The Notorious

Chapter Two - Part One

I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry for this long wait.

School has been taking up so much of my time, and after doing homework, I'm already so tired, but I know that's no excuse. I aplologize for making some of you worry, and for making all of you wait so long. There's no words to express how sorry I am. I wish I could have posted sooner.

I hope you guys have had a good Halloween, and again, I'm really sorry.

Chapter Two - Part One – Celeste

“Go!” I shouted to Derek. “Let's go. Now!”

Derek obeyed my command and quickly followed as I rushed away, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I knew we were in trouble. Oh we were in trouble. There was a chance that she hadn't seen us, that I was over thinking it. I couldn't be sure.

But I was. I knew.

Scarlet's shoulder stiffened slightly, her chin tilting up as her lips curved upward. I knew that stance. I had seen it too many times. Scarlett would do that whenever we went out and a guy had caught her eye, or whenever she found something she was looking for. That something, was us.

She had seen us.

I couldn't help but mutter a variety of curses over and over under my breath. Tapping her hind quarters so that she would pick up speed, I tugged on the right rein, causing her to veer to the side. An echo of a million footsteps vibrated behind us, causing me to glance backward. The sight of Scarlett and almost a platoon of Radeskian knights chasing us sent my heart beating even faster than before. They weren't too close behind us, but they were close enough. Scarlett caught my eye, a small grin curving her lips. I watched her lips as they mouthed, “Got ya.”

Turning around, my jaw clenched in determination. Somehow, we had to find a way to outrun them. I turned to Derek.

“Follow me,” I ordered. He nodded. I was glad that he had been listening to my commands with no questions asked. It made things so much easier. Racing ahead, I quickly checked my surroundings for a way to escape. There were a few buildings we could hide in if we could get out of Scarlett and the Radeskian knights sight, but then that still left Celestial and Shadow. We couldn't take them into the building with us, and we couldn't exactly leave them outside the building we were hiding in. It would make us more easier to find.

An idea suddenly came to me as my eyes ran over a small forest not too far away. It was a miracle that the trees hadn't been burned down the last night.

I felt Celestial's change of direction as we headed toward the trees, the force of the wind slamming into us as we turned around. Making sure Derek was still close to me, I sped Celestial on. Her legs moved faster until all you could see was a white blur, a movement too quick for the human eye to catch.

When we finally reached the forest, I latched my sight on one of the farthest trees. It was tall, with many branches sticking out.

“Do exactly what I do,” I said to Derek, loud enough only for him too hear. I caught a glimpse of Scarlett behind us, her brows narrowed and her eyes ablaze with fury. She was starting to lose sight of us, and it would be hard to find or keep track of us in the forest.

Focusing back on the trees in front of me, I tried to keep Celestial moving at a fast pace, though it was hard with all the trees blocking the way. When we finally reached the tree I had set out for, I glanced up at a long branch stretching out from the tree. It looked sturdy, it's dark brown layer almost completely free of splinters. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for what came next.

And then I jumped.

There was a moment of weightlessness as I leaped off of Celestial. My fingers wrapped around the branch as I gripped it for support, as there was suddenly nothing below to catch me. Then, I pulled myself onto the branch, then placed my hand onto another branch above to steady myself.