"No…please, I'll do anything", she pleaded as a dark figure moved toward her, feeling unfamiliar. Fear was taking over as she turned to run and escape, but she wasn't able to process her thoughts fast enough to think of where to turn.
She looked around for a place to hide while running through the exit of the alley. All she could see now was that she was out of options. There was nothing but woods because she had hit the edge of town and found the forest.
She was just starting to collect herself, mustering the courage to escape the danger when the man grabbed Ayla's wrist.
She turned to see that the man didn't appear to be much older than her, in looks anyway, but that only made the panic inside of her increase. "Let me go", she demanded as she stomped on his foot and jerked her wrist to freedom and darted off in the thick brush in front of them.
Ayla knew she wasn't out of his proximity yet because she could feel his presence following her. She knew she had to keep going but she didn't know where to go. This was the furthest she had ever been when trying to run from anyone following her or trying to kidnap her.
The only reason she didn't go to where she had been staying, was because she wanted to keep her temporary home a secret. That was her home, the place she felt the safest.
This bounty hunter was a good one. He seemed to be hot on her trail, and he wasn't giving up. She knew that she had to do something quick.
It wasn't long before she heard the sound of water infront of her, so she directed all her efforts to the turbulent river ahead.
Ayla knew if she could get across the water, it would make it difficult for the tracker to follow her. Whatever method he was using to follow her would be less affective.
She pushed herself harder than she ever had, as she ran faster and faster, then she came to an an abrupt stop. Her heart froze.
Before her lay two options, and she didn't like either one.
Ayla finally realized why the sound of the water was so strong that it could be heard so far away, and fear consumed her even more than when the mysterious man had actually grabbed her wrist.
She was standing at the edge of a large waterfall.
Ayla proceeded forward and stood at the middle to look down with her foot feeling the water in an effort to help her with her choice.
To her surprise, the water wasn't cold when her feet met it with hushed splashes. Her delicate feet inching closer to the middle of the river to give her the safest advantage and more time to consider her options.
Ayla knew she didn't have a lot of time, because a strange man was chasing her, but this was scary, all of it was scary, and ultimately, she now had only a few choices.
Before she realized what was happening, her time had run out, and the man that was chasing her was on the river bank. He quickly stopped, and was looking at her curiously.
He didn't want to rush her just yet, for fear she would jump immediately, but he wasn't backing down either. He feared they wear both at a sort of stalemate and he wondered how this was going to progress. His interest was peeked.
More than that, how could it seem like she was completely clueless that he was there. Was she really or was it a trick to make him think that so she could catch him off guard?
Now, he was on alert, unsure of what to do. He had no problem taking a moment to catch his breath and waiting a moment to assess the situation to ensure his own safety.
Ayla was deep in her thoughts and pondering her options over what felt like an eternity in her head.
She could always just cross the river and let the water wash away her tracks as she had originally intended. He could know she crossed though, and he would keep following her. She would keep running all night, and she was so tired of running. She didn't want to run anymore.
Then, again, there was a chance for escape right there infront of her. Sure it was dark and scared the hell out of her, but so did living alone and running. There was also the point that she couldn't see what lay below the darkness and watermist. Did that really matter? Both paths gave her uncertainty.
After she turned sixteen, it seemed like one person after another was always after her. She had been hiding for years and evading captures for so long that she started to feel helpless. She didn't know why they were after her and she didn't care. People were always trying to kidnap her, and at that point she wanted it all to end.
Then, a lightbulb popped off in her head as if someone flipped a switch. What if she did jump. Even if nothing happened and she was fine, it could maybe seem like she wasn't. Maybe it would be enough for whoever was after her to leave her alone and think she was dead.
Whoever was after her would surely stop coming for her right? Her thoughts were starting to solidly with a smile on her face when she noticed she was being watched
She nearly jumped out of her skin nearly making her loose her balance.
"No" he yelled toward her. Not long before that she had yelled the same at him earlier in the evening, with similar vigor before he could stop himself he followed it with ,"it would be a shame if you fell" he said trying to cover for his outburst.
Ayla looked at him in confusion.
She was curious now so she inched forward and his hand acted as if he was trying to catch her from the shoreline as his feet took small steps toward her.
Her eyebrow rose in suspicion, "And why shouldn't I jump? I would be free of you, and everyone else who keeps trying to capture me for no reason. This curse of a life is not one I wish to bear any longer. What kind of a life is that", she ushered back.
She put her hand up as to gesture for him to stop moving as she eloquently raised one foot over the tumultuous falls. He reluctantly agreed as shown by his pause in steps.
He started shaking his head, "I can see how this seems like that to you, but that is not my intent. I'm not sure about what you have been through before, but I just wanted to talk to you because I saw you and thought that you were breath taking" he said without pause.
She squinted her eyes to look at him, because she didn't believe what he was spouting. " You're lying. You're a good liar at that too. You are just like the rest of them. If that were the truth, you wouldn't have kept following me so deep into the forest. Why would anyone do that" she ask.
He knew this was not going well, "I was not chasing you per say, I was worried about you being out here all alone. I felt guilty because I was the one that caused it. I didn't know what to do. Since you were a female all alone I wanted to follow and make sure you were okay. It isn't right for you to be all alone out here. What if something happened? I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me. Clearly I was wrong to worry about you, yet completely valid at the same time if people are after you" he said looking at her with concern.
She thought about it for second, and felt he might be sincere. The only problem was the she had no way to prove it. That gave her an idea.
"How do I know you are telling me the truth" she asked.
"You don't" he replied with a small pull upward on the side on his mouth revealing he wanted to smile but he was scared to, "you would have to trust me and take a step off the ledge. It looks like you are attempting to take a leap of faith. Trusting me in essence would be taking the opposite leap of faith you are about to take. Instead of off the edge it would be to trust me" he pointed toward the waterfall as he finished speaking.
Her head moved to look at her foot and what lay beyond underneath for a moment before looking back up at the stranger she was speaking with.
Her eyes suddenly changed from wanting to trust him to fear all over again as see looked at the sight before her.