S1 E3: Memories Pt. 3

Silver Heart (Unknown dates, Age 4-5 approx.)

I ran for weeks--months before I felt even a modicum of safety. Even if that safety was nothing more than a sweet lie to mask my exhaustion at being on the run for so long. Hell, my mental exhaustion was even worse. I was constantly alert because I had no idea who worked with that man or where I could run into him. I knew next to nothing about him. I finally decided to ditch the forest and small bits of civilization for a place that felt wrong and devoid of nature, the city.

After hiding in the back of trucks and surviving off food scraps in trash cans, I finally made it to my first big city, New York. A place I could get lost in a sea of people and grant one of the three wishes my mother had asked of me.

What better place to hide than in a city that doesn't sleep?

The city taught many lessons over my first few months on its streets.

1. I learned people weren't kind, like my mother. They wouldn't help a kid that can't give them anything in return.

2. The place was huge and unforgiving to newcomers. I could get lost turning a corner.

3. Justice only exists for the wealthy or the important.

I had tried to find an adult to help get justice for my mother, but my pleas were ignored, followed by annoyed statements to "stop making up stories". After weeks of pleading, I grew weary and fell into an indifferent sadness.

In the end, I was just another grubby homeless kid, invisible to the rude residents of the city.

New York was a city that didn't care if you cried in public and the people wouldn't bombard you with pleasantries. I could stay hidden from that man. I had become a grain of sand in the desert, faceless, blending into the New York landscape.

Silver Heart (Present Day)

Years have passed since then. Other sins that ran rampant in this city, painted my eyes blue, took the sight of one, and stained my hair white. Not to mention all the ugly scars that riddled my body…

If I had been older or stronger, maybe… She would still be here.

Watching a young woman push her toddler son on the swings, not too far away, filled me with longing, but also thankfulness.

I may be alone now, but the world has made me strong; hardened... Another wish was granted.

I have no idea what sins my mother was talking about back then, nor how to find whatever is missing. I’m not even sure what the missing thing is in the first place, but I’m really worried the sins have to do with whatever weakness my father was looking for. I’m worried it will somehow lead him to me.

Part of me wants to stay hidden forever, but the other part wants vengeance.

The muffled chatter of a police radio ripped me from my memories and drew my attention to two officers a few hundred feet from me. They were staring at me, talking into their shoulder radios.

Time to blow this joint…

To say my past was uneventful after my mother’s death would be a lie. I have a few things under my belt I wish I could forget, but the law would never allow that to happen, and my looks are rather striking in colorized mugshots...

Placing my dingy backpack on my shoulder, I stood up slowly. I tried to move normally and act like I hadn't seen them; to give myself more time to get away. I'm not going to jail again.

“Stop right there!”

I waited a moment to gauge their speed while giving them a false sense of obedience to gain the upper hand. I instantly regretted my decision when I noticed the lack of wrinkles on their rapidly approaching faces.

Fast!

Fresh recruits always had something to prove and spent too much time at the gym. Gripping my backpack straps tightly, I took off, running at full speed. The snow barely caught my footprints and the wind in my face felt so freeing. Gliding over a fence, I dashed into a busy street to slow them down. I've been hit by a car once or twice in my life. I knew how to take a hit and vault over the hoods of cars when needed, but the same couldn't be said of the eager recruits tailing me.

A screeching sound followed by shouts told me at least one of them almost had a fatal run-in and I hoped it was enough of a slowdown that they wouldn't see which alley I darted down. Sadly, I chose wrong and stared, mortified, at a bricked dead-end after the first turn.

“Shit! Of all the rotten luck!” I muttered to myself, trying to catch my breath as I desperately looked around for another route. It was too soon to stop running, and it was foolish to hide in a dumpster when I could hear their footsteps gaining on me. A flash of reflected sunlight pulled my attention to a fire escape just outside my reach. Bolting towards the opposite wall, I jumped and vaulted off it in the direction of the fire escape. My hands barely caught the last rung as the police turned into the last section of the alleyway.

Scrambling to pull myself to safety, a strong grip found my ankle and the mechanism holding the escape snapped. Our joint weight pulled the ladder down as I slammed my free heel into the police officer's face. He dropped to the ground hard, blood spewing from his nose, but his partner wasted no time in pursuing me. There were a few times I almost lost my footing on the rungs and slipped on the various levels, but I still managed to keep a few steps ahead of the police. I really hoped the roof would provide me with some options to slow them down. A laundry line or a few air conditioners would be a significant help.

Throwing myself over the last part of the escape, I saw it was a flat and bare rooftop, but a nearby roof had all my desires… I just had to jump.

This is my way out!

I stopped short of the edge, my nerves getting the best of me. It'd been a while since I'd done any free running… A few months since I last ran into the police and I didn't practice free-running in between my other 'jobs' for survival. Something I was seriously regretting.

I really should have kept some of my skills sharp.

I stared at the other side in both longing and fear. It was just far enough to be nerve-wracking, but I might just be crazy enough to still attempt it even though...

That's a long way across...

My curiosity got the best of me as I gazed down into the icy alleyway below. A wave of vertigo clamped onto my mind and my vision momentarily tunneled. I pulled my sight away quickly and shook my head to right myself. I didn't need to fall before even attempting the ridiculous jump.

That's a long way down too… Why did I think this was a good idea? Do I have any other choices?

A grunt pulled my attention back to the end of the old, rusty fire escape. The officer whose nose wasn't broken was pulling himself onto the rooftop.

They're not far behind… Well, that answers that. All or nothing. Let's hope I'm not too rusty.

He hadn't set his sights on me yet, but the less they saw me the better. Like anything, if I was out of sight, I would be out of mind. Quickly backing up, I took a deep breath. For better or worse, I sprinted towards the edge.

Throwing myself into the air, I closed my eyes and lost myself in the movement. I could feel the wind swirling past my body and the weightlessness of the moment. My breath slowed as my heart swelled with a feeling I can only describe as free… And wild.