Fate and Choices

One: A New Beginning

A/n: 

※※※ - Author's pov

✩✩✩ - Gabe's pov

★★★ - Raven's pov

※※※

A young man was shown running ahead, smiling excitedly. Then he turned around and smiled to the girl behind him.

"Raven! Come on, we're almost at the next town!" he exclaimed as he waved.

The girl with raven ponytail just smiled and as she ran after him. The young man pointed to the town standing in front of their eyes. A town by an oasis, halfway to a desert. The houses seemed to be made of clay and palm trees grew in the sides of road.

"Wow, so this is Palm Spring Village, huh?" the young man mused as he looked around excitedly, "I've never been here before,"

"Me neither," said the girl as she got out a few pieces of paper, "so... according to these info... if they had escaped, they must have gone through this village since there aren't any other way..."

"This time, we'll find them... together," he said and flashed a bright, optimistic smile to the distance, "it's a sign, I know it!"

The girl lifted her gaze from her map and gave a hesitant smile as she tried her best to rearrange the words in her mind.

"Gabe... they went this way five years ago," she said, a little hesitantly, "I mean, they could be here but there's no guarantee that they would stay here and is still right here,"

For a second, the young man's face noticeably fell. Fear flashed in front of his eyes as the memories of his travel for five long years bearing no result rushed into his brain. But the young man, as always, quickly plastered an optimistic smile in his face before the girl spots his glum face.

"I know. But it's better than nothing," he said, "I believe that we'll find them. And we'll fix the amulet so you can get better too!"

The girl eyed the amulet dangling around her neck. A big crack divided the alexandrite sitting in the middle of the rhombus-shaped plate into two. She sighed and dug her sling bag for her papers.

I could only hope so... she thought, nevertheless, this is my first journey away as myself...

Not as part of the darkness... and be truly free.

✩✩✩

We arrived in a town near a desert. The ground was sandy and the air sure was dry and stinging hot. However, palm trees filled the sidewalks, giving some shades to passers-by.

Past the palm fringes, I could spot simple, rectangular-shaped clay houses in different sizes. Their windows were decorated with dull, dirty awnings and some were covered with a piece of clothing. Raven who stood beside me was busy looking around in awe, as she always does. Her ponytail swayed as she turned to me. When she noticed my gaze, she put her hand to her chin and looked away.

"Okay... now where do we start?" she said.

"I reckon... we can ask people around..." I mused.

"Maybe that lady over there?" she asked and pointed to a fruit stall nearby. The two of us walked over to it, with Raven following me close behind.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if you have something refreshing...? It's quite a hot day," I said.

There was a fat woman with her dark hair tied up in an up-do behind the stall. Her dark skin seemed to shine a little as it was covered in a thin layer of sweat.