Interlude - The Heart Cracks

"Hee Haa, Hee Haa."

Panting from the effort of running as fast as her legs would carry her, the little girl reached the front foyer of the court building.

A short hop, jump and a skip away were the open glassed front doors, and her escape to freedom. All she had to do was turn on one last burst of speed and she would be safe from her pursuers.

"Haa... Hee... Haa..."

Sucking in great lungfuls of air, filling her tiny chest as much as she could, the girl readied herself for the final dash.

A few of the well-dressed people within the foyer looked at her, strange looks on their faces as they tried to figure out where the sudden appearance of this tiny girl in rags had appeared from.

"Brother..."

Her chest tightened momentarily and she clenched a fist over her heart as she thought back to the last she had seen of him. Being dragged away by those demons that were doing everything possible to separate them, he had struggled valiantly against them to reach her but had ultimately failed.

What he had managed to achieve was to prevent herself from being captured, something she was acutely aware of.

But now wasn't the time to think back on such things. There was still one final hurdle to clear.

"Annabelle Guildford! Don't move from that spot!"

"Eeep!"

Glancing over her shoulder, she witnessed the object of her terror. A single Department of Health and Human Services official pointing a finger and running at full speed towards her.

Security at the front door were her only obstacles to clear, all she had to do was make it past them, through the door and into the open expanse of the outside world. That was her domain and she knew once she had made it out there, that there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell that she'd be caught.

"Stop that girl! Don't let her past, she's a runaway ward that's in the care of the state!"

The official called out to the security guards manning the door. The abject looks of utter boredom on their faces disappeared in an instant, replaced with a determined resolve to stop this child at all costs.

Now would really begin the David versus Goliath battle.

"Don't even try it girly..."

One of the guards called over to her in warning.

Resolved, she gritted her teeth and took off running, without a trace of hesitation in her steps. If her big brother wasn't giving up, then neither would she!

He said to wait, that he would find her and that she wouldn't have to wait long. She trusted him completely, never having been let down by him. In this broken world of life, they only had each other.

If she couldn't even trust her beloved brother, then who could she trust?

"Damnit! Don't let her through!"

"Close the damn doors, quickly now!"

"Hold it right there girly!"

Running straight for the group, she eyed the inspection counter used for the checking of attendee's bags when entering the building.

Up or over?

It wasn't until she reached the table that she feinted as if to jump, but in actuality, changed her body position to slide underneath it.

"AGH!"

Catching the first one by surprise, he had prepared himself to grab at her as she leaped upwards. Instead, the sudden change in direction and speed by which it all unfolded, caused him to trip over himself and smack his head upon the metal bench top.

"Come here!"

"Screw you!"

Wrapped up by another as she popped out through the other side, they lifted her from the ground and carried her into the air, leaving her legs dangling as they sought the firmness of the ground.

"Ahhh my hand!"

Biting down on the arm of the abductor, she felt the skin in her mouth break and tasted the metallic taste of blood. They immediately released her from the unexpected assault wrought by her sharp teeth.

She fell freely to the floor and continued her blitzkrieg to the door, now only with one guard between her.

The guard was busy trying to shut the glass door, intending to trap her inside the building which would become her own cage if she wasn't fast enough.

"Got you! It's all over now."

With seconds left, he freed it from its locked open position and shoved it, closing her route.

But not before she managed to squeeze through the closing space!

If she had been any bigger, she would never had made it through the gap, but thankfully her small statue had been working in her favor. Those lean times, of scrounging for scraps of food to survive, had helped build the thin, malnourished frame that was her body.

"I have to get home, no matter what!"

Dashing off into the twisting, criss-crossing, divided network that was the cities alleys, roads and empty spaces, she disappeared from that eons old institution that was the symbolic epitome of justice.

Its foreboding presence cast an impressive shadow on the surrounding area, completely dominating the space that it controlled. Its reach was far, delving deep into any nook and cranny any agent operating under its authority could reach.

But for today, one lonely girl had escaped, melting into the surrounding cityscape.

######

######

Night's embrace had well and truly fallen over the city by the time she reached the usual rendezvous point that her brother and her had agreed upon. This place was in actuality, their home, a safe place where they could shield themselves from the predators in the streets who threatened to swallow children whole.

"Pwoar."

Collapsing onto the meager bed positioned in a corner of the room, Annabelle spread out and stretched her aching legs.

"When will you be home brother?"

Although she had eluded her pursuers and made it home safely in one piece, there was still the problem of her brother Cole.

Still held in custody, the sentencing passed down by the judge had been the opposite of what their defense council had advised.

"He was supposed to be released today... Why wasn't he released?"

She drew her legs up to her chin and hugged them tightly, rolling over into the fetal position as tears began dripping along her face, soaking the pillow beneath.

Time served and released back out to her, that had been the opinion provided to them. Yet ultimately, that had not been the case.

"I'll wait... Everything is going to be fine, I just have to be patient... He promised he would figure it out..."

Overcome by sobs that wracked her body, all that was left in that cold empty room was a little girl left all alone, who felt for the first time in her entire life, a crack in her heart.