Wow, chapter 10! Can you guys believe we're in the double digits already?! I'm kind of interested to see if we'll even hit triple! (The story line is long, I'm just not sure by how much!)

Next chapter will end what I originally thought was chapter 3! XD

I have some news I think you all will be happy to hear! I've decided to set a regular updating schedule! No longer will you have to wait in agony, unaware of when I will be posting next! :D

My goal is to post a new chapter every Saturday! That being said, I'm about to go on a week long vacation. However, I already have the new chapter written, I just need to edit it! (Which is surprisingly the longest part.)

So, at the latest, my scheduled updates will be starting on August 27th!

Wish me luck guys~

And thanks again to every single one of you who is reading this, now or in the future! I am so grateful to have you guys, and to see all of your feedback! I love that a few (thousand :P ) words can cause someone to feel strong emotions and bonds with characters, and I am (amazed) so happy that I am able to cause that. I plan to continue writing for years to come! (And I'm planning many more KotlC Fanficts to come! :D Also, if you need some angsty Fitz, check out my rp blog on tumblr, WonderboytheCognate. You'll find what you're looking for! XD)

That being said, enjoy the chapter and have a great next week! And to those of you who just recently had their first day of school, good luck and I hope you get awesome teachers! ^.^ (And same to those of you like me who haven't started yet :) )

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Her feet hit the rough, uneven cobblestones over and over, rubbing them raw and causing her to stumble as she ran through the darkened streets of Venice. It seemed like a ghost town compared to daytime, but that was better. It would be easier to see them coming, or at least she hoped so. She had just barely escaped the two men from the alleyway, the taller one's grubby fingers grazing her scarred arms as the younger one screamed at her to stop. But she had escaped. She kept running, terrified the silhouettes could appear at any moment, her mind burning the fingerprints onto her numb skin. It was as if a thick fog had formed in her brain, blocking her thoughts. Her body was running on pure instincts and adrenaline. She ran through street after street, cutting corners and speeding through the dark shadows, wishing she could fade among them.

She wasn't sure how long she had been running, or how far she had gone. All she knew was nothing looked familiar, and her body grew too tired to continue. She collapsed on her knees by the water's edge, holding herself up with her hands as she took giant, wheezing breaths in and out, in and out, until her chest began to burn a little less, and her heart beat slowly faded from her head.

She was safe now, or at least safer. She had changed her direction several times, hoping it would throw them off. But they would find her eventually. With weird powers and her former family behind them, they easily had a hold over her. She couldn't go anywhere she usually would, could think like herself. Because that was how they would get her. So, she had embraced Maria's attitude, spontaneously running down random side streets, choosing whichever way caught her eye. Her brain told her she should be panicking, but she was too tired, too numb.

As the glare of the full moon caught the corner of her eye, she looked up at the large waterway which fed directly into the ocean. The dark, inky waters, which seemed to stretch on to infinity were only cut by the silver crests which shone in the light of the moon. She was bent over, still gasping for breath, her silhouette slightly outlined by the moonbeams. But otherwise, she blended into the water's darkness. She ran a hand over her forehead, the humid air sending tiny water droplets onto her skin, mixing in with the salty sweat which beaded down her face and back.

As her breaths began to even out, she stood up. Sweeping her eyes across the area, and seeing no one, she allowed herself to stare out at the ocean, though she couldn't enjoy the view.

What was she supposed to do? Where was she supposed to go? She had no one, no money, and the only hint of her past existence she had was her real name, which could just as easily be fake. Everything she knew was a lie, she was a lie. If she lost her memories for a reason… then who was she really? And why couldn't she remember?

She was filled with unbearable despair that attempted to tear apart her heart, and the hole already deep within her from the loss of her parents and her memories, grew. Anger began to bubble up within her as the situation settled in, her brain finally starting to realize it wasn't a dream. She embraced the anger, welcomed it, because it was better than being depressed, better than being lost in the darkness. She clenched her jaw as she tried to come up with a plan, but her brain was too full of everything else to think properly. A glint of light caught her eye, and for what felt like the first time, she noticed her mother's bracelet.

The green jade edged with gold, and elegantly carved, seemed almost menacing. She suddenly saw the hospital room again, white and sterile. Her aunt had clasped the bracelet onto her right wrist, telling her it was her mother's and making her promise to never, ever take it off, no matter what. The hospital smell filled her nose, making her stomach feel like it had been plunged into the cold ocean water. Fear of the future, sadness at her aunt's abandonment, and anger at every lie that swirled around her head, buzzing false words at her ears like mosquitos, filled her. Before she knew what she was doing the bracelet was off her wrist, the warm jade leaving her fingertips as it sailed towards the dark waters. It hit the waves with a plunk, and instantly disappeared under the inky darkness.

Regret crashed over her lie a tidal wave as she stared in horror at the now vacant spot. The thought that it could be a lie left her mind, and all she could think of were the lonely nights she spent, curled up in her blanket, stroking and talking to her bracelet as if it would talk back. It didn't matter if it was a lie. It was all she had, the only remanence of her existence on earth. And who knew, it could even be the key to the truth. To finding her real family.

She raced towards the water, prepared to jump in, prepared to spend the rest of her life searching among the waves for her bracelet.

And then it hit her.

A step before she hit the ledge, the only thing separating her from the water, a giant force crashed into her head. She instantly fell to her knees, feeling like someone had taken an axe to her skull. Soft mummers filled her brain, ghostly voices invading, colliding together into a giant heap, refusing to let her think. She tried to take deep breaths, tried to work through it, but the pain wouldn't let her. It was too strong. A few tears ran down her cheeks as she bit her tongue, trying to hold in a scream. She used all of her willpower to push herself up, ignoring the taste of blood in her mouth for the second time that night. She needed to escape, needed to get away from the voices. As she began to run, her feet falling into a monotonous rhythm, her bracelet was the last thing on her mind.

When the voices became nearly silent, she stopped running. The pain was still there, but it was bearable, and that realization was enough for her body to collapse. She stared up at the sky, her body slumped against a cold stone wall. It would be a few hours till morning. How long had she been running? The only answer her exhausted brain could come up with was too long. As she dazedly looking around, once again she realized she didn't recognize where she was, though it was hard to tell from the dark alleyway she sat in. The alley was nothing spectacular. A few black garbage bags sat about five feet to her left, and a large, green dumpster on her right propped her up. Otherwise, it was empty. She forced her aching body to sit up, pain racing through every muscle in protest as she did so. She carefully unclasped her cloak, her fingers fumbling, and her brain too tried to care about sentimental value.

When she finally unhooked it, she pulled it around her, watching as it billowed out for a split second before covering her like a blanket. She pulled the hood up over her face and snuggled closer to the dumpster, hoping she would look like any other trash bag, and even more so wishing she would just wake up and find it was all a dream; that her brain, her nightmares, had failed her once again.

But deep down she knew it was real, that there was no way for her to escape her nightmares this time, and she had no one to talk it through with. Because now she was alone, a true orphan. She curled up into a ball as sobs shook her body. She tried to force them down, knowing that any sound could be her demise, but she soon stopped caring. She was too tired to worry, and if death was going to come, she would welcome it, because anything was better than this.

As the stars began to vanish overhead, and the bottled up tears finally streamed down her face, forming little paths on her cheeks, she slowly fell to sleep. This time the cloaks didn't come for her, her arms didn't burn, and screams didn't fill her ears. This time, she was safe in her dreams, a warm trickle and the color teal being the only thing which filled her brain. Because this time, the real nightmares were real, they existed outside her mind, and there was no escaping them. Dreams or not.