13 years ago, Chicago

The t.v. in the living room was loud, and it had the soft sound of static overlapping the program. From the doorway of her bedroom, a tiny blond haired girl crept out and snuck past the slumbering form slumped in the ottoman, delicately stepping over bear cans and pizza boxes. Reaching the refrigerator, she gave it a quiet but firm yank, and it swung open quietly. Reaching inside, the thin framed girl took out a can of peanut butter, a bottle of jelly, and shut it quietly behind her.

In the dim glow coming from the living room, she set the objects on the counter, and moved over to the drawer next to their sink. In the dark, she could see the tower of dirty dishes that never got washed, and managed to find a clean knife in the dish strainer. Placing it next to the peanut butter, she finally went to the pantry, and carefully climbed to the top shelf where she'd hid the bread. The bottom shelves were mostly canned foods and boxes of dinners they never made. She didn't know the last time they cooked something in this house. The stove was buried under pizza boxes and other trash that never made it outside.

She climbed onto the kitchen island next to her supplies, and with her legs tucked under her, she made two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They weren't perfect, little holes pulled into the bread where the peanut butter slipped, but they were good enough. Tightening the lid on the containers, she slid her little bare feet over the counter, and flopped to the ground with a light thump. In the living room, there was a grumble and a snort, then more snoring that overtook the television program. Hardly breathing, the girl moved towards the back rooms, where a soft light glowed down the hallway.

"Kelarii...I made dinner." The girl spoke, gently pushing open the bedroom door. Music from the radio met her ears, a pleasant mix of instrumentals and singing voices. Compared to the rest of the house, this room was impeccably clean. The carpet was stainless, the toys put away in all of their places, and in the middle of a bed with pink sheets, a brown haired girl sat with long brown locks down her back. She smiled, an angelic like curling of her mouth that made her melt even the hardest hearts.

"It looks great, sissy." Kelarii said, and the older girl held out the better sandwich, keeping the sloppier bread for herself. The blond-haired girl took a seat on the edge of the bed, and took a bite of the bread careful not to leave crumbs. Her sister scooted closer, little legs dangling over the edge of the covers and smiling happily as she ate the sandwich. "Where's daddy, Tses?

"He's got some work to do tonight, so we're just going to hang out back here, ok?" Tses watched her sister's face, and there was no sign she caught the lie. Since they were kids, Kelarii had been sweetly naive, and Tses tried hard to keep it that way. She was the only sunshine in this dark world, and if she had her way, she'd get her out. "It's late, anyway, and you need to get some sleep."

Kelarii pulled her face into a little frown, and finished eating her sandwich as slowly as possible. She was only 6, and even though she looked up to Tses, she had a bit of her sister's stubbornness. As they finished their food, Tses took her sister's hand and led her to the bathroom, careful the younger girl didn't turn and face the living room. Side by side on the step stool, they washed fingers, then brushed teeth. Kelarii reached out and splashed water at her sister's face, and Tses gave a little laugh, splashing back. There was a small noise from the living room, and she quickly muffled her laughter, grabbing a towel and drying her sister off. With a hand on her back, she moved back to the bedroom, and helped her sister climb into bed. Kelarii's eyelashes gave a little flutter and she gazed up at her older sister.

"Tses... how come daddy never comes to tuck me in anymore?" She whispered. Tses felt a turning feeling in her gut but smiled and brushed her sister's hair out of her face.

"He's just busy Kelly. Once work slows down, he'll spend lots of time with you, I promise. For now, though, you got me, and I make a much better sandwich." She grinned, and Kelarii giggled, rolling over and tucking her arm under her pillow. Her little hand reached out and covered Tses's, smiling sweetly.

"I love you Tessa. I'm glad I get to have you as a big sister." The nick-name rolled off her tongue as she closed her eyes and went to sleep, and Tses smiled a little, and as the girl fell asleep, her big sister snuck away from the bed. She moved over to the desk, and turned the radio up, the gentle music filling the room. Here, at least, the little girl could be safe from the world outside. As Tses clicked off the light and shut the door tightly behind her, she closed her sister into the room where she could be a child.

It was late, but Tses didn't feel tired. She walked slowly down the hallway of their home, and her gaze swept across the hallway down to the living room. The carpet was soiled and stained from spills, and the walls has holes in places were her father punched it in his drunken rage. It was strangely quiet tonight, though, with her father in a deep slumber that kept him out of the way. Outside cars raced past their houses, their headlights flickering through the windows of the living room. She could hear voices and yells in the night, and it was all she could do to shut them out in her own head. She didn't feel like an eight year old girl. She felt eons older, trying to be a mother, a father and a sister to Kelarii, the only person that mattered to her. With their steady decline towards poverty, and her father's growing gambling problem, Tses had to stand strong and make sure nothing happened to her baby sister. She picked up her mess on the counter, put the jars back in the refrigerator, and climbed back up the pantry to hide the bread in the bread box where the mice couldn't get it. Taking a cloth from the sink, she tried to clean jelly off the counter, at least trying to keep the kitchen island clean. Somewhere behind her, though, she heard movement, and turned slowly as the large figure of her father rose groggily from his chair.

"What are you doing in there?" The voice drifted into the kitchen, gruff and unsteady. Tses could feel his bloodshot eyes lock on her, and her grip tightened on the rag.

"I was just making Kelarii dinner... It was late, and I didn't want her to be hungry..."

"Why the hell are you cleaning up the counter then? How much did you spill? I pay a lot of money for that stupid jelly for you kids, without you wasting half of it!" He started walking towards her, feet unsteady but hands clenched into fists.

"I was careful, I swear. I didn't-" The backhanded blow struck her across the cheek and lip, knocking her to the floor. From her position on the tile, he looked like a monster in the moonlight: a shadowy silhouette towering above her, able to crush her tiny form. She scooted backwards, ducking his other unstead swat, and he gripped the edge of the counter, eyes unfocused and trying to pinpoint her.

"You wasteful little brat. I work hard to get us money, and I don't need you wasting it. Get out of here!" He snarled, and Tses felt herself stare up at him with uncrying eyes. In her young years, there was one thing she had learned: this man wasn't worth her tears, and she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of them. Getting to her feet, Tses scrambled towards her back room and shut the door behind her. Her face was set in a determined line, but her eyes slowly blurred now that she was safe. She tasted blood on her lip, and desperately tried to think of what she would tell Kelarii if she asked about it in the morning.

Her room was small, and there was no bed in here, no toys, only a room with four walls and a small pile of clothes. If she wanted, she could pack everything up and run away without a problem, but then she'd have to leave behind her sister, and she couldn't do that. Tses stayed to keep her sister safe, even when it meant facing the monster hiding in the other room. She spent years playing puppets and telling lies and stories and trying to hide Kelarii from the man she once called daddy. But the drunker he got, and the darker things became, Tses knew she couldn't keep it from her sister forever. Just like the blood on her face, there were somethings you couldn't bury away. She hated the idea of Kelarii seeing the place she saw as home like Tses did. Somehow, Tses just kept telling herself they would get away soon, and her younger sister would never have to face it again.

Suddenly exhausted, she sank against the door, laid her head on the floor and curled up like a cat to sleep. At least here she could hear the movement from the living room, and act quickly if her father came this way. But the t.v. was blaring again, and there was a belch and the sound of another can of beer opening as he settled back into his chair. From the room across the hall, Tses could hear the sound of music that was her sister's lullaby. Tses fell asleep to the sound of sirens in the distance, locked on the other-side of their twisted reality.

12 years ago, Chicago

Tses awoke to a burning in her eyes, and the smell of smoke in her nose. There was yelling form the living room, and screaming in the night, with the crackling sound building in her ears. Her back pressed against the door felt hot, and she quickly scrambled to her feet, surprised how bright the light seemed under her bedroom door. Grabbing the door handle, she jumped as the hot metal pressed into her skin. She knew something was wrong, and as she wrapped her hand with one of her old shirts and opened the door, everything came alive.

Smoke burst through the open door, and the light turned into flames that were filling their hallway. Tses backed up in terror, watching the fire billowing from the living room take over the only house she knew. Across the hallway, she heard a small voice crying, and Tses was separated by the fiery inferno.

A mans scream of pain echoed from the living room, cut short with an explosion of fire and wood. Tses tried to drown it out, jumping small trickles of fire as she stumbled to Kelarii's door. With her wrapped hand, she threw it open, bare feet tingling with pain as flames leap towards her pant legs.

"Tessa! What's going on?" The younger girl coughed, and Tses kicked the door shut, quickly moving and placing the cloth shirt across her sister's face to protect her from the smoke.

"It's going to be ok, Kelly. Just stay close to me, I'll get you out."

The younger girl sobbed quietly as Tses ran to the window, and struggled to pull open the glass. The room was getting hot, and smoke was pouring in from under the door jam. Voices through the walls were crying into the night, and sirens blared in the distance as Tses struggled with the widow jam. To her right, the radio still softly played music for a few moments, until the outlet gave a little pop and it cut short. Everything around them seemed to be crashing down, and the room seemed small and suffocating. Tses yanked desperately at the lock, but the window wouldn't yield. They were going to die....she thought, and as she glanced at her sister next to her, she couldn't accept that fate.

Yelling in anger, the nine year old girl grabbed the radio off the desk and threw it into the window. Glass shattered outward, and fresh air met her face. It was her only hope, an opening; an escape for them both.

"Grab your shoes, Kelly, and hurry over here." Tses coughed on the smoke she kept inhaling, and it burnt like fire down into her chest. Her tiny sister slipped on her shoes, and Tses quickly slipped the girls jacket on her, pulling the hood over her head and yanking the sleeves over her hands. Whatever happened, her sister had to make it. But time was burning quickly away. Tses took the comforter from her sisters bed, and with her hand tucked in it knocked and shards of glass from the window frame. Then she laid the fabric across it, and took her carefully wrapped sister and lifted her out the window. The girls tiny feet barely touched the ground when the house gave a might creak, and Tses let go.

"Tses!"

The scream echoed in her mind as a chunk of ceiling struck the girl in the head, and she collapsed back into the house, dazed. For a few frightening moments, she found herself staring at the ceiling as flames crawled their way across the boards. She felt herself slowly crawling towards her sister's bed for shelter, the heat around her powerful and overwhelming. Then the ceiling caved in, and she felt a burning sensation along her back, a crushing pain, then everything went dark.

Fire... fire... everything was on fire...

Tses felt herself surrounded by darkness, a fire burning in her chest, and her body prickling with bits of pain. The crackle of fire slowly was replaced by the trickle of water, and the hum of sirens filled her ears. There were voices everywhere, a distant crying and pictures were snapped somewhere in the distance. The the weight from her back was lifted, and someone whispered:

"We found the other girl."

Hands reached out for her, and they were the gentlest hands she knew. They lifted her thin frame from the glass she was collapsed on, and carried her away from the remains of the house she knew. Something in her felt safe for a moment, free from the jail that kept her all these years. But then she heard the distant crying of a small girl, and she knew this night would not be the coming dawn she longed for. She was being carried away from her younger sister she swore to protect, carried away by strong arms, and carried in her cocoon of pain. She couldn't even speak, couldn't say goodbye, couldn't move. She just laid in that empty darkness, wondering what would happen to her now.

11 years ago, Chicago

Around her, everything was quiet. Footsteps drifted past down a hallway, heals echoing on what sounded like tile. Ten year old Tses felt herself coming to consciousness, and her eyes flickered open, senses overwhelmed by walls of white. She glanced down at her arms, where scabs had formed on wounds she didn't remember, and as she moved she felt tightness across her back that didn't make sense. She stared at the all too white ceiling, laid in the all to clean bed, and wished to leave this all to confusing place. Forcing herself to sit up, her blond hair touched her back, longer than she remembered, and she heard someone moving towards her room.

"You're... awake."

Tses turned her face to a rather startled orderly, and could only imagine how it looked. This ten year old girl, sitting in a hospital bed; pale skinned, with bright blue eyes staring emptily back at you. Tses didn't cry, didn't ask questions, she just stared as the orderly backed out of the room. She sat there, hands resting lightly on the white blankets, and she glanced down at her arms. Little red scabs stared back at her, red lines across her pale skin. She felt herself scratching at them, tearing the flesh in the process.

Pick, pick, pick...

Blood welled to the surface, and just just gazed at it. In her mind, there were echoes of her past. Screaming, flames, a crying girl, a pained man. It was overcome by images of terror, cowering from a figure larger than her striking out like a snake...

pick, pick, pick...

Blood trickled down her arms, and stained the too white sheets. Footsteps came in, and face stared at her, concerned and bewildered. Tses felt herself looking up, and her eyes locked on the doctor as he came to her bedside. For the first time since they had taken her here, she opened her mouth, and her voice sounded strong for someone who had been asleep for so long.

"Where is my sister?" She asked, looking up and ignoring the blood staining the bed sheets.

The nurse and doctor glanced at each other, then back at her. Their faces were those of concern, of someone who knows something but doesn't want to say it. Tses felt her gaze sharpen on them, an intense stare that caused them to squirm in place. "Your sister is in the foster system, and she's doing well there. But... your situation is a bit difficult for us to handle. You've been in a coma for nearly a year, and well... She doesn't know..."

Tses heard enough, and looked away, fixing her gaze on the window outside and trying to suppress the tears building in her face. So that was it. They were free, and Kelarii was safe... She was a caged bird, and the door was finally open for her to leave. But for some reason, she didn't feel free. She felt like a bird with broken wings; she had no home, no family, and nothing to turn to.

The nurse moved over to her side, and started wrapping her arms quietly, and Tses didn't protest. She didn't even look at the women. The fabric felt soothing, protective. She like the way it felt against her skin, and contemplated her future as she stared at the strips of fabric. People moved outside, and shut the door behind her to give the small girl some privacy. But they didn't need to worry about her. Within an hour, she had snuck out of the hospital, and taken to the streets, a slim figure with blond hair to her waist, shoeless feet and fierce empty eyes.

If she didn't have a home, she would find one; she didn't need anyone. All she had to look out for now was herself.

10 years ago, Chicago

Her skinny legs pumped wildly as she raced across the snowy pathway, glancing over her shoulder at the figure of the officer slowly drifted back behind her. In her arms, the bag of Chinese food was wonderfully warm, and the smell in her nose was heavenly. Now, all she had to do was make it home before anyone else tried chasing her. She bee-lined down an alley, clambered carefully on top of a closed trash can, and then wiggled her way over the chain link fence. Dropping to the other side, her cat like landing was broken with a stumbling off balanced slid on a patch of ice, and she crashed into the ground, fortune cookies rolling out of the top of the bag. Quickly brushing them back into the white paper sack, her fingers tingled with cold pain and her palms complained with the wet melted snow beneath her fingerless gloves. But she couldn't stop to brush herself off. She had a way to go still.

Turning corners down the back alleys, she eventually made it to an aged building with sturdy heavy piping up the sides. Every few feet, a large band of metal secured the pipes to the building, making it the perfect fixture for her to climb. Securing the bag of food in her teeth, she gripped the cold metal, and felt the sharp sting of pain flicker up her arms. Then she started making her way skyward, tiny muscles complaining, but determination fueling her. Like a tiny spider money, she made it to the third story rooftop, and rolled onto the safety in the flat surface. Snow sank into her denim jeans, and attacked her aging jacket, but it would have to be tolerated. It was December after all.

The young girl took a moment to breathe, pulse pounding in her throat and muscles screaming from all her efforts. She'd lucked out today, catching the young page boy getting food for the rest of his coworkers. He'd set the bag down on the sidewalk to pick up his credit card he dropped, and Tses had taken the opportunity. Now, he had nothing to show for his efforts, but she had a feast fit for the holidays.

Getting to her feet, she made her way over to the makeshift shelter she'd set up in the corner of the building. It was some old boards, cardboard, sheets, and newspaper; a mixed mush of materials that kept the inside snug and dry. She had a bed made from some clothing she'd picked up from stores and charities, and a small camping stove she pilfered from someone's shed a few weeks prior. Stealing was something she'd adapted to from the time she was younger. In a way, she always stole, because her father's watchful gaze would never have given her a crumb to eat. By slipping under his wrathful watch, she had thankfully been prepared for a life on the street. Nothing out here was given to you; you had to make do with what you could scavenge.

So, she accepted it. She sat in her pile of stolen goods, and broke into a container of stolen orange chicken. If Karma was going to spite her, she may as well do it now. Because things didn't look like they would change anytime soon.

After finishing off two boxes of food, and burying the rest in the snow to keep it fresh longer, she brushed off her frozen hands, and crept to the edge of her high rise lookout. In the streets below, streetlamps were decorated with festive garlands or tinsel, and a car rolled past down the street, a large tree strapped to its roof. Young Tses watched it move on, face scrunched in confusion. After nearly a year living on her own, this was her first real winter on the streets. And it was the first time she'd faced the holiday season.

Her family didn't celebrate Christmas; up until last year, she didn't know what the word meant. She hardly understood it even now. There were boxes wrapped in shiny paper, and trees being dragged in doors and set into living rooms. It seemed like an archaic worshiping of nature, up until the point they put lights on the trees, as if they were trying to set them on fire. Yesterday, the family across the street set up their tree, and from her perch she could see it now, star glittering in the frosted glass. Whatever they did during this time of the year, it seemed special. She secretly wished she could join it.

Wandering back to her shelter, she picked up one of the empty to-go boxes, and smooshed in the bottom, trying to make a triangle shape. She set it in the snow, then took one of the fortune cookies, and plopped it on top. It looked like a pile of trash, not a tree, and she kicked it in frustration, before retrieving the cookie and cracking it open. Inside, a tiny piece of paper fluttered in the wind, and she took it in her tiny fingers, and read the words written on it.

"The most generous holiday gift is friendship." She read, and sighed, dropping the paper and letting it flutter away over the edge of the building into the wind. It was a dumb fortune, anyway. She didn't have friends, and didn't plan on it either.

Suddenly, there was a 'fwoomp' behind her, and she turned around in surprise, heart sinking in dismay. Her tiny shelter she had so carefully constructed had collapsed under the weight of the snow, and the white powder covered the bedding inside. Frantically, she tried to save some of her dry clothing to keep her warm later that night, but the fluffy powder was quick to start melting into the warm fabric. Heart sinking, she felt tears fill her eyes, and she wandered back to the edge of the building to look at the world moving below her. From up here, she felt safe from people: she felt protect and secure. But she also couldn't fight the feeling of loneliness that came with it.

The sound of giggling met her ears, and she turned, face lighting with surprise. In the distance, a group of kids were coming into view, with tiny orbs of white flying through the air. She couldn't believe what she was seeing as she sat there, watching snow pellet the kids as they laughed in glee. Here she was, freezing to death in this dumb powder, and they were playing in it. Yet, part of her wished she could join them.

One of the smaller kids paused for a moment, and with no real reason looked up at the top of the building. Tses ducked, hoping they hadn't seen her, then peered over the edge to see if she was safe. The younger girl stared up at her, and slowly gave a smile. Tses sat back down, back to the wall, and refused to look up again. After a few seconds, the laughter resumed, and then it started to get further away. Meanwhile, Tses pulled her legs up close, and shook, terrified by the small encounter. A gust of wind pushed against her frozen face, and at her feet, she saw a scrap of paper sticking out of the snow. The word Friendship was barely visible as the water melted the words off it's surface, and she took her tiny shoe and buried it into the snow. It was a dumb holiday, and a dumb game, and she didn't need to bother with it. She had better things to do.

Scowl deepening, she got to her feet and moved to fix her shelter. This whole day was going downhill, and even the Chinese food didn't make it better. Her fingers were numb, and pink with the ice, and desperately wanted to turn on the camping stove to warm herself up. With all these problems, she quickly started forgetting the other children. She didn't have time for fun, she had to make sure she had a place to sleep tonight without freezing to death. Her intense personality set her to work, and she started repairing the little hut. Yet, she couldn't drown out the little bits of laughter coming in the wind, and she sighed, pushing away her wistfulness.

Merry Christmas. She thought for a short moment, then determinedly went back to work.

9 years ago, Chicago

"Hey, come back here you little thief!"

A blond haired kid scrambled across the busy intersection, narrowly dodging a passing vehicle. Horns blared around her, and people yelled as she quickly faded out of sight. Behind her, voices kept calling, but they were slowly beginning to vanish. As angry as they were, she was slim and fast, and manged to outmaneuver them.

With a relieved little laugh, she jumped at a familiar building, and wiggled her tiny frame up the fire escape and towards the roof. Her prize was clenched in her teeth, and the cold metal tasted bitter on her tongue. The sharp tang of steel was welcome to her though, and she had to resist trying to move it under her chin as she made her accent. By the time she rolled inside the safety of the brick lip of the building her mouth was coated in the taste and she pulled the metal away to examined her prize.

It was a bow staff, strong but lightweight. There were no real markings on it, and it was heavier than she had expected. She'd robbed a few stores before, and this was just another of her adventures. But the closer she looked, the more she realized she had pilfered something fancier than she imagined.

There were small buttons at different segments, and as she pushed one of them, it gave a click and the section slid inward. The staff shorted a good ten inches, and it was less of a staff and closer to being a stick. Another button, another shortened segment, and the process continued until it could easily be hidden inside her clothes. She couldn't believe her luck. This was more than just another toy for her to mess with.

When she stole it, she had thought it was just another Halloween prop, and had hoped to use it to prop up her shelter when the winter snows rolled back around. But life had thrown her a bone: it was a professionally made instrument. The sections lengthened and collapsed like a well oiled machine, and after re-expanding it as she gave it a swing through the air, it whistled slightly with air speed.

Laughing, she turned and swung it again, enjoying how it felt in the palm of her hand. The metal was cold on her bare fingers, and slid a little as she moved. Frowning slightly, she realized her skin would be too oily to hold such an object, so she quickly moved to her shelter, and found some cloth bandages. She kept them mostly for first aid, to patch up skinned knees and sliced arms, but now she saw another use for them, and she slowly and carefully wrapped up her hands. After a few minutes, her palms were covered with a pattern typically reserved for an ace bandage. But as she wiggled her fingers she appreciated the comfortable fit, and picked back up her new prize.

Letting out a little giggle, she pranced around her rooftop like a kid on Christmas morning. She wasn't a fighter, but even she could appreciate the deadly speed she could achieve with the metal staff. She felt powerful suddenly, intimidating enough to stand up for herself. Secretly, she longed for something to test it on, and glanced over the side of her roof for her pursuers. The streets below were mostly empty, and cars continued to roll along idly without any heed to her presence. With a puff of discontent, she moved back to her little home, and plopped onto the nest of fabric.

Sighing, she laid her head against an old jacket, and brushed a speck of dirt from it's surface. This was the problem with being a thief and being a runaway; there was no one to share her excitement with. Growing up, Kelarii had been her biggest fan. Everything she did made the younger girl smile, and Tses would do anything just to hear the little child laugh. The fire felt so long ago, but in her head, she could still hear her baby sister crying in the distance. She would never be able to share these things again. All she had was this little shelter, where she could hoard her presents for herself. But even the shiniest, most amazing spoils couldn't take away the pang of loneliness she felt, she she slowly set the staff aside, and nestled into her covers.

Someday, things would be different, she told herself. She'd find someone who understood her, another street kid, another friend. And when they bested someone, they would laugh together; two peas in a pod without a care in the world. She looked forward to that day, when this sadness went away, and all she'd have to share would be her joy. She had faith it would come, and until then, she would just have to wait and become the best thief she could.

In the distance, there was a warm glow as the sun was beginning to set, and Tses crept out to the edge of the roof, lifting herself up onto the ledge and letting her legs dangle over. The sun went fire red, and the line of colors danged across the skyline. She felt a little smile unwillingly cross her face, and her fear slipped away, if only for a moment. Below her, cars and people wandered unaware of her. It was like looking down on the world, and just seeing everything move past. She could sit like this forever, bathed in the red light of a sunset, and drinking in everything around her.

That moment she locked away in her mind; the skyline, the rooftop, and a blazing sun glimmering in the sky. Someday, she would show someone this. Share this feeling, and the beauty of this sunset. Because way up here, you could see the entire sky, and it was breathtaking. A sunset on top of the world; her skytop world.

8 Years Ago, Chicago

When you lived life on the run, you start to feel invincible. Every adrenaline rush, every leap to safety; every moment you escape danger makes you feel like you stand above the world, and nothing can touch you. But no matter how fast you are, eventually, someone catches up.

Today, Tses had been caught, not just once, but twice, and the memories lingered in her mind as she sat in her rooftop shelter.

Earlier that day

"Hey twig-legs! Where you going?" Tses shoved her hands in her pocket and forced herself not to turn. A rock flew through the air, barely missing her shoulder, and she flinched, moving a little faster. She'd been wandering around town, trying to find money for dinner, when the older boys had cut her off on the street. She started to run, arms pumping at her side as she spun into an alleyway, skidding to a stop at a dead end. Footsteps quickly skidded to a stop behind her, and Tses turned, backing into the wall.

"Leave me alone! I didn't do anything to you!" She snarled, imagining the alley cats she saw fighting each other. She tried to look bigger than she was, but the older teens laughed and stepped closer.

"What are you going to do about it? You punch like a girl!" Tses put her arms up to defend herself, as a fist came flying at her face. Pain splintered through her forearm at the blow, and she whimpered, trying to dive out of the way. One of them caught her by the hair and yanked her backwards. She screamed, throwing punches wildly, but none of them seemed to effect those attacking her. The sun's last rays vanished, and it was like she was abandoned in the darkness. Then suddenly, a glimmer of light crossed her shaking body as she curled away from her attackers. Her hands started to glow, and the teens started to back away in fear.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you some kind of freak?" One of them whispered, and Tses looked down at her hands, screaming again with fear. She tried to force the energy to go away, willing it to go back in her hands, but all it did was cluster in to a small yellow orb. With a flick of her hand, it shot away from her body, and exploded, knocking one of the boys into the brick wall. His head made a sickening thud against the bricks, and Tses screamed in terror. Getting to her feet, she turned and fled back into the streets, willing herself not to turn around; she started to run, afraid of what she had done.

Tears obscured her vision as she moved through the city, and she took to the fire escapes, the green energy still curling around her body like a fire with no heat. She slipped the last few steps, and crashed into the concrete with a slight tingle of pain. Flinching slightly, she sat up, and was surprised to see someone sitting on the rooftop in front of her.

"Charming display back there, kid. You always use your powers like that, or are you just sloppy today?"

Tses backed up, fear in her eyes, but the stranger gave a small smile. She stood, a vision in all black, with long hair tied back with a headband. Her eyes were ice blue, and her hands were gloved. "P....powers? I don't know what happened, I just got scared and..." She looked down at her hands, and felt sick to her stomach again. She held her stomach, and the older woman stepped forward. In the glow of her green light, and the rising of the moon, she looked hauntingly dangerous.

"Ah, so you've just manifested. What luck. It's nothing to be afraid of dear. I'll tell it to you bluntly. You're a mutant. Get used to it." She knelt in front of Tses, and grabbed the younger girl's face roughly. Tses flinched as her head was pulled from side to side, and then the stranger let go. "Skinny little thing. But there may be something here to work with. How are you at fightin' pipsqueak?"

"I'm just fine at it." Tses glared, and swatted at the woman. That only made her laugh harder.

"Oh, suuure, that was what it looked like. But you got spirit and heart, and determination. That may take you places, kid. Tell you what; you can be my pet project. I'll teach you to fight, and maybe even help you learn a thing or two about your powers. We'll call it my Karma points for the year. Sound like fun?"

"No." Tses glared, and she just laughed again, and shoved Tses's hair in a older sister sort of way.

"Yeah, I knew I liked you. We'll have to do something with that hair though. I don't think it suits you that long. You seem like a pigtails person to me. Maybe half-pigtails. We should try it." She met Tses' gaze, and just grinned at the girls attempts to intimidate her. She nodded her head down towards the younger females hands, and Tses glanced down in surprise. The energy that had been floating around her had vanished, and now her hands felt like they were tingling with a distant energy. "When you focus your emotions, you get more control over your powers. Anger seems to suit you though. Come on, kid. I'll show you around."

Grumbling but curious, Tses got to her feet, and slowly started to follow the woman. She paused, though, and toed the ground with her shoes. "I'm Tses....Can I at least know your name?"[/color]

The woman laughed, and smirked. "Don't need names where we're going. On the street, you're a number: alive or dead. Try to make sure you're the first one." And she jumped off the edge of the roof.

7 Years Ago, Chicago

As her fist made contact with the jaw of the taller boy, Tses felt the crash of bone to bone, her knuckles softened only by the bandages wrapped around her hands. She could hear the grunt of the impact, the staggering adjustment of his feet, then her arm followed up with a quick jab to the stomach that crumbled him to his knees. Panting slightly with the effort, she straightened up, and smirked at her opponent. He scowled back but that only made her little lopsided grin stronger.

"Best 4 out of 5?" She quipped, and he waved a hand at her, snarling slightly under his breathe.

"Forget it. Everyone knows your a mutant. I bet you're cheating." He glared, then got up, rubbing his chin and walking away. Tses crossed her arms sourly, and stuck her tongue out at his retreating back.

"Whatever. See ya next time when you decide to grow some balls!" She yelled after him, then grumbling made her way to the back room. The abandoned gym echoed as she walked, and there was the soft murmuring of voices as some of the other street kids wandered through the halls. This was a place they congregated to train, under the watchful eye of their mentor, and Tses had quickly gone from the little twit they picked on to the hot tempered girl they watched out for. With her hair cut short and up in half pigtails, she seemed to have a defiant nature that kept people at arms length. Most people had long since given up trying to befriend her.

She didn't need friends.

Her steps took her to the back room where a change of clothes waited. Her fighting clothes were baggy over her slimmer tank top and shorts, and it made it easier to fight with. The best thing about layers was in a fight if someone got you by the shirt, it was easier to squirm out of it than to find yourself trapped in their grip. Some of the boys accused her of cheating that way, but she ignored them. She was a fighter, and there was no rules: you either survived, or you didn't.

"Saw what you did to Billy. You've got quite a punch now." One of the other girls said, and Tses shrugged, pulling her overshirt off her shoulders, sweat still trapped on her skin.

"Billy's a wimp and needs to practice more. I get no satisfaction knocking him out." She sourly remarked, and turned away from the girl to search her bags for a new shirt. As she did, her upperback was turned towards the other figure, and Tses was surprised to hear a gasp behind her. She turned in surprise, and the girl was staring hand raised slightly to her mouth. "What's your issue?" She said with a little frown, and the girl pointed towards her shoulders, or, so she thought.

"What the hell happened to your back?"

"My back?" Tses repeated slowly, and her hands still rested on her bag. With one hand halfway unbandaged, she blinked, standing up as the girl came over. To her surprise, she felt herself spun around, and the fabric of her shirt was yanked backwards slightly. She could hear the intake of air, then her arm was jerked backwards as the girl stared at the scars on her skin with complete lack of social tact.

"You look like someone put you through a shredder! I've never seen so many scars...."

"Knock it off, Raven!" Tses snarled, but the girl just kept staring with those wide brown eyes.

"How can you wear stuff like that... If I was that scarred, I'd hate for anyone to see me. Don't you ever get uncomfortable?"

"No, now leave me alone!" Tses swung before she felt herself doing it, and her fist connected with the girls nose and sent her crashing to the ground. The girl screamed in pain as blood gushed free, and Tses jumped backwards slightly, startled by the escalation. She started to step forward, but Raven twitched away, wailing at her with angry red eyes.

"Get away from me ! Oh my gawd, look what you did! I better not have a mark from this! I don't want to be a freak like you!" The sharp sighted and outspoken girl quickly retreated, leaving Tses standing there, drops of blood around her feet. As she glanced down at her bare hand, she saw a sliver of her own blood on her knuckle where it had split, and her hand had the surrounding white scars from previous injuries decorating it. Before, she used to think the marks were just battle wounds, little trophies of her victories. But now, the words of the other girl swirled in her mind.

A freak like you.... Was she a freak because of the marks? Did they really look that bad? Raven was always exaggerating things, and got herself kicked around on more than one occasion for opening her mouth when she shouldn't. But Tses couldn't help but wonder if there was some truth in what the girl said.

Staring at the white scars on her hands, 14 year old Tses slowly rewrapped the strips of cloth on her arms, and watched the little marks go away. The bandages she used for fighting suddenly protected her from something new, and she gently ran her hand across the cloth. Freak.... She curled her shoulders together as angry tears pricked her eyes, and shoved her overshirt on and feeling the scars touch the fabric, the senses partially dulled in the damaged skin. She wasn't that bad, was she? They were just scars. They were just marks. Plenty of street kids had them, although, probably not as many as Tses. As the thoughts kept building, she grew more and more aware of ever knick, every mark, ever change in coloration, and each one seemed to glimmer with the words in her head.

Freak.