The picture was in Serene's hand when she woke up. She thought that was odd, as she woke up at the other end of her bed. Her foot was dangling over the edge and her blanket was over her face. She didn't know how she did that.

It was still dark out, so she lit a lantern, sitting up and wrapping the blanket around herself. She wasn't cold, but the warmth simulated human contact, something she longed for in the early, lonely hours.

Scratching her bird nest hair, she grabbed her hairbrush and started pulling at the knots. It was old and wooden; one of the few things in her possessions she personally hadn't stolen, and the first – and only – gift she had ever been given by her mother.

As her long, choppy locks started to smooth, she pressed the button to illuminate her watch and checked the time. 5:04 am.

Putting the brush on the overturned crate substituting a nightstand, she looked around and mulled over what she would do that day. She had training with Jaron, and she promised Lain she'd go fishing with him before it got too cold. She'd help Heidi with dinner, and smoke with Ansa while she worked on her bike.

Getting out of bed, she pulled on dark green shorts, a black shirt and green boots, pulling her hair into a ponytail and a sleeveless hoodie. Jaron tended to pull her hair when they fought, it was easier just to have it out of the way.

The box at the end of her bed contained the food she had raided or shoplifted, and she started to go through it. She pulled out a bottle of water and pack of dried fruit, dropping them in her bag and picking up her fishing kit. As quietly as she could, she made her way through the camp, ignoring the night-time watchers.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Serene stopped, turning halfway towards the steps to Raven's tent. Vernal sat there, because why wouldn't she be at five thirty in the morning when she wasn't scheduled to patrol.

"Don't see how that's any of your business." Serene said blankly, not particularly wanting to start her day with this asshole.

"We don't need you starting anything and drawing attention to us."

"Starting anything with who? The fish?" Serene asked, holding up her fishing rod.

"Just don't do anything stupid."

"Piss off," Serene scoffed, walking off with a mouth full of fruit.

On the shores of the river Serene started digging though the dirt for bait. She filled her little rusty bucket full of bugs and slid down the small decline to the river and up the slanted tree hanging over the water and taking a seat, hooking and baiting her line before throwing it into the black water.

Thunder clapped above her. It had been cloudy all week, but not a drop had fallen. Serene couldn't help but feel relieved; rain tended to make her feel exhausted. There wasn't a whole lot to do in a downpour when you lived in a tent.

The river was, for lack of a better word, serene. The only sound was nature; no bandits jeers, no shrill or dull cried of weapons banging together. No Vernal, no Raven.

It made it easier to slip away.

The golden brown wooden cabin stood isolated in the woods. The days were pleasant, not too bright, with an occasionally rainy night to help lull her to sleep. Today was a good day. There were a few clouds in the sky, and she sat on the front porch in her swing chair, reading a book. Azure shores. It was her favourite book, the second in a series she didn't have. There was a light breeze, so she didn't have to swing the seat herself. She wore bright colours. Her clothes were always brighter in her fantasy. She wore a pink t-shirt and blue shorts. She didn't own anything like that in the camp.

She slipped into her fantasy, falling down the rabbit whole until she was in the story she knew by heart, landing on a perfect beach with white and gold sands and perfect blue and green waves. Despite never having been to a beach herself, she could almost feel the sand beneath her feet, the salty air in her face. She'd imagined the scene so many times it felt like a memory, something she could easily trace like a scar down her leg.

She was jolted out of her daydream but the tugging at her line. Pulling in slowly a few times before giving the line a yank, she reeled in a decent sized fish, a crooked grin spreading across her face as she pulled up her prize.

'Nice catch Wisp!' She could hear her dad say, his voice clear as day as it rang in her head. She was suddenly overwhelmed with sadness. Looked at the dead fish on her line, she didn't feel so happy anymore.

'Cheer up wisp; that's a hell of a catch!'

She gave a bit of a smile, getting up and climbing off the tree. She emptied the remaining bait into the earth and cleaned the fish before she left, washing her hands before pulling her hood up over her hair.

The sun started to rise red as she headed through the path to the camp, weaving her way through the awakening raiders to her own humble set-up behind Raven's where they stored the dust and food crates.

She built a fire with the swiftness off a practise pyromaniac and cooked her fish and potatoes she'd traded some smokes for and herbs she'd picked on the way back. It smelt good, and she could see the vultures by the time it was ready.

"Have I told you how hot you are lately?" Ansa asked, sitting down beside her.

Serene gave a half laugh, half scoff, dishing out the meal. "Be careful of bones," She warned, handing her the plate.

"I know the drill," Ansa said, shovelling the fish into her mouth with abandon.

Serene rolled her eyes, grabbing her own plate and leaning against the log beside her.

"Did you hear about the attack up North?" Ansa asked, mashing her potatoes with a fork.

"No," Serene said, "What happened?"

"Apparently this huge riot broke out. A couple people died, and it attracted Grimm."

She didn't need to finish the sentence. "Does Raven plan to raid?"

"We were supposed to hit Xin Jin this weekend; we might as well hit a town where all the work is already done."

"When do we leave?"

"Raven's heading up there now; she's going to open a portal at exactly ten. You, Jaron, Shay, and a couple others are supposed to go."

"Fun," Serene muttered, picking at her food.

"You gotta start grabbing your shit for school?"

"Yep," She sighed.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"Thank fuck."

Serene snorted. "You mean you don't want to be my personal therapist?"

"Just repress it like an adult." Ansa said, standing up and walking off. Serene chuckled, grabbing her dish and dropping it in the water boiling over the fire. She washed up quick and slipped into her tent, changing into all black and brushing her hair again, tying it into a braid. It fell to her waist, and she wandered if she should cut it. Probably not; she liked her hair too much. It was her only physical trait she took any effort to maintain. She pulled on her jacket and headed out. She looked around, making sure none of the scavengers at the camp were eyeing her tent.

Vernal was sat on a crate in the centre of the camp, watching the squabbling idiots below.

"Do you think it'll be a good haul?" Asked Marius.

"Probably; Grimm don't break gold." Shay replied with his creepy grin. Serene rolled her eyes, sitting up on a crate away from Vernal.

"Food and weapons are your priority." Vernal snapped, messing with her weapon. "It's a hunting village, so they'll be loaded. No fucking around."

"We don't know how long until the huntsmen arrive," Serene added. The surprise of her speaking up made them listen, and the mindless chatter dying down to a few grumbles.

The portal opened, and with the proficiency they reserved for raids, the group was through, weapons raised as they took in their surroundings. Serene was last, coming in light with her gauntlets ready and on high alert. The dark and dirty camp disappeared the an even darker and desolate town. The dirt under her feet was replaced with cold cobblestone. It clacked under her boots as she made her way to where Raven was divvying up the groups.

"Shay, Midori, Ako, clear the street to the west," She pointed. "Serene, scavenge the East."

With that, the group split up. Serene looked out, taking a moment to assess her job. The houses were crumbled and shattered, smoke emanating from several areas, mixing into the grey clouds. As Midori led the group off, Serene made a running start, wanting it over with.

She cleared the first few houses, finding little of value. Apparently, Raven had given her the most boring neighbourhood in the entire crumbling village.

The last house in the line had a collapsed roof, and Serene had to concentrate, using her semblance to get inside and to the second story. Feeling drained, Serene retired her semblance for the day and kicked open the first door, turning her head as the door burst open, splinters flying. She walked inside, looking around the room. It was small, but more than she had ever had. She felt a pang of jealousy and longing for the clean, dry space. The bed was decent sized, and the light blanket looked comfortable. There was a half-packed suitcase in the middle of the room that had apparently been abandoned in its owners haste. Serene emptied it, shoving in the pillow before looking around for things to loot.

Several pictures and sketches were stuck on the wall beside the desk. She grabbed the pencil case and sketch book from the desk, before ransacking the drawers. She found several empty notebooks and dropped them in. Opening the closet, she quickly tried on a jacket. It was too small, so she dropped it back in. The boots fit, so she shoved them in the case. Turning back to the desk she knocked something over. Looking down, there was a blue jar at her feet, about the size of a one litre bottle. She knelt down and grabbed it, opening the top.

"Jackpot," She muttered monotonously, putting the heavy jar into the suitcase. Checking the other rooms, she found some clothes that fit, some toiletries, a gun and dust case. Zipping up the case, she lugged it onto her back and managed to burn a hole out the back of the house and making her way to the main road. She couldn't see anyone else, so she headed back to the courtyard they had arrived at and waited. Shay was looting a market stall nearby. There were two dead bodies, blood splattered along the grey stones.

"Finished your school shoppin' huh?" Shay asked, walking over with a raggedy duffle bag of food.

Serene dropped the bag on a bench near the tree in the centre of the courtyard, sitting down beside it as she waited. Shay sat on the other end of the bench, eyeing her.

"What?" Serene snapped.

"Looking good girly," He said, looking her up and down. Serene glared at him, her eyes flickering. His shirt caught on fire, and he jumped to his feet, trying to smack it out. Serene watched, bemused.

"You little bitch!"

"I told you to stop doing that."

Serene looked up as Raven walked around her, ready to interfere if either made a go at the other.

"He pissed me off," She said emotionlessly.

"Do you have enough?" Raven asked, kicking her bag lightly.

"I think so." She nodded.

"The others are on their way back; we intercepted a radio call that the Huntsmen are on their way to clear out the village; they'll be here within the hour."

Raven sent her through early, opening a portal near Vernal, who looked annoyed at being excluded.

The others dropped their weapons into the centre of the camp as Raven started assigning dust cartridges and food. One of the good things about being sent away for school was that she didn't have to share her haul.

She left the bag in her tent, in no hurry to go through it, and changed yet again. Jaron was waiting outside when she emerged.

"About fucking time." He said, jumping off the back platform of Raven's tent and walking over. Serene rolled her eyes.

"I'm so sorry to have inconvenienced you." She said sarcastically, walking over to her cousin. Jaron stretched, his old, ripped shirt lifted, revealing his tanned and muscled stomach. Serene rolled her eyes again, knowing he looked for any excuse to show off his physic. She wandered if that was why all his shirts had holes in them.

Jaron kicked off his shoes, the only decent part of his outfit, and stepped into the invisible fighting ring. Serene dropped her gauntlets on a crate and picked up her staff, twirling it as she and Jaron circled each other.

Jaron struck first, as he always did, and Serene easily dodged his attacks until he grew impatient. He was getting better, but he was still too focused on the offensive stance.

A well-aimed swing sent him back, but he was in control enough to come back a second later. She held up the staff to block his blow but she had to dig her feet in to stop his blow from sending her into the spire's behind her.

"You're getting better," Jaron said, dodging her hit. She sent the staff into his ribs, getting a pained grunt.

"Wish I could say the same." Serene grinned, taking his legs out from under him. He sent his string – blue and shining – out to grab her foot. Serene jumped, but it wrapped around her left leg. She landed on her ass, sending the staff down on Jaron's face.

"Fuck!" He cried, getting to his feet and spitting blood. Serene jumped to her feet, circling him once again.

"No way I'm letting a kid beat me," He warned, sending out his string. Serene easily dodged it, lunging for a hit. He easily combated it, but she landed on her feet.

"You'd think you'd have used those four years to learn how not to fight like a headless worm."

"You're in for it kid." Jaron sent out his strings, grabbing her wire. The strings – his semblance – didn't cut like her weapon did, but they were certainly stronger, and her staff started to crack. She tugged it back, before letting go. Jaron didn't react in time, and got a wooden pole to his face.

"Fuck!" He screamed, clutching his face and lashing out in the dirt. Serene burst out laughing, watching him convulse. She didn't particularly enjoy watching people suffer. Except her friends. It was funny.

"I fucking hate you." He moaned, sitting up. Blood was dribbling from his mouth, falling into the dirt from behind his hand. She saw the flash of his aura and he spat out the blood.

"Dude! I fucking live here!" She pointed over to her tent a few feet behind him.

"Tough shit," He spat, getting to his feet.

"So I win?"

"Fuck you."

Serene grinned, grabbing her staff. It was getting late in the afternoon, and the sun was coming out; it would be best to wash before the clouds came back.

The water was cold, and she could hear the other bathers further down complaining. She loved it; the frigid temperature cooled down her slightly overheated body and refreshed her. Breaking the surface, she took a deep breath and floated to the top. She could see her loose hair tickling her arms as the weak rays of sunshine landed on her face.

"Fore!"

Water burst over her and she straightened up, shaking the water off her face. She splashed Heidi, who splashed her back.

"You're a dickhead." Serene said, shaking her face in a weak attempt to get the water off it.

Heidi laughed, splashing her again. The two continued to send water at each other until Heidi surrendered.

"Heard you kicked Jaron's ass." She said, spitting water out of her mouth.

"Sent my staff into his face," Serene confirmed, bobbing up and down to try and grab the branches above her.

"Did you get a good haul?"

"Yeah. Are you cooking tonight?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah; Ansa did my patrol so I'm cooking for the week."

"Thank God."

"Yeah, she's a terrible cook," Heidi chuckled.

"She's so bad," Serene finally grabbed a branch, sinking back into the water. She broke the stick into smaller parts and threw them down stream, hoping they would annoy the other swimmers. "At least she knows it and tries to get out of it,"

"Yeah. I miss Yuna's cooking."

"Me too. It's shithouse she only cooks for the little kids," Serene dunked herself under the water, emerging to a faceful of water.

"You're fucking dead," Serene chased Heidi back to the bank, grabbing her and shoving her under before she could reach the safety of the stony shore. As she let her up, Heidi held up her hands again.

"Okay, okay you win."

"Damn right I win," Serene pushed herself back out to the deep black water.

Heidi threw her some soap and Serene washed off, cleaning her body and hair before getting out and getting dressed. She sat with Heidi on the grass as they dried their hair.

"So when do you leave for Haven?" Heidi asked, brushing her and her sister's blue brush through her long, straight blonde hair. Serene was somewhat jealous; being a lot thinner, Heidi's hair was much more manageable than her own.

"Early January I think."

"Are you nervous?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure how I feel."

"Well it'll be nice to get away for a while."

"I'm leaving so I can learn how to kill people Heidi," Serene reminded her, pulling most of her hair back into a high ponytail.

"Try not to think of it like that. You're learning how to protect the tribe. You won't have to kill anyone if they don't attack us first."

"You know that's not what Raven wants. I'm too 'soft'."

"You hit your cousin in the face with a staff today."

"I didn't kill him."

"It's only a matter of time,"

Serene snorted, brushing her fringe.

"You're fringe is getting long." Heidi said, leaning over and brushing it out of her eyes.

"I need to get it cut."

"I can do it tonight if you want."

Serene agreed and they headed back to camp. They parted ways, heading to their respective areas. Serene grabbed an oversized jacket, one of her dads, and sat in front of the fire, stoking it and pulling out the suitcase she'd stolen earlier. She looked around, making sure she was alone, and opened it. She started a mental inventory of what she had collected; a jacket, some jeans, some black and some green shoes, some jewellery she'd be able to pawn in the city, some sunglasses and a wallet. It was pretty, and had fifty lien in it. She pulled out the identification, looking it over before throwing it into the fire. She inspected the rest of the cards, throwing them in as she went. It looked like the woman who owned it went to the city a lot.

"Whatchya got there?" Heidi asked, walking over to her.

"A purse." Serene said, holding a card up to examine it.

"Okay, sit up," Heidi kicked her back lightly and Serene sat on the floor. Heidi sat behind her and started divvying up her hair to trim.

"Okay, talk to me."

"No."

"You're gonna end up like Raven if you keep everything in."

"How the hell did you end up so fucking in touch with your feelings?" Serene asked, making a disgusted face.

"I had the only decent parent in this tribe."

"There are no decent people in this tribe."

"Never said she was a decent person, but she was a good parent. Head back."

Serene complied but didn't start spilling her heart out. Heidi started to trim, chewing on whatever snack she had brought with her.

"So are you actually in the academy yet?"

"Yeah, I got accepted last week; Raven set up a PO box in the city."

"Is that where you were last Friday?"

"Yep."

"Did you see the school?"

"I saw a bit of it when I took the entrance exam," Serene recalled the academy she had been at for a few hours. She'd done a very quick scope of the area before slipping away, eager to leave the unfamiliar area. Despite the anxiety of being alone in a new environment, the school had a somewhat calming effect to it. It felt (once again, for lack of a better word) serene.

Heidi moved around and started cutting her fringe. Serene closed her eyes and let her work, hoping they'd drop the subject.

Once she was done, Serene flicked her coat out a few tomes to get rid of the discarded hair.

"What are you gonna do about… everything," Heidi gestured to all of her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you look just like Raven. Won't Lionheart think something's up?"

"Yeah, apparently Raven's got something planned." She shrugged, playing with her new fringe. "I suggested going blonde, but Raven got pissed and said she'd take care of it."

"I can't imagine you as a blonde." Heidi laughed, fixing up Serene's hair.

"I know, it would be weird," Serene agreed, running her hand through her hair. Heidi had taken a few inches, but other than that she could barely tell she'd done anything.

"Why would Raven care if you died your hair?"

"I don't know; she wants to control every aspect of me?" Serene guessed with false enthusiasm.

"I suppose I wouldn't put it past her," Heidi muttered. "What else is there?"

"I suppose I'll just have to cut it short," Serene sighed. She didn't want to, but she wouldn't have much of a choice, not if her mother told her to do it.

"That's not a lot."

"I'll have to dress different." Serene shrugged, sitting down and poking the fire with a stick. "Act different."

"Different how?" Heidi asked, sitting beside her.

"Dunno. I'll have to be nicer."

"Like you were before?"

Serene didn't answer, just staring into the fire. It didn't hurt her eyes; she wandered if that was because of her semblance.

"I wasn't nice," She said softly. "I was just louder."

"Heidi!" Jaron called from beside Raven's tent. "Come on; we're hungry!"

"I'm coming!" Heidi called back. "You gonna eat with us?"

Serene shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"Okay. Come on over if you want to."

Serene nodded, still staring at the flickering flames as Heidi walked off to feed their hopeless friends, falling back into her daydreams.

Before.

Before. Before she went 'soft'. Before she shut everyone out and herself in.

Before she lost her dad.

She woke up early, a few hours past midnight to see the elders trying to patch up Raven's wounds. Someone had carelessly and tactlessly informed her that Dieter was dead, that he'd attacked Raven on their way back from the raid on the tiny settlement.

Dieter vanished from the camp that night. No one mentioned his name; as though he never existed, wiped from history and their minds.

She didn't want to believe it. How could her dad, who had protected her, had taught her to play and fight, who had made sure she could read and swim, do something as stupid, as suicidal as try to kill Raven. She was the Maiden; she was trained as a huntress! It was just stupid. She didn't believe. But it didn't matter. She was well and truly alone now, clinging to the memory of her beloved dad as everyone else left him behind.

The sketchbook was half filled with beautiful art. Serene felt guilty for taking it, but she was getting used to that.

She sat, leaning back against her log as she flicked through the pages. It was dark now, and the fire cast a flickering light that didn't quite do the artwork justice. The girl seemed to like drawing scenery and people; page after page revealed pictures of who she assumed were villagers, scenes of the marketplace, people relaxing in the streets. Most of the sketches of people had names, but they meant nothing to Serene.

As she turned the pages, careful not to smear or tear, her guilt grew more and more intense. It was almost like she was reading this strangers diary. It might not mean anything to her, but to a girl who had just had her town and possibly people she cared about taken from her, it just felt like rubbing salt and dirt into her wound.

Serene wandered if she was still alive.

The pages turned blank and she flicked through to the end. The white pages yielded no more glimpses into the simple life of the Mistrali village girl, so she closed it, dropping it on the log beside her. She stared into the fire for who knew how long before a yawn jolted her back to reality. She rubbed her tired eyes, standing and heading to bed. She said goodnight to her dad and curled up, still wearing his jacket, and finally let herself sleep.