Alright, before I begin this, I want to say sorry. For not updating anything else I have started. I have not had any motivation to write lately, and this is the most I've had, for a while, but it's directed towards this idea, not any of my stories that are already up. I will try to update them AS SOON as possible, but no guarentees, because I can only do so much, and being busy just kills my motivation to write. Thank you, and enjoy my new story that I will continue at some point, but here is the beginning chapter.
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The night sky stretched across the lands of Norta, silence sweeping over the Eastern woodlands. I sat high in the limbs of a tree, watching the stars and listening to the soft sounds of the night. I do this often, as it's the only way I see that I can take a breath, have a moment of peace. I find these quiet nights refreshing, much better than sitting in the crowded house that belongs to my family, back in my village.
There is my two older brothers, twins in fact. They're names are Reese and Nico. And then, there is my sister, Charlie, who is two years older than I am. Reese and Nico were conscripted into the war four years ago. Charlie, however, runs a small business. She's about the only successful one. Charlie owns her own shop. And then, there is me. My name is Mikal Holland. I am the youngest of my family, at seventeen years old. It will only be about five months before I am conscripted into the war.
Like any other Red, I am not special, according to society. But, I am not really special in any other way, either. I am more of an outcast to my family. I love them dearly, but in a sense, I only feel little love back. My mother is the one I am closest to. Reese and Nico were sent off when I was thirteen, and even then, I could just feel it. How I am looked down upon, how I am a failure. Charlie is more or less, the sister I never wanted. She's always in the spotlight, but also looks down on those like me. If I didn't know any better, she might have an attitude towards me like a Silver does towards a Red. I have never been good at any particular skill, so I couldn't find a job. Not that there is any, of course. I don't have many friends, either. They're quite hard to come by, these days.
The society we live in today, is a complete and total monarchy of hell. I would change it, if I could. But I am only a mere Red. I have no power. I am not Silver. Silvers are over and above Reds. Strength and Power. The motto of the Silvers. And don't get me wrong, they have both strength and power. The King, The Queen, Princes, and just about every other Silver citizen, has the power to kill within an instant. If only they could see the blood staining their sleeves.
Reds are seen as commoners, to put it simply. But below Silvers. We are shields, servants, the workforce. Most Reds, by Silvers, are seen as uneducated, savage and meaningless. That, is where I am different. I am well educated. I did educate myself, for the majority. I went to school as much as possible, but it still wasn't enough. So I began to steal books. Wether they be works of fiction, nonfiction, recollections of the past, battle strategies, mathematics, I took what I could find. And I continued to read, teaching myself. However, my education isn't enough to flip this world upside down.
The soft breeze brushes against my tanned skin, my almost-black hair draping across my shoulders and down my back. I watch the sky, the ever so soft movement from trees in the wind. This is what I find peaceful. This is my escape from this worlds society.
This is where I can be myself.
• • • •
It was well past midnight by time I tiptoed back into my home. Sleep came easy that night, but not for long. A mere six hours later, everyone was waking up to get ready to push through another day.
"Mikal! You need to run to the marketplace today. We need more vegetables to cook with." My mother's voice called, as she stepped into the doorway of the room that the boys, Charlie, and I stayed in. We were fortunate, for being in such a small village, that we had one of the bigger homes.
"Alright, Mom." I responded, walking out of the room after getting dressed for the day. I slid on my boots, and went to open the door. As the door swung open, I stopped dead in my tracks. I could feel the fear starting to grip at my heart, my pace quickening.
"Mikal Holland, you have been summoned to Summerton."