Mia’s pov
I wrapped my arms around my middle even more while pointedly staring at my feet as I quickened my footsteps, feeling like I was being chased even though multiple frantic checks had proved that I wasn’t being chased and was only being paranoid.
After successfully exiting the mall, which took way longer than I expected because I didn’t know my way around the mall and got lost a few times while trying to find the back entrance.
When I finally found it, I thought somehow, the guard must have figured out what it was that I was trying to do and would be there waiting for me outside the back entrance, and even though he was nowhere in sight, every veins in me was still strung tight in nerves as I hastily began to wap away from the mall while hoping that the guard wouldn’t notice my absence quickly.
As soon as he does, he’s definitely going to alert Lorenzo at once, and then he’d order that they all go out to search for me, and then once they do, I’d be dead meat at once.
That thought made me tighten my grip around myself even more as I added an extra bounce to my footsteps. I wasn’t looking at where I was walking, which was why I walked right into a rude woman who shoved me so hard that I almost lose my footing. I profusely apologized to her while my head reeled. I’ve never been treated this kind of way before and it felt so foreign to me.
I suppose this is how normal people without any sort of rant attached to their family name gets treated in the street. I wasn’t sure of how to feel about it, but I continued to walk forward once the woman had walked off while swearing beneath her voice. I kept on taking multiple turns, not wanting Lorenzo to be able to find me at all cost.
At this point, I’m sure he’d have been aware of the fact that I had run away, and I can just imagine the anger on his face as he’d calmly ordered his men to go find me without any emotion breaking out on his face.
My stomach growled but I ignored it because I had no money, for one, and I wouldn’t be able to actually eat anything as well due to how nervous I currently am. The card Lorenzo gave me this morning was still sitting in my purse, I hadn’t used it at the mall and neither was I planning on doing so. I had made my findings on my phone and I know that it can easily get tracked.
As I walked, I feared that one of Lorenzo’s guards would materialize out in the middle of the street and drag me back to Lorenzo to get me killed, and the thought of that was enough to make me almost begin to run. I felt extremely lost but I refused to stop, the thought of successfully escaping Lorenzo kept me going on and on.
A glance at the screen of my phone revealed that it was half past seven in the evening, and I knew I’d definslly hsnd to find somewhere to sleep tonight. But, I wasn’t sure I wanna stop yet, or where I’d actually sleep at tonight when I’d finally stop.
The people loitering the street didn’t look nice at all, and a few of them actually crept me out. A few boys here and there kept catcalling me when I walked past them, making it feel like worms were crawling around every inch of my skin. When one of those guys actually reached out to grip my waist when I walked past them, I had almost passed out from disgust and fear.
Once I had gotten far away from them, I felt tears brim my eyes at the realization that this was my new life now. it made me wonder if this was how Maeve had felt on the night she ran away; if she had felt this lost and confused and alone in this large, ugly looking world. It made me feel something akin to pity for her, even though she had subjected me to her fate, she still doesn’t deserve to go through something like this.
Which made me wonder if she’s still living on the streets till today, or if she was even still alive. That thought made me heart ache and feel extremely heavy, I had to shove the thought to the back of my mind to avoid myself from losing myself to all those emotions engulfing me at once.
I wandered on and on, and slowly, my stomach began to twist in fear as soon as I still wasn’t sure of how I was going to pass the night and the entire sky was pitch black. I most certainly didn’t think this far when I was formulating all my plans last night and this morning.
I’m dead mean if Lorenzo should catch me, I kept reminding myself as a motivation to keep on taking the next step, on and on without bothering to stop at all that I didn’t realize when I had taken a quiet and empty corner, till a whistle made me stiffle at once.
I glanced towards where the sound had came from and my mouth dropped open as soon as my eyes settled on a man clad in black, with his face in a black mask as well. A gasp tore past my throat and with my heart threatening to tear out of my chest, I hastily turned around but abruptly stopped as soon as my eyes landed on two more men dressed in black, with masks shielding their faces.
“Please don’t touch me.” I whispered shakily as my eyes darted around at once while hoping I’d find an escape route, but when I sighted two more men in the same attire closing in from the left and right side at the same time, I knew in that moment that I was totally doomed.