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You made a break for it.Running into the back allies might not have been your smartest move, but you didn’t exactly have too many options at your disposal. You stopped to take a few breaths, pressing your back up against the cool brick wall. Everything hurt and you were tired of running away, but this was your life, and you were painfully aware of that fact.The Division quarters you were staying in; staying is too nice of a term, imprisoned was more appropriate; was located in the center of New York City. From the outside, the tall building looked like any other, but you knew the truth. Had it not been for the help of an extremely gifted watcher, Sarah Frank, you wouldn’t have made it out of that hell hole.You heard two sets of footsteps run past you, quickly disappearing into the distance. This was your chance, you composed yourself and calmly walked out into the busy streets of New York City. You held tightly the small piece of paper in your hand, reminding yourself not to read it until you had gotten out of the state. As you walked through the bustling streets you felt like you were finally in the clear, at least for now. You stepped close to the street curb, holding one hand into the air you successfully hailed a cab.“Hello, little lady, where can I take you?” He was looking back at you through his rear-view mirror.“I need you to take me to any airport, not in the state. Don’t tell me which one just pick. Once out of New York I will need you to take me to a bank, besides gas stations for refueling and food this can be our only other stop. If anyone calls to ask about where you are, tell them you are on a long-distance job and the money is too good to pass up.” You stared intensely into his eyes through his rear-view mirror, your pupils dilating to take up almost the entirety of your eye.There was a moment’s pause before the driver smiled, “sure thing, ma’am.” You felt bad for taking him so far from the city, but you couldn’t risk staying so close to Division. Once you got out of the state you could figure out your next steps, whatever those might be…***You watched as skyscrapers passed and rain began to fall on the windows. You tried not to remember all that had happened in the months that you were kept a prisoner by Division. Instead, you kept your eyes on the droplets of water that fell onto the window, just hoping that everything would soon be okay.An hour had passed before you asked the driver to stop at a bank in Connecticut. You took out a total of $10,000 from five different accounts at five different banks. You already had Division on your tail there was no reason to have the IRS looking into you as well. Your last stop was a dollar general where you picked up a small purse to shove your money into for safekeeping. As safe as it could be carrying $10,000 in cash.Three more hours and you began to see a major city skyline. It wasn’t one you recognized; however, you figured the less you knew the harder it would be for Division to track you. The driver pulled up to the airport drop-off. You thanked him, giving him more money than you probably should have deemed necessary, however, he was a nice man who had to make another long trek back to New York and he deserved the extra cash.You walked into the airport and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper from the pocket of your cardigan. Hong Kong.
Find a fortune teller Emily Hu, she will help you find Nick and Cassie.
Be safe,
S. You sighed, folding the note back up before walking up to the ticket counter. “One way to Hong Kong, as soon as possible.” You put on your best fake smile for the people around you.
“You’re in luck I have a plane leaving in one hour that has had multiple cancellations. It’s a pretty slow Tuesday so you should make it over there in time, the terminal isn’t far. Do you have any baggage?” She looked over the counter curiously.“No, I’m moving for a new job, I’ve already had my things shipped over. I just have this as a carry-on.” You knew she wouldn’t be able to see through your story but the idea of being questioned still scared you. You paid for the ticket, praying she wouldn’t question you paying in cash for an almost $3,000 flight. No such questioning occurred, and you made your way through security and to your terminal.The teller was right, the airport was rather quiet considering its size. You sat at your gate watching as businessmen in suits and families walked towards their gates. You couldn’t help but wonder what your life could have been if it weren’t for your powers.A few moments passed and your gate was open. You boarded the plane, quickly finding your seat by the window. You watched as the plane took off, watching the skyline fade into small bits of light. The exhaustion finally hit you, your body felt weak, and your eyes could barely stay open. However, your thoughts kept racing. You had no clue what was waiting for you in Hong Kong. No idea who Emily, Nick, or Cassie were, or how they were going to help you with Division. A yawn escaped your lips, you couldn’t remember the last time you had actually slept. You slowly closed your eyes sinking deeper into your seat.
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The events from the past months haunted your dreams. You couldn’t remember much; you had been drugged the majority of the time to keep you from fighting back. They had you blindfolded any time you were outside your room to prevent you from using your powers on the guards. Division labeled you a Pusher, having the ability to implant memories, thoughts, and emotions into the minds of other people, the ability to manipulate in any way you deemed necessary. While you were not by any means the most powerful Pusher Division had seen, for some reason, unknown to you, they wanted you at their disposal.You could remember the room you stayed in; it wasn’t a cell, more of a small bedroom complete with a bed, dresser with a mirror, and a desk. You remember Sarah, she was an amazingly powerful watcher. The two of you had a couple of conversations before they began to drug her so much so that she could barely hold a spoon. You remember her talking about her daughter, Cassie, about life before Division. A few days before she had gotten too bad, she gave you a note telling you not to open it until August 26th. At the time, you didn’t realize that this would be the day that you would escape from Division.Now you were on a plane headed to Hong Kong, hoping to find Emily Hu and praying she would lead you to Cassie and someone named Nick. You had to admit this was putting a lot of faith in a woman you had known only a few months and had only talked to a handful of times. The more you thought about it the more you realized you did have anywhere else to go, maybe Hong Kong would be a nice place to stay until you figured out what to do with yourself.You were rudely awakened by the PA system overhead. found yourself abruptly awakened by the overhead PA. You couldn’t pick up a word of what was said. After a pause the PA blared again, this time in English, “good morning, everyone, we will be landing in Hong Kong shortly, please be prepared to land in approximately an hour. Our flight attendants will be around to help you if you need assistance.”***Stepping out of the cab that took you from the airport to Wan Chai, you took a deep breath before taking in the vast city. “Where the hell am I supposed to start looking for Emily…” you mumbled under your breath. You picked a direction and began to walk. You felt your stomach grumble, outside of random snacks on the airplane, you couldn’t even remember the last time you ate. Your eyes wandered the vastness of the city before they settled on a small noodle stand. You quickly found an open seat, the chef looked towards you motioning for you to tell him what you wanted. You pointed to one of the pictures behind him, a bowl of what looked to be wonton soup. He nodded his head and began to prepare the food. You inhaled deeply sinking into the small stool, you took a moment to observe the bustling city. The man placed the bowl of soup in front of you. As you began to eat, you couldn’t help but overhear two men talking next to you.“I gave her the hairbrush; all she did was touch it and she could tell that my wife was with another man on some boat… apparently, she’s happier…” You had heard of this before. Division called them Sniffs, they could track people and objects with their powers.“I don’t know how much I believe in fortune tellers, but my girlfriend has been spending some late nights at work… What’s the woman’s name?”Could this be the fortune teller Sarah was talking about? You thought as you continued to nonchalantly listen in on the men’s conversation“I only know her last name, Hu. She works in the Hopewell Center…” The man trailed off.Bingo...; maybe things were turning around for you after all. You quickly ate the rest of your soup, leaving money on the table before rushing towards the street to hail another taxi. “Hopewell Center, please.”***As the cab began to head deeper into the city you found yourself feeling anxious. Sure, this was a good lead but what if it was all a coincidence, what if Emily didn’t know where Cassie and Nick were, or even who they were? What if they couldn’t help you? Your mind was racing, and your chest began to feel heavy and tight. As the cab came to a stop you quickly thanked the man, handing him some cash before exiting the taxi. You looked up at the towering Skyscraper in front of you. Seems pretty fancy for a fortune teller.You paused for a moment when you reached the sliding doors. Taking a deep breath, you attempted to relax before looking at the building roster. Hu… Hu…, you ran your fingers up the roster. Hu floor 35. You practically ran to the elevator, thankful the doors closed before anyone had a chance to squeeze. You watched as the numbers on the elevator slowly climbed. You could only hope that this elevator would lead you to Emily and, in turn, she would lead you to find Cassie and Nick.The elevator chimed and you watched as the doors slowly slid open.
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The elevator doors opened, and you were greeted by what seemed like an endless white hallway. You walked into the hallway, feeling the elevator doors close as swiftly as they had opened. You spotted a younger girl walking out of one of the offices. She couldn’t have been older than 13, her frizzy blonde hair had streaks of pink throughout, and she looked rather out of place. She was followed by a taller man, judging by his outfit and dirty blonde hair, you assumed he was around your age. You couldn’t see his face, but something about him felt oddly familiar.The shorter of the two blonds made eye contact with you and quickly turned to the man closing the office door behind him. “Nick, that’s her.” You felt your heart jump. This was a mistake, or even worse a sick trap. You quickly turned back towards the elevator franticly pushing its buttons.“Y/N…?” Said a low familiar voice. You looked up only to find a face that you hated to admit you missed. Before you had time to react, you the familiar, warm embrace that only he could give you. You wanted to melt into his arms but emotions started to flood into you. He stepped back just far enough so he could look at your face, keeping his hands in contact with the tops of your shoulders. “You’re the one that escaped from Division?”“And how would you know anything about that, Nick?” you brushed his arms off your shoulders. You two had not exactly left off on the greatest of terms, at least not from your perspective. Nick had thought Division was after him and thought he could lead them away to “protect you”, little did both of you know division was really after you.“What do you mean? I left to try and keep you safe.” He thought about reaching for you but decided against the idea.“They weren’t after you Nick! Not long after you left, I let my guard down and Division found me…” your eyes looked away from his. The mix of emotions was hitting you pretty hard, you had loved Nick, and part of you was sure you still did. When he left, you didn’t know what to do with yourself. It only took a couple of minor mistakes for Division to find you less than a week after Nick left.Before Nick had a chance to speak, the short blonde cut in. “This little reunion is nice and all but, can we get somewhere a bit safer than the middle of a hallway with a Division escapee?” Before you had a chance to refuse you were dragged along a few blocks away to a small hotel.***Once inside the small hotel room, you sat on the bed full-sized bed, taking the opportunity to sit still and calm down. “Don’t get too comfortable." That was short-lived. The younger girl, who at this point you assumed was Cassie, just about glared at you. “Nick, how do you know this girl?”Nick ran his long fingers through his hair as if trying to choose his words carefully. You were trying your best not to let old feelings surface, “We were together back in New York. I found out Division was after us and I thought I could lead them away from Y/N.”You sighed not trying to let old memories get the best of you. “Yeah, well a lot of good that did…” you wanted to sound strong but instead, your voice felt small. “Division found me within the week, I was trapped in there for three months.”“How did you get out?” Cassie couldn’t hide the curiosity in her voice.“Your mom, Sarah.” You saw pain flash in the small blonde’s eyes. “When I first got in, I was able to talk with her, she gave me a note and somehow helped me escape.” You pulled a second note Sarah had given you from your pocket, giving it to Cassie. “She wanted me to give this to you.”Cassie eagerly grabbed the note, however, she appeared nervous to open it. Her eyes began to water as she read the small note. She sat up from the chair she was sitting in and bolted towards the door, “I’ll be back later...!”You were about to get up before a hand rested on your shoulder, looking up to find Nick standing next to you. “Let her go, I don’t know what was in that note but with how long it’s been since she’s heard from her mom, she might need some time to process.”You nodded letting out a soft sigh, rubbing the bridge of your nose, you were exhausted.“Y/N,” Nick paused for a second as you looked up at him. His hands caressed your cheek gently rubbing over the dark circles that had formed around your E/C colored eyes. “What did they do to you?”You looked down, moving away from his touch. “Please, Nick, I really don’t want to talk about that right now…”“I understand,” He smiled trying to hide the hurt he was feeling seeing you in the state you were in, your body looked weak and your eyes looked tired, all he could think about was how he wanted to take away any pain that you were feeling. “You should get some rest.” He placed a gentle kiss on your forehead that made your heart ache, a feeling that would stay with you the entire night.