It all started with a cold breezy night, an empty street illuminated by the few lampposts that were on each side, some already flickering as the life within them slowly seeped away, a lone young woman walked down that street, her skin was of a white color and her black hair was short almost reaching her shoulders while the color of her eyes were brown, she wore black shoes and a minimalistic white shirt under a black jacket while her jeans were of the same color, almost as dark as the night sky above her

In between her index and middle finger a half smoked cigarette that she took a puff of, inhaling the smoke as she then took a slow yet continuous breath to push said smoke into her lungs

She reached a lonely bridge that helped cross a river under it, her brown eyes darting at the right rails while her parted lips slowly allowed the smoke to leave her body, the woman then walked over to the rails, crossing her arms and putting them over them while her narrow gaze looked down at the slow moving river in a way that paralleled admiration

The woman then took another puff of her cigarette while her other arm fixed the slippering away backpack that was slung over it, she let out a small sigh while the breeze sneaked through her clothes as it gave her entire body a shiver, it was cold

Cold and lonely, two feelings that weren't entirely alien for her and she knew that fact very well, as those thoughts passed by her mind and her frown started forming, her pocket vibrated as it attracted her attention

She switched the cigarette into her left hand while the other went to grab her phone, pulling it out of the tight pocket as she looked at the bright screen, reading words that made the newly formed frown disappear, her hand swiped the screen and put the phone on her ear

"H-" Her voice felt hard to use and her words heavy, having to clear her throat before she continued "Hey gramps, what's up?" she spoke with a soft voice

"Hello Fae" The voice that replied through the phone was an old manly one, at face value you could even call it a stern voice, even cold, and yet it wouldn't quite hold much truth as the woman called Fae had a small smile on her face as he spoke to her "You sound as if you just woke up, or maybe you haven't spoken much today?" a question that brought a bit of discomfort to Fae as he was completely right on the latter part, even though she is going to the same university for the second year she couldn't remember a single face to which she spoke to, she didn't have many friends as she always saw it impossible to relate to anyone in her classes

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine" She replied, dismissing his question with words alone "What about you though, are you home yet?" she asked

Fae heard her grandfather reply in a slow hum "Mhm, yes and for a while" He responded "It is you who is quite late, did the results of your exams not go as you expected?" He asked her, Fae slowly widened her eyes as she only now realized that she didn't actually message him about it

"Oh no no, I passed the year actually, with even better grades than the last" She told him "Sorry that I didn't call you about it immediately, I don't know why I just forgot about it" She added, her brow frowning a bit in guilt

"It is alright, don't worry" He responded with much care "Rather than that, you don't sound very happy about it" his words prompted Fae to take a slow and deep breath in, he was quite perceptive even with her voice alone, he knew her very well, better than anyone

"Yeah sorry, it's just" Her lips pursed, it was a topic that she couldn't really express herself very well about "I don't know, I feel uninterested in it, and no matter how well I do it doesn't make me feel any pride or anything, I just don't see it as a big deal and I guess that's why I didn't call you about it" She sighed as she slowly turned, leaning her back against the rails while she could hear him hum at her words "But whatever" She spoke before he could reply "Don't worry about it, I just want to graduate"

"Alright then" He did not want to press the issue further as he understood that she needed her own space, Fae took another puff and yet however, she started coughing, coughs that were prompted from the words she heard through the phone "You are smoking again aren't you"

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Fae chuckled nervously after composing herself, looking down at the almost done cigarette between her fingers, so little left of it that the flaming ashy end of it warmed the fingers it was held by "Yeah" She replied, tossing the cigarette down unto the river with a flicker of her middle finger "Sorry..." She then spoke with a big guilty tone

"Hm..." His lack of words only prompted Fae to feel more guilt as she lowered her head and shrugged meekly "You know I do not judge you for picking up that nasty habit" He told her "But I will also not stop at calling it out, it is not good for you and you know that" Fae was completely silent as she very well knew that he was right, and even if she felt rebellious she could not talk back in the slightest, for he took care of her most her life after taking custody of her from her father, even when she would have nowhere to go in this world she could always come back to him, unless she'd be in another world that is

"You're right, sorry, again" She spoke softly into the phone, hearing a sigh from the other side

"I apologize if I spoke too coldly, I just don't want to see a good kid like you pick up things like that" He then spoke with a hint of sincerity that broke through his cold facade

"No worries" Fae spoke with a small smile plastered on her face "And please don't say sorry, you shouldn't do that when speaking the truth"

"I'm glad you're being understanding, Fae" He spoke to her, taking in a deep breath afterwards "Anyways, I'll be making dinner soon so please do come home, It'll be quite lonely to dine without you"

Those words made Fae chuckle with a beaming grin "Of course gramps, I'll be home in a giffy, want me to buy anything on the way back?" She asked of him

"Not today, it is already late, just come home safely" He responded clearly and concisely

"Duly noted sir" She said with a smile "I'll come soon then, see ya" She added, hanging up the call after he said his own goodbyes

Fae then looked at the screen of her phone that had just turned off, revealing her reflection in it's blackness while she could notice the smile she had on her face, the words 'Good kid' resonating within her mind, closing her eyes Fae let out a long sigh, one of the few if not the only thing she was proud of having done is being good to her grandfather

As she wanted to put her phone back, the screen lightened up once more while it itself started vibrating, it was another call, and 'Heather' was the caller, with a heart on each side of the name, hearts that Fae did not add herself but the caller when she stole the former's phone

Fae pursed her lips, Heather was the only person that she could call a friend, but she was far too extroverted for the woman, she always stuck as a sore thumb when she was with Heather and her friends, never feeling like she could contribute in conversations let alone the topics they'd bring up, it was all white noise for Fae

And so with a heavy heart, Fae pressed on the volume down button once as it silenced the phone's vibrations while she put it back into her pocket

"Sorry Heather" She murmured under her breath, for she knew her friend had only good intentions for trying to push Fae to be more social, but they just did not share many things in common, as Fae leaned against the rails once more she had a thought inside her mind

'What the hell do I even like'

A thought she had unfortunately no answer to give to

And so with yet one more sigh, she instinctively pulled her packet of cigarettes, it was her escape from reality, and as she put the end of the cigarette between her lips, she remembered a voice, her grandfather's voice

She looked at the lighter on her other hand with a guilty and sorrowful gaze, grunting as she grabbed the cigarette off her lips "You win today gramps" With those words she tossed it off to the river

And yet her eyes only darted to the pack in her hand, why should she not throw it as well, her lips pursed as she was not ready to give up such a habit completely, the feeling of lightheadedness the nicotine gave her helped her mind off many things

Gritting her teeth, she readied a throw aimed at the river, with the only thing stopping her from doing so being an ethereal voice

"Back to me"

It spooked her quite clearly as she recoiled and turned around, her brown eyes gazing around her as the only things behind her was the few lampposts, some already having the light inside them extinguished, while others were on their way

Fae cleared her throat nervously, she assumed that the lack of sleep she's been having was causing her to hallucinate

"My power"

And yet there it was again, rather than being a voice from her surroundings, Fae widened her eyes as she only then realized that it was within her own very mind

Before she could even take it in, a light appeared behind her shinning with the brightness of a thousand suns, her eyes widened while her lips slowly parted away, she gently turned around to face the light, and even with how bright it was, Fae was blinded with sheer darkness