The Leader Gave Me Hope: The First Book of the Freeformers Series

• Dreaming •

The city lights glinted off the bay, making the ocean glow with the brightness of New York City. The sky was only just beginning to lighten, but the sun was far from rising.

Faline stared out over the bustling expanse that was her hometown, still restless even at 5:30 in the morning. Her sky blue eyes, the same color as the harbor in the dim light, scanned the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, just a few blocks from the rooftop she stood on now. She wondered, not for the first time, what was beyond the horizon, just a plane's ride over, just a hop, skip, and a jump away.

Of course, she'd probably never find out. Not with everything in her life keeping her pinned to this hell she somehow called her life, unable to explore.

She sighed, blowing the air out of her lungs slowly, clenching the silver chain in her fist tighter. The amulet dangling on the end seemed to gleam with the slightest movement, the kanji engraved on its smooth silver surface:

豹

Carefully, Faline untwirled the necklace from around her fingers, slipping the simple jewelry over her head, the pendant bouncing slightly against the stiff fabric of her high collared blouse as it came to rest on her chest. She straightened her name tag habitually, fingertips tracing the engraved F-A-L-I-N-E.

A voice, harsh and coarse from years of substance abuse, barked, "Faline! You wanna lose your job? Get in here, before you're late!"

Her breath hitched, both out of fear and yearning to just run, away from Connor, away from this apartment, away from her beloved hometown. She felt a tug at her heart as she walked toward the door that would lead downstairs, a longing to see the world, to explore everything that this world had to offer her.

She glanced out the doorway, at the lights reflecting off the bay, remembering when her mother had taken her to the docks, and told her about the boat she was hoping to save up for. The door was swinging closed now, cutting her revisiting of her memories short, and all she could think about was her mother's voice, as hopeful as her heart felt, looking over the ocean with her, promising to see the world with her.

And the door shut. The lights that glinted off the harbor were snuffed out by slowly-rotting wood attached to a rusty knob. And Faline closed her eyes, taking another cleansing breath as she stepped lightly down the stairs, pushing her natural platinum bangs away from her eyes and keeping her blue orbs downcast when she saw Connor.

"Quit daydreaming," her older brother snapped, grabbing her roughly by the arm. "You've got work to do."

Faline tried not to wince as he tightened his grip on her already-bruised bicep. Connor practically dragged her to their shared apartment, throwing the door open. Faline wrinkled her nose as a series of scents greeted her - unwashed clothes, rotting food on dirty plates, the smoke wafting from the weed Connor had just undoubtedly smoked. He coughed while he snatched her backpack and a random coat off the rickety coat hanger, throwing both back at her.

"Get going," he spat, "and don't be late to the diner. I don't want you coming home jobless."

He slammed the door, making Faline flinch. She closed her eyes to reign in the feelings of hatred and fury that bubbled to the surface for a split second, her hands subtly shaking in after-shock. Then she shouldered her bag and strode toward the stairs.

Walking out into the crisp early morning, she was greeted by the muddled conversations of passersby, and engines roaring as cars zoomed by. Faline allowed the hostile thoughts to fade into the crevices of her mind, promising herself not to revisit them until after work and school. For the first time, she actually observed her jacket, which turned out to be an over-sized black sweatshirt. She shrugged, not all that picky when it came to what kept her warm, pausing to sweep the hoodie over her head and then merging back into the small crowd of early-risers, repositioning bobby pins to keep her ridiculously straight her in its neat bun.