Rich Kids Don't Die | Featured

Chapter Twenty Five

"We have to keep going," Violet exhaled sharply, bubbling with incredulous rage. "They're innocent children. If we have the power to help them, then why shouldn't we? Why should they end up trafficked somewhere, or dead, if we saw what happened?"

They'd been racing through the gardens, bound in ribbons of minty air and wounds of urgency, preying on the ice-cream van in disturbed fury. At each twist and turn, with each squeal of the tires against the cobblestoned pathways, they'd been there. They were still there. The same drastically well-off teenagers who'd supposedly never thought of anyone else but themselves.

None of them had hesitated to chase the kidnappers down. It seemed only right to do so when they'd witnessed the whole scene. Alas, they'd been sprinting after the vehicle for minutes on end, and they'd grown weary.

Most of all, Katya had begun to hesitate. Would Sonia encourage them to derail from their original mission? Slowly, she softened her pace as her run morphed into an unsure stride. Maddie met her with judging eyes as she continued to run with the others.

With a sense of finality, Katya stopped running. "I think we should stop," she sighed. Once ignored, she tried again. "Guys, we're wasting our time!" she went on to exclaim.

What if they were taken too? Were these guys more dangerous than they'd anticipated? A swirl of despairing possibilities invaded her thoughts... She couldn't help but fear the chances of becoming entangled in the chaos too. Could one of them be captured as well?

Violet halted abruptly whilst the others continued. "You're acting inhumane," she called out to Katya. The wind whipped fiercely at her hair, lengths of platinum blonde swirling about her indignant, flushed face. "You're seriously wondering if the lives of stolen children are worth rescuing?"

Already Violet could imagine the kind of self-absorbed thoughts racing through Katya's mind. Katya was raised as a witch. Not a mortal.

"Just admit it," she shot out, her words edged with ice. "You don't think mortals are worth the trouble. You genuinely believe you're superior. For all you care, anyone who isn't a magician can go-"

"Oh, shut up!" Katya uttered. "Did you ever wonder what might happen if those kidnappers caught one of us next? You're putting all of us in danger!"

Violet stared back at her in disbelief. "Danger of what? Some stupid, defenceless mortals? Don't tell me you're actually afraid of some hooded street scum-"

Katya had become agitated now. "Just go!" she exclaimed. "If you're so adamant on saving some stupid kids, go do it. Get set up. We'll see how Sonia reacts to you getting yourself held hostage. Go! Walk right into some dumb trap!"

"They're still kids," Violet replied. "They still need help, regardless of whether it's a trap or not."

With that, she'd disappeared, fading from the sea of parents and wide-eyed tourists into the trickles of cyclists and lumbering, drunken merchants that basked in the balmy, midday warmth. So drunken, these merchants, that they failed to notice their emptied wooden carts had been whisked away until roughly four minutes too late.

One elderly man, in particular, fell victim to Leah's stealth when she decided to bound his cart to two cherry-red bicycles. The bikes had been stolen by Asher, and the cart by Leah, so they were supposedly both at fault. (Perhaps all of them were at fault, for crashing into unsuspecting bystanders whilst dashing after petty criminals.)

Alex and Asher were voted to lead the makeshift bicycle trailers towards the crooks. Hastily, they swung onto the plush seats of the bikes whilst the others clambered onto the wooden cart. Leah, Violet, Maddie, and Annika were all considerably squashed. Naturally, the carts swayed from the weight a few times. But, for the most part, Asher and Alex made sure no one fell.