In the city bustling and hustling, everything should always be moving. But time was not gold to ordinary people. As the clock hits midnight, the city sleeps. Those who dare to wander the dead streets face the perils of the night.

"Did you find her?'' A rowdy man in all black spat on his comrade. He's pissed of what happened that he couldn't care less if he's loud.

"No, but someone's on her tail," the other man responds with urgency. The men were chasing the person who stole the document that holds the evidence to a case file. But the thief's swift-footed. It's giving them a hard time.

"Hurry up! We have to catch them before dawn." The man nodded and headed west to where the others were chasing.

In the back alley of a building, a young brunette woman heaved a sigh. She's been hiding beside the dumpster with her jacket hood covering her face. She's been patiently waiting for the men in black to fade out of her sight. When the course is clear, she leaps through the night and heads in the opposite direction of her captor.

The brunette woman's one of those people who cruise the night. People like her are infamous in this town, as they rule the night and paint it with the colours of the underworld.

"Here's your goods." She throws the gunny sack on the table. The guy in front of her - the boss - motioned his henchmen to check the bag. It didn't take too long before the loyal follower gave a thumbs-up.

"I'm impressed. You work fast for your age," the boss grinned before handing the money. "Most of my men your age would have gone headfirst and never lived another living daylight. Say, Laurel," he rests his elbow on the table and hands clench in front of his face. "wouldn't you work for me for good?"

The young woman didn't blink and continued to count her money. She couldn't care less about the rubbish the guy in front was spouting. After collecting her reward she faces the guy. She showed a death glare then flips him off before marching out of the room. That's how she ends their deal.

The young woman - Laurel Ambers - has been in the business since she could remember. Her way of life's divided by day and night like most of the people in town. On a regular day, she works full-time as a convenience store employee. And at night, she works as a freelance information broker in the underground businesses. This life was what kept her going through the years, but tonight is her last job. She's leaving this town by daybreak and moving on to another city far from here. She decided to take a long rest from running and maybe... start a new life, who knows. All that matters is to leave this good for nothing town.

The cold breeze of the wintry night brushes on her skin as she continues to pace in the direction of her apartment. She can't wait to go home. The walk home could have been an easy task, but she noticed another footstep not far from her. The step wasn't heavy or loud. But the way it hit the cobblestone and the sense of urgency in every move made it audible to the ears.

The brunette didn't make an unnecessary move that would alert her pursuer. She advances the same way, as usual, yet cautious to the other person's presence. When she reached the dimly lit alley, she blends in the shadows and carefully drops a smokescreen to lose the pursuers. Under normal circumstances, her plan could have worked perfectly. But the person she's dealing with seems to know how she moves. Now, she has no other choice but to run.

A game of hide-and-seek. It's one of the worst games Laurel played, especially when she's the one hiding. But it's unavoidable. If she wants to live, she either runs or fights back. Sadly, fighting people with weapons has never been her forte, so the only option is to keep running.

"She's here!" The loud voice alarmed the other seekers, making them move at top speed. Laurel sped up, thinking she could outrun them. But a shot within a distance shook her. A piercing sting surrounds her left thigh, and the smell of iron rust closely filled her nose. It's a hit. The red pigment now visible on her pants became clearer as she took a step forward. She endures the agonizing feeling and limps her way to any place that could provide cover.

Hard as it may be, Laurel still managed to hide in the dimly lighted area. She preyed on the dark winter sky and blended into the shadows. She tried to even her breathing but came out as a strained breath. With the little white flakes that started to fall from the sky, her situation's turning from bad to worse. If the snow piles up, her track will be more visible than before.

Talk about unlucky, she thought before changing location once more.

It's been more than half an hour since the chase began, and she's still unable to lose them. The pain in her left thigh hasn't subsided even if the bleeding had stopped. On top of that, the temperature rose, leaving a freezing sensation down to her spine.

Huff Huff Huff.

Laurel rubs her hands together and blows, but nothing comes out other than a cold breath. She's been outside and running since dusk. Her toes have gone numb, and her ears already froze. If it goes on, she might face death earlier than expected. She has to move to keep her body temperature. Slowly, she took a step but felt another tight sensation on the chest, followed by a pang on her thigh. Her breathing becomes heavy, and she's been struggling to keep still and not feel dizzy.

"How pathetic," she whispered before taking a deep breath to catches some air. Breathing became a pain. "What a bitter end," she smiles. 

Laurel might have escaped death every time. But tonight, the scythe of death finally reaches her. Her soul has opened the gates of the afterlife with no more escape. She knew time was up. She closed her eyes and uttered her last words.

"If death's here to collect, then I have no choice but to pay the price."

In one deep breath, the wind blows as if responding to her call. And in an instant, a blinding light sparks through thin air, and Laurel disappeared on sight.

The clock should have moved clockwise that night. It's meant to move forward, but it ticks the other way, and move counter-clockwise. It dragged Laurel back in time, into a place unknown.

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

The warm heat of the sun brushes through the skin and wakes Laurel on her deep slumber. As she rose, the flowing water rings to her ears, as well as the singing birds and the scent of fresh morning grass. When her eyes adjusted, she roamed the area to get a scope of where she was, only to be greeted by an unfamiliar place.

The place's beautiful. It has a river and trees that surround the land. A forest, she first thought, followed by a question. But how?

Laurel had never seen nor have gone to such a site. In the first place, such scenery doesn't exist on where she's from. Is this a dream? She wondered while remembering what transpired. She ponders the events that took place and how she ended up here, but the more she thinks, the more her head pound and hurts.

"If this is some kind of a dream, I wish I'll wake up soon." She stood up and tried to find any clue but wince when her thigh sting again, "Great," she falls, "so this is not a dream."

Laurel willed herself to walk - or crawl - and clean her wound by the river. Once done, she wrapped her thigh with leaves and picked up a stick to serve as her support. Now, where should I go? 

She hums as her feet touch the refreshing cold river water. It's calming and helps her plot the next move. She's enjoying the serene surrounding when there's a rustling by the bush behind her.  "Who's there?" She lowered her voice to make it daunting. Pointed the stick towards the direction of the rustling and slowly picked a rock by the river.

The rustling lulled for a second then a skinny kid presented himself. He's holding a pot and wearing a simple tunic garment of lighter linen with no shoes or flip-flops. His clothing's unusual, but she'd seen it in a picture book and museum before. There's no way it still existed in her time.

"Pardon my intrusion, naiad nymph. It was not my intention to disturb your bath. I only came to get some water by the river."

Laurel froze. Wide-eyed and jaw dropped. She couldn't come up with the right word to describe the kid who spoke.

"Is this a prank?" She didn't mean to say it out loud. Words slipped to her lips like a slime. It wasn't meant to be said out loud.

"Pardon?" The kid frowned, not knowing what the woman meant.

"W-Where did you come from?" she points out, still confused.

"I came from the small village outside of your forest, naiad nymph." The boy answered while his head bowed down.

Naiad nymph? Laurel though. "Why do you call me naiad nymph?"

The boy gasped, mortified at how he'd acted. "Pardon my action. T-The village people told me about a nymph living by the river, but I've never seen one in the flesh. I heard stories from hunters and other villagers as well, who call you by your name. But a slave, like myself, has no right to witness your beauty, nor utter your name. I deeply apologise if I called you ."

Laurel couldn't process the information the boy had said, but one thing's for sure. She's not a nymph.

"And what name do they call me?"

"Daphne."

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