I awoke to a rather rude knocking at my door that held both persistence and desperation. Rather than answering, I closed my eyes once more and sighed softly. The light outside was still new, telling me that it was still too early for me to be up. Nevertheless, the knocking pressed on, clashing in my eardrums.

"Yes?" I sighed in defeat.

The door swung open to show my sister, already dressed and looking ready to go out. Had there been a reason to go out, I would not have been shocked. However, our city had been put under military control recently and we could only leave if we had written permission. Confusion flitted through my features as my sister closed the door behind her with a worrisome look.

"We have visitors," she said, "you need to get dressed."

"It's seven in the morning, how on Earth do we have visitors?" I asked, sitting up to swing my legs over the edge of my bed and stand up.

"It's the general." Her eyes bore into me with fear and a hope that I knew what to do.

"God, what does he want with us?" I hissed with contempt as I grabbed the nicer items of clothing I owned and threw them on.

"I don't know!" She seemed panicked which was only right. The military didn't mess around with regular citizens. If they were here, it only meant that they wanted something.

"Listen to me, Delphi," I said, turning to face my sister. "No matter what, you let me do the talking. We're all we have left and I'm not gonna let anything happen without putting up a fight."

She nodded with understanding and I let go of her face with a sigh. I was just as scared as she was, but I had to look strong for her. Delphi may have been eighteen, but she was still my little sister and it had been my job to take care of her ever since my parents went missing.

"Ready?" Delphi asked with her hand on the knob of my door.

"As I'll ever be." I smiled comfortingly, walking through the door as she opened it.

My stomach dropped like a stone when I walked into the kitchen where the general and three soldiers were sipping coffee and eating scones. Delphi had probably woken early to make those scones for breakfast, but now it looked like we weren't going to have any. I hoped that at least Delphi had had a chance to eat one or two before they arrived, but I knew that she would have waited for me to awaken to eat them.

"Don't worry, I took some while they weren't looking and put them in the cupboard," she whispered in my ear, smiling to me softly. I smiled back, glad that my teachings of slight of hand had not gone unrewarded.

"General, I do apologize for my tardiness," I said with the most level tone I could muster. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Miss..." He turned to me with a raised eyebrow and a false look of friendliness.

"Astra," I said with a smile just as false as his. "Please, call me Astra."

"Beautiful name, what does it mean?" He asked.

"It means 'of the stars' in Greek," I answered, swallowing my irritation at his avoidance of the point of their visit.

"Interesting." His smile stretched his skin in a grotesque way that made me want to grimace.

"With all due respect, sir, why are you here?" I asked, trying to hurry along this uncomfortable situation.

"Yes, of course." He nodded as if just remembering where he was. We all waited for a few moments as he finished his coffee before continuing. "You see, this is a small family, no?"

"It is, sir," I answered.

"Despite that, we still have a requirement that the first child of every household must help the army in some way, shape, or form. Given that you haven't added to the war effort yet, we thought we'd pay you a visit to remind you of your duty to our country." His words went through my ears without my processing them until a few moments later. They wanted me to leave. They wanted me to join the army and this was their way of saying that they'd drag me if they had to.

"Sir, I do know my duties, but I have spoken to the military about this before. You needed me for the armed forces, but I can't join," I said carefully.

"Refresh me, Astra, dear. Why can't you join our armed forces?" He asked with a tight voice, his patience clearly running short.

Without speaking, I pulled my skirt up to reveal my left leg. Where there should have been flesh and bone, there was only metal workings that went all the way up to my mid-thigh. The gleam of the metal shone in the morning sun and the soldiers accompanying the general shielded their eyes from the brightness.

"I see." The general leaned back in his seat, clearly not satisfied with this outcome. I could see the gears whirring in his head as he tried to figure out some way to ruin our day regardless of my disability. Disgust filled me as he smiled his ghastly smile once more and I feared for what he had to say. "Your sister is of age, is she not?"

"No," I said firmly, stepping in front of Delphi.

"No, she is not of age?" He asked, looking at his papers.

"No, I'm not giving you my sister," I hissed angrily.

"Dear, the rules are clear." He smiled.

"The rules say 'first born'. Delphi isn't the first born. There are no rules saying that the next in line goes if the first can't. They say that if there's probable cause, the family can be exempt," I said, my blood boiling in my veins.

"Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, Astra. We will be taking Delphi for military training and you will carry on, helping our country from the inside," he said firmly while still smiling. His voice and his face did not match and only made me feel sicker.

"Don't you touch her!" I screeched as one of the soldiers reached to grab Delphi's arm.

As I moved to protect my sister, the other two soldier grabbed my arms behind my back. I struggled against their grip on me until I heard the crack of something on the back of my head and everything went black.

I opened my eyes slowly as an aching pain undulated from the base of my cranium. Spots filled my vision as I tried to push myself up from the kitchen floor, and I ultimately gave up trying to stand. Instead, I turned over onto my back to stare at the ceiling and mentally survey the damage I had taken.

There was a cut on the left side of my face where my cheek had connected with the tiles on the floor. Other than that and the pain in my head, there was nothing much wrong with me. My left leg still seemed working and I was glad that they hadn't bothered to tamper with it.

"Delphi!" I cried, standing up swiftly only to fall into the wall to my right.

They had taken my sister. With a quick glance to the clock that hung on the wall, I saw that it was far too late to chase after them. They had knocked me out cold for three hours and took off with my sister. I had no way to know what base they took her to or what job they would give her.

I was afraid that Delphi would end up being in combat. She was smart enough to be an organizer, but I had taught her how to protect herself and the military would probably be pleased with her abilities. Delphi wasn't the best fighter, but she knew how to utilize her size and what strength she did have.

"I have to stop them," I said to myself.

Hurriedly, I went to my room and grabbed a backpack I had and began to fill it with supplies. There was no reason for me to stay here now that Delphi was gone. I hated living like a fish in an aquarium, and now I had a reason to get out. I had enough survival skill knowledge to live in the dense forestry between cities, and I knew that I could live on my own long enough. I was going to find what base they took Delphi to and liberate her. I didn't have the means to end the war or the reign of fear in our country, but I did have the means to save my own kind. I had no faith in human beings, no hope for an end to it all. I did, however, have faith in myself. I would need it if I were to save Delphi.

With ample supplies, I waited until nightfall to make my escape into the umbrage. Before departing, I went into the room that had been my parents' before they disappeared. In the back of my father's closet, behind his hanging shirts, there was a small square of plaster in the wall that one could push out if they knew where to press. In this little space, there was a handgun and boxes upon boxes of ammo. As I grabbed the gun to tuck into my pants, a small scrap of paper fell out. I picked it up and read the small scrawl that was clearly my father's.

Darling daughter,

If you are reading this, I am probably dead or gone to the army. I don't know which one is the worse fate. That aside, I want you to know that your mother and I love you very dearly. We may not be able to always protect you, which is probably why you are reading this note. Just remember to try and find the humanity in those you encounter. This gun should only be used in the worst case scenario. I don't want you to have to live with blood on your hands. Astra, if it's you reading this, take care of Delphi. Make sure she's safe and gets to see a future free of war. Delphi, be strong for your sister. She may act fearless, but she does fear the future. Support her the best you can. We love you both.

The bottom of the page was dotted with what I realized were tear stains and I wondered how long ago the note had been written. I wondered if my parents knew they were going to disappear, hence the note. 

I didn't have time for those thoughts, however, and tossed the ammo into my backpack along with the note. With a heavy heart and light bag, I left through my window where there were no lights or patrolling soldiers. I snuck between houses, jumped fences, and hugged the shadows until I reached the outskirts of the city. 

I turned around to look at the lights of military lookouts. The only cars on the streets were driven by soldiers and all the lights in the residential areas had been snuffed out. There was no reluctance in my heart whatsoever as I stepped over the border between civilization and freedom. I had no plan, but I was willing to risk it. I had no way of knowing what the future would hold for me, but it was better than knowing that I would be trapped in my house until I withered away.

Without a second glance back, I ran into the forest only guided by the moonlight that shone through the leaves above. After I had traveled a considerable distance, I figured I was far enough away from the city to find a place to rest. I looked around until I found the perfect tree with branches high enough to hold me and not be visible to anyone below.

When I settled in the branches, I found myself unable to sleep. The canopy of leaves above me opened up just enough for me to see the night sky. There were stars shining so brightly as if they too hoped for better days. Up above in the sky, there were no troubles like here down on Earth. Humans were dirty beings who rolled in the dirt until their humanity was no longer visible. Stars would always shine bright no matter what went on down below. Even when the sun rose and our days would begin, the stars would still shine from afar, silently putting their faith in us.

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens," I sang softly to myself as I stared at the constellations.

"Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things"

My voice was soft and small, but the words of the song my mother used to sing to me calmed me. Out here, there were no people to bother me. I was fine as I was, staring up at the heavens. I didn't like people anyway. I should have known, though, that there was no escaping.

"Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels," a second voice sang, startling me silent. "Come on out, little one. I know you're there."