Running from Melinda ~ A Blood Red Fan Fiction

3 Escape

I was surprised, baffled to say the least. Nobody was chasing after me. I had expected Hannah to spread her wings wide open, to chase after me faster than I could possibly run despite the training I'd had with Melinda but nothing happened.

I suppose I should have felt relieved, thankful and almost lucky that nobody was chasing me but that only kept me on edge further. Melinda was never one to take the most obvious route.

The forest thickened and I found myself running parallel to the hidden path which led to Dead Man's Swamp. I'd been out here a couple times, being able to practise without being noticed by Team A or B but just being here gave me the chills. I turned away, running for a much longer distance.

My breathing grew into short, stuttering pants and my legs continued to pump, the long enduring runs throughout the forest slowly showing its use.

At times like this, I wished I had Hannah's wings. Even if they were pretty painful at times, they'd at least be a quick getaway.

I shook my head, brushing fallen leaves out of my hair and only just managed to recover from a stumble over a tree root sticking out of the ground.

Was anybody really chasing after me? Had I become reckless enough not to notice their presence? My heart thudded nervously as I dared to glance over my shoulder, continuing to run blindly in any direction.

Everything looked empty. All I could hear was my ragged breathing, the brushing leaves of trees and my footfalls.

My heart continued to shake about in my chest, my stomach lurching nauseously as I slowly came to a stop, forcing the fear down with a swallow of the lump in my throat. Gradually I turned around to face the direction I'd run from, scanning the entire area for any suspicious figures or shapes. I raked my gaze across every single tree, every single leaf as fast as possible, not missing a single detail. Even now if I distrusted Melinda, the training she'd put me through as a kid to now had come in handy. The only perk of being under her wing.

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding, feeling almost relief wash over me when a slight shift in the bushes made me tense.

The palms of my hands ignited with a soft purple light, one arm slowly rising to aim at the bush when a small squirrel darted out and scurried up a tree.

I almost rolled my eyes at my jumpiness, trying to ignore the thumping pulse in my ears and lowered my hands. Nobody was there. No detail had gone by unmissed and now that I was calmer than before, I was prepared for any surprise attacks.

Something Melinda had taught me from a young age, something that has kept me alive from several close calls with Drea's dangerous yellow powers - fear is dangerous, a weakness. Fear controls your body and fear will ultimately lead to your downfall.

Emotions I had been locking up since I could remember started threatening to spill. Anger, hope, relief and panic started bubbling in my chest and it took all I had to stamp it back down and stand up straight, narrowing my eyes at my surroundings.

Feeling meant caring. If I cared for others, I would start to try and protect them. In cruel, untrustworthy world, looking out for myself was my best chance of survival.

Especially considering that I had just escaped through All Hallows Manor. I could only hope the blast didn't cause much of a scene, otherwise there would be more work on Melinda's hands and more hatred to kill me.

There was no doubt Melinda would not hesitate to kill me or possibly send Hannah or Trace after me. Not after she started killing every member of her family for the last fourteen years. Already Jared was dead, Eric Blaze was dead and Scarlett was sure to follow.