~Diana Robyns~

D I A N A    W A S    G A S P I N G   for air as she sprinted as fast as she could. Turn left here, make a right down there. She couldn't be late this time. Not again.

She checked her watch. Thirty seconds...

She almost crashed into an innocent kid, but managed to sidestep at the very last moment and dodge out of his way.

Twenty-five seconds...

She ran as fast as she could, but made the mistake of slipping in a pile of water. She slid down the floor, getting her sleeve drenched in the process. But she had no time to lose. Diana got up as fast as she had fallen down. She quickly gathered her belongings and set off once more.

Ten seconds...

She was so close...she was almost there...

Five seconds...

Just through the door, and she'd be there...

One second...

Diana burst through the doors of her history class and slipped into her seat just as the bell rang. Mr. Turner looked up at her from his glasses. "You're late, Dana." he remarked.

"Actually, sir," Diana smirked. "I'm early today, with 0.254 seconds to spare."

Mr. Turner glared at her in response. "All right, students. I will be collecting your homework from last night. If you could please turn to page 439..."

Diana exhaled a bit of air from her cheeks. She was almost late to class. If she had come in late one more time, she would have been suspended.

"...who can tell me how the taxes imposed on the colonies sparked the beginning of the American Revolution? Dana Robert?" Mr. Turner asked, turning towards Diana, who was twiddling her thumbs.

"I don't know sir, why don't you ask Dana Robert instead of me, Diana Robyns?" she replied, putting emphasis on her real name. She couldn't stand her history professor.

"That's it! Detention! Dana Robert, for disrupting the peaceful classroom environment..." he scribbled onto his paper. Diana shrugged it off, rolling her eyes. She could care less.

"Sir, the taxes that were implied to the colonies sparked the beginning of the American Revolution because the Americans did not want to pay the taxes they were being forced to pay. They rebelled against Britain with acts such as the Boston Tea Party. This did not improve relations between Britain and America, and was one event that led to the Revolution." some girl piped up in the background.

Diana rolled her eyes and continued doodling on her paper. History was such a bore. Nobody cared what happened back then. It was all about what was going on now.

As Mr. Turner droned on about the lesson, Diana looked outside the window. It was an ordinary day. Trees were swaying. The wind was blowing. Two men were walking down the street - 

Wait. She had seen those men before.

Diana leaned her head out of the window to get a better look at their faces. Gregory Jones and Chris Harris, 24 and 27 year old men who worked for a group of terrorists. She recognized them from a fight she got into a few months ago. She had thought they died, but apparently not.

Her eyes followed the men. They were crossing the street now, heading towards the school. Her school.

Diana jumped out of her seat. "Mr. Turner, I'm going to the bathroom." she informed him. She heard a "Okay, Donna." from her teacher as she bolted out the door and ran down the hallway to the restroom. 

Once she was inside, she locked the door. She couldn't risk anyone seeing her. She pulled on her leather jacket and boots, as well as her mask. She placed a gun in her pocket and a knife strapped to her arm. 

Windows, she thought. I need an escape route. Her eyes searched the bathroom until she found one - in the upper right corner. She climbed onto the sinks and reached up, unlocking the window. Then, making sure the door was locked, she hoisted herself up and jumped down.

She landed on the roof of the first floor (it wasn't a far jump), and searched her surroundings. The trees in the forest behind her school were swaying. There was a ten-foot drop to the ground and a ladder nearby. The two men were getting closer. She had to do something, fast.

She couldn't just jump. That would attract too much attention. So she ran to the ladder on the wall and climbed down, reaching the ground safely. Her heart pounded as she darted behind a bush.

Anyone from the school could just walk out from behind and see her. She had to ask fast. She aimed her gun at Chris Harris. With a bang, the shot went off and Chris was dead.

She moved onto Gregory. She didn't have much time. She put her finger on the trigger and -

BANG! Gregory was dead.

Police sirens sounded through the air as six cops and an ambulance pulled up. They hauled the men into the ambulance and the police started to search for the killer.

Diana took off into the forest as soon as she got the chance. She couldn't go back into the school anymore. It was too dangerous. She could get caught. She grabbed her bag and her gun and set off into the forest.

***

Diana stepped over a fallen tree. She had been wandering in the forest for hours now, looking for a place to settle in for the night. She could not have gone home. Her father would question her, ask too many questions. It would be a long time before she could go back to her town.

Diana trekked deeper and deeper through the woods. They were getting darker by the moment, and the sun was starting to set. 

Suddenly, she heard a twig snap. She pulled out her gun and pointed it towards the source of the noise. "Who's there?" she demanded, clicking her gun.

"The better question is, who are you?" a voice asked from the shadows of the forest. Diana walked slowly towards the voice, her gun at the ready.

"Come out!" she ordered. "Show yourself."

The person obliged. From the shadows emerged a boy no older than herself, holding a gun and an expression similar to Diana's. He had dark brown hair and cold, dark blue eyes. He looked tired and exhausted, as if he had been travelling through the forest for days. His jeans were ripped, and his arm was bleeding. He looked dangerous.

"Who are you?" she asked, hesitating to pull the trigger. She saw the boy lower his gun a bit.

"You don't know me?" he asked, keeping his voice clear of emotion.

Diana shook her head. "Should I?" she questioned, holding her gun a bit tighter.

A smile tugged at the corners of the boy's mouth. "Cole Walker." he said, pocketing his gun and stretching his hand out for Diana to shake.

Diana looked at him hesitantly, before putting her gun away as well. Her hand extended towards Cole's, and she shook his hand.

"Diana Robyns."