Elena's P.O.V.
Goddammit! That's the only thing I have to say.
Why did I have to be so naïve to think that I would get to the theater without any problems? Obviously, I was terribly wrong to assume that His Majesty wouldn't look for me. Ugh, next time I will make him fall into a pile of rocks.
But on the contrary, I have the upper hand thanks to the great headstart. Ethan and the two other hooded guys were far behind, and the fact that the villagers slowed them down was a bonus.
My lips curled up into a smile at the fact that the prince would have a very hard time trying to catch me.
Ha, who said it would be easy?
I continued to run, avoiding bumping into the villagers and animals in the busy street. My eyes were locked forward, but I would occasionally sneak glances around to try and find the alley again.
But then my run stagnated.
Why am I stopping? You might wonder. Let me tell you why.
One of Ethan's allies was standing in front of me, blocking my escape route.
Dammit.
The tall boy took a step forward, causing me to take one back. "Please, don't run," he spoke with airy words, holding his hands up in surrender. "I'm just here to talk."
Instead of answering him, I scanned my surrounding, looking for an alternative route. Unfortunately, there was only a small booth that was selling huge carpets, the products covering the entire stall.
And then an idea struck my mind like lightning. Slowly, I began to - don't judge me - walk backward to make the blond-haired boy follow me and go forward.
It wasn't before I got him on the spot I wanted him to stand that I stopped backing up. I had to bite my lower lip from preventing the smug smile from spilling over my face and expose my plan.
Perfect.
"I'm not here to hurt you," the blue-eyed boy said as if I was afraid of him.
Pfft! If there's somebody you should fear, it's definitely me.
"Can't say the same thing about you, Blondie," was my answer that triggered the smile on my lips.
The boy tilted his head to the side with furrowed eyebrows, a baffled look written on his face. And before he could say or do anything, I pulled on the rope that held one of the many carpets on the booth's roof.
When Blondie looked up, it was already too late. He didn't even get the chance to move out of the way when the heavy material fell on top of him, almost squeezing him.
"Ah!" He screamed from the ground, his entire body covered with carpets in different colors and patterns.
I quickly jumped over him and took off, running and laughing at the same time. The poor guy was being yelled at by an old woman, even hit in the head with a stick. This only made me laugh even more.
Strike one.
Rounding another corner, I glanced behind me for a split second to see if Ethan was still following. A smile bathing in triumph grew on my face when he was nowhere to be seen.
What an idiot. Did he really think that he could-
"Gotcha!" Before I could process what was happening, someone had already taken a hold of me and stopping me momentarily from running.
Dang it! I knew I should've kept my eyes on the road.
My green orbs met a pair of honey brown ones, which I quickly recognized as Ethan's other acquaintance.
His eyes were filled with amusement as he spoke. "I have to give you credit for those stunts you pulled on my friends, bromista. It was truly genius." The curly-haired boy smiled, showing off his snow-colored teeth.
Did he just call me Joker?
I, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow. "Why, thank you. It's not every day that somebody appreciates the art of pranks."
Whereas he was laughing, my mind was blank like an empty paper when I tried to grasp for a new escape plan.
Although I had the option to kick him where the sun doesn't shine, I found it unnecessary to cause harm towards him when it wasn't the last alternative.
So I had to improvise.
With my best impression of looking scared, I gasped loudly. "Oh, God, there's a spider in your hair!" I screamed, and despite the fact that he was holding my wrists, I was still able to point at his thick, curly hair.
The tall guy began to curse in what sounded like Spanish, and he let go of me due to his hands that went straight to his heavy locks.
"Mierda!" While Curly was too busy to get the 'spider' off him, I took the opportunity to make a dash for it.
Strike two.
This time, I kept my eyes focused on my surroundings and the possibilities of people jumping on me. It wasn't before I saw the familiar, empty alley that I knew my plan had succeeded.
Finally.
I quickly reached the alley, leaning against the wall to catch my breath and fill my lungs with the rich air. Slowly, my body was relaxing and letting the grip of tension go.
However, I was quickly awakened from the moment of serene by the three voices I have learned to recognize.
With widened eyes, I acted fast on the thick pressure. Quickly, I pressed my back towards the cold, concentrated wall, trying to blend into the shadows that towered over me like big clouds.
I was scared that they would see me due to the few people walking around this place, but hopefully, the dark alley would work like Harry Potter's invisibility cloak.
My ears detected the loud footsteps that stopped nearby, and I carefully peeked from the shadows only to see the three hooded guys standing a good couple of feet away. Despite the darkness surrounding me, decreasing my eyesight from seeing all the details, I could still make out their features and hear them through the loud village.
"Dammit!" I heard Ethan's voice curse along with the two others. "This is the second time!" I had to bite my lower lip to prevent myself from snickering.
Oh, what an idiot.
His Majesty turned around to face his two friends, annoyed. "How is it that none of you managed to catch her?"
"She's smart." Blondie pointed out, rubbing the back of his head. "I even had to pay that woman for ruining her carpets." My hand went straight to my mouth, chocking a laugh that was threatening to reveal my hiding place.
The two heads suddenly turned towards their Hispanic friend, who in return gave them a sheepish smile.
"What happened to you? In one moment you had her, and in the other, she was running and you were shouting about some spider in your hair." Ethan narrowed his eyes at the agitated, chuckling boy.
He sighed, "She tricked me, okay? As Conner said: she's smart. Very smart."
"Where is she? How can someone disappear that quickly?" Conner - the blond-haired boy - looked around, making my eyes widen in fear of him looking this way.
"Because she's a ninja, that's why." The boy with the dark curls replied, causing his friends to sigh and face-palm.
Is this how Hazel feels about me?
"Lorenzò, I swear to God. I will. . ." I stopped myself from listening to Conner's threat, shaking my head in amusement.
Instead, I picked up my pace and silently walked down the alley.
Before I turned the corner, I threw one last look at the three idiots who failed to catch me. Two of them were still arguing, but Ethan, on the other hand, was quiet and swimming in his thoughts. I watched him, trying to understand why he was so obsessed and determined to find me.
He probably wants revenge after I made him fall down that hill, the voice in my head told me.
As if he had heard my thought or felt the touch of my gaze, Ethan looked up from the ground and straightforward, his eyes locked on the alley instead of the ground.
But by that time, I was already out of his vision. Although it was a dark alley, I didn't want to take any risks to give me away, especially not after all that effort.
When no one followed, I knew I had won. A smile dressed in victory spilled over my face, almost making me dance.
Strike three, Ethan. You lose.