The light from the window floats in reflects off of the shards of the mirror. The wild girl stares up at me and I instinctively reach for Gunner.
Gunner.
Where was he?
My hands throw the backpack off of me and the glass crunches underneath the weight of it. I hit my knees and the glass cuts into it, but that's nothing compared to the pain I've been through before. I rummage through the bag, throwing things over my shoulder. No, no, no….
No Gunner.
My eyes widen with fear. Goldie places a paw in my back and I burst into tears. A knock on the door interrupts my tears and I twist around as a tall boy pulls the door open. He grins crookedly and his honey golden eyes sparkle. He spots Goldie comforting me and his smile disappears. He wanders over to me.
"What happened?" His velvet voice rings through my ears. He kneels next to me and the glass crunches under his steel-cap boots.
Goldie turns towards him, a worried expression on her face.
"Her name's Amberlyn. She's from Stalie, just like you."
"She's from Stalie?" He asked, gently lifting my head up. He winced when he saw my face and I burst in to tears again. I dropped my fringe over my eyes and hid my cuts.
"Hey don't cry!" He lifted my head up again and moved my hair away from my forehead.
He reaches behind himself and pulls out a small stuffed bear.
"Is this yours? It's got your name on it."
He hands me the bear. My name is scribbled on its label.
Gunner.
I hug him to my chest.
The boy leans forward and delicately traces each of my scars. He bites his lip and tilts his head to the side. I can see a long scar running across the side of his eye. He lets my hair fall.
"What happened to you?"
I sigh and drop my eyes to the floor.
"I guess I should start at the beginning…"