Runebelle’s eyes came face to face with a girl who had yellow hair that bore a remarkable resemblance to Risebelle and Roselle. To her side, a pair of girls.

  The one on the left had shoulder-length auburn hair, styled in loose waves that framed her fox-like face. Her hazel eyes were narrowed with disdain. A pair of silver hoop earrings dangled from her ears.

  The other girl had jet-black hair, cut into a sleek bob. Unlike her friend, she gave a colder glare with folded arms. Her dark brown eyes held a quiet kind of malice and a beauty mark sat just below the corner of her lips. She gave Runebelle a slow once-over before scoffing.

  "Sarah, what the fuck are you doing here with that weirdo girl?" the auburn-haired girl snapped with irritation. "Did you hit your head or something?"

  The black-haired girl spoke next with a sigh. “Seriously. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

  The yellow-haired girl spoke while tapping her feet on the ground. "Like, seriously, Sarah, what were you even thinking? Are you trying to, like, sabotage your own popularity?"

  Sarah blinked. “‘Popularity’?”

  The yellow-haired girl flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Yeah, like, we’re totes friends, right?”

  Sarah hesitated. “Uh…”

  For a split second, the three girls' gazes sharpened. Teyes gleamed like hungry lions scenting hesitation in their prey.

  Sarah gave a stiff shake of her head and frowned.

  The auburn-haired girl smirked. “Yuh, like, Sarah should level up her own game. I mean, look at her.” She gestured lazily at Runebelle like she was some broken thing. “Not on trend. Like, at all.”

  Sarah’s fingers curled slightly. “Sorry, guys.”

  The yellow-haired girl clapped her hands together. “Okay, then, let’s go.”

  Once they turned to leave, the auburn-haired girl suddenly groaned. “Ugh, wait. What about our homework? Lunch is about to end soon and--”

  The yellow-haired girl rolled her eyes and interrupted. “---Duh. I did them all for us.” She waved a hand dismissively and strutted off. “I’m, like, a totes genius.”

  Runebelle lowered her gaze.

  She didn’t move. Didn’t say anything. Just listened to the fading sound of footsteps as the girls walked away.

  But something made her glance up—just for a second.

  Sarah.

  She wasn’t smiling anymore. The playful energy she had carried earlier was replaced by a deep frown. Her eyes were full of unshed tears.

  But she said nothing.

  She didn’t stop them.

  She just went with them.

  And left Runebelle alone.

  Runebelle sat there, staring at the spot where Sarah had been just moments ago. The warmth of a possible connectionhad been snatched away before it could even take root.

  She had always known how these things worked. She wasn’t stupid.

  But for a moment, she had hoped.

  And now, that hope felt like a cruel joke.

  Runebelle's memories drifted to the day before her Mother left one year later. It had been a day etched in her mind.

  On that evening, Runebelle had come home to find her mother looking as though she had been in a fight.

  Rune stood by the stove, stirring a pan as if she didn’t have a swollen lip. As if there weren’t bruises peeking out from the collar of her shirt.

  “Welcome back, sweetheart,” Rune said almost cheerfully. She turned and smiled. “I made steak tonight. Your favorite.”

  Steak.

  Runebelle’s fingers curled into fists at her sides. By now, her mother shouldn’t be able to afford this. Their money had run thin long ago. Every meal had been cheap and stretched as far as it could go. And yet, here it was—her favorite dish, sizzling in the pan as if nothing were wrong.

  Runebelle didn’t know what to do. What to say.

  So, she did the only thing she could—she walked over to the dinner table, pulled out a chair and sat down.

  Rune brought the finished meal for both of them and rested it down. It was a meal that should have brought her joy and yet, every bite felt heavy. Every chew tasted wrong.

  She ate in silence. Her eyes locked onto her mother.

  Rune hummed softly while eating but Runebelle saw it—the way her mother winced ever so slightly when she moved her arm.

  Every second that passed, Runebelle felt something tighten in her chest.Then, a tear slipped down her mother’s cheek, but it was gone in an instant. Like it had never been there at all.

  Rune must have noticed the way Runebelle was staring because she suddenly let out a small chuckle and lifted a hand to her bruised face. “What? Is my face all dirty already?” she teased.

  Then, she blushed slightly and rubbed her stomach with a sheepish grin. “I was actually kind of hungry myself.”

  She let out another giggle.

  ‘Something is very wrong…’ Runebelle thought to herself.

  After the meal, Rune turned to Runebelle with a smile and asked, "Did you enjoy dinner, sweetie?"

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  Runebelle shook her head. A small, stiff movement.

  ‘No.’

  How could she enjoy this? How could she sit there, chewing and swallowing while her mother was injured and trying to ignore it?

  Her throat tightened. Her vision blurred. She was about to tear up when—

  Rune suddenly gasped. “You and your jokes!” She gave a dramatic pout and crossed her arms. “Well, I guess I’m not cooking tomorrow then!”

  Runebelle blinked. For a second, she almost wanted to be mad. Almost.

  But instead, a tiny, wobbly smile formed on her lips.

  She stood up and reached forward to wrap her arms around her mother.

  The pout deepened. “Oh, now you want to be all sweet, Sour patch kid?” Rune huffed.

  Runebelle tightened her grip.

  The pout wavered.

  ‘More.’

  Rune let out a soft sigh. “Okay, okay,” she murmured while gently patting Runebelle’s head. “I was just kidding anyway.”

  Her Mother’s smile was soft, warm and so heartbreakingly fragile.

  That night, Runebelle sat on the floor with a controller in hand, staring at the glowing screen. She was playing a game but wasn’t really paying attention. Her fingers moved out of habit.

  She sat there, dressed in her loose nightgown and tried to lose herself in the flashing lights and sounds of the game; however, nothing changed.

  Eventually, she let the controller slip from her fingers with a soft clatter against the floor. She pushed herself up and stretched slightly before making her way upstairs.

  But once she reached the top, she noticed something: Her mother’s bedroom door—slightly ajar.

  Runebelle stopped.

  She wasn’t always the curious type. She never pried, but lately… lately, she had heard things. There were nights when she had woken up to quiet sobs, muffled through the walls, times when she had pressed her pillow over her ears and tried to block it out.

  The words her mother whispered into the darkness—pleas, prayers, apologies.

  All for her.

  Runebelle’s fingers curled slightly at her sides while staring at the half-open door. Her heart beated just a little faster.

  Runebelle swallowed and leaned in. She pressed her ear against the door.

  Then, she heard it.

  A voice—weak, trembling, barely holding itself together.

  "He did this to me... and then he took every penny I had."

  Runebelle's fingers curled against the doorframe.

  "He forced me to..." Her mother’s voice cracked.

  Inside, Rune sat on the edge of her bed and gripped her arms. Her shoulders were shaking. She was trying so hard to keep it in.

  But it was no use.

  A choked sob slipped out. Then another.

  Runebelle's heart squeezed.

  Her mother let out a shuddering breath.

  "It's over… What am I supposed to do now? I'm going to lose her..."

  Runebelle’s chest ached.

  She had never seen her mother break like this before.

  Never.

  And now, she was seeing it all at once.

  Rune let out a cry—raw, heart-wrenching—as she stood up.

  Then, she collapsed to her knees and clutched at the fabric of her clothes.

  Runebelle couldn't take it. Before she even realized it, tears were already spilling down her cheeks. Her vision blurred, but her body moved on its own.

  She stepped into the room. Then, she dropped down and wrapped her arms around her mother desperately.

  Rune gasped. "Runebelle, I—"

  "You don’t have to do it," Runebelle whispered while trembling. "You don’t have to pretend anymore."

  Rune stiffened.

  "I know," Runebelle continued while pressing her forehead against her mother’s shoulder. "Okay? I know. I know you got hurt. I know Dad did this to you."

  The words hung in the air momentarily.

  The two remained in that embrace for what felt like forever.

  Rune’s sobs eventually softened. Her body, exhausted from the weight of everything grew limp in Runebelle’s arms.

  Runebelle shifted and gripped her mother carefully. She wasn’t strong, not really but somehow, she managed to lift her just enough to help her onto the bed.

  Rune had finally given in to the sleep she desperately needed.

  Runebelle sat at the edge of the bed, watching the slow rise and fall of her mother’s chest.

  She should’ve felt relieved.

  But she didn’t.

  The sadness inside her twisted into something hotter.

  She clenched her fists.

  Her father.

  He did this.

  He was the reason her Mother suffered, the reason she cried in secret, the reason she was forced to smile through the pain.

  And Runebelle had done nothing.

  She turned her head toward the clock on the bedside table.

  8:00 PM.

  Normally, in two hours, she’d be getting ready for bed.

  But not tonight.

  Runebelle left the house and made her way to her mother's workplace, a factory where she had spent countless hours laboring over her duties. The factory was an industrial complex. Tall smokestacks rose into the sky from the building.

  The exterior of the factory was weathered. Fading signs displayed the factory's name. A chain-link fence surrounded the premises that had "No Trespassing" signs pasted on all sides.

  As Runebelle approached, she could see that the factory was eerily quiet. The only signs of life were the the cleaners who moved about the factory with brooms and cleaning supplies.

  Runebelle narrowed her eyes. ‘The factory closes in an hour. I have to make this quick.’

  Approaching one of the cleaners, she steeled herself. "Hey, where's the boss?" she asked.

  The cleaner—a big man with short brown hair paused and leaned on his broom. His voice came out gruff. "Boss? Should be somewhere in the building. Been stompin' 'round all day, yellin’ at people."

  Runebelle felt her jaw tighten. That sounded about right.

  "Any idea where exactly?" she pressed.

  The cleaner scoffed and shrugged. "Dunno. Da guy never stays in one place for long. Try his office upstairs, maybe?"

  Runebelle gave a small nod and turned away without another word.

  Runebelle stepped into the boss’s upstairs office, and there he was.

  The man sat behind a cluttered wooden desk with yellow light above casting shadows across his rugged face. His short, unkempt hair and wrinkled button-up shirt gave him a worn-down appearance, but his eyes—those sharp eyes were as piercing as ever. He wasn’t just glaring at her. No, he had been staring at nothing until she entered.

  Then, his face brightened. A smile stretched across his lips. "Runy!" he said affectionately. "It’s been too long! Come on in, have a seat."

  Runebelle did just that, but theman reached out and ruffled her hair the moment she sat down.

  This was the same man who had put her mother through hell. The same man who sat in comfort while Rune cried herself to sleep.

  Runebelle clenched her fists. “Why did you fire my mother?”

  The boss leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. “Doh, Straight to business, eh?” He smirked, but there was an edge to it. “Well, ehhh… how do I put this?”

  He scratched the back of his head. “It wasn’t exactly my decision, y’see. New staff was requested. Someone a little more... fresh, if you catch my drift. Your father, Gemine, personally pushed for some ‘restructuring’ in da business.”

  Runebelle spoke sharper now. “Where is he?”

  The boss let out a dry chuckle. “Ah, you just missed him. Literally, he just stepped out the door.”

  Runebelle turned around and got ready to make a dash.

  “Seemed rather cheerful tonight too, which is unusual considering the circumstances,” The boss added. “I can’t say for sure what he’s up to, but ehhh… might be worth trying to reach out to him. If you’re quick, you might catch him.”

  Runebelle was already gone before he finished speaking.

  Runebelle sprinted down the stairs. She shoved the factory doors open and stepped into the cold night air just in time to see a sleek black car pulling away from the lot.

  Her breath hitched.

  A memory surfaced in that moment.

  Her father’s voice, smooth and composed echoed from a time she barely understood.

  "When you're ready to come to me, just call this number."

  She had been too young to grasp what he meant after the divorce.

  But tonight… tonight was different.

  Runebelle bolted back up the stairs, nearly knocking over a worker carrying a stack of papers.

  Bursting into the office, she barely gave the boss a chance to react before snapping, “Phone. Now.”

  The man blinked, then let out a low whistle. “Damn, kid, you’re real pushy tonight.” Still, he reached into his desk and pulled out a bulky work phone, then tossed it to her. “Try not to rack up the bill, yeah?”

  Runebelle ignored him.

  She rushed back outside. The night air felt colder than before, but she began dialing the number she had nearly forgotten.

  The line rang.

  Once.

  Twice.

  Then, a click.

  A familiar voice answered. Her Father.

  "Hey Bill. I thought I just left your office... anyways, I took the money back from that foul woman imprisoning my daughter."

  Runebelle’s grip on the phone tightened. The rage boiled over before she could contain it.

  “It’s me, you bastard!” she snapped.

  There was a pause. Then, her father chuckled. “Well, well. I didn’t expect to get a call from you tonight.” He spoke calmly. “So… is this it? Have you finally come to your senses? Are you ready to come with me?”

  Project Mage