Human Of Mischief | Chapter One
Hey there, readers! Just wanted to barge in and say that I own nothing but my writing, and my character Hazel Williams. Also, italics are Hazel's thoughts. Enjoy! :3
Her lungs were burning.
So was her throat, as every single breath went through. Fast, fuming.
Running for her life.
She took a turn to the left, her feet barely obeying her commands. Hands clutching at her "life". Her life, she thought, was all this data, all these things she wanted to know about another…species. The ones the government desperately tried to hide. She thought it was miserable. No matter what precautions they took, hacking procedure was all the same.
It was still a piece of cake.
It took her a few seconds to realize that she had reached a dead end.
Shit.
Her eyes darted across the landscape. Left. Right. No way out.
She bit her lip in desperation – she had done everything right, she couldn't let it go in such a crappy way! All she wanted was to know about Cybertronians. Since the Mission City incident, she was trying to grasp every single thing about them – she merely knew their slang. Now she had the opportunity to learn their history and culture, too.
Oh, the things she loved to learn.
In seconds, she decided to turn back, to get to the other end of the avenue. And she ran.
She liked the sensation to a degree, it gave her a rather odd sense of freedom, with the wind going through her hair.
Come on, I can do this.
She reached the end, one of her foot on the now empty avenue.
She did not stop running, as her brown orbs checked the way, if it was free to pass. She saw a blue – no,red? - truck. She couldn't see, the flashlights were blinding her.
I can do this.
She did not stop, despite that – she had no time! NEST officers would be up her ass in a few minutes!
She ran faster, pushing herself harder, arms swaying wildly at sides.
Thank God she was a good runner.
She was squinting as the flashlight of the truck came closer.
She then heard the horn.
By the time she was just in front of it, running like a madwoman, the screech of tires reached her ears.
She did not flinch. She did not stop. She had to take this data along with her home.
When she crossed the avenue, she first gave herself a minute to take a couple of breaths. She then expected to hear a hilarious string of swear words. Instead, she felt a hand on her shoulder, stopping her instantly. Instantaneously, she spun, swinging her arm, ready to deliver a punch straight into a stomach. But when she saw that it was only a man – an old man who was probably in his sixties, she held her fist mid-air, mouth going agape as she thought of what she had been about to do.
"Are you alright, little one?"
Brown orbs eyed the blue-and-red truck. Driver seat, empty. This…this was the truck driver!
"I am fine."
His baritone voice made her shudder, but it was peaceful instead of scary, and she found herself to be smiling at the man reflexively.
There is no time.
"Thank you, but I have to go."
Spinning around, one hand clutching the laptop bag which had been hanging on her shoulder – it had a long strap, but she made sure it wasn't slipping off – she began running into another street.
She ran, non-stop, her hair flowing around her, her breath the only thing being heard in the narrow street.
Her name was Hazel Williams, the lonely girl of mischief.
She had a feeling she wouldn't be alone now, with all of the data.
And the man watched her, until Hazel's vision dissolved into the fog in the street. Amazed by the courage of the mere flesh-and-blood, he quirked a brow.
Then, the man disappeared, too. In a blink of an eye.
Revving the engine, Optimus Prime disabled his holoform, and kept driving.
He…
He had a feeling he would see this girl once again.
He had no idea when. He had no idea how.
The only thing he knew was that this wouldn't be the last meeting at all.