Fool Me Once...

[Skraal]

((Clara Micallef continued from Suburbia Overture))

The unwelcome presence of an tree branch unexpectedly appearing in front of Clara's face brought her running to an abrupt stop, her head narrowly avoiding what would certainly have been the closest she'd ever feel to being struck in the face by a baseball bat. She stopped for a moment and leaned against the tree, panting as she surveyed her surroundings, her eyes scanning accross the sea of green surrounding her on all sides.

However, the relief of confirming that she hadn't been followed was short lived. As it turns out, the absence of immediate danger provides quite the opportunity for a flood of racing thoughts to make their presence known. The scene with the girl with the gun replayed itself over and over in Clara's mind, dozens of alternate outcomes popping in and out of her head.

Her chest tightened with frustration as a painfully obvious lightness in her shoulders served as a continuous reminder of the bag that she had left behind. A loud groan forced its way out of her mouth as she turned and gave the tree next to her a hard kick. How could she have been so stupid? She was a fast runner - if she had decided to just book it with the bag still on hand, she'd have been quite far before the other girl even had time to shoot, assuming that she wasn't bluffing in the first place. If only she had just thought a little quicker, maybe she would have still had that bag with her rather than having to wander around this place with no supplies besides her gun, and hell if she was going to legitimize what had been done to her by resorting to robbing other people like some sort of alleyway mugger. She had standards, damn it!

After a few moments of struggling to regain control of her emotions, she looked back in the direction she had came. Maybe if she rushed back, she could catch up to her former assailant. After all, carrying three bags would definitely slow someone down, even if that boy really was helping her. The chances of getting her stuff back were slim, but holding on to hope was better than just lying down and waiting to die. She swallowed dryly as she began heading back, moving as quickly as she could without making too much noise. She wasn't sure if she would be able to catch up with them, but one thing was for sure:

The next time Clara saw her, that girl wasn't going to get any opportunities to pretend to stand down.

((Clara Micallef continued back in Suburbia Overture))