Black Equation - The Hunted Ones

SIX

"If you want their respect, treat them first with sincerity."

SIX

Plop!

Ophee sat on the ground, her dirty face dripping with sweat. She was halfway home, but her limp was getting in the way. The two guards behind her didn't move forward to help her out. They merely stared at her like unfeeling bunches of steel.

Assholes.

Not that she would accept even if they offered help. Ah, she should have asked her Uncle Brandon for a painkiller or two before leaving. 

The contradictions of life, she sighed.

"Young miss, it is nearly time for dinner," one guard reminded her in a monotone.

Amazing way to say 'Stop wasting our time'. She's been resting for less than five minutes. Couldn't they even wait for a few more?

"You're not the only one starving," she grumbled.

The guard did not react. How dull.

She lazily propped herself up, using the tree behind her as support. Her movement was as slow as a snail. And yes, it was done deliberately.

It was fun to watch the irritation flash across the guard's face. Lately, it had been getting more and more difficult for her to get a reaction from these men of steel. But then, the more challenging game is, the more enjoyable it gets.

She pointed at the guard who had the gall to subtly censure her. "Give me your boots."

The man pretended not to hear her.

"Oh my, you can't let this precious young miss walk barefoot all the way, right? What would those old fogeys say if I were to rat you out?"

The guard paled, opening his mouth as if to protest, but then his partner hinted at him with his eyes. The helpless man had no choice but to obey. She wore his large army boots with a smirk, and they finally continued on their way.

From time to time, her gaze unconsciously flickered behind her even though she knew that her uncle and those boys would detour towards a separate safe house. She had no reason to worry, but still, she couldn't help but feel anxious with the arrival of those two. Not that anyone would know.

They were people that Cee had foreseen. Not only that, the upper echelons of her family seemed to have decided that they could be used by the family. Meaning, those two couldn't be underestimated.

Were they assets or liabilities? 

Her guts told her they were trouble. And that was something, coming from the chief troublemaker of the family.

Did her parents and those old, boring men really understood the consequences of getting involved with those boys?

But then, in their eyes, she's a kid. Even if she voiced out her scruples, no one would take her seriously. No one listens to a kid.

Ophee never truly trusted the judgment of her birth family, let alone outsiders who merely clawed their way up for benefits.

Oh well, whatever happens to those boys, that's Fate.

It's not that she particularly cared about them – and she wasn't exactly saintly to begin with – but she had the basic decency to ensure they would be treated... not too badly.