Two years ago

Rainwater had filled the gutters and flowed through the street, all was dark and silent save an occasional squeak and pattering of feet from the rats who were desperate to stay dry. The sky had opened up and poured down at mid-afternoon and hadn't ceased since. Anyone with an ounce of common sense was inside their homes. But there were some unlucky people who had nowhere to go.

A slight figure passed under a lantern, she was clutching a knife with numb hands, she looked slightly out of breath and her cheeks were flushed despite the cold. A strand of fiery red hair had come loose and it was like a bright banner waving to be noticed, even in the dim light. She seemed to have enough sense to tuck it back under her hood.

It was unusual for a comely young woman to be out and about at that time of night, these were dangerous times.

If someone was watching they might say that she was a nobleman's daughter, sneaking out to meet her lover.

And then she turned to look behind her and all signs of being a innocent girl vanished. There it was, clear as day.

That flash of silver was what caught the eye, a deadly sign of being one of them. It was on the right side of her face, a horrible distortion from her jaw to her eye. It even crept along her neck in long silvery veins.

Even the most cruel scum that was hidden in the shadows seemed to draw back in horror. That thing, it used to be a human. A girl. Now it was nothing but a monster.

Maybe it was an accident, maybe she had been injured and had the operation before she realised the consequences, maybe she hated what she had become... Or she could be one of those who wore their disagreement as a trophy, and believed that the malicious coldblooded hatred was a gift.

There was a shout in the distance, and the sound of running. Soldiers, come to take her away. That was a good thing. It deserved to die.

The girl pulled her cloak tighter against the cold, and slipped silently into a dark alleyway. She sucked in a breath when she kicked something lying across her path, but she didn't stop.

There was no time. She stumbled blindly along the dark alleyway, her only guide the wall. Her fingertips trailed along the damp bricks, and her feet managed to keep from tripping in the darkness.

She sent a silent prayer to the heavens. If her memory served her right, then the ship was right at the end of this building. If not, then she might as well give herself up.

She peered around the corner, clutching her knife in her hand.

There were no lights from the windows of houses, everyone was asleep at that hour, the road was wet from the rain, and it reflected the light of the flaming torch.

She was about to step out from the shadows when a when a broken and wheezing voice spoke behind her.

"Wait... There's someone there. "

She froze, frantically scanning the darkness in the alleyway. She could just see the faint lines of bricks on the wall, and some dark mounds which she assumed before were rubbish.

She shrank against the wall, and then slowly flicked her eyes back into the open street.

Everything looked exactly the same as before, and she began to think she imagined the voice out of tiredness, or perhaps she was crazy .

She shuddered, and shook off the self loathing, then leaned forwards to flee.

And then she saw it. Only moments before she had thought the torch was sitting on the street corner to light the way, and perhaps it was. But it wasn't alone. A soldier sat huddled against the cold, sheltered by the wall from the rain. He was near invisible unless you were looking hard.

She looked back into the darkness behind her, still seeing no sign of the body that should come with the ghostly voice. After a moments hesitation she fished around in her purse and tossed three copper pennies on the ground for him to find.

A beggar? She didn't envy him living in the street with nothing but rats to keep him company.

"Thank you for warning. " She said, keeping her voice low. "It will be much appreciated."

"You're welcome." There was a quiet cough. "Though I won't be needing money where I'm going."

She didn't ask where he was going, because she understood all too well. She was in the same situation he was in not very long ago, and death would have been a blessing. She didn't ask if he had family or friends who could help him, because if he did then he wouldn't be in there In the first place.

So instead she waited, waited for him to realise what she was, what she could be.

"Aren't you scared of me?"

When he didn't answer, she did something that she might regret. When she had the operation for her burns, she had asked for one favour. One thing a lonely little girl could ask for in the big dark world.

A light.

They didn't put it where she expected, on her face, but somewhere else where she wasn't burnt. The palm of her hand. If she had a chance to take that one shining beacon away, she wouldn't. Even if it meant living a life of fear and hatred.

So today, when she stood in that alleyway with danger all around, she did what seemed like a good idea at the time.

When she switched the light on, she made sure it was dim, and she sheltered by her other hand. The cool glow shone exactly where she wanted it to. Finally she could see.

"Oh god... what have they done to you?" it was impossible to hold back the horror that crept into her voice.

The man lay on the ground, he had one and covering his eyes from the sudden bright light. Blood covered soaked his clothing and face, his cloak was was ripped and torn. She knew at a glance what he was.

She looked over her shoulder at the silent soldier. She guessed he was sleeping.

The injured man still squinted up at her, his face white.

"I'm going to help you. " Her voice shook. "What is your name?"

The silence stretched out, and she wondered if he would survive the night. There was a lot of blood.

Was it all his own?

When he spoke, she was surprised the clarity of his voice.

"It's Frank... My name is Frank."