I had reached the outer edge of the town, passing the all-too-familiar tree that signified the entrance to the dreary town. I frowned. I didn't want to move, truthfully. This place, this area, was close to where my old home used to stand, past the forest and on the side of the lake. Leaving permanently would feel like permanently leaving that memory, and I couldn't decide if that would be a good thing or a bad thing.

My heart ached, but I wouldn't cry. I hadn't cried since that day, when I had promised myself that I would be strong, and I didn't intend on breaking that today. James had understood my views, he had laughed with me, he didn't panic when I showed him what I could do, and I had trusted him enough to show him where I spent my days.

I closed my eyes for a moment, clutching onto that memory with all of my might. His warm hand grasped in mine, his light laughter when we were away from the town, the somber conversations that smelled like home, like pine and heat and lukewarm water, the elation at being able to experience the sensation of flying through the branches with someone else, letting the harmless flames crawl on his skin while the orange reflection danced in his mesmerized eyes, traveling back to the clear lake where everything began for me.

At the lake we hadn't had a care, we had jumped into the water in our clothes, I had made small spheres of water, tossed them into the air, and we would see how many he could catch. A few times I would purposely break the concentration, letting the water splash down on him, and his clear laughter would ring out. With James, I was able to realize that I could forget, I could have a second chance. Even with the charred remains of a chimney just down the shore, I could forget. He made me smile.

When I opened my eyes, I pushed it from my head. I had had my minute of memory, of mourning, but now I had to stop. James was gone, and he wasn't going to come back no matter how badly I wanted him to. No more contemplating how things could've been.

I began the walk home, at first not having the heart to speed through the air. I felt the ache in my chest, but I had set the boundaries for how long I could think about the dead. I began running, letting the air catch under my feet, and I felt the earth disappear. That wasn't the only thing I felt, though. There was also the unmistakable feel of eyes, pinned to my figure. I closed my eyes, continuing to run at full speed. The wind whipped my hair, and I let the breeze behind me give me an additional boost.

As I neared the forest, I didn't bother to start descending, instead, I did what I had never aimed. I waited until I knew I was not very far from my home, and dropped the concentration, letting myself fall limply, darting towards the ground like a bullet. Of course, I knew this section more than nearly anything, having lived most of my life here, so I could easily prompt the wind to guide me to the right spots without physically moving myself. The eerie feeling of being watched hadn't disappeared, so I was hoping that if there truly was someone managing to keep a view on me, this would lose them. I let the air roll me to the ground, and got up in a crouch, breathing as silently as I could.

I couldn't feel the eyes on the back of my neck very much anymore, but, then again, I was probably being overly paranoid in the first place. I tended to act like that when I was upset, and I was still working on getting over it. It was a stupid habit.

I got up, looking around in the dark, before deciding to make my way over to my little home, where all of my stored up money lay, along with a few childhood mementos and changes of clothes. I smiled as I neared the tree in which it all lay. The tree had died a long time ago, yet it lay nearly whole on the ground, hardly marred. It had taken only a slight persuasion to hollow out a spot to keep the bag.

I held it in my hands for a moment, bracing against it my stomach so I could look through it for something I never traveled without. I felt my hand clasp around a small, soft cloth bundle, and smiled slightly. I pulled out the tiny doll, who had always smiled without a choice, whose black eyes always stared back at me. I had received her as a birthday present when I turned six, and she wore the same dress as she had then. It used to be a brilliant purple, but now it had faded to lavender, and from the dolls knees down, it was horribly charred and blackened. I don't know if I'm imagining it, but I would swear that if I were to press it to my nose, I could still smell the flames of that day.

I looked around as a precaution, before pulling a second set of items ought of my bag. It was a plain shirt and trousers, the sort of thing a man would be wearing, something a respectable girl would never be caught in. Thankfully, I had ripped that title from myself long ago, so I thought myself free to wear these if they were convenient. Which they were at the moment.

I didn't care for them; I honestly preferred the dresses I had been raised in, and didn't mind having my hair done up elaborately with pins, but dresses were inconvenient for running, and I would get more respect if I kept my head down and appeared masculine.

I changed with only slight hesitation. I knew no one was out here, but I couldn't help it. Pulling off the few layers of clothe under, I unwrapped a bandage from a pocket, tying it around my chest as tight as it would go. I winced at the pain, especially because the harsh red marks of the previous wrappings were there, raw and sore. I used this getup when I was training, normally or elementally, so it was quite often that the stiff material had a chance to wedge itself into my skin.

With a final shaky breath, I tied it off. I felt several scabbed over cuts reopening, but I always had time to let those heal. Maybe, once I found a new place to call my own, I could take a few days off of training and give the wounds time to close, but for now I wanted to be as far away from here as possible. Even if I didn't want to be away from my would-be-fiancé's murder, I knew I couldn't rely on Houndsworth for supplies and a safe environment anymore. I would have to say my final goodbyes to the tall standing pines and the beachfront I knew well, miles down the road.

I pulled the man's shirt over, relishing in the material that was loose compared to the dress, pulled the trousers on, and slipped my slippers off, exchanging them for a sturdier pair of shoes. The color scheme was limited to the brown of peasants, but it didn't bother me. After all, I was one.

I knelt down, securing the bag while tucking my doll into the waistband of the trousers.

"Moving again, Lei," I murmured. When I opened the present and found the tiny doll staring up at me, all I could focus on was her beautiful purple dress, and the way I used to pronounce that had been "Purp-Lei", treating the e at the end like its own sound, which led to her name being, what I thought was, the shortened version of purple.

I chuckled humorlessly, remembering my father's reaction to that, ultimately bringing me back to silence. I stayed there in the dark of the night for a moment, gazing up at the clear stars that peppered the sky, letting the cool wind blow my hair away from my head. I sighed, pulling the pack over my shoulders, tying my hair up in its signature handkerchief before putting a cap over it.

I didn't start walking away from the past, though. I knew I needed to give myself one last glimpse at what I was leaving behind.

The lake came into my view, and, like every time before, I couldn't help but marvel at it. Under the moonlight, it sparkled, the sand visible just under the pristine water at the shoreline. Far across the shore, I could make out a beach house, but that wasn't why I was here. No, that was part of Houndsworth. I was here for what James and I had passed countless times, but only I knew the significance of it. I continued walking, pushing James's voice out of my head, where the memories were threatening to spill over.

There it stood, less than a minute of walking later. Shielded by a few brave pines, a forgotten chimney, a lost foundation, and a few charred belongings that had somehow withstood the passage of time, the large plot of land stood unoccupied. My feet couldn't have been slower as they carried me to the remains of my family's old home.

I refused to cry. But as I walked through the remains, clearly remembering where my room had been, where my parents had slept, where we ate breakfast, a knot formed in my stomach. I felt the winds speed up around me in reaction to emotion, and automatically quelled it. I would not be the cause of further destruction here. I had done enough damage already.

The sweet, sometimes overbearing, smell of my mom's perfume, my dad's smile he showed only to personal family, and the feel of their hands on my shoulders made me shiver. Whoever said that time heals all wounds was wrong. That direct pain, maybe, but these memories had haunted me since then, and I knew they would continue until I lost my mind or met my death.

I didn't mind very much, though. I loved these, compared to the alternative of nothing, of blankness, or the last memory I had where-

No. No. I would not.

I began singing, letting my voice carry through the night. It was an old tune my nursemaid had always sung, and though I now knew the lyrics were not as sweet as intended, they were familiar. She had been an immigrant, though I remembered not what kind, and always carried the tune to this song.

"I… can't," I said softly, looking out on the large expanse of land. "One more night, that's all. No more, no less."

I needed more time before that final goodbye. I had lived at least near here since I left, and I needed a mourning period. If I gave myself that, I could move on. I know I could.

Hesitantly, I picked a nearby tree that stretched high above land, and climbed it with ease, with slight help from winds. I pulled myself into the top stretch, where I wasn't being poked by branches too much, and let a small, quick, fire burn, leaving me in a hollowed out cocoon of wood. I curled up, deciding to let the matter of my leaving sleep for one night. It wouldn't hurt, and this way I could have time to prepare. Forcing myself wouldn't do anyone any good; I had learned that ten years ago, at this very spot.

I originally woke with the sun, at the crack of dawn, but pulled a strip of clothe over my eyes, half-dazed, and managed to get another hour or two of sleep. I would be traveling the whole day; I might as well get as much rest as I could.

I blinked my eyes open sleepily, the glare of the sun peaking through the dry leaves, some of which were charred from my attempt at making a place to sleep. I smiled drily at that; I left my mark wherever I went, intentionally or not, as proofed by James.

I was ready to drop to the ground when I noticed something odd about the shore down the beach. I squinted at first, but my eyes widened as soon as I saw what it was. People were on the beach and in the water. Not that many, just a couple, actually, but it bothered me. Too close for comfort, the saying goes.

I knew that I should start moving, since the sun was already making its way across the blue, slightly clouded, sky, and heat was gathering, but deep in my heart I knew I didn't want to leave. It wouldn't hurt to go ask the people, I assume.

The thick grains of sand crunched under the tough shoes, and stopped after taking a few steps. My eyes widened, and I tried to get a better look at the figures on the beach.

"I could've sworn…" I murmured, readjusting the pack on my back. I had counted the figures on the other end of the beach, but now I was one short. Had I miscounted?
I had begun to turn around, forget the whole thing, and leave a final goodbye at the ashes, when I nearly jumped out of my skin upon hearing a voice.

"Excuse me, miss. I believe you were present last night, correct? If so, my master would enjoy a talk with you."

I turned back to where, not a second ago, there had been nothing but air. I felt the blood drain from my face and a neutral expression quickly took hold, as I braced myself. Before me stood a man whose smile was about as true as a purple sky, dressed in a black suit, and I realized where the missing figure had disappeared to.