Lost Freedom

• Krystelle Edwards, Grade 12, Southern Cross Catholic College
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Top Secret 2016' competition

There were four men in the room next door. Alice could feel the alertness coming off them in waves. Her body hummed with the power their emotions caused inside her. She had always been susceptible to others emotions but she’d never been more appreciative of her gift then she had now. Gift it was the first time she’d thought of it that way, growing up it had always felt like a curse.
She felt it the second he walked in, the power he generated was unimaginable. Alice felt her body respond to the power as it always did. Honing in on the power Alice let it build inside her, she’d only have one shot at escaping. The second she heard the door unlock she exploded outwards. It was the last thing the men on the other side were expecting.
Using her skill has a dancer she ducked, weaved and dodged around the men in a graceful arc before shooting out the door faster than a bullet. Tearing down the hall Alice focused only on getting out of the place she had been held captive within for the past three days. Bouncing of the wall as she flew round the bend she could sense the men right behind her, their anger and fury at her escape palpable. Hurdling down a set of stairs Alice exploded out the front door and dashed down the street. Slipping into the first shop, she saw she hid amongst the clothes and watched as the men loped past without slowing.
Her body went lax as the men disappeared from view and for the first time hope that she may just escape built inside her. Withdrawing from her hiding place amongst the clothes Alice had just stepped out of the store when she felt her body explode with power. She had a split second to realise her mistake before a set of robust arms caged her to a rock solid chest. Alice could feel the rise and fall of the chest behind her as the man holding her took a deep breath. She knew who the man was without needing to turn around. She had been running from him her entire life.
‘Hello Alice’ came the husky whisper from her father.