People walked by as they sat. They were miles apart but they all were the same. They all knew the light and the dark of the desolate world. They felt, experienced, and understood more than most. They had lost they had given up on the world once in their lives.

She sat by her window. The swaying leaves fell gently to the ground. The wind blew and wiped her cheek as she sat there solemnly, with endless quiet surrounding her. Her heart sank as her conscious wandered through her past like an old ghost walking down a hall of pictures, nearly forgotten. Feeling so close, yet far from her once loved memories. Her long blond hair slipped off her shoulder as she leapt down from her window sill, closing the curtains silently. She turned and walked into the growing darkness alone.

He ran down the streets. Heavy steps followed as he turned the corner. A bottle flew by as he ran past a pile of trash lying at the base of the wall, it shattered against the already dirty street.. He closed his leather jacket tighter, repressing a shudder as he continued on despite the bitter cold. His dark hair and clothes seemed to merge with the shadows he clung to, making it difficult to see him. His pursuer cursed and sputtered bitterly. He ran back an ally trying to escape like a cat running from a rabid dog. Another bottle broke against the wall near him, glass flying. Dark red blood slowly dripped down his arm. He ran faster, breath rapid and shallow. His feet pulled him into the night, slowly fading into the dark.

She sat on the edge of the well. Ignoring the heavy rain surrounding her. Her bitter tears mixing in and slowly falling deep into the well, as lost as she was. Her long chestnut hair dripped like ink down her shoulders, as lifeless as the world around her. She stared into the water of the well. She watched her reflection ripple as if unsure of what to present back. She closed her eyes and stood up as she walked into the darkness and pouring rain.

The door slammed behind him. Air rushing around him from the force of the door. They had kicked him out, no longer caring for an unwanted boy. The flames seemed to reach towards him desperately, as though they knew him, like a lost relative finally found. They almost held a certain comfort in them, they always had. He walked out the old gate. His fingertips faintly brushed against the course lichen stuck to it. The sky was cloudy, and the air was dry and cold. He was alone, with only the reaching fire for company. One foot in front of the other, he walked towards the forest with nothing but worn clothes and a hat to cover his light, messy hair.

Not everything works as one would wish and not all are equal. from the moment were born our value is determined by our circumstances, both voluntary or not. this will not change.

“Rose! Time to wake up!” hollered Laura (Rose Thorn’s Mom) “It’s the first day of school!”. Thorn rolled out of bed and looked at the mirror.

“Mom! I don’t wanna go to school!” wined Thorn as she looked out the window and picked up her hair brush.

“You have to go! No if, ands or buts.” replied Laura.

“Fiiiine, I'll be down a bit. I have some other work to do.” replied Thorn in a thoroughly aggravated voice..

She roughly brushed her hair while glaring into the mirror. “Why should i have to go? We’ll just move again in a month or two! That’s how it goes. One town after another, constantly moving. It’s as if we were running away from something.” sat Thorn as she thought to herself.

Thorn stood up swiftly but at the same time, somewhat elegantly. She turned and walked over to her outfit she had put out the previous night on the foot of her bed. It was a black short sleeve shirt with a white celtic cross on it. It was paired with simple black leggings. She slipped on the shirt making sure not to hit her favorite choker. It was simple, just a thin black elastic ribbon like band with a small celtic cross charm on it. She finished getting dressed and walked over to her door. With a little effort she put on her favorite shoes, a pair of long black boots. They were simple but elegant and comfy.

“Hurry Rose!” yelled Laura. Thorn rolled her eyes while slipping on her leather jacket.

“I know! I’m on my way down now!” replied Thorn in an exasperated tone while finishing putting on her jacket but leaving it open.

Thorn opened the door and stepped out. The sweet smell of her mother's blueberry waffles filled her nose followed by the bitter smell of her dad's coffee. She smiled softly and slid down the railing to meet her parents.

“Rose Thorn! What have I told you about sliding on the railing like that? What if you fall and break your neck? What then?” yelled Laura. Thorn rolled her eyes while her dad hid behind the newspaper snickering..

“James! Get ready for work or I'll take your coffee.” grumbled Laura. James (Thorn’s dad) looked solemnly at his coffee then replied.

“Yes dear, i’ll go now. Love you hunny.”. James kissed his wife (Laura) and patted Thorn on the head before grabbing his coffee and heading for the door.

“Have a good day!” cheered Laura and Thorn in unison. They both looked at each other and laughed.

“Well, I gotta go mom. I’ll be late if I stay any longer.” said Thorn in a sing-song voice.

“ok sweetheart, have a nice day!” hummed Laura while tossing Thorn an apple as she ran out the door “Be safe!”.

“I will mom” replied Thorn as she closed the door.

Cold air met thorn as she turned and walked from her house. It seemed to hug her gently in its cold and bitter arms. She shivered lightly and looked down the street. Not many people were out nowadays. They were afraid that by being outside they would catch “The Mist”, a virus spreading around the world rapidly. Thorn and her family were not worried about this though. They had a good immune system and wouldn’t catch it. Only people with weak immune systems got it. Only people like her brother.

Thorn looked up and remembered how her and her brother used to play before he caught the infection and passed away. She tried to hold back her tears but a single tear fell down her cheek landing on a cold piece of grass. It shook as the cold drop hit it. The cool air gently brushed her cheek as if trying to comfort her and brush away her tears. She breathed in deeply and shook her head. “ It’ll be ok, I still have mom and dad and I'll be fine. Little brother is always with me.” She turned and started to walk to her school while trying to sort out her emotions.

She walked up to school and looked at her watch she had forgotten she even had. “Still 20min. Till orientation” she thought as she looked at the map in front of the school building. “It’ll take about 5 minuts to get there”. She turned towards the direction of the auditorium where the orientation would proceed.

She walked quietly down the path knowing her life was going to change yet again. “Would she make a friend here? How long would she stay? Will she be good in her studies? What about the teachers?” all these questions ran through her head. Before she knew it, she was at the auditorium. She shook her head banishing these thoughts and turning her attention to what was going on. She sat at an empty seat and prepared for orientation. She looked up to the ceiling in wonder.

Later that day, Thorn finished school like she always did. Just going through the motions. She didn’t try to make friends, she knew they wouldn’t last. She would have to move eventually, just as always. All the same, she didn’t mind. She knew nothing would last forever and right now she had her parents, she would be fine.

"Rose! Rose! Hey, you! In the black outfit" hollered a seemingly I'll mannered, chaotic girl with long light brown hair. "I'm cherry! Nice to meet you! Are you new here? You don't look familiar! We should hang out!" The girls rantings seemed endless.

"I apologise, I'm busy right now. I won't be here for very long anyway. It would be best to find a new friend. I appreciate the notion though." Replied Thorn trying her best not to be rude or disrespectful.

"Oh, ok. I-i'm sorry. I'll just leave now. Oh! It's another new person!" Rushed cherry in an attempt to escape

"Oh, ok. Bye" she replied

"I wonder if I can get a new follower or servant." Whispered Cherry under her breath.

".....ok" Thorn turned and walked away forgetting the whole conversation.

She walked out of the school building looking at the sky. She was not happy, nor sad, or even mad or angry. She didn’t necessarily have an emotion. She just was. She was like the floating cloud, no emotions, just drifting in the wind. She didn’t feel she was missing anything without her emotions either. She became numb.

She looked down to the road and started walking home. No, not her home, for she was going to move soon again. It always happens. It’s all she knows and she’s fine with that. As long as she is with her family. She set off on her way to her house and maybe, at least for now, her home. Home, with her family.

She walked up to her house as the gentle wind spun around her. She always enjoyed the wind. It was after her brother passed away that she found it really came to take form. The wind reminded her of her little brother. Sometimes kind and sometimes playful or even angry. When she was sad it caressed her gently like a small hug from her little brother. When she needed encouragement or confidence the wind seemed to punch her ahead just as her brother would push her towards her obstacles saying she could do anything. After her brother passed away she felt the wind was like her brother's spirit, it followed her to keep her safe and watch over her. She walked into her house with a gentle smile and a light foot knowing her brother was always with her.

She stepped into the house and cold air met her. This was unlike the gentle wind that reminded her of her brother. This wind was cold and chilling to the bone, It was almost like a warning.

“Mom! Are you here? I’m home!” hallared Thorn but no one replied. She tiptoed in and looked around but no one was in sight. She was somewhat nervous but continued on. She turned on the heater as she passed by and walked into the kitchen, where she normally found her mom. She was not there. Thorn called again but there was no answer. She Looked throughout the house but no one was there. She tried calling her mom but there was no answer.

That's when she saw the note on the table. It was on pale yellowish colored paper. It was obviously old and came from the storage or something. She looked at it and saw her mom’s delicate handwriting. The simple curves only her mom could perform. Simple and still elegant. She grabbed the little piece of paper then sat down to read the note:

Dear Rose,

I love you my daughter, I have gone to pick up your father and will not be back until late tonight. I left you some money to order pizza or something on the counter. I love you baby girl. See you tonight have fun and stay at home please. See you by love

Love, Mom

Thorn had a bad feeling. She didn’t know why but she felt something was off. “It’s just my imagination” she told herself as she walked up to her bedroom to study. She went along with her day as normal and fell asleep early that night. What awaited her the next morning she did not know but she will see it the next day.

September, 4, 20xx

Thorn awoke with a start the next morning. As she did not mean to fall asleep so early the previous night. She looked around but didn’t notice anything different. Where were her parents? “They are probably in their room, '' she thought. “I best not describe them” she got up and grabbed an apple and knife for a snack. She went over the events of the previous day in her head. As she nacked on the apple and a slice of pizza from the night before. After a while of being in her head, she walked up to her room to sleep since the orientation for school is a week before school officially starts. I’ll see them when I wake up, she thought. She walked up to her room and got in bed and fell fast asleep.

She woke up to a series of hard knocks on the door. She grumbled and turned around trying to go back to sleep.

“Hello, Is Miss Rose Thorn here?...Hello?” said a voice like that of a young man. Thorn shot up when she heard her name. She rushed to get downstairs (she was already dressed due to falling asleep early)and came to the door. She looked through the peephole in the door. She was surprised that it was a police officer who was there. She silently walked over to the window to get a better look. There was the officer and behind him were about 3 more officers talking to each other. “If you don’t answer we will have to open the door by force, Miss Thorn.” said the officer as he continued to knock on the door.

Thorn looked around and found a hiding place then she saw the open vent in the corner of the room. The house was old so the vents were larger than most. Because of this, Thorn was just small enough to fit..

“What do you want?” she yelled to the officer once she was in the vent.

“Miss Thorn, please open the door this is about your parents.” replied the officer in a pleading tone. Thorn looked to her parents door and saw the door ajar and her parents not home.

“Leave me, my parents will be home soon. I'll contact you when they get here. So please just leave” Replied Thorn in a trembling voice.“ Thorn heard the door click and saw the young officer walk into the house from her lofty corner unseen. “I’m sorry miss Thorn. I need to tell you something about your parents. They will not be coming anytime soon” said the officer in a sympathetic voice “I promise we mean you no harm, So miss Thorn please come out” Thorn was on guard the whole time. Her breath caught in her throat when she heard about her parents.

“You're lying, My parents will be home soon. They are often late. It’s hard to provide for a family of 3 so it’s normal. They’ll be home soon im sure” Said Thorn in a strained voice “Hah hah, and you said “We mean no harm” yet you guys are the ones who broke into my house! Why should I believe you? And please don’t say you're a police officer and that's why. Not all police officers are good. You could easily have been infiltrated by a mafia or something!” at that note she raised her voice giving away her location

“uh oh”. She propelled herself out of the vent landing on her feet. She ran up the stairs but she wasn’t fast enough. The young officer grabbed her wrist (gently though so as to not hurt her). She tried to escape but wasn’t strong enough. She scanned the room and saw the broom she left out while cleaning the previous night. “Ok i’ll go along with them for now but i have a good weapon when it becomes necessary” she thought to herself with an inner smirk.

“Ok, I’ll listen for now but if I don't like what you say I'm kicking you out.” she said to the officer with a scowl.

“Ok, i understand. Why don’t we sit down at the table and talk.” replied the officer with a gentle smile.

“Ok, I have come here to take you to the police station because something happened with your parents, again, I'm very sorry.” said the officer with a strained smile hiding his sorrow for the girl as well.

“Get to the point Leo, Just tell her quick so it’s done and over with. Hey girl, your parents died in a car accident.” said another older officer who seemed to be in his late thirties.

“Michal! How could you! You can’t just stay stuff like that!” growled the young officer who’s name seemed to be Leo. Thorn's face was ghost white and she was shaking violently.

“I understand” replied the girl in a strained voice like she was about to burt into tears and murder someone at the same time

.”I understand, but I'm not going with you,” she said with a strained smile. “It seems I'm meant to be alone so i will be”. She threw an apple that was in her hand at the older officer known as michael “By the way mr. Michael, YOU SUCK!”

she ran upstairs to her room and grabbed her backpack that held her most important items. It held her favorite memos from her family and previous friends. It also held 4oo$ in cash she had been saving, some clothes, some stuff for personal hygiene and a decent amount of food to eat. She heard the officers come up and grab her bag and jump out her window and run off to the forest behind her house. The police officers ran to the window and looked out in surprise.

“What did I tell you, Michael? You scared her and now we have to track her down before something happens to her. Poor girl, it broke her heart.” sead Leo frowning for the little girl. The officers walked out of the house and to their cars. Leo got in his car with a sigh as his partner got into the car while eating a donut.

“What is wrong with you Jon?” sighed Leo as he started the car.

“What did I do?” replied Jon.