"Okay, okay you've made your point no need to be a dick about it." I spat. The light haired boy had to jog to keep up with me as I stormed through the hallways, slinging a backpack over my shoulder, my shoes crunching on the twigs and broken glass littering the floor. My butt still hurt from landing on it and my ribs still ached where that shithead had kicked me. It felt good to beat his miserable ass into the ground.

He glowered at my comment and snapped: "You need to cool this attitude of yours, Kyra, before it blows up in your face."

And of course I snapped back, "What, you think I don't try? Besides, I had my reasons Lucas. He had it coming to him, he needed to be taught a lesson."

"And that lesson would be…?"

"Call someone a whore and they'll fuck you up. It's a very important lesson to learn if you wanna survive out there."

Lucas rolled his eyes and grimaced in what may have been an attempt to hide a smile. "You're crazy, did you know that?"

I threw my hands in the air and cried "It took you long enough to figure that out!"

He gave in as a grin split his face open and I felt my mood lighten considerably. No matter how serious he wanted to be, I always made him crack. It was just how I was.

Lucas was a good guy, though sometimes a little too serious for his own good. He was tall and wiry, dressed grey pants and a black sweater. His hair was light brown with streaks of blonde, long enough to be pulled back into a ponytail.

Most girls would've gone sterile just looking at him, with his sharp features and pale skin, but I only saw him as an older brother (he's eighteen, I'm fifteen) and I couldn't care less about charisma or charm. It didn't matter out here, out in the North American wilderness that I had called home for a good portion of my life. When see a guy, I try and find ways to drop 'em in the swiftest, most efficient way possible. I'm sorry boys but it's the truth.

Three years of living in one place isn't exactly enough time to curb one's instinct for survival. After all, I still had my quick reflexes, heightened senses, and a desire to be left mostly to myself; a desire that I felt now, an itch that I couldn't scratch.

I sighed. "I'm going out. I need a breather." We turned another corridor as I headed for the stables.

"You're taking Raven."

It wasn't a question but I answered anyway. "Of course."

We closed the doors behind us as we arrived. The soft, warm sensations of the stables drifted around us: the sweet scent of hay and horses, the gentle sunlight filtering through the skylights, and the nickering of the animals as we approached them. There were roughly twenty of them, in every size and color, some sticking their heads out in curiosity.

I stopped in front of one stall in particular, my head down as I fiddled with the latch, I heard the echo of clomping hooves on the other side of the gate and suddenly felt warm breath on the back of my neck. A smile stretched across my face as I looked up into the dark, liquid eyes of the handsome Friesian stallion who'd poked his head through the door to greet me.

"Hello Raven." I murmured softly, stroking his velvety nose. "Hey boy."

He whinnied and nuzzled me in response as I led him through the door to tack him up. He really was a magnificent horse; silky, shiny black, with a long, flowing mane and tail. His muscles rippled beneath his midnight dark coat as he walked. He stamped his feathered legs, tossing his head as if to say, 'Come on, let's get going!'

"We're going I promise." I console him. "Just wait a minute."

I was a bustle of activity as I placed a blanket and saddle on his back, adjusting the girth and fixing the stirrups into their proper position.

Lucas had been watching the entire time in total silence but now, as I was placing the bridle bit in Raven's mouth, he finally spoke up.

"Hey. Do you want me to come with you? I could saddle up another horse and tag along if you'd like."

"Sure go ahead. I'll leave you in the dust anyways."

He rolled his eyes at me, muttering, "Yeah, right." Under his breath as he walked down the aisle to get his horse.

With Raven's reins gripped tightly in one hand, I stick my left foot into the stirrup and swing myself up, landing lightly in the saddle. I feel the stallion shifting to accommodate my weight.

A few minutes later, as I wait in the yard, I hear another horse approaching from behind. I twist around to see Lucas sitting astride a piebald mare named Gracie.

I smiled. "Are you ready to go Lucas?"

He nodded, asking, "You have your gun with you?"

I snort. "In this day and age, who fucking doesn't?"

And with that, we urge our horses out the gate and into a gallop, leaving the safe haven of town behind as we set off into the wild.