I grabbed my duffel bag and angrily threw it over my shoulder, taking a long pull from my water bottle. I yanked the wrappings from my hands as I stormed out of the gym, leaving Pablo gaping behind me. I knew that he would do this again! Ugh. That stupid man couldn't take a hint!

I headed down the sidewalk toward my house. It was late and I wanted nothing more than to get home and forget this day ever happened. I glanced around. The street lamps were flickering in that horror movie kind of way, and the drunks leaving the bar across the road were cat-calling, as per usual. I passed a few shady guys hiding in the end of an alley who looked like they were the mugging type. One look at me though and they thought better of it.

I smirked a little, taking joy from that fact. I was a short woman, but I had been fighting and training all my life. I was a black-belt in martial arts, and had all the muscles and awards to prove it. And if you were from around here, you knew who I was. I was a trainer at the local gym where all the boxing and martial arts went on. I had been doing it for years and it showed. I ran up the steps to my small ramshackle house and stuck the key in the lock.

Just as I was about to open it, I heard running footsteps behind me. Rolling my eyes and sighing heavily, I turned to see Pablo. Of course.

"Wait Shae! Please, I'm sorry!" Pablo leaned forward, grasping his knees to catch his breath. "I won't do it again, I promise!"

I glared. He always did it again. And then he would always came crawling back to me and begging for me to take him back. And then when I turned him down he would get ugly and try to force me. But he was no match for me, and I was sick and tired of it.

"This is what? Promise number three? Four? I'm starting to lose count, Pablo. You know, I will throw you on your ass if you try that again."

Pablo finally caught his breath and moved a little closer. I glared harder at him, putting all my disdain into it. You better not think to get too close you little shit.

"I know. I'm sorry. I... I love you, babe. I just want to be with you."

I sighed again, annoyed beyond belief, and closed my eyes. But he continued. He always was a persistent bastard.

"I can't stop thinking about you. Jenny was a mistake. It was torture. It made me realize how much I love you! How much I want you back!"

He looked desperate now. He walked up the last few steps until he was right in front of me. I studied his dark face, his brown eyes and curly dark brown hair. I had once been very attracted to him. He was so handsome. But now I hated his face. It was just a reminder of his lies.

"Pablo, I'm so over your shit. You lied to me. You cheated on me. How could I ever trust you again, huh? I will never go back to you. You lost me. And stay away from the gym from now on. You know Dustin doesn't want you there, and now I don't want you either. Find a new place and stay the hell away from me."

I turned on my heel and walked inside, slamming the door in his shocked face. "Ugh!" I threw my duffel bag down beside the door. I heard Pablo take the last remaining steps to the door. You better not try to force your way in here, you asshole. You'll regret it. But he just stopped close to the door. I could hear him breathing hard.

"You'll regret this, you bitch!" He almost growled at the door, and then heavy footsteps, down the stairs and away. And then quiet.

I chuckled a little. Pablo threaten me? That's almost funny.

I taught the punk how to fight and he wasn't even very good. We met because he came to the gym to look cool and I thought he was kinda cute. And nice. Turned out I was wrong about that one. But I could always toss him around in a match. And as a 26 year old, tiny white girl, that was pretty impressive.

I bolted the lock, chained the door, and moved into the living room, falling heavily into my favorite spot on the couch. I just laid there for a bit, thinking about my day, and stupid Pablo, that cheating bastard. My stomach grumbled loudly and I groaned into the cushions before pushing myself off the couch and heading for the kitchen and sustenance. The fridge was sadly bare but for a couple beers and a half empty jug of milk. I sighed again. Cereal it is then.

I grabbed a box of whatever chocolate cereal I had in my cabinet and poured out the bowl, enjoying the soft crackling sound as I poured in the milk. I grabbed a spoon and went into living room, settling back in the couch. I flipped on the TV and the Xbox. It was really the only expensive thing in my house. Everything else was cheap or second-hand. I didn't have much of a salary working for the tiny gym down the street. But I was happy with my life (except for Pablo) of martial arts and gaming.

I turned on Dragon Age: Inquisition, crunching on my cereal as it loaded up. It was my obsession for these past few months. I had done three play-throughs so far and was definitely planning more. Currently though, I was playing my Inquisitor Sean Trevelyan. He stood there glancing around Skyhold as he waited for me to direct him. I smiled at the screen where he was standing in his silly tan pajama outfit. Seriously Bioware? You couldn't have given them something a little more interesting to wear? I shook my head at the strange design and settled in to enjoy the remainder of the night with some quests. Even after everything, I was going to make it a good night.

I woke up suddenly, pulled from a dream that was gone from my memory as soon as my eyes snapped open. I don't know what woke me but my heart was pounding in my chest and I felt apprehension. Something was wrong.

The controller slid from my lap as I shifted, clattering to the floor. The game was still on. Apparently, I had fallen asleep while wandering the Hinterlands on the quest What Lies Dormant. I glanced around instinctively, my eyes looking in the shadows of the room. I still couldn't figure out why I had woken up or why my heart was racing. Closing my eyes, I listened. There was a dog barking madly outside. Nothing else.

But then... I heard the sound of screeching tires on pavement. I tensed. I lived in a bad neighborhood, on a bad side of town. I hoped it was just some stupid teenagers street racing and not something more sinister, like a gang fight or drive by. I gasped as I heard the popping sound of gunfire. I rolled down onto the floor in the practiced fetal position and hoped that I, and my house, would be spared whatever violence was occurring. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. Hopefully someone had already called the cops and they were on their way. I just had to wait.

The crack of gunfire ceased. I barely raised my head from the floor, listening if it was safe to rise again. I heard the tires screech again and an engine rev. It sounded like they were turning around and coming back down the street. I pulled my head back down just as the gunfire burst open again, this time peppering the walls of my house. I grit my teeth, furious in my helplessness. It seemed like they stopped in front of my house and continued to open fire. Bullets ripped through my walls, showering me with plaster, glass, and insulation. Luckily, the turn of the couch kept me from catching any bullets myself. What the hell is going on?

The gunfire stopped again. I could hear sirens wailing in the distance but they were obviously still a ways off. I glanced up in the living room, looking at the damage to my walls, and furniture. Miraculously, the TV was undamaged. Should I make a mad dash for the kitchen? It would be safer there, but if they open fire again, I'm dead. I heard yelling from outside.

"You dead yet, bitch?"

Pablo? Are you fucking kidding me!? I clenched my teeth so hard it hurt. If I live through this, I am so testifying against you in court, you fucker.

Of course, I should have known better than to get involved with a wannabe gang banger. I could hear a couple of other guys yelling, urging him to leave, nervous of the cops quickly approaching. Now is as good a time as any, and if Pablo happened to get the right angle he could still hit me here on the floor. I pushed myself up and made a dash for the kitchen.

Unfortunately, that was right when Pablo let off a final few rounds that entered my back and tore out my chest. I stumbled and fell to my knees. My chest was burning, I couldn't breath. I gasped, and my lungs gurgled. I felt like I was drowning slowly. I looked down and saw where my flesh was torn open in two spots, red staining my shirt in flowering patterns until they dripped to the floor. Pretty. My vision tunneled, and I leaned heavily against the wall as I heard the tires outside peel out again and drive away.

I don't know how time was passing then. It all seemed to blur together in long drawn out moments of pain and bubbling air. I blinked and there were flashing red and blue lights coming in the shattered windows.

Blink.

A cop was kneeling beside me, his hands on my chest, pressing hard. It was so painful I wanted to push him away, but my limbs were too heavy.

"Stay with me! Hey! What's your name? Tell me your name!"

My head was pounding as I tried to focus on him.

"Shae." I whispered. Blood bubbled from my lips and I choked on it.

He nodded, still pressing on my wounds, trying to slow the blood that was pooling in his fingers. "Good Shae. Keep talking to me."

Blink.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him close, amazed at my own strength that seemed so out of reach a moment ago. His face was blurring in and out of focus.

"It was... Pablo Rodriguez." I choked out. My mouth felt numb. But he heard me. He nodded. Good.

Blink.

EMTs traded places with the cop, applying pressure and sticking me with an IV. I couldn't feel it, I couldn't feel much of anything anymore. Just pounding in my head and my chest, and cold. So cold. I watched people rush about above me.

Blink.

What is that sound? I turned my head. It was the greatest effort I had ever put forward to move.

The TV still happily played the music of the Hinterlands and my Inquisitor, Sean, looked around. Still waiting for me to direct his movements. I chuckled but it turned into a cough and more blood leaked from my mouth. I could tell the EMTs were concerned. They were yelling, but I couldn't really hear them anymore.

Blink.

Why was it getting louder? What is that whispering?

Blink.

I saw a bright flash of green.

"We're losing her! Get her in the ambulance! Now!"

The pressure was fading and the light was growing behind my eyelids. It seemed to grow behind my eyes. I didn't fight it anymore. I was so tired. So cold.

It's OK. I'm OK with this.

The light got brighter and seemed to pull behind my eyes. I felt my body stop. Like a wind up toy that hadn't been wound, I no longer pulsed with life. And I felt it. The light continued to get brighter in my mind. Is this the light at the end of the tunnel crap we always hear about? I never thought it would be green.

And then... I was torn apart. I felt my consciousness split into a billion different pieces and rearrange. If I could scream, I would, at the top of my lungs. All the while the green light was blinding. But I wasn't seeing it with my eyes, it enveloped my consciousness, flooded my mind. I was no longer in an ambulance. I was no longer anywhere. I was nothing. I was dead. But then... I wasn't.

My life sparked and I felt my body change around me, a billion pieces rejoining. It was subtle but it shifted. I was thrown forward. Toward the green light. I couldn't help the scream that came from my throat as I fell through it. I landed hard on stone, and pain shot through me. All my nerves were on fire and my skin burned. My mind wasn't processing anything. System overload. I heard strange sounds around me. Screams, fighting, some kind of electrical buzzing.

I squeezed my eyes shut and didn't move. I was dead. I shouldn't be hearing anything. I had even given in. I didn't fight anymore. Then, with an electric crackling and a flash of green light I could see through my closed eyelids, the fighting stopped. Everything went silent except for the sound of breathing.

"Well shit. Who's that?"

I couldn't help but open my eyes. I know that voice. I blinked and pulled myself up gingerly into a sitting position, just a pounding headache remained of the blinding pain I felt only moments ago. I looked around, my mind not quite comprehending what I saw.

In front of me stood what looked like Sean, my human Inquisitor, holding his giant two handed sword, Dorian, Solas, and Varric. All were eyeing me suspiciously, weapons at the ready. Varric had spoken, and I knew his voice so well from the game that I couldn't be mistaken.

Blink.

What the hell?

"Who are you?" Sean asked with his lilting accent. Shit is right, Varric.

I tried to stare at them, or even to blink away the fantasy, but the ringing in my ears and pounding in my head was growing, and I couldn't fight it anymore. My shaking limbs no longer held me as I collapsed to the ground, and blackness welcomed me with open arms.