"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it all!" I landed on my feet with solid thud, causing a bone-shattering pain to vibrate from my toes to my skull. My footsteps sank into the slick dew-covered lawn as I launched myself across the grass, the security alarm blaring in my ears. I could feel my heels shred against the gravel as I made a sharp turn toward the street, the air felt like oil and glass sliding down my lungs. Spare strands of my jet black hair flickered over my stormy brown eyes, aggravating my senses. In the midst of my frantic dash, I took a moment to scan the freeway and spotted my black van waiting on the other side of the road.

"God damn it! Why does the stupid car have to be all the way over there?!" I glanced over my shoulder to see red and blue lights flashing against the azure twilight, the sight grappled a sickening feeling into my chest. Without a second thought I shot into the streets, dodging and jumping over anything that dare to stand in my way, instantly sending a loud array of honks washing over the freeway. I busted open the car door and threw my purple duffel bag into the passenger seat, scrambling for my keys as I slammed my foot against the gas pedal. The engine responded with a dreary sputter and completely died out in a spare amount of seconds.

"The battery's dead." I growled. Crashing through the passenger door, I tugged my black hoody down over my eyes, my feet lurching across the ground as I scrambled away from the defective vehicle.

Bang!

Everything around me felt muffled as a blinding pain shot through my shoulder. The bag slipped out of my hand and sank onto the moist pavement. I panted, clamping my fingers over the wound to prevent the crimson fluid from draining out of me. Desperately, I got up onto my feet, but my knees were weak and gave out in an instant. The colors around me fizzled out until all I could see was the white flare of the street lights.

'I swear if I go blind because of these bastards....' There was a strong jolt on my collar and my spine collided with the soil. The air in my chest retreated somewhere to the back of my lungs, causing the pain in my shoulder to increase drastically. I could sense something sickly cold settle across my skin, latching them together.

I glanced up at the stranger clutching the silver chains, he had a satisfied smirk plastered on his face as he dragged me toward his car. My chest rose and fell with air, each breath frailer then the last until my breathing halted all together, and my conscious spiraled into darkness.

**************

Something cold press against my cheek. When I moved my wrist I could hear the gentle clinking of chains. The air smelled clammy, like mold, mildew, and the distant sent of cigarettes. The pebbles on the ground had scored a few dents on my left cheek, making my skin stiff and achy. I wiggled my shoulder, testing my amount of tolerance, before using my other arm to heft myself off the ground. I stood up, only to have the rusty shackles around my wrist yank me back toward the ground. The bullet lodged into my shoulder was carved out, leaving a deep slit in my flesh.

It was difficult to remember how long I was stuck there, days, weeks, months, maybe even centuries before someone finally came for me. Someone I never even wanted to see.

The morning started with a hollow knock on the bars of my cell. I lifted my head in a stiff and jerky motion to see a solid shadow towering above me.

"You have a visitor." He retreated back into the halls, making way for another silhouette to walk through. She was tall and frail, with brown hair that cascaded over her scrawny shoulders. The heals of her loose fitted shoes dragged across the mold covered ground and halted to a stop inches away from my broken form. She bent down on the concrete to look me in the eye, giving me a better view of her face. Her eyes were icy and tender at the same time, a dark shade of stormy black in the center that faded out into a warm grey near the edges. Just like my mom's.

"Lyn Collins I presume?" Her voice sounded dull and sweet, it seemed to trigger the memories locked away in the back of my head. I lifted my chin to nod but my joints were stiff and my jaw only slumped down to my shoulders. When I opened my mouth to speak, the words came out coarse and awkward, as if I'd forgotten how to communicate altogether. The stranger held her up her hand, signaling me to stop my pathetic actions.

"I'm Susannah Collins, your aunt." My eyes fell toward the ground at hearing the obvious lie.

"No you're not. I don't have an aunt." Or a family for that matter. I sat like a rag doll, waiting to hear the the hollow creak of the doors closing. But instead I felt a pair of slender fingers slip beneath my chin. Susannah stared at me for a long time, observing me as if I were a lab rat pinned down on a tray.

"Do you want a family?" She asked. My glassy doll-like eyes widened as the whisper escaped her mouth. The word "family" rang in my ears, each letter scorching itself into my brain. It sounded so foreign, like a long forgotten fantasy I used to have as a child. Susannah patiently sat down on the cement floor and waited for my answer. I briskly nodded, cramping my collar in the process.

"Good." She smirked at me and got onto her feet. Turning her back on me, she strolled out the door and faced the guard standing near my cell. Their conversation was inaudible to me, so I didn't realize what was happening until he handed her a thin silver ring. It was adorned with keys, each one dripping with the possibility of freedom. She took my wrist and embedded one of the keys into the locks on my shackles. They slipped away from my skin and clattered to the ground. The sound of steel echoed against the dank walls, signaling my freedom.

"Eh?" I stared at my freed wrist in awe, it was strange to look at them and not see rusted metal latching them down. Susannah gave me a small smile before turning on her heels and walking out the door.

"Are you coming or not?" She asked. Finally getting my bones to work, I squirm off the ground and quickly scramble after her, causing her to chuckle. She slings an arm over my shoulder as if we're old pals instead of strangers. The officer standing nearest to my cell sends a heinous glare at Susannah. She was taking away his most prized hunting trophy, the most wanted criminal in all the country.

She scoffs at him and forces me to look away from his scowl. I glance around at the dark corridors encircling us, my eyes roaming across the prisoners pawing at their metal locks. They all glowered at me with infernal rage and envy.

Near the end of the long cement halls leaned a tall and slim figure. His foot was tapping a rhythm against the ground, eager to charge out of this rat infested dump as quickly as possible.

"That didn't take as long as I thought it would." He flashed us a playful grin, complementing his aquamarine eyes.

"You and me both kid." Susannah clutched a fistful of the kid's dirty blonde hair and dragged him after her, he whined in annoyance. I managed to sneak a glance at the boy to catch his eyes scanning over my scrawny figure with intense curiosity. It didn't surprise me how disgusted his expression was, I probably looked equivalent to that of a sewage rat.

A loud groan erupted from the latches on the door as Susannah bucked it open. Sunlight instantly drenched the halls, it's warmth quickly carving through the jail's bitter atmosphere. I winced as the flare began eating away at my sight. The heat somehow felt silky against my skin- which was parched and paper white after being caged away for so long. Susannah took me by the wrist and guided me towards her car, the boy kept his eyes locked on to me the entire time. I settled in the backseat of the red vehicle and secured my seat belt over my waist. Because I was blinded by the sun's vivid glare, I didn't notice the stranger scooting closer to me.

I jolted back in surprise as a gentle burst of pressure was applied to my wounded shoulder.

"Did it hurt?" He asked, observing my bewildered expression. I brushed the stitchings woven through my skin and strained a smile at him.

"Like a bitch." He chuckled at my use of words and scooted back toward his end of the seat. Susannah was discreetly observing us through the rear view mirror, her eyes like little needles pin pointing our next move.

"Eyes on the road mom." The boy said, pointing toward the shale speckled street.

"They are!"

"Are not." I regarded the bickering duo for a few seconds and to my surprise, a small giggle slipped from the depths of my throat.

"Don't make me rip out your stitches." The boy said sinking a finger into my skin. I winced and cowered away, instantly apologizing.

"Sorry." The boy and Susannah met eyes through the window, her razor sharp scowl reflecting off the glossy mirror. He shrugged and averted his gaze from her venomous stare.

"Kid can't take a joke." The boy didn't dare say another word for the rest of the ride, biting his tongue to keep questions from slipping out his lips.

"Excuse me..." I squeaked poking his shoulder, "What's your name?" He gawked at me as soon as I opened my mouth, curiosity rapidly cutting through his cobalt eyes. Eventually, he extended his hand out toward me, and I didn't hesitate to except.

"I'm August." He motioned toward the front of the car, "Susannah's my mom."

"Oh?" I stole an abrupt glance at Susannah. Her features depicted someone twenty-four years of age, she looked much too young to possess a child, never mind two.

'But that's really none of my business, now is it?'

"Oh." I gathered my legs up to my chest, letting my chin nestle against my knee caps.

"I can answer any other questions you have." August said, reading my thoughts. He didn't object when I eagerly began to slide across the leather seats, making our elbows bump midway.

"Where're you taking me?" I started. "This place doesn't look familiar at all." I gestured to the lanky trees scattered on each side of the street. Their roots cracked through the concrete in a silent attempt to expand their core. August gave me quirky smile, his eyes venturing up to the cobalt sky.

"We're going home."

'Home?'

"Where's that?" I asked. The ground beneath me suddenly halted to a stop, sending both August and I jolting out of our seats. An insincere apology came from the front of the car, followed by the gentle click of the door. Still recovering from our sudden stop, August gestured to the exterior of the vehicle.

"Here." He clambered out the side door with me trailing close behind him. I held a hand above my eyes to keep the sun from attacking my vision again. Above me towered a two story house constructed completely out of wood, each plank was painted a pale shade of blue. Sunlight drizzled out from the corner of the roof, teasing at the shadows cloaked over the oak trees in the yard. I closed my eyes as a gentle gust of wind crept through my hair. It smelled of freshly cut grass and damp leaves, an aroma that soon overcame the scent of rusted shackles which had lingered in my lungs.

The colors encircling me were so alluring I began to cower away from the sight. August shot me a welcoming smile and gently seized my chin, forcing me to scan the yard.

"Welcome to Virginia."