I'd never seen so many roses in one place. Red on the outside, gold on the inside. Mama set out the blanket, the soft black and magenta checkered one. While my brothers would go out and run with Papa, I stayed right there with her. Her eyes held more stars than the sky. Sometimes I can still feel her fingers brushing against my hair. That was the last good day I ever had.

  Whenever I dream about it, I wake up in a cold sweat, at least that’s what I think is running down my face in the morning. I’d patch the holes in the roof, but the spare light helps me see inside better. I go straight to the mirror, squint really hard, and check my eyes. One red, one blue. Just as it should be. I’d wear glasses, but they don't work on me. I look at my wrist, and the brace is still there. I look at my ankle, and the brace is still there. Lucky me…

  As soon as I wake up, I find it hard to stay up. Still, I get dressed and ready for the day. People can call me crazy as much as they want for wearing a scarf year-round, but there aren't any people in my life to call me anything.

  From there, it went as per usual.

  Eat.

  Train.

  Read.

  Draw.

  Violin.

  Walk through the woods until nightfall.

  I never go into the village unless I absolutely have to.

  I never talk to anyone unless I need to.

  I never ever make myself seen.

  Although I don't really know how many twelve-year-olds have three white streaks running down their hair.

  Walking through the forest isn't so bad, it's something to do. I like blueberries and mushrooms, and that's pretty much what I eat for lunch... every... single... day...

  Good Gods, it gets boring.

  "Oh look I've never seen that specific bird, even though there are tons of birds just like it all over the place! Did that tree grow a new branch or is that the same one I swung on yesterday. Oh look mud! That certainly wasn't there before!"

  I dunno why I bother, not like my vision’s the best anyway. That’s why I use my ears for everything, but even the sounds don’t help the boredom.

  This summer was fun, though the river over the hill finally got to a comfortable temperature. Something about the water helped me feel alive. Maybe it was the strong current, the rushing sounds, the colorful rocks, or maybe the small fish swimming past. That filled up about six or seven hours until I'd hop out and pass out on a rock.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  I like listening to Sylvia's Aria before I go to bed. I had her record for years, but only recently found a player. The sound of the violin, the piano, her voice. It puts me at ease, her voice sounds just like my mother's.

  I go to sleep knowing that tomorrow is gonna be the same thing again.

  At least I thought it would be.

  Normally, I stay in my own neck of the woods, it’s rare that I ever see people. Then this group of kids came running through. I’d heard them around the village before. The girl with pretty orange bows, the boy with really long legs, the girl with huge hands, the boy who walks like he pooped his pants, and the boy with really long bangs. They played hide and seek, I haven’t played that game since I was eight.

  I watched, sort of. I kept my distance from a nearby tree as they failed miserably at trying to navigate the forest. I miss when I could laugh like that though. They were friends, good friends.

  "Hey, do you think we'll find the witch?" asked Bangs.

  "Witch?" some kids muttered.

  "My mom says not to go too deep into the woods because there's a witch!" said Pretty Bows.

  "I hear that she's the one who puts all the smoke in the air!" said Waddles.

  "You're just trying to scare us!" said Long Legs.

  "No it's true!" said Big Hands. "I hear she cooks kids who get close to her house!"

  I think they were talking about me, although I don't eat kids.

  "You guys are being dumb!" said Pretty Bows. "Our parents are just trying to keep us safe."

  "What if it's real?" asked Waddles.

  "Don't be stupid!" said Big Hands. "I don't believe it one bit!"

  I saw Bangs come up behind her with a stick and yell, "I'm gonna eat you!"

  That scream hurt my ears and heart. They had to go back to the village because I think Waddles actually did make a mess in his pants after that.

  I'm not a witch.

  I am human. For the most part.

  I’m really an Elemental, one of only seven in existence. I can use fire and ice magic to mostly fight and protect myself, but this group of kids does bring something different to the table.

  I woke up the next day, checked my eyes to make sure I wasn’t too giddy, and waited. Sure enough, they came back. In the middle of another round of hide and seek, I fired up one of my favorite spells. Pun intended. The will-o-wisp.

  I made a trail of small flames around Bangs and led a trail up the hill. He stopped dead in his tracks. Of course, curiosity got the better of him. Bangs followed the trail, leaving everyone else behind. I covered my mouth to keep from laughing. He became so interested in watching the wisps that he couldn't hear the rushing sound of water.

  Kerploop.

  My stomach hurt from how much I wanted to laugh, at any moment, Bangs would pop up, soaking wet.

  Any minute now.

  Any... minute... now...

  Uh oh.

  He was already halfway downstream when I heard a quiet plea for help. Of course, I went after him, if I didn't, I'd be in big trouble. I froze the water past him to make sure he didn't float any further, then I dove in. When I finally pulled him out, I laid him by the side of the river. He was breathing, but unconscious. I got lucky.

  It was not fun dragging him back to a place where his friends could easily see him, but they eventually found him once I called "olly olly oxen free".

  Needless to say, they did not come back the next day.

  I hate being an Elemental. I can freeze my food, light candles with my fingers, not get burns or frostbite, but it doesn't mean anything when you're trying to stay out of the spotlight. There are countless stories about them, but there's not a single one to tell about Phoenix.

  Why even bother talking at all?