AFK - Away From Keyboard

Chapter 1: Yue

Emica's POV:

"I'll miss you Yue!" My friend, Kit, called.

"Try not to get yourself killed." I smiled. "The other healers might not be as patient with you as I am."

"You're the one that should be worried. I hope you don't get attacked on your way to Fieryn."

I laughed and walked into the woods. It had been almost two years since I had come to Kedron and apprenticed as a healer. But I had decided it was time for me to move on. My plan was to keep traveling from  city to city until I found my place.

Yue isn't my real name; my real name is Emica. That happens to be the only thing I actually know about myself. I can't really remember anything further back than two years ago.

Most people go by an alias instead of their real names. Some are really strange, such as Kit's fake name. Kitkat03 or something like that. Since everyone else had a fake name, I made myself one too.

My journey would mostly take me three days on foot if I didn't stop too often. The day was nice and I was tempted to take off my cloak, but common sense said that wouldn't be wise. For two main reasons: First, my hair is light purple. That may not seem like a big deal, but hair isn't normally purple.

Second, wearing the cloak allows me to hide my weapons and conceal how weak I look. For anyone to walk alone in the forest is dangerous, especially if you look weak. Although it can be handy to look that way because people will underestimate you, and don't usually attack you in groups.

I hiked through the woods. The overgrown brush and fallen twigs piled onto the forest floor. I'm glad I always wear my light brown/tan tunic and black leggings. It makes it easier not to trip. My black gloves and brown boots protected me from the sharp branches and thorns. It was difficult to keep my cloak's hood on as the branches tried to brush it back.

A squirrel ran up a tree chattering angrily at another squirrel that was chasing it. I wanted to smile, but instead the familiar sensation of my eyes tightening , and my brain clenching returned and I began to cry. In fact I cried so much and so hard that I had to stop and sit under a tree. I didn't know why I was sad, but every inch of me seemed to scream depressed. Kit had called me extremely emotional. He said he never knew how I would react to anything.

To be fair...neither did I.

Once Kit had brought me to the market and a merchant there gave me a gift. I had wanted to keep it so badly and was so excited about it, but instead for some reason I found myself throwing the trinket back at the merchant along with a scathing remark. Kit had only laughed and said he didn't think I had had any spunk in me until that moment.

Finally the sadness left me alone and I was free to feel whatever I chose, so I resumed my walk and hoped I hadn't wasted too much time. Perhaps if I walk most of the night I can make up the time, as well as lessen some of the time for the second day. Besides I've never seen the forest at night before.