Blood and Bone | 1

0 | 5

   

      So, the group of people exited cautiously through the back door that led to the backyard and I followed. I shut the door softly after me and ran to the fence. I had lost sight of the others, as they had dispersed, but I didn't care. I didn't know these people, and they could take care of themselves. What I was most concerned with was my own safety.

      Climbing up the metal wall was easy; I'd had a lot of practice. I vaulted myself over the iron fence, which I estimated to be a bit taller than fifteen feet. It was tall and very sturdy. That made me wonder whether they had been made to protect from intruders or prevent us from escaping. Either way, there was no turning back once my boots hit the ground on the other side.

     There was no sign of any of the others as I marched down a series of roads. Never having been to the area before, I was unsure of where I was heading. But it didn't matter to me. First, I would successfully escape and get as far away as I could, then I would figure out a way to get home.

Home. My heart sank a little in my chest. Was it really a home anymore? If I did somehow return home, what would I be returning to?

I shook my head to clear the thoughts as I continued my random path down the busy sidewalk. It didn't matter. It was better to be there than stuck in some government compound with a new team of people I couldn't trust.

      I felt bare and vulnerable without a weapon. I didn't sense any trouble coming, but I was always ready for it. I had to be ready. Even if my powers failed me, I knew that my knives wouldn't.

As people passed me by on the sidewalk, I kept my head down. I was nowhere near as well-known as my grandmother, having been out of the spotlight for so long, but there was always a chance that my face could be recognized. Whether they were just an admirer of my family name or someone who knew about my dark past, I couldn't take any chances. If they came from the latter group, I would have even bigger problems than the ONNT on my hands.

     My pulse pounded in my ears and my legs began to cramp. I'd been walking long enough for the blue afternoon sky to go almost completely dark. I then realized that I had unconsciously quickened my pace while I had been deep in my thoughts. I stopped suddenly in the middle of the quiet, darkening street that I had turned on to. Something didn't feel right, but I was not aware of why yet.

      Then, I saw a line of men walking towards me, in the dark suits and badges of the men that had taken me in and knocked me out yesterday. I took a step back and then another, but they continued on their way towards me. I looked up again at them after taking another stumbling step backwards and was surprised to see the tough and scarred face of Damien Hunt himself.

Turning to run, I found myself face to face with three more agents of the ONNT. In my surprise, I had failed to try and defend myself. A knife sheathed at Hunt's side caught my eye. I unbuckled it with my mind and snatched it from the open holder in one fluid move. Holding the thin knife with the point a centimeter from Hunt's throat, I glared into his black eyes.

      As soon as they saw me threatening the director's life with the blade, the soldiers aimed their guns at me. I knew that they were ready to shoot if I didn't lower my weapon.

      "Delphinium, lower the knife." Hunt's voice was a warning, though it didn't exactly sound as if he was threatening me. It sounded like the tiredness and annoyance were beginning to show through his tough demeanor.

      "What? Are you going to taser me again?"

      He sighed. "No. That was a last resort. And that action was only taken because you turned what was going to be a benign conversation into a bloodbath. My agents were there to speak with you and make you aware of the situation we are all in." I slowly lowered the knife.

      One of the agents spoke behind him. "You put Jared Hemingway in the Emergency Room. We are still waiting to see if he wakes up." Hunt raised a hand to quiet her, and the woman grudgingly obeyed.

      I stayed silent a moment before answering bluntly, "Excuse me for thinking the worst when I saw the multitude of armed men that were cornering me into an alleyway."

"We needed to take precautions," Hunt reasoned, as if that made his actions alright. "However, I suppose that the way I went about things was not the best choice. The way things went down was not ideal, and I regret the events that transpired."

I lowered my head for the first time, trying to think of a way to escape without any of the people in the ring around me catching up. "I am sorry about what happened to Hemingway."

"Well, that is-"

In the middle of Hunt's sentence, I ducked down slightly and shoved one of the smaller men out of the way to make a run for it. My knees ached with the awkward angle, but I pushed forward, determined to get away. When he wouldn't budge, I hooked my leg under his, causing him to fall backward. As he fell, I slashed the knife deep into his arm.

      I turned to bring a nearby parked car crashing into the ONNT agents, but my slim chance of escape was eliminated when I felt my arms being pulled back by several people. Hunt's knife was wrenched out of my grip and it clattered to the asphalt.

"I assume I don't need to make the same speech that I did when we first met?" Hunt asked me, quirking a dark eyebrow. He was angry now that I'd injured another one of his soldiers.

"No." It was bad enough to hear it the first time.

"The next time you need to leave the compound, you must be with your team and you will get it affirmed by me."

He nodded to the agents that had restrained me and they shoved me forward, bringing me back to the compound.