Nora may not have had magic, but she knew how to pick locks. She wasn't used to doing it with a knife, but in a matter of minutes she had one hand free from her chains. The pain in her hands was excruciating, but she knew she had to keep going, or she would die. She got both of her hands free and then started on her ankles. She was getting the hang of it and it was taking less and less time with each lock. 

"So many hidden talents. Hot wiring cars, picking locks," Michael said, rubbing his wrists once she got him free.

"Not all of us can just speak a few foreign words," she responded. They slipped out of the hidden door and up the staircase. She was surprised the escape had been so easy, and she was a little nervous about it to. It had been a little too easy, as if they let her go, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. She and Michael made their way to the car that she had hotwired earlier. It was completely trashed and there was no way in hell it would start. 

"What now?" Michael asked.

"We go to the police obviously!" Nora said. Michael scoffed.

"And say what? We got kidnapped and tortured by my psychotic family because my evil sister needed to eat your soul? They would throw us straight in a mental hospital," he retorted.

"Of course we won't say that. We'll say that they kidnapped and tortured us. I'm sure I look worse than you and you look awful so it's believable, and mostly true," Nora said, already walking towards the police station. 

"It won't work," Michael said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back.

"Why not?" Nora was growing increasingly impatient and frustrated, and her hands were throbbing. Her whole body was throbbing. She was fairly sure most of the bleeding had stopped, but her hands were still dripping blood all over the sidewalk. She wondered briefly where all of the people were, but then she realized that it was the middle of the night. Everyone was asleep. 

"We don't have any proof," Michael pointed out.

"Are you kidding? Have you seen us?"

"Yes. You were very obviously tortured, but we don't have any proof that it was my family!"

"We'll show the cops the room then!"

"Emma can conceal the room with magic, and that's exactly what she'll do as soon as my mom realizes we're gone!" Michael was starting to make a lot of sense, and Nora didn't like it one bit.

"So what do we do?" Nora asked, the anger melting away as hopelessness overtook her.

"We run," Michael said. "We make sure they can never find us."

"We can't do that. They'll just find another person to torture and kill. We can't let that happen. I will not have that on my consciousness."

"What do you want to do? We can't go to the cops. And if we don't run they'll just find us again!"

"Then we let them. We let them find us."

"What?"

"We let them find us."

"And do what? Just get murdered? How does that help anything?"

"Of course not. You won't like this idea, but we need to get rid of them." Michael got very quiet all of a sudden.

"What?" He whispered.

"I know they're your family but we don't have a choice. We are out of options here," Nora said gently.

"I can't. Even if I wanted to, Emma's magic is much more powerful than mine, and my mother is something else entirely. And like you said, they're my family."

"I have a plan for your mom, and we'll figure out Emma once we get somewhere safe. You don't have to help, but you won't stop me from doing this." Michael fixed her with a sad look. "I'm sorry Michael," Nora said. "But it has to be done."

"I know. And whether I want to or not you can't do it alone," Michael muttered. Nora smiled sadly at him. 

"Come on. By now they've probably noticed that we're gone," Nora said after a long stretch of silence.

"Come on where? They know where you live."

"I know a guy."

"No. Do not say that. Do not turn this into a superhero movie," Michael said, shaking his head. Nora just smiled at him.

As always, I hope you enjoyed.

Comment please.

xoxo

-Sierra <3