Chapter Four:

"Help!" The girl run frantically, holding the last piece of her clothing together. She sprinted through the labyrinth of crumbling buildings and make shift homes.

"Hey girl stop!" A man yelled from behind her, yet she didn't. Her life was going to end if she dared to stop. "I won't spare you if I lay hands on you."

This threat only fueled her determination to get away from this man.

The sound of her breath echoed in her ears,mingling with the distant laughter and shouts that filled the night air.

She run through the chaotic maze of makeshift homes, constructed from scrap metal, wood and plastic sheets.

The air was thick with the smell of refuse, and smoke from burning trash, creating an atmosphere both oppressive and suffocating but she was already used to this.

This was her neighborhood afterall.

Behind her, the shouts of men pierced the air, their footsteps growing louder as they pursued her. Fear gripped her heart urging her to run faster.

The air was cold during this time and she could feel the chill biting at her skin, sending shivers down her spine.

As she run, the cold air stung her lungs, but she didn't dare to slow down.

"Help!" She yelled again, even though she knew it was pointless.

Here, no one interfered in anyone's business. You could be murdered in broad day light and no one would even care.

She suddenly spotted the road ahead, a brief glimmer of hope that promised escape from the people chasing her.

As she appraised the road, she glanced left and right to ensuring the coast was clear.

But in that split second, a car came barreling down the road, headlights cutting through the darkness like a knife. It was too late to react.

The screech of tires filled the air, and before she would fully comprehend what was happening, the vehicle collided with her.

The impact knocked her off her feet, sending her sprawling meters away from the car.

The world around her spun into chaos and the sounds slowly faded into the background. Pain shot through her body, and the cold air was suddenly filled with a different kind of fear.

She tried to get up but her body gave out. Her breath came down ragged as her world slowly came to a standstill but before her eyes could fully close, her a harsh light hit her eyes, forcing her to blink rapidly.

"Mummy!," a cheerful little voice filled the air and her eyes opened, making her realize she had had the nightmare that haunted her every single night.

"Why are you sweating?" The nine year old boy asked as he climbed into the bed with her.

Nyx pulled him closer, planting a soft kiss on his forehead.

"Mummy had a bad dream, that's all," she smiled as he wiped the beads of sweat of her forehead.

She pulled him closer, letting him smuggle into her chest.

Nyx sighed, remembering the incident that has been haunting her for ten years. How her life took a drastic turn when she woke up in the hospital.

But today was her son's birthday and she didn't want to dwell in the past. She looked at the boy in her bed and she felt tears instantly pool up in her eyes.

"He's growing up so fast," she thought, a faint smile playing on her lip.

"Mom? Will we have the birthday party here at home?" He asked, his eyes beaming with such innocence that made her heart swell.

"Of course darling. Mariah already gave the invitations to you classmates so they should be here soon," Nyx smiled.

"Thank you mummy." The boy beamed with joy.

"Now go freshen up let's have breakfast," Nyx said and watched with a smile as her son ran out of the room.

She got out of bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up before going downstairs.

"Good morning ma'am" the middle aged woman in the kitchen greeted her.

"Good morning Mariah," she smiled at the woman who was wearing a black and white maid's uniform.

"I told you to stop dressing like that Mariah. And not to call me ma'am," she scolded the woman softly, while walking to the kitchen.

"Sorry Ma,am… I mean Nyx. It's difficult to call you by your name. Especially when you're my boss," Mariah said with a warm smile.

"I know, but, Ely considers you his grandma. He told everyone in school that you were his grandma and not a nanny when his classmates asked why you're always in this uniform. Mariah, please wear something casual today for his sake, it's his birthday," Nyx said, as she removed some plates from the cabinet.

"Yes….." Mariah smiled when Nyx gave her a side eye, after realizing what she was about to call her.

"Nyx," she mumbled with a smile before leaving to go and change her outfit.

"Mom!" Ely yelled as he descended the stairs.

"Take you time honey, you might trip," Nyx cautioned as she watched her son descend the stairs . "I told you to use the elevator instead," she added, as she brought out the last set of food from the kitchen.

"Using the stairs is more fun," Ely pouted as he pulled out his chair and settling down.

"Eat up, I've planned a day out for us," Nyx smiled, putting a plate before him and then filling it with waffles and blueberries.

"Cereal or hot chocolate?"

"Hot chocolate," he replied, his mouth half full.

"Coming right up," Nyx chuckled and went to the kitchen to prepare the hot chocolate for him.

Seconds later, Mariah joined them at the table and they all had breakfast.

**************

"Mom? Let's try this!" Ely said, pointing to the water slide.

"Do you think you can handle that? That looks dangerous," Nyx said as she watched that slide that had several spirals.

"Mom, I'm a big boy now. I'm not scared," Ely pouted, folding his arms across his chest.

"Fine let's go," Nyx gave in and the frown Ely had quickly turned into a huge smile as he dragged her towards the water slide.

"You'll go in with me, right?" Ely asked anxiously as he stared into the hole he was supposed to go into.

"I thought someone wasn't scared," Nyx teased, helping him put his goggles on.

"I'm not scared. I just want you to go in there with me," Ely said rolling his eyes because he didn't want to admit he was scared.

"Fine, mom will go in with you," Nyx chuckled before pulling him with her.

She secured him by wrapping her arms around him as they slid down.

"That was fun," Ely yelled as they swam out of the pool at the end of the slide.

Before Nyx could answer, he was already dragging her towards the cotton candy stand.

They got cotton candies before heading to the car because it was almost time for Ely's birthday party.

"Mom, let's stop by the mall. I want to get a present for Isla," Ely said as they approached the mall.

Nyx turned to look at her so who was busily licking what was left of his cotton candy off his fingers.

"Ely, we already have a gift for everyone today."

"I know but Isla is special. She's my best friend," Ely said with that cute pout that was his mother's weakness.

"Alright fine," Nyx sighed, stopping in front of the mall.

Ely quickly jumped out of the car and run into the mall, ignoring his mother who was yelling for him to stop.

After browsing through several isles in the toy section, Ely found the perfect one which they bought and went back home.

************

"Happy birthday Ely," Two blonde said as they handed a gift to Ely.

Several other children wished him a happy birthday as they filled the gift table with gifts but Ely looked around anxiously and Nyx immediately realized who he was looking for.

"Hey baby," She smiled as she approached her grumpy little son sitting on the chair instead of joking the other kids to play.

"Why don't you go outside and join the other kids?"

Ely shook his head, crossing his arms.

"I'll only play when Isla arrives."

Nyx sighed, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"I'm sure she'll be here soon," Nyx said but Ely wasn't ready to join the other kids.

Just then a black limousine pulled up into the compound, drawing the attention of all the kids.

"She's here, Isla is here," Ely yelled happily, jumping from his chair and running towards the car.

"Ely! Stop! It's not safe! You can't just run off like that!" Nyx yelled running after her son.

A man dressed in all black stepped out of the driver's side and opened the door.

A little girl maybe a year or two younger than Ely jumped out, immediately jumping into Ely's arms.

"Happy birthday Ely," she sang happily. "My dad brought lots of gifts for you," she said, dragging Ely closer to the car where three guys were offloading the gifts.

"Dad, come out and say hi to Ely and his mom," Isla yelled at her father and Nyx stepped closer to Ely instinctively as one leg came out of the car, followed by another before, before the whole human being emerged from the vehicle