"Yes, I did, but he ran that way," the girl added with an authoritative tone. "He was carrying a scary knife, so I didn’t run after him. Besides, the maze seemed tricky so I didn’t take any risk of getting lost. You guys should go and catch him before he flees."
The men nodded and quickly ran in the opposite direction of the maze as was instructed by their princess.
"You can come out now," the girl called out as soon as all of the men left. "Follow me. I’ll help you get out."
The boy stepped out of the bushes and looked at Raine in disbelief, "Why exactly did you do that? Why are you helping me?"
The girl’s lips curved into a blinding smile as she winked, "Because I like your hair and find your eyes fascinating. Your eyes are very complicated, and I’m finding it hard to tell if you are a human or a monster. In case you don’t know, I love complicated things. "
The boy’s face reddened. He didn’t respond to the girl and simply started following her instead. He still did not know whether to trust her or not, but what other choice did he have anyway? He figured that he could take this safer option instead of going in circles and eventually getting caught by those men. His priority was to escape from here. And in due time, he would make everyone responsible for the blood they shed today pay ten times the price.
"How do you know the way out?" he asked as they walked together.
"I’m good with directions..." the girl answered.
"How old are you?" Nathan asked once again.
"I’m seven," the girl replied. "Also, my name is Raine. In case you want to know."
He no longer questioned her afterwards. Not long after, the girl stopped in her tracks.
"That’s your way out," she said, pointing towards a particular direction in the bushes. "I believe you know how to open the door?"
Nathan made his way through the bushes, brushing off the branches from his path until he saw the inconspicuous door. It had a biometric lock that locked out any unauthorized person from opening it.
Placing his palm over the small screen by the side, the door opened to reveal an underground passage. It would lead him to the outskirts of the grounds, a place that was decently away from here.
Nathan turned around and looked at the young girl who stared at him with a wicked smile. Taking something out of his pocket, he handed it over to the girl.
"I’m grateful for your help," he smiled. "But this is all I can offer you right now."
Taking the gift, the girl looked at the lollipop in her hand and smiled. "You should leave now. They are getting close...."
Nathan looked at her for a little longer before entering the door. The door automatically closed as soon as he stepped inside, Raine stared at him from the other side as the door slowly shut.
Once it was completely closed, she covered the pathway with bushes and branches, erasing the evidence of the boy using the secret door. She excitedly looked at the lollipop in her hand, unwrapped the cover, and put it inside her mouth.
"It’s sweet and yummy..." she enthusiastically giggled as she walked back out of the maze to find her father.
It was the first time she saw a grateful look from someone. It was also the first time she had helped someone in a way that didn’t result in killing... and it felt good.
******
Raine jolted awake. She was panting and sweating hard. It had been a while since she had dreamed about that incident that happened long ago. It was still a very vivid memory. She had dreamt of the same thing three times now since her childhood. The first time was when she was fourteen. The second was when she was twenty-one. And now, when she was twenty-eight.
A pattern emerged.
"What is this?" she mumbled. "Why do I dream about it every seven years?"
he wondered if there was some meaning behind her dreams about the incident. Why every seven years? Looking around, she frowned as the room seemed unfamiliar to her.
"Sh*t!"
She cursed as soon as she realized that the booklist was not with her. That man saved her because he wanted the booklist for himself!
Gritting her teeth, Raine got up and looked for something she could use as a weapon. There was none, unfortunately. The room was depressingly empty.
Quietly, she carefully walked towards the door with her guard up. She opened the passageway, revealing that she seemed to be inside some sort of hide-out.
Sniffing the air, an enticing smell filtered through the air. Following her nose, she found herself staring at a table full of food. There was also note and a paper bag too, but what really caught her attention was the lollipop sitting on the table...
"It’s him... The lollipop boy..." Raine whispered.
Immediately, she grabbed the note to read its contents:
[Thank you for the booklist. Eat this before you leave. It will help you get your energy back. Make sure you leave the place before dark because it will explode at 5 PM Country V timezone. I won’t be able to save you again. It will be the last time I will spare you...]
"What the heck? What did he mean by again? Is this not the first time he saved me?" Raine mumbled with snapped brows.
She looked at the dishes on the table and gulped. It looked delicious. Her stomach grumbled even as she shook her head. It was unlike her to trust anyone. But for some reason, she trusted the man who saved her last night. Even knowing that it was the boy she saved years ago, she dug into the food with a satisfied smile on her face.
"Hmmm..."
Raine mumbled in satisfaction. The food was very delicious. She smirked as she looked at the paper bag on the table. Looking at its contents as she ate, she smiled at the sight of a dress and underwear sitting inside the parcel.
"How considerate," she clicked her tongue as she scoffed, "But that doesn’t mean I won’t hunt you down to get back what’s mine. How dare you snatch that booklist while I’m unconscious!"