I darted in the woods, surveying the forbidden line to cross, which led to the Loyalist side. My cape, which was blazing with fire, trailed behind me in a path of burning grass. Strangely, however, the fire was quenched as quickly as it came in contact with the ground.
My blond hair, which fell at my waist, was in sync with my violet eyes. Along with the red see-through cape that was fastened to my neck, I wore a tight black jumpsuit. The sleeves rested on the edges of my fingers, protruding in a triangular fashion with the peak at my third fingers. On top of the jumpsuit, I wore black combat boots. A bayonet and a package of kunai was strapped to my hips.
Today was the day I would leave my group... and my father. The one who gave me scars in animosity of my killing my mother, which of course I did not mean to do. Long story short, childbirth could be a dangerous ordeal.
The guards protecting the Loyalist gates retired for the night, so I hopped down from the lowest tree I could find that overlooked the inside of their territory. Rain was now trickling down my body, sizzling on contact from the opposition of fire and water. The water may have quenched my cape, but my red aura constantly surrounded me.
I held out my hands in front of me, which ignited. My fire aura glowed brighter, and this time the rain simply bounced off of me. I narrowed my eyes, looking into the distance where a faint light pulsated. A salesman was closing up for the night.
"Excuse me, sir!" I called out. "Don't close up just yet."
The man waited for me, tapping his foot all the while. "Who are you, girl? I ain't got much time."
As I reached the shop, I said breathlessly, "You won't regret this, sir. I am obligated to pay you extra." At the word extra, the man's eyebrows lifted.
"I want this." I pointed to a stray envelope on the salesman's desk, clearly not for sale.
The man laughed. "You're going to buy an envelope?" Then, with a sinister look, he cleared his throat. "I mean... sure. It's worth fifteen."
I passed him twenty, rolling my eyes as I took the envelope to put in my satchel. "Good day," I murmured, starting to leave.
But not before the man grabbed my wrist.
Disgusted, I tried pulling away, which was a futile effort. "Sir, your repulsive nails are digging into my wrist. Now, if you'll-"
"Answer my question and I'll let you go," the salesman rasped. "You're not from here, are you?"
I stared at the wall opposite me, trying not to let my panicked expression show. "I am. Why do you ask?"
"You talk different. Are you from here?"
"Yes!" I willed my fire aura to become brighter, and as it did, the man yelped in surprise.
"You're a witch!" he choked out in garbled speech. "Witchcraft, that is!"
I fled into the night.
