ignis aurum probat

7

Freedom.

After years and years of longing for freedom, and to be rid of her captor, the moment had finally arrived. She had changed into a fresh set of clothes, dumping her own bloody garments with the bodies that she had left behind.

The government didn't even know that she existed, she wasn't afraid of them coming after her. Not when she figured she would be dead soon enough anyways.

Her hand trembled as she finally touched the doorknob, trying to take deep breaths to calm herself. This was the first time in years that she found herself trying to push back real tears, she felt overwhelmed with emotions that she hadn't realized still existed within her body.

She opened the door before she could dwell on it for a moment longer, and all of her thoughts seemed to disappear the moment that she felt the sunshine kiss her pale skin.

And that was when she finally let the tears stream down her cheeks, standing in the doorway of a seemingly abandoned warehouse, still holding onto the doorknob, but gazing up at the sky she had dreamed of for so long.

It seemed even more vibrantly blue than she had remembered it.

She allowed herself to bask in the gentle sunshine for a few more minutes before she finally got up the courage to let go of the doorknob, taking a few more steps out into the street. This was freedom, now that she didn't have to worry about his hand staying in hers, or around her waist, it was just her. She was on her own, and she was fine with that.

She mindlessly wandered down a few streets, taking in all of the sights, before she finally reached what seemed to be a more central part of the town. She had known well enough to steal some money from her victim's pockets before she left, she wasn't too familiar with the outside world, but she knew that much from books and snippets of the last time she had been let out.

There was a wonderful smell coming from nearby, and she followed her nose to find where exactly it was coming from. Her mouth immediately started watering when she saw all of the different breads behind the glass, she couldn't remember the last time she had seen so much food, she didn't think she had even eaten so much throughout her entire life.

"I would like some bread, please," She said softly, her voice as sweet and gentle as a songbird as she gazed up at the woman behind the counter, who simply smiled down at the petite female.

"But what kind?"

What kind? There was more than one kind of bread? She felt overwhelmed with many options that were in front of her, she had no idea what was and wasn't a good choice. They all had to be better than the stale bread she sometimes received, right?

"The best kind," she finally replied, fumbling slightly with the money as she made sure she had the right amount, before the woman gave her the warm baked good.

She took her anapan when it was given to her, thanking the woman quietly before she went to sit by herself at a nearby table. It was warm in her hands, and as she took her first small bite, she almost burst into tears again with the taste, it was absolutely delicious.

She could only manage a few bites before she was already full, and she couldn't help but wish that her stomach was bigger to allow her to eat more. She was a very small woman after all, and while she wasn't complete skin and bones, she wasn't used to having so much food all at once.

Once the bakery started to become a bit more crowded, she decided to leave and wander around a bit more, wanting to familiarize herself with all of her surroundings. And it wasn't as if she was in a huge rush, nobody was looking for her, or even knew to care about her.