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"That pain is not forever. This moment in time is not forever. Nothing is forever, except us." — This Is Us, 2016-2022

Word count: 1699

I ran down the cobbled street, my heart thumping heavily in my chest. I glanced over my shoulder worriedly and spotted the man in black chasing after me. 

The dark streets were my advantage here. They were my way of escaping without being harmed. 

Internally, I wanted to curse myself for letting myself get into this predicament. I should have known better. I always know better. And yet, I had risked my safety for something so simple. 

I had sought shelter in the one place the King would never search for me—in the fancier side of Sadorna. Yeah, I thought it seemed smart at the time. 

It was where the powerful leaders of the East and West gangs lived, shopped, and worked. Nobody dared to venture to this side unless they had money or a death wish. It seemed I had the latter. 

Stupidly, I decided to stalk the streets at night, the prime time for dangerous men and women who liked to pray on the weak. All I wanted to do was steal an expensive item to pawn off before I left Sadorna. I needed something to get me a ride out of here. 

The idea seemed brilliant at the time. It felt amazing when I actually nabbed it from the drunk man. Then again, it always felt amazing when you stole an item from some wealthy criminal. 

But it feels absolutely dreadful now.

The man chasing after me was furious and for good reason. I stole a golden pocket watch that appeared to be hand-crafted with a beautiful intricate design on the inside. That was rare in Sadorna. It'd sell a lot of money but it would also make the owner very annoyed if it was stolen.

I raced past the most expensive hotel in the city, where the silhouette of a man on the balcony was barely distinguishable.

"Come back here, thief!" The man yelled, his aim to attract the attention of anybody in our vicinity.

Cursing him inwardly, I fled through an open alleyway, my feet skidding on the wet floor. This area of Sadorna was unfamiliar to me. I wasn't entirely sure where I was going—and that scared me to death.

Warily, I glanced over my shoulder and spotted the man a few meters behind me.

Looking behind me proved to be a very bad idea when I collided with a brick wall. My body collapsed to the ground, the wind rushing out of me.

Groaning, I turned on my body and fluttered my eyes open. The world was upside down. All I could see was the frightening-looking man stalking closer to me with a sadistic smirk on his face. He knew he had caught his prey and was rejoicing in my pain.

I hoped he wasn't secretly a person who took pleasure in killing people. If he was, I was done for.

I didn't want to die. Even though the world was miserable and sometimes felt impossible to live in, I refused to die in circumstances like this. Sadorna wouldn't bat an eyelash if I died. I didn't want to be another victim of it. I couldn't be another person found dead in an alleyway.

So, with a great amount of effort, I forced myself to stand up. Using the wall for support, I faced the man who I had stolen from, feeling no remorse.

"You slimy bitch," He spat, twisting his thin, unflattering lips. "Hand over the pocket watch now."

I could feel the heavy watch in my pocket. I didn't want to give it back to him. I needed it.

Bravely, I shook my head.

He sneered, stepping closer to me. "Do you know who I am, girl?"

Once again, I shook my head. I had never seen him before. I didn't know many people here. The more people you knew, the more mourning you had to do. I couldn't deal with losing people.

"I'm second in command to the West Gang. Do you know what that means?" He revealed, pridefully. My body trembled. The West Gang was ruthless. They killed mercilessly. I was done for. He smiled gleefully, clearly aware that I knew the implications. "Good. Now if you don't give me my property, I am going to make you regret crossing me."

I swallowed, pondering what to do. There was no way I could fight this man. He was much larger than me, with defined muscles.

If I handed it over, I knew he would 'teach' me a lesson. I'd probably be beaten to death.

The wall wasn't too tall, there was a chance I could climb it. That was my only option.

With that 'plan' in mind, I pretended to delve into my pocket to retrieve the watch. My fingers coiled around a metal object and I took it out of my pocket. I saw his expression transform to relief.

"Hand it over, girl," He commanded, firmly.

Obediently, I chucked it in the air. As I did that, I twirled around, my hair flying with my body, and reached my hands up. I felt the top of the wall and used all of my willpower to pull myself up.

The man growled angrily, catching the object. He had discovered it wasn't the watch but an old, broken tin can.

"I'm going to kill you!" He shrieked, lunging for me.

I managed to hoist myself over the wall and jumped onto the ground. Knowing he'd easily scale the wall, I sprinted through the main road, this time deciding it'd be best to hide. I'd never outrun him.

Faintly, I could hear his heavy footsteps over my beating heart.

I saw a sharp corner and decided to take it. The corner led me to a variety of different buildings. My eyes darted over the many different houses and spotted a door that seemed easy to open.

Breaking into the home, I noticed the candles had been put out. The family had gone to bed.

I couldn't hide in any of their rooms in case they discovered me. So, I sneakily rushed up the stairs and exited the first window to the back I could find.

Without second-guessing my actions, I swung a leg out of the window and inhaled. I could do this. I had done it many times.

Carefully, I hung my body out of the window and used the uneven bricks to climb up the house.

This wasn't the first time I had crawled onto a roof but this one was terrifying. If I made a sound, I'd be caught. If I fell, I'd either be caught or I'd die.

What was I thinking?

It's too late to have second thoughts now, Aurora. You've got yourself into this mess. You'll have to wait it out.

I managed to heave my upper body onto the jagged roof. Panting, I flipped my back onto the roof and stared at the stars.

It was a clear and bright night. There wasn't a cloud in sight. The stars twinkled gloriously, showing their full beauty. If I reached a hand up, I almost grab one and hold it in my heart forever. At least, that's what I thought.

For a moment, I didn't care about the man hunting me below or the fear of leaving Sadorna and my friends behind.

I hoped and dreamed in that brief moment. I wished for a better life—to find some sort of happiness and tranquility.

Of course, my blissful moment seized when quiet noises were heard from the house I was currently invading. At first, I thought it was the owners and that they had discovered I was on the roof. But, when the front door quietly closed, I realized it was the man. He had snuck into the house as well and searched for me.

Clearly, he had no idea I was on the roof.

With great skill, I crawled to the top of the roof and peered over.

The dark street came into sight. Most of the houses had their lights off and were oblivious to the world.

Next, I caught sight of the man. He was the only man on the dark, deserted street and was hopping between houses, scouring them quickly.

I watched him from the safety of the roof.

He broke into every house, spent roughly ten minutes in there, and left, shutting the door without a care in the world. I was shocked none of the occupants woke up. I doubted he was quiet.

Eventually, his form left my sight.

He was gone.

I was safe.

Sighing in relief, I turned back over and gazed at the beautiful stars. I could fall asleep right here if I wanted to. Nobody would ever know and I'd be safe.

Safe. I snorted.  What a funny word. A concept I had never experienced its true meaning.

Even when I was younger and I lived with my parents, I couldn't understand it. There was always the risk of a criminal invading your home and murdering you in your sleep.

You'd always sleep with one eyelid open.

And to add to that, there was always a chance the Snatchers would break in and take you away.

Sadorna was not a safe place. Not by any means.

You always had to be on your toes. You always had to know how to run and hide.

That was why love was something I could never afford. It'd only cause problems.

A problem I couldn't face — I had no desire to live with. 

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