The Race

In an escapade of a beautiful forest plain with dazzling flower fields and lush green trees, a little girl with black wavy hair is seen dancing and running around in the beautiful plain. After a while of dancing around and running, she would stop for a while and start giggling and begin her routine again. "Patricia darling stop running around or you will wander off and end up getting lost. This is still a very dangerous place honey, with wild animals wandering about. I don't want anything to happen to you. So please stay put", said a pretty pregnant woman in a flower printed dress and knee length boots, who was looking at the little girl with worry written all over her face. Little Patricia just giggled and continued to do her routine but this time a bit closer to her mother. Her mother just smiled and sighed and she lifted up her eyes to continue looking around the plain.

"Well that one seems to be a handful!" The woman was startled when she heard a voice behind her before she turned around and saw a handsome man with short black wavy hair in a cowboy outfit walking towards her. He went and stood beside her and continued saying, "Now I am suddenly regretting making the choice of having another one. Because that's a mighty strong and energetic princess pup we got there! I don't think I will be able to handle another one..", and the man giggled whilst looking at little Patricia doing her routine. "Well lucky for you my handsome daredevil, you are not going to be handling one but two more mighty strong pups so you better be ready to round them all up my cowboy or else", said the woman whilst patting her belly. "Well...I guess all I can do is 'roll with it'", replied the man and he held the woman by the waist and he bend down and kissed her belly and then her cheeks. Then they both turned around and started looking around the plain.

"Oh Simon....isn't this too big? I mean...this place is beautiful and all but...don't you think it's too much?" Asked the woman. "Oh my Nicolette...have you forgotten that your husband has been tagged as one of the best derby racers in the world so..I want to have a place where I can grow and build my legacy. So that when our children grow up...they will have something to be proud of. I know it looks big right now but wait until it is fully developed and built then you can see how more beautiful it will all be", said Simon. "Mmmm....I don't know. I still think it's a lot of work though. And where are we going to get the money to develop all this Simon.. I know that you are earning a lot through your sport but I don't think it's enough to turn all this into a livable land. Well.. at least not right now..but..", said Nicolette. "Don't worry about it honey...I have everything covered..and besides we cannot fully develop it right away, we can still earn some more money and continue to develop it one step at a time. So don't worry it's all going to be alright. Mmm..ok", said Simon. "Oh ok...I guess you right. We'll just have to wait and see, Mr derby racer." Said Nicolette. "That's the spirit my sweetheart. Don't worry one day all this will be different, I am telling you. It's going to become more beautiful when two more family members join the family right. Isn't that right my two mighty strong pups", said Simon and he started patting and caressing Nicolette's belly and kissing it.

Nicolette just giggled and shook her head until she suddenly grabbed Simon's arms with some pressive force. "Oww! Honey! Why are you gripping me so hard!" Asked Simon and he looked up to see his wife's panic striken face. "Honey what's wrong? What happened? Why do you look like that?" "Shhhhh!! Do you hear that?" Replied Nicolette. Simon tried to listen and he heard nothing. "Well I don't hear anything. Its pretty quiet around here. But I don't think that's a problem...", replied Simon. "What!! Not a problem!! Not a problen!! Simon can't you hear!! There.. is.. no.. giggling! There is no giggling Simon!!" Shouted Nicolette. "Oh..Shit!!" Said Simon and he moved away from Nicolette and started rummaging through the plain and he shouted, "Patricia!!!"

...

Meanwhile a couple of minutes earlier...

Little Patricia was dancing around and giggling near her mother until her father came and started talking with her mother. She sat down after a while to catch her breath and continued to watch her parents talking. It was not long after that a big beautiful bright colored butterfly flew into her line of vision. It went and rested on a beautiful white daisy flower just a little distance away from her. Patricia then stood up to admire it and as soon as she tried to touch it the butterfly flew away in another direction. Patricia followed it with the mission to catch it on her mind but she didn't realize that the butterfly was leading her far away from the plain and into the deep mountain forest. And after a long while of wanting to catch the butterfly and to no avail she finally decided to give up her mission. And then that's when she realized that she was in a different set of environment, with huge long thick trees surrounding her and blocking the sun.

She started running in any direction she could think of to get back to her parents but the directions she took only let her deeper into the forest. Patricia ran and ran and she started calling for her parents whilst tears were rivers on her cheeks. After a long while of running she finally became tired and sat on a huge tree root and started crying her little heart out. After a couple of minutes she then heard some distant howls echoing in the forest. At first she thought that she had misheard but when the howls came closer she panicked and started running again. She heard the howls getting closer and closer to her and she kept on running until she stopped at one of the huge trees in order to catch her breath. When she heard the howls and growls getting closer, she turned around to see what was making the sound and she came face to face with a huge wolf, growling and staring down at her. Patricia then slowly started backing away as the wolf started approaching her slowly. As she was backing away she twisted her ankle on a twisted root and she fell backwards into a hole near the tree and the wolf looked at her from the opening of the hole for a while until it decided to leave. After a couple of minutes when the wolf left, the sky suddenly became darker and thunder started roaring in the air, and not long after rain started pouring down like buckets of water.

The hole that Patricia was stuck in started filling up with water. Patricia cried and shouted for help until her little lungs could not take it anymore. After a while the water was already filled up to her neck and soon would cover her face and it was cold that Patricia's body was pale white and shivering because of it and she was slowly losing consciousness. As her eyes were dropping closed, little Patricia saw a small figure standing at the mouth of the hole and looking down at her with big, bright, beautiful and striking blue sapphire eyes. After a while she saw the figure moving away and she wanted to call after him in case he didn't see her but because of the cold and exhaustion the words could not even come out. The water then covered her face and she knew that it was the end of her because she felt it filling up her mouth and soon it will be her lungs and she would drown to death. But as she was ready to welcome it, she felt a huge splash in the water in the hole where she was. And she felt small arms wrapping her body and she was suddenly lifted up from the water and out of the hole.

Patricia felt her back being placed on the ground and she started coughing out the water that had filled up in her mouth and stomach. "Don't ...worry ...you ..are ..going to.. be ...alright. You ..are ...going ..to.. be just ...fine. Don't ...worry... I am here...." Patricia lifted up her little eyes to see the kind brave knight that came to her rescue when she was on the brink of death. Her little eyes met with a handsome little face, with beautiful blue sapphire eyes beamimg down at her and with a tiny smile on his face whilst water was dripping down his body. Patricia felt a certain comforting warmth emanating from his body and engulfing her and she felt good. "Hell little lady.....what were you doing here...don't you know that this is a dangerous place...if I wasn't passing by and heard your crying and shouting...you could have drowned and died...luckily I saw some bouncy vines and made a bouncing rope out of it and tied them to the tree so that I could swoop in and pick you up as they bounced back." Said the boy. Patricia just softly shook her head and she slowly whispered a small "Thank you". Before she felt her head spinning and her eyes becoming hazy. "It's ...ok....little..sweeches ....I'll...get..you...out.....here...in....no...time...just....hold..on" these were the slurred words that Patricia heard in her little mind before her world turned black and she fell unconscious.

....

"Beep!! Beep!!" That was the first sound that Patricia heard when she regained her consciousness. She then slowly opened her eyes only to be blinded by the bright light in the room. Patricia did not need to guess where she was, she was in the hospital. She tried to recall what had happened but the only thing she could remember was getting shot at, at the cemetery and injuring her leg, the other things were still a bit hazy. "Oh...you are awake.." Patricia stirred to the sound of the voice and she saw her little sister Alisha looking at her with tired eyes. Alisha was also as beautiful as Patricia with all the similar features the only difference was the hair color, Patricia and Zachariah took after their father's inky black wavy hair whilst Alisha took after their mother's golden brown wavy hair. "Ali..." said Patricia in a hoarse voice. "Don't try to speak sis. Let me get you some water", said Alisha and she went to the small table in the room where a jug of water and a glass lay. She then poured the water in the glass and went back to the bed where Patricia lay. Patricia tried to get up but she realized she had no strength, so Alisha placed the glass on the side table and helped her to sit on the bed. After that Patricia gulped down the water like she hadn't drank it in days. After a while she then gave the glass back to Alisha and sighed.

Alisha just placed the glass on the side table and sat down on her chair and remained quiet. After a few moments of silence, Patricia then asked, "What happened? How long have I been unconscious?" Alisha firstly took a deep breath and replied, "You were attacked by a gang of robbers at the cemetery....and you injured your leg whilst running away from the thieves. Fortunately a kind officer rescued you and brought you to the hospital. You fell unconscious in the car on the way here, the doctors said that it is because of the shock and stress of the event and also from the pain of your injury. So the doctors gave you some medications and stitched up your leg. They said that something sharp pierced your skin whilst you were running but ....its going to heal up in a couple of days. You were unconscious for six hours so...that's pretty much of it." Patricia just softly shook her head and lowered her eyes and remained quiet.

After a couple of moments of silence, Patricia then heard a broken voice saying, "I know...that....you...don't want to say anything to me right now because of your own reasons. But....I just want you to know that...we are a family Patricia...and everything that happens....affects us all...not only just you....and Dad....Dad would have want us to stick together and fight through this together....but if you...if you want to remain as a lone wolf going to the slaughter....then I won't say anything else but that Mom and Dad....will be very disappointed in you...and so will I...", said Alisha and she sighed and slumbed in her seat whilst tears were silently flowing down her face. Patricia felt her heart squeeze in pain after hearing what Alisha said. She did not need Alisha to say anything more to prove that she already knew or had some idea about what was going on and that all this time she was quiet, waiting for Patricia to come out in the open and say something but Patricia did not want to involve her siblings in her dirty game of revenge. She wanted them to remain innocent and sweet as they were without meeting any more corruption in their lives but alas, she never imagined that she could not outsmart them especially Alisha. Alisha was very smart, and she didn't want to grow up to be a detective for no reason, the job will really suit her perfectly.

" I am sorry Ali...I truly am really sorry....I don't know.....how much you know about everything....but I am begging you...from the bottom of my heart...to please stay out of it...I would never be able to forgive myself if something terrible happened to you and Zach. Yes I am a lone wolf ...but with a mission and I am going to do everything I can to make sure that my mission is completed. Not because of my own benefit alone no! But for all of us and those that desperately want this mission to be a success as well. So please Ali..don't tell Zach. And don't judge me but support me ..you are right. Dad would have wanted us to stick together through this but...he would also want you to be safe. And that's what I want right now. For you to be safe...and I promise you that I am going to be fine...mmmm.." said Patricia. "Fine?Fine Patricia! Does what happened to you yesterday define the word 'fine' to you! Patricia! You almost died and for what! Nothing! You know what your only problem is.....huh...it's because you only think about yourself Patricia....you only think about yourself....and what benefits you to conduct your little dirty games...you don't care about me or Zach or how we would feel if we lost you too...you only care about your feelings and not about ours.....you only care about your mission and not about our opinions as well....you want to be alone....well Patricia...fine! But becareful that your alone might become a true reality soon enough...when you try to reach out to me and Zach....and realize that we are no longer there...." said Alisha in a broken down tone and without hesitation she stood up and left the room.

Patricia wanted to call and go after her, but as soon as she tried to leave the bed, she realized, she still had no strength and she almost fell to the ground until some strong arms quickly held her to keep her from falling. "Wooo there missy...calm down...you can't just jump out of bed in your condition...you need to relax and rest. Otherwise you will never get better. " Patricia lifted her head to the sound of the voice and she met the face of a handsome man with beautiful blue sapphire eyes looking down at her. Patricia immediately got captivated with those blue striking sapphire eyes and she felt the same comforting warmth emanating from him and engulfing her too. Then she thought, ' Could it be.....could it be him...my mysterious knight in shining armor that rescued me that day long back. The boy...that I used to wait for his return for a long time in order to properly thank him for saving my life that day. Could it be him....?'