In the midst of the night, the sound of two small children running and gasping for air filled the black forest. The moonshine couldn’t make it past the trees even if it tried, making their path as dark as closed eyes. Branches and twigs crunched underneath their small feet. They could hear sounds behind them. The sound of barking and men calling to them, chasing them like they’re a prize to be won. The older one of the two looked behind themselves, checking if they were near. They only saw a faint light of torches in the distance.

  “Hurry up, Fionn!” the older sibling snapped. She was holding his hand tightly, like a mother dragging their child away from danger. Her knuckles were white from how close she kept him. Both of them were wearing dark brown cloaks to hide their faces

  The older one was wearing a dirty white blouse tucked into a long blue skirt with brown leather shoes. The younger sibling was wearing a torn blue buttoned-up shirt, muddy black pants, brown leather shoes. His small frame struggled hard to keep up with her. They both had visible green eyes with a slight shade of light blue in them

  “You’re too fast, sissy,” he said, the strain in his voice nearing its limit. His legs were much smaller than hers, and the pants didn’t provide much mobility. He was only hanging on because of her tight grasp on him. “You’re too fast for me, sissy. I’m too small to keep up with you.” Seeing that he was getting tired, the older sibling quickly hoisted him onto her back, not wanting to lose momentum. She could vividly remember what would happen if they were caught. This wasn’t the first attempt

  “Keep your cloak on,” she ordered. She had to push through the fatigue. She wanted to at least protect him from those people. The sound of barking was still so close, yet so far. She tried her hardest to figure out a way to get away, but it felt as if she was running in circles: no light, no sense of direction, not even a simple sign. The forest looked like a loop, but the sound of barking dogs kept her going. She hears a flowing river nearby, immediately running towards the sound. Once she saw it, she took charge to look for a way to get over to the other side. She closes her eyes, wishing for a log to magically appear for them. When she opens her eyes, a stable oak log appears in front of them. She didn’t waste any time to hurry across it, setting Fionn down on the other side first

  After making it across, she started to kick the log so there was no way to track them. It was almost too stable. Her kicks were nearly ineffective, budging ever so slightly. “Help me break this off,” she said quietly. He nods, kicking it along with her. They were careful to do it quickly, until they heard rustling in the bushes. The sound was soft, but she wasn’t going to risk anything. “Fionn, get behind me!”she snapped. He immediately moved away from the rustling, hiding behind his sister. They pause, listening for a moment. It’s quiet now. An unnerving silence. The sister kept her guard up, even if she didn’t know how to fight whatever wanted to take a swing at them. She kept her eyes on the forest in front of them. She picked up a heavy stick as a weapon, clutching it tightly. She closed her eyes again, wishing for the stick to be a sharp wooden sword. When her eyes opened, the stick transformed into a long wooden sword. It was polished and smooth, made from oak. Fionn was amazed to see the sword, but couldn’t let his excitement mess up her concentration. After a careful surveillance, the sister slightly dropped her guard. “Keep kicking the log. I’ll guard,”

  He nods obediently, continuing to kick the log with his small legs. With each force, the log progressively started to undo, until finally it went down the river. “Got it!” he announced. He smiled wide with success, visibly showing a missing tooth

  “Come on,” she barked

  They went back to running, this time without the fear of being caught by anyone. “I’m sorry for this, Fionn…,” she muttered quietly, as if she was whispering into the air. He smiles innocently up at her in return. “It’s okay, sissy! You did all of this…,” his voice trailed off, thinking about what they’ve been through. “To protect me! How could I ever be mad at you?”

  That made her slightly confused, even coming to a stop. He didn’t understand the severity of them. They shouldn’t exist. They’re a random phenomenon that has a percentage lower than 0.001% to happen. Did he not learn anything at all?! “You don’t get it, do you?” His smile slightly faltered. “S-sissy?” he said, a slight bit of concern in his voice. She clutched the sword tighter, her knuckles turning white

  “If we stayed, we’d be killed. If we got caught, we would’ve been killed. We. Shouldn’t. Exist, Fionn! I don’t remember anything of how we were created…,” her voice went silent with a break, almost like she would cry soon. “But the way people kept asking from us, it was only for their benefit. They don’t care about us, Fionn… they just wanted to use us.”

  Her voice started to break more. Tears streamed down her face like a waterfall. “All they wanted was money and greed. They’re sick. All of them are sick!” she said, raising her voice. She was finally letting years of bottled up anger let loose

  Fionn’s smile faded away completely, his lips curling down into a frown. Was any of that true? Was she speaking from the heart? Stress? No… Aisling isn’t rude like this. “B-but what about Fiadh? She–!”

  “She’s just as sick as everyone else! Everyone in that town just wanted to use us, Fionn!”Aisling shouted. Fionn was muted by his sister’s outburst. Tears started to manifest in his eyes. He hated when she would yell. “We’re just delaying them finding us!” she continued

  “Stop shouting, sissy!” he whined. He made a determined face to seem strong, but his thoughts about why they were running started to break that feeling down. His doubt and sadness easily bypassed that wall, his tears sprinting down his cheeks. “I… I don’t believe Fiadh would do that! She’s nice and sweet! She wouldn’t ever do that!” he cried

  Her breath hitched, catching in her throat. Her chest tightened at hearing his sobbing and seeing his wet tears run down his innocent cheeks. Why did she break down that piece of hope for him? There wasn’t a reason to do that, in any circumstance. Seeing him cry made all of her stress, anger, and tension fade away with the wind, replaced with a deep guilt that was unbearable to hold. She snatched him into a tight hug, starting to tear up herself. Breaking his happiness was one thing, but letting him cry was different

  “I’m so sorry, Fionn…,” she hushed. “None of what sissy said was true. Please don’t cry. Sissy is sorry.” Her tone was desperate. Even she could see she was too harsh on him for no reason. She clutched him tighter against her chest “Sissy is sorry. Sissy is sorry. Sissy is so sorry,” she repeated it, again and again to soothe him. She shouldn’t have just lashed out at him. It wasn’t even his fault

  “Please… stop crying, Fionn…,”

  She sat down on her knees, holding his face close to her body. “Sissy is so sorry… I don’t have any other excuse for what I said… I shouldn’t have told you that. Fiadh wouldn’t even think of trying to use you,” She flicked his tears with her thumbs. He quietly weeps into her hands

  “T-that wa-was so mean, Ai-Aisling,”

  “I know… I’m so sorry,”

  She hugged him one more time, holding him like a baby. “Sissy won’t ever do that again… I promise.”

  She took his right hand into her left, flicking away his last few tears and giving him a soft kiss on his forehead. His weeping eventually stopped, now calming down from the outburst. She picked up the wooden sword before she slowly walked through the new forest. “Are you hungry, Fionn?” she said, her voice now motherly

  “No… I’m fine,”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Mhm.”

  She didn’t know if he was lying or not, so she imagined a small packet of cooked meat in his left hand to see if he'd take the bait. She felt him let her hand go as it was accompanied by the sound of the bag rustling. She smiles a bit. Even after shouting at him, he still wouldn’t hold a grudge

  “Here.”

  Her eyes widened slightly. He offered three big pieces to her, knowing she liked the snack too. She didn’t question it. She knew that if she didn’t eat, he wasn’t going to eat either. She smiles at him as she takes the pieces of meat. “Thank you, Fionn,”

  She bites into it. Same flavor as always: smoked beef with spicy sauce packed into it. “Just like what the butcher made,” she muttered under her breath

  It seemed like forever for how long they were walking. After a while, Fionn fell asleep from the exhaustion. To Aisling’s surprise, it took him longer to get tired than before they ran away. He would often fall asleep in her arms fast by her lullabies and head rubs. She was carrying him on her back as she continued to venture through the forest, keeping her guard up for anything that may try to surprise her

  “How big is this forest…? It feels like I’ve been walking for hours…,” she said, almost stumbling over a rock. “No. I can’t stop yet. Not until I can find a place to put Fionn down safely and out of harm’s way.”

  She looked up to try and see the stars, but it was still covered by the rude tree leaves. She sighs, pushing through the tiredness. It seemed like hours before she eventually saw moonlight in the distance. She was skeptical of it, but continued onwards. She hoped at least to see where she would be going. Once she came close to it, she saw that it was a road. It stretched from north to south like a rubber band. She looked around for a sense of direction, but saw nothing was in sight–not a car, not a sign, not even lights. With an annoyed huff and adjusting Fionn on her back, Aisling started walking to what felt like the right way–south. She didn’t give it much thought, but soon realized her arms were getting tired from carrying his small frame. Cars passed by them without a care. The sound from each vehicle died down just as fast as it came. Aisling’s eyes were fighting to stay open. She couldn’t set him down yet. Not until they were somewhere safe. That’s the promise she made to herself. Hearing his soft breathing against her neck put her at slight ease. He was definitely tired after everything, but he still kept up with her the best he could at such a young age. She will return that favor

  She kept walking for what seemed even longer than in the forest. The night sky stayed still, like time itself had stopped for them. Nothing happened for what seemed like hours–no cars, no trucks, not even insects–with no end. But she kept true to herself. No matter what happened between them, she would always be there

  For him

  Headlights shined against the dark road behind her. She instinctively looked back at it, not knowing why this time. Was it hope? Sense of danger? After confirming it wasn’t anything dangerous, she looked forward again. The car started to slow down after seeing the two. The driver rolled down their window, clearing their throat. She narrowed her eyes at the driver, only to find out that they were a woman–a beautiful one at that

  “Hey, need a ride?”

  Aisling almost said yes the instant she heard the question, but hesitated just as the word was about to leave her mouth. Her voice sounded so gentle and soft, like a mother. It was slightly convincing, yet something seemed off. She had beautiful umber brown hair that looked soft and healthy, hanging down to just barely above her hip. Her bangs framed her face, splitting evenly down the middle. Her lavender eyes were as sparkly and bright as purple candy. She was wearing a slime green hoodie with the words “Chrona Riftworks Protocol” colored in black and outlined in white, a white panel skirt, and black calf boots. She looked incredibly young, but the voice of a woman in her mid 20s. Aisling paused a bit before looking at the driver’s eyes. A tactical thought told her she’s not trustworthy, but her gut said she was innocent

  “No thanks,”

  “I insist. You look like you’ll pass out any minute,”

  “I don’t need your help.”

  The driver smiled, knowing this little girl wanted to appear tough “You look like you do,”

  “Well I don’t.”

  The driver made a smug face. Aisling was about to leave, annoyed even further by the driver, until the woman’s next line made her stop in place.

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  “You want to protect that boy, don’t you?”

  Aisling stopped breathing for a moment. That hit a sensitive spot

  “And?” she said, glaring from the corner of her eye

  “Relax, kid…,” the woman said, relaxing against her seat. “I work for the government.”

  “Well good for you,”

  “Need a home? Shelter? Maybe…,” she pauses to look at the state they’re in. “Food?”

  Aisling froze in place like a statue again. Something felt off about this driver. Why was she so insistent on picking them up? She sounds innocent, but that feeling was starting to mix with doubt of her caring nature. Taking advantage of someone’s situation was an easy way to manipulate them if they don’t read in between the lines

  “What do you want?” she said defensively, clutching Fionn closer. The driver puts her car in park, stepping out. Seeing her stand upright, Aisling could see that she was much taller than she appeared, looking as if nearing 5’7

  “Look…,” she said, leaning against her car. “As my job in a special corporation, I help people in need, whether that’s by fighting off trials and sealing them, charity donations for the needy, teaching poorer children, or even participating and volunteering in events and parades.”

  “What does that have to do with me and my brother?”

  “You clearly don’t trust me because you’ll be putting your life and his life in danger,” she said, sighing in relief. “So I instead told you about me to let you know I don’t mean any harm.”

  She went quiet partially. Aisling didn’t expect her to see through her as if she was made of glass. She didn’t like it, clenching her fist in annoyance

  “So…,” the woman now sounded as if she was pleading, but kept the gentle tone. “Do you trust me?”

  Aisling’s eyes widened slightly, but narrowed in a way of obvious skepticism

  “...If you try to do anything to us, I’ll make your life hell!” she warned, the tone in her voice evident that she was serious. The driver was surprised by the sudden threat, but nodded with a small laugh. She unlocked the back doors, letting Aisling in. She took off her cloak, revealing well kept and straight blonde hair that faded slightly into a light pink. It stopped at her shoulders, but didn’t look out of place, even after running for a while. She laid him down first–his head resting on her thighs–before strapping him in and then herself. “Please wake up soon, Fionn…,” she muttered softly, almost like she was praying. She rubbed his forehead and played with his messy blonde hair. The driver looked back at them through the rearview mirror

  “How old?”

  “I’m eight, he’s four,”

  The driver’s eyebrows shot up. This young girl was only eight? She was this strong and smart at eight?!

  “Huh… couldn’t even tell,” she said. “You’re stronger than some of my friends and co-workers.”

  “Hmph,” She glared at her before glancing out the window

  “I can feel your glare, kid…, “ she said with a sigh. “It’s pretty obvious you don’t trust me.”

  “I just met you,” she reminded her. “Don’t expect me to trust you instantly.”

  “Touche,”

  She started driving again. It was silent for quite a bit. Aisling clearly wasn’t in the mood to talk, nor was she going to believe whatever she tells her. Despite reading her easily, the driver was still curious how an eight year old acted more like an independent sixteen year old

  “What’s your name?”

  “Aisling,”

  “His?”

  “Fionn,”

  “Last name?”

  “O'Dana,”

  “Irish?”

  “Yes.”

  The driver was actually surprised by that “Wait, really?”

  “What, are you surprised?”

  “A little. An Irish girl on her own with her younger brother. Even dressed in cute clothes,” Her tone was playful. Aisling narrowed her eyes slightly before scoffing and looking out of the window. “You don’t have the accent… you weren’t raised in Ireland?”

  “No. We were raised in the United Kingdom, then moved to France, and then to here,” she said. “All within the span of two years.”

  “Wow…,” she mutters under her breath. “Quite a story.”

  It goes silent again, almost deafening this time. Aisling realized she never said thank you, but felt it was too late to say it now

  “You never asked my name,” the woman teased

  “Oh right…,” Aisling muttered under her breath. “What is your name?”

  “Ann,” she replied

  “...It’s a nice name,” she said unamused, but there was a small hint of truth in her compliment

  Aisling watched as the cars drove by, until they got to a city. She saw countless streets lit up by towering lamp posts, beautiful scenery, and even a huge and wide river that was illuminated by the moonlight. Her eyebrows shot up, gasping softly. It was a beautiful sight to see. Ann smiles like a happy mom, seeing her little face light up with amazement–it was so cute to see

  “Never saw something like this, have you?”

  “No… not at all,”

  She was overjoyed with the scene of the moonlight shining down on the river, the lights making the street much more lively, and even the many cars coming and going filled Aisling with peace. She started to tear up slightly. Was she really crying? How hard did this hit her? She didn’t know… but she couldn’t stop looking at it

  “It’s… it’s so beautiful…,”

  Two tears fell from her eyes, falling down her small cheeks. Ann eventually started to come to a stop, parking at a huge white and light gray building. Aisling immediately got defensive, shielding Fionn with her arms. When Ann unlocked the door, she saw Aisling not even hesitating to protect him. She smiles softly

  “You love him a lot, don’t you?”

  “So? I’d do anything to protect my little brother,”

  Ann puts a hand on top of her head, rubbing it. She smiles wider, getting her own flashbacks and memories of her own life

  “Just a word of advice, Aisling…,”

  “What?”

  “...Even if your relationship ever goes to Hell, always look out for your sibling…,” Ann said quietly. The way Aisling was protecting Fionn felt like she was looking at her past self. “Even when they don’t see it, you won’t know if it’s your last time seeing them before they’re gone…” Ann lets the words hang in the air, the tension creeping into the air. She looked at Aisling’s eyes, seeing them soften as she understands the emphasis

  “Until it’s too late…,” she finally added

  Aisling wanted to respond, but her words got caught in her throat. Was she… speaking from experience? Her defense faltered a little under that thought. She looked at the sleeping Fionn before looking back at Ann. She could read their relationship so easily

  “...Sorry for your loss, Ann,”

  She chuckles a bit before standing up straight

  “Don’t worry, kid,” she said, brushing Aisling’s hair out of her face with a hand. “It’ll only make you feel worried about me. It was a long time ago.”

  Aisling nods, unbuckling herself before carefully unbuckling and carrying him on her back

  “Can I hold him?” she said, pointing at Fionn’s limp body

  Aisling narrowed her eyes again–still skeptical of Ann’s willingness to help–but started to trust her faster than she thought. Afterall, she hasn’t given a reason to not trust her, right?

  “If you drop him, I’ll kill you,” she threatened

  Ann laughs at the remark, although there was some truth in her threat. She carefully picked up Fionn from Aisling. He was surprisingly light-weight for a four year old. She carried him like a baby, his head resting against her left shoulder as an arm wrapped around his back and thighs.

  “You’re tougher than you look, kid,” Ann said with a smile

  “And you talk a lot,” Aisling smirked. There was no doubt she was starting to warm up to her

  They walked up to the building. Ann used a key in the shape of a miniature flag as she typed in a code, “DV2”, for entry. It clicks open, giving them access inside. She holds the door open for Aisling and lets her in first. “We’ll have to be quiet here kid,” Ann said, looking around. “I don’t want anyone to get mad at me.”

  Aisling nods her head, making her footsteps silent. They quietly walked up the stairs, going to the third floor. She unlocked the door with a normal key this time. Once she entered, the new area was much more lively. The door was made out of mahogany, contrasting with the structure of the sandstone walls. The flooring was elegant and polished spruce wood. Upon entering, the moment was short lived when Aisling felt eyes on her from three people sitting and hanging around. A girl, a woman, and a man.

  The girl had beige skin, black eyes, and a very dark shade of long navy blue hair tied to the side by a black ribbon to make a side ponytail. She looked young, as if she was in her early 20s. She was wearing a black tank top, green shorts, and no shoes. She looked rather small compared to Ann, appearing much more petite. She was sitting at a round dining table made of polished dark oak wood

  The woman was definitely much older, taller, and appeared to be more experienced. She had short copper brown hair with silver eyes, and olive skin. A part of her hair ran along her left jawline. Dressed in a cotton candy pink hoodie with white designs around the chest, a pastel pink skirt, and white boots, she gave off an elegant, yet carefree person. She was much taller than Ann by appearance alone, leaning against the wall at 5’9

  The man looked young and old, maybe in his late 20s. He was clearly taller than the women, estimating around 6’2. He had short black hair and sharp emerald green eyes that gave the vibe of him being mature at a young age. He had broad shoulders and a presence that was immediately noticeable. He was wearing an open gray cloth jacket over a white shirt, black pants, and white socks. He had a noticeable burn scar above his eyebrow, and a thick scar on his left cheek

  “Who’s the kid?” the man asked, his voice was deep and booming, but somehow soothing and calming

  “She’s a new recruit!” Ann smiled, that teasing tone easing its way again

  Aisling’s face immediately scrunched up at the announcement. “I didn’t agree to that!”

  “I made the decision for you, hahahaha!”

  Aisling’s protective nature flared quick, raising her voice. “Quit laughing! Give me back my bro-!”

  “Hey, hey… no shouting is needed, little one,” the younger girl said, her tone sounding soft and sweet, like the voice of an angel. “You’re quite loud for someone small.” Aisling hesitated before clearing her throat

  “Fine… yes, I’ll be joining whatever this base is…,” she said, giving in to the idea. “Only to protect my brother! I’m not doing this just for fun!”

  The other three exchanged glances before looking at her

  “Captain is going to kick your ass, Ann…,” the mature woman sighed. She sounded disappointed, but expected it somehow

  Ann sticked her tongue out at her in a playful manner

  The petite girl walked up to Aisling, crouching over and sticking a hand out to her

  “Nice to meet you, little one,” She gives her a warm and soft smile, the smile a mother would give their child. Aisling pauses a bit, but started to slowly smile

  “You seem… kind,” Aisiling said quietly

  “I have that effect,” she said, her smile widening

  “Alexia has that vibe by just appearance,” the man said

  “Oh! We never introduced ourselves,”

  “Oh right… I’m Owen,” the man introduced. He sounded like he agreed with the idea, but his voice lacked the commitment

  “As you know, I’m Alexia, but you can just call me Alex,” Alexia said, showing her teeth with a bright and happy smile. Her teeth were perfectly white, like she hasn’t ever eaten candy

  “Jocelyn.” the woman muttered, glancing at Aisling with a sharp glare before gazing over at Ann

  Aisling bows on instinct. “I am Aisling O'Dana. My younger brother is Fionn O'Dana,” she said, straightening up

  The name was clearly foreign, catching Owen’s interest a bit

  “O'Dana? My… what a rather unique name. Where are you and your baby brother from?” Alexia asked

  “It’s an Irish name, despite never stepping foot there. We moved from the United Kingdom, to France, and then to… here,” Aisling summarized

  “Oh my! That sounds so much fun for your age!” Alex said, looking up at the air as a thought came straight to her head. “Hmm… how old are you?”

  “I’m eight. My brother is four,”

  That made the room as quiet as a pen hitting carpet. The weight of it really sets the mood with how this young child is, yet spoke like a grown woman. Even Alexia’s smile faltered a bit at that revelation. She was only eight? Such a strong and diligent person at only eight?

  Ann went to go put Fionn in a bed, making Aisling instinctively follow her, but she stopped just as fast

  “Where are you taking him?” Aisling blurted out

  “Hm? Oh, I’m just putting him down in my bed…,” Ann answered, looking down at Aisling’s eyes. “You can sit with him if you want to.”

  “I don’t go anywhere unless he’s with me,” Aisling stated

  Just from that, they could tell she only has the appearance of an eight year old. This was a full grown woman with no time for childish antics unless her responsibilities are taken care of, trapped in the body of a child. Ann nods, holding her hand out to Aisling

  “Alright, kid,” Ann said, a small smile tugging at her cheeks. “Lets go to my room.” Aisling takes her hand, being guided to her room. The building seemed more complex than she thought. There was a corridor dedicated to their rooms. The corridor had lights at the top. Each door had a label on them with a name

  “Owen Gray,”

  “Noah Foster,”

  “Leah Cox,”

  “Alexia Hayes,”

  “Kylie Anderson,”

  “Landon Evans,”

  “Ann Bennett,”

  There were three other rooms. Aisling only got a glimpse of the other two

  “Mason Lee,”

  “Cameron Hayes,”

  Once they stepped foot in Ann’s room, she was brought into a room that looked rather… childish. She had posters of famous singers all along the dark grayish cyan walls, two black trash bins filled with empty alcohol cans, and a messy red bed decorated with brown stuffed bears that would be given to children no older than eight. There were even action figures of what looked like video game characters in a corner. Multiple figures of men, women, and what appeared to be like villains. Although it appeared a bit messy, the carpet was clean, her clothes were put away neatly, and even her desk, drawer, and walk-in closet were spotless. She even had a mini bathroom within her room. The mirror was quite big, standing out from the bathroom itself. The sink was made from marble, the cabinets were stock filled with medicine and cleaning supplies, and the curtains were a lovely baby blue color. The bathtub looked like it was luxurious, and the smooth sandstone flooring just made the bathroom even more beautiful

  “...This is your room?”

  “Yep. It’s not exactly a house, but my friends make it feel like one,”

  “Friends… so what is this place?”

  “Oh! I never said so, did I?”

  She sets Fionn down on the bed, tucking him in, before taking off her hoodie, revealing a white t-shirt that outlined her chest. She puts the hoodie over Aisling, who stood confused at what she was doing

  “Welcome to Chrona Riftworks Protocol, Aisling O'Dana!”

  Mistake… you are… A MISTAKE!!