Disclaimer: I don't own any of Tamora Pierce's stuff, why are you still checking?

A/N: Once again I am not happy with this chappie. I got sick of trying to fine-tune it any more so I posted it. Critique it as you will.

Lady Em-chan: Just curious, what do you think is a good chapter length?

Lillycat: the part about the reflection was s'posed to be confusing; hopefully in the end I can make it make more sense.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

From then on Sari decided to avoid fountains of any type for a long, long time. Walking around the bustling den the next evening she thought and puzzled about her dream trying to understand if there was anything more to it than just a nightmare, however a very vivid nightmare.

It was pretty hopeless for her to try and see it as a real omen. The thought of it happening gave her goose bumps. Before long she gave up and tried to forget it and move on. People needed her.

Still as she tried to continue her life like she did every day she couldn't stop the pictures of the dead brittle lifeless place she had seen. She couldn't shake off the feeling of foreboding and the uncomfortable knowledge that if anything did happen the thieves would be left behind. Stubbornly she tried to push the pictures back out every time they came. She had to keep her head on the ground whether she liked to or not.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later...

Flopping down onto the ground in the aid room Sari was exhausted from another long day. She had worked very hard to try and get a larger collection from a smaller crowd. In comparison to what she would have gotten for that effort only a year ago only made her depressed. Unbidden her nightmares and fears floated to the front of her mind.

The aid room was empty so she didn't need to worry about being teased when she went into deep thought and stared off into space. Sari jumped a foot of five when her gaze traveling around the room met a pair of eyes identical to her own. She burst out laughing when she saw that it was just her reflection in a metal lid.

Sari found it a little strange that the lid was positioned just right to catch the reflection of her face. She stared at her reflection daring it so much as think about changing. When it just stayed the same she tipped her head back and sighed. Was she going to spend the next month mentally talking to her reflection?

Sari tipped her head down again and absolutely jumped out of her skin when her reflection wasn't hers anymore. Terrified and certain that this wasn't a dream Sari flew from the room like there were hounds on her trail.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Another day...

The sun was toasting hot that day with still no sign of rain when Sari was strolling the streets. Midday and hardly any citizens were out and about making it impossible to collect anything but heatstroke. Sari would have been glad to be back in the den and out of the suns sickening rays.

Without thinking about it Sari found herself perching on a fountain rim next to Risk and absentmindedly chatting like she always did. When she realized where she was sitting Sari jumped up like she had been bitten by a cobra and started rapidly walking away.

After seeing the curious display Risk got off the fountain rim and trotted after Sari completely baffled. Sari had been acting a little odd lately, but so had everyone after the quake. Maybe she was under a little too much pressure.

Sari was embarrassed and when she saw Risk coming down the street wearing a stern and worried face she decided to do what she loved, disappear.

Risk saw Sari disappear down an alley and stopped trying to follow her. She knew it was pointless to try and follow Sari threw the maze she was going into. Sari could outrun her any day.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Risk was going to be in a confused temper when she got back so Sari decided as she half jogged along she had better make her escape worth the lectures she'd get when she went back to the den.

Sari smiled looking at the old battered stall; this was her favorite place in all of Chammar, The Dagger Shop. A large number of her daggers she had came from the less than respectable shop. Slipping in the stall Sari greeted the owner with a smile, she was pretty known here. The bald muscled man half smiled and turned back to whatever he was doing, watching Sari out of the corner of her eye, she was a thief after all.

Going behind the stall front Sari started rummaging threw the piles of less high quality blades. Picking up a very rusted blade she tried to rub it off a bit with her sleeve. From time to time she had gotten some good finds in the piles of rusted daggers.

She rubbed the dagger harder trying to get enough rust off to see the quality of the metal. Searching out the shops sharpening stone Sari started to scrape the rust off. The grizzled owner wouldn't care if she did some free labor. The grind of rust being scrubbed off filled the empty stall as she slid the stone back and forth.

Her mind wandered as her hands did there usual routine. Sari had a lot of daggers that saw lot of use and needed a lot of sharpening. Silently she started calculating; wondering if with some of her earnings she had saved up she could manage to buy another blade, it wouldn't be of the highest quality but another blade might help her sleep a little sounder, they often did.

If she could find a nice one in the piles she resolved to get it, anything that'd make her fear stay at bay. Sari finally had one side of the dagger clear enough to judge.

She held up the blade to eye level to evaluate its value. The moment she met her own eyes she knew she'd made a stupid mistake. True enough the face she stared at changed. Sari felt like she was frozen in time staring at the face in front of her.

The face in the blade stared at her pressed its lips and shook its head firmly with a mulish look. The reflection swirled to black and Sari could move again. She dropped the rusted dagger on the pile of blades when her numb fingers finally would pry themselves loose.

She stepped back trying to keep a hysterical laugh from escaping her mouth. Sari took a shaky breath and a step backwards. Trying to clear enough space in her mind for logical thought was almost impossible, but she did manage to push enough clutter and panic out of the way to try and think a little.

She closed her eyes and stood there breathing in deep breaths until she wasn't quite so panicked. Why was she so afraid? It wasn't as bad as her mind wanted her to believe. Fear needs no good reasons and preyed on whoever let it.

Sari rubbed her forehead, she needed a rooftop run.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: Sorry it's taken me a while here. I get influence for my stories from everything that I do, but lately (cough) I've been playing Star Craft and... any inspiration I could use from that would be strange. Anyway please review and give me suggestions on where I can improve.