The sun sets itself close to the horizon, throwing a mist of pink and orange around it. The color fades happily into a bright orange as it reaches the sky's limits. The wind plays it's love song , a moment meant only for the trees and the wind. The large green beauties sway with the rhythm, shedding a few of their leaves around.

It is a beautiful day. Gina can feel the cool air hitting the bars of the prison. She shuts her eyes, taking in the scent of the misty breeze. She imagines dancing amongst the trees blossoming flowers. She imagines chasing the birds flapping their mighty dark wings against the bright landscape.

She imagines.

A soft sound escapes her lips as she turns her head back to the little canvas on the floor. The lady might come anytime now. She pushes the canvas away from her and it lightly spills the dark shade of red paint onto the metal floor. Taking the paintbrush, she throws it correctly out of the bars making it bounce slightly on the grass. She does not want to play. Today is just not the day.

She lies down on the cold metal, each part of her body aching for the warmth she once used to feel. It's all a distant memory, of course. She wants to go back to home. Wants to see how much everything has changed. But it is too late for that.

She was taking a happy little stroll that day. Gina remembers how keen and curious she was about the world and its secrets. She wanted to know everything. She was old enough at that time. She didn't need her mother's help any more. So she left. She left to find her destiny. She left to go on an unending and thrilling journey, ready to take the advice of fate. But she didn't know that it would end sooner than she had thought.

A sudden gun shit pierced through her ears, sending each of her neurons panicking. Before she could react, another shot fired and she knew what to do.

She ran.

She ran and ran as adrenaline seeped through her veins. She ran as her brain yelled her legs to. She ran as long as she could. But every run has an end to it.

A bullet lodged deep in her leg, sending her falling down with a thud. Her mind screamed. Her heart ached. She tried getting up but the pain was unbearable. The beautiful world around here withered away as she laid there. Motionless. She could no longer find beauty in her quest. She wanted to just go back to her mother. To somewhere safe. But the world was never safe.

Two rough hands gripped her delicate body and threw her up their shoulders. She tried biting him and even fought for a bit. But there was no effect. The person immediately shoved her to a bed, tightening a bandage around her bleeding leg and patted her head.

She glared at him, anger being the only weapon she could use. He just smiled and came close to her face. With a soft whisper, he managed to race her heart just a little bit more. Even if she couldn't understand what he meant, she knew it was something intended for her.

"Sleep tight. You can't escape this night. "

She suddenly jolts up as she hears the soft footsteps of the lady approaching near. Gina immediately stiffens, her heart racing wildly. She runs maniacally around the confined space, aiming to escape somehow. She hits the bars with her legs and hands, trying to find a way.

Help me, she thinks, now on the verge of giving up.

"Gina! Show us something interesting..! " the owner coos, freezing Gina completely in her place.

"Is anything wrong, love? " she asks, slowly walking around the prison and immediately stopping in her tracks. Gina shivers, lifting her face just a bit to meet her owner's crystal blue eyes.

So cold.

"Gina. " The woman places her hands on her hips, shaking her head in disappointment. Gina steps away from the canvas as she feels the lady's glare melting her. The canvas has no more than a red stroke on it, something far behind Gina's daily schedule. Gina was supposed to draw a heart, the lady thinks. And then I would've recorded the whole video, posted it on social media. I would've become famous. Everything is just ruined, she fumes.

"You ruined everything!" The lady throws the flowers she held in her left hand, immediately gaining a feared sound from Gina. The lady smiles. She deserves it.

"I was supposed to give you these lovely flowers as a reward. What a waste of such sweet perfume, " she tuts, inhaling the fresh lavenders. Her distaste immediately turns into a wicked grin.

"But you will be receiving something worse today, " she says and pulls out something Gina promised herself she will never witness again.

A whip.

The lady grips the handle hard and walks closer to the metal gate, her lips snarling as she uses more force in pulling the gate. Finally, it gives up and she enters inside Gina's little house. Not before she turns to lock the gate properly though.

Gina cries loudly, running around like she used to. She knows that it is stupid. She knows that she will never be spared. But yet she runs.

"You can't escape me, " the owner says, giving a sickening sweet smile. And with a swish of the whip, Gina cries out in pain.

"Poor thing, you can't even talk. " She shakes her head mockingly as she manges to slash her body again. Fresh red marks adorn her brown spotted skin , each a rough reminder of her stupidity.

She should have never ran off from her mother.

She should have never given them the chance to shoot her.

She-

Another cruel swish sends her flying to the other end of the prison immediately cutting off her thoughts as well. The lady smiles at her again and speak, "That's enough for today. Better be ready for the next task tomorrow. "

Gina manages to bat her eye lids as a reply before the lady leaves the prison. A loud cry escapes her as she finally gets to be alone. Her body trembles, her hind legs shiver. Her mind runs with a million thoughts but she immediately looks at the now disappeared sun.

The dark sky is etched with a million stars. Each reminding an old scar. The wind is now colder than ever . The trees sway violently to it's song. The forest is a tragic place to live now. She imagines her slim body, chasing rabbits in the jungle she used to live in. She imagines the times she drank that sweet water from the pond. She imagines how the ferocious lion used to chase her almost every day. She would emerge victorious. She would never give up. She would keep running and keep running until she reached her goal. She would not stop until she found her mother's warmth again.

And suddenly the whole scenery changes into something bright. The sky is a beautiful black that is lit by a thousand lights. Each reminding a new day. Each a promise of it's own. The stars never fail to light up even in the darkness they live amongst. They never give up too soon. And she won't either. She looks again at the cage and smiles.

She needs to sleep tight. Not because she can't escape but because she needs her energy for the perfect time.