“They’re coming for me… they found me, right?” she asked while holding her teddy tight, biting her teeth together terrified. Elena, who tried to catch her breath, looked surprisingly at Linea and nodded. “I’m sorry you have to go through this, but we have to flee. I will not lose you. Put this on quickly.” Elena replied and handed Linea some warm clothing. They rushed out the door and ran towards the mountains, through the forest and past the lake. Linea looked down on the necklace Mikki gave her and stopped. She tore her hand loose from Elena’s and tried running back. “Linea! What are you doing?! Come back!” Elena yelled and ran after her, reaching out for her. She got close to Linea and grabbed her arm, dragging her in the opposite direction. “What are you thinking? They’re going to find us there.” Linea tried to come loose again and yelled while struggling. ”What about Mikki?!” Elena held her tight and then turned her around while stroking her hair. “Linea, listen to me! If they find you, they will never let you see Mikki or me again, and God knows what they will do to you! We have to flee or they will kill you! Do you understand?” Elena asked in a harsh voice and stared stiffly into Linea’s eyes which were filled with tears and fear. Linea stopped struggling and nodded. They kept on running towards the mountains where Linea’s and Mikki’s family used to walk during the summer days.
Linea kept thinking of Mikki and Mikki’s dad. She started weeping and fell on her knees, scraping them but Elena did not stop. She picked up Linea and ran on, carrying her on her back. She knew what would await Linea’s destiny if she gave up, and after fighting for so long to keep Linea safe and giving her a good childhood, the thought of seeing her grow up, getting successful at playing the violin and even getting excited over meeting her first boyfriend, made her stronger and she continued running. Elena’s legs were sore, she had searing chest pains, her arms were numb and she could barely see through her tearful eyes. Linea tried the best she could, not to cry too loud in fear of being heard and she hid her face in her mother’s coat. Finally, panting and exhausted, Elena put Linea down and fell on her knees.
“It’s okay. We’re almost there… We’re almost there, don’t worry,” she said trying to comfort Linea, though she was really afraid herself. Linea sat down beside Elena and looked over her shoulder. They had nearly reached the foot of the mountain. The closer they got to the mountain it started to get colder and to snow. She looked at Elena, who was still trying to catch her breath. “Mommy, where are we going?” she asked and poked Elena’s arm. “There is a cabin in the mountains where we can hide…*pant*… because they will find us in grandma and grandpa’s house. You see, they know where we live now. They tracked down the phone call,”