1 1 — Arrested ?

It was a strange and scary sensation for Tiana when she was thrown inside the little blue Nissan Micra by her beloved father.

As she lay on the back seat, she realized she didn't even get the time to say goodbye to her new friends or the man to whom she had lost her heart.

No matter the amount of time her father would do this to her, she still couldn't get used to him dragging her away overnight without any explanation.

She bit her pink lips as she glared at her middle-aged father sitting in the driver's seat with her amber-coloured eyes.

"D-Dad? Where are we going..? We just came here and it hasn't been too long since..." She spoke hesitantly, stuttering a bit.

She could see her father was furious, for God knows what reason, as he fumbled his pants' pockets to get his keys and did not answer her question.

She sat in silence as her father sped past the streets and red brick buildings she was starting to get familiar with.

The roads on which she hung out with her friends, where she experienced the taste of her first love, as she roamed around with him, the place where he gave her the most precious gift ever; her little heart-shaped necklace.

"Issac," She mumbled, holding the little heart on her necklace in her grip as she clung her fist, pinning it, against her chest. Her face clouded into a sad expression, as a few tears dripped down her cheeks.

"Dad. Why are we leaving?" She questioned again, with her trembling voice as her heart ached with each word she said.

"I felt like I finally found a place to call home. This place felt like home. I met very nice people here", her voice cracked as the tears came flooding down her face. "I don't wanna leave, please. Can't we just stay here? Forever?" She begged but in vain.

"D-dad. Please, let's stay here and not move elsewhere like we always do." She forced a smile on her lips in her final act to try to convince her father.

"Shut up." Her father simply replied, coldly to her pleads.

She was frightened by the coldness in his voice. It kept echoing in her head, causing her to cry louder.

Tiana always listened to her father. She knew no one other than him. He was all she had for she had lost her mother when she was young. Her father always refused to talk about her.

Due to the fear that questioning him about her mother might hurt him, she never asked him anything.

She never saw her mother's face. She thought perhaps due to travelling from villages, and cities to other villages and cities, her mother's pictures disappeared with time.

She was always alone whenever her father would leave the house. Whenever she would make new friends, she would always be prepared to leave them.

However, when she came to this city, everything changed. She formed ties that she didn't want to break nor was she ready to bid those people goodbye.

Tiana stayed still in the backseat of the car as if the slightest movement would cause her to be scolded again.

The world passed by as a blur as her father, Aziel, navigated the flashy city streets. She began to regain her composure as her tears subsided.

Just then, the sound of sirens pierced the calmness in the road, causing Tiana to jump.

Red and blue lights flashed in her peripheral vision as police cars anxiously zoomed closer and closer. Giving the impression that they were being chased.

Fear gripped Tiana's heart as her father's hands tightened on the steering wheel. Aziel glanced at her, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Hold on, Tia," he said, his voice steady yet filled with worry. "No matter what happens, stay calm and trust me."

The car accelerated, the chase was now in full swing. Tiana clung to her seat, the world around her became a blur of colours and sounds.

Moments later, a sharp swerve from the car sent them careening off the road. The smell of burning rubber filled the air as the car crashed into a tree and rain began to fall around them.

Dazed and disoriented, Tiana found herself being pulled out of the wreckage, her father's strength guiding her to the edge of the forest next to the road.

He led her behind a tree at the edge of the clearing then instructed her "Stay behind this tree, Tia. Don't move, no matter what."  His voice was tense yet resolute.

Tiana felt her heart pounding in her chest, and nodded quickly, her amber eyes filled with fear for what her father was about to do.

Aziel's eyes met hers for a brief moment giving her the brightest smile she had ever seen before he dived head-first into chaos.

He stood like a sturdy wall, protecting her like a shield against the world's dangers. The light brown-haired girl's eyes were glued on her father as he ran to mislead the policemen.

Three police officers had reached the accident scene.

The widescreen was shattered, scattering glass all over the scene while the front bumper and bonnet wrapped itself around the trunk of the tree.

They inspected the rest of the vehicle along with the surroundings to find a path taken by the people they were looking for.

"Look here, sir. There is blood." One of them murmured against their captain's ear while he pointed out to the side.

The captain of the squad smirked evilly as he pointed his torchlight at the blood on the grass, leading to the culprit they were searching for.

The three men dispersed in separate ways in an attempt to catch their culprit.

Aziel was running as far and fast as he could despite his fatigue.

He didn't want them to find Tiana at any cost. He needed to keep her away from 'them'.

Lights were flashing ahead, behind the large trees. Aziel quickly turned to change directions only to find a policeman already in front of him.

He switched to his left, but another had come in front of him. He was about to switch to his right but he remembered that Tiana was hidden somewhere there. He couldn't let them be aware of her.

Just as he was about to take a back step, one of the policemen kicked his knee, causing him to fall to the ground. The officer standing behind him, ready to subdue him.

Tiana watched in horror as the officer pulled out his handcuffs, bending over her father. She couldn't take any more of it and decided she was going to help her father escape the police.

She then felt an arm wrapped around her neck, taking her by surprise. Tiana quickly turned her head towards the person behind her.

There stood a tall man who lowered his gaze to meet hers. His dark curly brown hair almost covered his face.

"I-Issac? What are you?... How did you even come here?" Tiana asked, still in shock to find him here.

"Shhh!" He put his finger to her lips. "Stay here. We can't let you get caught. Your dad told me to protect you", he held her hands as they crouched behind some bushes watching the scene unfold before them.

Tiana rolled her eyes, forced to crouch with Issac as she scoffed.

Her father was in trouble and he wanted her to stay still. Is that how little he knew his daughter?

She might have not seen a lot in this world, but she knows her father would never do anything wrong.

He was the most loyal person she ever met among the few people she knew. He never broke his promises to her, so there was no way he would betray someone else or do anything wrong to another person. She had complete faith in him.

"Issac, I have to stop them. They prolly made a mistake. My dad wouldn't ever do anything wrong. He is so loving, caring and loyal. He would never!"

She spoke a little too loud, catching one of the officers' attention.

"Shh." Issac put his hand on Tiana's mouth as he held her close to his chest, hiding both of them, clinging against the oak tree.

A police officer was heading towards them with his torchlight. He swung it around, trying to see in the darkness if there was anyone around.

"Hmm. That's weird. I heard something... Oh well, I probably heard it wrong." The policeman shook his head and headed towards the car as the other officers put Aziel in the police car.

Tiana's voice was muffled by Issac's hand. She was struggling to get out of the brown-haired man's arms, trying to pull herself free.

She bit his hand hard causing him enough pain that he let her go.

However, it was too late.

Her father was already being taken away by the police and there was nothing she could do.

Appearing from her hiding place, the sense of helplessness took over her as tears streamed down her face as the sunset gave her hair a red tinge.

She knew she couldn't abandon her father in his time of need.

Determined to help him, she wiped away her tears, clenched her fists and set off toward the police station.

With every step, Tiana's resolve strengthened. She knew there would be obstacles to overcome, but she was prepared to face them head-on.

No matter what stood in her path, Tiana was determined to fight for her father's freedom and to reunite with him once again!

As she stepped forward, she felt a tight grip on her wrist, stopping her from moving further.