A Test or a Trap?

Shizuka had been moved to a small town by a few men who were guarding her, making sure that she wasn't killed by the Purge in New York. She had been here since the Purge had began, and now after the men who'd brought her here had disappeared to find others like her, she was stuck robbing people for a living. She had already taken a turn for the worst, and now didn't rob for necessary food, but instead for the simple joy of it. She'd followed a boy who'd walked through the town she'd started at and waited on him to stop at the outskirts of a completely new one before deciding exactly what she wanted to do.

Shizuka wanted the amulet around the boy's neck. She had seen it in the other town, dangling there and glinting off the sun, and almost immediately became fascinated with it. Now, as she crouched in the bushes, she saw the chain of the amulet around his neck and smiled, flipping her black hair out of her eyes, and standing up, tiptoeing over to the boy and getting closer, holding out her hand slowly to give him a shock so she had enough time to grab the amulet.

What was Scott doing here? Wandering about the woods with no sense or direction or location. How did he end up here anyway? He must have gotten lost in his thoughts while patrolling the city and gone off course. Just his luck. As always it seemed he couldn't catch a break and now that his vigilance had momentarily ceased, he was paying the price. He searched thoroughly through the trees, scanning over every leaf and every detail. Then his eyes came to rest on a pair of tracks in the mud. Two sets, one far fresher than the other. Someone was being followed, trailed through this wilderness. Silently he crept off the path, keeping a low profile and a constant watch on the path.

It didn't take long for Scott to spy the reason for the delayed tracks. Ahead of him in a small clearing was a kid, probably in his late teens. Hovering over him was another individual. This one appeared to be younger. She also seemed to be a meta-human as his hand began to spark with a blue light. Instantly Scott's eyes shot to the unconscious kid's chest. At first glance it appeared that this meta had killed an innocent boy in the woods and was going to rob him. Scott was infuriated, he didn't even wait to see if the boys chest would rise with breath. He knew all to well the path that this small girl was on. He had been on it himself. Stealing to survive,it only escalated as you grew older until your very soul had rotted before you had a chance to stop it. He would save this boy and prevent this girl from falling into the same life that he had. If that meant he had to put her in the hospital, it would at least be better than the alternative.

Without a word Scott blasted forward, exploding from his cover at the girl. Sprinting full force he lifted off his feet, flipping forward and drop kicking at the girl with one of his bladed feet. With the speed behind the kick it would be hard for her to react. Hopefully it would knock her far away from the boy, scaring her away before she could decide to continue with her crime. But he wouldn't let her go just yet, oh no. Scott remembered what it was like at that age. The world was free of consequences and open to whatever indulgent acts you could get involved in. He'd scare this youth straight and if she would not listen, he'd have other ways to convince her.

Shizuka heard a noise and looked up to see a foot coming straight for her. Before she could react, she was flying through the air. She bounced twice on the ground before stopping because of a tree and groaned in pain, trying to stand up before falling back down. She looked up at her attacker and finally managed to stand before turning on her heels and sprinting towards town. She hoped she wouldn’t be caught, because the kick had hurt. She could feel blood running from her nose, and knew she’d most definitely feel the kick tomorrow.

Running through the reasons that her attacker might have done what he did, Shizuka decided that he must have been working for the guy she was trying to steal from. She knew she should have checked for people, but she always skipped out on that part, and it’d cost her a lot of good loot. Stopping for a minute and climbing a tree, Shizuka did a quick check of herself to make sure no bones were broken. The only things that were wrong, she discovered, was a bloody nose and a hurting back because of the tree. She didn’t understand what the hell she’d done to piss off whatever gods there were, but as of late, her luck with thievery was running out fast. It was ridiculous how many times she’d been caught stealing something, and she knew she was losing her touch. The girl flipped her hair back and jumped from the tree, rolling smoothly and starting her run again. She didn’t know if anyone was following her, but she hoped they wouldn’t be able to catch her.

Her dreams of not being caught stopped when she tripped over a root and hit the ground for the second time that day, landing awkwardly and skidding a bit. She cursed softly and smacked the ground in a child-like frustration. This kept happening to her. She didn’t want to get caught again and scolded, and she didn’t want to have to apologize for trying to steal something. Shizuka stood one more before deciding it was worth a little bit of a fight, so she’d stay and attempt to beat up whoever was following her. She readied herself in a fighting stance and turned to face whoever it was that kicked her, assuming they’d followed her.