Welcome to Gaia! ::

Fallon was going to die. She knew she was going to die -- in broad daylight, on a path she was running to try to prevent this situation. When the Negaverse agent stepped nearer, all she could do was shudder and cry. The weight on her back forced her closer to the ground. Fallon breathed in the musk of the dirt. Would this be her death, eating dirt while being beaten by an unknown assailant?

Apparently not.

As quickly as the pressure came, it left. Fallon didn't move at first, but when she turned to her back, she found the pathway empty. Her head bobbed low, resting on her knees. He was gone. Her tormentor was gone. Not wanting to risk a reappearance, Fallon struggled to her feet. Her shirt was stained with dirt, her cheeks too, and her hair was in a state of disarray. Puffy eyes gave away her crying.

Magenta eyes spotted Ladon up ahead. He was... alive? How had he missed everything that had happened? Fallon was too stunned to consider it, too crushed to think of the possibilities. She walked slowly up to Ladon, calming the tears that had once spilled. She glanced at him only briefly. "I need to go home," she said. "I'm tired. Thanks for the race. I don't feel well. Must go home. You should too." The words were zombie-like and sluggish, still choked by the strain in her body.

Without another word, Fallon turned and walked away, shoulders hunched. She was in a state of shock. In that moment, she didn't care if Ladon thought she was rude. She only cared about getting as far away from that spot as possible. She dreamed of taking a shower and washing the dirt and sadness from her. She reminded herself of the safety of her bedroom -- a perfected palace.

What chilled her most of all was the daylight. It was not safe at night, everyone knew that. But Fallon had been attacked when the sun was shining, when a curfew would do nothing to save her. Would she ever be safe?

Fallon would not return to that park again.