ROBIN RAN AFTER THE STRANGER like they were prey, and she was hungry for the kill.

The surface of Darwin was made of stones and unequal footing. The houses were shaped like cave dwellings, knitted closely together and constructed randomly in height, with stairs threading around the uninhabited dank housings. The asymmetrical nature of the surface was an advantage the stranger exploited. They were quick on their feet, the tip of their toes feathering against the stones and their hands grasping against rock expertly like it was second nature to them.

And Robin wasn't far behind.

She followed the dark figure around tightly knit roofs, ankles almost twisting from the lack of training - it had been years since she had last trained for proper parkour. Fairford surfaces vastly differed. She tightened the muscles in her core and chased after them, scaling walls and buildings and stairs, mimicking the movements of the person ahead of her and neglecting the rough surface tearing at her skin.

Christina and Finn were quick to follow, the latter's pace slower because of the bag's heavy weight on his shoulders.

"Hurry!" Christina scrambled and Finn puffed out a dying breath.

"I'm not fit for this," he wheezed.

Christina's head followed the rattle of the whistle around Robin's neck. Her ears prickled once they bypassed the sea of the people and into a more secluded area, one less populated and quiet. She struggled to keep up with the pace, drowning in confusion because she had lost sight of them a while ago, and she suspected they no longer were on the ground.

"How in the world..." Her eyes squeezed under the sun's sharp light, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. She huffed out uneven breaths, Finn's pants echoing behind her as they slowed their pace. She rested her hands on her waist, craning her neck from side to side in search of any sign of Robin.

"How is she so fast?" Finn choked out, his voice coming out in a wheeze.

Christina's eyes widened at the sight of stairs ahead, and she rushed to reach them. A groan tore out of Finn's throat, and he followed, his legs shaking from the weight on his shoulder. The duo climbed a few steps until they were on top of a few houses, and Christina's head shot from side to side, ears straining to follow the familiar rattle of the whistle again.

"There!"

She followed Finn's voice and swiveled her head to where he pointed. Her mouth hung open at the sight of Robin, hot on the stranger's heels, jumping through buildings.

"Holy shit," she uttered through labored breath. The dreadful feeling of bile prickled at her throat from the sudden exertion, and she swallowed it down, gagging in reflex.

"Did you know she could do that?" His eyes snapped to Christina, desperate for answers.

"Let's go." She picked up her pace, relying on the rattle of chains to catch Robin's silhouette, but her attempts were futile.

Chasing after them was pointless, but it was better than the alternative - to ponder over how Robin could do that in the first place, another question amidst the sea of others she had stored in the back of her mind about her.

Robin could feel the wind, hot against her skin. She could feel her muscles, tearing in protest at every turn, every stretch, every pull. But she couldn't bring herself to stop. The target was right there, right in front of her vision, growing closer and closer the longer they navigated around the dwellings.

Endurance. That was her advantage.

She would jump when they jumped, she would swerve when they did, drop and roll on the ground after them without a second's hesitation. She followed their every move, their distance growing smaller. She was numb to feelings, her muscles throbbing, and parts of her body were swelling - threatening to bruise. Her palms were scorching hot from friction, her fingers quivering under the heavy strain.

Almost.

She watched their body as the distance between them narrowed, eyes calculating and brain jumping through hoops to craft a strike.

The person veered to the left.

Now.

She pushed her entire body weight on her quads and hamstrings, thrusting her body in their direction with bigger force with her arms stretched out to reach ahead.

Robin's body twisted as she snatched her arm around the person's waist. She cried out when a sharp pain erupted on the side of her hip, slicing through her skin and bursting out a hot trail of blood.

"Fuck," she hissed. The momentary distraction wasn't going to aid her case.

She tightened her hold on the person, who made no move to wiggle free as she straddled their back. Their lack of desire to flee arose her suspicion. She snapped her eyes open, needing to catch a glimpse of their face.

She pushed herself off them and twisted them around, shoving them down against the lichen-covered tiles. She struggled to ignore the pain ripping at her muscles on her left side, her body protesting with her lack of rest. She hissed under her breath, grounding her teeth as the wound spasmed and throbbed, blinding and crippling.

"Are you okay?" The person asked, their voice a distant blur.

"Why do you care?" She snarled, her eyes narrowing to slits.

She blinked back the hazy fog of agony as it trapped her entire being, the gears of her brain starting to process again. The information that this person had asked about her well-being now got through to her skull, thickened by momentary defensiveness. She furrowed her brows, willing herself to focus on the situation at hand.

"You're bleeding."

"No shit," she grunted, feeling the hot fluid dampen her skin.

Finally, her vision started to clear, and she realized that the hold she thought she had on the person, wasn't much of a vice-like grip as she had intended. They had all the time and opportunity to run away, and yet, they were still here, quiet and yielding.

Her eyes slid up to meet their face-

Her breath stuck to her throat when she felt the sudden collision of a hand against her chest. She coughed, a sharp cry escaping her lips at the brute force when her back hit against the rough concrete of a chimney crown.

"Lizzie!"

"Get off!" The intruder yelled, their voice sharp and alert. The fear underneath it alarmed Robin, and she shook herself into focus.

The aggressor's hands latched onto her collar, facing her directly. Robin's hands latched onto their wrists, the pain that shot up from her leg paralyzing her and she fought against the sudden weakness, jaw tight, nerves burning.

"Playing a little dirty don't you think?" Robin spat, her throat tight, her fingers clutching against their skin as she struggled to gather her strength.

"Lizzie stop!"

"Lizzie?" She frowned, only now catching the name. She blinked away the hazy fog that clouded her vision, zooming back into focus as she closely inspected their features.

She met her dark eyes, sharp and hostile, eyebrows knitted together, and front teeth bared. Robin's eyes narrowed in confusion. It was her, wasn't it? The girl from the bar, the pharmacy. Lizzie... that name. It rang a bell. How come she hadn't caught it before?

"I need to see her wound."

Robin heard his voice. It was clearer to her now; it was hoarse and desperate and quivering at the end.

It was jarring. Jamming hard against her ribs, a blow hard enough to make her feel asphyxiated. Her eyes stretched wide, her face angled to look at him, but Lizzie blocked her, shielding him from her.

"Why?" Robin asked. She meant it for him. But also, for Lizzie. Why was she hiding him, why was she standing between them. Why did he need to check her wound. Why so adamant. Why the need.

Somehow, she already knew the answer.

And her heart.

It ached.

She had to make sure. She had to see.

Her mind could be playing tricks again. Like all the times she thought she saw him when she didn't. Like all the times she thought she smelled him when she didn't. When she thought she heard him when she didn't. When she had nightmares of the day she had to leave him, knocked out on the floor as they dragged her away.

She stepped forward, tearing Lizzie's hands away. The latter hissed at the sudden change in Robin's hard features, the desperation clouding her eyes, cutting, and ripping away at her insides. She didn't fight back when Robin pushed her.

She didn't try to hide him, like all the times they had.

Robin felt her legs give up on her when she met the blue of his eyes. Forgotten was the pain throbbing in her muscles, in her wound. It was replaced by a greater one, a deep ache in every part of her body, a torment thrashing against every fiber in her being.

Ollie watched her, stray tears slashing against the pink hue of his cheeks. His eyes were unsure, his body frozen from the split second of hesitation-

Her body tripped and caught balance just as fast as she ghostly moved to reach him.

His breath hitched in his throat.

She remembered him.

He lunged forward.

She remembered him.

_____

Notes:

soooo... yeah

did you expect this??

i hope you guys don't feel it was so sudden, so here are the hints i dropped if you need to check them back!!

This is gonna be a bit long as i'll put the excerpts:

'Her gaze landed on one of them, the one walking ahead, his pink hair distinguishing him from the others. She sensed the sudden shift in the air. He met her eye evenly, keeping them locked as they bypassed each other. Her eyes skipped over to the girl standing right behind him, and Robin blinked at her when she realized she was staring right back all the while, dark bangs shadowing her green eyes. Odd. Robin's gaze drifted to the third, hidden on their other side, whose hood was so far up she couldn't catch a face.'

- Chapter Three

'His eyes were looking distantly down, the blue in them faded and clear in color yet hazy with thoughts.' (Ollie)

'Ollie shifted uncomfortably. He had things he wanted to say but chose not to. It wouldn't do them good if Kaden knew what they had seen - or who.

[...]

"Yes," Lizzie was quick to agree. Ollie noticed she hesitated to tell him too.'

- Chapter Four

'A lot was up her ass if she was being honest. Her brain didn't quieten last night, constantly haunted by images she desperately tried to block from her consciousness. Violet's body. Blooded carpet. Bright blue eyes. The sharp gleam of knives. Bruised knuckles. That damned piece of bread.'

- Chapter Seven (also this paragraph contains more hints too)

'Ollie frowned at the sight of his state. "What's wrong?"

Jeremy met his gaze, then his eyes flickered to Kaden. "I need to tell you something," he rasped.'

- Chapter Ten

'His jaw set and he forced his eyes down.

It wouldn't do him any good to look.

But he couldn't stop himself, eyes gravitating back to the three people that stood before the bar. He had so many questions. Their sudden appearance was surely questionable, and he wondered what it could be about.

A wave of unease gripped his heart. He swallowed, gaze setting on each of them, one by one.

A shaky breath escaped his lips.

He turned sharply around before the pang in his gut twisted to torment him, before his chest further ached, before his resolve wavered.' (Ollie)

'His hand grasped the handle and pulled the door shut behind him. There wasn't even time to breathe before the sound of a key twisting on the other side echoed through the dark hallway, the grinding of sharp metal loud and clear against their ears.' (Ollie was behind that door as explained in chapter sixteen (check directly the paragraph below here))

- Chapter Fourteen

'It was a good thing he had acted fast. Ollie had come back to the bar the moment the three had left the first time since no one expected them to get back. Kaden had been with him in the back, where it used to be Lizzie and Jeremy's old room but was now a storage of wine and hard liquor. Ollie had been telling him about the time they had gone to the pharmacy, that their paths had crossed. Joe had barged in then, looking for a battery, asking Ollie to stay put and not leave the room.'

' "You should have told me," Kaden quietly said.

Jeremy's brows pulled together in a frown. "About?"

"That you saw her before. You should've told me." ' (her is Robin, when they saw her at the pharmacy in chapter three/four)

- Chapter Sixteen

'A pulsing headache threatened her skull. Flashbacks had haunted her all night long. Her brain hadn't spared her for a second; showing her the body again, showing her the blood and the gleam of the knife and the darkness that held her for years, showing her the warm blue eyes, teary and desperate.'

- Chapter Seventeen

I might be missing a few or saving them for later reveals!!

CANNOT WAIT TO READ THE REACTION