Frankly, I had expected my initiation into the Phoenix People to be more terrifying. Mysterious. Oh, and painful. In the books I read, the characters were sometimes branded or even tattooed when they joined cults. I supposed the Phoenix People weren't technically a cult, and I did rather enjoy not having to be harmed, but it all still felt rather anticlimactic.

The remaining cloaked figures filed out of the temple as Moon led me back into my bedroom.

"Who were they?" I asked curiously, wondering why the strange people had never bothered to reveal their faces. Surely we would all be working together in the future?

"I'll explain in a moment," Moon assured me. "For now, we have other matters to discuss."

I sat on the edge of my bed, hands folded in my lap, looking for all the world, I was sure, like a model student, ready to be taught.

"The Phoenix People were created roughly a century ago, around the same time that Highborns rose to power," Moon began. Her words sounded ever so slightly rehearsed as if many a young Lowborn had formerly been sitting in my place, eager to begin their rebellious work. I doubted I was anywhere nearly as excited, but I listened all the same.

"At first, they had no hideouts. No headquarters. They merely met at one of several houses every month and caused riots, near-violent protests, that sort of thing.

"Finally, one of the few members was captured. The others, hearing rumors of their comrade's brutal torture, vanished into the sewers for fear of being ratted out by him.

"For an entire year, those seven remaining revolutionaries lived underground in the stinking pits of the city, terrified to visit even their  families for fear of the horrors they might discover had been wrought upon them, or the horrors that might have been wrought upon anyone seen fraternizing with the Phoenix People. Finally, warily, they ventured above-ground and found their families gone. It was their worst nightmare - they had been discovered, and their loved ones had paid their steep price.

"From there, they knew that they had to act out in larger ways than before. They formed themselves into the Council. They began constructing the underground hideout with the help of a handful of sympathetic Highborns, making valuable connections to Lowborns with any scraps of authority in the process. Soon, Lowborns began to seek them out for help. Many left when they realized the price of joining the Phoenix people. But some stayed. The People took in orphans, cripples, anyone that society - even other Lowborns - viewed as useless.

"Over the next century, the Phoenix People's power, population, and infamy within the Highborns only grew, as did their resources and connections. Now, we are what you have seen today, and much more." Moon took a deep breath and cleared her throat, obviously worn out by the long tale. "Questions?"

Now it truly felt like a lesson. I had no idea where to start with everything I wanted to know. "Who were those cloaked figures, the ones who just initiated me?"

"That was the Council. It still stands today. They came to judge you and your honesty. Most of the time, myself or several other authorities within the Phoenix People initiate new members - but the Council happened to be stopping through, and knew they couldn't pass up the chance to meet you themselves. Just in case."

"Will I get to speak with them?"

"No." Moon's voice was firm and final, and I knew there would be no negotiating the subject.

"Did I pass their test?"

"You're still alive." Moon acted like this was a sufficient answer and after some quick thought, I supposed it was.

"So this church is the rebellion's headquarters?"

"No."

I blinked, confused. "Then, where...?"

"I am not at liberty to tell you." Her voice was cold and strict.

I laughed, shaking my head incredulously. "It seems that every time I manage to get a scrap of information out of one of you, a dozen more secrets emerge."

Moon merely smiled, waiting. She knew full well that I wasn't finished with my inquiry.

"How do Lowborns find you now?"

"They know - or are told - to come to the temple and pray when they need help. Sometimes, the gods assist them and their problems vanish without our interference. Usually, I overhear their prayers and reach out to the ones that I trust. I know that it's disrespectful to listen in to such a private moment, but it's part of my job, both as a priest and rebel."

"Does every rebel know how to read and write?" The idea of an army of educated Lowborns was an odd one - slightly intimidating, as well.

"All know - at least, somewhat. We fully teach anyone who actively seeks the knowledge or whose position in the Phoenix People requires it, but otherwise, our members choose their level of education."

I had many more questions, especially surrounding this topic, but none were incredibly pressing, save one. "What is my role in all of this?" I gestured around me broadly.

"For now, you train. Give us information about your brother or the castle when we ask for it. Possibly help take care of our children."

"I could teach reading and writing," I suggested, feeling my heart slow with relief. After all, my tasks sounded simple - not at all dangerous or life-threatening.

"That's a wonderful idea, Alexia. After enough training, the Council will discuss your official position." Moon smiled fondly at me, obviously glad that I wasn't pushing for a different lifestyle within the Phoenix People

Again, I felt overwhelmed with what I had discovered. I was truly going to be one of them - the rebels I had heard horror stories about my entire life.

"There are some people you should probably meet," Moon said slowly after a moment of silence.

*

The people Moon wished me to meet were located in a room just down the hall and to the right. Gently, she knocked on the slightly ajar door , motioning me forward as she pushed it open without waiting for a response from within.

I stepped into a nursery.

Two beds and three cribs lined the left wall. Another was pushed carelessly to the right of the door, obviously not in use. Dolls and wooden figurines littered the floor, and a rocking chair was inhabited solely by heaps of miniature clothes and broken toys.

A woman, young and quite pretty, sat on the floor with four children. Her black hair was twisted into a bun with a few loose strands framing her delicate Highborn features. While one of her eyes was a dark brown or possibly black, the other was bright violet.

A pair of twins fought halfheartedly over a rag doll. Judging by the matching dresses they wore, they were girls. Both had blond fuzz adorning their heads and bright blue eyes, like mine. They were obviously Highborn children, and looked barely old enough to walk.

A little boy was staring at an empty patch on the floor, his eyes glazed over as if he was deep in thought. He had no hair, and his eyes had a yellowish tint to them. It was rare, but perhaps he was a defective changeling.

The oldest child was a girl, about eleven or twelve years of age, who was braiding her own hair, reading a book held open with one knee. Her long tresses were a pretty, light blond, and her eyes were a stormy blue. She had high cheekbones but a gentle jawline. She looked neither Highborn or Lowborn - she had features of both.

"Moon?" asked the pretty woman, rising. "Who is she?" The children paused in their respective tasks and watched the exchange, even the listless, yellow-eyed child.

"Grace, this is Princess Alexia Fairmeadow. She has risked much to join us. I thought perhaps you might want to introduce her to...the children."

"You mean me." The eldest child, the strange-looking girl, finished her braid and stood, closing her book, her tone mild. "You always mean me."

Moon smiled fondly. "You're a perceptive one, Anna."

Anna. That was a nickname for two different Highborn names, either Annabel or Annamarie. Was this child truly an illegitimate half-breed?

Anna did not smile at the compliment. She stepped forward and regarded me seriously. As young as she was, I still felt oddly nervous under her scrutiny.

"I'm Annamarie," she said finally, extending a slender hand. Still rather thrown off by the strange child, I quickly shook her hand. "I suppose you're confused as to what I am. Everyone is, at first."

Her forwardness continued to shock me into silence. I merely nodded my head.

"I'm what people like to call a halfbreed," Annamarie started calmly. "I prefer the name middleborn, however. My parents both worked for the rebellion. My father is a Highborn, my mother is a Lowborn. She was one of the Council when I was little, but she died in a raid on a Highborn noble's property. My father is the reason the Phoenix People are so well connected. He taught me - "

"Anna! Enough!" Grace snapped hastily. She smiled apologetically at me and lowered her gaze nervously, as if fearing my punishment, although I was in no place to dole it out.

"You can trust me," I urged them both, trying to think of everything a Highborn could teach a Lowborn that was against our rules. Reading and writing were obviously already taught here...possibly politics? Ballroom dancing? Legal affairs? None of them seemed to merit being carefully guarded secrets.

The pair kept quiet, and it was obvious I would not receive an answer. Sighing, I glanced helplessly at Moon.

"Maybe I should show you to your trainers," the priestess suggested, looking thrown off by how quickly things had spiraled into awkwardness.

"It was very nice to meet you all," I said politely as Moon inched toward the door.

"Serenity, Hope, say bye-bye," Grace cooed to the twins, her stiff expression softening as she looked upon the children. The love in her eyes and the similar name theme between her and the girls easily led me to the conclusion that they were her daughters. "Jack, wave bye-bye!" This last command was directed at the little boy, who had long resumed his former aloof position. As none of the children reacted to Grace's orders, their caretaker sighed and shrugged, shooting me another apologetic glance, this time with a slight smile.

"Farewell, Princess," Annamarie said formally, reopening her book even as she spoke. I raised my hand in a weak farewell and hastened to follow Moon from the room.