Of Sinners & Saints

MARI (EDITED)

The next day, just after dawn, Mari was awoken by a loud frantic knock on the front door. For a moment she thought she was back at the apartment in Luz. For a blissful second, she forgot her worries, but that was just it, a measly solitary second of bliss. Mari felt groggy, she had the dreaded hangover. Luckily, she had some painkillers in her drawer, and she popped two of them as the frantic knock on the front door persisted. Thump, thump, thump that was just her head. She sat upright and rested her forehead on her hand and whined.

"Open up, Mari, if your home," a stern voice roared out, she knew it was none other than Ace Harris. Still the irritating knocking persisted. How did he know I was here? She knew she only had a couple of minutes at best to get ready, not even. She got out of bed and looked out the wide window to be sure and there she saw many peace officers wearing riot gear. Two of them also had a heavy battering ram in hand. Do they think this is a great castle door? Ace looked up at her and their eyes connected. "Break it down," Ace instructed without hesitation.

Then she heard the front door being busted open and there was a commotion downstairs as the peace officers charged into her house in an irrupt manner. They were making a right racket. They better not break anything. She wrapped a long black scarf around her pate that covered her whole face except her eyes. She grabbed Ezra's photo and lastly her wallet and then the door to her bedroom was busted open.

"Hands behind your back and turn around slowly," Ace Harris demanded, he had to be first through the door almost busting a gut to get in line first. Mari stood motionless as she placed her hands on the back of her head, still holding the photo of Ezra and she turned around on her heels slowly at his request. It looked as though Ace had not slept for a day and a bit. He was still wearing the same get up he had on last night. "You have the right - "

"I'm going to find my daughter," Mari interrupted Ace. "That is my only right!"

"You're coming with me for questioning," Ace pointed at her as he took a step forward.

"Catch me if you can."

She teleported out of sight.

Again, she evaded the authorities.

Mari had teleported to Leece a big city in the west of Breton. She had been here once before for a holiday during happier times. Now Mari hoped to get a lift to Verkudul. Her sudden appearance in the busy shopping district stunned a few bystanders, many of them clutching packed bags which contained high-end clothing. Some whispered, "Seasonal, Seasonal," the gawkers paid her a confused look whilst others brazenly pointed as they walked by. For someone to just appear out of the blue was a spectacle for some it seemed. Some feared this was the woman the peace officers were after, Mari had to get out of Breton, pronto.

"Catch me if you can," she mumbled as she walked. Where on Talamh that come from? That will only make the unrelenting Ace Harris more suspicious, for sure. After Mari had gone to the ATM and withdrawn a few thousand Kroaling, she eventually reached the main road that connected Leece to Verkudul. A long stretch of road with four lanes in and four lanes out.

She began thumbing and luckily, she didn't have to wait long for a vehicle to pull into the hard shoulder and what a vehicle it was too. A green and white retro camper van, quite the sight to see. Mari always wanted one just like it. Hopefully, they do not recognize me.

"Hey sister," the driver said, he had big bushy hair, yellow teeth, round, tinted glasses and a finely trimmed moustache. "You are going east?" He asked Mari with a dopey accent. No doubt he was a little high.

"Yeah," a timid Mari replied. "Verkudul. If you'll be so kind as to give me a lift. Even just a little - "

"Well you're in luck sister, that's exactly where we're going, go on," he threw his thumb over his shoulder. "Hop on in the back."