Exile (Short MCSM Fanfic)

Chapter 1: A Loved Soul, Now Hated

There was another loud bang against the door, so hard, Jesse thought it was about to break. She peeked through the drawn curtains, seeing the crowds surrounding her home. Trying to find a way in.

"Please, no." Jesse whispered, pulling away from the window. She was shaking, her breath racing. Tears stained her cheeks, her eyes faintly tinted red.

She couldn't believe it. Nobody would believe that it was Romeo... nobody trusted that she was telling the truth. Everything he did, she was blamed for.

Jesse had no idea where her friends were at that moment, as she had simply bolted for the order hall. It was a coward's move, but she wasn't about to hurt her people... even if they practically wanted her head on a spike.

Jesse raked her fingers through her hair, leaning with her back against the wall. She could only pray that the rest didn't get caught up in this. She didn't want them to suffer on her account.

"Traitor!"

Jesse suppressed a sob, the call being like a stab to the chest. Her beloved citizens, each and every one of them hating her guts.

She hated to admit it.

But the thundering voices outside, the banging against her door, the raised weapons...

It terrified her.

All of a sudden Jesse heard a familiar voice call her name, looking up to see somebody running down the stairs.

"It's a good thing you never close your bedroom window!" Petra called out, stopping a few feet in front of Jesse and resting with her hands on her knees.

Jesse struggled back up into a standing position, approaching her friend who had just practically broken in to get to her. Petra was out of breath, like she had run quite a bit. Her face was red, her hair wet with sweat.

What frightened Jesse more, was the deep scratches on Petra's chestplate, violent scars on the blue steel. The exposed parts of her clothes were ripped, cuts covering her arm that wasn't protected by a sleeve.

"What happened?" Jesse asked, desperately taking her breathless friend by the shoulders.

"The crowds didn't care about us until we started defending you." Petra explained, regaining her breath and recovering herself. "It was like we painted a targets on our backs by trying to convince them they're wrong. Jack disappeared into the crowds like a coward, probably going to hide in his shop with Nurm."

Despite the situation, Jesse lifted an eyebrow at these words. Jack has surely ruined his reputation with Petra.

"We tried to get to you, but the others weren't able to get past the mobs of angry citizens." Petra explained. "I was able to fight my way through, with no other choice than to leave Lukas and Radar behind."

"Did you get hurt?" Jesse asked worriedly.

"Just some cuts." Petra replied, nodding to her arm that still had trails of dried blood across it. "Nothing serious."

There was another loud bang against the door, bits of wood splintering. Jesse fought back tears, realising it was only a matter of time before she would be cornered in her own home.

"Jesse, these people are out for blood, you're blood." Petra said as Jesse started pacing up and down, gripping strands of her dark brown hair. "It's only a matter of time before you get hurt."

"What am I supposed to do, other than hide?" Jesse asked, turning to face Petra with bloodshot eyes. "I can't hurt them, they're my people!"

"I know." Petra said, stepping up to Jesse and taking both her hands in her own. "That's why you need to run."