Aethera groaned and tossed in her sleep, and her dark eyes fluttered open groggily at the sun filtering through the dense trees. Her brow furrowed for a minute before she jerked awake, and leaped to her feet.

Her gut tightened and bile rose in her throat as last night’s events suddenly came flooding back to her. Sputtering weakly, she stumbled and vomited into the bushes. Wiping her mouth with her sleeve, she swallowed the foul aftertaste left in her mouth and sat back on her heels, sighing. Her sore muscles groaned in protest as she moved and she winced as she lifted her hands over her head and stretched.

The hunters had definitely identified the culprit of the storm by now. They most likely had sent out their drones, designed to spot and kill. However, Aethera doubted that they were looking for her in the forest. No one went into the North Woods if they could help it. The tall trees and dense brush made it impossible to navigate. Most died if they got lost.

The girl swept her long, tangled hair out of her face and glanced at the sky. Judging by the sun’s location, it was around midday. She had slept for over a dozen hours.

Aethera ran her fingers through her dark locks and fingered the ends helplessly. She was dead meat just sitting here. She had to move.

A sudden motion caught the girl’s attention and her eyes narrowed as she spotted a deer in the small clearing in front of her.

The tiny animal was scrawny and it stared back at her with beady black eyes that were widened with suspicion.

“I suppose you are afraid of me too,” Aethera whispered, “Just like everyone else.”

The deer flinched and sprinted back into the deeper end of the woods and Aethera sighed.

Her stomach growled and she winced, massaging her middle. It had only been a couple of days since she had last eaten, but the beast of hunger gnawed at her painfully, and her mouth watered as she stared at the deer’s fleeing path.

Aethera groaned and shook her head. She didn’t know how to hunt. Her brother had tried to teach her, but neither of them had the supplies nor the weapons to effectively trap and skin an animal. Meat was scarce and it was too expensive to eat more than a couple of times a year anyway. There were strict laws protecting the wildlife and the guards were ordered to shoot on sight if anyone was caught hunting illegally. Most didn’t think it was worth the risk and Aethera had been fortunate enough to never have to think about it.

Aethera fingered the leather scrap tied around her wrist, her heart aching. She didn’t care for most presents. She figured that any money that they earned should be spent towards something more necessary - maybe something other than the watery broth they drank every night or perhaps some thread to fix the many holes in her apron.

But, the leather bracelet meant everything to her. It was the last piece of her brother that she had left.

The painful memory of his death brought tears to Aethera’s eyes and she wiped them away furiously. It wasn’t fair. Adam was innocent. He didn’t deserve to be killed by the person he had held his heart out to. She should have turned herself in when she had the chance. She should have been more careful.

A tear slipped down Aethera’s cheek and she choked as she barely held back a sob. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want any of this. She didn’t want the life she had stolen from her brother.

How could she go on? Why was she still going on? The regret of Adam’s death beat down on her like a wave, pushing her deeper and deeper until she couldn’t get back up to the surface for air. But, she was still fighting, wasn’t she?

She was still swimming. She was still fighting for oxygen. She hadn’t drowned yet.

Aethera sniffed and wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand. Adam would have wanted her to keep going. He would tell her that his death shouldn’t matter to her, that she didn’t need him. He would tell her that it wasn’t her burden to carry. That it wasn’t her fault.

But it was her fault.

It was entirely her fault.

She had started the storm. She had watched the guards kick his corpse around. She had placed two fingers over his soulless, empty eyes and closed them shut. She had placed her shawl over his cold face. She had run into the woods without a second thought and left his body there to be dumped into a bag and burned.

Adam didn’t deserve that. He deserved a proper funeral with a silver casket and flowers and music.

He didn’t deserve any of this.

She was the one that belonged in the grave, not him.

Aethera bit her lip as it trembled, trying to keep the fresh tears leaking out of her eyes at bay.

Sinking to her knees, Aethera cried into her hands and leaned against the rough bark of a tree. Her body shuddered as she was wracked with silent sobs.

She didn’t know how much longer she could go on like this. She didn’t know how much longer until she lost the raging war inside her head and succumbed to the darkness. She knew that Adam wouldn’t want this. He would want her to forget about him and move on. He would tell her that he would always be with her, even if he wasn’t physically next to her.

But, she couldn’t just move on. He had risked his neck multiple times to make sure she didn’t starve to death. He had sacrificed so much for her. She couldn’t just forget about him. It wasn’t fair. It never was.

She should have told him the truth. But when she saw the toll her parents’ passing had on her brother, she knew that he wouldn’t be able to handle another death. She had made a vow right then that he would never be able to know about her powers. It would only add to his stress and he would feel an even greater need to protect her from the evils of their world.

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She appreciated everything he had done for her. She loved him with all her heart and wished that he was still here, right next to her, but the selfish part of her - one she buried deep into her pit of emotions - tugged at her head, making her wonder if maybe his death was worth it. She felt terrible for thinking about an advantage that had come out of it, but the truth was that she could now do whatever she wanted. She could travel the country or join the rebel force to fight the King. Nothing was holding her back. She didn’t have to worry anymore about how her choices would affect her loved ones. The only person she had to care for now was herself.

Aethera sighed and buried the thought, suddenly becoming aware of her current, miserable state. Her face was sticky with tears and her throat was raw from crying. She would feel better once she found a river and washed her face.

Dusting her long skirt off, Aethera stood up shakily, leaning against the tree behind her for support until the angry black dots obscuring her vision vanished. Slowly but steadily, she began to stumble her way down the forest path.

Aethera groped around her back to pull her cloak over her and groaned in dismay once she realized it was missing. She felt oddly bare and vulnerable without it and shivered as the wind started to pick up, throwing her wavy hair in multiple directions.

If she truly wanted, she could have silenced the wind, but even thinking about using her powers made her hands shake. She had lost control before, but she had never killed. She hated the feeling of her brother’s blood on her conscience.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Aethera forced herself to continue walking deeper into the woods. Broken branches and heavy brush covered the trail and the girl found herself turning back several times to take another pathway when it was too difficult to get through.

She walked till the sun was barely visible through the trees and the sky was a dull orange colour. Her eyes were heavy - despite the long, much-needed rest she had gotten last night - and she wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball on the forest floor. But she knew that she couldn’t. It was too dangerous and it would leave her exposed to any animal or hunter that might pass by.

Aethera sighed and glanced at the dark trees that covered the sky with a frown. She could seek safety in the high branches. No one would think to look up in the dense trees.

It probably wasn’t the smartest idea. Her fear of heights wouldn’t allow her to get very high, but at least she wouldn’t be waiting for an attack on the ground.

Grabbing onto the rough limb above her head, Aethera grunted as she pulled herself onto the branch. Averting her eyes from the ground, Aethera continued to climb until the limbs became too thin to bear her weight.

That’s when she finally noticed the boy staring at her from his place in the opposite tree. Aethera spurred into action, her eyes darting around her surroundings as she searched for an escape. She made the mistake of looking down and fear gripped her heart as she gasped. She squeezed her eyes shut as she looked away.

“You okay?”

Aethera squinted at the boy. His voice held genuine concern and he inched closer to her as he held out a hand.

She shied away and hesitated, “Who are you?

“Hestian,” the boy replied, “Hestian Foxx.”

Aethera studied him for a second, “What do you want?”

“Nothing. This is my home and you stepped foot in it,” Hestian smirked, “The more important question is what do you want? I don’t take kindly to intruders, so you’re lucky I’m giving you a chance to explain yourself.”

“You can’t own a forest,” Aethera scoffed, “I have every right to be here without your permission or answering your nosy questions.”

Hestian grinned, “That’s alright. I already know why you’re here anyway.”

“Is that right?”

“You’re that runaway from New Orion. The one who started the storm.”

Her gut clenched and her throat tightened as she shook her head, “You have the wrong person.”

“It’s okay. I’m a Unique too. I can help you.”

“I’m not a Unique.”

Aethera flinched as the boy started to laugh, “Wow. Say that again with a bit more confidence and maybe you can convince me.”

She glowered at him, “How did you know?”

“It’s pretty obvious, but I’ve been on the run for a while now too. Blew up some supply trains in Arcana a few weeks ago and the government didn’t find it very funny. I’ve run into the occasional fugitive but you’re the first one I’ve had a civil conversation with.”

Aethera felt the tension in her body lift, “You’re part of the Rebel Force?”

“Not the Force, no. I do what I can by myself. I wouldn’t be able to live with all those rules and commands.”

The girl nodded in understanding and Hestian shrugged, “What about you? What happened in Orion?”

Aethera hesitated, “Nothing that concerns you.”

“I would say otherwise. You sparked quite an outburst. I’m not sure what happened but you led hunters right into my forest. You’ve got a pretty nice bounty on your head too.”

She bit her lip and looked away, “They tracked me?”

Hestian nodded and she chewed the inside of her cheek. She hadn’t thought anyone would care enough to go after her and she doubted that she was being hunted because of Adam's death. This was bigger. Had she killed more people? How much damage did the twister do that night?

Aethera shivered at the curiosity in the boy’s gaze and forced herself to look him in the eye, “What about you? Are you after the bounty?”

He shook his head, “There’s no way to turn you in without exposing myself. You can trust me.”

Aethera didn’t offer any response back and she shifted her weight on the branch, cursing inwardly. She couldn’t trust anyone. Especially not this boy who knew far too much about her already. It wouldn’t take him very long to find out that she was a murderer.

“Look, I get it. You’re scared. I would be too if I was in your situation. But having a friend can help calm that fear. Let me help you,” Hestian ran a hand through his wild black hair, “You’re headed to a safe house, right? I know one that isn’t too far from here.”

Aethera hesitated, “If what you say is true, the hunters will kill you if you have any relationship with me. I don’t want to put anyone in danger.”

“You won’t,” Hestian grinned, “You’ll find that I’m very good at getting myself out of sticky situations.”

“You’re excellent at getting into them too,” she remarked with a sigh. The boy was extremely stubborn but it would be helpful to have someone who knew their way around the forest. Besides, if he decided to betray her and tried to kill her, she was almost positive she could win a battle against him. She would just have to stay on her guard. Reluctantly, she relented and rolled her eyes as Hestian threw his hands in the air in victory.

“I don’t think I ever got your name,” Hestian muttered stuffing supplies into a grey, plaid knapsack.

Aethera was unable to rip her gaze away as she stared into the boy’s wide, green eyes.

“Thea. My name’s Thea,” she lied.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Thea.”

Aethera dipped her head in acknowledgment but didn’t offer a response. She felt bad for lying, but she didn’t trust Hestian enough to reveal herself.

The boy swung his bag over his shoulder and gestured to the ground, “We should go.”

She nodded and followed suit, looking away from the ground once more as she climbed down. Her foot slipped on the last branch and she fell backward into Hestian’s arms with a soft gasp.

“Thank you,” she mumbled, her cheeks turning red.

He nodded, “Come on, we only have a few hours before the sun sets.”