Running footsteps echoed in the dark alley.  Muted stars and three moons speckled the ashen sky, obscured only by a few lonely clouds.  Mountains rose from distant mists like the backbone of the planet Kavrillia, looming over the skyline of The Capital.

            A girl scrambled over a wooden fence blocking the alley and hit the ground running.  She looked to be about ten years old.  Her straight brown hair streamed behind her and a threadbare coat flapped about her knees.  Panic filled her senses at the sound of feet pounding on the pavement behind her.  A voice burst out, and the acoustics of the narrow alley made it seem to come from all directions.  "Down here.  I saw her!"

           "Don't stand there talking!  Go after her!" yelled someone else.

            The girl dashed into an adjoining street and was out of sight by the time three shabbily-dressed teenage Vincarans scaled the fence.  The two boys and one girl regained their balance and looked around.  Their quarry was nowhere to be seen.  Seconds later, an agile male Vincaran wearing an old military uniform jacket vaulted over the wall.  Like all Vincarans’, his hair was coal black.

            The three others sheepishly turned to face him.  “Sorry, Xorax, but she's so quick, we--" began one.

            The latest arrival silenced him with a sharp glare from his ebony eyes.   He couldn't have been more than sixteen, yet he had a presence that demanded absolute respect.  The others avoided his gaze.  "I don't want excuses.  I want results," he hissed, his voice colder than the frosty autumn air.  "Follow her.  Capture her.  Bring her to me.  It's not that difficult.”  Moonlight glinted off the odd spiral medallion around his neck.

            "Up there!" the tallest of the four shouted, pointing to a silhouette on the roof.  It vanished from sight.  One began to run toward the fire escape of the building, but Xorax grabbed his arm.

            "You idiot, she’d be gone before you were halfway up there."   Raising his voice to reach up two stories, he said, "I know you're there, Delzeena.  You don't need to acknowledge me, but listen to what I have to say."

            Silence.

            "You don't have to run from us.  We're trying to help you."

            Silence.

            "All you have to do is help us borrow a few items from some local businesses.  You're small, quick, and innocent-looking.  You could be in and out in half the time.  That's all.  And we'll see that you're protected and fed.  It's not much to ask.  What do you say?"

            The small figure reappeared at the edge of the roof.  "Go tie your antennae in a knot, Xorax.  I'd rather spend the rest of my life eating garbage than have anything to do with you!"  To emphasize her point, Delzeena flung an open bag of trash down into the alleyway.  The four Vincarans were sprayed with damp brepon peelings and other rancid leavings.

            "Why, you miserable, flea-bitten little--  You--  You-- Aaugh!" Xorax bellowed, wiping fetid water from his face.  “When I get my hands on you...”

            A giggle echoed through the alley as the girl fled from sight.

            Delzeena slunk carefully down the street, her heart still pounding from her encounter with Xorax and his gang.  She silently cursed herself for being so careless.  The Vincarans often hung out in this neighborhood, and she should have stayed clear.

            A gust of wind caught her, and she wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm.  This coat was threadbare when she found it, and constant use only made it more so.  And winter was fast approaching.  She knitted her brow in worry at the thought.  Snow and frigid temperatures meant a constant fight for survival--but she had lived through many such seasons on her own, and she supposed she could make it through one more.

            It was late, well after midnight, and she still hadn’t found anything substantial to eat that day.  The close brush with Xorax’s gang made retiring for the night an attractive option, but the aching in her stomach was insistent.  If she were to face the winter, she had to do so with some nourishment.

            The very thought of food made her salivate, and she swallowed.  This was a commercial neighborhood, but with few restaurants.

            Delzeena convulsed with a sudden shiver.  It was getting colder each night.  The hollowness in her stomach seemed to make the cold worse.

            Her dark turquoise skin paled in the bitter wind, and she gave a dry cough.  She was so tired!   If only she could find something to eat...

            Then she saw it.  A sidewalk café.   It was closed, of course, but a promisingly full garbage can stood amidst the white tables.  She dashed toward it and discovered a small box of yesterday’s rolls, a half-eaten sandwich and a purple paste that appeared to be mashed brepons.  Success!

            She gathered up everything she could and hurried off into the shadows as fast as her numb feet would carry her.

            The economy of the Lanarian Empire had suffered in the two decades since the Great Civil War, and a number of buildings in The Capital sat empty.  A two-story brick elementary school near the industrial district was one of these abandoned buildings, and Delzeena’s favorite hiding place.

            Delzeena trod quietly from an adjoining alley, bent slightly under the weight of her backpack, which contained her newfound food supply.  A sudden noise behind her made her start, and she swung around, fearing Xorax and his gang had followed her.  To her relief, it was only a scruffy, blue Warvcallie bird.  The spindly-legged avian pecked and scratched at an overturned garbage can.

            She stifled a laugh at her own paranoia.  Just that old bird again.  She shook her head with self-disgust and slid up to the side entrance of the abandoned school.   The shriek of a distant police siren chased her inside.  Her thin shoes scuffed with uncomfortable volume on the linoleum floor as she felt her way through the pitch black hallway.  Eventually, she encountered a familiar fire extinguisher mounted on the wall and turned into an interior classroom.

            Judging by the layer of dust covering the floor and few remaining desks, the school hadn't been in use for years.  The remains of the periodic table of elements and a few other educational posters hung on the faded walls.

            Delzeena stood on a battered table in the corner and lifted out a ceiling panel.  She heaved herself into the hollow space in the ceiling and replaced the panel.  There wasn’t much room, but the insulation helped keep her warm, and there was something cozy about it.

            She wrapped herself in a worn blanket, only now realizing how truly exhausted she was.  She devoured most of the food before lying down for the night.  It was stale and cold, but it filled the emptiness.  For now.

            The backpack made a lumpy pillow, but it contained everything she owned.   Resting her head on that treasured parcel, Delzeena finally allowed herself to surrender to sleep.