Part 1.

The attack of the beasts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter one

The monsters

 

The walls had always protected us. They kept our districts, our towns, and our people at peace. We had always felt secured and safe inside the walls. No one ever exited or entered from them. We were required to stay inside the walls at all cost. The government didn’t punish us for going beyond the walls, but whoever did, had a glimpse of the world outside saw how dangerous it was.

       After the Slaughter of Year 2500, no one dared step foot outside the walls.

       There are three main walls protecting us from the Forbidden World. It’s named after the three monsters that had once broken inside the area and attacked our people. The Giant Wall was named after the biggest and tallest monster to ever attack our districts. The Giant Wall was the largest wall because it blocked off the outer part of our districts. It was also about fifty feet tall; securing that no monster could break inside. The wall that protected the middle of our land and was inside of the Giant Wall was Wall Flora. A female monster attacked us, so we named the wall after a flower. It’s slightly tinier than the Giant Wall. It’s only ten feet tall. Our smallest wall is Wall Epic. We named it Wall Epic because one of the most athletic and most huge monsters attacked us, and it left a wound in our human population. It’s the smallest wall, but it’s built out of the strongest materials. Rumor says the Epic Monster appears rarely, but when it does it strikes deadly to its victims. After its appearance five hundred years ago: we haven’t seen it since.

       The monsters that attack us are called different varieties of names. They are often called ogres, behemoths, fiends, and beasts even. The beasts are usually the color of the night sky, and they have red, frightening eyes. They are usually big in size and they do attack humans…only because we have once intervened with their territory. They don’t eat us, but they slaughter us and once they attack they kill great numbers. However, there had been some witnesses saying that humans can transform into one of the monsters at any random time. Newspapers and tabloids talk about it. After their “Monster Change”, the human usually acts peculiar and the once happily and cheery personality of them is distinguished. Even though the outside look doesn’t seem to change at all, the inside starts to slowly turn similar to the monsters. But rumors are rumors.  

       Luckily, we haven’t encountered one of these freaks since 2500: since the Epic Beast attacked.

       Although, we always keep watch and no one lets their guard down.

       I live inside of Wall Epic. My family’s house is a little brown cottage near Epic Town Square. Our royal king and queen also live close to our district because they need the upmost protection at all times. Only the richest families are allowed to live inside Wall Epic. The more money you have, you more walled you are. People like scientists, doctors, professors, inventors, and philosophers live inside Wall Epic. The middle-class people live inside Wall Flora. The rest of the population lives in the Giant Wall.

       My father works as both a scientist and a doctor. As a scientist, my father helps find out the mysteries of where these beasts came from and the way to eliminate them all. As a doctor, he wants to find ways to find cures for the Beast-Controlled patients who had been acting strange.

       Although my father works hard and has enough money to buy a mansion for our family to live in, our family often donates the money to feed people and to the government to furthermore build the walls.

       I walk along with my older sister, Amber. We are fetching water for the homeless in need of their fresh drinking water. Amber, who is seventeen, is much more beautiful than I am. She has dreamy amber eyes (like her name), has stunning features, and overall has a caring personality. She’s shyer than me, so she often never talks. Her long, black hair rests on her chest tied in a ponytail. She wears clothing similar to Mother’s: a white shirt covered with a peach jacket and a long, white skirt. I am two years younger than my sister. On the other hand, I share features similar to my father. I have eyes, and broader features. I’m more of the outgoing type, and I definitely talk more than my sister. I have my black hair fishtail-braided, sitting on my chest as well.

       I stroll on the cement sidewalk carelessly and clumsily, spilling my water left and right. “Ailee, be careful of your bucket,” my sister scolds me in a quiet tone, almost as if she wasn’t scolding me at all. I begin to pay attention and cautiously hold my water bucket.

       We arrive at Epic Town Square just in time to see that the homeless had already been waiting for us. They look tired, and pale. I begin setting my water bucket down and many people approach. They drink quickly from the bucket. With any way possible, even if cups weren’t provided –they were already rushing over to get a drink. Something I saw that amused me was that they weren’t fighting over the water. No matter how thirsty they were, all men, women, and children took turns to drink the water. A few people whispered a “thank you.” Some people smiled at Amber and I, and we smiled back. We were afraid that the water we brought wouldn’t be enough, but there were a few liters remaining. I was surprised. I would think that these people who haven’t been drinking for a while would promptly drink it all.

       One frail lady came up to me and told me, “The remaining water left is for you and your family. We very much appreciate you kind human beings bringing us some water. Thank you.”

       “Ma’am, it’s all right…we have more than enough water at home–,” Amber tried to argue.

       “But it’s our thank-you present for you. We’ve had our share, and we must return something back! Please, accept our gift.” The woman smiled kindly at us. Amber and I had no choice but to accept.

       Not before too long we had returned home to our cottage. It was a color of dark brown, and it was kind of small in size, but it was much larger in the inside. The roof was made out of straw and hay. For why they decided to do that, I never knew. Mother was inside cleaning the tables, and Father was busy doing work, as always. “You’re back!” Mother greeted.

       “Hello Mother,” Amber and I greeted back. Mother embraced us into her arms. I turned to my father to see if he had time to even glance at us.

He didn’t.

I frowned a little.

Even though our Father is well known and a helpful person to our districts, sometimes I wish he was just a normal father who would talk to their kids when they needed to talk to a father.

“You girls have to help your mother cook some food for tonight’s yearly feast,” Father ordered in a stern voice after a while. I turned to Amber to see her reaction. She maintained a straight face, like always, but I could see that she was just as disappointed as I was. Father didn’t have time to greet anything, or us but he did have time to order us around. I believe there was once a time where Father smiled and laughed. I would like to see that once again someday.

“I will have to travel to the Tisinae District to work out some stuff with the King.” Upon hearing this, Amber and Mother’s eyes widen.

“The King?” I repeated.

“Yes, the King,” he replied without any expression changing in his face.

“That’s an four hours away from our Albergate district!”

“Then it will be four hours away I will travel to reach Tisinae.” Father raised his voice.

“But you invited everyone to the feast! You’re supposed to be there,” Mom tried to say.

“Do you think some feast is more important than a meeting with the King?” Father slammed his fist onto our wooden brown table. Everything shook. Soon, our expressions darkened. Then came…silence.

Father cleared his throat.

“Tell the people that I will not be there tonight because I have some important matters. My meeting with the royal family is to be kept a secret. No words can slip out of your mouths.” After that, we all stayed quiet. No one peeped a noise. The sun was shining happily outside, but we felt the opposite.

“Girls, let me finish all the cooking. Go outside and play. Please don’t come back home until six.” I turned around and stared at Mother. What was she saying? Do all the cooking with no one helping?

“Mother, you won’t be able to finish if you do it by yourself,” I argued.

“Ailee, just…please.” Mother’s words made me anxious and confused. Amber continued to say nothing, but we were both thinking the same thing. Father cleared his throat once again, packed up his items, and zoomed out of the cottage. If he was going to go to Tisinae, he should be going now. But he shouldn’t have chose to leave in a situation like this.

Amber grabbed my arm and forcefully tried to get me out of the house. I didn’t cry, but Mother was. We’ve worked forever to serve our best at the feast Father originally planned. We’ve worked under Father’s strict orders. We’ve worked day and night, to be honest. Mother was the person who was suffering the most. She was the one who invited all the people. She was the one who set up the venue. She was the one who gave Father his coffee when he was working, his food when he was hungry, and the one who cleaned after us. She was his slave. And he never managed to choke out a single “thank you.” He was a monster.

I didn’t want to cry. I was mad. I should’ve been shouting now. I saw Mother work hard for Father, but I couldn’t do anything. I started to get angry with myself for letting this happen.

“Girls, goodbye.”

I didn’t know what she meant by that. I didn’t know anything anymore. Amber was more physically fit and stronger than me. I couldn’t do anything to run back inside the house.

“Goodbye.” I screamed through my frustration.

 

Even through the darkest times,

❥❥❥

I’ll continue to fight.

 

Amber carried me all the way to Kanot River, the closet river we could find when we were fishing for food.

       “Stop it,” she told me. My face was hot red. I was screaming all the way to the Kanot District. “I’m not going to stop until Father treats Mother right!” I shouted in her face.

       Amber’s face changed. She was angry but she spoke in a calming tone. “Nothing’s going to get better no matter how much we change it. All we can do now is sit and wait.”

“I don’t have time for sitting and waiting! It’s been going on forever now. You always just sit there and wait for someone to say something witty to our father back. Right now, being silent is the worst thing to do!” I struggle to get out of hold of Amber. She was holding me by my wrists. “But do you think making a stand is going to get things better, Ailee? Do you?” Tears started to form under her eyes. “I’m feeling the same things you’re feeling, too! I may be quiet, but I’m not stupid! Telling someone to change who they are is not going to work.” She let go of my wrists, but now I was much more calmer than I was before. “You don’t know until you try,” I muttered.

“Exactly. You don’t know unless you sit and wait.”

We quieted and sat on the bricks that were surrounding the entryway to the river. We didn’t say anything to each other for a few moments. To be quite honest, Amber hasn’t spoke this much since I was four and she was six. She hasn’t really spoken much the year before, and the year after that. I spent the time in silence thinking of the possible reasons Amber didn’t speak much as me…or as anyone else, for that matter.

We decided to visit Kanot Town Square. It wasn’t as “beautiful” or “rich” as ours, but I always sense a different feel from Kanot’s Town Square every time I visit Kanot. Kanot had more markets and tiny shops and stores than Albergate. The people were happier or more social than the people in Albergate. Kanot isn’t that far away from Albergate, but Albergate people tend to be snobs and stuck-up because they’re closer to Tisinae than any other districts are.

As we walked further more into the town square, I thought more and more about Tisinae. Tisinae is where the Foster Royal Family lives. The family consists of King Matthew, Queen Janie, and Princess Sophie. There was also once a prince, Prince Novak, but that his own father killed him during the Rosemont War. None of the details are very clear to me yet. I don’t know much else about the royal family, but that they are to be very respected because there has been a past history behind that I don’t know of.

“Samuel!” Amber whisper-shouts, interrupting my thoughts. I look up and since a brunette-haired boy running towards us. Sam approaches us, and we greet each other. We haven’t seen Sam since a month because of all the work Father’s been making us doing. Samuel Ellverage is our only childhood friend. We usually don’t attend school much because of Father doing this and that, but Sam is the only friend we’ve made thus far. Sam is around Amber’s age. He’s taller than Amber, and wears his casual and usual shorts and t-shirt. He looks like an average Albergate boy. He is tidy, well dressed, and has a dash of handsomeness. Amber likes to call him by his full name, “Samuel,” because she thinks it’s more “sophisticated.”

“What are you doing in Kanot?” I asked him. On one hand, he holds a giant brown bag full of an item. On his other hand are two loaves of bread. He hands Amber and I both a hot loaf of bread. “I went fishing for my Father. We were preparing for the feast!” Amber turned to look at somewhere else. I could tell she wanted to be distracted from the feast conversation. I tried not to say anything. “Mother has everything prepared, so you wouldn’t have to cook anything,” I hear myself say. Did I actually think that Mother was going to prepare everything by herself? I didn’t know if Amber wanted to go back home or not. I know she felt guilty for leaving home, too.

“My mother says that it’s our gift to bring to the feast. We bring food to feasts all the time so it really doesn’t matter,” Sam tells us.

We didn’t talk anymore after that. Sam knew that something was wrong. I nearly finished my bread, and Amber was halfway done. “Hey, did I say anything?” he questioned. We both just shook our heads.

“Family matters,” I tell him. Sam is a very understanding friend, but at times he can be adventurous and curious. He chose to not ask any more questions this time. Sam tried to get rid of the awkward atmosphere. He talked and talked, and he cheered us up a bit.

Being the gullible person I am, I ended up telling Sam the story by detail, and how unfair Father was treating Mother. He showed interest to the story, and would nod every time I told him a piece of information. He looked just as angry and disappointed as we were.

We got on the topic of the rumors at school. Sam told us that all the other students thought that we were the ones infected with the Beast-Controlled virus because we were gone all the time. Pathetic.

“The Beasts haven’t even been to our districts for five-hundred years,”-I chuckle-“do they actually think that there are still Beasts around, cursing us with their diseases?” I laugh.

“Don’t be so ignorant, Ailee. Beasts don’t mysteriously go extinct. They could attack us at any time,” warns Ailee. I laugh again. If the Beasts haven’t bothered as for five hundred years, why are they going to bother us now? “They’re just like the dinosaurs. They could get a disease or something and die out.”

“There’s always a possibility,” she says with a tone of frustration in her voice. I don’t pay too much attention to Amber. She’s always thinking of possible ways that the Beasts are still alive somewhere.

Amber, Sam, and I talk for some time before the sun is about to set. We talk about our daily lives: the positives, the negatives. We talk about what the world would be like if there wasn’t any good, or any bad. We get really into the topic we’re talking about and we continue on and on until our mouths are tired. Sam is basically the only person Amber and I can relate to. Other than Sam, no one has been able to understand or talk to us very well because we are never in school. I’ve talked about my feelings to someone for long, other than Amber and Mother. It’s weird telling them to a boy, also. The sky tonight was darker than the ones before. It was turning a navy blue, with a hint of orange. It hasn’t turned this dark before the moon came up before.

Sam starts to say his farewells to us because his Father was expecting him. It was time for us to head back too. The stores and businesses start to close up and head inside their homes.

Soon after Sam began to say his goodbyes, we heard a loud wailing noise. It wasn’t a siren. It wasn’t an alarm. It seemed like it was a person crying or yelling…for help, perhaps? The noise sounded like it was coming from a far distance, but it was very loud. Many of the citizens around the area were confused and worried at the noise. They didn’t know what was going on, but whatever it was…it sounded like danger.

“We-we better get back home.” I shook Amber’s arm. Sam was about to head off on his way but he couldn’t.

There was muffled yelling. Whatever it was now, it sounded like a threat of some sort. The person making the sound was talking–but they weren’t talking freely…someone was covering their mouth.

“The…know…this!” It sounded like a grown man’s voice. We couldn’t make out the sentence because he was being kept from saying what he was trying to say. “…Wall Giant…attacked!”

My eyes widen. Wall Giant…attacked? Was this man trying to spread rumors? Now, Amber, Sam, and I were more curious than ever. We had to know what was going on. We ran over to the street across from where we were originally. The voice had belonged to a middle-aged man who was struggling with policemen. The man tried to even attack the police but failed. He was wearing rags and clothes that didn’t belong inside of Wall Epic. His clothes definitely belonged in the Giant Wall. What was he doing in an upper class wall? Everyone knew that lower class citizens couldn’t visit upper class walls, but upper class citizens could go wherever they could, depending in the wall they lived in. Trespassing resulted in automatic death.

Another man walked in front of the scene. He was dressed in a black uniform like the policemen, but I could see a shining badge from his uniform shirt. He was the captain. By now there were many Kanot citizens surrounding the scene.

“Let the man speak. Let me see what he has to say.” The captain’s voice sent a chill down my spine. His voice was cold as ice, and heartless. His “Kanot Police Department Captain” badge continued to shine as he walked around.

The man let out a huge sigh after he was released. “Captain, this is urgent! The citizens of Kanot and the citizens of Wall Epic need to know that Euron is in danger!” The man choked. “The…the…” the man tried to catch his breath, and he let out a wheeze. “The Beasts…they’re back!”

The crowd gasped with fear and mock.

The captain looked unsatisfied. “Whip him.”

I was shocked. The man could’ve been telling the truth! “Captain, I’m not lying! The Giant Wall–it’s in harm’s way! The Beasts are attacking it, and if the Tisinae Soldier Department won’t defend them, we’re all doomed.” Even so, getting from Tisinae to the Giant Wall would be a long journey ahead. Sixteen hours…and they still wouldn’t be there.

The captain stared at the man with hatred in his eyes. “Order the Tisinae Soldier Department to head on out by carriage. It’s the fastest way we can travel. Bring out the strongest horses. Evacuate everyone immediately. If this man is lying, I’ll be more then thrilled to end his life.” Were captains always this harsh?

Amber and I hurried to reach Albergate. We ran with Sam. Screams and shouts could be heard everywhere. “Deck the boats, deck the boats!” A yell called. How many boats would there be to fit enough citizens?

We ran, and ran, and couldn’t stop to catch our breaths. We need to reach Mother in time to warn her about our whereabouts. Come to think about it…Amber was right. Today was the day the Beasts would come back.

Before we had reached Albergate, an official stopped us. “We must evacuate you two to the boats now.”

“But our Mother is left at home in Albergate!” I argued. The official shook his head. “You must go now or be attacked.”

We had no choice.

We were led to the docks of Kanot, and people were already there being tested if they were well enough to be on the boats. Luckily, Kanot had the best boats, and they had a large river.

“Why are we being escorted elsewhere, anyways? The Beast is attacking the Giant Wall, not Wall Flora, not Wall Epic. We’re not in harm,” I had heard one lady mockingly say. What a joke. Wall Epic citizens nowadays were rude and selfish. They wouldn’t know what hit them when it actually happened.

“There’s a chance the Beast could break into Wall Flora or our wall. We don’t know, so we better get to safety now,” I told the lady.

“Oh, look! A little child is telling me what to do and what not to do. The Beast hasn’t broken into our wall since 2500, and they won’t attack again.”

I was angry now.

“Exactly, a Beast has broken into Wall Epic before. They can still have the power to break in.”

“How about you go back and play your little games, and the adults will do what they think is best for them,” she tells me off.

“You won’t know what it is until it hits you!” I threaten her.

“Ailee, stop,” my sister tells me. I roll my eyes. The lady scoffs, and turns around in line.

We wait for a good twenty minutes for the people before us in line to get a spot on the boat before it was our turn.

Some people look scared, some look like they don’t care at all, and some even look…happy?

“Name?” A deep voice asks me. I turn around to face the man. He was a Tisinae official. He had a big scar on the right side of his face. He looked grumpy and tired. He was wearing the blue uniform of the Tisinae district. He terrified me a bit.

“Annalise Zolvich,” I stated firmly. The official looked through his papers.

“Annalise ‘Ailee’ Emily Zolvich. Born on June 16^th, 2985, age is fifteen, attends Albergate High School: First Year. Mother is Gennienve Zolvich, Father is Alexander Zolvich, and sister is Amber Zolvich. Is this all correct?”

I nod my head.

The official checks all of the boxes on the sheet of paper and motions for me to head towards the boat.

       “Excuse me,” I ask him before I head out. He hears me, but he doesn’t seem excited to listen to what I have to say. “Has Gennienve or Alexander Zolvich checked in with the boats already?” I inquired. I pick at the button on my thin, white jacket.

       “Your father had already boarded one of the Tisinae boats with the King. We are unsure of your mother, but it has been announced to all of Euron that a Beast has attacked, so we are making sure to evacuate everyone.”

       “But–”

       “Next!” he calls.

       So, I’m off to one of the Kanot boats. Of course I knew that Father would get a free ticket for being in Tisinae. He’s boarding the best of the best boats. I just have this anxious feeling about Mother.

       But being that Albergate is close to Tisinae, I shake the nervous feeling off.

       I hear Amber being asked of the same questions I was asked, and I am being lead onto the boat by other Kanot officials.

       The boat is huge and is a white color. Kanot is famous for its rivers and fish, but their navy is powerful as well. They have the second best boats, so I’m not as scared. On board, there are a few hundred people. I sit in a tight spot, being squished by young kids about the age of six or seven. After Amber is finished with her questions, she boards the boat also and sits next to me. We don’t say a word to each other.

       We spot Sam boarding the boat a few minutes full of chaos. He looks worried and frustrated, and he boards the boat quickly. He heads towards where we are sitting, and he sits down, without any expression on his face.

       “Fifteen Beasts are attacking the Giant Wall. I don’t think it can take any more damage. It’s going to fall if the Beasts will continue to strike like this.”

       “Fifteen?” I gasp in horror. Amber looks just as petrified, too. Soon enough, they will be able to break into the Giant Wall…and into the inner walls.

       There are television screens on the boat. This was a cruise boat, after all. I would think at least five people could fit into one hotel room. It shows the Beasts.

       They are disgusting-looking. They are dark-skinned, and their skin is cracked. They have gloomy red eyes, and a stretched smile is formed on their faces. They attack the wall; their sharp and long nails create great destruction. My eyes watch the scene evolve before me with fear.

       On the screen, the cameras show six of them, each attacking one side of the large wall. Citizens of the Giant Wall scream and shout for help, but no soldiers are there. There are just policemen within the sixteen Giant Wall districts. Even with their equipment, they are obviously no matches for the monsters. Their guns and weapons shoot, only to waste ammo. The bullets completely bounce off of the Beasts’ skin, which angers them even more.

       Even on the television, both the Beasts and the citizens’ screams are deafening. Several citizens are picked up and squished to death, their red blood splattering everywhere. The terrifying event scars me. I’m too afraid to look at the screen now. Instead, I scan the crowd of people in the boat.

       I start to worry.

       The boat was almost starting to take off, and Mother wasn’t on board.

       The TV screen suddenly turns a pitch black color; and static appears, which I’m guessing is a connection problem with all the chaos. The crowd goes silent, along with the screen. They start to mumble, mutter, and whisper to each other or themselves.

       A teenage boy next to me starts to pray. “Dear God. Please let me survive this disaster. I promise I will be good to you for life. Please let all of our remaining citizens have a safe place to live in. Please let this Beast disaster be over. Amen.”

       I overhear other conversations of where some people were planning to go next. Euron had no neighboring countries, so it would be difficult to find another destination. Euron was a big piece of land, but since it was alone in the far north of the Indian Ocean (where Japan used to be), it often looked like an island. The closest country to us is Vacon, or formerly known as South Korea. After an epic earthquake, the Republic of Rosemont, China, was split into many parts and drifted away from Euron.

Not long before I was thinking about different countries and the rest of the world, a loud siren went off. It was red with blinking lights. I wondered what was going on.

Take off the boats immediately. Take off the boats immediately. No more passengers can board the boats.

There were people on the other side of the bridge, weeping. They were upset to learn about the fact that they were being left behind to stay. The boats were taking off slowly.

“Take me, please!”

“Please, if you can’t take me, please take my children!”

“I demand you to stop that boat now!”

All of their pleas were ineffective, as the boat started to drift off in the distance without any hesitance. The people on board sighed with relief. I was kind of glad too. Even though I would be inside Wall Epic, getting left behind would seem risky and terrifying.

Another announcement came on the speakers.

“The Giant Wall has fallen. I repeat, THE GIANT WALL HAS FALLEN!”

 

???

 

Can you please help me repair my bicycle?”

       “I in the middle of something important right now, I cannot help.”

       “You always say that! Amber’s bicycle is fine, but mine is not! If you don’t fix it, I won’t be able to ride with Sam and Amber!”

       “Will you please stop crying? I am doing some work for the king and you just leave me alone!”

       “I’m not leaving until you fix my bicycle.”

       “Alleya, ask your Mother.”

       “Mother is out on the field playing with Amber.”

       “Well then I’ll take you out to your Mother…”

-

       “Gennienve, help repair your daughter’s bicycle and just tell her to leave me alone.”

       “Well, alright Alexander, but I was playing Merry Go Round with Amber, so just let me finish the game.”

       “Merry Go Round is very fun!”

       “Gennienve, stupid Merry Go Round can wait for later, but my work with the King cannot. Start fixing her bicycle.”

       “Calm down, Alexander.”

       “I can’t if your stupid child won’t shut up!”

       “Alexander!”

       “I didn’t ask for children, Gennienve! All I wanted to do was help the King!”

       “Alexander, it’s just a game of Merry Go Round, relax!”

       “Mother, I want my bicycle fixed now!”

       “Mother, we can finish the Merry Go Round game later…”

       “It’s just a bicycle. Alleya, how about a game of Merry Go Round?”

       “Mother, I can fix her bicycle.”

       “ I WANT MY BICYCLE FIXED!!!”

       “Alleya, I can help repair your bicycle!”

       “That’s it! I’m going inside!”

       “Father, why can you never help out for once?”

       “…”

       “…”

       “…What…? YOU’RE SAYING I DON’T HELP? YOU’RE SAYING THAT MY PROFESSION OF BEING A DOCTOR AND A SCIENTIST IS NO GOOD?”

       “Ouch!”

       “ALEXANDER!!!”

       “Why did Father slap Amber…?”

       “IF YOU COULD ALL JUST DISAPPEAR, THAT WOULD BE NICE!”

       “ALEXANDER, YOU SLAPPED OUR CHILD!”

       “Father…you’re going inside? Mother, where are you taking Amber…? Why is no one fixing my bicycle?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter two

The night before it all ended

We were on the boat for at least five hours now. Night had soon reached us, and we were in the darkness except for a few candlelights and the stars helping us to see.

       A lot of people drifted off into sleep. There was no more talking, whispers, or cries. Some people got the privilege to sleep in one of the suite rooms. However, Amber, Sam, and I had to sleep on the hard deck. I was the only one awake. Amber was off to sleep on my right, and Sam was long asleep on my left. I didn’t have anyone to talk to.

       The other evacuation boats were right beside us. They had the same amount of light on their boats, and everyone was snoring on there, too. I could do nothing but sleep, but I couldn’t. Every time I try to go to sleep, I dream of being attacked by the Beasts. I see Sam being attacked. I see Amber being attacked. I see…Mother being attacked. And all I did was just stand there and watch their deaths right before my eyes.

       Some of the people on the boat must’ve had similar nightmares because some awakened, but slept again right after. Some were sleep talking or murmuring. I hope the captains weren’t drifted off in there, or we could’ve been in big trouble.

 

There’s a reason behind everything.

❥❥❥

We just have to find it.

 

     I must’ve snoozed off while thinking because I find myself feeling the aching of my body as sunrise hits. The sun, although still rising, is big and shines right where I was sleeping. Typical.

       Amber, perfectly unaffected by the usual morning getup, is already on the balcony of the ship, watching the sunrise. I never get how some people wake up so early. It’s better to get as much sleep as possible. “The early bird gets the worm,” Mother once told me.

       Mother.

       The words hit me. I haven’t seen her since she told us that she was going to be cooking for the feast. I just really, truly hope she’s fine and okay. That she isn’t abandoned in Albergate.

       As I think of more thoughts, I suddenly remember that the Giant Wall had fallen. I gasp in the sudden of my thoughts. I realized again…the Giant Wall had fallen. The Beasts could break into the sixteen districts in the Giant Wall now…there would be no end to this madness. And soon…into the eight districts of Wall Flora, and into our four districts of Wall Epic…

       Before I noticed, Amber and Sam head down together onto the deck where I was sitting. They greet me good morning, and then continue on to talk about the fall of the Giant Wall. Amber is still in her same clothes from yesterday, but she still carries the fresh scent. Sam still smells like…Sam.

       “The locals said that after they had destroyed the wall, they backtracked and went back into their Forbidden World. It’s odd. I would think they’d attack immediately,” Sam states as he and Amber sit on the left side of where I was sitting.

       Beasts backtracking? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Beasts don’t backtrack…they attack. It seems weird that they would suddenly do that.

       “I think that maybe they’re getting more of their Beasts. Wall Flora is much stronger than the Giant Wall. Even sixteen of them wouldn’t knock Wall Flora down,” says Amber quietly.

       “Huh. Guess I never thought of that,” Sam says.

       “Breakfast! Breakfast for everyone on board! We are serving some bread with butter!” A yell shouts. I’m thinking the voice belonged to the captain of the boat.

       Although, after the attack, I know that our food would be limited, my mouth watered at the thought of buttery bread. I hadn’t had buttery bread for a while, thinking about it makes me more hungry.”

       We reach the inside of the boat, where trays are being set up. “Please take no more than one bread and butter. We are very limited to our food supplies, and if you eat more now, we won’t have more later,” the uniformed captain informs us.

       I take a small red tray and wait in line for some delicious buttery bread. I hear some peoples’ stomach groan, but I don’t mind and I can’t blame them. I’d admit: our Wall Epic had more pleasant food than what we were getting, but I couldn’t complain.

       Sam and Amber are in front of me. I watch as they pick up their trays also, and eye the bread. The bread looks new, hot, and fresh. It looks edible. There is more than plenty enough bread for the few hundred people we have on board.

       I see two hands on the piece of bread, which again, startles my thoughts. I look up and watch Sam and Amber. Amber pulls her hand away quickly, and blushes. She makes sure her small strands of hair falling out of her ponytail covers her reddening face. Sam blushes also, but his hand still lies on the bread. They both stay silent, and their faces continue to burn up.

       I smirk. I was about to laugh, but that would ruin this moment. Being the sisterly sister I am, I hold in my laughter.

       “S-s-sorry,” Amber mumbles.

       “Oh! Uh…it’s uh…sorry…here, you can have this piece of bread.”

       “It’s fine, you can–“ Sam puts the piece of bread on Amber’s tray and takes another one for himself. He smiles at her. She blushes again, this time, her blushing face shows.

       I had never even once thought of the fact that Amber and Sam could’ve liked each other. It’s probably because Amber never showed any interest in boys. Once, she even lectured me how much she hated boys. It was two hours I wasted out of my life. I was surprised how a touch of Sam’s hand would make her blush. She’s never blushed being with Sam before, or when I was there anyway.

       I sit down on a wooden chair by a three-person table. Sam and Amber were already there. They chomped down on their food without saying anything. I grazed my butter on my crispy bread and devoured my breakfast. It was amazing. The golden butter all melted into my mouth while the crunchy bread accompanied it. I soon finished, but I was still hungry for more buttery bread. I decided to wait because I didn’t want to get caught for stealing bread. They could’ve made me walk the plank or something.

       Sam started to talk again after he consumed his breakfast as well. He wasn’t talking to Amber, however. His conversations were directed towards me. I couldn’t help feeling happy for the both of them.

       “So, Ailee, how long do you think it’s going to be when we arrive at our destination?” I could see shy smiles form upon his mouth. Amber was maintaining her straight face as always. “Probably more hours, or days. I would think that transporting by boat would be a lot easier than transporting by carriage. I think we could make it a lot faster than by carriage.”

       Sam nodded his head, understanding.

       We quickly finished all of her breakfast, and each of us received a bottle of water from the captain that asked me questions yesterday. I was curious about Mother. But, the captain didn’t look happy so I decided to keep my mouth closed for the better. The curiosity was killing me.

       The sun was still up and shining, and the sky was a pastel blue. Birds chirped and flew above our heads. The blue waters were calm, and not too strong. If the Beasts hadn’t attacked us, I think I would’ve enjoyed this day by going on the beach and just relax and get rid of the worries. But then I realized that there wasn’t going to be day like this again–not if the Beasts were still alive.

       Several people were out on the deck outside. The Ignorant Lady was outside, too. She looked old, but I’m guessing from all that makeup she’s supposed to be young. Purple eye shadow covered all of her eyelids, she had pale blush on, and her lips were as red as roses. She looked like one of those rich ladies in the movies and books who would go around and have a vicious dog in a designer purse. But, she didn’t. She just looked like one of those ladies in the movies and books that would go around and have a vicious dog in a designer purse.

       It didn’t take her long before she noticed me. She decided to take this advantage of me being outside, and gossiped. She whispered something to her neighbor, which I’m guessing is her friend, and they both snickered. She made it extra obvious. She probably said, “Hey, let’s snicker and pretend we’re talking bad about this kid.” Yeah, she made it that obvious. Then, she glared at me. I don’t know what she was thinking, but I was smarter than that. She treated me like I was a zoo animal being released in the wild.

       “Do you guys have anything better to talk about than a fifteen year-old girl being in the same risky position as you are?” I shoot at them.

       The Ignorant Lady looks shocked at my response. She wasn’t expecting that, was she?

       She cleared several times and stuttered. Her friend had nothing to say. “You don’t know that we’re talking about you, do you?” She threatened.

       “You were looking and pointing at me: I’m pretty sure that wasn’t obvious at all,” I immediately say after her comeback is given.

       The Ignorant Lady stays silent.

       “W-Whatever…”

       I smile sarcastically. She and her friend walk inside the ship’s main hall, eyeing me with disgust. I ignore them. Dealing with old adults didn’t seem like my main priority right now.

       I spend my afternoon volunteering to help fish that day. Kanot, obviously, is very famous for the many different varieties of fish. It is unclear why there are so many fish in the Kanot River area, but one thing for sure that anything there could make an excellent dinner. There are a couple other people volunteering to do other jobs as well. Amber is helping with laundry and getting new clothes, and Sam is helping out with cleaning after the boat.

       I had spent many times fishing with Amber in my childhood days. Wither it was with Amber, or by myself, I did enjoy fishing. No, I wasn’t going around fishing all day but it didn’t disgust me. Fishing would seem like a father-daughter thing but Father was always too busy to do anything it seemed. Amber self taught herself how to fish. She then taught me. I wouldn’t say I’m professional fish catcher, but I do have some skill in it.

       Our fishing group contained people from ages twelve to twenty. The elders were much better than us, but the officials ordered them to help cook the food afterwards.

There was this one girl that I tried to befriend, but ended up embarrassing myself instead. Her name was Rebecka Waltz. She seemed like a nice person, but I was wrong. She was wearing a bright, orange causal shirt. She was wearing blue shorts and shoes. Her velvet red hair was tied into two ponytails. She looked younger than I was dressed like that. Her personality was the complete opposite of how she dressed. I said “hi” and she responded back with “please don’t.” I tried to talk to her some more, and I got some information out of her. I got her name, her age–sixteen–, her district–Jovell, the final Wall Epic district–, and her occupation–a schoolgirl–. After that, she told me I should stop asking her questions and continue playing with my dolls. I asked her some more questions, and she screamed, “ert!” to the whole entire ship.

       Let’s just say…people laughed.

       Instead of trying to look like a ert and ask other random people personal questions, I decided to focus on my main and first task, which was fishing. Luckily, today the waters were calm so I was able to catch some fish easily. I learned that we should be patient, and just go with the flow, which was surprising to me because I’m not a very patient person.

       I caught some catfish, salmon, and red snapper. I caught some more fish, but my main three were those. I was satisfied, and decided to end my fishing chore early and bring in all the fish. By now, that Rebecka girl had wandered off somewhere and I couldn’t see her. Today was my epic fail of trying to make friends. Oh, well.

       I went through the first floor doors of the boat and went inside the former restaurant kitchen. Inside, multiple elders were waiting for me. They were starting to marinate some fish other people had caught. Some of the fish were even fried already and it smelled lovely. Most of the fish were fried, and some were boiled.

       “Hello!” a frail lady’s voice said.

       The voice made me jump, and it distracted me from thinking about fish. “Hello!” I greeted back. I placed my catch of fish on the marble counter and I was thanked and thanked some more. Everything felt peaceful for once. The ladies and gentlemen smiling at me appeared as if the Beasts hadn’t destroyed the Giant Wall at all. I felt warm from all their welcoming.

       “Do you need any more help?” I inquired.

       “Absolutely! We could need some help cooking the fish,” the lady who greeted me informed me. I nodded my head, put on my gloves, and headed towards the pans and pots, which were full of fish.

       I wasn’t the most excellent cook in my family. Actually, I was the least excellent cook in my family. First came Mother who could make even vegetables yummy. Then came Amber who developed traits from Mother. After that came father who (even as a busy man) could cook a decent and well-planned dinner. Obviously, I was the last person. I burned steak. I almost created a fire in my home. I used too much pepper and garlic. I misused the cucumber for zucchini. I had everything done for me. I guess it was pretty easy being an Albergate girl.

       But anyways, I tried. I cooked a salmon. Best of all, I didn’t fail like I did while trying to make friends. I cooked it and a grandfather told me when it was time to flip it over. It was perfectly golden brown. It was crispy on the outside, but it would be flawlessly pink on the inside.

       I carefully transferred my salmon onto a white plate. Then, I poured the sweet and sour sauce Grandfather made beforehand. We topped it off with cooked asparagus, and decorated the plate with some lemons on the side. We sprinkled it slightly with some more salt and pepper. Bam! We had made our dinner plate. I smiled looking at the plate. It was about time to cook some more fish, I had told myself.

       The crimson sun had set, and the bright moon was out in the dark sky. The stars were glittering, and the waves were quiet and still. The volunteers had finished working and gathered around the former restaurant’s tables and were chattering amongst themselves.

Inside the kitchen, I was making “Fire Red Snapper,” in which Grandfather had taught me. I picked up the pan and tossed the fish, pepper, onions, and spices around, and cooked it. I put it on a plate, poured the sauce, and topped it off with some green onions.

“Amazing! Fantastic!” complimented Grandfather. I smiled. “It’s all thanks to you.”

I walked out the kitchen doors, two plates in two hands. Their yummy aroma was spreading out all through the boat. It smelled like Heaven.

I found where Sam and Amber were sitting, and I placed the two plates on their table, found a chair, and sat down myself. They looked astonished. The delicious scent filled their nose, and before they said anything, they dived in immediately. They must’ve been really hungry.

“This is the best dinner I’ve had in forever!” Sam exclaimed. I couldn’t help but chuckle boastingly to myself. Amber didn’t say anything, but she continued to stuff more and more fish in . She nodded in approval.

       “I made it,” I finally told them.

       They stopped eating and their eyes enlarged.

       “Don’t even lie–“ Sam started.

       “But I’m not,” I interrupted.

       Amber looked at me, shocked. “Thanks,” she mumbled, and smiled, glowing. She resumed to eat again. Before long, her plate was fully clean. I was very proud of myself.

       The night ended quickly, and it wasn’t too long since I’ve been notified that I had finally had a room to sleep in. They told us that Wall Epic citizens could sleep in the suite rooms. I wasn’t updated of where Wall Flora and the Giant Wall citizens were sleeping in. I would guess somewhere less comfy than where we were resting.

       I entered my room and a red bed and a flat screen TV were awaiting me. I jumped, laying down on the soft bed, closing my eyes and smiling. I haven’t had this comfortable of a bed since ages ago…or what did seem like ages ago.

       I hadn’t changed and drifted off into sleep. I was so tired from all the fishing, cooking, serving, and eating I had done this evening that I didn’t think before snoozing off. The blankets provided warmth for me and I fell asleep before I was informed where the boat’s destination would be.

 

Everything has beauty in it,

❥❥❥

Not just everyone sees it.

 

     I was awakened by a loud alarm sound. Upon hearing the noise, I immediately sat up, and hadn’t thought twice about the day coming ahead. My twisted black hair was all knotty and it wasn’t the usual braid it had been in. I smelled from my clothes, and I forgot that yesterday I did not shower.

       I went to the bathroom instantly to wash myself. I carefully inserted soap, and then drenched myself in water. I got out of the shower about five minutes after I had went in. I dressed in the clothes the volunteers had provided for me yesterday while they were working.

       As soon as I got ready, I headed off to the deck of the boat. Many people were already there, and I saw Amber and Sam. I walked, hectically, through the crowd of people and to Amber and Sam.

       Amber tapped my elbow and pointed towards somewhere.

       Before my eyes, there was this green piece of…land!

       Land. We had reached land at last.  

               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter three

Qonculus

 

Land. I stood there for a moment to believe what was happening. Two days, and we had reached land. What had seemed like a fast and smooth departure was a stressful and worrying adventure. It was only two days but it had seemed as if a whole month passed. Why did it take us this long? I could’ve thought we were traveling to Vacon, which was only five hours worth of traveling. This couldn’t mean…

       “The land we have reached is named Qonculus. It is a small piece of land, and it is a hidden district.” I look us to see the man who was talking was the Captain of the Kanot Police Department, whom I had met before.

       “Hidden district?” Someone next to us whispered. That’s what I was thinking too. Why would Euron have a hidden district? What was the use of this district? Why did they hide it from us? If they were trying to hide it from us, how did this district come in hand? All these questions started flooding inside my head.

       “Why would we have a hidden district?” A young child asked the captain. The little girl had asked what I wanted to ask.

       The captain smiled, but all it did was give me a chilling sensation.

       “Euron has only one hidden district. We have hid it for about five years or so. We built it in fear of the Beasts attacking us again. It is our emergency district. If we were ever in distress, we would go there. It is located in the Giant Wall.”

       “The Giant Wall.” Upon hearing those words, it makes me cringe and ache inside. But then I think for a moment.

       “Why would you have an emergency district located in the riskiest wall in our country?” I asked, and folded my arms. Amber looked at me, but she said nothing.

       “Yeah!” The citizens agreed.

       Captain Clark, as stated on his nametag, raises his eyebrow. “Since it is so small, we do not expect anyone or anything to find it.”

       “But you made it so anyone or anything could find it. It’s an emergency district, hence the ‘emergency!’” I argued.

       “It’s because the King and your Father decided that.” His words are cold, leaving speechless in what to say.

       Of course! Why didn’t I realize it before? He was making me back down now and it looked embarrassing. Father always had worked for the King and the Royal Foster Family ever since Amber was even born. Father was always so focused…he only wanted to serve the King.

       “Next question.”

       I stayed silent for the rest of the question-and-answer-segment. How could I say anything anymore? I was a fool for not reminding myself that the only reason why Father never had time for us was because he was too busy controlling the country. I was, of course, proud of my Father. But now, he doesn’t seem like a Father to me anymore.

       “The ship is coming to a stop!” Captain Clark announced.

       The ship halted right before it touched the grains of sand in front. From its appearance in the front, it looked like some kind of forest. It was filled with pine and oak trees. The sand was only on the land for halfway and then stopped because grass and dirt filled it in. It looked like any average Euron forest would look like.

       Once I got off the boat, I started to enter the forest little by little. The walk through the forest was about twenty minutes. It took a long time for us to get there, and then once we entered I saw more than just a forest.

       It was…a town. People were scattered walking around the markets and their town square, and Qonculus functioned like our own towns.

       What I saw, however, angered me. The walls. They were not cracked, not cracked, not damaged in any way. The Beasts had attacked the Giant Wall. But Qonculus being a hidden town…it was left untouched. This angered me because…because the citizens here were going to be unharmed while other citizens were out there, risking their lives, and being attacked by these horrible Giants. What made me frustrated was the fact that Father made this. He chose to protect these people. He chose that in whatever dangerous situation, these people wouldn’t run around screaming for help.

       We were gathered around what seemed to be the Qonculus Town Square. It was by the forest, so it was entirely covered in moss, grass, or other green plants or trees. Captain Clark stood on a big boulder a little bit far away from the town square, and we stood on the grass, facing him.

       “Mother!”

       My head whips around to see a teenage girl run towards us. Like all the other Qonculus citizens, she is very well dressed and she is also stunning-looking.

       I gasp loudly when I see her mother. Her mother is tall, and of course, Wall Epic-citizen-dressed. She wears a hat over her auburn hair, and she is middle-aged.

       It was the Ignorant Lady. 

       The Ignorant Lady hugs her daughter tightly, smiles, and then cries a few tears. Then, she whispers something into her daughter’s ear. Afterwards, men dressed in black her out of the area. The few minutes of the mother-daughter reunion shocked some of the citizens on our boat. They were surprised that Ignorant Lady had a daughter resting well in the district of Qonculus. When Ignorant Lady smiled boastingly towards the crowd of gatherers, they all rolled their eyes and waited for Captain Clark to give further commands in what we were supposed to do while residing here.

       Captain Clark glared at Ignorant Lady for wasting time. But I didn’t know since he always glared at everybody like that with his green, scary eyes. He cleared his throat and began to give us instructions.

       “As you know, we have reached Qonculus. We will stay here until we have been given further orders from the King. We will evacuate immediately if the Beasts attack, but we are positive that you will not be attacked in your time here.” Captain Clark turned his head left towards the town square, and then he turned back. “Children ages six to fourteen will be helping with the laundry, and other chores they are told to do. Adults twenty-three to fifty will be hiking in the forest, collecting useful ingredients for food and medicine. Elders from fifty to onwards will be helping the children will their chores. No one will refuse to do what he or she is asked of. Understand? Now go.”

       Captain Clark left the teens standing still without saying another word. Of course fifteen year-olds had to stay behind. I was always included in the “Most Responsibility” bunch ever since I turned fifteen. I thought it would be exciting, to be honest, but what it did was just put more pressure into my head.

       “How come Isabelle Viller has a daughter residing in Qonculus?” a voice asked. It came from teenage girl standing beside Amber, Sam, and I. She had long, brown hair that was tied up into a high ponytail. She looked enthusiastic and confident. I’ve seen her a couple times somewhere. I was thinking that maybe she was in the Kanot or Jovell districts. A boy that seemed to be her brother tugged at her arm and gave her a warning look. The scene reminded me of Amber and I.

       “It’s because King Matthew and Alexander Zolvich chooses whoever gets to live here,” responded Captain Clark, making my father’s name obvious to me. However, I had not known of this, which made me frustrated, and curious to what other secrets my father was hiding from me. Why didn’t father choose to let our family live here?

       Captain Clark rubbed his growing, black beard. “And even though you can ask questions in whatever Wall Epic district you’re in, let’s try to keep our mouths closed,” the captain told her.

       “I come from Reban.”

       I was surprised and shocked at her answer. Reban was one of the poorest districts in our country. It was unfortunate to have been located in land that was full of mountains, but lacked of fertile soil to grow any crops. It never had enough food for any of its citizens. No one ever chose to live in Reban. Although its food supply was running slow, it was a beautiful, small district. Father had shown Amber and I some pictures of Reban and I had to say it was absolutely stunning. For what happened there, I don’t know. I don’t even consider thinking how a district without enough food would be as beautiful as it looked.

       “Reban, eh? What are you two doing on a Wall Epic ship? Were you…trespassing?” Captain Clark had a scowl on his face. His face was wrinkled, and one of his eyebrows rose.

       The girl sighed.

       “Well…we…” She scanned around the area as her brother gave her the same scornful look the captain as giving her.

       “Yes, we did.”

       Several gasped. They could only face immediate death now.

       “We were fishing, okay? We were fishing in Kanot for dinner! Do you expect a girl in Reban to find any food? Don’t blame us for living in Reban, blame the King!”

       “Our King saved us from being taken over by Rosemont. I don’t see how we should disrespect our–“

       “The King did save us. But he isn’t ‘hero’ enough to give Giant Wall citizens any food! Or build stronger walls! That’s why we were attacked! That’s why my parents are dead!” The teenage girl didn’t cry; she looked confident. She was struggling, however. She was trying to hold back her tears.

       But then I thought about Mother. And how there was no news on her yet. If anything, they would’ve told me by now. Thoughts started swirling in my head. My fingers and toes starting to curl and a big knot formed in my stomach. I suddenly felt sick.

       “No one knew that the Beasts were going to attack. It’s been five hundred years, after all. The King has nothing to do with the attack of the Beasts,” Captain Clark answered.

       “Why are we separated? Why right does the rich have to receive more rights than the poor?”

       “I want my men to take this girl and her brother out, now!”

       “No, no, no, please!” the girl cried. She shook and her tears flew all over the place when Clark’s guards came to take her and her brother away. Her brother stood there, emotionless and careless.

       I couldn’t take it any longer.

       “Stop!”

       Everyone turned to look towards my direction. Amber hit me on my shoulder but I continued.

       “Give the girl and her brother a break, already! She’s already here, so let the family help the nation. She’s right too: what did we ever do wrong to be punished and isolated into a class?” I folded my arms, and frowned.

       Captain Clark frowned, too. This time, however, it was of annoyance and irritation. He was clearly aggravated with having to meet me again. His expression showed me that he was going to walk over here and punch me in the face.

       “Fine, then. Let’s see how long this girl and her father can last here. If they die, just blame your father.”

       I wanted to say something smart back, but I couldn’t. It seemed as if Captain Clark had past experiences with my father, and he didn’t enjoy it so much. Now, he was taking it on Amber and I. Well, mostly me. Again, I didn’t say anything, and I was embarrassed.

       “Fifteen year olds to the ages of other adults who want to participate follow me,” the captain ordered.

       He sighed and looked straight into my eyes. He was trying to make it clear that he was upset that I was in the group he was leading wherever. I wasn’t exactly happy, either. But I had no choice.

 

A strong woman stands up for herself.

❥❥❥

 A stronger woman stands up for others.

 

            We walked for hours. Specifically three. I thought we were going to some place near the town square, and that I didn’t worry that I wasn’t wearing the proper equipment for hiking or walking long distances. I was wrong. The citizens and I walked to a vacant, plain field, following the captain. Wherever he was leading us to should be worth it because I wasn’t going to walk three hours to go see some “special” Police Department gadget.

       When we were actually on the brown field, we were absolutely exhausted. I fell to the ground; my legs were numb and sore. Although it was currently fall, sweat was pouring from my forehead. My long clothes didn’t make it exactly comfortable or better, either.

       The brown field was very big. It was about the size of an average Giant Wall town square. It looked like it was an old farming field, but it had been abandoned long ago. There were medium-sized houses on each side of the field. Off in the distance, I spotted more houses or cabins. Everything was dusty and old. It didn’t seem like anyone has been here since the Ice Ages.

       “Welcome to the Euron Training Camp,” spoke a deep-voiced Captain Clark.

       A camp, it was. It was a training camp, actually.

       The words “training camp” made be sigh and tired me even more. I did not just walk three hours to do this crap. No one complained, though. I’m guessing all their energy was drained to do anything.

       “The reason why this camp hasn’t been used in a while is because Euron has not had a league in a while. We used to call it the Euron Attacking League. It’s a...heck of a name. I didn’t name it. It was abandoned when we saw that no Beasts had attacked us in a long time. But now, they have come to our territory again. We must train in order to fight them.”

       Oh, great. Now we were fighting the Beasts all of a sudden. I let out a deep breath to see where this guy was going.

       A lot of cries, shouts, and screams went out. They were just as angry as me. No one walked hours to fight Beasts. It seemed all too much in one day. But the one thing I was worried about was that I didn’t want to walk home for another three hours. Yet again, I didn’t have a choice, did I?     Nope.

       I was just a superior of bad luck it appeared.

       “We have no choice but to defend ourselves. Many others will be joining us shortly after. For now, we shall start.”

       More cries and groans.

       “Get in lines of eight now before I beat the crap out of you!”

       As tired as we were, we lined up. We had ten perfect lines all together. The number of people we had was even. I was in the fourth line if you were counting from right to left. On my left was Sam whom I haven’t talked to for what seemed like a while. Amber was on my right, and she was quiet as always but it still had been a long time since the three of us talked. I forgot that I was just thinking everything in my head and I wasn’t speaking to anyone (besides for Captain Clark). In front of me was the girl from before. She was the girl from Reban. Her hair was originally tied with two portions of her hair clipped together in the back, but it was close to falling down. Her brother was standing in front of her. Both of their legs were shaky and wobbly.

       “I will train you like I train my men. I will give no mercy to anyone. A strong warrior fights under their commander’s orders. I will not respect you if you are a woman. I will not respect you if you are older than me. Do you hear me?” The people that had enough energy nodded.

       “DO YOU HEAR ME?!” More heads nodded this time around.

       “Drop down and give me fifty pushups!”

       For another few hours, we were being trained like we were being put in the army. I almost gave up from all the exhaustion. I thought that a few people might’ve collapsed or gave up, but they didn’t. The same eighty people remained, still preparing. I didn’t like this training one bit.

       Like the captain said, more people did arrive as we were training. Their captains were just as harsh, and I didn’t wish to change to any other captain because they were vicious at the same level. Except maybe, Captain Clark was madder. As more people came, the field didn’t look so empty and small anymore. We were definitely training like our lives depended on it.

       Sweat poured down my pale face, and my ribs, legs, arms, and head ached even more. My legs were wobbly, and they were trembling so much I thought I was going to fall and my legs would break.

       “I WANT ALL REPRESENTATIVES OF THE EURON ATTACKING LEAGUE TO FIND THEIR WAYS TO THEIR OWN GENDER’S DORM AND CLEAN UP! DINNER WILL BE SERVED IN THE CAFETERIA,” –Captain Clark pointed towards a house-like structure placed in the middle of the dorms– “AND I EXPECT EVERYONE TO BE OUT HERE IN THE SAME LINES AT SIX AM SHARP! ANY LATE MEMBERS SHALL BE PUNISHED.”

       I added my ears to the list of aching parts.

       No one had enough energy to run, as expected. A few people collapsed on the ground and crawled their way to the dorms. I could barely walk, but I did try. I didn’t even have enough power to blink.

       The dorms were large in size. It was both very wide and tall. It seemed like it had enough dorms for all the female or male members to sleep in. I was surprised that they even let females join back in the day. We had some problems with women rights. I didn’t believe that women were allowed to train, but they were.

       When I entered, I saw a tall hallway stretched all the way to a far distance. The floor was made out of polished wood, and it was covered in red carpet. On each side, there were doors with gaps from each other so each room could have a sufficient amount of space.

There wasn’t a woman captain, but there was a woman supervisor, or assistant. She looked like an Albergate schoolteacher. She had dirty blonde hair tied in a bun with a pencil through it, and she held a clipboard. She was wearing a white shirt with a brown flannel jacket, and she wore a blue skirt with red shoes. Her outfit for the day looked like mine. Speaking of my outfit, I stank. From all the sweat and the traveling and not being able to change for a couple of days, I smelled like a sewer hole. All the girls did. But because I was so tired, I didn’t concentrate much on how we smelled. I just wanted to change into clean attire.

“My name is Elyna Freeman. I am the assistant of Captain Tyrant of Wall Flora’s Feit district. I will be helping out you guys get adjusted to Qonculus and the EAL, Euron Attacking League. I’ll be telling you your roommates and your room number.” I don’t pay attention to what Elyna says after that. Although she is an assistant, she doesn’t look any younger than I am. She must be a trainee herself. And as I think about things more, I think of her home district. I sometimes get myself confused of Wall Flora and Giant Wall districts because I’ve only been there a couple times. I am more familiar with Wall Epic districts: of course Albergate, Tisinae, Kanot, and Jovell.

Then I think of the risks that I’m taking. Captain Clark didn’t tell us that we were being led here to fight Beasts. It’s like being leaded into a trap that you are unaware of. Fighting the Beasts could mean never coming back. I am slightly angered that I wasn’t informed of someone possibly endangering my life for me. But on the other hand, I am somewhat excited. Even if it’s a one out of a hundred chance, if we destroy and these beasts go extinct, we can save ourselves from our own extinction. Although I am frightened, something sparks up in me.

“Emma Stoker, Allison Wereie, Tiffany Pack, and Janie Devin: you are roommates with each other in Room 200.” A couple of more rooms are called before I hear my own name being called. “Amber Zolvich, Annalise Zolvich, Olivia Baker, and Rebecka Waltz: you are roommates with each other in Room 204.” I have to forcefully tell myself that my objective now is to walk all the way to Room 204. I immediately know that Amber is my roommate. She’s my sister after all. I then realize that Rebecka Waltz is one of my roommates too. She was the girl I tried to be friends with on the boat. I don’t think she’s too thrilled to be my roommate. The only name I do not recognize is “Olivia Baker.”

Amber and I are the first people to arrive in the room. It looks like a hotel room. There are two bunk beds, a kitchen, and a door leading to what is supposedly the bathroom. It is spacious, and even has a living room. I am happy with my room. I lay on one of the lower bunk beds, and I sigh. Breathing in and out, I try to steady my heartbeat. I just want to get this day over with.

Rebecka walks into the room, and slams the door. She blows a strand of her dark hair out of her face. She then lays on the other bottom bunk bed and tells us, “Don’t even say anything.” We don’t greet her. Then, she snores.

A few minutes later, Olivia comes in. To my surprise, she is the brunette-haired girl from Reban. She is worn out, and all she can do is climb up onto the higher bunk bed Rebecka was. “My name is Olivia Baker…it’s nice to meet you all…” Then, she drifts off into sleep. We don’t greet her either.

There’s a short moment of silence between Amber and I. “I’m worried,” Amber manages to say quietly after a while. I see that she is very weary and exhausted. “About Mother. About how I can only use my predictions to see if she’s alive or not.” I can’t take it anymore, and I cry. We aren’t sure what Albergate is made into now. We can only hope for the best. The only information we are aware of is in Qonculus, and that’s as far as we can get. Amber doesn’t say anything, so I believe she’s sleeping. As hungry and smelly as I am, I am completely drained and I can’t get up. I climb up the higher bunk bed and force myself to sleep.

“She’s alive. I’m positive,” I mutter.       

      

 

      

 

 

 

???

April 18^th

Dear Journal,

I wonder if all fathers are always busy working as a scientist, doctor, or both. I feel as if my father does not care for me, and that his work is always before family. He slapped me not too long ago because I said something I wasn’t supposed to say. I wondered if it was because I was right and he felt taken aback. Anyways, the spot where he slapped me doesn’t hurt anymore and I forgive him. Since then, I try to keep my mouth shut because I’m afraid I might say something wrong again. I’ll only talk when I have to. I felt Mother and Father arguing over one bicycle is very childish and worthless. I’m guessing they are very stressed and tired, and that’s why they’re acting this way. I feel bad for Mother for having to take care of us all the time. And Annalise doesn’t know any better: she’s six. But for some reason, I feel bad for Father too. Maybe he’s just under a lot of pressure having to work for the King and everything. Working for royalty is a big deal. Yesterday, Annalise and I hung out with Samuel. We fished, sung, and talked about our daily lives. It was the one day I didn’t have to worry about doing this and that. We made nicknames for ourselves, as Samuel suggested. His nickname was already “Sam” so we decided not to make one for him. I just like to call him Samuel. My nickname was Angelfish because Annalise and Sam believed I never did anything wrong, although I didn’t see the name having any similarity to “Amber.” Annalise made up her own nickname. It was “Ailee.” (Note to self: pronounced ay lee) Annalise said that it meant “light” and it was a Scottish name. She then said that she chose the nickname for herself because she believed that when in darkness, there’s always light that helps along the way. It’s pretty smart for a six year-old if you ask me. Annalise has asked Sam and I to call her that from now on because she likes it. I agreed. Sam agreed. It’s a beautiful name. From now on, when I’m in darkness, I’ll always call out for Ailee. Mother is calling me out to help her cook some fish. I’ll write more when I’m finished.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yours truly,

Amber/Angelfish❤

-3- (It’s a fishy face!!)

 

Chapter four

Training

My stomach growled as soon as I woke up. I forgot that I had skipped dinner the night before and now I had to climb down and walk all the way to the cafeteria to eat some breakfast. I didn’t shower either, and I looked like a train wreck. My used-to-be straight hair was now turned into a frizzled bedhead. My clothes still stank of sweat and dirt from yesterday. I noticed there was some clothes set on each of our beds and grabbed mine. I needed to clean up.

       I ran into the bathroom that was in our room–careful to not wake anyone up. Amber usually woke up at this time, but she didn’t, so I could tell she was really tired. I didn’t think much of what we spoke about briefly before falling asleep. I did believe Mother was out there, somewhere.

       The bathroom had blue tiled glass walls, and a limestone floor. It had a big bathtub, and it even had some leftover area for a shower. In front of me was a pink flower-shaped sink. I looked in the circled mirror and screamed. I knew I looked bad, but I didn’t know I looked this bad. Ignoring the fact I looked like an octopus and a raccoon together, I began to brush my teeth with one of the four toothbrushes provided for us. After I was finished brushing my teeth, I put my blue toothbrush on the edge of the sink to let the others know which one was mine.

       I took a nice and relaxing shower after that. The water was cold, but then it turned lukewarm and then hot. I cleansed myself with soap and made sure no dirt or smells of perspire was still on me. I made sure to wash my hair, too, of course. Finally, I stepped out of the shower and put on my clothes. I had not realized that these clothes were the EAL uniform. I didn’t exactly adore it, but I had no other clothes to wear so I just went with it. The top was white inside and it had a black, leather jacket. The pants they gave me were skinny, dark jeans that matched with the jacket. The shoes were the same color as well, and they were flats. I didn’t know why they decided to give us flats if they were expecting us to attack Beasts. There were several belts connected to my uniform which I’m guessing are for gadgets and weapons. I tied my dark hair into a fishtail braid and opened the door.

       Rebecka was outside. She was also holding her uniform. She looked exactly like what I looked like when I first awakened. She did not seem happy to see me this early during the day. She didn’t greet me, so I didn’t greet her back. We didn’t say a word to each other, and she bombarded into the bathroom and locked the door. Someone was cranky.

       Grumbling noises continued to come out of my stomach as I walked towards the cafeteria, which was not as far always from our dorm as I thought it would be. The cafeteria was even bigger than our dorms. Its appearance on the outside was no different than from our dorms.    

       I opened the big, brown doors and there was a lot of chattering and talking inside. A lot of people were already here before me. I glanced at the clock to see that it was still only five o’ clock. Delicious scents of breakfast filled the air, and made my stomach even hungrier. Inside, it looked like a real buffet. It had trays filled with food, and benches and tables for the people to sit at. My mouth watered. I wanted to dig in right away.

       I grabbed a plate and grabbed mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, some pancakes with maple syrup, bacon, and a cold glass of milk. I sat down on an empty table. The buttery pancakes were waiting for me to eat them. I ate and ate. My fork went into the pancakes on one side and the steaming mashed potatoes on the other. My golden corn was quickly demolished, and my milk was finished in one gulp. I didn’t know how fast I ate, but when I was finished it was still only 5:10. I hoped that killing Beasts were as easy as destroying my plate of breakfast.

       I was about to stand up and put my tray away when someone came to sit down next to me. The person was tall and built. It was a male. I turned around to see a boy with dark hair covering a little of his face. He ate in silence. Although he saw me staring at him, he didn’t question me anything. It was the boy from yesterday, Olivia’s brother. He was wearing the black uniform, and he ignored me being there. I decided to focus back on putting my tray away. I stood up, placed my tray on one of the cleaning counters and sat back down where I was originally. I tried to distract myself from the boy.

       Then, he held out a hand.

       “Jacob Baker.” His voice was deep, but his tone of voice was quieter than I thought it would be.

       He noticed I was looking. I shook it. “Um, Ailee Zolvich.”

       “Annalise, right?” I was shocked. I didn’t think that he would know my real name. Before I could ask my question, he answered. “You’re in my sister’s room. I didn’t think you heard but during the middle of the night she called me, and told me all about her roommates and how you stood up for us during Olivia’s last incident with the captain.”

       “I still prefer to be called Ailee, though. It’s nice to meet you. You don’t seem like one to talk. You’re similar to my sister, Amber.”

       “Since it’s your name, I’m still going to call you Annalise.” Ah. So he was the stubborn type. “I don’t talk very much, I just saw you looking at me so I decided to introduce myself.”

       “Sorry for interrupting. Continue on with your breakfast. Again, it was nice to get to know you,” I say awkwardly.

       “It’s no big deal.”

       I smiled at him and started to head outside.

 

Stars can’t shine without darkness.

❥❥❥

The darkness can’t shine without stars.

 

     My first encounter with the mysterious Jacob Baker was really awkward. That was my first thought as soon I stepped out into the bright field out in the open. There were a couple of trainees lingering around and hanging out with each other outside. I didn’t notice this before, but besides the actual field, the Euron Training Camp had a beautiful garden surrounding the field that we practiced on.

       As I walked towards the garden, I could see tulips, roses, daisies, lilies, dandelions, and more bright-colored flowers. When I was young, Amber and I liked to walk around the Garden of Tisinae if we ever visited Tisinae. It was built for the former King and his Royal Family in his honor. It is the biggest garden of Euron. It is filled with a variety of flowers. King Matthew has let citizens that visit the garden collect a limited amount of flowers for their decorations at home. Although this garden isn’t exactly the Garden of Tisinae, I still enjoy the florets surrounding me as I walk.

       “Ailee!” I look in the direction my name is being called at. It’s Sam. We haven’t talked in what seemed like forever. I hug him and he hugs me. At least we have the energy to actually hug now.

       “How’s Amber?” he asks immediately.

       I smirk.

       “Checking up on your girlfriend?” I tease.

       “Stop! I’m just trying to see if she’s okay or not!” He rubbed his neck. “She looked pretty tired yesterday.” His expressions looked worried.

       “I’m joking, Mr. Romantic. She’s fine.” I don’t tell him about our fears about Mother. “She’s resting well and all, but I’m guessing she’s awake by now.”

       “Good,” he sighs, and I can see the relief in his eyes. We sit in the grass and talk for a while. “You like Amber, don’t you?” I laugh, once again bringing up the crush topic with me. As I think about it, Sam and Amber would make a good couple. It’s just that Amber doesn’t feel comfortable around boys a lot. “Ailee!” he yells. I chuckle. It’s pretty clear to me now. “Do ‘ya? Do ‘ya? Do ‘ya?” I resume to torment him again.

       He decides to give up.

       “Maybe, just a little…but don’t tell her, Ailee! I like Amber, but it’s not my main focus right now. We have to defeat these beasts and try to save all of mankind.” I giggle, thinking of the thought of Sam and Amber liking each other but then his last few sentences hits me.

       He’s right. Nothing should be our priority right now besides fighting these beasts and making sure they’re dead for good. The feeling I felt yesterday comes to me again. I am anxious, but eager to see what the Beasts have in store for me.

       I spot Amber running towards us, dressed properly in her uniform. She joins us and sits. She greets the both of us, and yawns. I don’t expect that. She must still be very tired. Did she stay up all night thinking about Mother? One tiny yawn from Amber still makes me worry like everything else does. Now that we’re actually training, I feel nervous and sensitive of all things around me. “I got here a bit late,” Amber tells us. “Let’s go. It’s about time that we are supposed to be present for training. I heard that all of Captain Clark’s students are supposed to be in this one house north of the garden we’re at right now.” Sam and I nod and follow Amber.

       All of the houses I see are similar to the dorms and to the cafeteria. The houses besides us are also similar. I’m guessing that we are going here for a lecture. I sometimes fall asleep during lectures at school. However, I am determined to stay awake this time. We open the brown doors and enter the house.

       Captain Clark in the same black uniform is waiting for us once we open the doors. I am kind of thrown off because he is not wearing his usual green Kanot uniform, but he is supposedly wearing black, which is a “Tisinae color.” I don’t realize it, but there are several students behind us and they walk inside also. I recognize that Rebecka, Olivia, and Jacob are some of them. Sam, Amber, and I sit down at whichever seat, and I am placed in the middle seat of the second-to-front row. Sam is in front of me in the first row, and Amber is besides me to the left. Olivia sits down on my right and grins, showing me her shiny, white teeth. I smile back and greet her. She’s definitely more excited and upbeat than she was yesterday. Jacob sits next to her. Rebecka sits besides Jacob. Our row is filled up. Each row has five desks. Since this room is large, it has enough space to fit all sixteen rows of seats. As time passes, more students enter the house. No one is late and enters before the six o’ clock mark.

       “I am going to take attendance and you are going to say ‘here’ as I call your name, alright? If you prefer to be called a different name, just tell me.” Captain Clark teaches us.

       “Yes, Captain Clark!” the class responds back. Captain Clark calls some names. As usual, Amber’s and my names are always the ones last to call. “Jacob Baker?”

       “Here.”

       “Olivia Baker?”

       “Here.”

       I wait as the minutes go ticking by.

       “Gail Stints?”

       “Here.”

       “Emma Stoker?”

       “Here, Captain Clark!” There’s something about this girl telling me that she’s going to be entertaining. I would put her in the “really, really, really, really, really energetic” category.

       “Liane Viller?” I know the name. It’s the Ignorant Lady’s daughter.

       “Here!” she says in a singsong voice.

       “Rebecka Waltz?”

       “Here.”

       “Jonathon Weber?”

       “Here. I prefer to be called Jon.”

       “Amber Zolvich?”

       “Here.” I am last.

       “Annalise Zolvich?”

       “Here. I prefer to be called Ailee.”

       All eighty students are present.

       “Alright. Today, we are going to be learning about the development of Beasts and what they do that puts us in danger. We will learn about the basics of fighting and defending yourself, the Beasts’ weaknesses and advantages, and the Forbidden World.” There are all sorts of mutters and whispers.

       “Let’s get right to business. So first thing’s first. Beasts are creatures that have been lurking the Earth after the Asian Colony War. It has been believed that chemicals mixed together with some of the animals and they have mutated into dark, and disgusting creatures. They do not eat people, and it seems as if they do not eat anything. They attack people, usually killing them with their sharp claws or squish them to death. The suspected reason behind all their attacking is because the humans have destroyed their homes, and they seek revenge.

       “Beasts come in all sizes. They can vary from being fifty feet tall, to about only ten feet tall. They can be taller or smaller than that, but it’s very rare. They live in what we call the Forbidden World. It is a world beyond the three walls that are protecting us. As you already know, the less money you have; the less stronger the material the wall you live in is.” Olivia scoffs at this comment. Captain Clark does not mind her and carries on. “The Beasts were very common at least one thousand years ago. They started attacking, as stated, after the Asian Colony War. However, after the Epic Beast attacked five hundred years ago, they have not appeared…until now. We are unsure why they have come to attack us again, and why they have backtracked. But, we are alert of what they may be planning and we need to act fast. First and foremost, we need a league, a league that can defeat and destroy these Beasts. We have to make sure that they will never come back to attack us again.

       “There are no differences in the type of league that you are in. It is just one big attacking league. We all have names, though. Our league is named Rubin. It is named after our hero Julian Rubin who has bravely defended our country after successfully outnumbering and destroying these Beasts after one battle. He has led his own league to win many battles after this. Unfortunately, he died when a Female Beast wiped out most of our population.

       “The Beasts are designed with great, and thick layers of skin protecting them. Our weapons cannot kill it in one attempt. We must strike it multiple times in order to kill it. The Beast has no weak spot. If you attack the heart, it angers it more and it will go on an outrage and destroy everything in its sight. Attacking its brain is one of its weaknesses, though. It doesn’t kill it, but it distracts it for a while. In order to kill a Beast you must usually strike it in one spot multiple times. Again, striking its heart and brain will do no damage. I would recommend you attack it in its tendons, which can kill its cells or make it lose blood. The Beasts’ anatomy is quite different than ours. Unbelievably, the tendons and cells work together. So, if you attack the tendon you will also attack the cells, which keeps it alive.

       “This is called a Wielding Sword.” Captain Clark pulls out a shiny, metallic sword from his belt and it gleams as the sunlight from outside hits it. “It’s the finest sword we use. It is dangerous, and powerful, too. We use these swords for wars and battles in the past. Now, we will use it to attack the Beasts. We will not use this for anything else unless it is related to attacking the Beasts. It is lightweight, but very sharp, so you must be careful to not cut yourself. I will be handing the swords I will be handing the swords after the lesson when we practice. Among these weapons, you also have a gun and a grappling hook. You also have one more hidden sword in case of an emergency. We have provided gadgets like compasses, and stuff of those sorts.”

       Captain Clark lectures us on and on about the Beasts, but all of us are too afraid to fall asleep. As the clock turns 7:39, we head straight out into the brown field to begin our real training.

       Nothing about the field has changed. It is still once a farming-turned-training field, and we are to train until we are well prepared enough to fight. There are already other leagues outside, but they are not too far ahead of us. The weapons are being handed out just as we arrive. Captain Clark then hands us our own weapons. We have all eighty swords, guns, grappling hooks, compasses, and more.

       The Wielding Sword is once again as shiny and silver as I’ve seen it. By the look of it, it is definitely and dangerously sharp. I am holding it by a gray handle and on top of the handle is a square-looking yellow decoration that touches both the end of the sword and the handle. I store it into a place in my belt, and I have fun practicing wielding it.

       “Get into your lines, soldiers!” The voice shakes me. I realize it is Captain Clark’s. I hurry to the same spot I was at yesterday. Again, I stand behind Olivia, to the left of Sam, and to the right of Amber. I turn around to see Rebecka. She has put on dark eye makeup, but she doesn’t look as tired and annoyed as she did when I saw her the day before.

       I am confused when the captains go around and ask their students the same questions of what their name is, which district they used to be in, and what they used to do when they were back in their old district. However, I learn more names to faces and I get to know about my classmates more.

       Emma Stoker, formerly lives in Maline district of Wall Flora, and was a student in high school. Captain Clark says she’s sixteen years old. Emma has strawberry blonde hair that is tied up into two, long ponytails that hang from both of her sides. She also has freckles surrounding her green eyes, and pale face. Maline is known for its bright and cheery people. I guess history says they won a civil war against their own Wall Flora districts, and the Royal Family has awarded them many rewards and prizes, so they are always thankful and happy. The prizes aren’t Wall Epic standards, but they are still very high for a Wall Flora district. They have earned money to build and plant all these things. I’ve visited Maline once. I was ten or so when I visited. People looked at me funny when I said “mal-line” instead of “muh-lin,” which isn’t how it’s spelled at all. They should’ve named it Muhlin to make it easier.

       Brian O’ Herr, once lived in the Delvien district of Wall Flora, and was a student in high school. He also worked for his father’s successful newspaper business. He has brown, messy hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. Delvien is known for its crops, plants, and food. Although a Wall Flora district, it is located in a helpful spot. The district gets a lot of sunlight, and rain, and that helps with the farming. I’ve never visited Delvien before but I’ve been sent photos from Father when he was traveling with the King.

       Dante Robinson, formerly a citizen of our Wall Epic Jovell district, and a student of a high school. He’s in the same district as Rebecka. Mark has light skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. Jovell is the farthest district from our capital district, Tisinae. That doesn’t mean it isn’t pretty, though. I think it’s more comfortable than living in Albergate.

       Gail Stints, a Westrive district citizen. Westrive is located in the Giant Wall. It’s basically counted as a Wall Flora wall because it is more medium-classed than it looks. Still, the citizens have to follow the rules of no trespassing the boarder line of the walls. Gail has light skin, blue eyes, and blonde, wavy hair.

       Mark Colbin is also a Westrive district citizen. There isn’t much to him but his brown hair and brown eyes. He seems social. There isn’t a distinctive look to him.  

       Britney Grace previously lived in Wall Epic’s Albergate district. She has long and small, curly pastel blue hair. She mostly has straight hair, but there are also locks. She usually wore black or dark clothing. She has brown eyes, and looks focused. I’ve noticed Britney and her friend Faith a few times around school but I never got the chance to talk to her. She does seem friendly, and nice. However, she kind of scares me.

       Faith Watson also lived in Albergate. She’s Britney’s best friend. They hang out with each other for everything. Faith has light pink hair, and blue eyes. She usually dresses in everything bright and pink. She looks innocent and kind. I don’t think she’s a good fighter, though. It’s weird to see that Faith, who seems jolly and happy, is best friends with Britney, who looks gloomy and displeased. While Britney stands behind me, Faith stands to the right of Britney.

       I learn that some of these students have trespassed among the boarders to be on the same boat we were on. This didn’t really bother the captain. It was the least of our worries now. We didn’t want to kill more humans now just because they had trespassed. There are other students, but my attention begins to drift away as they are introduced to be one by one. After everyone was familiarized with me, I told myself that would concentrate on all the introductions to come. I failed that task. I look at the other leagues doing the exact same thing that we’re doing. Some students are terrified to death, while some look chill. I was not so worried as I’ve being asked of my name and district before. 

       “We are heading towards the Qonculus Forest to practice!” Captain Clark yells. I wonder if he will ever lose his voice from straining it all the time. He’s always so loud and threatening. I’m glad he doesn’t have a microphone. I’m glad none of the captains have microphones. If they did, I’d be struggling to hear right now.

       We run in straight lines to the forest that is nearby. It doesn’t appear different than any other forest, but I am mistaken. Inside, everything is overcrowded with trees and plants making it hard for us to walk or see. We are no longer in a straight line, but we are running out of order. “Get back into your lines now!” the captain shouts. We try to regroup, but it is almost impossible. The vines and branches are blinding us from seeing almost anything.

       “Wield your swords!”

       We do as we are asked of. We cut the vines easily with the sword. Everyone makes sure to not cut anyone or themselves. I am afraid of losing a finger if I am not careful. Then, right in front of us is a ten-foot dummy or structure of a Beast. It is an exact replica of the Beast. I am puzzled for a moment, thinking of how to get off the ground. Captain Clark obviously will not tell us what to do in this situation. He wants to see what we are capable of.

       I look in my belt, and then bingo. I grab my grappling hook, aim it towards one of the trees and shoot. I am being moved to the tree along with the hook. Other students start using their grappling hooks after seeing me use it. I smile, but I have no time to be proud of myself. I shoot towards the Beast replica and I am now on the dummy. I find out that it moves. It flings from place to place, and I start to lose balance. Quickly, I pull out my sword, and slash it’s neck. It doesn’t kill it, but it severely wounds it. Before I slash it again, someone beats me to it. The Beast’s head falls, and it is killed. But I didn’t kill it. I am disappointed. I look up to see Liane grin. A scowl immediately crosses my face. Liane stole my kill. I am not able to say anything before she instantly swings herself to another tree.

       This time, a twenty feet Beast dummy comes into play. I have to make sure it’s my kill this time. I’m faster than Liane this time, and land on the beast first. I slice its neck multiple times, but the Beast dummy gets angry and swings me to the ground. I lost balance. I have to get up there again. Though I try to shoot my grappling hook again, Liane strikes one of its arms. She slices the other arm, and now it cannot attack her. Afterwards, the legs are what she cuts. It lands on the ground with a loud thud. She takes this time to attack its head. She’s playing with me. Instead of killing it right there and then, she made sure to give me “time” to kill it to tease me. Upon killing it, she smirks at me and goes in for the fatal hit.

       I expect more Beasts to come, but there is none. I hadn’t paid any attention to Amber or Sam. They were behind Liane and I this whole time. No one caught up with us. We were battling each other.

       “Liane Viller, nice job. Killing two dummies in a day in five minutes isn’t so easy,” complements Captain Clark. Anger rises up in me. I didn’t want Captain Clark’s complements. I didn’t need anyone’s complements. I wanted to kill them both. Real or fake, I still wanted to kill them. The first one was mine if it hadn’t been for Liane. The second would’ve been mine if I didn’t fall. It would’ve been mine if I had realized she was teasing me sooner. I started feeling competitive over a Beast dummy. I knew what to do now. I experienced it firsthand.

Tomorrow and the day after that, I would pressure myself to kill these Beasts before anyone else.       

      

 

      

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Five

Competition

Several weeks had passed since my first training segment. There was nothing from Mother. Father didn’t contact us, either. I killed only two Beasts in my time. Liane, Olivia, Gail, Rebecka, or Britney killed most of the other dummies. Amber and the other boys killed some, too. The girls, however, started a competition amongst themselves. I was determined to kill all of them, but I didn’t succeed in doing that. Every time the kill wasn’t mine, I would get impatient and annoyed. Frustrated. If this was the real thing, I would be dead.

       We started getting prepped to do even more difficult things. We challenged forty-five feet Beasts. We once even tried to kill a fifty feet dummy. No one killed it in the ten minutes that we had, though. It was vicious. It gave me an idea of what the Epic Beast would be like.

       “Ladies and gentlemen, we are getting prepared to do something that would require great skill and include a lot of risk,” Captain Clark announced after we were practicing with our weapons one day. We all stopped and listened. He firmly folded his arms, and his face wrinkled.

       “We are going to have to go to the Forbidden World.”

       Enter the Forbidden World? Why? Was he crazy? I almost started to protest again, but I stopped myself. “Many soldiers have entered the world of the Beasts before, and they’ve returned back. Some of them…unfortunately…haven’t. But we must go, as if our lives depend on it.” He was just talking nonsense now. He basically just said why we shouldn’t go. Couldn’t we just wait until the Beasts show up and attack Euron? No one groaned. But I know everyone wanted to.

       “We are venturing off in two weeks. We will practice and practice, to make sure that no one gets hurt or killed.” I couldn’t help but scoff at this. Fortunately, he didn’t hear. “We will test your aptitude, teamwork skills, combat abilities, and confidence this week. I, your captain, will evaluate you closely. We will make sure you are ready to fight in the Forbidden World.” I didn’t have time to hear any of this anymore. I spaced out when he said “teamwork skills.” Why would you work in a team if you could easily work alone?

       “You have two days before our evaluation.”

       Afterwards, we were sent off to practice on our own. Amber and I worked together. We were fighting with the fake; small dummies to further expand our sword skills. Sam, Brian, and Mark all tried to do archery, but the weapon created no harm to the Beast dummy. All it did was anger it even more. Olivia and Jacob were helping each other complete a knowledge test that was handed out to everyone to complete by our Testing Day. Rebecka was running the five-mile course by herself. Gail, Emma, and Liane were eating ham sandwiches under a tree. Everyone looked peaceful.

       Everything would change in two weeks, though.

       I snapped back to reality and fought with the dummy. Every time, my sword was always thrown to the ground and defeated by the dummy. I didn’t know what I was lacking. I was trying hard, so what could be the problem? I picked up my dirty sword and resumed combating the dummy aggressively. My eyebrows furrowed, and my expression hardened. This was a small dummy, so it would be easier on me. If I failed against a small dummy, I would have no chance against the real Beast. Amber glanced towards my direction. She focused on my face, but I didn’t turn. My attention was on the dummy.

       I didn’t know how Amber was doing, but she seemed concerned and worried for me. She was about to say something, but she stopped, turned around, and began fighting with her own dummy. I could hear the clinging and clashing of the swords. From the corner of my eye, the black hair that was tied up and resting on her chest had become messy and disorganized.

       My sword dropped once again. I lost for the ninth time. Still, my lost did not upset or discourage me. I picked up my sword and fought again. Even if I succeeded, I would not stop after that. I would make sure I perfected my skill. Not to only say that this was a tiny dummy compared to the physical Beast.

       After a few hours, the orange sun started to set on the purple-and-pink sky. My face was filled with sweat, but I still had not accomplished my goal of defeating the dummy. I was patient before, but after a few hours, I started to get desperate. People started to pack up, but I just couldn’t. My fight for a victory wasn’t effective…yet.

       “Ailee.” My sister shook my shoulder as my sword flung from my hand to the empty field.

       “I’m not stopping until I get this right.” I try to catch my breath. Huffing and puffing, my nose runs and I am lightheaded.

       Before I can think of anything, everything blacks out and I can’t see a thing.

 

Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit

❥❥❥

when there are footprints on the moon.

 

       I wake up in a comfy bed, or what I think is one. I slowly open my eyes and a counter, a wheelchair, a woman with auburn hair and glasses, and Amber is surrounding me. I quickly focus. “Hi, Ailee,” the person says to me and waves. My hand has no power to wave back, but I smile weakly.

       “Is she okay?” Amber asks in a hoarse voice. Her hair is still untidy, and her uniform is covered in leaves and dirt. “Everything’s alright. Your sister just seems to have fainted from exhaustion. I’d make sure she gets lots of rest before Testing Day. Other than that, she is fine and nothing is in bad shape,” the person tells her. 

       “Thank you, Dr. Climse. I will make sure it will never happen again and she will be ready for Testing Day,” promises Amber in her soft voice.

       I fainted?

       Amber held her hand out in front of me. Without much hesitation, I grabbed it. I was pulled out of the bed, and I waved goodbye to Dr. Climse as she waved back.

       “I told you not to force yourself too much,” Amber warned me right after we had gotten out of the building. Outside, it looked like a normal hospital building. I saw it wasn’t located too far away from the camp, though. I pretended to wipe something off my face. “How could I have known that I was going to faint?” I queried, and pulled out my hairband that was holding my braid. My braid slowly began to unravel, and I could tell my hair looked like a wet mop.

       “You know when you’re exhausted,” she answers.

       “I didn’t feel exhausted in any way,” I argued.

       Amber sighed and shook her head. She didn’t say anything else as we were heading back to the camp. What I said was true. I didn’t feel exhaustion from my practice. For sure, I didn’t even realize I was going to faint until it had happened. It was just a faint, after all. I’ve seen worst things before.

       As soon as I smelled the familiar scent of the camp, I ran to the field. Oblivious of my advices before, I picked up my sword and began fighting the dummy again. I had worked too hard to give up on anything now. I couldn’t rest without the feeling of guilt creeping up on me. It would be the guilt that I didn’t finish my battle with the dummy. It would be he guilt that I had not yet won a round. I couldn’t bear resting with that in my mind.

       “Stop,” someone ordered. It was a female voice. Yet, it wasn’t the shy and quiet voice that belonged to Amber. Olivia’s voice that was upbeat and happy wasn’t it, either. I whipped my head around. I was still in my battle. Rebecka, dressed in her muddy uniform, was standing before me. Her straight, black hair was full of colorless leaves. Rebecka’s skin wasn’t of a peachy color as it was before. Instead, it was pale. Without doing anything, my sword and I were thrown onto the ground by the ferocious dummy.

       Coughing, I tried to get back to the ground, but Rebecka’s foot pinned me down. “Hey!” I yelled, moving my arms and legs left and right. I didn’t do anything wrong to Rebecka: She was the one groaning and frowning all day.

       “Stop tiring yourself before Testing Day,” she said, with her boot still on me. I sniffed the foul smell that was coming out of her boots from running five miles today.

       “Why do you care?” Angry, I started to ask myself why everyone was trying to stop me from defeating this dummy. It’s a freaking dummy. Amber was just trying to be a sisterly sister, but she should try to focus on her own self, first. Rebecka had no say in what I did, so why was she telling me what to do? “Because I don’t want you to suffer the same fate my brother did.” Rebecka’s boot lifted off of my back, and I stood up by myself. My eyes filled with concern and curiosity.

       “What happened?” I inquired. What did she mean by “suffer the same fate as her brother?” As a Jovell citizen, I’d thought she’d be more rich and Jovell-looking. Although Jovell was fourth in the amount of money they earned of Euron, they still earned a lot of money. Rebecka didn’t look anything like a Jovell citizen. Would her brother’s fate be the reason why she is like this?

       “It’s not your business.” I scowled.

       “You’re the one who brought this up in the first place,” I told her with a clear tone of angry and annoyance in my voice. Oh, so was she just planning on telling me a “story” to lure me into something just so she could sabotage me on Testing Day? I wasn’t going to let this happen. I simply said, “Well, then.” I walked away.

       “I’m just trying to save you, you know!” Rebecka yelled from behind. I didn’t look back and walked away.

 

The early bird

❥❥❥

gets the worm.

 

     I grabbed a red tray and started to fill it up with food. I forgot about Amber after I left. I think she went to shower back in the dorms. Not thinking too much into the thought, I sat down on a table and began chomping down on my crispy chicken leg.

       “Hi!” Mouth full with chicken, I looked towards my left to see Olivia. She didn’t do anything physically much today, so her hair and face were exactly the same as I had seen them when I saw her working with Jacob. She wasn’t with Jacob this time, though.

       “Hi-eh,” I said to her back, with a chicken leg in my mouth still. Her laughter ringed in my ears. I looked towards her plate and she had a salad with red onions, crotons, carrots, cucumber, and Italian dressing. She also had a baked sweet potato, celery with Ranch dressing, and a glass of milk. All of her food choices were either greens or healthy. I would expect her to eat like that, since she is a Reban citizen. Since Reban barely has any money, they can only afford to buy vegetables and fruits to eat on. Meats and protein are too expensive to buy for them.

       “I saw you practicing with the dummy today. You were great! I also kinda saw you faint…which was bad, but, um…uh…are you okay?” She spoke in a fast-like tone, but I guess this was from the nervousness that she felt talking to me. I bit a piece of meat and chewed.

       “I’m fine. The doctor says there’s nothing wrong,” I informed her, and grabbed a piece of my cupcake and popped it in my mouth. She looked either terrified or amused of my eating habits or my choice of food.

       “Well that’s good to hear. I’m glad you’re okay.” Olivia drifted off into another topic of conversation. “I heard your Father is working with the King. I bet that’s really exciting!”

       “Um…yeah. I would guess so.” I tried not to show my disappointment in Father, but I think she picked up my dislike of the topic and moved on to the next one. I enjoyed her bright and caring nature. Almost nobody in Albergate was like this. They were all snobs who wanted money.

       Olivia and I talked and got to know each other more. I told her she could be more comfortable around me, since I saw she was having some trouble trying to be friends and close to me. Olivia’s parents were farmers, but she explained to me that they died when a Beast squashed them with it’s own bare hands. I cringed a bit, but I saw the setback of her parents’ death in her eyes. She said she saw everything happen as it went, and she could do nothing about it. Reban officials were telling everyone to evacuate into Wall Flora, and warned them that they couldn’t enter Wall Epic. They couldn’t go anywhere, either, unless they were told to. Olivia described to me how she got onto our boat. It was during the time when our boat shortly took a break in Wall Flora’s Gromer district because someone spread rumors about a snake getting on it. It was only for five minutes, so I was impressed that Olivia and her brother got onto the boat in that time. She hoped that going wherever the Wall Epic citizens were going could bring her to a better home. Unfortunately, it was when she realized she was going back to the Giant Wall and into Qonculus. But she was said she felt better when Captain Clark said we were actually going to train to fight these Beasts. Olivia wants to pay tribute to her parents and fight the Beasts with dignity and pride.

       I asked her about her brother, Jacob. She said that he was sixteen, so a year older than me. He’s always been “mysterious” and “secretive” since the day he was born. However, Olivia was the only person he ever trusted because he felt a strong bond to her. That’s why they’re so close. He doesn’t try to trust anyone else. Olivia jokes about how she thinks he has major trust issues.

       Olivia didn’t have many friends at home because her family couldn’t afford to go to school. Instead, she was homeschooled by her Mother who stayed at home and took care of the children and the house. Then I start to tell myself that I’ve been always taking everything for granted. If I wanted something, I could always get it instantly. Olivia had no chance of getting something, even if she wanted to. Heck, her family couldn’t even afford food! I start to worry if I was being too mean to Amber, and that I was being a selfish and spoiled brat.

       Soon after about an hour or two, we start to head back to our dorms. Even while going to our dorms, we continued to talk about our lives. Olivia learned about my frustration with Father, and how Mother stresses out because of him. Also that Mother still hasn’t be found after the Attack of the Fifteen Beasts.

       We arrived back to our dorms right after the moon was starting to show. Our dorms’ hallway was dark and dimly lit. I could hear the snores and giggles of most of the rooms. In the far end of the hallway, I heard a conversation with what seemed like three girls. I motioned for Olivia to stay behind me, and she did. We sat down and eavesdropped on the interesting conversation.

       “You know that girl, Rebecka Waltz?” One voice exclaimed. My eyes perked. I slowly started to get where this conversation was going. “Yeah, what about her?” Another girl asked.

       “She doesn’t belong in Jovell!” I quietly gasped. My curiosity started to swallow me whole. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I who could just run away from this?

       “What do you mean?” the third girl asked.

       “Her brother, Donovan Waltz, is six years older than her. He was in a training camp like us, too. One day, he found out about King Matthew and his servant, Alexander Zolvich–”

       “You know that Annalise Zolvich fainted on the field today?”

       “Of course she knows that, stupid!”

       Servant. Fainted. Alexander…Annalise…Zolvich. The words swirled in my mind and I clenched my fist. Was this what the rest of the country was thinking of my Father? That he was a servant to the King? I couldn’t even manage to hear my last name Zolvich. It held a lot of complications and problems. Whenever we went towards the Giant Wall, we would get hundreds of threats and intimidations from the citizens because Father and the King work together to associate the laws. “Zolvich” was never a happy thing to hear if you went towards the districts in the Giant Wall.

       I cocked my head to see Olivia listening sincerely. She was really focusing on all of the words she said. Was she feeling the same way many Giant Wall citizens were feeling about all the unfair and biased laws and rules? Suddenly, I felt ashamed and embarrassed for my Father’s actions.

       “After he decided to protest against what the King and Alexander were trying to scheme, he was taken from the camp and got killed. His family suffered. His family, originally from Jovell, got evicted to the Reban district. That Rebecka girl saying that she lives in Jovell now is all a lie,” the girl whispered.

       Scheme? I asked myself. What scheme? What were my Father and the King trying to do to the country? I couldn’t think of my Father trying to do anything harmful to Euron, besides treating Giant Wall citizens poorly. What were they trying to plan that could lead to someone’s death. Then, I feel guilt. I was guilty for my Father’s actions. He killed someone. He killed Rebecka’s brother. If her brother was killed, whatever he was “scheming” must be that important…

       “How do I know you’re not lying?”

       “Because she tells the truth all the time, stupid!”

       I forgot about the fact that whatever this girl was saying could be false, too. There are a lot of liars and rumors around the camp, especially when it’s getting near to Testing Day. A lot of people got competitive, and they haven’t talked to anyone since the news about Testing Day and the Forbidden World. If the two other girls didn’t remind me that whatever this girl was saying could be mean jokes, I would’ve asked Rebecka and our “friendship” could’ve been in danger.

       I listened carefully as the girl took a deep breath.

       “No. It’s because I was there when he was killed.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Six

Teamwork

 

A door immediately opened, and two feet walked to the direction where the three girls were. Terrified, I tried to hide behind my boots, but I realized I wasn’t the one the person was looking for. Olivia stayed silent and quiet, and I could only hear the sound of her breathing.

       “You attention !” I recognized who the voice was instantly. Rebecka. I gasped.

       “Won’t you look at that, it’s Rebecka Waltz. Coming in time for our–” The girl didn’t saying anything else after that. I heard the sound of a fatal punch to the stomach. My eyes widened in horror.

       “You don’t have any right to talk about my brother like that! Your mother should be the one deserving all of this talk!” I could hear a crack, and then a scream…a petrified, vociferous scream. More than a few people were coming out of their rooms, turning and looking around for where the noisy scream had come from. Some trainees saw us, but they completely ignored Olivia and I. People started to head towards the scene. Trying to blend in, Olivia and I stood up and walked towards the incident, too.

       Rebecka was standing in a fierce position with her pajamas on. Her hair was ruffled, and the expression on her face showed anger and a want for revenge. Gasping again, I realized the trio who were talking about Rebecka and her brother were Liane, Gail, and Emma.

       “My mother wouldn’t want to get talked about by a snob like you!” Rebecka kicked her multiple times. Standing in the building crowd, I was helpless and I didn’t know what to do. Should I go in and stop the fight? Would that make the fight worst, and I would be the blame?

       “Liane, stop!” Emma yelled. She tried to pull Liane away from Rebecka’s grasp but Rebecka punched her with her other arm, and she fell back. Gail, mortified, stood there without knowing what to do. She looked around, calling for help. “You should be the one dead, not my brother!” Rebecka cried.

       “End this, now!” Walking from the other end of the hallway stood a fuming and dissatisfied Elyna. She, too, was dressed in her pajamas. Her hair was tied into a bun. Her glasses were put on in a hurry, as they were crooked. “You two are both serving a cleanup session tomorrow day and night. You will not be training, nor sleeping until this camp is spotless! I expected more from the both of you. We’re here to fight Beasts, not each other. I expected more from Jovell and Qonculus citizens.” Elyna’s tone was harsh and strict. She was telling them not to mess around again, because either they would get kicked out of camp, she would lose her position as assistant, or both.

       “She started it!” huffed Liane, folding her arms.

       “Are you in kindergarten or a training camp? it up and actually act like you’re here to save humanity. Everyone else: go to your rooms and get a good night’s sleep.”

       Rebecka didn’t say a word. She still seemed enraged that Liane had said all of the things she didn’t want anyone else to hear. How did Liane see his death if she was in Qonculus? Was she lying? Or was there some truth behind to what she said?

       Tucking the thoughts deep to the back of my mind, Olivia and I headed towards our room and we took turns showering. Amber, who was usually a light sleeper, was snoring from the same bottom of the bunk bed she was at yesterday. She must’ve been real tired to not hear the ruckus. She had changed into her pajamas, and some drool was placed on her pillow. I climbed up my own bunk and started to sleep.

       The deafening sound of sirens and alarms woke me up. My bunk was near our room’s biggest window, and I had forgot to shut the shutters last night. The rising sun shone in front of my eyes and I squinted. It took me a moment to ponder on everything that had happened this morning. It was time for training.

       Amber had already woken, and her bed sheets were folded neatly and it was stacked on top of her now-cleaned pillow. Amber was usually tidy, while I was the opposite. She probably went out to eat breakfast. I didn’t know if Rebecka had returned from last night’s drama, but if she did, she showed no sign of herself sleeping here. Olivia was also gone. Instead of folding it, she rearranged it precisely and left it there. I was the only one in the room. I started to feel anxious and wonder wither or not I was late.

       Quickly, I zoomed through my morning routine of showering, brushing my teeth, and putting on my black uniform. I had forgot to wash it. Unfortunately, I reeked of sweat and dirt from my own incident yesterday. I had no choice but to wear it today and deal with the odor coming from me. I finished my braid hurriedly and rushed out the door.

       Thankfully, our league was just beginning to call names for attendance. I rushed to my assigned spot and stood still, holding the soldier posture. I scanned the league. Amber was here. So were Olivia, Sam, and Jacob. Gail and Emma were also here, but they looked worn-out and it looked like they cried through the night, as they were red-eyed. Rebecka and Liane were the only ones not here.

       “Gail Stints?” Captain Clark asks. His toneless words still send a shiver down my spine as it always has.

       “H-h-here,” she replies. Captain Clark glances at Gail and raises an eyebrow. He must’ve been surprised by how she looked tired and miserable. But anyways, he ignored her and continued reading the names.

       “Emma Stoker?”

       “Here.” Emma was usually cheery, but she took in a monotone voice when her name was called. This time, the captain didn’t seem to be worried about Emma’s voice.

       “Liane Viller?”

       Silence. No one said anything. All I heard was the squeaking of boots. The boys looked confused. The girls knew everything that had happened. Captain Clark cleared his throat.

       “Liane Viller?”

       Nothing.

       “Late…” mumbled Captain Clark, obviously angry. Had he not learned about the trouble Liane had caused yesterday at the dorms?

       “She’s not late, she’s been excused by Elyna Freeman, Captain.” I think before I say, so this time I don’t think I would have to regret for anything I say.

       “And why is that so?” the captain asks amusingly.

       “Liane and Rebecka Waltz got into a fight yesterday. They’ve been ordered to clean and not train today as a consequence, Captain.” The boys look at each other in curiosity. The girls sigh.

       “Elyna can’t just take my students and order them to not train today. Testing Day is tomorrow! We’re going to the Forbidden City in a couple weeks! Why hasn’t she told me that they’ve been excuse?” Captain Clark groaned.

       “She punished them. Right now, we shouldn’t be fighting against each other but we should be helping each other, Captain. Cleaning with each other is a good way to blossom a friendship.” Although I do not completely agree with my words, I say them anyways. I know Rebecka and Liane will not get along with each other. Not after the topic they were talking about.

       “Well, then, Zolvich. Thank you for telling me.”

       Several of the students looked at me. I was dazed, too. I didn’t ever expect Captain Clark to thank me for anything. Amber gave me that neutral expression. I didn’t know if she was mad or relieved I didn’t get in trouble this time.

       “My pleasure, Captain,” I said in a clear voice.

       We finished attendance shortly after that.

       “Today, you will be working within teams. I will see if you do well with your teamwork skills, and if you need help preforming this task. Teamwork is a category on your test for tomorrow. This activity today will help you plenty with your portion on teamwork tomorrow,” Captain Clark instructs, and grabs a clipboard hanging from a table. “I will be telling you who I am placing you with. The number of people in your group will be about twenty. We will have four groups total. Your goal is to work together and formulate a plan that will help you get the first place. You will have to find the ‘potion’ hidden in the Beast, and come to me so I can check if you did it correct. You have twenty minutes to plan, go!”

       First of all, I had no teamwork knowledge in my brain at all. Even worst, I was getting paired with nineteen other people to work with. Nineteen was a large number of people. And what did “potion hidden in the Beast” mean? Were we Sherlock Holms all of a sudden now? I was a lone wolf. I never worked with others. However, this wasn’t the time to show Captain that I was weak in this.

       “…Michael Lans, Mark Robinson, Brian O’ Herr, Britney Jackson, Faith Smith, Olivia Baker, Jacob Baker, Sam Ellverage, Amber Zolvich, and Ailee Zolvich…”

       I perk my head up as my brain starts to pay attention. I didn’t hear the people he called before “Michael Lans.” Amber grabs my hand and we head towards the familiar names and faces I’ve heard and met before. Sam looks more tired than I’ve ever seen him…everyone does. The only people I do not know are Michael Lans, Calie Mers, Joe Froster, Xavier Penz, Chloe Membet, Jessica Lombar, and Marie Junthur. Liane and Rebecka were supposed to be in our group, so we are short two people. Captain Clark says he doesn’t care. He just wants us to make it work.

       I take some time to learn more about my members. Their names sound recognizable, as they’ve been introduced to me before. I never really took the time to know them, though. Most of the members come from Wall Flora. None of them are from the Giant Wall–besides Olivia and Jacob. Chloe lives in Kanot. Jessica lives in Gromer, a Wall Flora district that is in well shape. Marie lives in Remor, a Wall Flora district that is located north and is famous for its “northern lights.” Calie lives in Kerin, another Wall Flora district that is located north. It is known for its beautiful architecture and nature. Joseph, or Joe, lives in Feit, the same district Elyna and Captain Tyrant used to live in. Xavier is lucky enough to live in Tisinae. He looks and acts like a Tisinae citizen–snobby and arrogant. Michael has the special privilege to live in Qonculus. Michael’s father is the mayor of Kanot, so his father paid for his living in the hidden district. Michael is the one that attracts me the most.

       My team gets to plan the instructions right away.

       “So, how are we going to do this?” asks a confused Brian.

       “First, we are going to have to attack the Beast by its heart–,” Marie teaches us, motioning with her hand and pointing at her own heart.

       “Are you crazy?! That is going to anger it even more! I say we have to attack it near its brain,” Jessica opposes.

       “Attacking it near its brain is going to do you no good. We should attack it by the arms and legs so they will have nothing to attack us by,” Xavier chuckles and objects.

       “It’s going to take so long cutting off its limbs since it has thick skin and heavy muscles. I say we go head on and find the potion we’re supposed to find,” Joe declares.

       “Stupid! You’re going to freaking get us all killed if this was real life! How are we going to get the potion if we don’t attack it somehow?” Chloe scoffs and flips her gleaming golden hair.

       Hearing their argument is boring me, so I decide not to join. I am even surprised that I am still listening. Although I don’t say, I agree with Marie. Its heart keeps it alive, so does it cells, but it’s easier to slice the heart in half than to slice its tendons in half. One thing I am sure of is it will get angry, but what other choice do we have? The Beast’s skin is too thick to damage its brain. The only objective I’m going for is the heart, so while these people are quarreling on which part to attack, I’m going straight to the heart.

       “I say we use our razors and slice its tendons.” I jump, and then I look behind me. I see Michael. He had a deep and loud voice. He is muscular, and has brown hair and eyes. I ignore his suggestions and keep my thoughts to myself. I am still convinced I am attacking the heart and nothing else. This is why I don’t like to work in teams. They do me nothing.

       The people I am most familiar with haven’t talked or argued in this conversation. I didn’t hear a peep from Sam. I didn’t hear a whisper from Olivia. I didn’t expect Amber or Jacob to talk because they’re usually quiet. But, none of them contributed to the conversation. They just stood there with stern expressions on their faces. I could tell they were listening carefully, though. Were they planning to attack wherever like me?

       Anyways, whatever the case, time was up. The other three groups were starting to run. Even after the twenty minutes we had, no one agreed on each other in what to attack. I rolled my eyes and wielded my sword. I didn’t have to wait for them to further contend. I ran fast and gritted my teeth. Everyone else was heading towards the forest. My eyebrows furrowed and I pulled out my grappling hook on the other hand. I shot it towards a tree and continued running and shooting. This time, the Beast wasn’t a dummy. It appeared as if an actual Beast was here. It acted like a Beast, and looked like one.

       “Ailee!” shouted a brash voice. I turned around, but my feet were still moving. Olivia clenched her teeth and was holding her sword and grappling hook. Her hair was falling out of her high ponytail. I couldn’t keep looking at her. I turned my head around and headed towards the Beast’s heart. The other groups’ members were already far ahead of us. I had to score high on this test or I could fail.

       As I ran, I got closer and closer. I could see the dry and dead, dark skin on the Beast. It roared loudly. Its movements weren’t as smooth and coordinated as I expected. Obviously, it was still a dummy. One by one, the members of the other groups started attacking everywhere: Its brain, the limbs, the brain, the mouth, and even the eyes. A blonde-haired boy started attacking the heart. I grunted, and I arrived at the scene. It was more big and huge than I thought it was. I headed to the heart and I jabbed my sword straight through its heart. It bellowed and I lost my balance. Falling down and down, I fell and I felt my ribcage shatter. My breathing got a lot faster. My heart pounded fiercely. My one fall impacted everything. I couldn’t attack it anymore, not after this.

       “Ailee!” Amber screamed. She stood next to me and tried to lift me up. My sides hurt and I cried. I looked to see people everywhere fighting and struggle with the Beast. If I couldn’t manage a fall like this, how could I do anything if the real Beast came? Tears filled my face and blood started dripping from the inside of my shirt.

       “Let’s get you to the nurse!” Sam yelled. The others were busy attacking the Beast. They didn’t have time to look at me. I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to give up as easily as I was going to, but I couldn’t say no. I was bleeding, and I could get seriously injured if I wasn’t taken back to the nurse. Standing up, my arms were lifted over Amber and Sam’s heads. My swift feet that were sprinting before were now powerless and numb. My eyes started to close, but I flickered them awake. Turning my head around, I caught one last glimpse of the other members fighting. Someone struck the fatal stab and the Beast fell over. I could hear Michael’s laughter. Right now, I didn’t care if I was close to death or not. Hearing Michael’s laughter…I was jealous. I was jealous that Michael was the one who killed the Beast. I was angry at myself for not completing that task myself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

???

 

Dear Journal,

         Today in Amber’s stead, I am writing in you. I promised her I wouldn’t peak at her other entries, but I did anyways because I’m a good sister. Amber is sick today. Many people in our class have been sick or ill and they are very contagious. Fortunately, I, myself, am not sick and I am thankful. I wish I could play with Amber and Sam, but Amber is not well enough to play. I play with Sam alone instead. Although Amber does not usually talk, I feel a sense of loneliness without her. We’re not twins, but she’s my other half. I give Amber her medication everyday, and wait hopefully until she isn’t sick anymore. Today in school, we learned about Beasts. They were the beasts that once roamed our country and attacked our people. They haven’t returned since five hundred years, so I’m not afraid. Anyways, Father is still treating Mother poorly. He is horrible and awful. He’s been even more strict and mean since he slapped Amber four years ago. I’m ten now and he still hasn’t changed his wicked ways. I dream of the day he will change and treat us like family, and not wild animals. He is still doing his “work” with the King, in which he always says when we ask him something. His excuse has been like this since forever, and we don’t know what actually he is working on. I think he’s lying to us.

       “Miss Zolvich?”

       I blink and look around. Mrs. Perez has been calling me.

       “Um…yes?” I ask, and quickly shut Amber’s journal and put my pen down.

       “I suggest you work on the worksheet I’ve handed out before school is over.” Mrs. Perez scowls and folds her arms, tapping her black high heels also. Mrs. Perez is a very tall woman. She has short, brunette hair and she always wears a sweater along with whatever shirt she is wearing and some sort of uniform skirt. Her high heels make her even taller. I don’t like her very much. To be honest, she could be more successful in being a politician. In every topic we talk about, she puts her own opinions in and she talks and disagrees in whatever she disagrees in. And if on the tests we fail because she talks about her own feelings, she blames it on us. It’s not our fault we failed but because you’re the lady that blabs your mouth in every sentence.

       I nod my head, and keep my thoughts to myself. It’s better they’re not said to others, especially the blabbing Mrs. Perez. She will go on and on for a question someone has asked. It’s annoying, especially for a fourth grader that’s trying to learn.

       “I expect that you turn it in tomorrow,” she tells me. I nod my head again, pick up my pen, and start writing.

       The paper says, “What would you write to your older self?” I smile. This was a piece of cake. I eyed the clock to see that it is 2:40. I had fifteen more minutes. I was going to put all my effort into this. There was a big box underneath the title. I wrote, “I would want my older self to be brave, strong, and kind to others. I don’t want my self to be a coward and hide from the world because of her insecurities. I want to be strong and fight my weaknesses and conquer them. Although I am brave and strong, I do not want to be selfish and ignorant. I have to be kind and friendly. A person has to have a caring trait in them in order to be a person. Without this trait, I wouldn’t consider them a person.” By the box, I see “yes” and “no” checkboxes with questions above them. The first question asks, “Do the people around you help you achieve these goals?” I swallow, ignoring my Father. I mark “yes.” The second question asks, “Are the people around you supportive of your goals?” Yes. “Do you feel that you will give up in achieving these goals?” No. “Do you agree that different people have different goals?” Yes.

I start to rush at the final question. “Do you yourself think that you are able to achieve these goals that you’ve stated?”

       I mark yes, then give it to Mrs. Perez, and wait until the bell rings.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Seven

Testing Day

 

She should be all right if you let her rest. She’s fainted before, so I would be extra careful. Oh, won’t you look at that! She’s awake.” I open my eyes to see four people look at me. There is a tired Amber, a worried Sam, a familiar Dr. Climse, and an anxious Michael. Michael? What was Michael doing here?

       Before I can wonder any longer, Dr. Climse presses a button on her remote control that lifts the two barriers from my bed up. I get up by myself. Although Michael offers a hand, I reject it. I have bandages on my stomach, right arm, right leg, and forehead. Dr. Climse looks happy, though concerned. Awkward silence fills the room as I stand. My bandaged parts ache badly. I try not to show it because doing so what make me look like a weak fighter.

       “It looks like you fell off the dummy Beast, and when you did so you crushed your ribcage,” explains Dr. Climse. I cringe, and touch my bandaged ribcage with my healthy left hand. “It isn’t a real major injury, but I suggest you drink lots of water and take long periods of rest. Don’t pressure yourself too much. And with Testing Day coming tomorrow, I wouldn’t want you injure anything else!” Dr. Climse says this jokingly and laughs, but I take it seriously. While I was on the dummy, a single thought didn’t come to my mind that tomorrow was Testing Day.

       I sigh.

       “Will I be healthy enough to complete my categories tomorrow?” I ask, bothered that my injuries could lead to my suspension for Testing Day tomorrow.

       “The thing I’d be worried about is your ribcage of yours. It’s not going to heal by itself. Of course you can’t participate in Testing Day tomorrow! Captain Clark isn’t going to let an injured girl be tested on,” Michael tells me with an annoyed tone in his voice, and crosses his arm.

       “I wasn’t asking you,” I shoot back. I scoff. “Why are you here anyways? Aren’t you supposed to be doing what other trainees are supposed to be doing right now?”

       “He came because he wanted to see how you were,” Sam clarifies and rubs his arm.

       I don’t say anything, but I turn towards Amber. Like always, I don’t know how she’s feeling right now. There’s no expression on her face that can tell me if she’s mad, glad, or anything. I don’t know what to do because of that poker face of hers.

       “Well, I wouldn’t really recommend you get tested on tomorrow,” sighs an understanding Dr. Climse. “I know how harsh that test will be. Further injury to your ribcage can lead to other severe effects.” Upon hearing this, I am immediately saddened. What am I going to do if I can’t be tested on tomorrow? I have to be. I just have to find a way.

       “Unfortunately, the test won’t have makeups for people absent. I’m sorry to say that you won’t be present on Testing Day, and you shall be excused.” I am already convinced that I will be able to find a way to be tested, no matter how many more injuries I get. This test determines which fighting group I get into. There will be no more Captain Clark. There won’t be any more Rebecka or Liane. If I can score a high score, I can be put into the Corps.

       I thank Dr. Climse, and so do Sam, Michael, and Amber. We all head to our dorms. We don’t say a word to each other. That isn’t too long before Michael breaks the silence. “That kinda that you won’t be tested tomorrow.”

       “Thanks for rubbing it in, Sherlock,” I hiss and continue to walk with my throbbing leg.

       “I was just pointing it out,” he reasons.

       “I didn’t need you to point anything out for me.”

       For the remainder of our time, no one says anything. Amber heads to the females’ dorms and Sam heads to the boys’ dorms. I go the Cafeteria, and Michael follows.

       Inside, there are still a lot of people even though I thought it was late. I find out that it is only ten o’clock from one of the conversations some girls were talking about. Rebecka and Liane had returned from their work, and they both look extremely grumpy and angry–more so then they already were. I grab my tray and begin grabbing my casual steak and mashed potatoes topped with steamed gravy. I don’t say anything and I take a seat next to Rebecka without thinking twice.

       On her plate are two chicken s and a bowl of chicken noddle soup. They are all untouched and uneaten. I stare at it, intimated that they haven’t been consumed yet. I stare at her bandaged wrist–which have been soaked in dried blood. I gulp and stop looking. The plate still keeps me watching, though. She plays around with her chicken, but she doesn’t eat it. Her other hand is resting on her chin. One of her eye is patched. Rebecka’s injuries tell me that either she’s been working very hard today, or that her relationship with Liane has worsened.

       Rebecka sees me staring at her food, and she pushes her plate closer to her left side with her strained hand. She winces, but still glares at me. I drizzle some steak sauce on mine, cut a piece, and eat. As time passes by, my plate becomes emptier; Rebecka still hasn’t eaten anything. By the time I finish, many people have come out and in.

       “You’re not eating anything,” I tell her.

       “I lost my appetite to eat.” She picks up her plate and throws her food into the trash. I watch with horror. Just like that, food had been wasted. We can’t waste food this easily–not with the disaster we have going on.

       Before she exits out of the cafeteria, I hold her well wrist. Rebecka is much stronger and fit than I am. Within an instant, I fall back and I bump into a table. My ribcage burns and I scowl. “Something tells me your ‘detention’ with Liane didn’t go as planned,” I say while trying to stand up.

       “‘Didn’t go as planned?’ We never planned anything, Elyna did. If she hadn’t been telling everyone about my brother, then none of this would’ve happened. I would’ve been prepared for Testing Day.” Rebecka’s voice is more clear and stern.

       “So you’re saying what she said about your brother is true?”

       I see the shock as her eyes widen. She rubs her wrist and her black hair covers her left eye. There’s something she doesn’t want me to know. Although we are standing in a wide and open space, no attention attracts to us. The people continue to fill and eat. No one notices us bickering, if this was what this was.

       “It’s none of your business,” she says with a solemn expression on her face. She stands up, walks over to the doors, and exits without saying another word. Her peculiar actions on the topic of her brother’s death make me wonder what really happened. Is Liane lying, or is there something more to this situation? Whatever the case, I don’t have time to think about it now. With my hurt arm, leg, and ribcage I have to think of a way to be able to fight without further injuring myself.

       I go to my room, take a warm bath, and replace my bandages with new ones. Every time I try to touch my ribcage, I feel a great deal of ache and pain. Even moving for me is hard. But, I have to endure it. I have to make sure no one knows I am dealing with such pain.

       Once I get out, I see Olivia and Amber on their own beds. Rebecka still hasn’t returned, but I don’t see how she can after her encounter with me. Olivia is reading a history book on Beasts, while Amber is cleaning her sword and also reading about the suspected ways the Beasts came to attack Euron at the same time. They both have showered, and they are dressed in long pajamas. They seemed to have talked to each other, but not much.

       I grab a book on Amber’s bed, climb up to my higher bunk, and start to read. Amber doesn’t mind much when I take her books. She doesn’t really mind me at all. I look at the title and it reads, The Euron League. We are one big league, and we have been divided into squads. I’m apart of Captain Clark’s Squad, which is obvious. Tomorrow when we take her test, though, everything changes. We will be in different branches of the league. Our captains can vary. At first, we are asked which branch we want to be in. There is the Connerd Tactics Team: a group of people that strategize our plans and figures out and learns more information on the Beasts we fight. It’s named “Connerd” because the late Captain Connerd found it. The book doesn’t explain much about him. Only the most intelligent and bright people shall get picked. It’s a branch I can do, but I’m not the best at. Next, there is the Yane Soldier Committee. It is a committee of so-called “backup soldiers.” They lend a hand when needed for the soldiers in battle. In my opinion, this is a worthless branch and they didn’t need to add this one, but they did. Extra soldiers could be helpful at times. However, I don’t want to waste my time being anybody’s Plan B. The last but not in the uttermost least branch is the Supreme Soldiers Corps. This branch includes the primary soldiers that fight in battles. They are the trained strictly, but well. I want to be selected in the Corps. I don’t want to be organizing plans or waiting until it’s my turn because that isn’t what I want to do. I want to fight. I want to defeat. I want to conquer.

       I shut my book closed after reading for a while. Amber and Olivia are still reading their books. I begin get bored and wonder what Amber and Olivia want to be chosen in, so I ask them. I hesitate a little before interrupting their activities. What if I don’t get selected to fight in the Corps? Will I be chosen in the Tactics Team or the Soldiers Committee for the rest of my time as a fighter?

       I play with my wet hair for a little. “What branch do you guys want to be in?” I ask. I know Amber. She wouldn’t want to be in the Corps. She, the opposite of me, would want to be in the Committee or the Tactics Team. Amber isn’t much of a fighter, but she’s okay at it. Amber is a lot more witted and intelligent than I am, I admit it. Although I am okay with her choosing whatever she wants, will we be separated forever because of the branch we are in?

       “I want to be in the Tactics Team,” Amber responds with enthusiasm in her voice. I nod, understanding. I had guessed it.

       “I also want to be in the Tactics Team.” Olivia smiles, and flips through the pages of her book once more. I hadn’t seen Olivia do any fighting lately. She has been working on projects and papers with Jacob, but I haven’t seen her trained. I inferred that fighting wasn’t her thing and she was more fit for strategies instead.

       “I want to be in the Corps,” I say optimistically. Although I don’t see it, I am almost sure Amber raised an eyebrow. “The Corps?” she asks.

       “What’s wrong with the Corps?” I question.

       “You could be protected and join the Team or the Committee instead. It’s much safer. You don’t know how the Beasts are,” she argues. I furrow my eyebrows.

       “I don’t want to be a coward. I want to fight. I want to defend Euron. Why, do you think it’s a big job for a fifteen year-old to do?”

       “In fact, I think it is.” Amber raises her voice. I haven’t heard her raise her voice since a couple years ago. I feel the tension stiffen. The room that once had a quiet and peaceful atmosphere now was darkened because of me. I don’t say anything back. However, I spoke for the right things and I don’t regret my words. Amber is better in the Team than in the Corps. I’m better in the Corps than in the Tactics Team. The same thing applies to Olivia. Amber doesn’t have to baby me anymore. I’m a fifteen year-old girl. I can take care of myself. I’ve adapted to things here at camp now. Father is…gone. Mother is also gone…

       Gone.

       “Jacob also wants to be in the Corps. I feel you, Amber. I see he’s better off in the Team. He can’t handle the pressure the Corps has.” Olivia is the one to break the silence. I’m not sure if Jacob can handle or can’t handle the “pressure”, so I don’t say anything. It’s better I keep my mouth shut. All it’s been doing is getting me in trouble, anyways.

       “Ailee…I’m sorry. I j-j-just don’t want to lose you like Mother and Father.” Amber’s words are now calmer. I don’t feel the rigidity anymore in the room.

       “We…Ahem,” I clear my throat. “…We don’t know if Mother and Father are dead,” I insist.

       “We don’t. But, Father hasn’t contacted us. Mother hasn’t either. If they reached safety, they would’ve tried to reach us. They would’ve known where we are now. It’s been weeks since the attack. Dead or not, my main priority is taking care of you now.” Amber speaks with a strict, but comforting tone in her voice. As much as I hate to say it, she’s right. If Father were on a Tisinae boat, he would’ve tried to find us right away. …If he wanted to, that is. Mother would’ve done the same. Albergate boats are trustable. They’re not like Giant Wall boats. They are much safer.

       I feel pain in my heart. What if they actually died? But worst of all, what if they didn’t even try to connect with us after the attack? The aching in my arm, leg, and ribcage doesn’t make it any better. It makes me realize that Testing Day is still tomorrow. That everything isn’t a dream, but reality.

       “I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow, so sleep till dusk if you want,” Amber jokes. “As for your branch, I’ll try to do something to get you retested.” I nod, even though I know she won’t see me. Tired and exhausted, I yawn and adjust myself to sleep.

 

I stood here for you,

❥❥❥

but where were you when I need you to stand by me?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hear a loud shriek. A chill goes down my spine. The scream is frightening, but it only lasts a second. After, it ends suddenly and the cold wind blows on.

       “Hey, what was that?” Dante inquires, and tightens his hold on his horse’s collar.

       “That sounded like it came from the woods,” Sam answered, and puts one hand on his sword.

       “Captain, didn’t you send–,” Jessica starts, but she doesn’t finish.

       “Britney and Emma…” he mumbles, and his horse runs. We follow.

       Several gasps come from the trainees. An arrow is stabbed in the center of her chest. Lying cold, lifeless and bloodstained is Emma.

….