Sadreen's small hands worked to get around the vine. It had a large circumference and she found that if she tried hard enough she could make her fingertips touch on either side of it.

"Toki!" Sadreen looked up at the sound of that distant voice and she smiled childishly; he had finally come! Sadreen had been waiting in the grove for at least fifteen minutes, and that was about as long as her attention span reached. She released the vine, letting it fall back into place and ran to the edge of the grove where he thought he would come, waiting for him to appear. She stared intently into the dark vegetation, only to feel a force sweep her feet out from under her and she fell to the ground, feeling the pressure of another body upon her.

"Ouch. Eeth, that time that hurt." Her eleven year old friend had tackled her from the darkness, catching her off guard and took her to the ground. She stared up at him as he smirked and she pushed him off, rubbing the small of her back where a rock had found comfort against her skin. He sat there, cross legged staring up at her, that smirk of triumph still captivating his features. Sadreen stood up, brushing off all the dirt off her shirt and pants. She had just washed this shirt. Probably wasn't a good idea wearing it out to play in. Oh well. Too late.

Sadreen Naysiri stared down at Kazic Saxon, and he stared back up at her. She pounced, attacking him, taking him down and they wrestled, gleeful giggles filled the quiet forest. Their playful contempt dominated the solemn grove, bringing a bright air about the place. Fist found arm, and knee found shin as they struggled to beat the other in their match of innocent competition. Kazic soon found his shoulders pressed against the damp ground, staring up at Sadreen, whose turn it was to wear the mask of victory.

"Hah! Eeth, didn't win this time."

"Oh, I'll win one of these days, you can count on that." Sadreen stuck her tongue out at Kazic and giggled enormously as he pushed her off and she laid on the ground next to him, staring up at the sky as he did. Overhead a number of crafts dotted the sky, but quickly retreated from their small line of vision.

They stared up at the blue sky that was beginning to darken from the regular storm clouds that would soon release the waters of night down upon the vast watery land. She heard Kazic sigh next to her.

"Sorry it took me so long Toks. I had to finish all my chores before I could even think about sneaking off. Mother was going to be very angry again if I left without running to the store for a new pump like I told her I would."

Sadreen sighed and nodded, understanding. Her own mother didn't even know she was out here. She had snuck off again to meet her only friend out in this forsaken forest where no traveler walked. "Yeah, I know Eeth."

They stared up at the sky in silence, both being devoured by the size of one's thoughts.

"You know what I decided I'm gonna do when I turn eighteen, Eeth? I finally figured it out."

"Nu-uh. What do you want to do Toks?"

"I want to fly. I want to be like those guys we see heading off to the docking bay with the pilot helmets strapped to the backs of their speeder bikes. Ya know?" Sadreen heard the grass rustle as Kazic nodded next to her. "But I'm sad. I've got eight more years to go before I can do that. And I really, truly want to fly." Sadreen stared longingly up at the sky. How she wanted to soar with the other pilots. She wanted fly along side with the clouds and listen to the wind speak soft lullabies in her ears as it enveloped her. 

"Yeah, I know Toks. . . I know. One day we'll fly together." She turned her head to look at him, and smiled lightly, glad her friend could understand her hopes and dreams. He sat up slowly, propping his elbow on his knee and put a hand knowingly on her shoulder, but a shocked, concerned look took over his hopeful, innocent eyes. Sadreen had winced as he touched her shoulder. She sat up. He reached towards her and she looked away, not wanting to watch him scrutinize her as he moved her hair away from her shoulder, and then her light, green shirt. The tenderness of his caring touch felt good compared to the touch that had left the terrible bruise on her shoulder. It was all shades of green, purple, and red. Sadreen's tender eyes filled with tears as Kazic spoke to her.

"Again?" He said with a heavy sigh and she nodded slightly. "Oh Toks. . ." Sadreen felt the tears spill over from the well and a heavy sob escaped her throat. Another painful bruise had been placed on her hip. She had been thrown into a dresser, her head barely missing the hard wood, but her shoulder took the full of the blow. How she acquired the bruise on her left hip she couldn't remember. She didn't want to remember. He pulled her into his warm arms gently, wary of her shoulder, letting her sob for as long as she wanted to. How desperately he wanted to take her away from this place. Away from the person that continued to beat her, and away from the person Sadreen refused to leave out of a desperate attempt at stubborn but listless love.

"Eeth. . ." She took a breath, trying to clear her throat long enough to get out one word. "Why?" As she trembled in his arms she pounded him with the question he had no answer to. He had no answer to give though as much as he wished he did, but instead he only pulled her even closer to his being, a futile attempt at trying to protect his beloved friend from the aches and pains of this world.

                    *****

Sadreen had managed to sneak back into the house without her mother knowing, which was a miracle in itself. She had gotten used to going off at random times when her mother either wasn't home or she was asleep. Her mother mainly made sure she had some sort of nourishment, and she got to school on time and was home whenever she was. Otherwise Sadreen was free to roam the vast lands of Farhen Rina; a hobby she tended to do on her own. Her meetings with Kezic were limited, as was contact.

She got home later than she meant to; the delay had been caused by her break down, but surprisingly her mother hadn't gotten home before she had. She was never sure where that woman went with her time but as far as her ten-year-old mind was concerned, she didn't care. . . But maybe she did. . .

After Sadreen had scurried back home after refusing Kazic's accompaniment she felt herself feeling empty. Both in spirit and stomach-wise. She soon found herself in the kitchen, making herself a small sandwich. But as she was cutting it in halves she cringed as she felt the sharp knife pierce her tender skin. She stared at her small finger, watching the blood pour from the small wound. It looked like it should hurt, that she should feel some sort of pain, but she was so absorbed in her thoughts she hardly noticed. Her mind began to wander, searching for possible motives behind the actions as she looked around for something to wrap her finger with.

What was wrong with her? What did she do to deserve the bruises and mental pain she had to endure? Her small frame trembled as she asked herself this. Eeth learned to accept me Mom. Why can't you? She stuffed part of the sandwich in her mouth to try and stop herself from crying again. Maybe she was too weak. Was it the sight of her tears, her weaknesses, that lead to life without her love? Weren't mommy's supposed to love her children? She had seen mothers out in the market with her children, and Sadreen had seen the looks of pure love and happiness in that woman's eyes.

She wandered aimlessly around her house until she reached her own room and sat down on her bed, facing the window that hovered above her place of rest. The light was starting to fade, the sky was streaked with blues and purples and yellows. The sight was lovely to behold. The small girl slowly chewed her sandwich, lost in her thoughts, staring at the sky but not truly seeing it. Maybe it was because she was always messing up all the time. Could that be it? Was it because Sadreen wasn't who her mother had wanted her to be, and that was the reason behind all the pain?

She pulled her legs close to her chest, hugging her legs with one hand and holding onto her sandwich with the other. She stared down at the food, the brown bread growing heavy in her hand. Her eyes began to droop, and fatigue was starting to take its hold over her. The day had left her so tired and the bed beneath her seemed to grow softer and softer the longer she sat upon it.

She laid down, not bothering to get under the sheets, still facing the window. Clouds of rain had begun to block out the setting sun, and thunder clashed in the sky. She smiled softly at the reassuring noise. Oh, how she loved the rain. The rain had known her all her life, and whenever she was feeling at her worst, the drops of water seemed to fall for her, crying with her because it knew of her pain. Tonight, it would weep for her, weep for her dreams, and weep for the loving mother she never had. Sadreen began to feel sleep pull at her softly, beckoning her into the world of her dreams. She would gladly take its hand and escape to the world where this mortal pain did not exist.

* * *

That night the child did not her have her dreams of peace, but rather a nightmare filled with all her fears, attacking her at once in a terrible collision.

Her eyes slowly opened, yet she could not see. There was no light. She was alone, completely and utterly in this sickening darkness. She grew scared and pulled her legs close to her, choosing to remain there on the cold ground. She had been in this place before. She had grown used to the darkness; the panicking had left her as an option soon after she had found that escape was inevitable. She knew that some sort of light would come about soon after she had been tortured enough. She began to shiver uncontrollably, and tears of pure terror fell from her eyes that were like the skies after a storm. She did not let herself make a single noise, for even the smallest moan would claim her defeat. The endless battle against the dark would consume her entire being in these dreams. Her childish ambitions reassured her that one day, she would win.

She sat up slowly, propping herself up with one arm while rubbing her eyes with the other. She didn't trust her legs enough to stand right now. She looked around, trying to take in sights that were invisible to her; she sat there waiting. She tried to distinguish what she was sitting on, and could only feel a smooth, cold surface. She temperature make her wish that she had socks. The freezing floor made her shiver and goosebumps ran up and down her arms.

Suddenly, a light appeared in the distance. It wasn't pure white, but it had a tint of red to it. It was so far away. . . But she needed something to work towards; she didn't want to sit her waiting. She stood up on uncertain legs.

She begin walking slowly, half shuffling towards the beacon in the darkness. She walked for about a minute before she broke out into a clean sprint. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, trying to reach the light. Before long the cold ground beneath her feet began to change, and the sound of tickling water joined the chorus of bare feet slapping on a fall surface. The ground was no longer smooth; it became rocky, uneven and didn't take in the same warmth as the smooth surface before it. She let out a small gasp in pain as the uneven rock dug into her defenseless feet, but that didn't matter, the light was growing closer, and she could see her hand in front of her face.

She slowed down to a walk, now wary of what she might find at the source, but anything would be better than that unmerciful darkness. Soon she was only a few steps away, but couldn't see anything. Her heart began to beat faster as the nervous conscience within Sadreen awoke, and she took the final step towards the light, the sound of trickling water still clear in her ears.

But she stopped as she felt her feet grow wet and looked down at her now dirty feet. She had stepped in something, but she couldn't tell what it was from the red light. It was probably just water. She looked back up to the source, her heart beating quickly and a slight dizziness shook her being.

It was Kazic.

He lay there, his breathing slowed. He was the source of this red light. Sadreen looked him up and down. She fell to her knees, deathly afraid to find out why her friend was here. She put her hand down on the ground to steady herself, but quickly pulled it back up to her side as she had landed her hand in the water.

She stared at her hand for a second, her eyes growing wide in shock. Her hand had been stained red. It wasn't water that she had been stepping in, it was blood. She looked back to Kazic. She crawled closer to him, studying his unmoving body. His eyelids flickered and slowly opened.

He looked up at her and smiled a smile that made Sadreen's heart weep. It was filled with regret and sorrow; barely a smile at all. Sadreen took his hand slowly and looked down on him, her eyes filling with tears for the second time.

"Oh. . . Eeth. . ."

"Sadreen, I'm sorry." Sadreen's eyes widened. He never called her by her real name. He had given her the name Tokijin when they were smaller, and had never called her by anything else. In return she gave him the name Eethin. "I really, truly wanted to see you fly, Sadreen. But fate won't allow it. But one day you will Sadreen, you will fly. Go on living Sadreen, so that the wind  will sing to you and you will see the stars as one truly should see them." He looked away from her, staring at something unseen. "If I had been able to live longer I-. . ." Sadreen gripped his hand with all she had. She was confused. Kazic wouldn't die. . . He couldn't die! But she nodded anyway.

"Good. I'm glad to see you agree." He chuckled quietly, and closed his eyes. The red light danced with the shadows on his poor, lovely face. Sadreen hovered above him anxiously and watched as her own tears fell from her eyes only to land on his grief-stricken face. His hand went limp in hers and she threw herself away from him, sobbing uncontrollably. She shook her head in denial. No. . . No! NO! She stood up on weak legs and ran. She ran back into the darkness of her dreams, never to return to the grave of her friend again.

Kazic lay on his red rocks, eyes half open. He turned his head slowly in the direction that Sadreen had gone. His mouth opened slowly to release the words he had started to say:

"If I had been able to live longer I would have made you mine, Sadreen Naysiri." With that, he closed his eyes, never to open them again.

-----------------------
TECH/SCPO Tokijin/Phoenix Wing/Str Doashim/1FL/VEN/VE (=*A*=) (=*SA*=) [BWC] [VC:B]

Sadreen awoke in a cold sweat, panting hard. She sat up, looking wildly around her room, not really knowing what she was looking for. She let herself calm down for a minute before reaching up to wipe off her face with a shaky hand. Her eyes were wet, and so were her cheeks. She felt another tear fall down her face and she caught it on her fingertips. She held it up to her eyes so she could see it. She had been truly crying during that dream, hadn't she? She felt around her sheets for the place her head had been resting to find that it was very much indeed damp.

She threw her legs over the side of the bed stood up. Any other hopes of falling back asleep were now lost and she walked to the window, staring out at the scenery. It was raining now, and it was raining hard. Lightening streaked across the sky, followed quickly by a clash of thunder. It was almost like the lightening was luring itself out, only to react and return into the clouds in which it hid while the thunder made its feeble attempt to catch the lightening.

Even though it was a lovely sight to behold, while she was watching it, Sadreen became once again racked with sobs. She slowly sank to the floor, feeling a sense of hopelessness cause by the dream. Her room was dark except for when the thunder lit the small room with eerie light every few seconds. She let herself cry quietly for a while. She didn't want her mother to hear her, for surely she would be home by now. Sobbing loudly would just call her presence to her room. She didn't want that. She wanted to be left alone.

As she slowly calmed down, sort flashes of scenes from her dream began to play in her head. She looked at the bottom of her feet and her hands to make sure there was no blood. She sighed in relief. Of course she knew there wouldn't be any blood, but she had to check.

She sat there on the hard floor, shivering, looking around her room. She had to do something. But what could she do? She stood up on wobbly legs, teetering a little bit and she sat on her bed before she could fall over again. She stared out the window even longer this time, watching as the rain slowly dribbled down her window, leaving small streams for other drops to fall into in its wake.

She stood up and walked over to her closet and pulled out a black sweater. She was cold, and this green shirt wasn't enough. She pulled it on over her head carefully, and pulled at the bottom of her shorts before fixing the shirt underneath to make sure she was comfortable. She then went to the back of her closet and pulled out a tall pair of boots. They went up past her knees and straps lined them all the way down. They were a simple fashion on Farhen Rina, more or less a necessity. . They simply stopped the legs from getting wet in deep waters. Like there would be tonight. They were skin tight and they would give her blisters, she knew that. But she wasn't going to put on a pair of pants. She needed to get out of this room. She wanted to smell the wet, night air. Most of all she wanted to see Kazic. She knew it was just a dream, but she had always spent the nights dreamless, so any dream at all was a rarity. Nightmares, now nightmares were so. . . So outlandish and so frightening. The idea seemed absurd to her until she actually had one.

She walked out of her room slowly and walked to her mother's door, listening carefully for the usual sound of snoring she could hear even through the wall. She had to wait for a moment before she heard it. She was there tonight. She had learned that it was easier to sneak off at night when her mom was sleeping. The pounding of the rain against the roof also helped to mask the sound of her opening the front door. She made her way there now.

She stood out of the porch for a second. The air was icy but it felt good to breathe in the crisp air. It made her thirsty, but she'd run across drinking water sooner or later. But for the moment she had to go into town to find Kazic's house. He lived in one of those apartment buildings. Sadreen's house lay on the outskirts of town, away from everyone else. If she ran it would take about five minutes to get into the city and possibly another ten minutes to find his house. She was never good with memorization or directions.

Sadreen stretched her arms above her head and then swept down to touch the wet cement so she could stretch out her legs. She would be running hard and addition to the blisters she knew she would get she didn't want to have to deal with a pulled muscle or a sprained ankle. She looked out onto the wet scene, taking in the landscape quietly. The rain made everything appear so wonderful to her. The rain was something that washed away the aches and pains and dirt of the day. It helped everything to start anew. It also left a wonder smell in her house when the windows were left open.

Then she ran.

She ran like there was nothing holding her back. The wind flew along side her as if to push her along, and the crisp wet, night air gave her lungs the airflow they needed to keep going. She had the adrenaline going and it was all she had, and all she needed. Her feet found deep puddles but she stayed warm because the outside of her boots were rubber, yet the inside was clothed in a warm type of fabric but would still create enough friction to cause her problems. She ran through the streets, down alleyways. She knew this path well; even in the darkest time of the night she could find her way to the heart of the city.

She had soon found that this city was not very big and the layout of it all was simple. Soon she grew bored of her city and changed her interest to the forest. The forest was called the Water Forest, for the ground was so damp from all the rain and the water grew to be very deep in places, but the trees had adapted to survive. But water was everywhere on this planet. It rained just about every other day. It was why she loved it. She loved to swim and she loved the constant water flow. Everything kept moving, and life went on. Even when it felt like she couldn't go on another day, the water reminded her: life goes on; drive on.

But soon Sadreen had to slow to a trot. She had found the street she needed to get to, but all of the apartments looked the same. She had trouble discerning one building from the next. Was his place on the first or the third floor . . The second or the fourth? Up and down the street held apartments of all stories on both sides. It was hard to figure out which one was his when the exterior all looked the same.

She looked up at the windows, studying each one. She had learned Kazic's sleeping habits by him giving her small hints and had figured out that he didn't sleep much. . . Why she didn't know. But maybe he would be looking out his window tonight in time to see her. . . She hadn't even thought to look at the time. Maybe she had missed him? Maybe he was already asleep. . . And when she didn't even know what apartment was his! She was beginning to realize what a stupid idea this was. The odds were against her and after running for so long she began to feel tired again.

She reached the last window on the street and stared up at it, willing for someone to appear. She sighed heavily and began to feel like a drowned cat as the rain was soaking through her green shirt finally.  She glanced down the street where she had come and looked up to see a curtain move wildly in a window. It hadn't moved from the wind because the window was closed. She walked slowly down the street, never taking her eye from the window until she heard someone call out to her.

"Toki! Tokijin! What in the world are you doing out here!" She looked over suddenly to see Kazic standing in the doorway of his apartment, motioning for her to come over. She was so glad to see him, even if he looked steaming mad. She ran to him quickly, as he moved aside to let her in the small hallway. A quick scan showed a set of stairs that divided at the top to the left and the right, each direction lead to a door. There was also a set of stairs going downward, but only one door could be seen as the other was hidden by the first staircase.

Sadreen began to shiver after finally being out of the rain she realized how cold she really was.

"What do you think you're doing out there all by yourself! In the middle of the night no less!" He spoke in hushed tones. Sadreen assumed he was trying not to wake up his neighbors. She didn't take his scolding seriously. She was chilled to the bone and didn't care, but apologized anyway.

"I'm sorry." Kazic sighed.

"It's fine but don't do that again alright? Come inside and we can get you dry-" he took hold of her hand to lead her inside his home but let go of it suddenly.

"Man! Your hands are freezing! How long have you been outside?" Sadreen put her hand to her cheek to test his words only to find them true.

"How long have I been outside? Uh, about fifteen minutes I think." Sadreen rubbed her hands together to try and warm them.

"Follow me." Kazic turned and headed up the stairs and to the left door. He had left it slightly ajar so he wouldn't get locked out. Kazic held the door open and Sadreen walked inside hesitantly. It was dark, and the only light on was in another room.

Kazic sighed as he studied her and turned away and walked off into another room. Sadreen stood where she was, willing her eyes to adjust to the dark so she could see how Kazic lived. She had never been inside his house before and was curious to see the interior of this room, but with a dim light there wasn't much to see.

He came back quickly with a towel and a sweatshirt in his arms.

"Take off your boots, leave them on the rug there. Here's a towel and you'll have to borrow my clothes. I'm sure you don't want to keep wearing that." He chuckled as he watched her take a seat on the floor where she had stood to begin the process of unstrapping and peeling off her boots. "You remind me of a drowned rat with blue hair." Sadreen stuck her tongue out at him for that comment but continued the slow process of getting her shoes off. "Well the bathroom is about two feet away from you. You can change in here and I'll get you something warm to eat." He opened the door of the bathroom and turned on the lights for her, leaving the towel and the shirt on the sink.

Sadreen watched him go into the kitchen and then went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. It was small, merely a half bath with no 'fresher. She sighed and stared at herself in the mirror. She did remind herself of a drowned rat and giggled quietly before pulling off her black sweater. She wrung it out over the sink, watching as at least half a pint of water went down the drain. She then continued the process by switching her slightly damp shirt for Kazic's nice thick one. She then used the towel and roughly dried her hair. She ran her hands through it once or twice to try and tame the wild strands, not obliging to her wishes.

She walked out into the main room, leaving her shirt and sweater draped over the sink. She stumbled around, trying to get to the now-lighted kitchen. She didn't know what was where and stubbed her defenseless toe on something.

She got there and Kazic was working at the stove, heating something. He turned to look at her, his hands resting on the counter top. He let out a loud sigh again.

"What?"

"Toks, you forgot to wear leggings with your water boots. You've got blisters." She looked down at her legs. She counted at least seven blisters on one leg, and five on the other, mostly around her knees and on her feet.

"Oh, my. You seem to be right."

"Shh. We don't want to wake up my parents. But you're going to need to put something on those you know. You'll only make them worse if you put back on your boots to go home with your legs still exposed."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." He came over to look at her legs, squatting so he could get a better look to see how bad they were. If she had walked she would have barely any, but running had heightened her blister percentage.

"I'll have to get you something now. I might have enough bandages, but I don't know at the moment. I'll have to go check." He stood up, but before he could go anywhere a voice called out in the darkness.

"Kazic? Kazic, what are you doing up so late?" Sadreen stared wide-eyed at her friend, frozen like a deer in headlights.

-----------------------
TECH/SCPO Tokijin/Phoenix Wing/Str Doashim/1FL/VEN/VE (=*A*=) (=*SA*=) [BWC] [VC:B]

"Kazic? Kazic, what are you doing up so late?" A woman's voice called out in the darkness. Kazic's mother appeared in the entrance of the kitchen, wrapped in a light blue night robe. Toki spun around. She felt like a rabbit with no where to run to. And the woman standing before them did not look happy. She looked from the little girl to her son.

"What is she doing here? At two in the morning no less!" Oh. So that's what time it was.

"Mom, she was wandering around outside and-"

"I don't care if she was outside. I want her gone. Now."

"But Mom, she was all alon-"

"I don't care Kazic. She does not belong in this household. I should call her mother about this! Coming around early in the morning! She should not be letting her child run around the streets like a homeless person-"

"No!" As Sadreen listened to the words that came out of the woman's mouth she began to slowly back away, her arms held up to her mouth as if to protect herself from hearing her awful words. Kazic had tried to defend her, but his protection stopped at the powerful force by the woman who had brought him into this world. But now she stared down at the tiled floor, speaking through her hands. "Please, don't call my mom. I'll leave now, I promise." She looked at Kazic and he stared at her with bright green eyes filled with regret and sorrow. She hated to see him look sad. He didn't look right unless he was happy.

She walked out of the kitchen, making sure to keep her distance from the woman who was defending her household and went to the door. The light off was in the bathroom and she didn't think Kazic's mom had noticed that she was wearing his clothes. She decided to leave the wet clothes there. If she did that would mean he had a reason to come see her soon.

She hurriedly put on her tall boots, wishing that they had been able to treat the blisters. They burned as her tender, hurt skin brushed against the rough fabric as she slid her foot in. She turned to look into the kitchen, staring at the figure behind the taller woman. She wished she had been quieter. She didn't want to leave the safeness of Kazic's home, even when there was an angry woman in it, to return to her own. Her mother would be less than kind if she found out that she had gone out in the middle of the night. She always was.

The two pairs of sad eyes met and she opened the door before disappearing into the darkness of the hall, leaving Kazic. 

* * *

Mrs. Saxon sighed frustratingly after the door had clicked shut. She turned to her son. Staring down at him menacingly. She walked over to the stove and turned it off with exaggerated movements, scenarios of what the next couple seconds would be running through her head madly.

"Mother, she had no where else to go." He stood there, angry and back straight, thinking that putting a sense of solidness to his voice would make his mother understand. She usually didn't act like that, and he never thought she would be the kind of person to throw a young child out into the streets on a rainy night. He was greatly disappointed in her and her actions, but wasn't going to show it.

"You know why I understand why I did what I did, right?"

"No, Mother, I don't." The woman sighed tiredly and shuffled around her kitchen, putting away everything Kazic had brought out for his friend.

"I wasn't going to let a child like her into my home, especially in the middle of the night. And do you know who her mother is, don't you? She is a horrible, mean person." At this point she began waving her arms erratically to improve emphasis, "She get involved with the wrong people and never speaks to anyone with mercy or kindness. Her daughter will be no different, and I don't want that. . . That trash running around in my home! I do not want her having any sort of influence on you." She was getting more worked up about this subject than she had meant to, but everything she said she meant. She had known her child had been out to see that girl many times before and had simply overlooked it. But now. . . Now he was letting her into her house! The madness had to stop now.

She stood there, silently fuming, staring at the small form that was her only son. He was no different in emotion. His anger was beginning to boil over. His mother had a way of judging people rashly, and he had usually listened out of naivety, hanging on to her every word. But this was his friend.

"You have no idea what you're talking about! You don't know her at all!"

His mother stood there, glaring daggers at her son. How could he talk back to his own mother like that? She was hurt by his actions, but wasn't going to show it. She simply stared at him blankly for a moment.

"Go to bed." He stared at her with defiant eyes, but obeyed her command with haste and returned to his room. She sighed and turned to a cupboard, opening it and pulled out a small white pill bottle. She poured two of its contents into her hand and dry swallowed them, grimacing as they went down. Her headache was going to keep her up for a while. She looked around the dimly lit kitchen, sighing loudly. She walked out of the kitchen, her steps slow and exaggerated. She walked to the front door, putting her hand on the doorknob and locking it with her other, letting out another sigh. Where had she gone wrong? Had she raised a wild, rowdy boy with not respect for his mother?

She turned to go back to her room when she spotted the bathroom door open. She looked inside and narrowed her eyebrows at the sight of a black sweater and a green shirt. She picked them up, keeping the clothing away from her like it was poison. She walked back into the kitchen and dropped them in the garbage and turned out the lights, returning to her room.

* * * 

Sadreen sighed as she stood outside under the overhang, watching the rain come down. It would be raining like this for a while yet, and Sadreen had no incentive to get home quickly. She also didn't want to bloody up her legs. But her legs weren't the only thing that was injured. Her pride and her heart hurt as well. It was the first time she had seen Kazic's mother and she was so beautiful. . . It hurt to be thrown out by someone who was so young and pretty as she was. Her own mother was old and had wrinkles with gray mixed in with her blue and black hair. Her mother was so. . . Mean looking. If she hadn't looked cross all the time she suspected that her mother could be very pretty even in her old age.

She sighed as the water came down. Tonight, even though the rain fell for her, she did not feel it's calming affect as she normally would have. Tonight she did not want to be comforted. She stepped out into the rain, pulled her arms closer to her body. She wasn't going to run tonight, and by the time she made it home she was going to be soaking wet. She didn't care.

She was so disappointed. Kazic was such a kind, understanding person and his mother. . . Well his mother was the exact opposite. She had a kind face, but her personality did not match the misleading features. Why had she kicked her out in the first place? Well, she had stopped by uninvited in the middle of the night. . . But was that a good enough reason to kick her out? She ran over the scenario in her head as she walked, ignoring the pounding rain that ran down her face. Maybe if she had apologized, then maybe she wouldn't have been sent home. But would that have changed her mind about me? I don't think so. . . It doesn't work with Mom, why would apologizing work with someone else? She let out a deep sigh and looked up at her surroundings.

"Uh oh." She didn't know where she was at the moment. She had been wandering aimlessly, lost in her thoughts and she hadn't paid attention to where she was going and had now entered a district that she wasn't familiar with. Had she come across this area only to find it wasn't of her interest and wander off in another direction without fully exploring? She didn't know. This was a whole different side of the city. How had missed this part of her town? It was a lot darker than the rest. She did a 360, trying to figure out where she had come from so she could backtrack and get home. But the streets were dark here; the lamp posts weren't lit. She couldn't distinguish any land marks at the moment. She let out a loud sigh but it was drowned out by the pouring rain. She would have stayed where she was, but that only works when there was someone who was looking for you. No one would be out searching for her this time of night.

She began walking, taking her time, watching where she was going with acute attention. She wanted to go home and sleep, but that idea would be lost if she couldn't find her way home. She kept walking, feeling the rough fabric scratch against her skin with every step. She felt her eyes begin to droop. She was growing tired. The energy she started the night off with had been used up. At this point she just wanted to find a dry place and lay down. In fact that is just what she would do.

Chances are that if she found a place she'd wake up when the sun rose, and she'd have enough time and light to get home before her mom figured anything out. And if she was lucky she'd be dry by the time she woke up. She looked around for a place to rest as she walked. She hoped she could find one of the city's many gazebos they had scattered around.  Those would be dry and the solid ground would feel compared good to any damp ground she could find.

She walked down in the middle of the street, keeping what sharp eye for where she could out for any place of rest. There was no one out at this time of night, especially in the current weather conditions. The rain hadn't let up at all.

She soon found herself back on a familiar street and from here she could find herself to the city's small park. She picked up the pace, using up what little energy she had left, letting herself go faster until she was in a sprint, her destination dead set in front of her. The small shelter in the middle of the deserted park was salvation in her eyes. Her loose hair fell in front of her slowly closing eyes, blocking out lines in her view. She ran up the steps of her shelter and walked to the middle and fell to her knees. The impact with the concrete made her flinch but she didn't mind. She slowly laid down on the ground, stretching her arms above her head and her legs out, feeling a sense of relaxation for the first time that night. She put her arm under her head, using it as a pillow and she sighed contently, glad to finally be somewhere safe and away from pain. The sound of falling rain was like a lullaby to her, and her breathing slowed down to a peaceful pace.

Finally. . . I get to sleep at last. She sighed with content, the memories from the night slowly released her tensed mind, leaving her with a sense of peace that would normally be impossible to achieve. She thanked the rain silently before taking the hand of sleep.

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TECH/SCPO Tokijin/Phoenix Wing/Str Doashim/1FL/VEN/VE (=*A*=) (=*SA*=) [BWC] [VC:B]