Good to see you all again. 

How are you today?

Word Count: 1755

The scorching sun set on the horizon, swallowed up by the unforgiving ocean, its final breath, a gasp of resplendent color. Reds, oranges, purples and pinks lit up the sky in protest against the suns setting form. 

A sweat broke out on Jade's forehead, falling down onto her brow and dripping onto her cheek. She took a breath, gasping in a desperate attempt to calm her racing heart. "Oh fudgenuggets," she panted, her breath hot and humid as she leaned against a tall tree somewhere in the forest outside the city. The whole forest was muggy in the afternoon heat, and Jade suddenly wondered if she was heading south towards Drendann or if she was simply overworked and fatigued. 

After killing the guard, Jade fell over into a fit of vomiting. The old man had tried to comfort her, but she pushed him back so hard he flew into the wall behind him, crumpling to the ground unconscious. Horrified, Jade had tried to sooth the baby, but her palms were shaking so bad, and the baby's cries were too much, that she was afraid to do anything. Her head had pounded so badly she couldn't think - only run, as she always had. 

Now, she stood in a thicket of trees, struggling to breathe, her chest screaming violently for air, her throat dry and legs heavy. In her distress, Jade could not get her mind off of Adrian. Fate, how her heart longed for him, how, with every step she took away from him her heart was torn in two. Her entire body writhed in pain. They hadn't even marked each other yet and they were nearly inseparable. She had really only known him a few days. And oh, how she missed her friends from home. How she longed to be babied by Jackson and Angelica, and held by her mother, regardless of how oblivious she was. She missed her little life, with her people and although she wanted Adrian more than he could ever know, she had to leave him. 

In this moment, Jade made a decision for herself, with her face florid and her lungs and body on fire. She decided she was no longer going to be pushed around by anyone. Her life was hers, and no one, not her father, not Adrian, not the king would be able to change that.

The withering sun cast a blood red light upon the forest sky, and as Jade ran away from her commitments, finally, she felt free.

- One Month Later- 

One by one, the people left the diner, casting me a grateful smile as they left.  The glow of early dusk was cast upon the tiny diner I stood in. I felt free, like a butterfly, no longer encumbered by the trappings of a cocoon. 

I wasn't Jade anymore, no, I was Hope, Hope Johnson. My eyes weren't blue anymore, they were green and my hair was dyed a white-silver and cut short. My skin was tanner here in the heat, I looked different, felt different. 

After all of the people left the diner - the bell tinkling as they disappeared into the simmering early evening - , I turned towards the tables to begin wiping them down and stacking the chairs. They were old, red cushioned chairs, but were still in mint condition. Everything in the joint was decorated perfectly and artfully, making it seem homey yet like a place people could thoroughly enjoy. The diner was like a time machine to the fifties, relics all over, red accents and wallpaper surrounded me. Old newspapers were framed in wooden boxes and hung in various places and a big, timely jukebox stood proudly in the corner, waiting for its next listener to pick a song.

As I finished up my cleaning and said goodbye to the girl I shared my shift with, I took a deep breath feeling a sharp pain rise in my abdomen, but I pushed it back. It felt like a dagger, jabbing my lung and slowly tearing its way to my heart. With a groan, I leaned over the table, trying to calm my breathing and will the searing pain away. It disappeared as quickly as it had come.

Adrian's missing me again. I thought, closing my eyes for a moment before walking to the back of the diner to grab my purse. At first after I left, I was in so much pain, I could hardly breathe. it was an incessant pain, like my soul was being split in half. Now, little pains would come and go, but for the most part I was okay. At least physically, I was. Mentally, I continued to punish myself for leaving him. Why? I would ask myself, as though I were him. And the answer was simple enough: I didn't want to be around the king, plus, I was a burden, a disgrace and magical disaster. Adrian may be my soulmate, our souls forever intertwined, but we were most definitely not meant to be. 

I often dreamt of him, calling for me in that raspy voice of his, yet it often disappeared as I woke up. Other times I dreamt of the old man I'd freed in the cells, and the little baby I had put into his care. I wanted to stay, to get answers from the man and to take care of the baby but I inevitably decided it would be better if I left. 

The summer sun slowly disappearing over the horizon reminded me of the sunsets in Esterhaven. Nostalgic memories of Angelica and I on a summer afternoon ran through my head and made my heart hurt a little. Fate, how I missed that girl.  Licking my cracked lips, I turned to leave the diner, locking up as I went because I was the last one there. 

I unhooked the bike I'd borrowed from my neighbor from it's pole, and climbed on, pedaling slowly down the walkway towards where I was currently living. The streets were vacant, yet impeccably clean for a big city like this one, and the sky was a sanguine color, comforting in the strangest way. The streets smelled of smoke and warmth, and every now and then I'd see a person bustling in and out of a shop or two, gathering their things before heading home. They were oblivious to my existence, happy in their daily lives. My heart ached. I was lonely, and I wished I had someone to go home to. Adrian, I thought in my head but shook it away quickly, destroying the thought.

Home. I missed my mother, my brother, and I missed my friends. I missed the university, the foggy mists of the morning, and the gentle fading afternoons. Would I ever safely return there without being found by Adrian? I knew from news reports that he was looking for me, newspapers everywhere were littered with my face and there were guards everywhere, often asking about me. I could see Adrian's wild eyes in my head, those pink, pouty lips of his pulled down into a frown, his forehead turned downwards - scrunched up and worried. His fiery words like smoke - I could imagine them - drifting off as he commanded more and more men to hunt for me. 

I felt guilty, for making him sad. For leaving him lonely - I learned recently that Prince Felix was dying, his sickness unknown - and now with Sebastian on the island of Allispico fighting the revolt, Adrian was truly all alone. I worried for Felix, the boy was barely sixteen and had such a wonderful personality. I wished I could heal him, I wish I had that ability. If I did, I'd heal him in a heartbeat. 

I was pedaling slowly, my mind wandering, when I pulled up to the place I was living in. the landlady lived upstairs, and I lived in her basement. In order to live with her,  I had told her I was leaving an abusive relationship and that as soon as I got back on my feet I would pay her all the rent I and missed plus more. Taking pity on my 'position' she allowed me to stay with her. She was a lovely old lady, with bright honey - colored eyes, thin lips and dark skin. She dressed primarily in white and had snow white hair. Her favorite color was orange though, so she only decorated with orange colored things. My little basement was completely orange, with orange walls, an orange bookcase, and an orange bed with matching orange sheets. Although it wouldn't be my first choice, I was tight on money and I wasn't really too picky as long as I could shower and sleep somewhere. 

As I was walking to my door (the basement had it's own personal entrance) I heard a loud, echoed cry. Frowning, I turned to find the maker of the cry. It was getting dark, and my head was growing tired with fatigue, I almost didn't care enough to go check it out. But, Another cry, a weaker one surged into my ears, it was deep and low, like a moan. 

"Hello?"' I called into the slowly darkening atmosphere, fearing the worst. There was no answer, but I decided to go investigate, just in case someone was in trouble. I moved towards the grey and cracked sidewalk. I glanced into the dark alleyway beside the building, and in the furthest part, in the faint light, I could see a man's figure, sinking down against the red brick wall. Cautiously, I made my way towards them, wondering whether or not I was being tricked and was about to be kidnapped - or worse. "Excuse me," I questioned, "Do you..." I noticed how the man was hunched over, his entire body sunk to the ground in a piteous effort to shield himself away from possible attackers. "Do you need help?"

He groaned, holding his stomach tightly and that when I noticed it. Blood, red and sticky, pooled by his abdomen, his hands were covered in it and he was seemingly struggling to breathe. "Oh, oh my fate," I gasped, stepping closer in an attempt to asses the injury. He was of a strong, buff build with auburn hair. The man looked up, his cheeks sunken and hollow, eyes dark and I stumbled back. My heart leaping in my chest as I recognized who it was. 

"Jackson?!"

---

Thank you.