• I stand on the street for a minute to catch my breath before sprinting back toward town. The snow had covered the ground and the quickly falling snow ensured that any footprints I left behind would be covered within an hour or so.

    Everything about this was so screwy. Just a few hours before, I was on my way to go see my recovering brother, but now I am an orphan girl who has no brother. I wanted to scream. It made no sense at all to me as to why he had singled me out. He knew I ‘had a brain’ but how did he know? How the hell did he know how to find me?

    “Dammit.” I curse under my breath as the snow began to fall faster.

    This was really the first time I've a thick snow, I would have appreciated it more if it wasn’t for the sharp sting of the wind or the fact that it was making running very difficult.

    I finally reach the end of the large frozen lake and glance back, taking it in for a split second before continuing on. I pull the coat in tight around me as I went, burying my nose in its collar. I was grateful that I decided to wear jeans today and not a fancier get-up. What would have happened if I’d worn that instead? Would I even be here?

    I shiver as I realize I stopped moving. There was a bench a few feet away that faced out to the lake, it looked rather inviting actually, but I shook my head and forced myself to keep going.

    ~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~

    I have no idea how I long I walked but I knew one thing, I was exhausted. I pulled my eyes away from the snow covered path and found myself at the base of a tall decrepit tower that looked ancient beyond belief. Its clay stones were rough and crumbling as time ate at it but that didn’t stop it from being any less magnificent.

    I walk around it, admiring the tall pointed roof and crooked oak door. Pieces of what I would assume was the remains of a wall jutted out of the ground by my feet, threatening to trip me. I follow the wall and found a pile of rubble and termite eaten wood that seemed to be neatly organized. On top of the pile was a black leather coat that looked too new to have been there originally and it looked familiar on top of that.

    I dust off the snow from it and wrapped it around myself. It was heavy and it smelled almost like freshly treated leather, as if it was bought yesterday. I glance around again, no one was there to claim it so why let it go to waste? Devarian’s coat wasn’t very good at keeping someone warm if a wind blew but this one was definitely good at that.

    “What do you believe you’re doing?” A voice sounds and makes me freeze in fear. It was a low demanding growl that only one creature in the world could ever achieve; Warlock.