Lettuce tore through the forest, afraid to stop. The more adrenaline that pumped through her body and brain, the less she had to think.
She should have done this years ago. Pai was just the final straw and Lettuce had just cracked. He was the first to harm her, even just barely.
When exhaustion took over, Lettuce turned to face the mansion again. Or at least she thought she had. Morning had just barely made it's mark on the Earth but it was still cold and her breath looked like smoke from her mouth.
The girl rubbed her arms in a weak attempt to find warmth again. Was this really a good idea? Perching herself by a nearby tree, Lettuce let herself do what she would regret doing later.
Thinking. About her life. And Pai. And Ichigo and Pudding. Home.
"Hush child," her mother whispered against her cheek. "You'll be okay." Lettuce didn't believe her but she listened nonetheless. Mint had yelled at her for a while and sent her to bed without food.
"Mother, I love you."
"As do I, my little Lettuce Leaf. Just remember nothing will ever change that. No matter what happens." Her mother pushed her meager dinner over to her daughter, smiling. "Always be brave and never give up. You'll get through it."
Lettuce sniffed as tears rolled down her cheeks. She hadn't exactly been brave. And she gave up. "Mother," she whispered to nobody in particular. "I'm sorry."
Lettuce had been a coward and she was determined to fix things. Maybe she could sneak back and hope nobody noticed. Ichigo and Pudding would be happy she was back. And Pai...
She wasn't sure what to think of him. One minute he was kind and gentle, the next he was brutally angry. It confused Lettuce so much. What were his true feelings for her? What were her true feelings?
A nearly frozen solid Lettuce scrambled to her feet, ready to set back. "I won't give up. For you, mother."
It didn't stop Lettuce from worrying though. Escaped slaves were usually beaten or killed. At least she'd die with dignity. But the girl was still petrified.
She wandered back the way she came but the forest seemed like it went on forever. Had she already seen that tree before? Lettuce went on looking for hours and finally, she saw the sun start to set, saying goodbye to the rest of the warmth. What had she gotten herself into?
Shivering, the escaped slave heard a crack from a twig. "W-who's there?" She spoke. And immediately wished she hadn't.
"Little girls shouldn't be left alone to walk into the woods alone at night."
Pai yelled in frustration. He had searched the woods for a while now and it was already dark. Where could she be?
It was cold in the late autumn and flecks of snow started to fall. All ready? He thought. That egged him on further to find her. She would freeze soon. He'd rather not find his Lettuce dead from the cold.
His Lettuce?
Before he had time to ponder it, there was a scream coming from nearby. It sounded familiar and made his blood boil. Lettuce.
Hold on, I'm coming.
Thank you for all the lovely reviews I'm getting, I'm pumping these chapters out while I still can. It shouldn't be too long for the end. But I can say that Lettuce will have to make a pretty tough decision at the end. But I'll let you decide what. Someone (KawaiiAlex) has PM'd me about it and I'm going to pass the story/sequel onto her. While I try to get out another chapter, please take the time to read some of my other stories and review please. Thank you again :P