Prologue: Escape
Icy water dripped from the ceiling above the four running children, a small droplet falling onto the cheek of the blonde boy whose cerulean blue eyes were narrowed in concentration. The nine year old didn’t even bother to wipe the water away, instead running even faster, the three others close behind him.
Their bare feet pattered almost noiselessly against the grimy tile beneath them, and the only sound in the tightly enclosed sewer tunnel was the children’s labored breathing as they ran through the hallways that were so long that the ends were obscured by darkness. They were running so quickly that to anyone passing, they would seem to be only blurs.
That was to be expected. They had been designed to be fast. Their bones were lighter, stronger.
The four children came to a path that was blocked by a large metal gate that rose far above their heads. But without missing a beat they tensed in preparation, and in the next second were leaping effortlessly to land on the other side, their bare feet slipping slightly on the moist floor before regaining their powerful strides.
They had been designed to be strong. Much stronger than was normal for nine year olds.
The tallest one, a dark haired boy with dark eyes glanced over at the pale girl beside him. Her short chin length hair stuck to her sweaty face, and her pale lavender eyes were wide with fright.
The dark eyed boy was just as afraid as she was. They were all afraid.
Unlike most nine year olds their age, they knew the meaning of true fear. They had been raised in cages, raised with the Doctors with those sharp metal knives poking them often, writing down their reactions. Those Doctors had made them run fast, made them lift heavy metal objects to see what they could do.
Doctors were evil.
That’s why they were running. Running away from the Experimental Station that had been their home for the short nine years of their lives. They wanted out, they wanted freedom.
The blonde in front of them faltered, and the group slowed as the small boy panted heavily, slumping to the ground in exhaustion.
The thin girl with deep cherry-red hair that went to her shoulders stopped beside him, and put a hand on his shoulder.
“You okay?”
The blonde nodded, and the red-head and the dark haired boy met eyes for a moment. The pale eyed girl stepped forward, and helped the shaky blonde to his feet.
“Just a bit farther. We have to go.”
The blonde nodded, and they started running again. The red-head stuck close to the blonde, eyes on him intently. The pale eyed girl and the other boy ran behind, glancing behind every minute or so.
Because the Doctors would be sure to be looking for them. They were their most prized experiments after all.
The black haired boy suddenly felt a vibration beneath his feet, and put out his hand to warn the pale eyed girl beside him when a dart whistled past his cheek. He yelled to the others, and they ran as fast as they could. They could hear the voices of Doctors behind them, and fear pounded in their veins.
The blonde ran in front, the red-head right behind him. The darker haired ones were close behind. The blonde spotted a ladder with a latched exit, and leapt toward it. He scrambled up, and swung open the hatch door, blinking as bright sunlight hit his face. The boy crawled out, and held out a hand to the girl behind him, heaving her up onto the solid ground beside him. The girl helped the pale eyed girl up, and the blonde helped the dark haired boy up as well. They were standing on a huge grassy plain that was ringed by large trees. The sound of a rushing river filled their ears; there was a gorge that ran along the right side of the plains, near the trees. They all turned to run, but suddenly something hit the dark haired boy in the side, making him cry out.
The boy was sent flying, and the dark haired girl ran to help him. They both turned to face the enemy. It was a large German Shepherd whose fangs were bared and ready to snap at the two children. The blonde yelled angrily, and was about to run to help when a Doctor blocked his way. The man’s smile was sickeningly sweet.
“Oh, don’t go running off too soon children. We still haven’t finished with you four.”
The red-head girl snarled under her breath, and rushed at the man. The Doctor seemed smug. What did he have to fear? He was stronger than this nine year old. Sure, she was one of the special cases, but that was all.
The girl launched herself at the man, and sent her fist flying at his face. The Doctor’s last expression before he crumpled was pure astonishment before blood spluttered out of his nose as it broke, and he fell, screaming in pain. The blonde grinned grimly, and pulled on the girls arm. She hesitated for a moment before letting him pull her toward the other two. But yet another man stood in his way, this one holding a small device that held several sinister looking darts. The boy glared, and before the man could blink, he was on the ground, his leg broken and useless. Before the Doctor could even scream, the boy had punched his jaw, and after that the man was silent.
Meanwhile, the pale eyed girl was holding her own against the ferocious canine that was snarling at her, the other boy beating the nearest Doctor to a pulp. The dog was sent flying as the girl’s foot went slamming into the dog’s chest. It ran away, yelping as it limped as quickly as it could, and the men that were beginning to circle the children cursed. They held up their dart guns, and were about to shoot when the guns were knocked out of their hands. The men looked around, searching for the person who had done this, and suddenly all of the men were knocked from their feet, and they landed roughly on their backs. The blonde became visible again as he slowed to a stop, smirking.
“Am I too fast for you?” He said innocently. The men gulped silently as the boy’s blue eyes narrowed evilly.
The red haired girl pulled on the blonde’s arm. “C’mon, let’s go.”
They all ran for the trees, running along the cliff that revealed the thick river that rushed past, nearly a hundred feet below. The red haired girl glanced back, and saw that the Doctor’s were crowding into cars. They were catching up.
Suddenly, the girl stepped on a piece of crumbling rock, and her foot slipped, sending her entire body flying down toward the rushing water. She screamed, and saw that her misstep had caused the rock that her blonde friend was standing on to crumble also. They both flew toward the water, and the other two yelled, trying to grab them.
But it was too unexpected, and the two were lost from view as they hit the water. The black haired girl screamed, and the dark eyed boy yelled.
“Fly!” The girl grabbed onto the boy’s hand, and the two of them leapt over the ledge.
The girl snapped open snowy white wings, her shirt getting torn in the back as the strong wings pushed through. The boy dropped unexpectedly, but the girl kept her hold on him, and they both dove down toward the river. The boy saw a dark red head bob in the water, and he reached out his hand. The red head was sputtering as she floated, her vibrant emerald green eyes looking around for her blonde companion. He yelled her name, and she looked up, and stretched out her hand.
Their hands were inches apart, but then she dropped beneath the water, and the boy saw the waterfall that fell hundreds of feet down into the frothing water below. He searched frantically, and saw the two children swimming toward each other. The winged girl above him yelled, and the girl looked up, locking gazes with the dark eyed boy.
Green eyes met black, and those pink lips opened to yell, but they both dropped over the edge. The black haired boy screamed, but his scream was lost in the roar of the rivers rush towards the edge. The two hovered over the edge, and glided down, calling their friend’s names as they went.
But there was nothing. There was no sign of them as they landed on the small grassy slope that led to the water. The black haired boy ran to the water, and rushed out, yelling their names as loudly as he could. The girl joined him gliding over the water, her pale lavender eyes searching frantically.
Hours later, the sun was slowly sinking into the horizon, and the two collapsed on the grassy slope.
The boy pounded his fists against the ground, tears streaming down his ashen cheeks as he screamed his pain and anguish.
Those two had been with him for as long as he could remember. And in an instant, they were torn from him.
The girl was quietly sobbing behind him, and her wings were limp and lifeless as they folded slowly against her back. She moved towards him, and they held hands, taking strength in their clasped hands.
They remained there for a long time, but they finally heard the sounds of footsteps, and they knew that they had to keep running, running far enough so that the Doctor’s could never find them. So they could live a somewhat normal life, not one filled with needles and tests and machines.
Even as they stood to leave, they unconsciously searched for the two children, searched for any sign of a red head and a blonde.
But it was useless; because they were gone.
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Chapter notes: okay, i just felt like posting this new story, totally got the idea a few days ago, and i feel like giving it a run.
Please review....even if you dont like it!!! :D