked away she didn't follow, there were always nut cases in the world. She shrugged at that thought, losing interest and grabbed the tablets and junk food she needed before heading over to the counter.

As she approached she felt her breath stop in her throat. Before her laid her heaven, men that should not be in an old rundown petrol station talking in a tight night group, whispering probably about how they needed to take over the modelling world and truly show them how it's done.

As they continued speaking, not noticing her, all Ariel could do as her mind conjured up the million scenarios was swear outloud.

"Holy mother f*cker" she gasped and 3 pairs of eyes turned to meet her. Regarding her silently and weirdly.

"Uh hello?" She asked as they silently regarded her, now she was over their hotness and was getting creeped out by it.

"Uh so listen, I need to pay for my uh food? So if you could just move and continue your secret plotting probably in like the chip aile. You know that's a good aile for that, you can snack on food while you do that" she said and still they said nothing. Ariel pursed her lips and rocked on her heels.

"Ah well if this is your first time here, the chips are that way by the ice cream fridge" she directed pointing toward the right side of the station.

The men said nothing as she rolled on heels, accepting that yep this is where she was truly going to actually die.

As she accepted her death, the men simply nodded before heading out without another word. Ariel watched them go, confused and with an eyebrow raised she turned to Raoul behind the counter who as usual had not looked up from his small T.V. playing the horse races.

She shook her head at him and his sad existence. She truly did not think he would notice if she paid or not, however her father raised a nice person and so she put a 20 on the counter and left without looking back towards her car.

Though truth be told, she should have looked back.

"Are you sure that's her?" One of the men asked from the passenger seat in their large jeep.

"Yes Jackson took the photos today for us, that's her alright"

"You put the tracker on the car?" Another asked.

"Yes I did sir"

The man in the driver's seat nodded before placing a black ski mask over his face.

"Alright let's do this"

-

Ariel looked into her rearview mirror and frowned, she was being followed that was for sure. She frowned at that thought, no one knew her father here, she was supposed to be safe.

"Apparently not safe" she whispered as she took a random corner.

"Alright stay calm Ariel" she whispered as she reached over to her glove compartment, taking out her gun placing it on her lap gently.

"Okay what else do you need" she thought and reached up to the sunglasses compartment opening to retrieve her compact baton before placing it next to the gun.

It wasn't much but it was all she stored in the car. It was risky enough driving to her school with a loaded gun.

She looked into her mirror again and smirked.

"Catch me if you can" she said before swerving dangerously to the left into the dark forest.