Ch. 1 ARIA

⚠️ MATURE CONTENT AND POSSIBLE TRIGGERS ⚠️

I ran through a dark alleyway and hide in an abandoned building, I could feel my heart beating out of my chest.

"Where did that brat run off too?" said a male voice. "She couldn't have gotten far let's keep looking," said another male voice, I heard them running in the opposite direction and felt a sigh of relief.

I sat there for about thirty minutes before I decided to head back home, I walked the narrow alleyways towards my house to avoid any contact with those men again.

"I can't believe I actually got away," I said, with a chuckle. I had to do it I needed this and those goons were just gonna waist it like they always do.

I live in The Underground it's supposedly a subterranean city beneath the innermost land in the capital city of Mitras but that's just what I hear. I was born here but my parents died when I was 6 and I've been on my own ever since, I must be doing something right since I'm still alive and kicking.

I had some nice people teach me how to read and write but I feel like I have so much more to learn about this world if only I could go up those stairs. I bet it's beautiful on the surface a sky so big you could drown in it just by staring at it, trees so high they touch the clouds, grass as soft as cotton, I dream of seeing the surface but it's impossible.

I was only two blocks away from my house when I heard a loud noise.

"what was that?" I said, peeking around the corner. I saw those goons again but this time their merchandise was toppled and everyone was running to grab what they could, I heard one of them screaming and pointing up above the buildings.

"You damn criminals!" the man yelled, I looked up, and right above me soring thru the air was two guys, I had never seen people fly thru the sky like that before it was amazing.

I watched as they disappeared above me like shadows I turned around and seen those goons had lost almost all their merchandise because of those two guys and that odd gear that made them fly.

"I wonder who those two were?" I said as I continued on my walk home, I got to the corner of my block when someone grabbed my shoulder

"HEY! GET OFF ME!" I yelled, I turned around and seen it was my friend Nick.

I punched him in his face the moment I realized it was him.

"Ouch! What was that for Ari" he said, looking up at me from the ground.

"You know exactly what that was for why would you walk up on me like that?" I said as I put out my hand to help him up.

"You told me to meet you here did you forget?" he said I looked at my half-broken watch.

"Oh shit I didn't realize it was this late already I'm sorry," I said to him, he smiled and slapped my back.

"No worries! Did you get it?" he asked me, I lead him into my house and showed him the bag.

"Nice! This should get us thru the next two weeks maybe" he said, I smiled.

A few hours later I had decided to go back out and get information on who those two guys flying in the sky like birds were I asked everyone I ran into but no one told me anything. It was like no one knew who they were or that they didn't want to say, either way, I searched everywhere I have ever been and climbed a building in hopes that they were flying around and I could get their attention but nothing.

It got super late so I decided to just head back home and get some rest, I took the main street home since I knew those goons we're long gone by now so I was safe. I knew I wasn't gonna find them again but I had to try, I couldn't get them out of my head how they flew thru the sky like it was nothing it was amazing. I dreamed of being able to fly away from this place and see a real sky and what those two used to getaway was exactly what I need.

I decided to take a shortcut home and as I turned a corner I ran into someone.

"ouch! I'm so sorry" I said as I rubbed my head.

"Watch where you're going brat," a male voice said, I got up and brushed myself off.

"you should be more careful too," I said with a sneer.

"who do you think your talking too bitch" another man said, I didn't notice three other men behind the first one and was now scared.

"look I'm sorry I gotta go home," I said as I tried to walk away but those men now surrounded me.

The four men surrounded me in a small circle I didn't bring my knife with me when I came back out I felt so dumb.

"Look I don't want any trouble okay I apologized now please let me go," I asked them, they started to laugh at me.

" It's been a while since we shared a nice piece of ass together hasn't boys," one man said as the others agreed with him.

"This one seems too young boss," said the second man.

"young or old their all useless women who need to learn how to respect us, men," said the leader, I started to get even more scared than I already was and I couldn't think of a way out.

I tried to squeeze passed one of the men but he pushed me back and I fell to the ground.

"where do you think you going?" said the third man.

"Please let me go!" I said but they just laughed.

"You aren't going anywhere missy now be a good girl and stay quiet," said the leader as they started to grab me and drag me towards an abandoned building. I was kicking and screaming but no one was coming to help me I was being dragged away by grown men and no one cared.

I continued to kick and scream for help hoping someone would help me but no one did. I was dragged into a room in an abandoned building it was semi-dark and smelled like rotten meat and cheese.

"Hold her down!" said the leader, I continued to kick and scream for help.

"SOMEONE PLEASE! HELP ME!!" I yelled even louder than before.

"No one cares about you brat now shut up!" said the fourth guy as he punched me in my face I felt dizzy and could feel myself falling into unconsciousness.

"Please... someone... help me." I said softly as I felt my pants being removed.

I was on the verge of being raped by these men when I heard a crash and felt glass falling on me, I could hear those men yelling.

"Who the hell are you-" said one man, I could hear them being beaten by someone but I didn't have the energy to turn my head.

"You son of a bitch!" said the leader of the men.

" let's get outta here boys!" he said as I heard multiple footsteps running away.

I just laid there sobbing in pain hoping that the person who helped me isn't like those men and tries to hurt me.

"Is she dead?" said a man voice.

"I can see her eyes are open and she's crying so yeah she's not dead," said another man.

"p-please" I tried to ask for help but I could barely utter a clear word. All of a sudden I felt one of then men pick me up off the ground the movement of him picking me up made me pass out.

I started to open my eyes and saw I was in a room it was nice and clean may be too clean for The Underground. I tried to get up I felt a sharp pain in my side and realized that I had been bandaged up, was I stabbed? I could barely remember what happened to me last night my head was spinning.

" You're finally up huh?" a man's voice came from behind me. I turned around and seen him leaning against the wall he was tall, with straight black hair styled in an undercut, narrow intimidating dull gray eyes with dark circles under them, and a beautiful face.

"Wh-who are you?" I asked him, he looked at me with those gray eyes and walked towards me and laid his hand on my forehead.

"Your fever is gone." he said as he took his hand down and walked to the door.

"hey! Who are you?" I asked him again, he turned around and looked at me with an emotionless expression.

"The name's Levi."