Seli'une (Chapter One)

Authoress' Note:

This whole story is told in present tense, first person, and Vivite's point of view.

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I sit in the rain, mud splashing onto my pants when every drop hits the dirt-and-cobblestone road around me.  My once white hair is caked with six years of dirt and dust; it seems brownish-gray.  The acrid smell of the sewers assaults my nose.  All I can think of is the feel of the rain hitting my skin, the rough wood of the candle shop against my back, the chilly weather seeping into my bones, and my screaming side, among other scrapes and bruises from my fall.  I can barely distinguish the tears from the rain on my sooty face.  I try to shift my body the last two feet around the corner and under the shelter of the roof overhang, and my body's aches and pains start another awful discord.  I lean my head back and wince a little as my bruises push against the hard wood.  I draw as much energy as I can from the small bits of grass poking up between the cobblestones.  At least I have a fighting chance.  A regular human could be out cold.  And still I go on.

It feels like years have passed within the span of a few minutes.  Every person that passes looks at me like a disease, or completely ignores me.  Many of the women wear hats; those that don't carry umbrellas.  The men apply to the same rule.  My tangled hair is unprotected from the rain.  It hangs from my head like hanging moss from a rock or a branch.  My old jeans and tunic look horrible next to their new clothes.  Fancy coats, nice leather boots.  Me with my bare feet in the warm spring rain.

I see a few faces looking at me with concern, but they all hurry on.

The awful roar in my mind does not stop.  Any old human would be passed out.  But I'm different.

I see one woman.  Silver hair frames her face.  She does not appear to be old, even though her hair looks aged.  She is one with concern.  I expect her to keep walking...she changes her course instead.  The woman with the silver hair is coming to me.  I forget to keep my meagre flow of energy from the small stalks of grass, and I black out.
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Note Continued:
So this is pretty much an introduction to the story.  That's why it's so short.  Again, this is first person, in present tense.  It kind of gives a bit on Vivite's background and how she grew up.  She has been living in the streets for six years at this point.  The woman with the silver hair (who's name will be introduced in the next chapter) is a huge part to the story.