I stormed into the map room, interrupting a meeting called by my little brother. Only 16 and he thinks he’s in charge of the entire royal guard. “Maliah what’s so urgent you’ve interrupted this meeting?” He scoffed, the entire room had their eyes on me. My hair tied into a tight knot on the back of my head, satchel overflowing with papers, and my dress barely covering my bare feet. I straighten my self up. “Seeing as how I wasn’t invited I can’t think of another way to so broadly propose a plan.” “And precisely what would that be?” “Well if you would be so kind as to get out of my way,” I shove passed him and sweep the other maps of the table, rolling out mine and tacking it down so he won’t return the favor. “Now this is a map of Keterveck. Here’s the kings castle, where Tamira is.” “Yes, yes, we know these things. Have you come only to share the obvious.” A man in armor huffs. I glare at him. “Well sir. Here,” A place down three invitations to the King of Keterveck’s annual ball. “Do you know what these are? Because I like to call them Tamira’s ticket home. See all I have to do is show up to the ball, sneak past a few people and find Tamira. And the best part is the ball is a masquerade, the king will never recognize me. I believe I can do it and save Tamira before it’s too late.” “You’d have to be an absolute fool to believe that!” Arron shouts. “Well then hand me a hat and call me a jester because I’m going to Keterveck, with or without you. Before our father died he asked me to take care of you and Tamira. You could put me in the stocks before I break a promise to my father.” “I hope you don’t mind standing because I’d put you in the stocks before I let you do that.” “Arron, you’re not in charge of me and though it does feel immoral to say this, I am the Queen of Soalek so I’ll be going through with my plan. I came here to tell you what I intended to do so you wouldn’t ruin my plans. And maybe just a little because you’re my brother and I wanted you to come with me. But Tamira is my sister so I’ll be going whether I have your blessing or not ” I sigh. “I’m leaving tonight at sundown. I’ll hope to see you before I’m gone. Maybe even along the journey with me.” I leave one invitation one the table and gather my things. “Goodbye Arron.”

I rev up my hover bike, managing to get it in the air right as the blue and red lights round the corner. Peeking glances behind me as I sped across the sky, dodging other vehicles, swerving around buildings to loose my tail. I park my vehicle in the parking lot of a donut shop, and make the rest of the trip by foot, careful to keep from being followed. I slide into an abandoned building, greeted by my little sister jumping up and down. “Did you get it? Did you get it? Did you get it?” “What do you think?” I chuckle, pulling a few rolls of fabric from a leather pouch on my belt and hand them to her. “Oh my gosh! Ahh! It’s perfect ,Aella! Perfect! How’d you even get this? It’s so beautiful!” Eden’s eyes lit up as she rubbed the soft fabric between her fingers. “I have my ways.” I smile as she skips away, muttering about all the dresses she was going to design with this. “And by ‘ways’ you mean you stole the fabric I presume?” My brother Eli rolled toward me in his wheelchair, speeding up when he got closer so I’d have to jump backward to avoid getting my toes crushed. “I’ll get you one day.” “First of all no you won’t, second of all you don’t seem to be worried about my thievery until it doesn’t benefit you.” “Oh gee you’ve caught me, who would’ve thought anyone in our family would have questionable morals? Anyway have anything to make me less worried about my little sister’s criminal record?” “I don’t think so, unless you’re into loser stuff like the new XX39!” I grin, tossing the device into Eli’s lap. “Oh god thanks El!” “I’ve been telling you for what? My whole life? You have got to quit it with these nicknames!” “First of all, I will take your nicknames to my grave and second of all I made rice and beans.” “Oh joy, how bland. Seriously Eli, would it kill you to make something-” “Aella! Aella! You’re on the news!” Eden hollered from the other room, “Hurry the cops are talking about you!” “Coming!” I hollered back, practically sprinting into the small makeshift kitchen. Eli following closely behind. “Welcome back folks, I’m Luca Belsof, today we’re live with policeman Austin Shoven, today we’re talking about the conniving, thieving, criminal, Aella Harskof, one of Orasthels crookedest thieves .” The small cracked screen on the kitchen table said. “Wow I never knew how highly they spoke of me.” I scoffed. “Maybe they’ll construct a statue of me.” “Ms. Harskof is known to steal, electronics, fabrics, jewelry, parts for a hover bike, so we are fighting to refund the small business that she has so heartlessly stolen from. At first it was small things here and there. Food and fabrics every now and then, we decided we may as well just leave it be, after all it was just small tokens.” “Are you saying the authorities are just going to let this treacherous women continue to steal from our community, officer?” Mr. Belsof gasped, looking to the police officer who looked rather nervous. Officer Shoven took one last glance at someone off screen and turned to the anchorman. “Uh of course not. What do you take me for, a fool? My men and I have been looking for Harskof and have even narrowed down where the thief is taking all these stolen items.” Shoven looker off screen and gave a slight nod to whoever is over there. “In fact I’ve just given the clearance for my men to go and apprehend Aella now. Within the next thirty minutes we should have her in custody.” “Eli, Eden, grab your stuff we have to go. We have to be in the car in ten minutes.” I holler, then run to my room-or corner I guess- and grab five things, the money I have stashed, some spare clothes, a first aid kit, the necklace my dad gave me before he died, and a gun. After I make sure my weapon is securely tucked into my belt near the small of my back -easy access and easily hidden-, and all of my stuff is in my bag, I go to the garage and find Eden and Eli in the van, which had a chair missing so Eli’s wheelchair can fit in. The real reason the chair is gone is because I found the run down van in a junk yard and I think some thing ate the chair, but one man’s trash is another man’s get away car. “El are you sure this thing starts? It’s like a 4052 edition and hover cars only came out in ‘51. The technology in this isn’t up to date.” Eli asks as I get into the drivers seat. “It should work, the design for the hover engine has only changed a little. The only thing different is that it runs on gas and won’t go as fast as a newer version.” Eden adds. “Let’s hope your right. I’m not saying this to scare you guys but if this car doesn’t get us out of town, we’re going to jail.”

Do you ever just wake up from a dream or finish a book and remember you’re not royalty, and your not a wizard, and your not anybody. Do you ever just wake up and realize that you live with your grandma in a town called Eskerist. A small town, the type of place where everyone knows everyone, and yet you still manage to be no one. Because for twenty two years I’ve woken up to the same realization every morning. How can I not when I wake up to the same exact thing every day. I wake up, eat breakfast, throw out some seed for the chickens, and go into town. People start to wake up and set up their shops, the baker and his son pull fresh rolls out of the oven, the farmer sets out the ripest fruits and vegetables, the tailor and his two daughters open shop and begin to sew. Everyone knows everything about everyone, and it stays that way, the way people like it. But today was different, someone new was strolling around town. Someone nobody knew. Somebody Eskerist didn’t greet with the same smile that was practically glued to people’s faces. Somebody different. And I intend to be the first person to talk to this new guy. After all, maybe this time different won’t just be a far away dream.

I make my way down the staircase slowly so everyone in the throne room has time to admire my gown. A large black satin dress, with red rubies strategically placed in a way that each time I take a step one of the gems catches the sunlight. And to top it all off my newest crown, made of pure black gold with the most lovely rubies set into it to match my dress. I finally reach my throne and wave to my loyal subjects before taking a seat. “Welcome people of Kiserek! Being that of the gracious queen I am, I have aloud you into my palace so you can share your troubles and I might help you should the issue be worth my time. After all running a kingdom is no simple task.” I sigh and point to a peasant girl holding a baby wrapped in rags. “You there, what is your problem young lady. Step forward and ask for my grace!” The girl stumbles toward me and ungraciously bows- which is very unladylike might I add. Not that her outfit was any less ghastly, a muddied up dress with an even dirtier apron tied around her waist. “Um thank you, your majesty. My little brother here, he has conceived an illness and I can not afford any medication.” “Ah well I’ll help just because I’m so very selfless.” I huff, tossing the girl a sack of gold coins. Maybe she should learn to be a seamstress, if she wasn’t so lazy she’d already have money. “Thank you so much, your majesty! Oh thank you thank you!” “Mhm, next! You there, boy with the manure on his face! You may approach.” Three scraggly boys came forward. “Which one of us, your majesty?” The tallest one croaked. “The one in the middle there.” I wave away the other two, “Come, come.” “We’re starving, your majesty.” “Oh, well darling there’s a simple solution there, eat. Next!” The people had formed a line now and a woman and a man stepped forward. “Your majesty, we are starving as well. Our whole town is.” “Did I not just give you a solution? If you’ve come here today just to tell me your stomach is grumbling, you need to leave.” Almost entire crowd dissipated, most just lining the walls-probably marveling at my palace, leaving just one scraggly little boy, maybe sixteen left in line, with a small girl probably ten standing behind him. “You may come forward.” “Your crown is made of the people’s bones and hunger!” He shouted and a few guards stepped toward him, spears pointed. “I think you’ve been mistaken, my crown is made purely of black gold and rubies, bones were last season.” I giggle, fixing the crown on my head in case he didn’t see. “Also, I don’t like your tone, take him away. And the girl.” The guards seize the two and drag them away, I wait until the girls sobs are to far away to hear then turn back to my people. “Let this be an example, now you may be excused.”

They say sunshine like a happy thing. Like it’s not a ball of fire in the sky. Like it doesn’t dry up beautiful things. Like it’s better than anything in this universe. I used to adore it, admire it, the brightest star out there. But when the moon disappeared, when the sun stopped setting, I grew a hatred for it. It made everyone crazy. Not crazy like “oh my gosh where did nighttime go?” but crazy as in happy. All the time. Smiles glued to people’s faces twenty-four seven. The days never end, I can’t seem to get a sense of time, I’m going crazy too. Just in a different way. People around the world smiling all the time, I can’t smile anymore. I don’t know why, because believe me I’ve tried, for the past eight months I’ve tried everything, watching my favorite shows, reading my favorite books, I just can’t. The first few months I could at least fake a smile, now no matter how hard I try I can’t. Something’s wrong. Not just with me, not just with my neighbors, something is wrong with…well earth. And I’m going to figure it out.

They sent out a warning two weeks ago, they asked that we send out the royal family or our kingdom would go up in flames, but the citizens of Avleok are loyal. But as the flames began to rise people seemed to wish they’d changed their minds sooner, including myself. Now I’ve fought many battles but fire does not cower at a blade, so here I am, armed in the armor of an Avleokan warrior, not only trying to fend for myself but for my entire family. We’re not much, it’s just me and my ten year old siblings, Isae and Aerieth. They’re just a couple seconds apart they both have crystal blue eyes, but the similarities end there, Isae has jet black, shoulder length hair, is very agile, and is tough as stone through and through, Aerieth on the other hand has short fluffy blonde hair -like my mother- a large frame, and let’s face it he’s a softy. So here I am in the midst of an attack with a ninja and a teddy bear. “Lill what are we going to do? We don’t have anything to stop fire and there are people guarding the docks, and there is three of us, and-” “Aerieth, Lillian is trying to help but she can’t if you are busy blubbering away about things we’re all trying to figure out, okay? So while Lill tries to figure out what we’re going to do, you can go pack safety bags okay? Candles, matches, food, water, and warm clothes, can you do that?” Isae cuts in, ordering him around like his mother. She’s really the only one who gets him though. He freaks out about everything but Isae always seems to know exactly what to say. I think she might just have that charm on people because I’m already forming a plan. “Hey guys come here!” “Did you come up with something? Are we gonna have to sneak past the armed guards? We’re gonna have to do it aren’t we. We’re gonna get killed!” Aerieth started, then he began to pace, mumbling something about deep breaths. “Aerieth, listen. You go finish packing your bag, I’ll explain later. Make sure you bring Sargent.” Isae assured him. “You we’re saying?” “Yeah sorry I wasn’t aware I was speaking to a professional. So the castle is completely built of stone. And-” “No way, we can’t break into the castle! Lillian that is preposterous, and even if that were a sensible plan, the whole thing is surrounded by guards!” “Ah that’s were your wrong. They guards are all distracted by the fire and the ones guarding the castle will not be on their a game considering they have family out here running for their lives, so we can easily sneak by with the right disguise!” “So we’re actually doing this? Like for real?” “We’re going to try. Do you and Aerieth still have that training armor?” “Yeah but it’s hardly enough to protect us from enemy fire!” “That’s okay, we just need to pretend. You and Aerieth go get dressed, the fire is getting closer and closer.” “Okay Lill. I trust you. Aerieth put on your armor!” Isae hollers once she reaches her and Aerieth’s room. I hate to put them in this situation. There’s so many things that could go wrong. I began to pace. We could get hit in the way. A guard could tell us to remove our helmets. Someone could discover us in the room we’re hiding in. Or we could- “Lill? Lill! We’re ready are you coming?” Isae asks, both her and Aerieth standing in the doorway. “Yes. Of course, now let’s try to go over the plan.” I walk with them out the door and lead them through a path behind the backs of houses. “So what do we do when they notice we’re kids, because I know times are changing but I’m almost certain kids can’t join the royal guard!” Aerieth says, beginning to pant again. “Aerieth, I told you I’ve got this. I have a plan, you just can’t say anything okay? Just pretend you can’t speak. Bite your tongue, clench your fists, I don’t care. Just don’t talk, got it.” Isae orders, and though I’m pretty sure she would’ve preferred he say ‘yes ma’am’ but Aerieth just nodded. “Okay,” I said taking a deep breath when we we’re just a few feet away from the entrance. “Deep breaths. Stand tall. Don’t talk Aerieth.” “Halt. State your name and business.” A guard orders, holding a hand out in front of us, and tightening his grip on to the hilt of his sword. “Captain Lillian, sir. That’s Sergeant Aereith,” I gesture to my little brother, praying that guard doesn’t recognize our family. “And that’s Lieutenant Isae, sir.” Before I can continue Aereith opens his mouth and blurts, “Careful she bites. Erm, sir.” “We’ve been ordered back to the palace, sir. The prince requested our audience, sir.” I say in my most formal voice, hoping the guard will let the joke slide. “Your Lieutenant and Sergeant, look a little short. Short enough to be I don’t know, children? And I’ll have you know that practical jokes will not be tolerated, especially not at a time like this.” Just as I’m about to explain some big lie, Isae pipes up, her voice slightly deeper, almost older. “Children? Ha! I have dedicated the past ten years of my life to this kingdom, and you have the audacity to call me a child? How old are you, boy?” “Uhm twenty- twenty two, ma’am.” “Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Kids these days think they can go around making assumptions, disrespecting left and right, who do you think you are? Now if you would excuse us I have places to be, the Prince doesn’t like to be kept waiting. You don’t want to be the reason the Prince is kept waiting. Do you, sir?” “N-no ma’am.” “Then goodbye.” Isae scoffs, shoving the guard aside, and leading us straight through the front door. “Oh my god. I thought we were goners.” I whisper as once we’re out of ear shot. “Through here before we talk.” Isae whispers, leading us into what seemed to be a guest room. “How can you be so confident in everything you do? You just stood up to a fully armed man twice your age, and then you walk around the palace like the kind himself! How?” Aerieth pouts plopping down on the canopied bed after removing his helmet. I decide to take mine off too, it was getting a little hot, trapped in there with all of my thoughts. Looking around I begin to notice paintings of a man my age, not just any man. This is the princes room. Oh no. Not good. Not good at all. “Guys we’ve got to go. Now.” Just as everyone begins to get up, the door creeks open. At first I think maybe it’s a servant come to change the sheets. But as my eyes meets the servants they start to look familiar, their the same eyes as in the painting. He wasn’t a servant at all. I was staring at the heir to the throne.

“Adria you don’t have to do this!” Ethan calls out, keeping his hand up above his head as he walks closer. “Just, just put the gun down, Adria. Just put it down.” Derek’s sobbing beneath me, some hero. Then again given his family’s history that was already inevitable. “Adria your father wouldn’t want this!” Derek try’s to argue. “You don’t get to talk about my father! You don’t get to tell me what he would want! I didn’t even get a chance to find out what he would want Derek!” I tighten my grip on the gun. “You can’t blame him for his father’s actions! He didn’t hurt you Adria! So please, just put the gun down. If not for him, for me. That’s my best friend we’re talking about!” Ethan’s crying too now. And as much as I love him, I need to do this. “How can you even say that, Ethan! You know what he did! She won’t even watch fireworks because of that night!” Mack steps in, pulling her sleeves up, ready to fight. “Your better than this! We can put that behind us! It’ll be hard but we can! I won’t ever bring him near you! We can pretend he never existed. Just please, put the gun down.” “I can’t.” My finger slides down to the trigger. And just like that. Bang.

Every morning she comes. A beautiful woman with hair as gold straw, a kind lady too, she brings light into everyone’s life, when she comes around though I tend to hide behind my mother, Earth, like a foolish child. We’re polar opposites, when I first saw her I figured she could never love me. My black jeans, with large holes in the knees-some times when they’re particularly large my mother calls them craters-, and boring grey shirt compared to her fiery red gown is practically peasant wear. My puffy, dusty grey hair, versus her beautiful waist length hair would lose a battle any day. Because of these reasons I tend to hide behind mother until she goes to bed, only then do I come out. Every night I draw pictures in the sky, once I drew an astonishing bear, another time I made a man wearing a rather stylish belt. Someday I wish to show her these. I didn’t think I’d ever get to show her them, never thought she’d want to see them. But one year she came up to me, she asked me about my art and I answered. Now every year, I get to see her. Every year we share two new things about ourselves, sometimes it’s not new, one year I told her that nothing but a century ago a group of nice fellas brought me a pretty flag that I carry in my pocket, and she told me that light years ago she was no brighter than the stars I use in my drawings. But the first time I met her she told me her name, Sun. I call her sunny. I told her my mother had given me the name Moon. She calls me M. Sometimes I see her, when I’m going to rest and she’s waking up. It’s times like those that remind me, maybe I am alone, but I will never be lonely.

Mack is the name, fixings the game. I’ve fixed a lot of things. Cars, phones, furniture, give me an item and I’ll give you a price, but today, today is…different. “Can you fix it?” A young man, maybe twenty asks. He’s normal, blue eyes, fiery red hair, pale, and lean. But for some reason he was different. “Not if I don’t know what it is, red.” I raise an eyebrow at the odd contraption, it has a gun barrel and trigger, so a weapon of some sort, but it’s also glowing, and somewhat hovering. “It’s a haldudk, I need it fixed quick! I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t need to!” “Do you have a blueprint by any chance?” I sigh. “Oh,” He pulls a wrinkled piece of paper out of his pocket, sketched on it is a very detailed drawing of the weapon, little notes on what it does and such. “Will this work?” “Yeah, did you draw this, red?” I look at him, then the paper, then him again as he nods.“Impressive. You got money?” “Yup!” He pulls a wad of cash out of his pocket, “How’s three thousand? I can do card, cash or check!” “Yeah that works! Cash is good. So what is this hal…hapl… weapon?” “It’s designed to destroy the ogre- ogre like soldiers we’ve been fighting.” That’s why he’s different. He’s a freaking elf! “Don’t worry, red!” Pull my black hair away from my ears, long enough for them to morph, round, to pointy, back to round. “Why ya think I’m in the repair industry?” “You do magic?” He whispers. “In the human world?” “Well I kinda have to, to make a living.” “But why would you need to make a living here? Money isn’t really a problem in Atlantis, or Shang Ri La, or anywhere! You could live there with all the glamor and none of the labor! Why would you choose the human cities.” “I’m an outlaw in the Elvin cities, red.”

“My whole existence I’ve been nothing but nice, sure I’ve unalived a few unworthy humans, you can thank me later! And I mean who hasn’t destroyed a few city’s? Yet for some reason these pesky humans have branded me as ‘bad’! Me, the greatest spirit in the world, no, universe, ‘bad’? I think not! And-” Ugh cut of by humans AGAIN! “Surrender now spirit!” A large - idiotic- man yells, in my face, he SPITS when he talks Y’know! “Me? The mighty spirit of fire, surrender? How about no.” “You asked for it!” He grins, shooting his gun. “All I asked is that you humans back off!” I growl as I incinerate his puny bullet. “First you interrupt my dramatic monologue, then you SPIT in my face, and now you shoot a gosh darn bullet?” “Well-” He starts but I cut him off as he did to me moments ago. “No. This is proclamation of war!” “You, you and what arm, army?” He asks warily. “Glad you asked!” I whistle, a whistle the human man can’t hear, and then my army arrives.