Author's Notes: First of all, this story is rated M for an important reason. If you are under eighteen years of age, read on either at your own risk or not at all. There will be strong sexual themes of a non-con nature in a coming chapter, and I do not want to be responsible for any emotional real-life problems for anyone, be they young or old, or anywhere in between.

Similarly, if you are eighteen or older but particularly sensitive about sex/non-con, I would recommend caution while reading this story, should you choose to proceed. Naturally, I don't like turning away potential readers, but even more – and much more – importantly, I don't want to trigger anyone, having had to struggle mental health issues myself throughout much of my life. The one sex scene in this fic is mainly there to provide a challenge to my often "naive" approach to writing, and not to upset any readers. In other words, I wrote this story to test my writing skills, and while I'm hoping the end result is worth reading, you are certainly under no obligation to read it.

If you are still reading this, I'll assume you've agreed be responsible for any and all consequences reading this story. With that in mind, I humbly welcome you to this personal-first-of-a-kind story, and I won't keep you waiting a moment longer. Please enjoy the first chapter!

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Becoming Petra: A Prequel

Chapter One
"Hello, Old Friend"

Slowly, Petra climbed the stone steps that stood before her, leading to a familiar set of iron double-doors. A chill surge of anxiety rose in her heart, making her shiver slightly. She knew that even though Lukas lived here, the odds were three-to-one against his being the one who would answer the door. Even so, she gathered what courage she could and, hoping for the best, she knocked twice.

A few seconds later, there was a muffled clicking noise from behind the doors, followed by a faint metallic groan as the doors swung open, revealing Aiden in a particularly smug stance. Petra's heart sank at the sight of him; his back was against the doorframe, watching Petra with an eager smirk. "Well, look who it is…" he sneered, his gaze almost literally flashing with desire, despite Petra's unhidden displeasure at his unwanted attention.

"I need to talk to Lukas," she told him plainly, wanting nothing at all to do with the arrogant young man. "Is he home?"

At the mention of Lukas, Aiden's gaze darkened, and his cheeky smile vanished, leaving behind an equally-characteristic deep scowl. "Nah, he's out," he explained in a bored voice. "Why him?"

Petra rolled her eyes in an attempt to conceal her disappointment. Ignoring Aiden's question, she asked another of her own. "Where is he?"

"I told you. Out. So, let's try this again. Whaddya need him for? Bet I could help you better…" Aiden's cocky grin returned… at least, until Petra shook her head in curt dismissal. She knew full well what he wanted from her, and she wasn't for sale, especially not to some spoiled, rotten control freak.

"Fine, go find your little Lukey, then. I seriously doubt he'll be back before dark, though. Happy waiting!" With that, he gave her one last icy glare, spat at the doorstep on which she stood, and promptly slammed the door in her face.

Petra didn't dare flinch at Aiden's cruelty. After all, if she had anything to her name now, it was her dignity. To react in anger, surprise or despair would be utterly reckless, and of course, futile. All he would ever care about was himself, she knew. No miniscule droplet of empathy would ever penetrate his frigid heart. Not that she wanted so much as a droplet of anything from him!

To think, Lukas thought he was his friend, someone he could rely on! Lukas deserved better friends than he had, to be certain. But he trusted the other Ocelots. They were good at building, for sure. He knew them from his years at Build Town Academy, the private school from which the four of them - Aiden, Lukas, Gill and Maya - had graduated last June, and from which Aiden had gotten straight A's in all of his classes. Of course, from an outside viewpoint, that was clearly because he had bullied Lukas into doing most of his homework, in addition to his own workload, but to this day, Lukas had never confided such "tiny details" to anyone else… anyone, that is, except for his only true friend: Petra.

It must have been such a lonesome existence, she thought pensively, having to run all sorts of errands for Aiden and his gang of bullies simply to provide for himself and his family since they had brought him to live in this great, glistening town. After five years of supposedly "taking him under their wing," they still treated him like a lackey, not like the trustworthy friend he was, and absolutely not as "one of the team." She wondered with a heavy sigh just how much more of their mistreatment he would willingly take before realizing she had been right about them all along.

Thinking back to Aiden's parting words, her heart sank deeper at the news. She knew now that she stood little chance of catching up with Lukas before nightfall, and so the hope on which she had relied so desperately seemed to be slipping through her fingers like smoke through an iron grate. She turned on her heels and descended the finely-crafted, silvery steps that had led her on yet another wild goose chase.

She looked around dejectedly at the street laying silently before her. There was no point in searching for him today, now that he could be anywhere. Besides, it would be dark soon; she needed to find a place to rest safely until dawn. Then, and only then, would her search for her friend resume.

As she walked quickly down the lonely maze of back roads, she thought over what little she had to offer in return for one night's room and board. Unfortunately, she had had very little to use or barter with since her father's mysterious disappearance a few weeks before, forcing her to abandon her home in search of an old childhood friend. Meanwhile, the sun was already making its way below the horizon, painting the landscape in deep hues of orange and gold as the warmth of the daylight quickly faded from the air around her.

In the calm solitude near the outskirts of town, Petra found it harder by the minute to ignore the sharp pangs of hunger that gnawed painfully at her. As time went by, a thickening cloud of hopelessness began to set in even before the sun had fully disappeared from view. She knew of at least two trustworthy inns within quick walking distance, but the lightness of her inventory told her that it was no use. Innkeepers these days didn't take promises as payment, wouldn't settle for I'll-pay-you-back-next-chance-I-get, weren't fond of renting rooms to homeless beggars. And like it or not, that was exactly what she was now. Having been more or less on her own for nearly a month now, the feeling was nothing new to her.

When she started to see the first few stars light up the vast darkness that the open sky was quickly becoming, it was clear that she would have to build her own makeshift shelter, and fast. She glanced around, looking for building materials, but with no trees in view and no mining tools on her person, she decided her only option was a dirt house. As she gathered the damp earth and began to build, she clung dearly to the hope that in the morning, she would find Lukas with relative ease.

Finally, her new home was as safe as she could make it. Barely able to keep her teeth from chattering, she hurried into the makeshift shelter, sealing the entrance with her last two dirt blocks. With no wood nor iron to craft a door, this was her only way to shut out the elements. She knew from grim experience that exposure could kill faster than a diamond axe, for when she had first set out on the treacherous journey here just three weeks ago, she had not left home alone.

She sat down on the hard ground, thoroughly exhausted and clutching the collar of her tattered shirt tightly for warmth, and found herself wishing she had a block of wood and some flint and steel to make a fire. As it was, she had neither. She could only hope that her own breath and body heat would be enough to warm the air in here… eventually.

I really miss you, Colt… Petra's heart cried out into the ether, knowing her little brother would never again answer her call. Colt had barely turned seven when his breath had ceased, stolen from him in the night by the merciless cold. Petra had discovered the little boy lifeless in her arms the next morning.

She did not scream. She did not cry. She didn't even call his name. She could not. She already knew from the moment she'd seen him, frozen in time, his eyes stiffly open as though he'd never fallen asleep. She knew right away. He was gone.

For many days thereafter, all she could do was wander aimlessly through the wilderness, too numb to speak, even just to herself. She was afraid – afraid to be anything but numb – afraid the full force of her pain would truly drive her crazy. So she had simply refused to feel it… until now.

Strangely-hot tears flooded her eyes as she recalled that dawn so many useless days ago… The residual chill that remained in the still air, as if the weather itself knew something had gone horribly wrong… The sound of birdsong that first roused, then mocked the vulnerable girl… The feeling of waking up with a cold, dead weight in her arms, instead of the lively little boy who should have been there… Memories took shape, circling and spinning through her mind until there was nothing to do but cry.

I couldn't even save you… I'm sorry, so sorry I couldn't keep you warm, that night in the woods. I'm so sorry I let you die… And now, I'm sorry I'm still here… alone. So alone…

Overcome with grief and remorse, she resigned to let the tears flow, crying as she had never done before, harder and longer and louder than she had thought she could cry. Precious little Colt, thin from a brief lifetime of poverty, but nevertheless a bottomless well of hope, who always knew how to cheer Petra or their father up with a smile or some childish joke… He would never die completely, not as long as Petra lived, but knowing the stream of good memories had been cut so short, along with his life, had made this journey of hers so much harder to bear.

Her father and brother gone, most likely never to be heard from again, she had only one person left to whom she could turn: Lukas. She had to find him first thing in the morning. If she didn't, she felt sure she could not hold onto the faint ray of hope that the thought of him brought her much longer.

Sniffling as she attempted to dry her tear-soaked face on her filthy sleeves, she allowed herself to lie down on the cold, damp moss that made up her floor. Without a proper bed to speak of, just as she had been for as long as she'd been wandering, sleep would prove no less difficult than it had been in the long weeks before, but crafting a bed now wasn't really an option. She hadn't seen a single sheep in days, and getting wool would have been impossible anyway without a set of shears on hand. Yet even though she continued shivering for what seemed like hours, and although the gnawing cramps of hunger had not eased, the haunting lullaby of the wind as it whistled past the majestic buildings nearby gradually began to lull the teenager into a sinking sleep.

"Petra?" whispered a voice close by, waking her gently from a dreamless slumber. "Petra, are you okay?"

"Colt?" Petra mumbled sleepily. Opening her eyes gradually, she saw sunlight entering the hut through a two-block high hole in one of the dirt walls. Blinking herself more fully awake, she turned her head to find another familiar and very worried face, framed by neat locks of smooth, blond hair.

"Lukas!" she gasped, feeling truly hopeful for the first time in what felt like an eternity. She quickly began struggling to her feet… Nope, too quickly. She tried again, determined to greet him decently, but again, she felt gravity yank her forcefully back down to the ground. It wasn't until that second fall that she realized how dizzy she felt. "Don't… I…" she stammered, embarrassed, as Lukas pressed his hands down firmly on her shoulders, preventing her from trying a third time. His eyes, the color of rain, were as warm and kind as she had remembered from all those years ago. It was more than she could do to tear her gaze away, even for an instant.

The next thing she knew, he'd released his grip on her left shoulder, letting her sit up against the wall, and placed a loaf of bread – soft and warm and fragrant – in her hands. Closing her eyes for a moment, she inhaled deeply, savoring the exquisite aroma as her mouth watered in eager anticipation. It smelled like summer… She wondered for just an instant how it could be so fresh, as if it had just been crafted less than a minute ago, for she had had no spare wood to build a crafting table for her bare shelter, but her stomach growled expectantly, and so, wasting no time, she tore off a giant bite.

If she had ever tasted cake in her life, she could not imagine that it had been any more delectable than that mouthful of bread, the first thing she'd had to eat in days. Gratitude flooded her while she ate the entire loaf, and as she did, she felt her strength begin to return to her entire body. She wanted to get up and hug Lukas, to thank him for finding her here, but he still wouldn't allow her to stand.

"Not yet, Petra," he told her calmly, looking her earnestly in the eye. "You're still sick; you need to rest." She could never help but stare back in amazement when he looked at her that way. His gaze, by itself, was more hauntingly beautiful than any brilliant, cold diamond ever uncovered, any haughty monument ever built. "Go on," he beseeched her. "Relax for a bit. I'll make you some more bread for later." He turned to the crafting table and searched his inventory for three small bundles of wheat.

"Lukas?" Petra called quietly. Lukas turned back to her, wearing that half-smile that always made her sigh. "How did you find me?" she asked.

Lukas chuckled. "I don't know," he quipped, "but it might have been the dirt hut. Not something we see a lot of in Build Town." He gave her a lighthearted wink to let her know he wasn't really mocking her.

She knew that already, however. He was nothing like the company he kept. In fact, he was the only living soul whom she knew she could trust. Without missing a beat, she smiled back to reassure him that she took no offense. "Well, I just… Thank you, Lukas."

"No problem, Pets," Lukas replied, grinning. How he managed to don that carefree, beaming smile with all he had to deal with, Petra felt sure she would never understand.

Even so, her smile broadened at his decade-old nickname for her. Pets. It was his way of proudly claiming her as his best friend. It was like an inside joke, only warmer than any joke she knew – a name only he would ever be allowed to call her.

"You just let me take care of things for a while, okay? You're gonna be fine." With that, he turned back to the crafting table, which she could only assume he had brought in when he had first found her there. Next to the crafting table stood a small storage chest, and at the center of the room was an oak log, ready for a flint and steel to light it. As it was, the mid-morning air was much warmer than it had been during the night, so there was really no need to start up a fireplace now.

Just the thought of a fireplace brought a new wave of tears to her stinging eyes. If we'd had some flint and steel with us that night, Petra thought, her spirits falling as she remembered it all over again, you wouldn't have died…

Hearing a sniffle behind him, Lukas turned. "What's wrong, Pets?" he asked softly. Putting down the wheat he'd been crafting with, he knelt beside Petra and stroked her red hair so tenderly – a welcome and comforting gesture, and one so deeply missed by a girl who'd felt so miserably alone – that her pain seemed to crumble like parched dust on a breeze. She let the words flow, ready at last to talk of that dreadful night, and the unimaginable days to follow.

"I never thought it could get that cold," she told him once the awful news had finally been spoken. "Cold enough to kill someone, I mean… But what I really don't understand is, how did I make it through, when even he couldn't? How in the world did I survive?" Petra choked out, her tears already drying up.

Lukas had been watching to her wordlessly, listening carefully to every syllable. "Petra…" he breathed, his voice barely audible. "Oh, Pets, I… I am so sorry…" He hung his head in sorrow for the poor child, letting his hand sink slowly from her hair to the ground beside him.

"No… Please, Lukas…" she begged, desperate for his gentle touch. "Don't stop. Lukas… please."

It took him a few seconds to realize what she meant, but when he did, he pulled her close to his chest and held her in those strong, comfortable arms until she fell asleep once again. "I've missed you so much… so…"

When he heard her even breathing and felt her heart calm down to its natural pace, he kissed her lightly on the top of her head, laid her down gently, and got up to make another couple loaves of bread, his heart heavy over Colt's death, yet also somehow hopeful for Petra.

(End of Chapter)

Author's Notes: This story has not been beta-read by anyone as of July 11, 2017, but if you like what you've read so far and want to beta-read future chapters, I'd be very happy to hear from you by direct/private message, either here on FFN or on AO3, where I'm also under the pseudonym Rebecca Ripple.

Yes, I know canon-Petra isn't tearful like she is in this chapter. But I swear, I have reasons for starting off like this. We'll see the tough, adventurous Petra we know and love soon enough! Bear with me...

Thank you for reading! Any and all constructive feedback will be greatly appreciated. I won't pressure you to review, though. I just really hope you enjoyed this first chapter.