Hiddens [Old Version- New Coming Soon]

Chapter 1- Mae

Suspicious alleyways usually led to bad things, as Mae Foster was finding out at the moment.

Mae was used to fights where she was badly outnumbered. She was used to fights where she was at a clear disadvantage because of her stubby height. She was even used to fights where knives were involved.

However, this was different.

Mae contemplated running from the broad-shouldered monster of a man in front of her. It wasn't the growl under his breath, or his hands that were the size of her head, or even the menacing look on his face, but rather the fact that he was holding a gun. A shiny, polished gun. One that could blow her to bits and leave her useless or dead in a matter of seconds. That was what scared her.

She chuckled nervously and put her hands up in a weak defense, trying not to bump into anything as she slowly backed away from the man. He kept his beady eyes trained on her without moving a muscle. His arms were perfectly still, and he didn't seem to care that she was slowly but surely getting away.

It wasn't until Mae reached the end of the alleyway that the man made a move. He charged over his fallen comrade that Mae had taken down earlier and, without missing a beat, dove right towards the short girl. Mae expected this and at the last second spun on the heel of her foot, causing the man to crash right into the hard brick wall beside her.

Mae took this as her chance to run.

She burst out of the trash-lined alley and took off down a brightly lit street made up of tiny shops. Her goal was to reach the giant park in the center of the industrial grey city. That was her best bet at losing the gunman.

Not caring that she was bumping into people, or that they were staring at her, or that a guy was shouting nasty words at her, she shoved through the crowded sidewalks. Let them do what they want, she thought as she scrambled. She just wanted to stay alive for another day. If that meant drawing attention to herself and creating a scene, she didn't care. She couldn't afford to care. Not when a man was chasing her and said man had a gun.

Her breath was uneven as she took in the cold air of late autumn. She wasn't what anyone would call "fast," but she had lots of endurance as she seemed to be running from something at any given moment a lot in her life. It wouldn't do her much good to be unexceptional in both her speed and perseverance. If she were average, she'd also be dead.

She cursed at herself and tried to pick up the pace when she heard feet pounding against the ground behind her. She knew it was no use, though. That man had a gun. You can't run from a gun. Mae was skilled, but not skilled enough to defy the laws of motion. So, instead she threw herself to the ground in a protective roll.

Holding back the urge to scream, Mae settled for letting out a tiny shriek as the pain of hitting the hard, packed earth beneath her finally caught up with her brain. She rolled down a hill before hitting the ledge of a wall that cut through it, her small body falling down a few feet into a flower bed below. She couldn't move. It hurt to breathe. So she didn't. Maybe if she held her breath, the guy would think she was dead and he'd just go away. That was the line of reason that went through her head as she forced her eyes to shut and block out the dull and cloudy grey sky.

At least no one can hate me if I'm dead, she thought bitterly. Oh wait, that's not true, now is it? Maybe she really would die there, with her back to the ground and her heart to the sky. Maybe someone would remember her as being a hero, but she knew that would never happen even if she were to live another million years under this same sun. If even she didn't think highly of herself, how could anyone else?

Her classmates from so long ago had been right. She'd die a failure. She'd die as just another person, unrecognizable in the crowd of faces that existed in the world. No one special, just another "lost cause." A failure. A failure, a failure, a failure... a failure... a... failur-