Prologue:

Selene sat on the damp floor. Her head lowered in resignation. She stared at the familiar chains that were shackled to her hands with a grip like a wolf’s fangs on its prey.

Anytime now, Selene thought.

She took a deep breath and made a long tired sigh, uncharacteristic of a twelve year old. The chains hummed with their constant vibration taunting her to use her power. Of course it wouldn’t work however. The moment she’d try to control her flow the chains would electrocute her and disrupt her flow.

She looked at the chains with what little disdain she could still muster. After a moment she gave up and began to fiddle her long brown hair. Fox had told Selene that she played with her hair when she was nervous. Selene hadn’t noticed before.

Anytime now, Selene thought with an ache in her heart.

Selene looked around the dark grey cell. She was alone. There had once been others, but they were gone. Tears began to form around her eyes. She missed her friends, she missed her home, and she missed her parents. Everything had been taken from her; it was a wonder why her mind hadn’t broken like most of the others. She missed Fox.

Fox had kept her company when everyone was only focused on their own terrible predicament. Fox had hugged her when she cried out in her sleep or even when awake. Fox was her best friend and had always been there for her, until now. Now they had even taken away Fox. She was alone.

She would have stopped them from taking Fox if it hadn’t been for the cursed chains around her wrists. But in the end all she could do was watch and scream as they took Fox who simply smiled at Selene with that characteristic bright smile. So now she sat, waiting for her turn to come.

Anytime now, they would come for her as well. After a few minutes Selene felt something was different. It was difficult to tell from her numb hands but she was sure of it. The humming of the chains was lessening; it continued to fade until the vibration of the chains was nonexistent.

Could it be? She thought, a spark of hope rising in her chest. She cupped her hands together and took control of her natural flow. The energy streaming inside her body coalesced and formed into a bright flame in her hands.

Selene was stunned. It had worked. She was able to freely manipulate her flow. The chains hadn’t shocked her. She didn’t question why the chains had failed to work. This was her chance to be free, her chance to save Fox. She mustered all her strength and caused the small flame to turn into a bright burning dagger of fire. She turned the ethereal flame towards her chains until they were sawed off by the heat.

She sighed and let the flow return to its natural state, her flame disappearing. She slowly stood up and looked at herself. Her hair was disheveled, her hands were chaffed, and her white gown was dirty. But she was alive and now she was free. She turned towards the iron door. She walked towards it, summoning flames on each hand.

“I’ll save you Fox.” She whispered to herself.

As the door’s lock melted away Selene stumbled outside the room and into the familiar stark white hallway. The candles on the wall were out and it would have been pitch black if not for the dim purple light coming from the end of the hall. Selene warily walked towards the light. She walked for a few minutes before she stopped and leaned on the wall for a breath. She was panting from the exertion of the fire she had created in the cell, but now was not the time for rest. She had to find Fox, before it was too late, if it wasn’t already. She pushed on while dismissing thoughts of what terrible things they had done to Fox.

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As Selene walked she noticed that the hallways were empty, she had assumed that she would have had to fight at least a few guards, but there had been none. As she continued towards the light, white mist began to rise from the ground. A cold icy wind blew pass, biting Selene to the bone. She heard a wretched high pitched cry from around the corner. Her mind conjured an image of Fox. Selene summoned her flame of dagger and turned the corner ready for the fight of her life.

The ground was strewn with dead bodies, from guards to researchers. Some of the bodies were recognizable, others were not. Blood and gore covered the floor.

One of her torturers was grasped by the neck by a large black clawed hand. Streams of liquid ice could be seen coursing through the monstrous ebony arm, right under the thick leathery skin, like blood flowing through veins. The man cried out as the black arm slammed him into the wall. He struggled weakly to get out of the arm’s grip but to no avail. Selene stared at the scene in fear.

The large shadowy arm was joined at the shoulder to a small child of twelve. The disproportionate size of the arm to the child was unnerving, coupled with the surrounding dead bodies the scene seemed to be from a horror story.

“F-fox?” Selene asked with a tremor in her voice.

The child turned. Fox looked at her with calm amethyst eyes and formed a smile that was a faint ghost of the happy child Selene remembered. Fox’s white gown and long hair were dyed with blood.

“Selene, it seems you freed yourself. Good. I was about to go find you. You can put away those flames; no one will hurt you anymore.” Fox said while breaking the neck of the torturer.

“What happened?” Selene said as she let her flames disappear.

“I killed them, Selene. I killed all of them. Everyone who hurt us is gone, all except one.” Fox made a face of anger. “The monster that caused all of this got away. But I promise you I will get him as well. I’ll make him pay for everything.”

Selene stepped forward. “Fox is this really the right thing to do?” She glanced at all of the dead bodies. She swallowed. “Would your mother have wanted this?”

Fox looked at her in confusion, “What are you saying? My mother was taken by this trash, you saw that yourself. How could you even ask me such a question!? All of these monsters deserved to die!”

Selene took a step back, “They did terrible things to us and they should pay. I hate them too, but this,” she gestured to the disfigured corpses, “Did they all deserve to die like this? I don’t know,” She whispered the last words.

Fox’s whole body shook in anger, “I did the right thing. I know I did. Selene you told me.” Fox swallowed, “You told me that we were best friends that if we ever got out of this you’d follow me anywhere. Was that a lie? Should I just finish this on my own?”

Selene quickly shook her head, “No! I meant it. All we have left is each other. I’ll follow you anywhere. So please, don’t leave me alone.”

Fox took a deep breath, the large black arm smashed into the wall, blowing a giant whole through it. The night sky could be seen outside. Fox extended the regular hand out towards Selene. She grasped Fox’s hand and nodded.

A dying man with a bloody gash across the chest silently looked at them in fear, his body unable to move as his blood pooled on the ground.

Fox turned to the dying man, “Your pathetic life ends here. As for ours, we’re just starting.” Fox grabbed Selene and jumped out the window.