Maka let out a sigh of relief as she collapsed into bed, completely worn out from cleaning all day. Their regular maid had come down with a cough and stayed home, so it fell to Maka to handle all the chores. Relaxing, the tiny blonde sank further into the mattress, curling up under the thick quilt. She missed the lock that she double-checked sliding open, the creak of the second step from the bottom, the thumping of the carpet being tripped over. Maka didn't miss, however, her door hinges squeaking in protest. She slipped out of bed and darted behind the dressing screen. Or, at least, she intended to, before someone caught her wrists. Caught short, Maka attempted to elbow her captor, though they dodged it easily. As Maka twisted and swung her leg back in an attempt to kick them, a growl slipping through her teeth, another fighter joined the fray, on the kidnapper's side unfortunately. One hand gripped her wrists behind her back, calloused and strong, while their elbow came around Maka's neck, holding her in one place as the other stuffed a gag into her mouth.
"I've got her!" a voice hissed. "Come on, let's get out of here!" Maka tried to scream for help, but the gag was too effective. Besides, who was there to hear? The manor was too far from town for anybody to be out here, especially in the middle of the night. Out of the corner of her eye, Maka saw the window opened and struggled even harder.
They were outside quickly, the two figures supporting Maka between them as the trio landed in the bushes. She was then pulled along after the one who had gagged her, the tall one. The other person was short, at about Maka's height. Both had scarves hiding their hair, darkly-patterned clothing, and black masks that helped them blend into the pitch black night. How they could see well enough to avoid all the traps and bushes, Maka had no idea. The one not holding her had a bag slung over one shoulder, the weight of which seemed to annoy them.
Robbers then, probably so greedy that they resorted to ransoming young women as well as stealing. As they clambered over the wall surrounding the mansion, Maka managed a glance back. The girl's bright green eyes widened with shock and despair.
The beautiful mansion was burning brightly, dark smoke billowing into the skies and mixing with the clouds, blocking out the stars. The trio dashed into the trees, Maka's bare feet aching as she hobbled over roots and thorns, roughly pulled along at a breakneck pace. They finally stopped in a moonlit patch of grass between two trees; Maka leaned on one of the trunks in exhaustion as her two kidnappers discussed something in barely audible whispers. Unexpectedly, the one who had been holding Maka stepped forward, causing her to edge backwards in trepidation. As the stranger moved closer again, Maka pedaled backwards, tripping over a tree root, and fell. On the ground, she scrambled for a weapon, managing to grasp a sizable tree branch, and launched to her feet, swinging it ferociously at the kidnapper and catching them across the face. The figure cried out in pain and fell back, though Maka was already gone. The girl sprinted through the forest, biting her lip to avoid gasping in pain every time she stubbed her toe and scratched her heel on a twig. Air scraped down her throat and stabbed her lungs as she ran for her life, pushing herself even faster upon hearing the roar of anger that sounded from behind her, ignoring the stabbing pain in her side with every step.
Suddenly, a large weight slammed into Maka, tackling her and making them both crash to the ground. She only caught a glimpse of a monster's face, dark steel blue flopping onto its marble gray skin, eyes glowing like sickly yellow lamps. Saliva dripped from its fanged teeth, landing by Maka's face as her arms were wrenched backward agonizingly. She only had a second to get a good whiff of the mud and dead leaves before blacking out.
