This story is starting out pretty slow, sorry. This whole chapter is basically an intro, so...Hopefully it'll pick up later.

I'm being chased by fire. CHASED. By FIRE. I didn't know fire could consciously follow anybody—at least not without a path of dry grass or gasoline or something. These flames are just...there! There's nothing feeding them. They have a life of their own. It's like some sort of hellish specter that wants to catch me and burn me alive. So I run. I run and run, going any which way I can think of. Down alley ways, over rivers, through rocky passages, through a gate guarded by knights in black armor...Where the hell is this place? It's like whatever I think up just appears.

Oh, I get it now. I'm dreaming. That makes sense. I close my eyes, and with just a thought I can change my surroundings. I change it to something familiar. Not pleasant. But familiar. When I open my eyes, I'm in a room built from grey stone bricks. There was one metal door, the only passage to any other area. There were no windows. No decorations. No furniture. Just me.

And the fire that had a life of it's own. I see. The fire won't go away no matter how much I want it too. This must be one of those dreams. A precognition dream. I turn to face the bright ball of heat warily. What's my subconscious trying to tell me this time? What do these flames have to do with the future? Is it the means of my death perhaps? That's not a pleasant thought...

Hesitantly, I reach toward the shifting flames that hovered in front of me. The fire seems to respond and draws closer to me. I brace myself for a world of searing pain to overcome me as the flames lick my skin. But it doesn't hurt. It feels warm. Inviting, almost...

Huh? I blink at the cream colored wall in front of me. My thoughts are a blur as I try to sort through my confusion. The fire's gone. All that's left is a tingling sensation where it had touched me. I sigh and sit up in my bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes for all the good it would do. I'm exhausted. Precognition dreams make it seem like I'm up all night even though I'm asleep when they happen. That's why I try not to call on this ability of mine. While it's sometimes helpful to have hints for the future, I'm not willing to sacrifice rest for that. However, once in a while my vague visions come unbidden. I've learned not to complain about them though. The precognitions that show up uninvited usually have something important to tell me.

I ponder over the contents of my dream as I get up and begin my regular morning routine. What could it mean? Fire usually just ate up whatever was in its path, leaving nothing but ashes and ruin behind. But this fire seemed...friendly, as weird as that sounds. I shake my head. There's no use in trying to figure it out right now. It was much too vague for me to gleam any useful information from it.

I pull on a pair of faded blue jeans, avoiding the full body mirror in the room. A tight white tee-shirt was enough to cover the scars that I didn't want to look at. The well worn pair of sneakers in my possession was the final touch to the plain outfit. I finally face my reflection, icy blue eyes giving myself a once-over. I grab a brush to sort out the tangled mess of golden-brown hair on my head. When the shoulder-length locks are neat enough to be considered decent, I grab the few belongings I have and pack them away into a small backpack.

I've been staying at this hotel for way too long. It's time to bounce before the marines figure out I'm here. I bolt down the stairs and toss the beri I owe on the counter. The innkeeper begins to stay something along the lines of "Thanks, come again soon!" but I ignore him and head out the door. I duck into the crowd on the streets casually, blending in fairly easily among both the locals and the pirates that swarmed the shops. Sabaody Archipelago is a hot spot for pirate activity, even though a marine base was located nearby. Either the government didn't know about all the shady stuff that went on, or they just couldn't be bothered with dispatching some man-power to arrest all the low lives around here.

In any case, I'd rather not stick around in one place for too long. The thing is, I'm on a "higher priority" list than some of wanted criminals around me. I glance to a billboard in front of a shop; one filled with wanted posters. Sure enough, an all too familiar one was located near the center where everyone could see it.

WANTED ALIVE:

WINSLOW D. SAFIYA

The picture was a of a young girl, about twelve years old. She had long, golden-brown hair that was curled and tied into pigtails. She wore a red Victorian dress and sat on a lavish armchair next to a grand fireplace. She stared straight at the camera that had taken her picture, a small, unhappy frown adorning her features.

Below the picture was the emblem of the mark of the World Nobles. The mark of the Celestial Dragons. There wasn't an amount printed on the poster, but the emblem itself was enough to promise riches.

I shudder and keep moving. I've cut my hair since the time that poster appeared. I've taken to hiding in plain sight, dressing like a commoner and hanging around in places no one would expect the daughter of a wealthy family to be. So far, it's worked. Sort of. I get caught up in all sorts of shady activities, but I'd gladly take that over being handed over to those World Nobles. Been there, done that. Never again.

When no one's looking, I down an alley and head towards the ocean. I stay close enough to the town so that it'll be a quick trip back, but I go far enough away that no one would find me easily if they tried to look. Honestly, I just want to see if I can actually get any real sleep. Hopefully no precognitions will rear their ugly heads while I'm trying to catch a morning nap.

I pull a towel out of my backpack when I find a suitable place to sleep and lay it out on the ground. Despite the years I've been "roughing it", I still absolutely refuse to sleep directly on the dirt. I try not to seem like I was raised with money, but old habits die hard. I use my bag as a pillow as I make myself comfortable, and lucky for me my brain is completely willing to shut down and let me rest.

However, it was because of this dead sleep that I didn't notice the arrival of was quite possibly the biggest ship I'd ever seen, or it would have been had I been awake to see it.