Where are you, Heir?

Ravenna Blacke felt a sharp sting across her cheek and jolted awake. Mistress Alyana glared down at her from where she was standing in front of her desk with her hand outstretched.

"Do you enjoy using class time to nap, Ravenna? Do you?" Mistress Alyana spat at her. Her golden curls bounced as she shook her head and frowned at her. She retracted her hand and smoothed over her floral dress. "I suggest you answer my next question correctly or you will be going to the principal's office."

Mistress Alyana spun to face the whiteboard at the front of the classroom as Ravenna shrunk from the glares of her classmates. Her teacher pointed at the equation written on the board.

"What is the meaning of the word evil?" Mistress Alyana asked, crossing her arms. Why, you are, sweetie. The finest of evils, darling. Ravenna's eyes darted across the room to her one friend in the class. The one person who would even speak to the mixed girl in class. Bea glanced away quickly from her stare.

She scanned the classroom, the people, and even the marble floor for an answer to the question—besides the one already given. The kids sitting in neat rows facing the front of the classroom continued staring at her, waiting for her response.

"Um, the meaning of the word evil is . . . bad?" Ravenna tried, going for an awkward shrug.

"I—you—what?" Mistress Alyana sputtered as her face heated with color. She sneered at Ravenna to go to the principal's office and for once not to cause trouble.

As she prodded Ravenna with a stick, Mistress Alyana pushed Ravenna out the door and slammed it in her face.

Ravenna awkwardly stared at the closed oak door and turned on her heels. Well, I'm in trouble. She sighed and headed toward the principal's office located on the highest floor of her palace-like school. So unlike her farmhouse two hours away.

She lived on a small prairie on the outskirts of the city. Her family owned a farming business called Blacke Farms, from which they got their money from. Of course, it would never amount to the outrageous wealth of everyone living in Ernest. Never in a million years.

She had started private school here five years ago, alternating sleeping at Ernest Prep Academy during the schooldays and going to Blacke Farms on the weekends. It was tiring—especially after a long day of learning pointless subjects.

But after the seventh time this week being sent to the principal's office, she might get kicked out of school. It wasn't that she was a bad kid, just that she was a bad student. It also didn't help that Mistress Alyana's classroom was equivalent to hell.

The teacher was awful and the students here were uptight and snotty. Even Bea.

Ravenna trudged to the principal's office and prepared for a four-hour-long lecture on "classroom appropriateness." Which she already received 46 times in counting.

. . .

"Ravenna Ezrie Blacke! Why did I get a call from your principal today?" Daeva Blacke, her adopted mother, whisper-shouted. She pinched the bridge of her nose and motioned for Ravenna to get into their rusty silver car.

"What did you get in trouble for today?" Daeva said in an exasperated tone. It really wasn't her fault. It was the seventh time that week Daeva had to drive two hours to pick her up from school because of some classroom issues.

"I didn't really do anything today. I fell asleep—but that's not why I was sent to the office. I answered the question, 'What is the meaning of the word evil?' with 'bad,'" Ravenna grumbled as she slid into the passenger seat of the car.

Daeva muttered something under her breath. She sighed and sat up as she turned on the car engine, "Not everyone appreciates sass, Rae."

"I know," she mumbled as Daeva started the car and the pristine building disappeared from the window. She continued staring out of the car until the city turned to grass fields and grass fields turned into the rolling hills of Blacke Farms.

"You know Mara will probably appreciate you didn't sit back and let Mistress Alyana make fun of you," Daeva mocked Ravenna's teacher's name with a thick heavy accent that the teacher herself spoke in. "Don't let her give you any ideas."

Ravenna had to cover her smile with her hand.

Mara, her other mother, was the reckless side of the coin. Both of her parents grew up in the streets, but while Daeva turned to preventing others from feeling her pain, Mara decided to just not feel the pain.

Daeva pulled the car into their dirt-paved driveway and cut the engine. Mother and daughter exited the car and made for the homemade farmhouse.

The house was painted ivory with ice blue shingles clinging to the roof. Matching window sills were positioned every few feet sending an ungodly amount of sunlight inside.

"Ravenna, go inside and do your homework while I go talk to Mara," Daeva sighed. She nodded dutifully as she hauled her backpack over one shoulder and ran up the wooden stairs. She walked to the closet next to her room and dropped to the ground.

Pressing her ear over the small grate drilled into the floor, Ravenna listened for her moms' footsteps entering the kitchen.

She had learned this little trick when she was only five years old and banged her head on the shelf over the grate. She had landed on the ground and heard football players grunting on the tv.

"Do you think we should find another school for Ravenna?" The semi-throaty voice could only belong to Mara.

"Why? Ravenna seems to be learning just fine." Daeva.

"She's not adjusting," Mara explained.

"What do you mean?" Daeva asked.

"Sure, she's learning fine, but she's not friends with anyone. The teacher treats her like trash—and only because she comes from the slums and not a rich neighborhood."

"You know it's more than that," Daeva said quietly. They both fell silent.

"It's a prestigious school. Why would they be . . . prejudiced against her?" Mara asked. There was another heavy silence. But it was more thoughtful this time. Ravenna shifted her head on the grate so she could see through the small slits that allowed her to see blurry figures beneath her.

"It's Ernest. The most elegant city in the world. They're bound to have opinions on us," Daeva seemed to droop, her posture turning slack.

"We can't just take her out of school. Where else can she go? Ernest Prep is the closest school in a hundred-mile radius!" Mara exclaimed. Both of her parents sighed deeply as they bustled around the kitchen to prepare for dinner.

Ravenna rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling light.

Sure, she didn't belong in the snooty school, but . . . did she like the school? Not really. But where else would she go?

Ravenna sat up and entered her colorful bedroom to do her homework.

. . .

Ravenna slowly opened her bleary eyes to squint at the clock positioned on her desk. 7:37. Holy gods, she fell asleep doing her homework. There was a tray of food on her desk, balanced precariously on the corner to avoid ruining her homework.

There was a drop of drool on the sheet of music she had been writing for school. Ravenna swiped at it and rubbed her eyes.

School.

Ravenna shot up as she rechecked the clock. 7:38. 

"No, no, no, no, no," Ravenna muttered furiously as she slammed her papers into her binder. "NO!" She rushed around her room collecting school stuff and shoved them into her backpack which she slung over her shoulder.

She ignored the plate of food still on her desk as she scanned her bedroom from ceiling to floor. Her bedroom was still full of junk—clothes piled on the foot of her bed, stickers, and posters covering her walls, and no order, just chaos in her room.

She rechecked that she didn't forget anything and ran downstairs. Her teacher was going to give her hell for being late. She was supposed to leave the house by four to get to the school by six.

She skidded to a stop at the base of the stairs as she saw her parents huddled behind the sofa, wide eyes telling Ravenna to run.

She slowed down enough to glance around the room. The couch was flipped onto its side so Mara and Daeva could hide behind it, but besides that fact, the living room was completely normal.

Daeva motioned for her to get down and pointed out the window.

Ravenna immediately dropped her backpack and got on her knees when she beheld what lay beyond that plane of glass.

An army of thousands marched outside of her house—some perched on horses and some marching on their own two legs. Every damn soldier was armed with the latest weapons—top grade.

Ravenna's breathing sped up when she glanced at the barrel-chested general directing the soldiers toward their house.

Still watching the general, Ravenna watched as he picked up a megaphone and yelled into it—words deep and clear, "Blacke Bandits, exit your house peacefully." Ravenna twisted to face her parents, their faces devoid of any color.

"Come out and we won't attack."

Mara and Daeva glanced at each other fearfully, then Ravenna. Daeva immediately began praying to the gods to save them—to save her.

Mara gripped Daeva's shoulder tightly as their focus returned to the red-faced general. His golden armor caught the sun's rays and flashed into her eyes. A blinding headache formed behind her eyes and the general stared into her eyes and smiled.

Finally, we have found the brat.

Ravenna's breathing hitched but for some reason, she held the general's stare. You shall bring us great glory, Heir.

She wanted to claw at her head to get rid of the voice that speared a thousand glass shards into her brain. But the general's glare pinned her hands to the spot.

"We're coming in," the general shouted through the megaphone before throwing it at a nearby soldier and motioning for them to take out the battering ram.

A hand gripped her own and Ravenna twirled to face Daeva's terrified eyes.

"Ravenna," she said fiercely. "When the soldiers come in, I want you to run. No matter what. You run like hell, okay?" Daeva shook Ravenna's shoulders until she nodded.

"Good, when they blast through the door, you run for the back door. You shouldn't be caught up in this. They're not here for you, understand?" Daeva took Ravenna's face into her hands and planted a kiss on her forehead. "You run."

"W-who are they here for?" Ravenna asked. She suddenly felt the reverberations of the battering ram slamming against the iron-enforced door. She had once wondered why her parents had spent so much of their precious money for their door, now she knew.

"Not you," Daeva muttered, thanking the gods.

"Who, then?"

Daeva was about to repeat her answer, but Mara gave her a pointed look. It was full of pain and fear, but it conveyed the general statement. Just tell her.

"For us," Daeva said hoarsely. Mara drooped with shame as she tilted her head back to lean against the back of the couch.

Ravenna stayed silent, but managed to ask, "Why?" She could sense Daeva was about to answer, but the battering ram slammed against the door again, jolting Mara straight up. A loud crack sounded from the door as the force of the battering ram hit the center of the door.

Daeva began muttering something too fast for Ravenna to catch, but Mara grasped her hand tightly to calm her down.

"Again!" 

Ravenna felt the jolt of the battering ram against the door as it finally gave away and splintered into iron shards. Must've been a hell of a battering ram to damage iron.

The soldiers used the butt of their Flares—a weapon used to maim—to break off the jagged edges of the door still clinging to the doorframe.

When the doorway was safe, the general stepped into their house and Ravenna felt true fear coursing through her veins. The general laughed darkly as he beheld the family of three huddled behind the overturned couch.

"You're under arrest, Blacke Bandits," he chuckled as he snapped his fingers. Immediately, two soldiers came into the house with hands full of shackles.

Ravenna clenched her fist, prepared to kick the soldiers if they came any closer, but the general tsked his disapproval.

"And you, Heir, hiding with the trash?" the general asked, directing her attention to him. His black eyes once again pinned her to the spot, rendering her useless when the soldiers started to unlock the shackles to wrap around Mara and Daeva.

"Tie 'em up," the general ordered the two soldiers. They nodded in obedience as they wrapped the heavy chains around the two women.

When her parents were completely covered in the iron bonds, the general smiled, sated.

"And now, for you, Heir," the general began as he turned to face her again. "Let's bring you too. I believe our price for the Blacke Bandits and their stowaway has doubled."

The general flashed a sinister smile her way as he snapped his fingers for the soldiers to bring him a Flare.

"Let's see how long it takes to break the Heir."

The general aimed the Flare at her stomach and clicked the trigger. A ball of pure light electricity blasted towards her and made a direct hit on her stomach. Mara and Daeva watched her with wide eyes as they fought against the chains.

And that's when Ravenna started screaming.