(UPDATED AS OF AUGUST 26th) BOUND FOR FAILURE: THE REWRITE (Im still in the contest, contact me on @TheCart00nAuth0r_ !!) (PROLOGUE) I zipped up my backpack after packing a few pairs of clothing. I couldn't stay here. I just wanted to be myself. I don't always want to be dressed up in fancy clothing, acting polite, sipping tea with my pinky up, and stuff like that. The only reason I have other clothing other than dressy things is because of my best friend, Lelja. She lent me her old clothes that she had stopped wearing. I love her with all my heart, she's the only one who actually cares about me. No matter all the @buse and tr@uma I go through she's always right there, understanding every word that comes out of my lips. No one will understand the way I love her. I put my bag on my back, looked around, and opened my window. My room is on the first floor so when I run away just for fresh air I could always, but this time I'm not just running away for fresh air, I'm running away for freedom. I hate being yelled at for things I can't control. I'm tired of being verbally @bused. I'm tired of acting like I'm perfect, I'm running away for real. Lelja invited me to stay with her and her family until we find a way to deal with my current family situation, heh, me and Lelja both used to run out at night together and hang out at the nearest lake, Lake Miginimon. It was the only place where I could be my true self around her, now we'll have more of those moments. I jumped out the window, landed on my knees and my right hand, got up, and brushed myself off. I looked around, taking in the nature around me but as soon as I looked at a graceful bird flying across the sky I heard a cry for help, a scream. I immediately perked up and looked around for any sign of danger, then I heard a shout, “HAZEL!!” I realized who's voice it was. Lelja's. “HAZEL, PLEASE HELP US, PLEASE!!” I gasped then ran as fast as I could over to Lelja's screams. I gasped again as I saw Lelja's parents with their hands tied behind their backs with some white rope and their mouths covered with what looks to be a white rag, while Lelja only had her hands tied behind her back and had a white rag hanging on the side of her neck where it looks like she managed to struggle against it to get it off her mouth. “LET THEM GO!!” I screamed. A mysterious voice came from afar, I couldn't really identify where it was coming from, “Why should I? They have the power I need.” “Who are you…” I muttered in disgust. The person maniacally laughed and slowly walked up to me, “I'm Sam, and you're not going to tell me what to do. I don't listen to little spoiled brats.” I felt shivers going down my spine. “Why are you taking them away?!” I shouted. “We already discussed thi— I already told you!!” He scoffed, “Memory loss—” “Well I-I, that’s not the point!!” I retorted to him. “That's not an excuse to kidnap people!!” “It is when you're a villain, brat.” he replied nonchalantly. I then tried to punch him in the gut, but he grabbed my wrist and hurled me into a nearby house. I groaned slightly, then got back up while rubbing my head. “Listen to me, you little baby. Leave me alone to my work,” he says as he pulled up Lelja's rag and tied it extremely tight, gagging her. I tried again, but this time I pounced on him from behind but he ended up pushing me off. He got up and dusted himself off. He then sighed, “Uggghhh, Assistant. Get this disgusting brown dog away from me.” I stuttered, “W-w-what?! I'm not just some ‘disgusting brown dog’ !!” His assistant then gripped the hood of my lavender Hoodie and started dragging me away. “THIS ISN'T OVER SAM, ILL SAVE THEM, ILL SAVE THEM ALL!! AUGHH LET ME GO!!” I screamed at him as I tried to fight away from his assistant's grasp. “MARK MY WORDS, KIDNAPPER!!” “Oh no, I'm so scared, a dumb little spoiled dog is gonna kill me over a kidnapping!!” He remarked sarcastically. “Bye bye little girl!!” I groaned in frustration as I continued to struggle against his assistant's grip. "Let me go!!" I yelled over and over at them. They then opened a random person's door, threw me inside, and from the sound of it, locked the door. "Wait, wait, wait... Did you steal someone else's house key?! You guys are a whole bunch of stealers ya'know that?! LET ME OUT." I screeched as I rapidly banged on the door with both my fists. I tried for who knows how long to break down the door but I just couldn't do it. I took a quick breather and looked around me, turns out I wasn't even in a house, I was in a shed of some sort. I turned back around and tried to make the door budge with my shoulder by ramming against the door and it worked, I was out, but Sam and his assistant had already gone... along with Lelja and her parents. I had to come up with a plan. A plan to save Lelja and her parents, but for now... I needed shelter. I made sure my bag was on my back and I walked away, not looking back.
After a while of walking I found an abandoned building, "This will have to do..." I muttered to myself. I opened the door, it creaking loudly as I walked in. It wasn't too bad other than some wood rotting and broken furniture, but what would you expect from an abandoned building. I suddenly heard wood creaking from above me... I wasn't alone. "Hello?" My voice echoed through the empty building. "A-anyone there..?" I looked up the rotting stairway and started to climb up them. Creak. Creak. Creak. The stairs creaked and groaned as my feet climbed them. My heart was racing, who else could possibly be here..? I peaked and saw a man wrapping his arms with bandages and looking around. I probably shouldn’t have yelled if anyone was here, This man, approximately 5'8" with striking black hair and brown eyes, was wearing a baggy blue t-shirt. He appeared to be a nice person. Suddenly, the man looked up and saw me standing at the top of the stairs. He immediately tensed up, probably startled by my presence. “Who... who's there...?" the man asked in a firm yet weary tone. I froze, unsure of how to respond. I was a little intimidated by his demeanor, but I was also curious as to who he was. I took a small step forward, causing the old stairs to creak loudly under my feet. The man's ears perked up at the sound, and he quickly spun around to face me. He visibly relaxed slightly upon seeing me, but still kept his guard up. "Come out. Who are you?" he demanded firmly. I slowly stepped out of the shadows and into the faint light. I nervously swallowed and replied, "I-I'm Hazel..." The man looked me up and down, clearly assessing me. He seemed to notice my backpack and the old, worn-out clothes I was wearing. After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke, "What are you doing here, Hazel? This building is abandoned, you know." I fidgeted with the hem of my hoodie, feeling a little intimidated under his gaze. "I-I um, I... needed somewhere to stay." I stammered out, avoiding eye contact. The man raised an eyebrow at my answer. "You needed somewhere to stay, huh? Why's that? Where are your parents?" he asked, his tone sounding a little more gentle than before. I flinched at the mention of my parents. I hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not to tell the truth. Finally, I decided to tell him the truth, or at least some of it. "I-I ran away.. I needed to get away from them, they aren't good people..." I muttered, my voice shaking slightly. “Here,” He reached out his palms to me, “Come up here.” I eyed his palms skeptically, unsure of what he was trying to do. I took a few steps forward, cautiously making my way over to him. Once I was closer, he gently grabbed my hands and pulled me closer to him. His hands were rough but his grip was gentle. He looked down at me, studying my face for a moment. "You look young, how old are you?" he asked, his voice soft and concerned. I fidgeted with my hoodie again, feeling a little uncomfortable under his stare. "I-I'm 12…” I mumbled, avoiding eye contact again. The man's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "12? And you ran away..?" he questioned, his voice laced with concern. “Yeah, my home life isn’t the best… but that’s not the main point, I need your help,” I pleaded to him. The man seemed to soften his expression even more upon hearing my words. "What do you need my help for, kid?" he inquired gently. “There’s this guy named Sam and…” I started before he cut me off. The man's expression suddenly hardened slightly at the mention of Sam's name. "Wait, Sam? Can you describe him, what he looks like?" “Ginger hair, green and black striped shirt, white gloves, freckles, white shoes, black pants..?” I described. The man listened intently as I described Sam, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "I know him… What did he do, kid?" he questioned. I took a deep breath, my hands starting to shake. "He took my best friend, Lelja, and her parents… He kidnapped them. I don’t know where they are, or what he's going to do to them.." My voice started to crack as the reality of the situation set in. The man's expression darkened at my words, and he clenched his fists. "He took your friend and her parents? Why??" he asked, his voice laced with both anger and concern. “He said that they had ‘The power he needed.’,” I answered. The man's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but his expression remained stern. "He's after their power.. that explains some things," he muttered to himself, more to himself than to me. "Do you know what kind of power they have, kid?" He asked, turning his attention back to me. “They do have powers, it runs in their blood,” I informed him. The man's eyebrows furrowed, clearly intrigued by the information. "Power running through their blood, huh? That's new..." That’s obviously not what I meant but that’s still not the main issue at this time. He looked at me intently, studying my face. "And what about you, kid? Do you have powers as well?" “No… I’m just a weakling…”
