Chapter One
The sharp scent of wet grass filled my lungs as the damp earth pressed coldly against my bare feet. Rain drizzled from above, soaking my clothes, my hair, my thoughts. But I didn’t stop running. I couldn’t.
The image of my parents haunted my every step, what they did to them, what they’ll do to me if I’m caught. I ran until my legs screamed and my breath came in shallow bursts. Then I tripped, hard. The forest floor rose to meet me, and pain bloomed in my scraped knee. I wince as droplets of tears fall from the corner of my eyes upon discovering that I have scraped my knee. I wince in pain as I force myself to stand up and quickly find a safe spot to hide after hearing a few twigs breaking and a voice booming from nearby. They are not far.
I found a poison berry bush not far from where I tripped and hid behind it. Clasping my mouth with my hand to not emit any sounds. The voice grew louder and louder as they neared. “I told you, we should’ve just left her here to die. There’s no way she’s going to survive this.” There was a growl before a deep voice started speaking, sending shivers down my spine.
“Shut up! I want to skin that bitch alive after what she did to me.” My eyes widen upon hearing what the other attacker said, as I remember someone whom I had attacked earlier, so I could escape.
“Come on, dude. Why don’t we just go back to the city and forget about her? Look on the bright side, we have her parents in our possession. I’m sure they’re more useful than that bratty little bitch.” The other attacker tries to convince his partner. There was nothing but silence after that. And then, I heard another growl.
“I’m going to skin her parents alive, then.” I can hear his deep and devious laugh. “Whatever you want. Now, look at what you made us do? We’re lost.” Footsteps start to fade as their range becomes unclear in my sense of hearing as well. There, I notice that I am now all alone in the forest, behind a poison berry bush.
I stayed behind the bush for an hour just to make sure that the two attackers were gone. The drizzle stops as the sun slowly sets, leaving me wet, injured, and afraid in the dimmed and spacious forest. Nothing but the light of both the setting sun and the rising moon illuminates the dark forest as I drag my feet into finding a good spot to rest.
I could feel my knees wobbly as my legs were defeated from all the tiring walking and running. I ended up resting beneath a huge sequoia tree, my back against the massive stump as I stretched my legs straight on the damp soil. I sigh, and my body starts to shake from the cold winds of the night. I start to button my father’s vintage leather jacket in an attempt to warm up my upper body when I suddenly touch the outer part of the pocket, and that’s when I remember that I had my phone with me.
I quickly took the phone out of my pocket with my trembling fingers and turned it on. No signal. Of course, there’s no signal, we’re in the forest after all. I glance at the time. 20:00. How long was I out here? How are my parents? I hope they’re alive.
I can’t help but think of them and tear up after seeing the wallpaper I have on my phone. It was the three of us. Me at the middle wearing an academic dress and cap while posing a big smile with a certificate between my hands. Mama and Papa wore formal attire, the same attire they wore when they were called in for a senate meeting. The two of them have the biggest smiles they have ever had. I just graduated from high school, and they threw a fantastic blowout with me, my family, and my friends. It’s kind of shocking that all of those happened a year ago. Now, I’m in my first year of college and preparing for the second semester. That was until all of this nightmare had happened, and now, I feel alone and unaccomplished.
A sudden hiss sliced through the silence.
My heart froze. I wiped my tears with the back of my trembling hand and turned on my flashlight. A cobra. Coiled and watching me from the shadows, just a few feet away.
The light agitated it, its body tensed, and before I could scream, it lunged.
I threw myself sideways, adrenaline slamming through me like a punch to the gut. I didn’t stop to see if it followed. I just ran.
I ran, not caring where I ended up. I just needed to get away. I didn’t care if I could still find a way out of here. All that is inside my head is, I need a place to rest. I’m tired of running from the enemies. I just want to rest peacefully.
I stopped in my tracks upon noticing a figure of what looked to be a Volkswagen. I shone the light towards the direction of the car to see that it was abandoned, as branches grew over every frame of the car. I dawdle my tired feet towards the abandoned vehicle and check the inside before settling to rest in the backseat. Grass starts to grow on the car floor, but the seat is more comfortable than resting my back on the cold sequoia tree with cobras surrounding me.
After discovering this abandoned vehicle, I slowly feel hopeful that I am still able to get out of this forest alive. It’s a matter of time before I can find a small village just near this abandoned Volkswagen. I sigh in relief as I curl myself into a ball and try to sleep my worries away.
Memories from this morning start flashing inside my head.
It was supposed to be a normal weekend for me and my family. It was the only time they could get a small rest from all the senate meetings and senate interviews. It was also the only time I could get to bond with them since I was off to medical school. Luckily, I am on spring break.
I volunteered to cook breakfast for them, which were the homemade blueberry pancakes that I had been making since I was eleven. I flipped the last pancake out of the pan and onto the stacks of pancakes. I placed syrup with blueberries on top of each plate before resting them on the dining table. I wait for them to come downstairs.
Mama was the first to come down, greeting me with a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. I was always a family type of person, and spending a day without bonding with them can be a bit melancholic. “Good morning, my princess,” She gives a warm smile as she stares at the set table. “Blueberry pancakes, eh?” She asks as she sits down in one of the chairs. I sat across her, fidgeting with my half-empty coffee cup. Before she could take the first bite, it was Papa’s turn to make an entrance.
“Blueberry pancakes on a Saturday morning?” He asks with a smile on his face. He walks to me and kisses my forehead before sitting beside Mama and planting a soft kiss on her lips. “I made it just the way you like it.” I beamed while waiting for them to take their first bites. Mama’s eyes widen in surprise. “It just gets better and better, Alidia.” She compliments before taking another bite. Papa was rather the silent eater type. He never gave comments on my cooking, but you can tell by the way he silently eats that he enjoys what he’s feasting on.
I watched them eat, the corners of my mouth lifting just slightly. These quiet, simple moments were rare. My parents—Senators Dimitri and Nadia Ivanov—were usually buried in politics. But today, even just for breakfast, they were mine.
“So,” I ventured, “what should we do today?”
Silence. Then a sigh.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. There are still meetings.”
Of course, there are.
“It’s alright. I’ll just stay here and wait for you.” I mutter out. Mama shakes her head as she walks towards me. “I’m sorry, princess. We’ve been pretty busy lately. Why don’t we all go to the mall after our meeting? We’ll pick you up here and then go have some fancy dinner outside, yeah?” I shrug before sighing. “Alright.” I give her a sad smile as she kisses my cheek. Both of them stood up and brought their dishes to the sink. I remain seated and fidget with my cup. Mama puts her hand on my shoulder. “Can you clean up the dishes, sweetie?” I nodded and did as I was told.
It wasn’t long before they came back downstairs, well dressed. I have finished washing the dishes and was lying on the couch watching television. Papa was on the other couch, wearing his leather shoes. “Papa?” I call out. He hums before glancing at me. “Can I borrow your jacket?” He nods before standing up. “Just don’t get it dirty, okay?” I nod slowly. Mama then fixes Papa’s suit before the two of them bid their goodbyes to me. Once they left, I was all alone. Again.
The past few hours went by slowly. All I did was turn the TV on and scroll through my phone without even watching the television. I replied to a few messages from our group message and envied a few of my friends on social media as they post pictures of themselves and their family bonding over the weekend. Not that I am complaining about my parents being senators. But somehow, we never really get to see a lot of each other anymore. I’m in college and they’re working almost twenty-four-seven.
It was already afternoon, and yet, I received no text from either of my parents. I grew impatient, impatient and annoyed that this day would once again end like the previous ones.
I decided to change into my casual clothes and walk back and forth in my room after changing. I spun in circles and rearranged the books that some were left unread.
After arranging, I finally got a call from my mother. But that call was the least expected call that I would get throughout the day.
“Mama, please don’t tell me the plans are canceled. I already-” I stopped whining after hearing her whimper from the end of the line.
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry, but you have to leave the house now. Don’t let anyone see you.” Fear laced in her tone. I began to worry but tried to hide it and kept calm. “What’s happening, Mama? You’re scaring me.” I can hear panting and whimpers at the end of the line. Soon after, my mother screamed through the phone so disturbingly that I stopped asking further questions. “JUST GO!” I ended the call and quickly opened the door of my room to escape. But before I could even walk out of my room, there was a loud bang of the front door being kicked down from the outside. My hands started to shake as I went back inside my room and locked the door. I didn’t have other choices instead of exiting through my sliding window and jump off from the second story.
Luckily, I landed on both of my feet and began to run around the front porch of the house, only to find out that one of the men had already exited the house and was quickly catching up to me. He was able to grab me by the wrist, but before he could pull me towards him, I spun his hand around, pulling his arm down along with his upper body before delivering a knee hit to his face. I proceeded to kick him in the groin, losing my grip on my wrist. I continue to run as another man bursts out of our front door. He appeared bigger and taller compared to the man who attacked me. By the time I exited the big metal gates of our home, I stopped on my tracks as I was about to get hit by my parents’ car, the driver hitting the brakes just in time before he could turn the situation into a hit and run. My mother quickly opens the car door, signaling me to get in, and I jump in and slam the door shut just in time for the two men to reach the car door. “Drive Emmanuel!” My father exclaims as our driver aggressively steps on the gas pedal and speeds off the busy streets of Edenia.
“Mama, Papa, who were those people?” I ask as I try to catch my breath after I had let the adrenaline take control of my body. “I don’t know. But one thing’s for sure; they are after our family.” My father lets out a huge sigh as he caresses my mother’s arm, trying to calm her from breaking down. “The senate elections are coming up, Dimitri. Are you sure it is not one of the followers of Charles?” My mother’s voice grew wary. Almost as if she’s fearing for her life. “It can’t be, Nadia. Why would he involve our daughter? He knows better than to track us down with his people, especially if it would spark a controversy on the news.”
“Where are we going now? Where are we going to hide?” Mother exclaims in fear. I look over at the backseat window of our car to see that a pick-up truck is after us. “I don’t know. Let me call Nikolai.” He panics, reaching for his phone inside the pockets of his blazer before dialing a familiar number.
The phone rings.
RING
RING
RING
RING
“Come on. Pick up your damnit!” Father grew impatient as the other end of the call continued to ring. Just as we could hear Uncle Nikolai pick up from the other end, a loud bang emerged from the side of our vehicle. That was when I realized they shot one of our tires.
Another bang emerges, this time in one of the metal doors in the front seat. Before we could even process what was happening, Papa held on to the phone as Uncle Nikolai witnessed the sounds of what would be our last few moments together. The car had spun around in the air before landing upside down after another one of the tires was shot.
I was able to keep myself awake, but my mother beside me had already fallen unconscious. Emmanuel, our driver, was no longer breathing. Papa, on my other side, took off my seatbelt. “Go, rypka. Save yourself. Don’t bother looking back at us.” He pants, I look at his seat, only to see a shard of glass sticking out of his left abdomen. “But papa, you’re injured. We must get you and Mama to a hospital.” He hushes. “No, child. Save yourself. Don’t bother saving me and your mama. We are only going to be a burden to you." I could not help it. Why is he saying this?! Why is he letting me go all that easily? Tears violently roll down my cheek, “No. No. We must go. Come on.” I hiccup. Through the smashed window, I saw the boots of two men approaching.
“Go, rypka. Do as I say. For baba. You know how to fight. Save yourself. Go.” He caresses my cheek, a tear rolls down his face. I kiss him on the cheek one last time, as well as my mother’s cheek. ”I love you,” I whisper to them.
“Go,” Papa says one last time. I kick the car door on the other side before struggling to get out of the wreck. Just as they could open the car door from the other side, I was already up to my feet, running deeply into the woods. I ran, my name still on his lips as the darkness swallowed me.
