"We have to keep going," Violet exhaled sharply, bubbling with incredulous rage. "They're innocent children. If we have the power to help them, then why shouldn't we? Why should they end up trafficked somewhere, or dead, if we saw what happened?"
They'd been racing through the gardens, bound in ribbons of minty air and wounds of urgency, preying on the ice-cream van in disturbed fury. At each twist and turn, with each squeal of the tires against the cobblestoned pathways, they'd been there. They were still there. The same drastically well-off teenagers who'd supposedly never thought of anyone else but themselves.
None of them had hesitated to chase the kidnappers down. It seemed only right to do so when they'd witnessed the whole scene. Alas, they'd been sprinting after the vehicle for minutes on end, and they'd grown weary.
Most of all, Katya had begun to hesitate. Would Sonia encourage them to derail from their original mission? Slowly, she softened her pace as her run morphed into an unsure stride. Maddie met her with judging eyes as she continued to run with the others.
With a sense of finality, Katya stopped running. "I think we should stop," she sighed. Once ignored, she tried again. "Guys, we're wasting our time!" she went on to exclaim.
What if they were taken too? Were these guys more dangerous than they'd anticipated? A swirl of despairing possibilities invaded her thoughts... She couldn't help but fear the chances of becoming entangled in the chaos too. Could one of them be captured as well?
Violet halted abruptly whilst the others continued. "You're acting inhumane," she called out to Katya. The wind whipped fiercely at her hair, lengths of platinum blonde swirling about her indignant, flushed face. "You're seriously wondering if the lives of stolen children are worth rescuing?"
Already Violet could imagine the kind of self-absorbed thoughts racing through Katya's mind. Katya was raised as a witch. Not a mortal.
"Just admit it," she shot out, her words edged with ice. "You don't think mortals are worth the trouble. You genuinely believe you're superior. For all you care, anyone who isn't a magician can go-"
"Oh, shut up!" Katya uttered. "Did you ever wonder what might happen if those kidnappers caught one of us next? You're putting all of us in danger!"
Violet stared back at her in disbelief. "Danger of what? Some stupid, defenceless mortals? Don't tell me you're actually afraid of some hooded street scum-"
Katya had become agitated now. "Just go!" she exclaimed. "If you're so adamant on saving some stupid kids, go do it. Get set up. We'll see how Sonia reacts to you getting yourself held hostage. Go! Walk right into some dumb trap!"
"They're still kids," Violet replied. "They still need help, regardless of whether it's a trap or not."
With that, she'd disappeared, fading from the sea of parents and wide-eyed tourists into the trickles of cyclists and lumbering, drunken merchants that basked in the balmy, midday warmth. So drunken, these merchants, that they failed to notice their emptied wooden carts had been whisked away until roughly four minutes too late.
One elderly man, in particular, fell victim to Leah's stealth when she decided to bound his cart to two cherry-red bicycles. The bikes had been stolen by Asher, and the cart by Leah, so they were supposedly both at fault. (Perhaps all of them were at fault, for crashing into unsuspecting bystanders whilst dashing after petty criminals.)
Alex and Asher were voted to lead the makeshift bicycle trailers towards the crooks. Hastily, they swung onto the plush seats of the bikes whilst the others clambered onto the wooden cart. Leah, Violet, Maddie, and Annika were all considerably squashed. Naturally, the carts swayed from the weight a few times. But, for the most part, Asher and Alex made sure no one fell.
For some bizarre reason, the ice-cream truck had made multiple halts when faced with walking pedestrians. Asher and Alex hadn't been as considerate, and if their wrecked manoeuvring hadn't frightened so many people it might have been comical.
Regardless, the sluggish driving of the culprits meant they could be hunted down almost easily. That, and the squeaky songs that emitted from a speaker situated on the vehicle. The two combined made the chase quite relaxed. (As relaxed as chasing criminals could be, anyway.)
Eventually, they realized that the ice-cream truck was heading into the mainland. At this point, they realized that their bike trailer would no longer be sufficient for a highway, and so they hurriedly abondoned it at the Ponte della Libertà.
The wind whistled fiercely. Flashes of shining metal blurred past, the evening traffic blooming as the sun began to inch towards the horizon in the lowly-hung sky. Violet's gaze landed on the worn ice-cream truck a few meters away. It was driving so slowly she wanted to punch someone.
"Now what?" Maddie asked. They stared after the truck, observing as it creaked across the stretch of gravel ahead. All of them were attempting to hide the frowns embroidering their lips; they knew how difficult their chase had become now that the kidnappers were heading elsewhere.
They stood at the edge of the intersection, flowing with mingled doubt and dread. Alex cleared his throat. He then turned to face them, his eyes twinkling in the sun, set amongst his clenched jaw and determined expression.
"If they're being taken to the city, then we're going to the city," he declared. "We can't let them take those kids. Either we bring them back now, or never."
An hour and a half later, a yellow taxi screeched to a halt in mainland Venice. A certain redhead clambered out of its seats, slamming the door closed with a huff. The product of her annoyance lingered in the air, an opal puff of condensation wavering by her red lips. If her stupid friends hadn't been so reckless, she wouldn't have had to make it all the way here.
Katya's fingers reached into her bag for her phone. Then, she proceeded to slam Violet's phone number into the keypad. Night had fallen now, and her screen illuminated her features like shards of moonlight cast onto her skin.
"Hello?"
Meanwhile, at the other end, Asher responded in a hushed whisper. "Greetings, vixen. What the hell do you want?"
Him, Alex, Maddie, Violet, and Leah had all of course embarked on the quest that was finding the stolen children. Now, they were stationed behind the metropolitan areas of Venice, down in the slightly more frayed neighborhoods, accompanied by the peculiar comfort offered by occasional police sirens.
Katya rolled her eyes. "I've arrived, Asher," she muttered in aggravation. "Why the fuck are you answering on Violet's phone?"
A moment of silence followed. Eyes wide, Asher turned to the others, pleading for some kind of help. Leah and Violet had decided to continue following the truck in a rental car, whilst the others hung back in hopes of secrecy. Maddie, Alex, and Annika were standing beside him.
Alex was busy surveying Leah's movements on his phone. Maddie remained silent. Annika caught Asher's surprised expression in a similar state of alarm.
"What do I do?" he mouthed. She shrugged helplessly.
Maddie's hand flew to her forehead. "Say something, you idiot!"
"Violet can't come to the phone right now," Asher answered confidently. He cleared his throat as his gaze swept across his surroundings, attempting to sound composed.
Katya scowled. "And why the hell not, jackass? Don't tell me she's kidnapped too?"
"No, no! Of course not. She's just... preoccupied." Asher retorted.
The distaste in the cold evening air was almost palpable, Katya growing more and more agitated with her own team's foolishness. Her cherry red lips drew into a grim line as she reconsidered her strategy.
In her peripheral vision, she caught the distant pavements basking in the buttery light of vintage streetlamps and the golden moon. The luminous glow reminded her of the diamond magic coursing through her veins. Steadily, she began to acknowledge the bewitching allure that was drawing her someplace forward. Her own magic seeking more magic.
"Don't move," she sighed. "I'm on my way."
Now it was Asher's turn to be a smartass. "You don't know our location."
"I don't need it," she fired back in amusement. She could sense their magic from all the way here... Very rarely did she remember that her team was also quite powerful, and it was the few moments like these where she accepted that fact.
Katya began to travel east, her fast-paced walk bleeding into the racing sense of urgency she felt stirring in her small bones. Eventually, she found herself sprinting, and a small smile sung on her lips, the beloved rush of full-fledged thrill once again finding a place in her enchanted blood.
That was before she rammed head first into Violet and Leah.
They landed sprawled onto the cobblestoned ground, a string of curses escaping Katya's lips as she let out a querulous groan. Never mind, she thought. Perhaps she was right to treat her teammates like crap.
Leah yanked her bright pink hair back into a messy ponytail and attempted to gain some semblance of mercy, shooting back up to her feet. "Could you watch where you're going next time, for Poseidon's sake-"
"Says you," Katya rebutted, readjusting her boots.
Violet's lips were pressed into a grim line as she too ascended from the ground. "Oh," she exhaled. "It's you."
"No shit, Sherlock!" Katya scolded. "You called me, remember?"
Violet and Leah exchanged rueful expressions of realization. A tug on Katya's arm followed, and she let out an indignant cry. "Just follow us," Leah demanded. "There's no time. They'll get away."
All the atoms in Katya's body began fizzing in impartial irritation. Mortal children could easily be retrieved by the police, not magicians.
"I know what you're thinking," Violet huffed. "And if you're really that firm in the belief that there are better things to be doing, you can drive all the way back to the coast and start hunting down whatever mythical beast we'll be facing next."
"Shut up," Katya grumbled. "I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not."
The three girls remained silent afterwards. All that could be heard was the melodic rush of cold air escaping their lungs before floating away into the sheet of stars sailing above them, the harmonious thud thud thud of their footsteps winding down the Venetian streets as the distance dwindled.
Finally, they stumbled to a halt. In front of them stood an iron gate, surrounded by a perimeter of damp, emerald grass. The cast of the night sky shadowed the surrounding leaves, and they appeared almost black. A few meters away, the ice-cream truck.
Violet inhaled sharply. An array of swirling, doubt-filled thoughts marched into the premise of her mind, like sentinels and soldiers marching in solitary, their fingers curling on the edges of a coffin; because suddenly, the feeling of death was beginning to feel more like a re-emerging memory... suddenly, she couldn't help but think that they'd never get out of this alive.
The concrete wall towering overhead was engraved with a sickeningly familiar, metallic gleam.
The Golden Sniper.
AN:
Hi. Have we met before?
OKay but all dumb jokes aside, hello again. I haven't uploaded in forever but hey, all my exams are over :D The feeling of freedom has finally come! I've been dYING over the last three weeks (not really but you know what I mean) but luckily for me I have a feeling I didn't completely bomb my exams so yay!1!
I'm planning to upload pretty soon after this, so don't worry your pretty little minds too much over yet another cliffhanger :P I know, I know, I'm cruel. But on the bright side, you won't have to wait another three weeks!1!
I'm going to stop wasting your time now. Leave your thoughts in the comment section and please resist the urge to cry at my writing :))) See you guys soon!
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