Remember Me

- 1 -

Hi all! Thank you for taking the time to read the first chapter of my new story. I hope you enjoy!

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This is why she hated promises.

She felt like they existed just to be broken.

She hated that she couldn't even manage to keep a promise to herself. One that she had actually wanted to keep. It could've been so simple.

The moment Ren made it out she had sworn to forget about Rokkal and start a new life, to never look back. But somehow, five years later, here she was. Back in the same place that'd taken everything from her. She had hoped to have found peace by now but she'd been unable to find happiness without knowing the truth about Jude.

Everyone had promised her he was dead, even that they had seen his body, that the government had done exactly as they promised and murdered everyone she'd loved. Yet years later, she still couldn't escape the nightmares about her past. Until she saw his grave with her own eyes, she wouldn't be able to convince herself that her brother was dead.

Waking up, Ren was hyper-aware of how silent the forest was. Her eyes opened up to almost pitch-black darkness. Her body felt heavy nestled up high in the overgrown oak tree. Her face felt dry as it stretched into a yawn, but the air around her was thick and humid. A dense layer of fog blanketed the forest floor muffling the early morning sounds of the woods.

It was almost tranquil there in the dark, but then she remembered where she was and what she had come back to do. Today was the day she would cross the gates back home and start the search for her brother.

Taking account of her surroundings, Ren carefully climbed down the tree, landing quietly on the soft earth. The damp autumn air sunk through the layers of clothing and deep into her bones making her shiver from the inside out. She pulled the long wool coat tighter around her body, letting it drown her small frame.

Shrinking down into the collar, she waited for the heat from her breath to warm the rest of her face. Reaching down to her right thigh, she felt the familiar outline of her dagger, still securely strapped on. Her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her she had run out of food after yesterday's breakfast.

If I make it past the gates without dying, then I should be just in time for lunch, she thought with anticipation. She absently wondered if there would be any peaches left in the city this late in the season; based on the early chill enveloping her, she doubted it.

Turning North towards the city, Ren started out on the last few miles separating her from the border. This far outside of Rokkal there were no trails and only one real road, but it had not been used in at least a couple of generations, and regardless, the Capital was sure to have it well monitored with cameras.

She wanted to sing, or even just hum to distract herself but knew better than to make noise in a silent forest. Her steps were hushed as well and the only thing she had to keep her company was her thoughts. They were the same thoughts that had been circulating in her mind for the last couple of weeks - since the day she had decided to come back here - the thought that this 'plan' would end up getting her killed.

It's not really much of a 'plan' Ren confessed to herself.

She knew how to get past the gates easily enough, she'd been doing it for years before she left. Beyond that, she wasn't so sure. She was stuck on where to start her search for Jude; it wasn't exactly like there was a database in Rokkal for missing older brothers. Or maybe there was, but it would be controlled by the government and she wasn't exactly interested in starting an uprising to access it.