Fox Life

If fleeing was a competition, Iris was certain she could soon enter the Olympics. How was it that so often her only option was to run away? She hadn't done anything yet law enforcement was always after her.     

What kind of criminal was she even? Why did they have to chase after her no matter where in the world she went?     

There were footsteps behind Iris, and they were getting closer. She tried to push herself harder, to move faster, but she wasn't that great at running anyway. It wasn't something one mastered while staying for three months at home without stepping out.     

And changing shape was impossible. They were in a populated area and there were people everywhere. No matter which corner she took, there were passers-by in all directions.     

Her energy was swiftly running out. At first, she'd had the adrenaline rush from the sudden fright, but it was starting to fade away. Her breaths came in shuddering gasps and her speed slowed against her best efforts.     

"There she is!" someone shouted, and Iris saw officers trying to corner her again. She ducked into a third street, feeling like a hunted deer.     

Was it going to be her last escape? If they caught her, what were they going to do? Did they know what she was capable of or were they hunting her just because, like those people in the states?     

Her side screamed with lack of oxygen, but she couldn't do anything about it. She tried to follow the practice told by her physical education teacher in primary school, but she couldn't calm down enough to make it work. Her mind was a whirl of fear, indignation, fury, and pain.     

For a time more, she ran, but soon her legs could no longer stand it. She slowed down, accepting that she was going to be caught. There was just nothing within her to keep her running anymore.     

As expected, the next moment she felt someone grab her by shoulders. Before she could resist with utter exhaustion weighing her down, they dragged her into a nearby building and shut the door closed. It was all dark inside.     

"Quiet," the clearly male person whispered and crouched down by a curtained window to catch a glimpse of the outside.     

Too stunned to react, Iris just tried to catch her breath. It was a harder task than usual, and she focused on that.     

In the meantime, her mind tried to place the stranger. He was obviously not one of the policemen, or he wouldn't have dragged her into the building to hide. With that option out, he could be anyone.     

A stranger with a good heart? But that was impossible. People usually believed in the police, since nine times out of ten they were chasing after real criminals.     

Did he want something from her then? Iris shuddered at that thought and pulled herself a bit farther away. She wanted to stand up, but her limbs were all trembling from the exertion.     

Couple minutes later, the man sighed and turned to her. His face was in shadow from the lack of light, so she couldn't even see his expression.     

"What happened to you? Why were you being chased?" he asked, straightening up.     

His towering form brought more fear to Iris' heart and she stumbled to her feet, but then she realized that she actually recognized his voice. Stopping for a moment, she took a better look at his shadowy figure and became certain of it. But what was he doing there?     

"Tyler?"     

"Who else?" The man laughed, and she could hear the cheerfulness from before in his voice. "Oh right, I should probably turn on the lights." He clicked on a switch and brilliant white light showered the small room.     

Iris blinked a few times at the sudden burst of brightness, then looked around. They seemed to be in a wooden shed filled with various gardening tools. It had only one window, so that was why it was almost black inside it even during day with the door closed.     

When Iris returned her gaze to Tyler, she saw that he was dressed in green overalls and a blue T-shirt underneath. Both of them were dirty from work, and there were two obvious brown stains on the knees from when he'd been clearly kneeling on the ground.     

"What are you doing here?" Iris asked, more than a little suspicious. Could her luck really be that good that she'd run into him just when she needed help?     

"Working actually." Tyler pointed at something outside the shed. "I'm a gardener."     

That did sound somewhat realistic. His clothes also looked the part.     

"So what happened to you?" he asked with concern, his expression one of genuine worry. "I was trimming the hedge when I saw you turn the corner. I called out, but it was like you couldn't even hear me. At first I thought you just didn't want to talk to me, but then I heard people shouting behind and realized you were in trouble. Sorry if I scared you."     

"It's fine," Iris murmured, sliding back down to the ground against the wall. Although she'd caught her breath by then, she was beyond exhausted. Tyler was still an unknown person, but he'd helped her so he couldn't be too bad.     

She took out her phone, thinking to notify Kyro that she had escaped, but then thought better of it. What if he was still with the police? What if they had confiscated his phone? It was better not to implicate him more than necessary.     

"You still haven't answered my question. Will I have to ask the third time?" Tyler asked with a grin, settling down beside her. It didn't seem like he found it weird to be talking to a person who was possibly a wanted criminal, someone chased by the police.     

"Don't you have to go back to work?"     

He shook his head. "I'm almost finished, so I can freely take a break now. Can you at least tell me your name?"     

"Iris." She closed her eyes, lost at what to do now. Could she return to their hotel room? Or would that be too dangerous? And what about Kyro? What would she do if he was detained once again?     

"If you need to stay safe for a time, you can come with me," Tyler suggested after a moment. He beamed at her like it was the greatest idea ever. "My family would be ecstatic to meet you!"     

She looked at him with disbelief. "You did see me being chased by the police, right?"     

"So?" He stood up and went to the door. "Give me some twenty minutes to finish, and I'll take you to them. None of us have met another of our kind, so they can't wait to see you!"