Stephanie Edgley ran for her life. Her legs ached, limbs feeling stiff. Cold sweat made her shirt cling to her back, but she pressed forward. Her sneakers hit the ground painfully as she turned the corner. She stumbled and nearly fell down, but she had to keep running. She held tears back and clenched her fists until her knuckes were white.
The large man was still chasing her and catching up fast. He clicked his fingers and his hand came alight. She screamed as a ball of fire skidded past her left leg, searing her jeans. She slipped on the next turn, her heel twising the wrong way.
Her shoulder slammed into a brick wall. The impact shattered her arm. The man shoved her against the wall and brought a flaming fist up to Stephanie's face. "Now, you little brat. I can put you out of my way."
Her throat was dry. Whoever he was, he'd killed Gordon. Her favourite uncle. Someone she could confide in, an important friend.
She had stayed at his house after a lame family gathering. She had wanted to read his writing, the stories he created about socerers and magic. She'd insisted on staying, and in the evening she'd heard a noise in his study. The closer she got to the room, the more distinct was a voice she didn't recognise. She held her breath, afraid, and opened the door in a burst. The man's hand was on Gordon's mouth. He'd suffocated him.
And now he was going to kill her. She felt her heart racing. She ignored the burning in her face, the pain in her arm. That didn't matter. She wasn't going to die, no way in hell.
He smirked, and she slammed a fist into the man's solar plexus. His eyes bulged. A gasp barely escaped his lips before she grabbed his head in both hands and met it forcefully with her knee.
She bolted again. It was the middle of the night, the moonlight hidden by clouds over the quiet town of Haggard. Stepahnie was alone, sprinting, but why? Who was this guy? Why was he after her? Why would he kill Gordon?
Gordon wasn't a person for enemies. He wasn't a shady character, he wrote fiction for godssake!
Fat tears rolled down Stepahnie's face. Her dark hair was flung around behind her. She saw through the darkness. A car was stopped at the kerb, the window reflecting a streetlight was the only indication that the car was there.
She pushed herself to run faster, to get to the car, to scream for help. She rapped her knuckles on the window of a blue car. It looked expensive. The window rolled down and an indifferent voice asked what she was doing.
"A man's trying to kill me! Help!"
"Get in," the silky voice said.
Stephanie opened the door hurriedly and sat next to the slender woman. She shut the door and the car smoothly drove away. Fire splashed the back of the car and bounced off it. Steaphanie was amazed that the car seemed to take no damage. She remembered her rescuer and spluttered gratefully to the dark figure beside her, "Th-thank you so much! I thought, I thought he'd kill me!" She tried to keep herself from crying again. "He, he killed my uncle." She could feel the tears welling up again, and looked to the stranger for comfort.
A light poured into the car for but a moment as they drove. Stephanie realised her rescuer was the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen. She had defined features, perfect dark hair and full lips. Stephanie had never felt herself falling for a girl, she had so little care for boys let alone girls, but this woman had captured something in her. She reasoned that the woman had saved her from a psycho pyromaniac, of course she would like her. Although, she was a stranger, yet Steaphanie felt herself trusting the woman.
"That's awful," the woman said. "I'm sure you must be so frightened."
Stephanie could only nod. She realised she was staring, but she couldn't look away. She waited for passing streetlights to see the woman clearly again, she almost wished they'd stop in the light and stay there.
"Where do you live? I'll take you home."
"He attacked me at home," she lied.
The woman gave a sympathetic look, but her eyes seemed bored.
"I'm afraid he'll come back. It was like... nevermind, you wouldn't believe me."
"I'm sure I could understand."
"He seemed to be THROWING fire at me. It's insane. At one point, I think his arm was covered in fire!"
"An adept..." the woman muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing. You can stay with me, if you wish. I am China Sorrows, by the way."
Stephanie made a note to herself that she even had a beautiful name. "I'm Stephanie Edgley."