Back To You

337 : 12

She could feel the mountain wake, almost as if it were breathing after being dormant, untouched for so long. Sucking in an uneasy breath, Naya tentatively takes another step, her heeled boots clicking against the rough stone, the sound echoing around her as she nears the mouth of the cave.

Tightening her grip on the dagger nestled in her left hand, she stops before the entrance, tilting her head upwards to the jagged rocks of which framed the hollow space. She reaches out, feeling the cool stone beneath her palm whilst pursing her lips in a look of determination.

It is here.

It is in here.

She could feel it calling to her, promising whispers reaching out, wrapping themselves around her wrists coercing her to enter. Naya reaches into her pocket with her spare hand, her fingers enclosing around the crystal that sits heavy in her jacket. As she pulls out the gemstone, its luminous emerald light casts shadows against the stone walls, dancing along with the instrumental of the howling wind as it flickers dangerously.

Naya whips her head back around, her piercing blue eyes looking over the side of the mountain, the thick clouds stretching across the midnight blue sky and engulfing the lower region of the mountain, concealing everything down below. Her attention is caught by a subtle rustling within the cave which has her eyes darting around the abyss as an unnerving sensation settles in her stomach- she knows that she's being watched.

Narrowing her eyes, Naya ventures deeper into the cave, the sound of her footsteps being so loud, so consistent that there becomes a deafening pulsating in her ears, beating in time with the hollow echoes.

As she lifts up her crystal to her face, she catches something out of the corner of her eye. Swapping her dagger into her hand which is holding the green jewel, Naya then places her free hand against the sharp rocks, grimacing when she pulls away and her fingers are coated in a thick black substance.

Uncomfortable with the slick feeling on her skin, she crouches down to brush her hand along the cool floor, painting it black. Before she stands back up, Naya returns her dagger back into her dominant hand, staring distastefully at the dark marks covering the walls and now the floor.

She's convinced that she's in the right place.

The struggling wind screams from below, the noises heavy enough to gage Naya's attention as she warily casts her gaze towards the opening of the mountain again- but as soon as she turns her head she curses silently to herself as there's a shiver down her spine, a warm puff of breath against her neck.

Her heart squeezes anxiously as her body goes rigid.

It was behind her.

She takes a moment to close her eyes, to breathe very slowly... Before she tightens her grip on her dagger, pivoting hastily as she mercilessly swings her knife in an arc- a screech from the creature rattling against cave walls as it stumbles backwards, retreating into the darkness.

Naya can feel some heavy liquid drip from her dagger and without looking, she already knows it's the same black substance as before. She flicks her wrist, meaning to clean off her blade as she carefully scans the chasm, trying to detect any signs of movement.

Everything is still... too still, and she can't make out a single movement, that is until it's too late.

The air is knocked out of Naya's lungs as she's thrown onto her back, the pure force of the fall meaning that both her crystal and her dagger fly out of her hands, clashing against the stone and skidding a few feet away from the grappling pair. She cries out in frustration as the creature tightens their talons around her arms, drawing blood as it screeches painfully.

It's cloaked in black, but Naya can smell their rotting soul, she can smell how frantic this creature is to stay on Earth, to not pass into the spirit realm.

It's tall, probably a bit taller than her and its face is shielded by a piece of fabric, so all Naya can see is a shadow. However, glistening in what limited light illuminates the cave, Naya spots their gnashing teeth- this creature has fangs.

Baring her own teeth, Naya grunts as she manages to fiercely kick the decaying spirit off of her to which she then scrambles backwards, reaching out desperately for her knife. On her knees, she manages to pick up her dagger, squeezing it tightly in her hand ready to swing again, however as soon as she reaches out for her crystal, there's a strange sound that reaches her ears, causing her heart to jump to her throat.

"Naya..."

The hunter lifts up her head, eagerly searching for the owner of the voice as her name is called again, an air of familiarity around the soft pronunciation.

That voice... she knows that voice...

"Leah?" She calls out in disbelief, her ears ringing in the sudden silence of the cave as her heart begins to hammer against her ribcage at the thought of hearing her girlfriend call her name once again, "Leah, where are- ah!"

Naya feels a sharp pain in her ankle as the spirit latches onto her, digging their nails into her flesh and dragging her backwards. She tries to kick her feet forcefully, willing the spirit to let go, but her vision grows hazy, her limbs feeling heavy as the sharp pain shoots up her leg.

"Leah?!" She wails, now more as a warning than anything else. It was impossible that she was here, Naya having seen her being captured by her own people- ripping Leah away from her and stealing her soul right in front of her eyes, keeping her spirit locked away until Naya fulfils her part of the bargain...

However, for the time being Naya wasn't prizing herself on her rationality, currently all she could think about was that if there was even a possibility that Leah was here, that she was watching over her, then she had to get away.

The creature screeches again, clawing at Naya's thigh this time which causes her to cry out in pain, her knuckles turning white as she squeezes her dagger before swinging it in an arc with a grunt, relief flooding through her system as the spirit shrieks, loosening their grip as it tries to retreat once again.

From the choked off sounds coming from behind her, and the thick liquid Naya feels coating her lower half, she knows that her blade managed to nick the spirit, injuring them enough to let go of her, giving her the opportunity to now advance.

Rolling onto her back as she gasps for air, Naya lifts her crystal high, light flooding the cave once more to reveal the spirit curled up on the floor, strangled noises ripping through the air. She rises shakily to her feet, her mouth set into a straight line as she stalks over to the wounded creature.

Without any hesitation, Naya thrusts her dagger into the hollow of the spirits pale neck, twisting the handle as the creature's limbs flail before they fall limp, with one last pitiful scream.

Naya sinks down to her knees, chest heaving as she looks over at the still creature sprawled out next to her. From the sudden silence that falls over the cave, Naya could hear her own heartbeat over the forceful wind battering the outside of the mountain, leaving her to her mind which was racing, processing what has happened.

After wiping her hand against her shirt, staining the material black, Naya brings the back of her hand up to her nose, sniffling as she attempts to calm her breathing down, willing her heart rate to return to normal. She indulges in a couple of the breathing exercises taught to her from a young age, trying to conserve what little energy she has left for the journey back to the spirit realm, as she needed to pass this spirit on. Naya swallows thickly as she shuffles closer to the creature, her hand already reaching out to it, before a sudden noise has her retracting her hand, her eyes blown wide.

"Naya..."

The hunter's head snaps up, her eyes meticulously searching the hollowed spot for any signs of her lost love as her name is repeated again, and again, and again. Naya feels how her heart yearns hearing her name like this, and the hunter has to bite harshly on her bottom lip once she feels a wave of emotion bubbling up inside her.

The cave is still empty, it's still dark... but it suddenly feels a lot warmer, Naya feels her skin tingle, almost as though she's under the summer sun. She rises to her feet shakily, her eyes still busy searching every little crevice.

"Leah?" She calls out hesitantly, "Leah... are you there?"

'She's not, she can't be', Naya reasons with herself, 'her body is being kept in the spirit realm, her spirit is locked away, she can't be here, she can't'.

And yet the hunter's feet move on their own accord, her eyes still hopeful as she leaves the defeated creature on the floor, her dagger and gemstone sitting comfortably in her hands as she puts one foot in front of the other.

"Naya" The voice calls out again, and this time when Naya spins on her heel, her mouth gaping open, she's breathless as a pair of deep sienna eyes are before her, staring right back.

"Leah?" Naya stands back in disbelief, her eyes raking over the girl's golden hair as it cascades over her shoulders and down her back in soft waves, and although her knee- length summer dress is torn at the edges.. her skin, the colour of warm caramel, looks unharmed, she's still as perfect as the day Naya had met her, "What are you... How are you here?"

There's a strange green glow surrounding her girlfriend, one that matches the crystal in Naya's hand, and yet the young hunter doesn't pay much attention to that. Her eyes are focused on the shy smile displayed across the girl's pretty pink lips, looking gentle and inviting.

And yet, in a split second, her soft eyes give way to a look of terror as her face morphs into one consumed by fright as she brings her trembling hands up to her mouth, shaking her head frantically.

"Leah-?"

"You have to help me!" She cries, her voice thin and frail as she stumbles backwards, going deeper into the cave, "You have to save me, please, save me!"

"I will, I will, I promise!" Naya swears, reaching out to touch Leah, who just continues to back away, her eyes unsure as Naya takes another step towards her.

"You have to save me..." She repeats, this time almost as a whisper as she keeps shuffling backwards, picking up her speed so that she's almost breaking into a run, but Naya refuses to let her go, she refuses to let Leah escape from her sight, and so she holds her crystal high, the light illuminating the dark tunnels as she follows her girlfriend blindly, deeper into the mountain.

"I will, trust me, Leah..." She pants, picking up her pace as no matter how quickly she's moving, Leah seems to be getting further and further away, "I'll save you"

The blonde haired girl holds out her hands to Naya, her eyes hopeful and wide to which Naya, losing all sense of rationale, rushes over to her, her own hands stretched out in front of her, unaware of where exactly she was being led to.

"A little bit further.." The young woman cries, her smile twisting into something wicked as her hands are still offered out to Naya, "Just a little bit further-"

And it's then that Naya loses her footing, the green tinted hologram of her girlfriend vanishing, leaving Naya all alone as her heart seemingly smashes against her ribcage as she goes over onto her ankle, stumbling off the stone path, the dark abyss below seeming to reach out to her, desperate to drag her to her death.

She involuntarily lets out a distressed scream as her dagger catches onto one of the rocks, her shoulder feeling like it's been ripped out of its socket as she hangs onto the handle of her dagger, her body dangling off of a ledge of the inner mountain.

In a panicked state, she looks to the crystal in her hand, debating if she could use it to transport back to her own realm... but alas she shakes her head.

She didn't harvest that other creatures spirit before she followed what seemed to be Leah... She couldn't go back within out, otherwise what would've been the point in defeating it anyway. She needed one hundred spirits to set Leah free, and so every single one of them had to count.

Fuck enchantments, she curses, gritting her teeth as she attempts to pull her body up back onto the ledge. She doesn't know where that hologram came from, but she knows that someone, whoever they are, sent it to play with her head, to complicate her quest.

She should've known better, she should've stuck to her training... then again, if she did that then she wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place.

If she didn't venture down to Earth, if she didn't fall in love with a mortal... She wouldn't be an outcast, she wouldn't be hanging on for dear life...

But what happened happened, and Naya doesn't regret choosing a life with Leah over a life of whatever this is, being a Balletor, a spirit catcher... an immortal born to help maintain the natural balance of life and death by helping the dead pass on, however much they struggle.

She wanted Leah, she wanted a mortal life... and for that she paid the price of this deal.

She had to save Leah, for she had promised her that she would do whatever it takes to reunite them again... and so for her to do that, firstly, she had to get off of this ledge.

Naya ran her foot alongside the stone she was currently pressed against, desperately searching for a hole or something to which she could use to help pull herself up. As the toe of her boot jammed into a small nook, she used what little strength she had left to push herself up a little further, her hand now being able to reach the ledge of which she fell off.

Repositioning her dagger, Naya managed to heave herself up further, just as her foot found another spot to boost her up. With a strained groan, she manages to get both arms back onto the ledge, stepping onto her dagger embedded into the rock to finally push herself back up, rolling back onto the stone path as she grumbles to herself, incoherent strings of nonsense.

All she wanted to do was to just lie there, to catch her breath as she stared up at the gaping rock archways above her, but she couldn't afford for this mission to run on any longer. She'd only captured twelve spirits so far, time was slipping away from her and so if she wanted to fill her quota then she had to move- now.

Naya flips herself onto her stomach, reaching back over the edge to tug at her dagger, thanking the Gods above when it comes free without too much of a struggle.

Pocketing her blade and her crystal, Naya makes her way carefully back to the opening of the cave, nodding as the creature is still there, the body crumpled and lifeless.

Without a second thought, Naya thrusts her hand into the creature's chest, its dark, hollow eyes staring back at her as she rips her hand back out, a crystallised heart nestled between her fingers. This crystal was similar to Naya's, however unlike the creatures, this wasn't her life force. Her own crystal, made of emerald, did hold power, energy, but it wasn't hers- it was that of her ancestors, it's the power that she needs to capture spirits, to send them to where they need to go. The other one in her hand, the creature's, was white, wisps of black smoke moving freely inside its case. She took the heart gladly and held it up next to her own crystal, chanting something under her breath before she then watched as the black mist within the white stone disappeared, transferring into her own green one.

This was how Balletors harvested spirits.

The smoke inside was what she needed, and so she throws the empty crystal onto the ground next to the creature, not bothering to give it a second look. Now that she had the spirit within her own crystal she could leave, she could venture back to her own land and set the spirit free.

Naya groans as she gets to her feet, her body screaming in pain as she grips her crystal tight, visualising exactly where she wanted to go.

'Twelve down, only eighty eight to go.

Ianua, here I come'.

~~~

Naya opened her eyes at the groaning of the trees moving around her, an orchestrated hum of all things living, causing her to inhale deeply, her gaze looking towards the clearing ahead of her.

The ends of her mouth twitch upwards as she carefully steps around the twisted tree roots, the leaves crunching under her heel. She glances up towards the sky, seeing branches tower above her, their arms intertwined to conceal this magic from the world around them.

Blood red leaves fall from the heavens, brushing against Naya's cheek as they float to the forest floor, blooming instantaneously as soon as they manage to nestle themselves within the grass roots. She may have grown to despise where she came from after what they did to Leah, but mother nature had a rare magic of her own- one that Naya wouldn't help but admire.

The charged energy in the air, the mindless whispering of the wind... it was all magic that had been ingrained in her skin, it was coursing through her veins, calling out to her, pulling her back in.

She pushed on, hands wandering over the low branches, her fingers brushing across the fragile leaves as she spotted hollow brass lanterns hung from the arm's of the trees, swinging gently in the breeze. There was no fire within them, no electricity or any substance from the human realm... instead tiny lights, these one a dark shade of pink, were inside, flittering around like that of fireflies.

Naya followed the lights diligently, coming closer towards the clearing in the trees which was marked by a large brown stone with wisps of white dancing above it, playfully creating odd shapes and patterns as they commanded Naya's attention.

Almost as if she were in a trance, Naya approaches the rock, holding out her crystal to open the gateway to Ianua. As she nears the stone, the air around her grows gradually colder, a shiver runs down her spine as when she exhales, she can see the icy mist of her breath suspend in the air.

Past this point, nothing living is permitted.

By placing her crystal against the stone, Naya feels the white mist fill her senses, cradling her in its embrace as it envelopes her, pulling her through the 'door', through to the other side.

As soon as she opens her eyes, the first thing that she notices is the lilac sky stretched out above her. There are no clouds, no birds singing, just a clear sky, running miles long. It looks tranquil, it should feel tranquil... but it doesn't. Being here sets Naya on edge, there's an unnerving undertone to every little thing, more so than in the cave that she's just come from, and maybe it's because she knows this place, she knows these people like the back of her hand, she knows what they're capable of if you can't live by their rules.

The faint sound of murmurs in the distance is enough for Naya to bow her head, hastily making her way deeper into the spirit realm, keeping a watchful gaze out for shadows or corners for where she could hide.

Since she fell in love with Leah, she had been banished from Ianua, only permitted to step foot in here once again if she was fulfilling her ancestral role, handling spirits. She wasn't ashamed of people seeing her, questioning her... she knew that everyone had something of which they wanted to say to her, but she didn't have the time, nor the patience to indulge them right now.

And so she moves swiftly, following the path carved out for her by the sapphire flowers, shaped by a multitude of tiny lights, each one glowing wondrously. Naya kicks one as she goes by, the lights scattering, only to make up another object- this time a butterfly.

She watches it out of the corner of her eye- the way that its wings slice through the air as it swoops down to skim across the still water running alongside the makeshift path of the flowers- a kaleidoscope of different coloured lights reflected on its surface.

Naya remembers that when she was younger she'd often play with those lights down by the water, splashing them so that they'd change shapes of different animals rumoured to be on Earth. When the skies turned from lilac to violet, a pleasant silence falling over their land, she'd sling her feet into the river, sheltered by the electric pink blossoms of a large oak tree- the tree itself wasn't living, and so the blossoms were again made up of the tiny lights... each light representing a spirit once caught.

A year ago Naya would've marvelled at the beauty of her home, the pure magic seeping out of every single alcove but now, all that was tainted. The serenity of her naivety had given way to a certain realisation, such a world wasn't beautiful, it was dangerous, it was malicious... and it wasn't her home anymore.

She gripped her gem tightly, keeping her head down as she neared a grand stone archway, engraved with the ancient markings of their people. She was never taught how to read them, but she doesn't suppose that it matters anymore.

Beyond the archway, there are two chambers ahead, and so there are two gaping holes leading to two different places. The first is the larger of the two, having two torches burning bright upon the entrance, welcoming those who wish to enter. This was where the Balletors go to release their captured spirits, once you give up their life force, they will either live freely amongst the people here in the spirit realm, or they will be imprisoned, their spirit locked away at the bottom of this chamber, forced to stay silent for all eternity.

Most of the spirits Naya retrieves, much like the one she fought today, are doomed to be locked away as their hearts carried the black smoke... but very rarely they'll be a spirit, one that belonged to someone good, and they'll have a somewhat golden smoke inside the shell of their heart.

Once they're set free to roam this realm, they'll often take the shape of a small light- much like those that make up the flowers and the butterflies and the blossoms... they'll spend eternity floating around with others like them, feeding off of the energy of the place.

Therefore this first chamber was very important, and it is where Naya should be going to.

The second is a lot smaller, it doesn't have torches or anything to emphasize its existence, it's barely big enough for a person to get through... but that's the chamber that Naya has been visiting everyday. That's the chamber that holds Leah, both her body and her spirit.

Naya has been visiting this second chamber everyday since Leah had been captured, but she has never been deep enough inside to actually see her girlfriend. She always gets so far before her feet won't physically go any farther- it's not because there's an enchantment surrounding the wide, stone room... but more because Naya doesn't know what it'll be like down there. She doesn't know how they're keeping Leah. As selfish as it is, she doesn't know if she'll be able to see Leah like that- locked away, sentenced to a deep slumber while it's down to Naya to decide her fate.

She feels responsible... and that's why instead of entering today, she bypasses the second chamber and instead, heads straight into the first, her own crystal heavy in her hand.

She follows the stone path deeper and deeper down, until the staircase opens up, so that she enters into a circular room and luckily no one else is down there too.

There are six archways around the middle of the room, each leading off into a corridor where Naya knew millions upon millions of small sealed chests lay- each with a spirit resting inside.

She makes her way to the middle of the room, approaching a white marble basin filled with crystal clear water that lay still. It is in the middle of this that she places her gem, watching silently as the black smoke diffuses out of her crystal and into the water surrounding it.

Naya looks on as the black mist swirls around the basin, the motion getting faster and faster and faster until the smoke begins to rise, now an almost an ash grey colour. As the smoke continues to spin, symbolising that of a small hurricane, it shoots up from the basin and into the air before it begins to expand, giving off a sort of mushroom effect above the young hunter. The smoke shimmers against the stone ceiling, looking like a shower of glitter as it descends to the floor, some of the silver mist finding its way back into Naya's gem, and the rest of it taking off down one of the sixth corridors connected to the room she's in now.

She waits a moment, then two then three until there's a 'bang!', and Naya knows that the spirit has found its way into its box, now trapped forever.

Content with the process, Naya nods her head as she fishes her crystal out of the water, drying it off against her shirt before stuffing it back in her pocket.

'Twelve down, eighty eight to go', she repeats to herself, 'eighty eight', before she then turns on her heel, retreating back up the stone steps, ready to get back to the human realm.

It's when she reaches the top of the stairs that she stills, hearing more voices, this time she could tell that they were getting close. Carefully, Naya peers out from the darkness of the chamber, watching as a group of three Balletors stand by the arch, talking amicably amongst themselves but thankfully don't come any closer.

She recognises them rather quickly, the one with copper hair and strong facial features being Emelia, her mother being the Lady of Ianua- the hereditary ruler, the peacemaker of their world. The boy next to her was Ronan, her betrothed, they had been engaged since they were young and Ronan showed promise as a warrior- it probably didn't hurt that he was rather good looking either- his eyes were dark pools of honey, flecks of gold and dark brown hidden amongst the dominant warm hues, and his eyes were framed by his chestnut hair that fell passed his eyes, personally, Naya thought he needed a haircut. The third girl was one that Naya wasn't all too familiar with, she was rather tall and currently had her hair braided, bound together at the back in a high ponytail. Her name is Fay and from what she's seen of her, she knows that she's rather nice, she let Naya borrow some of her throwing daggers for a quest once, but she also knows that her family are rather close to Emelia's and therefore that's enough for her to be wary of the girl.

Naya wouldn't say that she was friends with them, truthfully she felt that she was too awkward to make friends, that and she also found comfort in her own company, quite happy to go days on end with no one but herself to talk to.

Anyway, Naya looks passed them and sees that hardly any other Balletors are out tonight, so if she can just slip passed this group of three, she should be able to complete her errand without being seen and stopped.

Squinting as she listened in, all Naya can really understand is that they are talking about the capture of a recent spirit, Fay taking the lead in the conversation before Emelia takes over, adding in some more details of the specific capture. Sensing that Ronan and Fay are preoccupied with their discussion on spirits, Naya decides that this would be the perfect time to make her escape, praying that the conversation keeps everyone engaged whilst she slips away.

Unbeknownst to her though, one hunter manages to catch a glimpse of her signature long black hair paired with her ivory skin just as she portals back to Earth.

~~~

"I swear, you kids..."

Naya smiles fondly as she approaches a man crouched on the forest floor, a hand running through his dusty brown hair as he looks up at her, shaking his head, "You leave for two days, not telling me where and then come back looking like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards"

Naya rolls her eyes at the analogy- if that was the worse thing she looked like, then she'd say she's done a pretty good job.

She shrugs her shoulders, watching as his nimble fingers pick at the herbs planted in the little pen before them, inspecting each one carefully before he plucks it from the ground, setting it in the wicker basket by his side, "I ran into some... complications"

"You don't say" He muses, not looking up from his make shift herb garden as he extends a hand out to her, holding onto a few stems of yarrow, "For your cuts"

Naya takes the plant gratefully, twirling the stem between her thumb and forefinger. When she was banished from Ianua and cast down to Earth, she was lost... she didn't know where to go and suddenly her year-long quest just got a lot harder, however, that all changed once she met Arlen.

Somehow he had heard of her situation, and being a former Balletor himself, he had promised her that he would do whatever he could to help her succeed. She doesn't know exactly what he was banished for if it was for a crime similar to hers, but Arlen never brought it up, and alas Naya never felt comfortable enough to remind him of what he had potentially done, especially considering how helpful he's been to her.

Arlen is the one that helps her find spirits to track down and capture, he teaches her moves that she still hasn't mastered yet and during her training, he makes sure that she doesn't push herself too far. He's become her guardian, and so for the first time in a while, she feels something akin to guilt settle in her stomach as she left without saying a word.

"You should head on up, there's some soup on the side"

Naya looks up to the trees where their quaint wooden hunt sits nestled between the low branches, only looking big enough for two rooms. Both Naya and Arlen sleep on the floor upon smuggled blankets, using their jackets as pillows. With Naya being immortal she doesn't need to eat- or at least, she doesn't need to eat a lot and so they make do with living off fruits and vegetables that they can grow. Arlen has acquired a small job at one of the local bookstores in the small village on the foot of their forest and so he makes enough to get them by.

Naya had promised him on the night that he had taken her under his wing that once she gets Leah back, and she's granted with mortality- they'll work something out so that they can move out of their treehouse, and hopefully into one with working plumbing.

"Thanks but I'm not hungry..." She sighs, shooting him a grateful smile, "Hey, did you find any more leads-"

"Yes but you're not getting them till tomorrow" He mumbles, counting what he's got in his basket before nodding his head and rising to his feet, picking up the basket and placing it on his arm.

"What.. Why?" She shrieks, confused as to why he can't just give her the new information now. If she gets it now then she can plan out a route and set off early tomorrow morning, cutting down her travel time.

Arlen gestures for Naya to follow him as he waddles from their garden patch and up to the large tree where their house sits, steadily making his way up the ramp to their 'front door', "Because you need to rest"

Naya scoffs, trailing behind Arlen as he walks through the open doorway and into their kitchen slash bedroom slash everything else room, "But I'm fine-"

"You can go after them tomorrow when you've got your strength back" Arlen decides, dropping down the basket of herbs and vegetables, riffling through them to see what he's got and what he can then make, "It'll do you no good to rush off now, just be a good hunter and eat your soup, we'll deal with the leads tomorrow, together"

Naya's shoulder sink, watching as Arlen gets to work with cutting the vegetables, knowing better than to argue with him, "I don't know if I can wait that long..." She mumbles, thankful that Arlen didn't hear, or that if he did then he didn't say anything.

She only had three hundred and thirty six days left, she had to make every last one of them count.