Gracieta

The Brave Girl

At just six years old, Alexa's life takes a terrifying turn when she is kidnapped on her way home from school. She wakes up on an airplane, surrounded by strangers, with her captors threatening to drop her from the sky. She soon realizes that she is not alone—other kidnapped girls of various ages share her fate. They are taken to a mysterious island, completely isolated by the ocean, where escape is impossible.  

The girls are forced into an institution that resembles an orphanage but is far from a safe haven. There, they are subjected to brutal training, rigorous studies, and cruel experiments that push their minds and bodies to the limit. Stripped of their past identities, they are given new names, all beginning with the letter "A." Alexa clings to the only connection to her real self—a hidden note with her true name, buried deep within the institution’s grounds.  

In this merciless environment, Alexa finds solace in Alexandra, a frail yet brilliant girl who becomes her closest friend—her sister by choice. To protect Alexandra, Alexa pushes herself to become one of the strongest among the girls, enduring every hardship and mastering every skill thrown at her, from combat to strategy, music to deception. The institution molds them into highly trained individuals, but their purpose remains a mystery.  

As Alexa grows older, she learns that girls who reach the age of sixteen are sent on dangerous missions. What awaits her beyond the institution’s walls? And will she ever reclaim the life that was stolen from her? *The Brave Girl* is a gripping tale of survival, sisterhood, and the unbreakable will of a girl who refuses to be broken.

The brave Girls

The footsteps pounded closer. Shadows flickered against the walls. Three guards. Armed.

Alexa's pulse thundered. She had no weapon—only her instincts.

Amira gripped her stolen blade tighter, shifting into a stance Alexa recognized. Trained. Deadly.

The medic, still weak, leaned against the wall, breath shallow. They wouldn't be much help in a fight.

The first guard rounded the corner.

A blur of speed—the knife slashed across his throat.

He gurgled, collapsing before he could react.

Alexa didn't hesitate. She lunged for the second guard, using his shock against him.

She grabbed his wrist, twisting the gun from his grasp. One sharp elbow to his throat. He choked, staggering.

She drove her knee into his stomach, then smashed the stolen gun across his temple.

The third guard raised his weapon—too late.

The third guard was down. Blood pooled beneath him.

And the medic—shaking, breathless—held the gun.

"I thought you were too weak to fight," Amira muttered.

The medic's hands trembled as they lowered the gun. "I am."

Alexa exhaled. *No time for questions.

She grabbed a weapon from the fallen guards.

The hall twisted ahead, lined with pipes and steel doors. The alarms were still blaring, the whole facility awake now.

Alexa knew the layout. There was a way out.

But they wouldn't make it without a distraction.

She skidded to a stop, scanning them. *Steam valves.

"Amira," she called. "Help me break these."

Amira caught on fast. She used the stolen knife to jam one valve open. Alexa grabbed a fallen guard's baton, smashing another.

Scalding white steam erupted into the hall, blocking the view ahead.

Voices shouted from the other side. Guards coming.

Alexa grabbed the medic's arm. "Move!"

The back exit was close—one more corridor.

But then—a figure stepped into their path

Tall. Unshaken. The Head Instructor.

Her cold gaze swept over them, her lips curving into something almost amused.

The Head Instructor wasn't alone. *Guards stood behind her.

And this time, there was no running.

The first strike