Run While You Still Can

14. Kitty Kat

Hi loves!!! So sorry for the super late update but it was my birthday this week and you know... writing while drunk isn't very productive :/  ( plus college started again urgh!) hehe, sorry but here it is! Hope you enjoy!

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Why? Why was I this stupid?

I banged my head over and over again against the wall, repeating the word like a prayer. Never in my hundreds of years of living had I been this reckless and stupid. Well, that wasn't true but it did seem like something was toying with my brain lately. Every single rational and smart thought was being crushed by stupid ones. Stupidity had finally claimed its throne in my brain. Stupid, stupid brain.

I paced the room back and forth muttering to myself as quietly as possible, so I didn't wake Jozie up. He still didn't know what I had done and it was best for it to stay this way. He would be so angry and disappointed if he knew and I couldn't bear to face that at the moment. What could I do? My payment was due in less than 4 days and I had squat. I had to get my hands on those diamonds again, they were my best shot at survival.

Then a stupid, very stupid idea popped in my head. I pushed it down at first but it kept popping back up. I stopped myself from pacing and took a swig of alcohol. It was a stupid idea but it was the only possible way of getting the money quickly. Plus, one more or one less stupid thing, it didn't make much of a difference, did it?

Groaning to myself, I took a last sip before leaving the house, readying myself. I was giving myself a headache, honestly. How had Jozie put up with me for so long? I could barely stand myself!

I made sure to hide my hair in my hoodie the best I could, shining silver hair wasn't quite subtle when it came to breaking and entering. By now, I had noted down the pathway of all the Guards with the hours, so I knew which route to take without getting caught. It did mean crawling through some stingy places but I was in that place in my life. This was a life or death situation and I was starting to feel the blade slowly inching down on my neck.

I walked straight through the middle of the city, where the windows held no glass and the doors had no door. The bricks were incrusted with smoke and shadows, yelling of desperation. The curfew hadn't been lifted yet so no one roamed the streets but I could feel their presence lingering in their houses, definitely not asleep. My nose twitched from the smell of various substances, my skin starting to itch. I scratched myself vigorously, fighting the urge to barge inside.

No. I had to stay strong. This wasn't the time. My life and Jozie's were hanging by a thread now, I couldn't lose focus again.

It was surprising that Dante hadn't sent any of his men to come and get me, or at least send a reminder. It was usually his way of making sure people didn't try to run from him. Like it was possible to run from Dante. I had tried for centuries and I never had the chance. He had always been breathing down my neck wherever I hid, no matter the country.

The sun wasn't up yet, but it wouldn't be too long before dawn. I had to make this quick or else things could get ugly in so many different ways. Finally, the architecture around me started to change. The buildings got cleaner, there were finally windows in the frames and the door weren't battered cardboard boxes anymore. The stench was gone but it was hard to stop myself from scratching that invisible itch on my arm. Sometimes it was hard to stop old habits.

Shaking dark thoughts from my head, I made my way towards an exclusive white-brick condo. I tried recounting how many flights of stairs I had gone down last time, but it was impossible. I had been in such a hurry to get out of there that I hadn't taken the time to register my surroundings. The colors of the bedsheets were even a mystery to me.