14 years ago...

It was an unbearably warm evening in a particular neighborhood. Plush, blossoming lawns carpeted with perfectly manicured slivers of grass were laid out before every single house, not a decoration out of the ordinary disrupting the monotonous color palette throughout the solemn environment. Not even a light was visible if one were to look into a window, for dark curtains were drawn over them, shouting out to any passerby to immediately regard their privacy. But...

There was one house that was completely the opposite. Lights long out of season were draped across the bushes and cone-shaped trees bordering the driveway. In several areas, patches of grass were matted down, as if a child had sat there multiple times, attempting to create a grass-angel of some sort. And in the windows came such a glowing force. One that wasn't driven by coal-power, nor easily controlled by the flick of a switch. No, this certain light was dancing eagerly in the palms of a girl.

"Careful, darling," her mother admonished slightly, smiling as her daughter expertly tossed the flames, executing a perfect catch just as the fire seemed to lick the floor. Somehow, she had known that her little girl would be a master, perhaps ready to start her training within days of her first flicker.

Pride was evident in the way her mother watched her. It was also expressed in the bracelet tied around her daughter's wrist, a beautifully woven jewel pulled together by things one wouldn't think about. Such a lovely blend of colors it was, grays and blues of all shades flowing into the next. It brings out my daughter's beautiful eyes, she thought. Gray irises, that changed their shades with the girl's moods.

"Mom." Beside her, a boy sat cross-legged, a thin strand of bleached thread laced between his fingers, most likely obtained by pulling on a loose end protruding from a sock . In his dark eyes, a spark of boredom began to flourish immensely. "Can I go play outside with Will, now?"

"Johnathan Bernard Dyer, why in the world would you insist on that?" she said. "Look how she-"

"It's okay," the girl interrupted. Both mother and son turned to stare as a rare outburst from the quiet girl rendered them speechless. Nervous jitters instantly overwhelmed her, and she looped her index finger into a strand of her raven hair, redirecting her gaze towards the wooden floor. "JB can play, Mom. Let him."

The mother nodded towards the boy, who slowly rose to his feet, sparing a single worried glance towards his sister before dashing towards the front door. Just after the click of the lock rang through the house, the mother looked at her daughter. "Darling," she said. "Is something wrong?"

"No," the girl replied. She turned towards the far wall, unknown yet terrifying thoughts dwelling in her young mind.

"You can tell me, sweetheart," her mother prodded.

"I said no!" The girl glared at her mother, such a tremendous form of anger slipping inside her for merely two seconds. But just two seconds were enough for her mother to know that indeed, her suspicions were correct. She also understood by the way her daughter escaped to her bedroom that she had no choice when it came to this matter. She must leave the subject until the time was right.

5 years ago...

A birthday cake the size of a ripe pumpkin was centered professionally amongst the delicate plates and silverware set on the table. The girl was staring longingly into the rich, creamy heaven of blue frosting and turquoise sprinkles, her stomach trying heartily to go against her mother's wishes to leave the treat alone.

" Happy Twelfth Birthday, Aylinn!" it read, painted onto the surface of the cake in heavy, white script. I want to eat, so badly..., the girl moaned silently.

A shadow fell across the table, causing the girl to turn. Her mother carried with her a tray, and when she set it down, the girl could see what was on top: candles, of all sizes and designs, neatly placed in rows of no real order. Without a moment's hesitation, the girl plucked a single candle, the smallest and purely solid-colored, and placed it into the cake.

Then, her fingers reached up to grip the cord of her bracelet, now enlarged into a necklace.

The mother smiled, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Ready?"

And that was the moment the girl snapped. She could hear a roar, and suddenly, darkness. No, not darkness. Light. Fire, hot, searing flames, brushed up against her flesh, clogged up her ears, trickled down her throat to the blackest pit of her heart.

Somehow, the girl made it out alive. She pushed against the front door, and ended up lying on the dewy grass, coughing as ash dripped from her mouth. I'm alive, she thought, when she could be able to regain her composure. I'm alive.

"Aylinn!"

The girl widened her eyes, her hazy vision deforming the view of her home. It became a monster, charred wood creating pointed teeth, windows filled with flames the burning eyes. She spotted her mother's figure in the doorway of the door she escaped from. But before she could react to the collapsing staircase behind her, the roof gave way to the fingers of the girl's own doing. The monster swallowed her mother whole.

Now

Now...I am lost. I'm ultimately finished. I no longer have a sense of direction. I know where to go...but I don't know if it's truly where I should be headed.

Dest found me, and this all I could recall other than aimless wandering. "You are hurt," he murmured to me, when I could only stare at him, for I couldn't feel the strength in my bones. "Come with me."

I am forever indebted to him now. He became my mentor when I destroyed the one I was born with.

Now, I am on my own. Tell me... how does an orphaned girl cross the only bridge to the populous New York City without a car?

I can only find one answer. And it requires me to lose my innocence. But then again...I've lost it long ago.