The End

Chapter I: Payton

Payton

The blue and shaggy curtains swayed in the darkness as Payton stood behind them. Perhaps it was morning and as soon as she pulled the curtains away the luminescent light of the moon would be faded from her mind and in it's place would be the radiant light of the sun, but she doubted that this was the case. She was almost sure that as soon as she pulled the curtains apart, the night sky would once again be there. It would not be fading, and the sun would not rise. As she placed her pale hands onto the curtains, a slight breeze that followed her began to whip through her hair. The breeze was not unusual, perhaps because it had always been there. Her little windy companion. Her crystal eyes almost pieced the glass as she stood before it.

It was still night, the constant fog had encircled the little town, and the only reason for it seemed to be her presence. Her relationship with the wind and the darkness were so misunderstood by those who surrounded her that she never even talked about them anymore. However, she knew that the power was only getting stronger. The nights and the wind were only growing worse, and the townspeople who were slumbering away in their beds did not know that they had been in that position for the past three days. Payton decided that she had to leave now, otherwise she would only keep the presence of the wind and night here. She wanted her hometown to be radiant once again, even if she had never herself enjoyed the morning light. She was always surrounded by the night. It's looming presence kept her from going insane...

Maybe one of these days she would cope with the light that had once warmed her hair and shone on her back once again, but at the time she could only live surrounded by darkness. Ever since her story had ended, she feared the powers the day held and preferred to live so strongly by the night. The power that the day held was just all too much for her to bear. She had to go now. There was no better time to leave the town with the fog and the night. No one would see her footprints before the breeze that followed her blew the marks in the dirt paths away. She knew that as soon as she left day would fill the air, but darkness would always surround her. Her possessions were packed into a bag. A clean set of clothes, a hairbrush, and an old book. It wasn't one Payton ever wanted to read again, but she kept it regardless. It's meaning was sentimental.

Shadows from the faint streetlamps broke the fog every few feet and shone onto the newly paved pebble roads of town. The shops had window displays of art, food, and clothing, and the few street vendor carts were parked along the sidewalks of town. The factory did not have smoke pouring from its chimneys. The tall and barren trees had branches which resembled knives, and the flowers stood still as boards. They breezed around a bit when Payton walked by, and then immediately stopped once again. A creaking door startled her, and she was relieved to find that it was again the wind in her power that had done it, not another. A television screen went off in a series of squeaks and statics, but it was ignored. She had hit the edge of town. Here, the poorer people lived. The houses were in ruins, huts were held together by bands and sticks. The straw roofs had holes in them, and with her every strong step, the wind grew even more powerful. The huts stood on the ground, almost getting blown off their foundations from the howls of the wind. With a last sad glance at the lone houses, Payton walked on. The dirt paths ended, and out before her stretched acres of barren land. She walked carefully through them, making sure that the wind was wiping away any traces of her presence. She was growing increasingly bored, but besides the book, there was nothing to keep her entertained, and she didn't want to read the book. Another few miles stretched on, all the while, the wind blew through her locks and the night covered her from the rest of the world. She walked along in silence.

The first existence of society came after five hours of trekking through absolutely nothing. A park was covered in fog, but she knew that it was only because of her presence. Settling herself beneath a large oak tree, she scooped out the soft earth with her barren hands. She picked up the book. She never wanted to ever see it again, and this park seemed like the perfect place for her to come to ends with the story. The hole beneath the oak tree was a few inches deep by now, and she gently set the book down into the hole. She hoped no one would find it. She again picked up the mounds of dirt and dumped the handfuls into the hole. No one would ever find it now.

The town of Aspen was just north of her little town of Stargaze, and she was almost sure that this was Aspen. Sure enough, walking in from the park, a large sign stated "Aspen General Store". She proceeded to head straight on the main road. Then she stopped in front of a large building. The revolving doors were working, and she stepped inside.

"It's been a while since you last stopped by Payton," The voice could only belong to General Nathan, it was the only voice with that soothing yet sharp accent to it. Payton merely nodded, and then proceeded to glance around the area. She was looking for a book, and she wasn't finding it. She brushed her fingers along the rows and rows of stories. She only needed one of them.

"Are you looking for this one?" his voice emerged again, the book in hand. Payton stretched out her hand.

"I knew you were coming Payton, and that's why I pulled the book off the shelf. You can't have it."

Payton's eyes raced with anger. She pulled the small breeze of the library to a stop, and then turned it into a howling wind. The book didn't blow out of the General's hands.

"I think you've forgotten how strong I am Payton," he smiled, "you've also forgotten the number one rule of this library."

He motioned to a sign on the door.

Rule #1: Certain books may never be checked out to certain people due to the ways they may be able to use them.

"This book has been off limits since you were a toddler," he took his gaze off of her and stared into the distance, "After what happened the first time, why would you want to try it again?"

Payton kept her glare solidly fixed upon the man. It was obvious that she was not happy to hear about this news. Then she turned and walked out of the door.

The general shrugged. Then he himself sat in the armchair in the center of the library and flipped open the first page.