Hazel's life was made of goods and bads. Really, all lives are that way, but the ups and downs in her life were rather more exaggerated than most.

She hadn't had an actual 'good' day in a while, so it was all sort of relative at this point, but today, it was different. Today was both good and bad.

It would also become rather significant later in her life.

Seward, Alaska did not have a large population, and for the most part, that population kept to themselves, which suited Hazel just fine. She didn't need anyone else poking around, asking questions about her mother.

Oh, her mother. Marie Levesque, who was once mostly wonderful, was no longer herself. It was as if someone else was living in her body, using her as a puppet to order Hazel around.

That was why Hazel's life had recently been composed mostly of bads. That was also why she spent so much time away from home, an activity that was perfectly safe (if you ignored the occasional polar bear and the fact that she lived in freezing cold Alaska), even for a 13-year-old girl.

But today was different.

It started out much like any other day in Alaska. It was July, and so the sun was shining, riding high in the sky and shining brightly off of the metal rooftops of Seward. The cold was less harsh than usual, at a balmy 56˚, and, standing atop a hill outside of town, Hazel was actually feeling rather good about life. It was times like these that gave her the will to keep living.

Yawning, Hazel stretched her arms out on either side. The chocolate color of her skin contrasted beautifully with her pale bark of the trees behind her, and her golden eyes gleamed with the optimism that came with the startling natural beauty of the wilderness.

Based on the grumblings of her stomach, Hazel decided it must be around noon. She'd left almost immediately after waking up and had been exploring the hills surrounding Seward all morning.

Chewing on the inside of her lip, Hazel put a hand into the pocket of her coat. A smile formed on her face as she felt the soft edges of a dollar bill between her gloveless fingers.

Of course, she could summon all the riches in the world, but she knew the cost that came with them.

The curse.

Shaking her head, Hazel pushed all thoughts of the curse from her mind and headed back down into Seward to buy a pastry at the only bakery in town.

As she trundled down the hill, her feet kicking up dew, her stomach's complaints grew louder. Screwing up her face, Hazel came to a stop and scrutinized the town. Usually, she took the main roads (which, in tiny Seward, were by no means what the rest of the world would call main thoroughfares), but to get to the bakery, it would be faster to take a smaller side street.

Shrugging, Hazel altered her course.

A few minutes later, Hazel found herself walking through town with her hands in her pockets, only slightly lost. It really wasn't that easy to get lost here. After all, if you just followed a road you'd eventually get to Main Street.

Still, her stomach was getting really rather rude by this point, so she stopped to try to figure out where she was.

That was when her day took a turn for the worse.

Two heavyset figures moved to block her path. Hazel stopped dead and stared at them, fingering the crumpled bill in her pocket. These were Harley Jones and Jacob Davison, two boys from Seward's only school. They were known bullies, and though Hazel had yet to feel their cruelty as of yet, she knew it was coming.

"Hey, Levesque," said Harley. "Going somewhere?"

Hazel chewed her lip nervously and started to inch backwards. "Um…maybe?"

"Don't get smart with us, witch's brat," sneered Jacob. "We hear you've got voodoo."

"Yeah," agreed Harley. "Picking up tricks from your creepy mommy."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Hazel murmured, taking a full step backwards. Quickly, Jacob lunged at her and grabbed her arms, pulling them behind her back. As he did so, the crumpled dollar bill flew from her pocket and fluttered to the ground.

Harley bent and picked it up, holding it close to his face and pretending to inspect it. Then he pocketed and turned back to Hazel.

"I'll keep that," he said meanly. "But it's not enough. Do your creepy tricks."

Hazel struggled to bite back the tears that were beginning to swell in her eyes. "Honestly, I don't know what you mean!" she cried.

"I think you do," growled Jacob in her ear, pulling her arms harder so that they hurt. "You make jewels. Roger Hopkins saw you handling a diamond the other day, and Annie Steffens said she saw you pocketing a piece of gold."

Hazel started to panic, her distress causing her curse to bubble. Unseen by the boys, a gold coin surfaced against the wall of a building, hidden by the shadows. Part of her almost wanted to let them take a jewel, to make them pay for their cruelty, but she wasn't that mean. No one deserved that curse that came with Hazel's gemstones.

"I don't–" moaned Hazel, tears slipping from her eyes and beginning to trace glistening lines down the dark skin of her face.

"Hey!"

The unfamiliar voice froze all three of them, and in front of her, Harley turned to look at the source. As he moved, Hazel saw a large man standing in the alleyway, wearing a leather jacket and battered jeans. Powerful muscles were visible beneath his clothing, and short blond hair swept to the side above glittering blue eyes.

"What's going on here?" the man asked harshly, his eyes hardening as they searched the three of them. The brutish, yet youthful face of Harley; the tight, vice-like grip Jacob kept on Hazel's arms; and the tears that streaked her face.

"Just a little lesson," Harley said, clenching and unclenching his fists. "It's really none of your business, old man."

The stranger crossed his arms in front of his chest, a motion made quite intimidating by the fact that he stood several feet taller than Harley, who was no midget himself. "It looks to me like you're bullying that girl," he said gravely. "I don't like bullies."

"Yeah?" sneered Jacob, shoving Hazel to the ground and moving to stand by Harley. "Well, we don't like people sticking their noses in our business." His words seemed as sneering and confident as usual, but Hazel detected an underlying tremor.

The man lowered his face the boy's eyes level. "Get lost," he said, each syllable filled with the loathing that only a former victim of bullying can summon. And though he only spoke two words, the underlying message was thus: 'I am bigger and stronger than you. Don't mess with me.'

The boys did the smart thing.

They turned and ran.

Hazel flinched as the man turned his gaze to her, but his eyes were soft. Reaching out a hand, he helped her to her feet and brushed the dirt from her clothes.

"You alright?"

"I-I think so," said Hazel, reaching one chocolate-colored hand up to wipe away the tears that had soaked her skin. "Thank you…for chasing them off."

The stranger smiled. "Hey, no problem," he said. "It's like I said. I don't like bullies."

Hazel nodded and stared at the ground. "Thank you," she repeated softly.

The strange knelt on one knee and took her hand in his. "Who were those kids?" he asked gently.

"They…they're just two boys at my school," murmured Hazel. "Really, it's nothing. I'm fine."

The man regarded her somewhat sadly. In this girl, he saw some of himself, back when he was…smaller. Though she was physically weak, her mental strength was great, and a kindness and compassion shone through her golden eyes.

"What's your name?"

The question caught Hazel by surprise. "My…name?" she asked hesitantly. The man nodded. "Uh…Hazel."

He smiled. "I'm Steve. Do you need help getting home?"

"Oh…" Hazel thought for a moment. "I'm a little lost, but if I can find Main Street I'll be fine."

Steve nodded, returning to his feet and once again taking Hazel's hand in his. In silence, the two walked through the quiet back alleys of Seward until they reached the Main Street.

"Steve," Hazel said hesitantly. "Where are you from? I've never seen you here before."

"Brooklyn," answered the man. "I'm here to help with an army rally."

Hazel almost laughed, but stopped herself out of politeness. "An army rally? In Seward?"

Steve chuckled. "No, technically it's in Anchorage. There's a training camp there. The boys are getting sent to the front in a week, we thought they could use a little pep talk."

"So…what are you doing here?" asked the girl.

"Just thought it'd be nice to get out for a while," said Steve. "See what the local life is like."

Hazel nodded and looked away. At that moment, her stomach rumbled loudly.

"Hey, you hungry?" asked Steve. Hazel nodded.

"I had a dollar for the bakery, but…." she trailed off. "I guess I'll just wait until dinner."

Steve shook his head and reached into his pocket. He was about to say something, when a sharp, British-sounding voice cut through the air.

"Steve!"

Hazel turned. A woman with curly brown hair and an army uniform stood on the street behind her, watching them.

"Coming, Peggy!" called Steve, walking towards her. As he passed Hazel, he pressed something into her hand.

"Spend it well," he said. "And keep out of trouble." He raised one hand to his forehead in salute. "It was nice meeting you, Hazel."

And just like that, he was gone.

Hazel looked at her hand. In it, crisply folded, was a five-dollar bill. A smile flickered across her lips, and she skipped off towards the bakery.

For the moment, she was happy.