Fifth Avenue
Chapter Ten

Hartley shivers slightly and rubs her arms; she made the stupid mistake of walking out into the woods, not remembering what Justin had said before he left she went in search for him “Justin!” she calls for what seemed the hundredth time but again, she received no answer. “Justin, where are you?!” she called again, her voice cracking slightly at the end.

She was trained to fight yet somehow the thought of her being stuck in the forest at night frightened her. A snap of a stick made her turn around and she saw the shadow of a person in the distance. “Justin?” she whispers hopefully but the shadow remains standing there, she couldn’t see the persons face but she knew they were staring at her directly.

The shadow chuckled and Hartley immediately knew it was a woman “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” the voice muses in humour before taking two steps forward. The first thing Hartley sees is the sparkle of the woman’s silver leg in the moonlight.

Hartley looks up to the woman who gives Hartley a lop-sided smile and tosses back her short purple hair “Wisdom?” Hartley chokes and Wisdoms smile grows even further before she gave Hartley a sarcastic bow.

“Yours truly” she says standing up “And you’re the famous Hartley I’ve heard so much about” she sighs dreamily “boy do I have some plans for you!” within a blink Wisdom was in front of Hartley, her hot breath fanning Hartley’s face.

Without even realising it Hartley lifts her hand up and covers her nose bringing a disgusted look to Wisdom’s skinny face. Wisdom’s bony finger reaches out and slides down Hartley’s cheek. “You look so much like her” she says to herself with a harsh tone “same face, same hair” Wisdom’s hand shot up and pulled Hartley’s now grey hair “scared, are you?” she asks, her dead grey eyes staring into Hartley’s green ones.

“W-what do you want with me?” she asks shakily and Wisdom smiles releasing her grip from Hartley’s hair just as the ground around them began to crack.

Wisdom chuckles “that’s for me to know, and you to replace out” she chimes poking Hartley’s nose “but first I need you to come with me. With me we can finish unlocking your abilities” she smiles and gets a crazed look in her eyes “You think they can make you strong? No Hartley, but we can, we know that you need to do to become the strongest you can” Wisdom puts out her hand as if expecting Hartley to take it.

“I’ve already unlocked my powers, I’ve already done it” Wisdom curls her hand back and it forms a fist and her face goes red with anger.

“You’ve barely even begun to unlock your abilities, dear sweet child, you’ve merely cracked the surface with this sweetheart, and don’t you want to be more powerful?” she asks trying to control her anger. Hartley gulps and slowly begins to back away before taking off sprinting in the opposite direction.

She had a metal leg, and surely, she couldn’t run fast enough to catch up. Hartley thought as she ran through the tree’s ignoring the numb pain she got as they cut at her arms.

She saw the clearing of the forest but before she made it Reaper jumped in front of her “don’t think you can outrun us pet” he snarls, as Hartley went to run in the other direction two creatures moved in to block her path.

Wisdom walks through the two creatures panting slightly before she tightly gripped Hartley’s already bleeding arm “I gave you a choice to come with me peacefully but you didn’t take it, now sadly, I must use force” she sighs as if she was upset.

“You don’t understand it do you Hartley, you don’t belong with them, you never have” she explains “Ever since you were young we were getting you ready, training you so you would be absolutely perfect, and you’re just as we wanted you to be, maybe even better, you just need to trust me and come with me wilfully, I promise we won’t do anything to harm you Hartley, not any more than what is absolutely necessary” Wisdom smiles “we can be the family you never had but so desperately want” Wisdom tried to sympathise with the struggling girl she held.

“Let go of me!” Hartley screams and as she does the trees around everyone began to fall into the ever-growing cracks in the ground “Please!” Wisdom and Reaper look back to the now missing trees before back to Hartley.

Reaper stepped forward “boss we should-” before he could finish his sentence the ground beneath him disappeared and he fell-down screaming.

Wisdom looked to Hartley with wide eyes right before her and the two creatures joined Reaper down the ever extending hole. Hartley glances down to her arm which now had a bright red mark around her wrist.

“Fifth Avenue is my family now” she yells before running off in the direction she had originally been.

Wisdom groans as her grip slightly begins to loosen on the branch she held, it was the only thing keeping her from falling to her death.

“Need some help up boss?” Wisdom heard a familiar voice ask and she looks up to see Candii waving down to her, Reaper, Scratch and Claw standing just behind her.

“Just get me up now you, ignorant girl!” she spits and she rolls her eyes. She disappeared from a second but soon returns with a piece of black rope which she lowers down for her to take, she wrapped it around her arm three times before tugging it.

Once up she wipes the dirt from her skirt “So boss lady how’d she get away?” she asks in an overly cheerful sounding tone which seemed to annoy Reaper to no end.

Wisdom scowls at the girl causing her to whimper slightly before Tech walks up to the group “What do you have in your hand Wisdom?” he asks curiously and she pulls her closed fist in front of her and opens it revealing Hartley’s ring, a small smile crept onto her face “not as smart as she thinks”