Nowhere to run

Kara was pacing when I walked into the dorm.

“What’d you get?” she asked.

“Kitchen duty for a week,” I muttered. I flopped onto the bed and curled up.

Kara ran her fingers through my hair.

“Stupid bitch,” I grumbled. “Hope she learned her lesson.”

“Yeah,” Kara said, “but how’d the viper know to wrap around Sienna’s neck?”

I’d been wondering the same thing, replaying it in my head. I told it to go tighter, and it listened. Weird. Maybe animals know I care about them, and they care about me. What am I even saying?

“Kara, I’ve got no clue. I’m exhausted. I need sleep.”

“Alright,” she said, pulling the blanket over me. “Sleep.”

When I woke up, it was dark. Everyone was out cold. I had to know.

I hopped the fence and wandered into the forest. After a while, I spotted a porcupine. It froze, staring at me.

“Hey, little guy,” I said in a whisper. “If you understand me, come here. Okay, maybe it just likes me, I thought. Then I saw an owl.

“Fly onto my arm,” I spoke quietly. The owl took off and landed on my hand. I exhaled; it looked like it held on mine.

“You’re beautiful,” I said. It shuts its eyes slowly.

“If you understand me, close your eyes.” It did. “Open them.” It did. What the hell? I brushed its feathers gently. “Thank you. Now go.” It flew off.

I sat on the forest floor. Suddenly, a twig broke. I dropped flat and peeked up to see a wolf. Its head turned toward me. Shit. Where’s a skunk when you need one?

I closed my eyes and waited. Soon, the skunk’s smell struck me. No way, I thought. After a while, I stood up and went back.

I shuffled back to the dorm, trying to convince myself whether it was just a dream, animals listening to me like in a fairy tale. I crawled into bed, desperate for real sleep.

Morning came too soon. Kara shook my shoulder. "Victoria, Balthazar wants you in his office. Now."

My knuckles rap against his door.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

Balthazar nodded. "Sit down. You're taking your final exam today."

"What? I still have three months.”

"There's nothing more for you to learn here," he cut me off. "Complete the test and return to my office."

I remained alone in an empty classroom, staring at the exam packet. One hour later, I dropped it on his desk.

"You're angry," Balthazar observed. "When you should be celebrating your freedom."

I let out a bitter snort. "Freedom?" Our eyes met, and what I saw shocked me. Sadness. Balthazar never showed emotion. Why now?

Victoria," he continued, passing a phone and an envelope across the desk. "My number's programmed in. There's enough cash to get you started." He leaned forward. "Listen. If the human world proves too much, these doors remain open. I need instructors with your... talents."

"Thank you, sir." I got up to leave, but he walked around the desk and hugged me. It was stiff and awkward, but real. When he let go, I wondered if I was losing my mind or if everyone else was.

Back at the dorm, Kara paced like a caged animal.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Just Balthazar's usual warnings," I shrugged. "I'm starving."

The day went by as usual. Kara didn’t notice anything. That night, I lay awake, counting fissures in the ceiling until she was asleep. I clutched my bag, held my knife, looked once at my sleeping friend, and slipped out. The forest closed in behind me as I ran, not looking back.

A train whistle sounded in the night. When it slowed at the signal, I ran toward it. I tried the freight car doors until one opened, then slid in and left it slightly open for air. I collapsed onto burlap sacks filled with something hard and lumpy, catching my breath.

What had I become? A runaway. A girl who talks to animals. Moments blurred together until the train jolted forward to a stop. I peered out at the station sign.

Prague.

Dawn was breaking. I found a café, sipped a bitter coffee, and watched the city wake up. I sauntered the paved streets until I got hungry enough to spend some of Balthazar’s money on a sandwich.

Time to figure out my next move. I needed a place to start—a new life.

I found a cheap hostel with chipping plaster and paid for one night. The mattress sagged in the middle, but I fell asleep anyway, my knife under my pillow.

When I woke up, darkness fell. I slipped on my reversible jacket, black side out, and followed the thump of bass to a nightclub three blocks away. The bouncer hardly glanced at my ID.

Inside, people pressed against me from every side. Perfect. I passed through the crowd, fingers quick and light. I took a businessman’s wallet, a tourist’s phone, and a woman’s purse. The cameras sparked red in the corners, but I kept my head down. I emptied the wallets fast and left them on different tables.

Then I spotted him, security, built like a brick wall, looking focused on me. I didn't run. Running attracts attention. I walked, took steps towards the exit, slipped off my jacket, and turned it inside out to hot pink. A knit hat from my pocket covered my hair.

Back in my room, I counted the money: 500 euros. It felt like blood money, but it would help me get farther from Balthazar. I was stuffing it into my backpack when the door opened.

A man filled the doorway, smiling as he pushed me back inside. "Interesting skills you have."

My knife appeared in my palm before I could think.

He sat in the room's only chair, relaxed as if visiting an old friend. "Do you know what happens to little thieves in my city?"

I feigned innocence. "I don't know what you' re talking about."

He pulled out his phone and held the screen toward me, showing me security footage of my little shopping spree.

" Fine. Take the money." I thrust the euros at him.

He smiled and stood up. As soon as he moved, I pulled open the door and ran, but two guards were waiting. I slashed at them, hitting one on the leg. My knife went into the second guard’s thigh with a sick feeling. I pulled it out and ran down the hallway.

At the street corner, I ran straight into the man from my room, his chest solid against me.

He slammed me against the wall. "Nowhere to run."

" I' m sorry," I spoke quietly, going limp. When his grip relaxed, my knee shot up between his legs. As he doubled over, the back of his palm met his face.

I spun to flee, but his hand grasped around my wrist, yanking me back.

"Oh, you’re good," he hissed, pinning me face-first to the cold cement. His breath was hot on my ear as he cursed.

" Ice would help," I suggested.

He laughed.