Footsteps. Footsteps that were so quiet, so alone, yet still so much louder than anything Thalia Rainwell had ever heard. She quickly navigated through the winding paths ahead, praying the dark figures in the distance would just leave her alone. Why were they following her? She hadn't even glanced in their direction, much less acknowledged their presence. There was no way they knew--

A million questions poured through her head. Why now? Thalia had been able to hide for her entire life, what made today any different? Do they really still want her? Who will help pay rent if she's taken away?

It took a short effort to not chuckle to herself. Rent? If they figure out who you are, you won't be going home anymore. At that point, paying rent should be the least of your worries. But if her family couldn't pay the money...

She shut her eyes and forced herself to not think about it. She had to focus on now and not what could be. If that focus drifted for even a moment, then it would be over. Just keep your eyes on the path.

The leaves on the ground rustled as Thalia kept running. Any other time she would have enjoyed this - October has always been the best time of the year to go jogging. The cool wind against her face, the fiery embers of the leaves on the forest floor, the soft chirping of newborn birds beginning to migrate echoing from high above. It was beautiful, something that she wished she could savor. It would have been impossible for her to concentrate on it. Her Trait was tugging at her body, a constant reminder of danger. It was so bad that she began having trouble keeping her pace.

Traits. Special characteristics of individuals like Thalia and the people she was running from. Individuals chosen by an unseen force at birth to protect the world and keep the balance between light and dark, whatever that meant. Something that Thalia would have been fine with doing, had it not required her to leave her family. Not even that, but leave earth entirely. She was supposed to leave eight years ago, however, thanks to her Trait and an incredible sister, she had been able to hide from the Council.

The Trait that had helped protect her was an extremely strong instinct. Though it can seem small compared to other Traits, having such a broad trait allowed her to know immediately when she was in danger, whether it was physically noticeable or not. When she was in any sort of danger, her senses would become heightened depending on how bad it was. Bigger forms, such as potential life threats, showed themselves in forms of powerful electric currents that surged through her. The 'Guardians' wouldn't kill her, of course, they didn't have enough people to spare for that. However, if she was caught, life would never be the same again. She would be removed from her home, sent to a completely different world, and forced to serve in their 'demon army' for the rest of her life. That's what her sister called it, anyways. As for Thalia, she didn't care what they were. Just as long as they stayed away from her and her life.

Thalia was too nervous to turn around to see if they were still following her. Somehow despite the crunchy leaves, the two cloaked figures that she noticed earlier made no noise as they walked. She had learned when she was little not to question much about how things happened, and to just accept that they did. Things such as how their cloaks allowed guardians to see them but no one else, such as how she ended up with a bunch of old journals written by Guardians, or such as why her blood glowed when it got too dark.

Glowed. Something Thalia tried to not think about, however something that she was reminded of much too often. It was a constant battle to get through life without being caught- she had never noticed how many shadows there were until she had to avoid them. Every time her skin met darkness, it emitted a soft glow until there was enough light to see clearly again. However, that wasn't all it did.

On her fourth birthday, Thalia was playing outside with her older sister Cassidy. As they were running down a hill, Thalia tripped, falling into her sister and causing both of them to tumble. They both ended up with several open wounds and were lying on the ground in a heap as they waited for the pain to subside. During that time, a single drop of blood from one of Thalia's wounds landed on a scratch on Cassidy's leg. The wound immediately healed.

Thalia began to feel the burning pain in her stomach subside. She slowed her pace, panting but continuing to walk quickly. Though she could tell the majority of the danger was gone, she could still sense a small amount of pain lingering in her stomach. Mustering up her courage, she glanced behind her.

No one there. The hooded figures were gone. She refused to allow relief to overcome her though, as her instincts were still hinting at something being off. She took a guess that they were nearby, but that they had decided she was clear. Not wanting to take anymore chances, Thalia hurried home.

Thalia stepped out onto the porch of the old apartment, ignoring the sharp sound of a car alarm going off nearby. Spending her life in such a bad neighborhood had taught her that unless it was someone you personally knew, it was usually best to ignore it. Many people used it as a way to lure someone. Not that they would bother her if they did, she rarely had anything worth stealing besides the old mobile phone her track coach gave her. Even if they tried to take it she would be able to defend herself fairly well. Having years of self-taught Guardian techniques allowed her to be prepared in case something were to happen.

She clumsily fumbled with her keys until she found the right one. As she reached up for the handle, her eyes strayed to land on a dull yellow paper hanging from a piece of tape on the door. Not even needing to read it, she let out a long sigh and pulled it down. She knew full well they would be evicted if they couldn't pay off the last three months of rent by the end of November. Three weeks. She crumpled it up and tossed it into her backpack before heading inside.

The familiar musty smell of the old wallpaper greeted her when she entered. Everything was as she had left it - the quiet, dusty living space to her left, the small, cozy kitchen to her right. She ascended the stairs in front of her to her room. She went in, setting down her backpack on the floor of her closet. A dripping sound behind her made her spin on her feet.

She muttered a soft curse under her breath and began rooting through her closet for a bucket. Apparently she had just missed the rain, but hadn't had time to put a bucket under the hole in her ceiling. She found her highschool lunch pail under some long-forgotten schoolwork and placed it over the darkening spot in the carpet. The faint sound of the droplets hitting the pail reassured her in a strange way- it was something that she knew would always stay consistent, even if the rest of her life fell to pieces. If it rained, there would be drips. Something she could focus on.

"Thali? That'd better be you." A voice from the other room made Thalia cringe slightly at the all-too-familiar nickname. The door opened, revealing a tall, fierce-looking girl with fiery red curls falling past her shoulders. She was wearing a black crop top that had been hastily paired with a pair of light-colored shorts and a neon cardigan that clashed with each other. Her blue-grey eyes were emphasized by the dark makeup that surrounded them.

Despite their closeness, Thalia looked nothing like her older sister. Instead of the wild curls of Cassidy, Thalia had sleek, burgundy-brown hair that fell down her back in waves. She had paler skin, which highlighted the contrast of colors in the rest of her features. Her cheeks and lips were a mirrored, pale shade of pink. She had light freckles dotted across them. Her eyes, however, were the most distinct feature. Her left eye was a very defined, nearly royal purple that always stood out no matter what she wore in attempts to blend it. On the other hand, her right eye was a dark shade of silver that seemed to go with everything. It was something that always brought attention to her. She planned on buying blue contacts as soon as she could afford it.

Cassidy leaned against the doorway, a firm hand pressed against her hip. "About time, I was about to come for whoever had the sorry guts to kidnap you. Where' ya been? You're never out past sundown." Her energetic voice filled the room. Some would have described it as immature, though Thalia always loved how hopeful it was.

Cassidy was the only one who knew about the Guardians, and the reason Thalia had been able to hide so long. Despite both of them being adopted, and Thalia being three years younger than Cassidy, she felt like they had been born under the same roof. However, deep down, she knew they weren't even born in the same reality. Cass had been found by the guardians in the Ember reality, where blood is more important than a toddler's life. The Guardians decided that earth would hold the most loving parents for her. It's a rare occurrence, but it worked out. Because of her resulting knowledge of magic, Cassidy was well aware of the Guardians. When she first noticed Thalia's enhanced senses, she knew. Ever since she has done everything she could to protect Thalia and help hide her from the GCE. She was the only one Thalia could fully trust.

However, for the first time, Thalia felt like she shouldn't tell her what happened. Cass seemed like such a bright and confident person, though Thalia knew how much she worried about her. Cass would be horrified if she knew what had happened, probably more so than Thalia was. If the Guardian's somehow had figured her out, there would be nothing they could do at the moment anyways. Running wasn't an option. If they tried, their very human mother would question it. Despite Thalia hating the guardians, there was a code that had to be followed by everyone who knew about them, including Cass. The code was there for the safety of the Guardians and the realities they protected. Don't tell anyone in a non-magic world about magic. The penalty would be harsh.

"Well?" Cass asked, tapping her foot. Thalia lightly shook her head. "Nothing, I just decided to get some ice cream on the way back is all." She smiled.

Cass' eyes moved to study Thalia and she cocked an eyebrow. "Your face is clean. I've never seen you eat ice cream without wearing it."

Thalia laughed nervously. "Man, you're hard. I'm not that messy." Cass laughed and shook her head. "You blew up a poptart in a toaster."

Thalia glared. "It was broken! And that's besides the point!" Cass playfully rolled her eyes before her face turned serious.

"But really, Thali. You okay?" Cass looked into her eyes, reading her expression. Thalia put on a smile. "Of course, I told you. I just felt like getting some ice cream today." She knew Cass enough to know by the look in her eyes that she didn't believe her. However, she didn't argue.

"Fine, but remember you can always tell me anything, 'kay?" She asked, giving Thalia a reassuring smile. She nodded. "Okay."