Warm spring light reflects in the small puddle of liquid resting in the windowsill.I remain in my chair,every rock causes a musical crunch to grace my ears. Calmly, I take in the day that would be clear, if it wasn't for the pollen drifting by in the air, some even comes through the broken glass window to rest.

"You know today is the kind of day we hate," I tell the figure sitting quietly next to me. "Luckily neither of us have to worry about your allergies anymore." The bloody corpse doesn't answer, but then I wasn't expecting it to.

There is no reason that we should have lost contact with launch room 4. They hadn't responded to our calls and the tracker on subject four hadn't started transmitting. It was probably just a technical glitch, but they wanted us to check on it and fix it. Our newbie was narcotic though so he was reading everything about subject four as though we would need to know it.

"Emily Marie Willis." I role my eyes at the voice coming through my head set; shoving my buddy Chris shakes his head in amusement. We weren't going to need this, we where probably going to arrive and find out that they just killed subject four early because she refused to take the knife.

"Blond hair, blue eyes, five foot five." I blink rapidly as we round the corner close to launch room 4 and see blood smeared on the floor. It's too far away for the subjects termination and the wrong direction for launch after the severed finger. Myself and the other three in my unit go on the alert. Something isn't right.

"Her degree is animal science with a 3.6 GPA on the 4.0 scale." The blood is smeared in a line, indicating a body had been moved. Slowly we follow the trail half listening to the new one chatter in our ears. There is some part of me that is still surprised that it leads to launch room 4. The door slowly swings open from a push by Chris, all four of us holding our tasers at the ready. I wish they would let us carry more than the baton tasers.

"She has a couple scholarships and her middle class parents David and Clara are helping pay her tuition." The bodies of the launch team litter the floor, deep pools of blood stains the concrete. No sign of subject four. A jolt of confused fear goes through me there is nothing to explain this.

"Hostile at six." I spin around at Jeff's statement and finally lay eyes on subject four. Her hair is still tied back on the ponytail she was wearing when she was taken. Blood splatter freckles her face and dances across her t-shirt that declares her a 'princess at heart.' Her right hand holds the knife that was to be issued to each of the subjects, and her left holds a taser, blood running down it from the severed ring finger of that hand. No sign of surrender is visible in the determined lines of her face.

"Oh, she worked at the schools meat lab." Really, how different can it be once you get past the morals. My squad slowly closes ranks so that she won't be able to go after anyone of us.

"You said you wanted seven  bodies, I threw the eighth in for extra credit." Truly her logic is A+ worthy.

Fresh life of the new year,

I see the many fates you will achieve.

Allow me to make the path a little more clear,

Wieldier of fire I myself breathe.

Welcome, Little dragon.

Chase after what you believe,

Not letting others cow you,

Into abandoning that which you cleave,

This is the only way for success to be true.

Be Passionate, little dragon.

Do not walk as if in a waking dream,

Following blindly over crushed, broken souls.

Use your strength to swim upstream,

Even when the earth demands heavy tolls.

Be kind, little dragon.

In this life you will face a time in fear,

Weather by nature or the hand of man.

To your honorable course do not veer,

You belong to a greater plan.

Be brave, little dragon.

You will be given masks,

To wear in the light of day,

Used to complete many noble tasks.

Don them rarely, lest you become clay.

Be you, little dragon.

Do not let my words deter,

The world is a flavorful dish,

But now I must concur,

This is my final wish.

Be blessed, little dragon.

The ornamental sundial on a string around her neck gently swings back and forth moved by a force known only to this creature of time. Black hair obscures one of her eyes where a galaxy of stars is contained, bright flecks in a sea of total darkness. Her sword reflects the light, mocking the useless sword in my own hands.

“If you think robbing banks was dangerous, City Boy, you haven’t seen anything yet.” She smiles at me as she takes my hand in her free one, a gentle kiss before whispering against my lips, “You’re in my world now.”

Looping roots grown together as time floats by on the breeze in ever shifting colors. Brush the leaves aside, look at were we've grown together, twisted so tightly I thought we could never be unraveled. You see I know how you changed, fearing I would do the same.

You ripped us apart trying to preserve me. But bare bloody roots are all that I still have. I would have stayed with you, but you left me far behind, not wanting me to change in the same ways that you had. I thought I should tell you I did it anyway.

Unremarkable, would be the word for the stockings hanging over the tiny fire place heating the two bedroom apartment. The hole-filled stockings are common, matching the peasant children whose feet they protect.

One by one the stockings are taken down from their post. Most of the gifts are meet with exclamations of wonder, and excitement, except the last, coal filling it to the brim.

"Saint Nicholas doesn't know you like I do, my lovely girl." She only smiles into her hand as a chunk of her present is added to the fireplace which was a flicker away from going out.

A thousand other people could have told you that my travel through the woods was foolish. But it is only this situation that finally makes me realize that truth.

The offer to take me with him in his carriage so that I will not have to walk is still extended. His horses throw their heads to glare at me with electric blue eyes, the same color as the snapping cords connecting them to the floating carriage.

"No thank you, I'll just walk."

He tips his smoking black hat in answer, twisted smile tugging his lips back from fangs.

"Good luck."