Hunted

Chapter 1

(All art in this book is by me, unless said otherwise- please do not share or repost it without asking me for permission, thank you.)

Lucia opened the door to her home and exited, running her fingers through her soft raven colored hair, the snow crunching under her feet. The setting sun highlighted her soft, doll-like features as she wandered down the forest path towards the town, the necklace around her neck swaying back and forth as she walked, occasionally bending down to pick up things that looks cool but then gently placing them back down, trying to focus on her task of getting to the city and grabbing what she needed. She passed by the rushing river and hummed, her hands hitting the sides of her thighs as she walked. Lucia's cabin was up in the woods, on a slight mountain, meaning the river nearby was tilted, so during the end of winter, when it unfroze the river was loud, the water rushing down to the end of the river. The noise bugged her more then anything and she hated it. Once she was out of ear shot, she sighed in relief and entered town, looking both ways as she rushed across the street. Lucia looked around before turning and beginning to unlock her shop. She sighed as she opened the door and slowly closed it behind her. Lucia began to prepare her shop and hummed softly as she did. She heard the bells ding behind her as the door opened "stores closed sorry" She set a jar on a counter "I know.. I came here for something else" She turned at the female's soft voice, smiling softly "My name's Ida" She gave a faint smile. Lucia gave a sweet nod and turned, grabbing the paper bag "Of course. Here" Lucia handed Ida the bag "thank you, and I was wondering if you had a position open?" She gently took the bag "I haven't hired anyone in a long time...Maybe. It all depends" Lucia waved her hands around softly "Come back tomorrow, I'll have some things for you to do. 10 am, no later" She gave a soft look "shoo shoo!" she laughed gently as she shooed Ida out, watching her go. She gently closed her door and continued to  stock her shelves. She eventually flipped the open sign and she went behind the counter, gently cleaning it off. She watched as a few customers came in here and there and she rang them up, putting the money she made away. Slowly but surely, the day came to an end. She heard the bell ring a few minutes away from closing and she kept her eyes on the red haired male that entered "can I help you look for anything?" She spoke up after about 3 minutes "Oh no thank you, I'm fine, just searching" he gave a faint smile and slowly walked along the shelves, not really touching anything. When he left, Lucia closed up shop and she locked the door behind her, bringing empty jars with her in a bag as she walked down the sidewalk. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and one thing she'd learned over the year was to trust her instincts. She began to walk a little faster, not liking how dark it was getting *It's getting dark..I should hurry* She thought, sighing as she entered the forest, the snow crunching under her feet as she walked. Lucia got home and she set her things down. She couldn't help but feel like eyes were on her at all times right now. She really hated it. Lucia grabbed some of her jars and she went into her well lit backyard, taking care of her plants that were finally looking green again. She picked a few leaves from the rosemary, lavender and basil, since thats whats she needed most. She went back inside and turned the tv one as she prepared the herbs, placing them in her jars and putting them up for tomorrow. She gently grabbed her blanket and yawned, cuddling up in it and relaxing as she watched tv. She was so tired, even if today was so uneventful. She bit her lip a little and clung to a pillow as she drifted to sleep, her tvs noise slowly disappearing and her world turning black.

When she awoke and opened her eyes, the sun shined on her face. She grabbed her phone and looked at the time...7 am "so eaarrllyy" she whined and rolled over, sighing. Lucia frowned and yawned, sitting up "fell asleep on the couch" She muttered under her breathe. As she got dressed and ready she felt off about today...But she had a business to run, so she went outside and walked into the forest, towards down. As she walked, she felt that feeling. She stopped walking and looked around, noting tiny footprints in the snow *those are child size* She looked up and began to follow them slowly, hiding behind a tree as she came across a small child, lying in the snow. Lucia saw the child and ran forward, gently sitting by his side, listening for breathing.