It's been five weeks since Jesse was chased from her own home. Five weeks since she was exiled from Beacontown.

It's been the worst five weeks of her life. No matter where she and her friends went, no matter where they tried to settle down, they were chased away like a pack of stray dogs.

The word of Beacontown's traitor, had spread for miles. As far as they went, Jesse's face was planted on wanted posters. Littering every tree, every lamp post, every fence.

Now five weeks later, here Jesse was; spirit broken.

Her skin had paled, her expression had dulled. Her arms, legs and even her face were covered in various scars, memories permanently embedded into her flesh.

But worst of all... Her left eye was glazed over, the pupil glassy. Its rich brown iris faded to a sandy colour. An injury inflicted by one of her very own, beloved citizens, on the night she had fled. One blow from his dagger, leaving her blind in that eye, the sight in it forever lost.

It was the most painful injury Jesse had received, both physically and emotionally. Out of all three of them, she was the one who lost the most.

Jesse was sitting under a large oak tree, on somewhat of a foresty hill. There was a cave hidden in between trees, the entrance covered up with wood. The shadows of another person were moving inside.

Jesse's gaze was distant as she stared into the distance; the sight in front of her flat, with no dimension. A gentle breeze played with her loose brown hair, tugging at her battered t-shirt.

"Jesse!"

She didn't even flinch, hearing her name. Dulled footsteps sounded on the grass as Petra came jogging over from the cave, kneeling down beside Jesse. She looked quite different herself, her own clothes torn and scars covering her skin. There was a deep one across the bridge of her nose, left there by the same person that left Jesse with her one-sided vision.

"I got some news." Petra said excitedly, not even earning a glance from Jesse in return. It didn't seem to bother her, she knew Jesse was hearing every word she spoke.

"I got some news from Lukas."

This caught Jesse's attention, turning her head to look at Petra. While her left eye stayed lifeless, interest gleamed in the right one.

"Is it good or bad news?" She asked. Her voice was lower than it used to be, yet still as gentle as it's always been.

"It's great news." Petra said, her statement causing Jesse's tense figure to visibly relax.

A week ago, Jesse and Petra had split up from Lukas. The three of them wanted to try and travel overseas, in search of a place where they could finally stop hiding. Before leaving however, Jesse wanted to get one final message of goodbye over to Axel, Olivia and Radar.

Since Jesse was the most wanted out of the three, she and Petra had stayed together at their current hiding spot, a small cave on a forest hill. Lukas made the journey to Jesse's friends on his own, promising to send a message once he was able to make contact with any of them.

"As we predicted, Lukas was unable to get inside Boomtown." Petra explained. "But he was able to come face to face with Olivia in Redstonia. And Jesse, she had good news for us!"

Jesse nodded, encouraging Petra to continue explaining.

"Olivia found an old map among Ellegaard's things, back from the older Order's travels." Petra said, pushing a string of hair back in underneath her bandanna. "It marks the location of an uncharted island, quite a bit away and completely remote. Olivia is not only giving us the map, but also providing us with a boat."

"You think this island could be where we take refuge?" Jesse asked Petra. The redhead nodded, showing more excitement than she probably has the entire week.

"If we leave tomorrow, we could meet up with Lukas at the Redstonia docks in a few days max. And then, finally, we can find peace."

"That is brilliant." Jesse said, allowing a small smile to form on her face. She didn't smile often anymore, so that was proof that Petra's news made her defensive walls relax.

"That's not all though." Petra said, looking a slightly bit more serious. She held up a wrinkled piece of paper. "Olivia has sent a message along for you... a few parting words, so to say."

Jesse took a deep breath, turning away again so she was once more looking at the landscape in front of her.

"Read it to me." She replied.

Petra didn't object, folding open the letter. Reading has, after all, become a challenge for Jesse. She straightened out the paper and slowly began to read.

Dear Jesse.

I really hope this message reaches you. If things go as planned, you, Petra and Lukas should soon be free. We might never make contact again, but I hope that you'll at least find peace. That you'll still find a slither of happiness out there.

I miss you, Jesse. More than anything. I regret not being there for you when I had the chance, considering we might never see each other again. You were the best friend I ever had in my entire life, and you changed me in so many ways.

Axel and I will never forget you. The times we used to be nobodies, the times we lived in that old tree house. I would give anything to relive just one of those days.

Radar misses you a lot as well, he's always talking about you. He seems to be adapting well to life here in Redstonia, and is quite the helpful hand around the lab. I doubt he'll ever be as happy as he was with you, however.

As we go our separate ways, I want to make one final request.

No matter where the world takes you, no matter how hard things get, just know that this wasn't your fault. You didn't deserve what happened, not after everything you gave the world.

You're a smart and brave person, and no matter what the people think of you, you will always be the same Jesse in our hearts. And she's a hero.

- Olivia

Petra lowered the message slightly, her own voice having started to tremble on the last few words. Her blue eyes shone slightly with tears, and she blinked rapidly to hide them.

Jesse didn't say anything, staring out in front of herself hard. But the tear rolling down her cheek was inevitable. She closed her eyes, leaning her head down onto her knees.

Petra put out a hand, giving Jesse's shoulder a reassuring pat. Then she got up, silently leaving her friend. As much as Jesse preferred her friends' company in past dark moments, Petra has learned that that has changed. She knew when Jesse wanted to be left alone.

Jesse didn't move, nor make a sound. She just sat there, like a statue. Tears that she was unable to fight, rolling down her cheeks. She never wanted this life...

This life as an exile.

----------------------

Jesse and Petra didn't speak much that evening. Jesse's gaze was grief-stricken and dull. It was obvious that Olivia's words had hit her hard. Even Petra, who usually showed little to no emotion, was looking a little bleary.

Jesse had pushed aside the food Petra offered her, retreating to her bed early. Even so, she didn't fall asleep for at least a few hours to come. And when she did, it was nothing but a dark tornado of memories.

That was why Jesse had grown to despise sleep.

Jesse jolted awake around midnight, drenched in a cold sweat. Her vision was blurry and out of focus. She soon came to a realisation that it was tears messing with her sight.

Jesse felt a gentle pressure on her shoulder, a reassuring hand. The person was within her blind spot, so she didn't see Petra until she turned her head to the side.

"Bad dream?" Her friend asked Jesse when she sat up, running her fingers through her hair.

Jesse didn't reply, only giving Petra a nod. Judging by the dull look in her friend's blue eyes and the sleepy tone to her voice, Jesse realised she had probably woken Petra up with her constant restless tossing and turning.

Petra put an arm around Jesse's shoulders, rubbing her arm gently. Jesse didn't say anything, but simply leaning her head onto her friend's shoulder was a sign to Petra that she appreciated the support.

Within the past two weeks, Jesse had become incredibly silent. The more she seemed to accept the truth of being an exile, the more it seemed to break her down. It didn't take her friends long to learn what silent signals or actions were equivalent to the sentences she used to speak.

"Want to tell me about it?" Petra asked her gently.

Jesse simply shook her head. Petra gave an understanding nod, continuing to just gently rub Jesse's shoulder. She's never been very good at comforting people, and with Jesse it was especially difficult. Nothing Petra or Lukas said ever seemed to make her feel better.

"Do you want me to leave?" Petra asked softly, uncertain whether Jesse wanted to be alone at that moment or not.

Jesse shook her head. It was quiet, the two of them just sitting together in utter silence. Jesse shifted her gaze, looking over at Petra. Scars covered the redhead's face, each one of them holding a different painful memory.

Jesse sometimes wondered how many of the injuries she had to her own face left their mark, other than her eye. In all honesty, she didn't care. Not anymore.

"We have a really long walk ahead of us the next few days." Petra said softly. "Do you want to get some rest? There's still a good five hours left of tonight."

Jesse shook her head again.

"Do you mind if I go back to bed?" Petra asked Jesse, almost sounding guilty. "If you want to get some sleep, but the dreams are bothering you, you could always come sleep with me? I won't mind."

Jesse shook her head once more, wrapping her arms around herself. Petra sighed softly, squeezing Jesse's shoulders.

"Good night. Feel free to, if you change your mind."

Jesse watched as Petra got up, silently trudging over to her bed on the other side of the fireplace. That was, if you could call the heap of sloppily made sheep wool blankets a bed.

Petra lay down on the blankets, turning onto her side so her back was facing Jesse and the fireplace. As always, she pulled her blue bandanna down over her eyes to keep out the light from the fire and the few torches.

Jesse lay back down on her own bed, staring up at the cave roof, the flickering flames' lights dancing over the coarse stone.

She knew her friends were trying to help her, getting pushed away countless times. She had become distant and cold, and she could see that it hurt them.

Jesse hated herself for it. If it weren't for her friends' support, she probably wouldn't even be there anymore. It wasn't fair towards them, none of this was.

But it wasn't fair towards her either.

Jesse rolled onto her side, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She looked down, her eyes trailing across her scarred skin.

Some merely looked like scratches that never healed, while others left somewhat of a small gap, skin slightly parted – similar to the scar on Petra's nose.

As much as Jesse hated it, she knew every story behind every one of those scars. Who inflicted them, how much they hurt. What weapon was used, and how long it took for the wound to stop bleeding.

And as hard as Jesse tried, she couldn't erase these thoughts. These were memories she would forever hold, memories she was reminded of every single day of her life.

But alas, they were only scars. Only that, memories. The pain had faded. None of them left her with overwhelming heartbreak, like the dagger to her face did.

Jesse shut her eyes tightly, feeling herself relive that horrid moment. That horrid moment when she opened her left eye back up again for the first time... that horrid moment when she realised she could no longer see on that side.

At first Jesse didn't want to believe it. Hoping, wishing, begging, praying that once it healed, she'd be able to see again. That it was just a bad dream.

When she finally accepted the truth, she was left devastated. She didn't want to believe that she had to adapt to one sided vision. She emotionally didn't know how to cope with it.

Not just emotionally either. Jesse felt helpless, to say the least. She couldn't walk for days. Her balance thrown off, constantly bumping into objects that was on her blind side. She had no depth perception, her world left flat as a two dimensional image.

Even now, weeks after, Jesse still needed Petra or Lukas's assistance to walk even short distances.  A lot of tasks that Jesse used to do effortlessly, was now unimaginably difficult and challenging. From trying to hold a bottle of water upright, to reading a letter or a book. Jesse had to ask for help with almost everything at first.

One of the more awful consequences, was the anxiety it left her with. Jesse found that she was mildly terrified by any objects near her good eye. Irrationally afraid that something might damage it and her remaining vision.

Jesse clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She hated to admit it, but she envied her friends. All of them were injured that day. She had the hit to her left eye from the guy with the dagger. Petra had badly twisted her ankle when she fell, as well as getting her nose broken by the same man that had injured Jesse. And a few miles out of Beacontown, Lukas had received a tipped arrow of harming to his shoulder.

But all of them healed. Petra and Lukas's injuries left nothing but scars. Jesse was left blind.

Jesse was relieved. The guilt on her shoulders would had been so much more, had either Petra or Lukas been left with any severe consequences. Had the helm of that dagger hit Petra anywhere else in her face, she might also have lost something. Had that arrow hit Lukas somewhere vital, he would have been dead.

Jesse didn't even stop to think that the dagger's blow could have killed her as well. Had that man thrust it at her throat, she would have taken her last breath there and then. She should be thankful.

But she wasn't.

___

Back when I first started writing this book, in a state of hype, I believe I wrote the prologue as well as chapter 1, 2 and 3 all in one day. Editing this chapter, that was extremely noticeable - the amount of typos and mistakes in this, just oh boy. XD

But yes, this is mostly where the one shot ended! So if you haven't and is curious to go read the one shot this book originated from, I'd say your safe to do that now. Everything from here on out, has been created after the one shot. Everything from here on out is a new story!

I'm really excited for us to properly dive into things in the next chapter, have some proper drama, emotions and even adventure. 

Also, I should probably address Jesse's eye, since somebody has already asked me about it. No, the guy who attacked her did not physically stab the dagger into her eye. If he did, I doubt her eye would still be so... well intact. 
To be precise, the hit was a little more above her actual eye, but was hard enough to still damage it. This is very badly put together, but I'm sure you understand what I'm getting at. XD
I think this is explained later in the story, uncertain right now. But just to clear things up in case you're confused.

Anyhow, moving past that!

I really hope you guys are enjoying this story so far! I've had a blast writing it, and I am literally counting down every five days until it's time to update again.

I'll see you all with chapter 3, in five days!