Chapter I : Escape

Run.

Her whole body ached, she was out of breath and tears blurred her vision, but she kept on running. She triped over a rock but his grip tightened over her arm and he lifted her on her feet.

How could this have happened ? Her mind screamed.

They stopped far from where they were, in the local port. She didn't know how long they've been running and still didn't know if it was enough.

She turned to the man. He was sitting on the edge of the dock, staring at the horizon.

"Where are we going ?" she asked. He took a deep breath and turn his head over her.

"Somewhere safe."

He stretched his hand over her. She took it and sat beside him as he pulled an arm over her small shoulders. They stayed silent for a while, before the girl spoke again.

"What are we waiting for ?"

"A friend. He'll come with a boat, so we can quit Denmark." He answered. He turn his left arm to look at his watch. "He'll be here soon."

She nodded, and closed her eyes, sighing. He seemed to notice it.

"It's going to be okay, my dear. It's going to be okay."

Soon after, the man's friend arrived with a rather small boat, large enough for two adults and a child.

The little girl was sitting at the end of the boat, staring at the waves with swollen eyes as it sped accross the sea.

The two men were silent, manoeuvring the ship as far away from the port as possible, at full speed.

"So, Shawn," said the man's friend, "are you going to tell me what happened ? You were supposed to be alone this time." He glared at the girl. Shawn sighed.

"Man, you can't even imagine. Everything's so fucked up." He put his hand over his eyes as his friend eyed him suspiciously. "I did business in here before visiting Silver."

"Silver is here ?"

Suddenly, his friend's eyes widened.

"Wait, don't tell me she's..." Shawn nodded. "What the fuck is she doing here ?"

"Listen, Duke, now isn't the time to talk about it. Just get us out of this place, please."

Duke's grip on the motor's lever tightened as he frowned, eyeing at the little girl who fell asleep.

"Something happened to Silver, right ?" he said after a moment.

"... Yes."

When the girl opened her eyes, she heard voices she didn't recognise.

What is going on ?

It took her a moment before she remembered. She felt tears coming but didn't allow them to fall.

Surely they arrived where Shawn wanted to go.

She lift her head from the ship's floor where she fell asleep some time ago and took a look at the area.

They were on an island. She could see some houses near the shore and some people running around. She could see what seemed to be a market with people shouting and talking. A smell of salt and iodine surrounded the area. If you look at it from far away, it seemed as a little fishing village.

Except it isn't. She thought. She has been told by Shawn and others that their Shelter was so well hidden that nobody has found it so far. She didn't know when it was founded, but assumed it was one of the first Foxes who built it.

Slowly she sat up and began looking for Shawn. She spotted him on the other side of the boat, busy carrying some boxes out of the ship.

"Where are we ?" she asked when he returns. He turned his head towards her and smiled at her. He kneeled before her and cupped his cheek with his large hand.

"This is somewhere safe, my dear. No one would search for you here."

He lifted her and led her out of the boat. Her hand was so small is his. But she hoped it was another one's hand she was holding. It won't be anymore...

Shawn guided her towards a little house further from the sea than the others, where an old lady was. She sat on a rocking chair, slowly carressing a cat asleep besides her. When she saw Shawn, she immediately stood up.

"Oh dear boy, Shawn ! How are you ? I was so worried when we received the telegraph from Duke. Please, go inside."

She opened the door to let Shawn and the little girl in.

The inside of the house was quite cosy. There was a couch in front of a firepit, and a table with a empty vase on it. It was as if this house was stuck in a time, long ago. It suits the old lady indeed.

She smiled fondly at the little girl when their eyes met.

"You must be Silver's daughter, dear girl. I'm glad to finall meet you, even if I would have liked to do it under other circumstances ." She looked at Shawn. "Please, dear, tell me what happened."

And so he did. He explained how he went to Denmark, how he visited Silver, and how bad things have been before they arrived here. The girl stayed silent.

"I couldn't do anything, Mami. I just took her with me and ran away. I didn't know what to do, and now..." Shawn voice faded as his gaze wondered over the burned wood in the firepit.

"You did well, Shawn. You saved her." Mami said with a gentle voice. "But you were lucky to arrive here without any complications."

"I know. But Silver asked me to bring her here if anything bad happened to him."

The old lady nodded, her eyes closed.

"We have to take care of her, now, Mami," Shawn said.

"Of course. We won't let anyone of us get hurt, would we ? So..."

She gently put a hand over the little girl shoulders.

"How old are you, my dear ?"

"...I'm ten." she answered with such a fragile voice Mami flet her heart broke.

"Your father was twelve when his own father bring him here."

"He told me about this place. About you." the young girl replied. "And about this island. He said... He said he would take me here one day. He said it was a tradition."

Mami's heart was definetely broken after hearing that. She doesn't deserve what happened to her. Such a young girl, and yet...

"Well, you're here today, dear. This," She waved to her window, "is home. Silver's not here with us anymore, but I promise to you, you'll be happy here. We are going to take care of you. That's what we all do, since your ancestor created this place."

The little girl released Shawn's hand and walked to the window. It show the other side of the island, far from the sea. There was a forest, and she spotted some habitations in it.

"It sounds like you all work for us. Papa told me you weren't. He said you were friends."

"Your father was a good man."

"Hm."

The girl's gaze went from Shawn to Mami.

"... Papa never told me what name I should use with you." She said.

Shawn shrugged. "You don't need to use the name you had in Denmark here. You can go with your own."

Mami frowned. "Do you know your father's name, girl ?"

"I do."

"Surely, he told you how risky it was to use it."

"He did." The girl posed a hand over her heart. "This name is a family secret, nobody except us know it. I won't spread it, if that's what you think."

Mami raised an eyebrow at the girl's sentence. Shawn laughed.

"You certainly are way more serious than he was, love !"

The girl laughed for the first time since the escape. Then, her expression grew darker, and she stares at nothing with blank eyes.

"I'll use my mother's name instead. No one knows her. It would be safer like this."

"And what was her name ?" Mami asked.

The girl's hand over her heart clenched into a fist as she pressed it against her chest. She took a deep breath before answering.

"Altava. Her name was Altava."

"Well then," Mami said, "Welcome to Caimeen, Emmeline Altava."