Catharsis

Chapter Three - Mavis

A cold breeze ruffled Mavis' coat as she slipped through the empty streets. Winter was approaching quicker than she had anticipated, and she wondered if it was really the best time to escape. But such thoughts were pointless, there was no turning back now.

She exhaled heavily, her breath fogging up in the air and making her head spin. She'd ran for ages, afraid that her parents would hear all the noise she had made and look for her. But now, she was far away.

Finally, the girl found an empty alleyway and slid down the wall. She sat there for a few moments, collecting her thoughts. As she breathed deep, her hair whipped across her face, obscuring her vision.

Eventually, it started to annoy her. Without pausing to think, she opened her bag and pulled out her knife. Slowly, she brought it to her hair. Part of her sought practicality and nothing more, but another nagging part of her felt the impulsive desire to simply do away with the long hair she had kept for years. Mavis realised she wasn't the same girl as she had been even yesterday, and she never would be again.

I need change.

With that, she sliced the blade across her hair, cutting it as best she could until she was left with a slightly crooked haircut that just brushed her shoulders. As she looked down at the concrete beneath and the hair that littered the floor, she felt a strange thrill rush through her heart. She pushed the knife back into her bag and stood, satisfaction twisting her face into a giddy grin.

She felt free.

Filled with renewed determination, Mavis pulled her hood back over her head and walked back into the streets. Distracted, she hardly paid any attention to her surroundings. That was, until she ran straight into someone's bin. It fell over with a sharp crash and Mavis instantly jolted into action. She sent a look at her surroundings. Nobody noticed. Nobody's around at this hour. Nobody—

Her gaze landed on the black uniform of a guard, staring at her from the opposite side of the street through wide eyes.

Shit.

Mavis took off at a sprint instantly, her feet pounding on the concrete beneath. She veered off into a gap between two buildings and made for the next street at the end of it.

She was painfully aware of the footsteps that grew louder behind her.

"Hey, wait!" A strained male voice called.

The girl ran faster. Anger shot through her — if she got caught before she even got to the walls, she'd never forgive herself. She looked up, seeing them towering around the city. With every step, she grew closer.

Mavis shot a quick glance behind her only to see the guard falling behind, his dark blonde hair flying around him like a halo.

Goddamn saint.

Despite the growing burn in her lungs and the ache in her legs, Mavis ran. She would reach the wall, no matter what.

***

Mavis hid behind the edge of a storage building. Her heart thrummed in tune with her head as she watched two guards standing in front of a door in the wall. It was so close she could have ran out and touched it. Above, stood an empty watchtower. The same watchtower Mavis had been scoping out for months.

She had lost the guard who had been chasing her ages ago after twisting her way through different paths and stopping for as little breaks as she could. She was endlessly grateful that he seemed to tire easily. Her own stamina, however, had held up.

Now, all she needed to do was knock out the guards and steal a keycard. Mavis turned and reached down behind a stray storage box to bring out a long metal pole. She had found it ages ago, and now it was her best weapon. Her heart beat faster as she weighed it in her hands. She was about to hurt someone, two people, in fact. It was one of the worst crimes an individual could commit.