We'll play hide and seek.

[AngelicWinter]

The door of the pet store flung open and Zara immediately darted out. Her arms folded over her jacket gently. The store keeper and the woman employee rushed out the entrance of the door after her.

"Stop! Come back here you thief! Someone stop that lady!" The store keeper shouted. The woman employee ventured after her.

Hazelberry street was flooded with people. Some local and some tourist. A prominent street to be on, especially around four in the afternoon. Zara , giggled as she swerved through people like a maze. The sounds of her feet pattered on the ground. The woman employee was still hot on her heels while bumping into people.

Zara had misjudged her and figured her to be lazier than what she was. The thought erased from her mind as she made her way to the end of the second block. She demonstrated her chicanery acumen, spotting a truck preparing to turn into the street as it approached. The vicissitudes of life were quotidian for Zara.

Everything had to be timed perfectly and so she did an unctuous performance. She slowed slightly , to give the woman the illusion she might catch her. Zara flicked her head around , to notice the woman had speeded up. She pretended to run with a limp on her right leg as if she were hurt and panted heavily. Once the woman was close enough , she pranced off into the street swiftly. The woman followed with much haste.

Zara got to the curb just as the semi truck turned and cut the woman off. The truck missed her by just an inch but scared her half to death even still. A unanimous gasp resonated on the opposite side of the street , followed by the honking of the truck.

"Lady , are you kidding me?!" The trucker was made out yelling.

It was deleterious for anyone to ever chase after Zara. Though she no longer ran , she kept a swift pace of walking and was soon out of vicinity. Finally, turning a corner to the vacant part of town. Her destination was the park. Zara like to sit at the gazebo and look out at the ducks and geese in pond.

"Oh , ya. Almost forgot about you , cutie pie."

She unzipped her jacket halfway exposing light red and orange fluff. Her hands cradled the small creature until she pulled it out. A baby phoenix sat in the palm of her hand. The phoenix, much like other magical creatures that had been hunted, studied, and experimented on were no longer rare.

"I think, I'll name you... Curie! We'll be BEST friends forever."

She rubbed the top of Curie's head with her index finger. A wide smile played across her lips. Curie's beck rubbed across her palm in search of food.

"I know you're hungry. I didn't have time to grab any food from that horrid place you were in. We want a cage too, don't we." She cooed. Placing Curie back within her coat for warmth as she stood up from the bench.

She knew of another pet store that wasn't too far from here. She walked with ease and a spring in her step. More people appeared as they entered the populated area. They stopped at the corner and waited for traffic to clear in order to cross the street. Zara's irises fell down to her jacket feeling Curie shifting within it.

"Almost there." Attention refocusing on the street but was deterred to a face on the opposite side. This caustic moment dissolved her thought process.

"....Niccolo?" An italian accent formed as she said the name.

(Flashback , 1486)

With a crescent moon high in the sky , Zara maneuvered through the shadows. Her frame was covered in a black cloak. It was easier for her at night to go unseen. A simple rush of wind could be heard unlike Zara's rapid foot steps. A few houses came in to view. The rumble in her tummy plagued her causing her visage to grimace.

She placed a hand on her stomach trying to soothe it momentarily. The first house she snuck into she stole a loaf of bread and two apples , in the second some pieces of ham and three more apples. It was easy for her to enter a window, roam the kitchen and exit without a sound. Upon entry of the third house, an apple fell from her sack and to the floor.
Not much noise was made and so she put the apple back in her sack and began rummaging through the cabinets.

Zara found another loaf of bread and instead of putting it in her sack, she took a bite. The bread filled her watering mouth as munched at it fondly. It gave her a partial spoon of relief.

A voice came from behind her. "Are you here to rob us?"

Zara too enthralled in the moment, didn't hear someone creeping up on her. If only she had taking the bread and ran.

"Can you not hear me? Are you deaf? Why, don't you respond to me?" The loquacious person behind her took a step forward.

"It is a very bad thing to steal. The bible says it. Or at least that is what my mother tells me. And she does not lie. Maybe once, when I asked her were we going to church and she tell me no but then we go." They rambled.

Zara soon found herself interested in this person and so she spoke.

"..I was hungry and wanted food." She said mildly.

"If you wanted food , why not have your mother go to the market and get some? Everyone, knows that."

"My... mother?" She shook her head.

"When I turn around don't scream." Slowly spinning around and setting eyes on the person. He was a young boy, with skinny legs, brown messy hair and puppy dog eyes.

The boy waved to her as he tried to peer under the hood.

"I still can't see your face. Take off your hood."

Zara obliged by removing her hood. The boy look at her oddly.

"Are you demon here to kill me?"

She rolled her eyes and flashed a smile. "No , I'm not a demon. I'm twelve." She stuffed the rest of the bread loaf down in her sack and tied it up with string.

"Oh... Well , my name is Niccolo and I'm eight. What is your name?" He asked stepping an inch closer. Niccolo looked over her features in wonder.

"Nice to meet you Niccolo , my name is Zara. We should be friends. Best friends." She extended her hand for him to shake.

(Present day)

The wind scattered the leaves from the ground in front of her along with the haze she was in. The traffic still hadn't stopped so Zara ran along the street watching the boy on the opposite side. He had the same messy hair , skinny legs and puppy dog eyes.

"Niccolo!" She shouted trying to get his attention. The crowd pulled him along while she tugged to get through hers. Eventually , she pushed out of the crowd and ran into the street. After dodging a car and pausing traffic, she made it to the other side.

Zara extended her right arm and tapped the boy on shoulder. She laughed hard as she spoke.

"Niccolo , you didn't hear me-" Her sentence was cut off as he turned around to reveal it wasn't him. The boy's mother glared back at her as she dragged him down the street.

Tangled up in her own emotions, she forgot why she was laughing. The joy she felt turned to tears that were falling down her cheeks. She felt like she was sinking and couldn't breathe, shadowed by the crowd of people around her. So she shot out in a full sprint breaking away from the them.

Her head was full of stories. Running was the only thing that surrounded her, held her and grounded her. Zara didn't look back in fear of Niccolo's ghost trailing behind her.