I look at the tenth as her arm vanishes into the background. I'm pretty far away from her, but it's still noticeable. I don't know how to feel about this whole situation. I mean, it's pretty cool, but I don't quite buy it.

My "friends" around me are giggling and punching each other, whispering about the wonders performed at the in front of us.

I twitch when I feel warm breath on my neck. "Isn't this so cool Ray-Ray? They're like gods and goddesses! Oh my daughter, seriously." Maaryya breathes in my ear, punching my bicep with a flirty hint. I push her away. I hate being a guy around her.

"Yeah, real exciting."

I zone out as I press my back against the hot wall, letting the sun burn the lids of my eyes. But my peace and quiet doesn't last long, as I feel another punch on my arm. I frown and turn my head.

"Ray-Ray! C'mon, don't be such a grump-stump." Maaryya bats at me, a big smile on her pink lips. Behind her the others hoot and cheer on her, agreeing with her opinion. I pull my fingers through my hair and unwillingly pull my body away from the wall.

"Fine." I mutter.

"Hey! Did you even see what she did, Ray?" one of my guy friends says, well, more like shouts.

"Yeah, pretty impressive. Don't you think it's kind of fake though?"

"Fake?" he says, sticking his curly head out of the group of teens we call friends. "How the fuck would that be fake?"

"I don't know, they're tenths. Who knows what they can do."

"Well, you should know," says a girl I don't know the name of. "Wasn't your grandpa a tenth?"

I clench my teeth together. Oh Son, how many times I've had to take this conversation. "Yes he was, but he's never spoken to any of us about it. He quit to start a family or something, I don't really know."

"Bullshit!"

"Believe what you want. I'm only telling what I know." I shrug and crack my knuckles. It's been a habit of mine for as long as I can remember. I think it started with some sort of anxiety, due to my piece-of-shit-asshole-father. He was, or I guess is, never home. And whenever he actually decides to pay me a visit, all he does is to scold me and yell at me for every single thing I've ever done in my entire life. He makes me sick.

My mom is never really home either, she is either with my dad at work or at her friends house, or doing some charity thing or whatever the fuck it is. I hate her as well, for never standing up for me, but she's not as much of a monster as my dad. Of course, no one knows about their bad sides except for our maids and me.

Another hit on my arm.

"Holy shit! We'll get to live in the towers!" someone to my side screams, bringing my attention to them.

"Wait, did they say that?"

"Of course, didn't you listen?"

"No." I mutter. "What else did they say?"

The person is about to answer, but Maaryya cuts in with her annoying voice. "She said that everyone who's 16 or 17 gets to come live with them and learn the powers, or whatever. And your family gets money if you leave. And oh! Only you get to decide if you want to go or not."

"They'll be coming to get your answer tonight." The stranger girl tabs in.

I look at them for a moment, trying to take in what they just said. I can go live in the towers. I can go and learn this bullshit. And I can get away from my family, a thing I've wanted to do for a while.

"Well, I'm going." I say. "Why not, right?"

"Are you crazy?" curly haired guy, Keerra, says. "I am so not going. For all we know they're just kidnapping us."

"I thought you thought this was cool?"

"Of course I do! Who wouldn't? I just don't want to die you know?"

I shake my head at him and turn my head to the crowd. Everyone is starting to move away, either in panic or awe. I don't know where I stand, if I'm freaking out or if I'm admiring this whole situation. I'd probably say I'm somewhere in between, in the state where you don't know anything anymore; what's real and what's not. My fingers are itching from not knowing.

"I'm going, Rayveer." Maaryya speaks. I flinch at the sound of my whole surname. I've never liked being called that, since my family has used it more like a curse than a name.

I clear my throat and shake of the uneasy feeling creeping up my spine. "Good for you."

"I wonder if you get to chose who you want to sleep in the same room with ..."

"I don't think they'd put girls and boys together." I furrow my brows. "Isn't that how it always works?"

"I guess."

"Well I'm going home." I stretch my arms up in the air and fake a yawn. "Have to think about what to pack and stuff."

"I'll follow you." The girl from before, the one who asked about my grandfather, push herself away from the group and walks towards me. Her hair is long and strawberry blonde and her eyes big and dark green. I've absolutely never seen this girl before, even though she seems to hang out with our "group". She's probably just another one of those invisible girls who just got some courage to speak up.

"Please don't." I give her a bored look and turn on my heel.

"It's no problem." She says and I can hear her fast footsteps behind me. I ignore her and the chatters and giggles in the background. All I want to do now is to get home, go on a run and sleep.

I feel the girl catch up beside me so I walk faster, the ground hard beneath my feet. Why doesn't she leave me alone?

"I'm Aary by the way." She reaches me and smiles sweetly, but her eyes are nervous. "And you're Rayveer."

I almost laugh at her stupid comment. "I know my name."

When she doesn't answer I glance down at her to see if she's still there. And then someone crashes into my body. I stumble to my right and grab onto Aary to steady myself. To my surprise she manages to keep me above ground.

"Sorry man, didn't see you there." I turn my head to the warm voice and straighten myself. The guy is shorter and lanky with light olive skin, black thick hair and heavy-lidded blue eyes, contrasting his features. He smirks at me.

"It's okay." I mutter and brush of my clothes, even though I never hit the ground.

"I better get going then, good speaking to you." With a slight wave he turns and jog away from us.

"Oh my daughter! Did you see who that was?" Aary blinks up at me, gasping. I shrug, not knowing what she is talking about.

"That was Ddoriaax Rryykh! You don't know who he is?"

"Does it look like it?" she swallows, but tries to hide her uneasiness. I turn my gaze away from her.

Clearing her throat, she speaks. "He is known for sleeping around with people, I have no idea how he succeeds in getting everyone to fall for him after his horrible reputation, but somehow he manages. And no one really knows where he lives, or what he does.

"He doesn't go to school, he talks like a bastard and have no manners whatsoever, at least from what I've heard. And rumor says he steals. How can you not have heard of him?"

"I tend not to listen." The road has turned into a small trail in the woods. It's a shortcut to my house, one I always use. The birds are singing far away, woodpeckers hammering against tree trunks. I love birds, and always have. I don't know why, but I guess there is just something about the carefreeness in what they do. They just fly around, singing all day.

" ... One of my friends had sex with him, and when she woke up the net morning he was gone, together with her super expensive necklace. She confronted her but he swore he didn't take it." Aary babbles on, throwing her hands around while she talks loudly. She accidently hits me on the arm but doesn't say anything. What is up with this girl? Why did she decide to follow me home all of a sudden?

"What are you doing?" I interrupt.

"I'm talking." She lets out a fake giggle. I don't look at her; instead I study the big green trees and their calmness. She twitches at my side, understanding that that was not what I meant.

"I guess I just sort of wanted to say sorry for making you uncomfortable. I was supposed to just follow you and tell you when no one could hear, but then the time just went on ... and yeah."

"Kay."

"I'm going home now, I guess ..." she fakes a giggle again, and walks away. Thank son.

⧫⧫⧫

My house is big, way too big if you ask me. Many would kill to live like I do, and at some level I get that. Being rich and famous is something that is in a way programmed into your brain when you are born. But I guess if you are actually born as rich and famous, the want of being normal is more usual. At least that is how I feel.

Even though I am on the other side of the lawn, I can still hear Rrooc barking behind the front door. I smile to myself at the thought of him. The neatly brushed gravel crunches as I walk on it. I cringe at the sound, knowing that our gardeners worked hard with making it so clean. When I was younger, I used to sneak out and help them fix our yard, even though my father forbade it.

As soon as I open the door Rrooc jumps in my arms. I immediately pull him away, ignoring his big brown eyes.

"You can not do that." I mutter and take down his leach. "It is rude to jump up on people."

"Rayveer!" I hear a voice, and realize it's my father. I stare at leach, my mind blank. What is he doing home? No one has told me about it.

"Yes father?" I bite the inside of my cheek when I hear how ridiculously weak my voice sounds. Rrooc barks at my side and stomps up and down, ready for his afternoon walk. I rub his fluffy ears in a try to comfort him.

"Come to the kitchen!" my fathers voice is stern and cold just like always, but this time, for some reason, it seems older.

I take a deep shaking breath and pull my fingers through my hair, trying to calm down. Rrooc jumps up and down as I walk away from him.

"I will be right back." I whisper to him.

The kitchen is spacy with furniture of white stone, and to my surprise there are no maids, just my father. He looks like the exact copy of me, but older and slimmer. Light brown hair with the same colored eyes, strong facial futures and tanned skin. I hate that I look like him. I hate it so fucking much.

"Yes father?" I murmur. He looks me up and down, taking in my blue long sleeve and gray trousers, getting ready to judge and scold.

"Did you not get ready this morning, son?" I bite my lip at his words, trying not to get effected.

"I was not going to do anything special today, father."

"A man must always look approachable. You never know whom you will meet."

"Did you want to talk about anything special, father?"

"Indeed I did." He clears his throat and takes a sip of water from the glass on the counter. My throat itches as he does so, but I know I really should not move while he is talking to me. "I heard from colleagues about the big announcement. Do you know anything about this?"

"I was there, father."

"I suspected that ... what are your thoughts on the matter?" I nearly choke on my own spit. He has never asked about my opinions or feelings before.

"Well, I guess it is cool, father."

"Language son!" he barks and I flinch, trying my best to keep looking in his eyes.

"I am sorry father."

"No more of that. I just came home to inform you about the fact that you will not be going to the towers."

"What?"

"Are you deaf, son?" he takes another drink and shakes his hand at me. "Off you go, find one of those maids, will you. I am not paying them for hiding."

"Father, wait – what do you mean I cannot go?" the way too familiar lump in my chest bubbles up and I bawl my fists. Who is this man to walk into my life trice each half a year and then tell me what to do and what to not?

"Do I really have to take this conversation with you, Rayveer? You will graduate with good grades and then come to work for my company. That was our plan all along."

"No!" I snap. "It was your plan. I never signed up for it."

"Do not contradict me!" father takes a big step towards me, pointing his finger to my face. My heart races in my chest. I have not challenged his opinions or rules for years, and I cannot decide if I like the feeling of doing it again or not.

"You can not waltz into my life whenever you want and expect me to listen!"

"I warn you, son, you are out on thin ice." He bites, eyes darkening. I gulp but continue.

"Father, I will not listen to you on this –" my words cut off by a stinging pain on left cheek. I bring my hands to my burning skin. He hit me. Our eyes meet and for a second I search for something human, but I see nothing but hollowness. I want to hit him pack so badly my fingers tingle, but I do not. I have to be the bigger man. I cannot sink to his level. I will not turn out like him.

"If you go, you are not my son anymore."

"Well, maybe I do not want to be your son."