The Sun

Life Now

December 8th 2020 – Melbourne, Australia.

I glanced over my shoulder as I wandered down the platform for the train, it should be here in 10 minutes. I was generally late getting places these days, Luca on my hip always slowed me down. I smile at my little boy as he tugs on my necklace; a necklace his dad gave me right before I betrayed him and his family and went into hiding. I think about him every day, but I had my reasons for what I did, I had become corrupt and was betraying everything I had been designed and put on the earth for; so I did what had to be done, as soon as I knew about Luca in my belly, I knew I needed to escape.

We’ve been hiding out in Melbourne for a month now, but my source Nik just told me that Grey knows where I am. He doesn’t know about Luca and I want to keep it that way. I walk over to the back wall, a corner section with wall surrounding me, not allowing anyone to sneak up on me. I use my hunter senses to test the air, no dark odor, no Grey. A sigh of relief escapes me, but I never drop my guard, my little boy needs me to be strong and on guard all the time. I grip him tighter and pull him closer, kissing his cheek as he giggles.

“No mumma, no kiss” he laughs, tugging on my necklace. I smile at him and kiss him again just to hear his giggle. The sound of a train’s brakes snaps me back to reality, I wander over to the train when it opens its doors but as I go to step on I catch a whiff of a dark, sour scent – I know that scent, it’s Rudger. I grip Luca tighter and spin towards to direction to smell is coming from, and there in the crowd is Rudger and Lilith – two of Grey’s soldiers. I bare my teeth at them and wait for the last moment, when the doors start closing, I jump on the train. I see them pull out walkie talkies and speak into them, goddamn it, why can he not just leave me alone. But I know why, because without me, he’ll go insane. I love him and for that reason I’m wracked with guilt every day that I had to do what I did, but I will not risk Luca. I curse and try to think of what to do, it’s hard with a toddler, if it was just me, I’d jump of the train between stops, but it’s not and he hasn’t developed his healing abilities yet and honestly I don’t even know if he will, because Luca is like me; born a human and I am just as shocked now as I was when he was born.

It had only just gone dark so the idea of hiding and waiting it out was absolutely out of the question, they would sniff us out in a second. I’m going to have to fight which means I need to pick the appropriate stop.

I hop off at the next stop and do a quick surveillance, the stop is dead which tells me they already cleared it out, expecting this to happen. I find a pocked in the side of the tracks and decide to hide Luca there, I hop down and place him on the ground.

“Baby I need you to hide, remember what I told you about the bad men and women coming after us?” he nods his little head so I continue.

“Hide in this pocket and wait for me to return, don’t come out for anything ok baby?” he nods again, so I give him a kiss on the head and wait for him to hide before hopping back on the platform. When I do Rudger and Lilith are there waiting.

“Emery, you gave us quite the chase, what’s it been? 3 years?” Rudger asks.

“Not long enough Rudger, you can tell him I’m not coming back” I admit.

“What makes you think the choice is yours?” Lilith snarls “you know he needs you, did your 76 years together mean nothing?” she finishes. I sigh, of course it means something, the stupid bastard owns me, but that doesn’t change my need to protect our son.

“It doesn’t matter; I’m not going back” I state.

“Then we have no choice but to make you” Lilith tells me, looking sad.

“Neither of you are strong enough to make me, and even if you were, I’d die before I go back there.” I really don’t want to fight them, Rudger and Lilith were always kind to me. I shift my stance and get ready to fight, when a new scent appears, I groan internally.

“Why are you hiding in the shadows Mace?” I question the darkness. A chuckle is all the reply I get before Grey’s best friend and greatest fighter steps out to greet me.

“I missed you too Em” he smirks at me, “quite the chase you’ve had us on, 3 years is by far the longest anyone has ever avoided detection” he steps closer to me and I narrow my eyes.

“What gave me away?” I query him.

“You always were a sucker for Melbourne” he laughed. Why out of all the places in the entire world did I have to come back to the one place Grey knew I loved the most. I curse myself again, how stupid could I be.

“It doesn’t matter, like I said, I’m not coming back” I snap, cutting off him laughter.

He frowns before stepping closer, “you don’t have a choice Em, whether it’s now or later, you will be coming back” he explains.

“You’re a great fighter Mace, but you’re no match for me. Don’t make me do this, please” I plead with him, he was like a brother to me and hurting him is the last thing I want to do. He sighs and softly speaks commands into his walkie talkie.

“I’m sorry Em, I really am” he says sincerely before pulling out what I identify as a tranq and shooting me with it.

“No Mace! You don’t understand, I can’t” I scream, trying to run to the edge of the platform. I feel myself getting dizzy and before I pass out I manage to get out one word.

“Luca” and then I’m gone.