The concrete screams under her feet as she sprints. She breathes heavily, the freezing wind rattling her bones. The street lights of New York City illuminate her way as she goes, wiping the rain from her eyes every few seconds. She can hear the footsteps of her pursers behind her, closer and closer, to come and drag her back.
She will not go back.
She turns the corner, putting more effort into her tired bones. Running takes a lot of her, and the hunger doesn't help. She closes her eyes as she paces, trying to will her tears to subside.
She doesn't notice that she has run into an alley until her face smacks the brick dead-end. Her face explodes, she opens her eyes and covers her face, screeching from the sudden pain. She didn't know she was running so fast until the impact.
She hears their robotic voices behind her.
"Sofonisba, you have run away from the place you are not to run away from. Now it is time for you to go home to the designated home we have made for you, which is your home. Come with us."
They begin to close in on her.
Sofonisba falls to the ground shivering and rolls herself into a fetal position, just like an armadillo.
It's all over. Time to go home.
Then, in her moments of despair, she hears a woosh land in front of her. What are they doing?
Then there are screams, fighting sounds, and crashes. She's sure there's violence about.
This scares her even more, she tightens up. Maybe she'll transform this time, maybe then she'll be safe.
Or maybe not.
Everything goes eerily silent, and then there is more laughter and talking from the unknown voices.
A hand is placed on her shoulder. She stays still. Maybe they won't make her wear the collar if she's docile this time.
"Are you ok?" A female voice says in her ear.
Sofonisba lifts her head, confused by this voice. It sounds caring, instead of angry , or robotic.
A girl she's never seen before, with drenched orange hair and yellow clothing, stares at her with light blue eyes.
Sofonisba says nothing to her, only gazes. She's never seen a girl with orange hair before.
"Guys! Come here, I think she's hurt!" The girl takes her own shirt and wipes off a bit of the blood on Sofonisba's face.
Four beings walk into her presence. Sofonisba's eyes widen.
"Yea April. She does look banged up. We'll drop her off at the local hospital on our way home." One says.
Sofonisba jumps up in fright. She can't believe her eyes. She looks at the blue-eyed girl, then back at them.
They can't be real.
She tenses up as they talk among themselves.
Now is her chance.
She tries to make a run for it.
A sharp pang vibrates up her leg, but she ignores it. She can't stay, she's hallucinating. And if she isn't…Who knows what they'll do to her?
Before she can get by, the one with a blue mask grabs her arm.
"Woah there! Where are you going? We need to get you to a hospital, you're hurt."
She winces from the pain in her foot, then growls at it.
It's not real. It can't be.
"LET ME GO!" She screams, slashing at it with her finger nails.
It looks back at the others confused, they shrug. It grabs her other arm to stop her.
"Umm…" It says. It doesn't look hurt by her at all.
"Dude, Your ugliness is scaring her." Another one says.
"Oh haha.."
"LET ME GO LET ME GO LET ME GO!" Sofonisba can feel the panic raising in her as she shakes her head back and forth, her black, wet matted hair flying as she tries her hardest to injure it.
"WOAH! Calm down! We aren't gonna hurt ya."
It has her in its clutches.
It'll hurt her. She knows it will. She'll hurt them before they hurt her.
"Maybe you should let her go dude…"
Sofonisba's can hear her heart beat in her ears now, the panic and fear rising inside of her finally reaches its boiling point.
She can feel the pain of the transformation take her over, for a moment she blacks out as her limbs become elongated, her skin becomes a nature green, and her shell forms around her, along with everything else.
The turtle lets her go, and the rest stare at her.
Sonfonisba kicks the one who held onto her in the face with her turtle feet, and runs past them.
Past the ones like her.