Sheets, cardboard, plastic bags and newspaper. This was home for tonight. She would have no home to bring him back to.

If she ever brought him back at all. There was no word from the Rothmores to his location, even if Marley had been trying to track him down through various sources while she was away, mourning her brother.

Tonight was cold, the air was clean. It was only when the snow began to blow that Aleta decided to seal that last hole. She would have been with her friends and had her clothes and belongings, but those were separated from her when they decided to take off without her, unaware that she wasn't in the vehicle.

Unfortunately, she had no money left to pay for minutes on her low-tech phone. Her computer, like most of her belongings, were in the mercenary's car. She hoped they were trying to find her.

For the time being, she crouched in her little little hut, carefully managing candles and the little warmth they offered. Aleta set them in a little dirt pit, just in case if they tipped over or some paper blew their way.

This was nothing new. She did this before, during her first few nights alone after her parents' murder. The same despair and loneliness grazed her, but did not seep into her heart. The girl locked them out tenaciously, just as she did to the cold outside.

Aleta wrapped her thick blanket around her and lay on her side, watching the soft glow of the tiny flames over the dirt. The memory of this afternoon and the voice of her therapist reverberated through her skull..

"So you lost your home?" The woman said, sucking on her pipe.

"Yes." Aleta answered.

"This happened to you under more traumatic circumstances before, correct?"

"Yes." She felt hollow, the odd haze brought on by medication was heavier than ever before. "We lost it for a stupid reason this time."

"Do you want to stay with me?"

"No."

Something moved outside. Or someone. Aleta snapped upright. Immediately her knife was in her hand. “I'll kick your a** if you step any closer.”

“Woah, hey! Look at you, jumping to conclusions. Ah, like a little frog across some kind of lily-pads... made of conclusions. Ahhaha!” The voice was warm and big, but feminine. “I'm not gonna hurt you, sweetheart.”

Aleta nudged a little chunk of tentatively placed cardboard out of the way and peered through the makeshift peephole. Before her, a wild-looking woman stood. Her skin was light gray and her ears were short and pointed. Curly red hair framed her tattooed and smiling face. She was very tall and powerfully built. Her nose was broad. Her eyes were pale. This woman had the oddest kind of beauty Aleta ever saw. It was tiger-like.

“What do you want?” The girl said in her shadowed shelter.

“I'm looking for someone. Ah, you might be that someone. Please come outside.”

Any exit could be made with a gentle push. A piece of plywood sent up a whirl of snow and she crawled out.

“Ah! You are her! Aleta Cryso, correct? You fit the description.”

“Yeah, that's me.”

“Glad to see you have a coat.”

“How did you find me?”

“First, I went to your apartment to find that you had been evicted. Ah, then I tracked down your friends.”

Her eyes lit up. “Where are they?”

“I can take you to them if you want me to.”

“Wait, hold up. Why did you want to find me?”

The woman smiled wider, “I think I have good news. Your fiance is alive. He sent me.”

Aleta returned the grin and laughed, something warm danced inside her chest. “So we're going to find him, you and me?”

“Yes. I'll take you to him. I saved your life once. Remember the gauntlet you ran that got you into this mess in the first place? I shot them, they shot me, but I'm okay now.”

“That lameass series of traps that a*****e made? Yeah, that was incredibly lame cartoon villain s**t” She cringed at the memory.

“Ah, so, do you want to go right now? Um, we don't have a lot of time. I have to tell you he's in bad shape.”

That was a final kick to get her going. “Right. I didn't expect him to survive this long.” She pushed herself up off the ground, collapsing the little shelter. Aleta dragged her blanket out. Luckily a box of clothes was with her, and she hauled that around with her, too. She was fully clothed in pants, sweater, and a fuzzy white jacket.

“What's your name?” Aleta asked the tall woman.

“Melbrah Smith.” she answered.