x. doing something.

Marisol fastened a bandana around her own face and slipped on a pair of sunglasses. She wasn't famous, but it was always better safe than sorry. Colette sat on her bed, waiting.

"Ready to go?" Marisol asked.

Colette stood, shaking out her hands like she had the jitters. "Yes. Where are we going, again?"

"The Londyn building," Marisol responded, "It's a 30 minute walk, though we'll probably end up merging with some other protesters on the way."

"Alright, let's go."

Marisol was right. Within 10 minutes of their walk, they ended up joining a large group of protesters to the Londyn building. Colette seemed too nervous to talk to anybody, so Marisol took the lead, making light conversation and learning about the protest. When they finally made it, a crowd was already gathered, and a masked individual screamed chants into a megaphone. Security guards stood in front of the building as the protesters repeated the chants. Several people had their phones out and a news crew was setting up cameras nearby.

Colette seemed to shrink, pulling her bandana higher on her face and stepping behind Marisol. It was like a giraffe trying to hide behind a bush.

"Are you alright?" Marisol asked.

Colette looked at her, speaking softly, despite the chanting. "I just don't want to be recognized."

"You won't be. Just lay low."

After a few minutes, Colette seemed to relax. She joined in the chant (using an American accent,) and even spoke with a few other protesters, none of which seemed to recognize her. Marisol was there to reassure her, but once the famous actress became comfortable, she didn't need it. They were about 20 minutes into the protest when yelling broke out.

Marisol's heart pounded in her chest, her hands shaking. She whipped her head to the side to see police sirens lighting up the crowd. Marisol tapped someone on the shoulder and asked what was happening. The man turned around and responded.

"The police got their hands on a magic user. They're forcing her into the car."

Marisol turned to relay the information to Colette, but the taller woman had already heard. She looked devastated.

"There's nothing we can do, Colette. I'm sorry."

Colette shook her head. "I can do something."

Before Marisol could ask any questions, Colette began pushing her way through the crowd, towards the sirens. Marisol went after her, people slamming into her sides as she wiggled her way through. When she was close enough, she could hear screaming, and the distinct sound of a woman crying for help.

A wall of people surrounded the police van, and Colette tried to push her way through, but to no avail. Marisol could only see between the heads of the people, but she could make out the scene well enough.

A young woman, who had to be around Marisol's age was being held by both arms by a couple of police officers. They were dragging her towards a van as she screamed, begging them not to take her. A few other officers pushed back the crowd using police shields, making sure that nobody could try to rescue the woman as they shoved her in the van. Marisol looked at Colette, who's hands shook in panic. Marisol reached to grab the woman before she could do something she might regret, but before she did, Colette opened her mouth and yelled.

"MOVE!" Colette's voice was impossibly loud and angry, her volume enhanced by magic. It echoed through the crowd and instinctively, the people pushing against the officers cleared a path around her, their eyes wide, stunned. Colette couldn't make out the expressions of the police officers through their masks but she didn't have to. Instead, she let energy course through her veins. She unleashed magic from her fingertips, a cold blue light shooting forward, blasting the wall of police officers with shields out of her way.

She ignored the gasps from the crowd as she ran to the van. She could hear the engine rev up and panic flooded her senses. She did the first thing she thought of and shoved her hand onto the van, with one word screaming her intentions.

"STOP."

The humm of the engine died down and she was on to her next objective. Save the girl. Colette wasn't usually this reckless, but the girl's screams were haunting. She grabbed onto the sliding door of the van and pried it open to see a girl crying, eyes wide and scared. Colette stood out of the way and waved her hand urgently. She didn't have time to think about her accent as she spoke to the girl.

"I'm freeing you. Run!"

The girl didn't hesitate. With shaky legs, she hopped out of the van and into the crowd. Soon, she was lost in a sea of protesters. Relief washed over Colette like waves. There was no way the police would be able to find her again.

It was just as Colette thought it was over when rough hands grabbed her by the shoulders and began dragging her backwards. She was the police's new target. She yelled, straining against their grips, but to no avail. She looked around in panic. She saw several protesters trying to reach her, but once again, the officers held them back with shields. Her eyes locked on to warm brown ones in the crowds and she saw Marisol pushing against the shields and yelling. She couldn't hear what Marisol was saying, but she knew from her anger and from the way her mouth moved that it was a string of expletives. Colette couldn't feel herself screaming anymore. Her senses were overwhelmed as hands continued to shove her backwards, and she couldn't even bring herself to use magic. She was nearly in the van when she saw Marisol manage to dive through the legs of some police officers and run towards the van.

Marisol grabbed onto one of the police officer's hands, trying to pry his fingers off of Colette's skin. She could hear Colette screaming at her to just go away, but she didn't listen, forcing her tiny hands against the officer's. She nearly pried the hand off when someone tackled her to the ground. She hit the street with a thud. Her hands were pinned behind her back, her face pushed into the rough asphalt. She tried to kick and squirm, but a much stronger person kept her down. She let her body go slack, weighed down by the person on top of her. She couldn't save Colette. She didn't know why she tried. Rough pavement dug into her cheeks and her eyes began to water.

And then, she felt arms pulling her up onto her feet. She felt a hand grab onto hers and tug her back into the crowd of protesters. Yells surrounded her, and she didn't have time to process what was happening as she pumped her legs to keep up, knocking herself against the people around her. When they finally stepped into the open sidewalk, Marisol could look up at where she was running. The one holding onto her hand was Colette, and together, they sprinted down the street.

Marisol's whole body felt bruised. She could feel blood dripping down the side of her face where the asphalt had cut her skin and her feet hurt from running so much but she couldn't stop. Not when Colette was pulling her so hard and not while she could still hear the distant sounds of the protest behind her. She didn't slow down when she saw her apartment building. She didn't slow down when her and Colette ran up the dingy concrete stairs. She only stopped when the two of them tumbled into her apartment, exhausted and out of breath, with the door locked behind them.