Prologue - Where It All Began
The young woman read through her paperwork, making sure every little detail was right, she didn't want this to go wrong. Her head pounded. She was really going to do this. She had to. She wanted to.
With the papers tucked under her arm, she moved to tie her hair, wanting to look at least a little presentable in her suit. Emerald eyes narrowed and she sighed, realizing this could be her big break, this could help her get back on track. The pounding of multiple footsteps, roused her from her trance.
"Piss off Finch! She went this way!" a voice bellowed, the heavy thundering of their running, rounded the corner.
"Shit!" she picked up pace, sliding her paperwork into her bag before running as quickly as her feet could carry her.
"Hey boys! Tessa's tryna run away!" he called after her, she pressed on, determined to see it through. She cried out as a booted foot flew up, colliding with her jaw.
"Aww, look at Tessy all dressed up!" he squealed and clapped his hands mockingly "you musta pinched that from somewhere nice!" he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her to her feet, smiling maliciously. She pushed him away.
"You said you'd be alright if I went to the Alliance! I'm done stealing! I'm not running for the Reds anymore" she spat, her lips and chin stained red with blood, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. The shadow loomed over her and a hand reached out for her neck. Before he could think, she swiveled on the ball of her foot and her knee collided with his ribs, the sickening crack of bone leaving her unphased. He doubled over, blood pouring from his mouth with a slow fervour.
A closed fist met the back of her head with a force that sent her tumbling forward and into the arms of a stranger. Two long arms snaked under her own and lifted her to her feet. She looked up at the young man, he peered down at her with a furrowed brow and narrowed, mocha eyes.
"What's going on here?" he asked, holding her close as he assessed her attackers. She leaned against him, her head throbbing and eyes struggling to focus as the concussion set in. His chest heaved as the adrenaline flooded through his veins.
"I shoul-I should go..." she murmured, pushing away from his sculpted chest, he felt warm beneath her fingers, strong, familiar. One of them lunged forward, reaching for the raven strands that fell to her shoulders. His path was cut short as the stranger threw a fist, connecting it with the man's stomach and then upper-cutting to his nose. With a deep breath he turned to the young woman that stood behind him, flashing her a quick smile before swiftly kicking the downed young man in the stomach. He made little work of the small group, eventually sighing with relief when he finally managed to turn his attention to her. She stood with her eyebrow quirked, trying to blink away the blurriness while trying to remain impressed.
"The name's Daniel Toombs by the way" he offered her his hand and lead her away from them as quickly as she could manage. "What was that about?" he asked, she lifted a hand to her jaw, wiping away the blood with her sleeve. They walked down the road, his body close to hers in a protective stance. He smiled down at her and despite not getting to her before they split her lip, gave her a black eye and a cut jaw...he was happy.
The two of them turned the corner, a large white building towered above them and she sighed deeply.
"I was going here...actually" she gestured, pulling her hair back into a short ponytail.
"Want me to come with you miss?" he smiled softly, hands in pockets and looking at her awkwardly. She was a combination of raven black hair, bright green eyes (with gold rings), plump lips and fair skin. Minus the bruises, she would have been very attractive.
'She's pretty...'
"Sure, who knows when I'll need my bodyguard again eh?" she chuckled, hitting him lightly and snapping him from his trail of thought, her strides were low and slightly hindered from when she used her knee. The young woman hadn't considered if the snap was his ribs or her knee cap. Either way, she was in pain. He ran a hand through his choppy chocolate brown hair and slid his arm through hers, keeping her upright. She couldn't restrain her grateful smile.
"For the record, my name's not miss, it's Tessa Shepard"