I was standing on a self-made stage, which was made out of few starting-to-rot wooden boxes. Like every Saturday, I was observed by circa one-hundred pairs of eyes. There was no time to waste – the police could show up any moment now, that depended only on how we managed to pick a venue.

"Friends!" I started. "You all know that we are different from them. Does it make us any less worthy? Are we the ones to blame they didn't inherit the gene of the universe? No! We are hated because we are divergent. They hate us because through their eyes we are freaks. I say, we are misunderstood and rejected. They create myths about us and they base them on their fears. And they fear the diversity. They are afraid to be variant from the others, afraid to look different, to work at different job, to live differently. They are afraid of themselves and we are not!"

My words were leaded by a wave of cheers. Each time it was more difficult to make something up but they needed it. The hope of us being accepted by society was about to die away. I knew for sure these meetings won't change anything, they only raised the morale, but they, no, we needed it. As far as I remember, our whole life we were hiding, spending nights in abandoned storages or attics and during the days, as soon as we would enter the streets, we were shouted at and outcasted.

Few of us were luckier – they didn't have the mark – three black lines under their left eye, therefore they were almost "normal". I think that was settled by the fact that the majority of them, unlike the others, had a gift, which the "normals" couldn't live without – water. They would gather a little bit of food for us because all the others were freaking out the grocery-stores' workers and the salesmen at a marketplace.

I saw a green uniform just around the corner. It's time to end this. Every single time they would find us faster and faster. I raised a hand – that was our sign to show that we are being listened to.

"Our hour is yet to come and when it does, we will show them we are not just a bunch of weirdos."

I nodded and Luce called the food team to herself. She was my good friend and, because she didn't have the mark, was controlling the food team. Of course, first of all they somehow needed to earn money and that was why every Saturday after the meeting, as it is now, she would give them out job offers, which someone offered to pay for. The crowd knew that the meeting was over and they also knew that we are being eavesdropped on, so everyone, who was not in Luce's group, didn't took long to walk out separately.

Usually, if I managed to finish before the police showed up, they would chant "Sorana! Sorana!". That was what they called me. "Sorana" meant light in the ancient language. I'm not sure if they gave that name to me because I, using these short meetings, filled their hearts with light, or because I literally illuminated their "homes" every night.

I was surprised that the policeman let everybody through. More often than not at least one or another of the meeting attendants were being arrested and would spend the night at a police custody because of illegal rallying. I wouldn't say those were rallies – we simply didn't have place for our meetings, but in the custody it wasn't that bad, after all, if we compare it to the places we would usually sleep.

I started leaving the dead end. It wasn't the best venue for our meeting, from the point of possibly-needed quick escape but it was securing our privacy and it was easier to monitor when the police would come. I walked while ready to defend myself at any moment but there was no need. I nodded as if I was saying "Hello" to the "guardian" as I passed him by but his face remained as still as a steal. I was always doing that just I didn't know if to show him that I wasn't afraid of him, or still hoping that he would answer – this way I would be considered being a human.

I went to the direction of my burrow. That was how I and Luce called the house we both lived in. It was a three-floored house, which had heavily burnt during a fire, which had broken out there some time ago, and now the house was left here to collapse. Now it was serving the purpose of some kind of a refugee camp. That was where all of our people would come, when they didn't have a place to stay. Every day approximately twenty people, not including us with Luce. They would sleep there and go to search for a new roof above their heads the next day. The house was standing in the outskirts of the city so it was fairly calm in here. Almost every single night I had spent in the city, someone would come and then flee after taking as much food as they could possibly carry. Those were the homeless people. It wasn't a single time, I tried to negotiate with them but they, although being maltreated by the society as well, remained loyal to their, as they called it, "human race".

As soon as I reached the burrow, I went to a room, which I was used to be sleeping in. It was the only one, which still had an unharmed window and that was the reason why it was a bit warmer in here. I took my journal and started to write this week's evets. My dad was always saying "When our days will come, the children in schools will be learning the history without crossing out the facts but therefore we have to have them written." He wasn't the leader of our community, I shouldn't have become one either. To tell the truth, before me, there wasn't any leader at all. That was how the circumstances played out, everyone liked my ideas and here I am.

It didn't take long before Luce came back. We exchanged a couple of words and she went to the room we were calling our kitchen, to make something edible out of the remaining resources. I knew, I will have to come down to light a fire in few minutes, so I started writing faster.

All of a sudden, there was a loud sound of a glass breaking and smithereens poured onto the floor. Without waiting for anything more to happen, I dropped the journal and hurriedly dragged myself to the window, but whoever that was, he managed to vanish faster than I reacted to the event. In the middle of the room there was a stone laying. I picked it up and noticed a little note attached to it.

"Very important. Let's meet at the place of today's meeting at 1 p.m. Sorana, trust me, talos."

Whoever threw the rock, knew the password. I couldn't not go. I knew it was dangerous, even if the note was written by one of our people, but in the worst case, I could always set something on fire and run away.

I poked my head through now glassless window and examined the shadows below. They were short, which meant the sun is either in zenith or will be in it soon. It's time to go.

I came downstairs and told Luce I was going out. She got a bit upset that I might not be here when she will need a hand of mine to give out the meal to the others, but I explained how important it was and she understood. Before going I went to our cauldron, which she had stacked some logs under, and set there a spark by snapping my fingers.

While I was pacing, a strong wind rose, so it was pretty cool. I wrapped myself tighter into my old and shabby scarf.

I was afraid that in the agreed place the police might be lurking, but it was all quiet and calm, only a single person was standing and waiting for me farther. As I approached it, I was shocked – that was Luce. But she had to be in the burrow, I just saw her there, she wasn't able to show up here earlier than I did.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

She started telling me a variety of oddities. At first, I couldn't make myself to believe in any of her words, but the longer she was speaking, the more sense it made. In short, she travelled here from the following Thursday via some portal I and someone, who I met in few following days, made to tell me to stop her from sending our people to hand out the mail. It appears that on Monday, when they were getting mail from the post office, some kind of an accident happened there and everyone, including the "normals", perished. According to her, they could come prepared for that event and, if they would be lucky enough, save all the staff of the post office instead. If the plan worked, there is a possibility, we wouldn't be the outcasts anymore and rather their saviors.

She also explained that she was the one travelling, because she was afraid to learn what would happen if I saw myself. It appears, that we already tried sending me directly to now's Luce, but she thought I was joking around and didn't believe anything I told her. That means, it will be difficult.

Without further waiting, I returned to the burrow. Luce was about to finish cooking. Not the best possible time, but I had to do this now.

"I know, you won't believe me and I know, that I might have already said this, but you mustn't let your people go to work in the post" I spat everything out fast after breathing in deeply.

She just shrugged and after murmuring something kept on stirring our primitive soup.

"It sounds awful, but they will die in there and we cannot let that happen.

Luce glanced at me disapprovingly and sighed. She told me that I was having nightmares again.

"You have to believe me" I begged, but she wasn't listening.

Okay, then, I decided. I'll have to go to them myself. The problem is, they might be anywhere. Of course, some of them will come here for lunch, but the majority still won't know anything. I made a decision to wait for the ones coming and then get back to the city afterwards and try to find someone there.

The first hungry people started gathering quite soon. Luce had just finished cooking and both of us started to pour the soup into the bowls they brought themselves. Every time someone without the mark would approach me, I would always ask them not to go to the post office, meet me tomorrow at the place of today's meeting and tell this to others. I would do that quietly for Luce not to hear, because I was ruining her plans after all. I hoped she'll understand eventually.

After the lunch, I aimed for the city and stayed there until the darkness fell. I had hard time trying to find someone there, but to those few, who I managed to stumble on, I gave my message ant they, much to my joy, assured they will do exactly what I said.

It was cold to sleep tonight. The weather was unusually chilly for spring and we also didn't have glass in our window anymore. To tell the truth, I slept poorly. I was tossing and turning, while I couldn't manage to fell asleep – my thoughts were going wild inside my head and I couldn't stop them. I was worried how and what will I have to do when the unfortunate day breaks out – I couldn't just go there without any preparations after all.

I still didn't have any solution in the morning, but, judging by the sun, the agreed hour was coming on fast, so I had no choice but to come up with some plan while on my way.

I was happy to see that my yesterday's stage was still standing there. People had also started to gather. I was hoping that our number won't be big enough to catch police's or any other pedestrian's attention, but, as always, I didn't lose my vigilance.

"Friends!" this term had already grown into my blood, therefore I didn't even try to start differently. They, it appears, liked it as equally – it let them to feel like a part of something. "I asked you to come here because of a very important reason. I know, it may sound- To tell you all the truth, it will sound extremely unbelievable, but it's all pure truth. For the majority of you, yesterday, Luce told to work in the post office tomorrow" few of the listeners murmured and I, using that, I quickly wrote few lines of the speech in my head. "She isn't wishing for anything bad happen to you, but I found out that an accident will happen there that day and you all might and probably will be in grave danger. I want to ask you not to obey Luce's request and don't go in there. Better to wait nearby, until it happens, and then use your gifts to help the staff instead.

These my words were leaded by a chaos. Everyone was shouting and exchanging angry words, only few shot a word for me in agreement. I heard as somebody asked what would helping bullies give to our favor.

"It isn't exactly clear, if we would succeed, but if we have even the slightest chance, that they will accept us as people and not filthy, crawling in the streets pests, this is it"

Now there was more people who agreed with me, but there still was a plenty of doubting ones. They asked how to know if really and when the accident will happen.

"I'm almost sure about that. I don't know the exact time but we must be ready"

I saw that still not everyone was convinced. They probably won't participate in the action but I hoped they, knowing the case, wouldn't show up to work either.

The remaining part of the day went by as fast as a blink. I was constantly planning on how and what will I do tomorrow, but whatever I could think of, still looked pointless and appeared that it won't help. How are we supposed to save ourselves? How to know if the whatever-happened-there started yet? What to do?

I didn't have time to make up my mind as I was already standing in front of the post office door on Monday morning. I didn't see my people anywhere around, only passers-by were staring piercingly at me. No matter the fact, that yesterday just flowed by, now it seemed that time was playing games with me because minutes appeared to last an hour each.

Hours were slowly passing by, our group was gradually growing, but still anything wasn't happening. I was surprised to see Luce approaching us – most of the time she didn't participate in the group tasks. After coming close, she looked at me with a drilling gaze – I understood she knew I was interfering her work. She didn't say anything to me but immediately turned to others to tell them to go to their job. From the ones gathered, much to my amazement, no one even moved from their positions. Eventually, she gave up and went inside herself. I tried to stop her but my warning disappeared in the noise that suddenly broke out in the place.

Whatever has happened, it was happening now. I saw the workers bursting outside. The screams were echoing and alarms going off everywhere. I noticed people for some reason stopped running out of the building, but I still could see their silhouettes through the windows. Maybe they can't leave?

I came onto the door and tried opening it, but it didn't work out. I wanted to burn through them, but I was afraid to set the whole building on fire or cause an explosion, if there was some gas inside. I didn't know what had happened in there after all.

After I thought about it all, I quickly made a plan. It seems that the only solution was the windows, but they were too high to simply climb out and to jump was too dangerous. I observed as people were assembling inside, opening the windows up and calling for help. They will receive it, just from those, who they were the least expecting it – us. I suppose, they were thinking, we were the ones who caused the chaos it the first place, but that wasn't the truth – we were just as clueless about the whole situation as they were.

I asked someone, who I knew had the gift of earth, to help them. The parts of the pavement started rising up immediately and formed some kind of a stairway under one of the windows. People inside cheered up, but were still too afraid to use it, thinking we were tricking them. Passers-by were witnessing everything with awe. I saw that the stuck-ones were too scared to use that last straw, we had just put under their noses.

"What a bunch of fools" I said to myself silently. "Some won't reject their wrong opinions even if that would cost them their lives."

I encouraged the unfortunates, but they weren't paying any attention. The passers-by were observing everything fearfully, while I ordered someone from our people to go and show them that the "stairs" were safe to use. All the others also hurried to help people stuck in the other side of the building.

Finally one by one they sheepishly started coming down the stairs. I saw huge distrust, but apparently, the fear took over and they declined their beliefs at least for a while.

Not long after that, everybody was standing outside trembling. I asked someone, what had happened – it turned out, that the roof had fallen in.

And then was when I heard a suppressed moan. I miscounted – there was still one person inside.

Luce was stuck in the hall and could neither go deeper inside the building, nor go outside the front door. I motioned her to open the window, but it needed a key, and there wasn't one. I quickly grabbed a rock off the pavement and showed her to move aside.

I threw it. Everything froze for a moment and then my vision went dark. I realized, what had just occurred – the rock hadn't even reach its destination, when a huge noise shook the surroundings. That was the roof that fell there, leaving Luce to rest underneath. She, coming here, saved everyone, but gave herself to the death in exchange.