Chapter Thirty-Four

~ Maka ~

I ran as fast as I could, holding my arms tightly round my waist as if to support my bruised ribs that desired to collapse into the pit of my stomach.

The trees closed in around me with every sprint I struggled to take, trying my hardest not to fall to the ground as the wind pulled me from both the left and the right.

My ear stung excruciatingly, blood streaming its way from behind my earlobe and trickling down the side of my neck, staining the crystal white fabric of Kid's shirt.

Sticks snapped beneath my boots, echoing throughout the darkening night, and coming back to haunt that of my throbbing mind.

My legs stung with the memory of Black*star's hands sliding against them, the realisation of holding my lips against his causing my aching stomach to turn with the desire to vomit.

I continued to run deeper into the forest, having no idea about where it was I was going, but hoping that the forest had to come to an end eventually.

There was never a second I wasn't running, and every single second that past, Kid was across every inch of my mind.

His scruffy black hair and the way it felt beneath the tips of my fingers, and his glistening golden eyes and the way they sparkled when he looked at me.

The outline of his strong jaw when he clenched it, and the way it softened when he kissed me. The galaxy that spread across his knuckles from when he saved me from that monster, the first time, and how he struggled to hide his pain on the bus journey home.

Simply everything he was and everything he wasn't – the reasons as to why I had fallen in love with him.

How he was my hero and wasn't a monster, despite what he thought about his anger problems, he was anything but a monster.

How he was troubled, but not broken, despite how he classed himself as 'nothing.'

My wounds tingled from the cold, as if the blood within my veins was freezing ever so slowly and desired to be protected from whatever storm pathetic fallacy was going to create for me.

I felt tears form in the corner of my eyes as my body grew tired, frustration as well as fatigue consuming my existence with every step I didn't want to take.

But luckily I saw street lights ahead, peering just beyond the treetops, and creating me a sign of relief as well as survival and a reason to keep on moving.

My grip around my body tightened, as if I had finally given myself a reason to keep on living, due to how in that moment I was holding myself together, and despite the wind trying to rip my arms from around my waist, I was able to make it to the street lights.

I stepped out onto a deserted road, houses resting silently opposite, and the park where Kid had found me, sitting motionlessly in the distance.

My surroundings were isolated, isolated to the point of creating fear as well as pain in the pit of my stomach, but I let my stupidity get the best of me and I chose to ignore it.

The concrete crumbled slightly as I scuffed my boots across it, moving slowly across the road whilst continuing staring from my left to my right.

I shivered as the cold wind caressed itself against my bare skin, stinging at my wounds and causing me to clench my jaw in order to stop myself from shaking.

But with every step I took beneath the midnight sky, it was as if I was growing more afraid with my every movement.

"Hey honey!" someone whistled. "What you doing out so late?"

No, I began panicking.

I carried on walking, not daring to turn around and face whatever had just appeared behind me.

He had friends, "where's your boyfriend?"

My fear caused me to speed up and reach the pavement on the other side, allowing me to quickly turn past the house and continue my walk through the town.

Their footsteps carried on after me.

"Damn," one exclaimed. "Look at those legs!"

I've had enough harassment for today, thank you.

Despite how fast I walked, their pace quickened and was eventually devouring that of the beautiful gap that separated us.

I clenched my jaw harder, still trying to prevent myself from shaking.

"Hold up!" they were getting closer. "Let's have some fun!"

I could feel myself wanting to cry, that frustration that was brewing inside of me just wanting my body to give in, and cower my way onto the ground.

My wrist was grabbed, and I was pulled towards them.

"Uh, sorry," I stuttered. "I have somewhere I need to be."

"Come on," they awed. "You won't regret it."

I gritted my teeth, "seriously, let go."

The sound of wheels turning against the concrete echoed from behind us, creating an ear piercing scraping sound as they quickly turned the corner.

The boy that held my wrist tightly dropped his grip, as he turned to face Kid's blonde haired friend lean back on the tail of his skateboard, and stop directly in front of us.

"There you are!" he exclaimed, grabbing his board from the ground.

He quickly jogged over to me, putting his spare arm around me to pull me into a tight hug.

He whispered, "go with it."

The fear in my stomach quickly died down as he pulled away, still keeping his arm laced round my shoulders as he turned to face the two boys beside us.

"Thank you so much for finding her," he mocked, before pulling me away.

The one who had grabbed me stammered, "uh, you're welcome."