Hooves are thundering against the ground. The world around me is a messy blur, not giving me a fair chance to know exactly where I am. Ariico's breathing is fast but steady against my thighs, which are clutching his sides. I push him to run faster, even though I'm nearly falling off from the harsh air resistance.

Ahead of me are the towers, rising up against the sky, glittering in the strong sunlight. But people are already walking away, making my stomach curl up in anxiety.

People scream and throw themselves against walls as I hurry by them. I don't have the time to stay and say sorry, I have to get to the towers.

Now.

I was riding in the woods when the guards were announcing all that stupid shit. And when I got back home I heard someone talk about some important meeting at the towers. Fuck, please don't say it's finished already.

All of a sudden there's a girl in my way. Her hood is hovering above her eyes and she doesn't seem to notice me. I hold my breath and try my best to get around her, but she doesn't want to stop walking.

"Move away you dumb-ass!" I scream, but my words seem to be drowning with all the other noise. But thankfully she halts right before I whizz by her. I let out a big breath, closing my eyes for a second, relived that Ariico didn't stomp her down. I don't need any attention drawn my way.

Right ahead of me there's a rather empty spot in front of a big fancy shop. I take a firm grip on Ariicos lower mane and throw my right leg over the side. Then I jump down, trying to make sure not to get run over by anything or anyone.

A solid shake scores through my whole body as my bare feet smash the ground. But I don't have time to think about the pain. Instead I sprint towards the empty spot and call for Ariico. He comes trotting right behind me as the obedient horse he is. With my lungs throbbing in my chest, I pick up a loose rope from the ground and slackly tie it around Ariicos neck.

"Okay stay here, boy?" I breathe and bind the rope to a water gutter. Without much thought I run into the now even smaller group of people. I scold myself internally for hounding up about this whole thing. I've never cared the slightest shit about anything like this, but for some reason I just get the feeling like it is different this time. Whomever I overheard at home certainly made it a big deal, saying that the guards were acting in a way they've never seen before.

I swear if this fucking meeting was just a stupid pregnancy announcement of some sort, it'll not look good in the near future.

Before I can react I'm on the ground, head slamming against the stone. A scream leaves my mouth, both by fear and pain. I know better than to stand up right now, especially with a hurt skull. I wouldn't be able to defend myself properly.

"Hey, Lowk! Get the fuck out of my way." A male voice shouts at me. I gently open my eyes and search for whoever forced me to the ground. A skinny boy in my age stands just above me, meeting my eyes with a wicked look. I mimic his gaze to seem strong, unafraid.

"I said, get the fuck out of here!"

I am really not in the mood for fighting, not right now, so I take charge with my arms and heave my body up. I don't come far though, before I feel a kick on my hip and I fall back down. Some people are laughing in the background, but the sound is vague because of my throbbing head, and now boiling blood.

"Maybe if you let me, I could actually move." I say.

"You'll just have to find another way, I guess." The guy is definitely an uuk, with his neat blonde haircut and nicely embroidered shirt. Me myself, am definitely a lowk, anyone could see it. It's just the way I am; a real fucking lowk with no respect from anyone.

"Can you please move away so that I can get out of here?" I fake a super sweet voice. It's not meant to convince him of doing as I told; it is simply a voice of mocking. As suspected, another kick is hurled my way. Thankfully I see it this time and with a quick hand I grab his ankle. For a millisecond I get to see the confusion on the assholes face, before I pull him down to the ground with me. I hurry to stand and then I run away, hiding the best I can between the people who are still here.

Seconds later I spot Ariico, still standing where I bound him. I sigh in relief and rush towards him and his protection. No sane human without any weapon would ever go up against his massive build and big hooves, and as far as I know; that boy didn't have anything but strong punches and kicks.

I quickly kiss his mule and mount him the best I can with my painful head and mind. Now I don't know what to do. I still don't know what the fuck is going on, and knowing my neighborhood it won't be easy finding someone who actually went to the meeting. I let Ariico wander as he wants while I look around me. There are little to no people outside now, maybe they're all eating dinner. Maybe they're all happy and laughing. I lick my lips in frustration.

"What do we do?" I whisper to Ariico. Even though he can't understand or respond, he always listens. He never judges. He doesn't care where I live, where I'm from or what my family is like. He loves me no matter what.

"There are no horses allowed here! You need to leave miss." The voice is firm, but irritated. It's a guard. His helmet's slanting slightly on his head and his back is slumping, like he's been standing for hours. Which he probably have.

"I'll leave in just a second!" I nearly scream in joy. A guard, why didn't I think about asking them before? "Can you please tell what the meeting was about?

He wrinkles his big nose at me. "If you were late, you have yourself to blame."

"No please! I have to know if it's important."

"No."

My hopefulness drains out of my body and I turn away with a nod, letting Ariico take me home in a fast gallop. I try and convince myself that I didn't miss out on anything, that the leaders were announcing something so fucking dumb that no one would even care to listen. But it doesn't work. The uneasy feeling in my stomach that it was something different about this still lingers.

⧫⧫⧫

My house is small and red, windows broken and vines twisting their ways up the walls. It used to be a happy home. It used to have flowers that my mom would take care of, just to make everything a little better. There are no flowers anymore. Not anywhere.

"Noooo!" the shriek slams through my eardrums and I throw my body off Ariico. I skim through the messy yard and try to avoid the pain of glass cutting up my bare feet. The door is open and I plunge inside, grabbing the kitchen counter to stop me from falling and hitting my head again.

"I fucking told you to clean up while I was gone!"

"But- but I did –" she is cornered in the kitchen, eyes watered and hands up in a way to protect.

"Well it doesn't look like it you fucking bas-"

"Leave her alone you asshole!" I shout, reaching for the broom, or at least for the place the broom usually is.

"Who are you to barge into my house and interrupt my business?" the man's eyes are red shot and puffy, his skin just as gross and greasy as his big beard. My heart is thumping loudly in my chest as he lurks his way toward me.

"This is my house too." I whisper. I hate the helplessness in my voice. I hate how it makes him sneer in that awful way and I hate how I have to put up with it whenever he is home.

"You are not my family." He picks up an empty glass bottle, tossing it between his both hands. I fumble for something to defend myself with, but find nothing. Panic soars through me, making my knees wobble. I don't want him to see. I don't want him to know he is my biggest nightmare. I don't want to.

"You don't belong in this world, Nhooraay." He says my name like a curse, like the words taste bitter and awful in his mouth. "I better kill ya, don't you think?"

"Don't do it father!" my baby sister shouts from behind him, but it's too late. His scarred arm lunges above his head and lets the bottle sore through the air, its aim on me. Just like every time he does this, the world seems to move in slow motion. Why, I don't know. But I don't like it; I just want it to be over right away. I just want to feel the pain. But this time, there is no pain. Big hands grab my shoulder and throw me to the right, causing the glass bottle to smash against the wall instead of my head. My hip aches as I smack onto the broken tile floor, but I don't care as I feel my tense nerves relax just a bit.

"Father, don't hurt her." A tall skinny boy with black hair stands before me. I immediately know who he is. And just like that, my nerves are tensing again.

"Don't tell me what to do, kid!"

"I respect you and your decisions, you know that." My brother lies. He is standing in front of me, making sure his father can't spring forward and harm me. "But this is my sister, you might not like her. But I love her. So leave her alone."

Kaayrr glares, rubbing his beard with dirty fingers. It's a sign of defeat, I have learnt that much about him. For some reason my little brother has that impact on his father; the gift of being able to stop him from doing awful things to me. Kaayrr leaves with one last death stare my way. I shoot him my middle finger when he can't see, before I heave myself off the ground.

"Are you okay?" Maaxoos voice is filled with worry.

"You don't do that, okay! You can get hurt." I scold him for the hundredth time. I know Kaayrr would never psychically hurt either Maaxoo or Kkaalo; there are his biological children after all. But I wouldn't dare admit that to them. I need them to know that they don't have to protect me. I am the oldest; I should protect them.

"He was going to fucking kill you! Are you completely insane?" my brother scolds back. I grab the back of his neck and push him down so that he's my height.

"You can't protect me, okay? It's not your job."

"Unbelievable." His dark brown eyes bore into mine with the look of disappointment and frustration I've seen so many times. It used to eat me alive, but not anymore. I know he's just angry at the situation, not me. Though I don't know if that even matters. Maaxoo breaks out of my grip and run outside. I don't have time to wonder where.

"Are you okay?" now it's my turn to ask. Kkaalo's still in the corner, drying her tears with the back of her hand. Her jet-black hair is straight down to her shoulders, matted by sweat, her eyes puffy and dark.

"I'm fine."

"Did he do anything to you?" I start walking toward her in concern, but my legs quickly give up when a pain like fire numbs my feet. I grit my teeth and fall down on the floor again.

"What happened?" I hear Kkaalo jog towards me, but I can't tare my eyes away from my bloody feet.

"I just stepped on some glass." I bite. My feet feel like fire, like someone is cutting the soles with burning metal. They rise in the air by Kkaalo; the sudden movement almost makes me fall out of my sitting position. My little sister examines my feet, a scowl plastered on her face. She looks so much like her father and brother. They all have the same black hair, tall frames and dark piercing eyes. I don't share my siblings' beauty. Instead I'm short and bruised with boring gray eyes and frizzy brown hair.

"This will hurt." Kkaalo says, and before I can react she pulls one of the glass-plates out of my left foot. I hiss in pain, grabbing my ankle. The glass is dirty with fresh blood and dust from outside. I cringe at the sight, just in time for another piece to be drawn out.

"I need something smaller ..." Kkaalo mutters, getting ready to stand up. I grab her wrist to stop her.

"Why?"

"There are smaller pieces in there, I need to get them out with something."

"No need for tools." I say and take a deep breath before digging my nails into the sore flesh of my soles. I keep a steady hold of Kkaalos wrist as an anchor as I pluck out the tiny pieces of glass. She rubs my shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Done." I breathe and rest my head against the counter.

"Well done, didn't know you had it in you!" she jokes, slapping my head playfully. It hurts, but I don't show it. Instead I try to smile at her.

"Then you don't know anything about me."

"You need something to stop the blood." She changes the subject quickly, ripping of a part of her tunic.

"What the fuck are you doing? You need your clothes dumbass!"

"Well, you need not to bleed to death." She ties the fabric around one of my feet, tying it together near my toes. Before she has the time to destroy her clothing even more, I snatch a piece of my own tank top. She glares at me, but lets me care of my other foot myself.

"All cleaned up."

"Thanks to your awesome sister." Kkaalo smiles and helps me up from the floor. It hurts and my knees buckle, but she quickly throws my arm around her shoulders. Doing her best to keep me up, we limp through the kitchen and into our room. Even though Kkaalo is only 13 years old, she's taller than me by four inches. I always feel so small next to her and her long legs.

"Why don't you rest?" she asks and puts me down on my matrass. I shake my head, but feel myself sinking into a slumber anyway.

⧫⧫⧫

"Wake up!" my eyes flicker open as someone shakes me wildly.

"We need to talk." My brother says and lets go of me. His black hair is ruffled by wind and he has dirt on the side of his eye. I lick my thumb and reach out to clean it, but he smacks my hand away.

"Where did you run of to?" my guardian instincts kick in and I grab his hand, jerking him down to the floor.

"No that doesn't matter! What matters is that I heard about a meeting the leaders held." My ears immediately perk up at his words.

"Thank daughter! What happened? How'd you find out?"

"Easy!" my brother scolds. "I was at the market in the Ceekkers trying to get some food when I overheard these elderly women. They talked about some gathering and how it was this whole fuzz about it –"

"Get to the point Maaxoo."

He rolls his eyes at me, but continues. "So I walk up to them and ask what the fuck they're talking about. Thank son they didn't mind me looking like a crappy lowk, or else I wouldn't have gotten the information about the most important thing that will ever happen to this family!"

"Just tell me what fuck is going on!" my heart beets fast in my chest. I knew this wasn't something as regular as a pregnancy announcement. But I didn't think it would be as big as the most important thing in our lives.

"They have developed powers, real powers! And they want people between the age of 16 and 17 to develop them as well, isn't that awesome?"

"What the –"

"Oh believe me when I say I thought they were lying, but son was I wrong –"

"Are you serious? What kind of shit did they for force into your brain?"

"It's not –"

"Did you see them perform this power they told you about?"

He stays silent.

"Did anyone else confirm that it was true?"

Silence.

"Did you think about asking someone else?"

"I think it's true."

"Are you dumb? Old people say weird shit, they might even be insane!"

"They didn't sound insane!" Maaxoo stands his ground, staring at me with confidence. I groan and put my still aching head on my pillow again.

"Did you at least get any food?" I mutter hopefully, my stomach curling in hunger.

"I'll be right back." In a second he is off the floor and out of the room. I don't really know if that was some sort of answer to my question or if he just ignored it. I'm too tired to think, so I roll over to my side and close my eyes again. The words Maaxoo told me swirl around in my mind, beating against my temples. Why would those old hags say that to him? And how in the world could he believe them? He's 16, not 5.

Right before I feel myself falling asleep again, Maaxoo bursts into our room again. I groan and lock eyes with him.

"I need to sleep if I'm gonna go get some food for us later."

"Just listen here." Maaxoo bends down, holding a newspaper in his hands. I snatch it away from him.

"Where did you get this?"

"I brought it back home with me, but I forgot. So I'm showing you now. Hopefully you will actually believe me."

I scowl at him and open the paper. It's bumpy and cracked on different pages, probably from being thrown around. I skim through it, badly looking for what actually happened at the meeting. Maaxoo snatches the paper way from me, I give him an irritated look.

"Are you blind?" he mocks, and skip back all the pages to the first one. It shows a big photography. I immediately recognize it being the platform in front of the towers. But that's not the thing that makes my jaw drop.

"What is that?"

"I told you I wasn't lying!"

"But he is throwing up water?"

"I guess he is. And did you see, there's water from his hands as well?" Maaxoos eyes are filled with awe. I blink at the picture.

"What does this mean?" I say.

"I told you! Didn't you listen?"

"Of course I did!" I press my finger to my temples. "No one is going, though."

"Why not? You need to go, Nhooraay! You're getting abused here."

"You don't think I know that?" I hiss. "If anyone of us are going, it's you."

"Fuck no! Father doesn't hurt me or Kkaalo. Never has, never will. The way he treats you isn't fair –"

"Nothing is fair, Max."

"If you go, will get money. Kkaalo and I can move away, start a new life without father, and when you come back you'll see what a wonderful home you've made for us –"

"I can't just leave you! What if Kaayrr beats you? I could never live with that you idiot." I shoot up from my bed, but my hurting feet won't take the weight and I almost fall over. Maaxoo catches me and heaves me back into bed.

"What happened to you?" he asks, but I just glare at him.

"It's not important! What's important is that none of us are going to those stupid towers."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Maaxoo takes a deep breath. "If you're not going, I'm gonna have father abuse me as well."

"What the fuck are you talking about –"

"If he does this fucking shit to you, then he has to do it to me too."

"You're –"

"It's that or you go, you go and save all of us from that asshole!"

"Don't you dare blackmail me Maaxoo!"

"I'm sorry, Nhooraay, but I have to. I can't let you live like this." His eyes tear up, and I feel mine doing the same. I hold back the burning feeling; he can't see me vulnerable. I'll cry when I'm alone.

"I have to ..." he sniffs, and I pull him into a tight hug. Immediately he starts sobbing, and I do my best to hold his tall frame as well as trying not to cry.

"Okay." I whisper between his bawling. "Okay, I'll go."