The city was burning. I ran down the street, calling out for my little sister.

"MADELINE! MADELINE!" I screamed. I heard a screech around the corner. I bolted towards the scream. Just as I rounded the corner, I was met with a flash of blue light and my sister's dead body on the ground. A menacing smile stepped out of the darkness. One person whom I feared with all of my soul, The cause of my nightmares and my parents' death stood before me and I wanted with all of my being to kill him.

"What a lovely surprise." The man hissed. "Both of you before me. Why don't you join your sister?"

With that, I woke up in a panic. The alarm on my phone was going off. Groggily, I rolled out of bed. It was still gray outside. I took my morning pills, turned on some music, and popped into the shower. I say 'popped' when I really mean 'plopped'. I sat on the floor of the shower, letting the water cascade over my body. I hummed along to Lorde. I had another day of teaching ahead of me, but something felt off.

After I got dressed and packed my bag, I clomped downstairs. My foster mom, Lori, was making bacon on the stove.

"Good morning, sweetie pie!" Lori smiled. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yep!" I lied. Lying came easily to me; I had lied my whole life, even to my family. I grabbed a muffin, some bacon, and a glass of milk and quickly ate.

"You have plenty of time to get there before school, slow down!" Lori laughed. I shook my head.

"They changed the schedule, and that clock is slow. Madeline must have changed it." I shrugged. Lori's jaw dropped. She checked the time on her phone.

"Oh, that girl." Lori sighed. I scarfed down the rest of the food and grabbed my bag to leave. "Don't drive too fast!" Lori warned. "And be careful. Those slave companies are in town. You lock your car doors and don't do anything to draw attention to yourself."

Lori had every reason to be concerned about my safety. It had only been a year since her own daughter, Hannah, had disappeared. I still missed her; she was like a sister to me.

I pecked a kiss on Lori's dark cheek and ran out the door.

I slipped into my car and plugged in my iPod, turning on the tunes. The music industry, though it had diminished and become limited, was still around. Though I would have been fine with the music that already existed, I was thankful that new music was still coming my way. It gave me a sense of hope.

Beyoncé started blaring out of my speakers and I backed out of the driveway. The school wasn't too far away. When I pulled up to the school, I put in my headphones.

The halls were empty so I began to dance. I finished off the end of Another One Bites The Dust when Heat of The Moment by Asia filled my ears and I air guitared to my classroom. I jumped and turned, kicked and shook. It wasn't until I felt eyes on me did I stop. I looked around, and saw no one. Shrugging off the feeling, I headed into my classroom.

There was a pile of new text books on my desk: my curriculum for next year. I flipped open one of the books and saw the censorship that had been issued. I began skimming through a history book and I was shocked to find one of the last chapters called The Usurpers.

The title made my sick to my stomach. Loki truly wanted to erase all memory of hope.

"The Avengers, as the group called themselves, attempted to stop Loki's plan to protect the people." The chapter read. I was in New York. I saw Thor, Captain America, Ironman, and the rest defending us. The memory of Thor pulling me out of the rubble will forever be ingrained in my mind. There was a look of defeat on his face, just after they realized there was no hope. I barely had any time to take cover before Loki arrived.

I watched from afar as Loki's soldiers chained up the Avengers. I ran out the back of the building to find my sister. The world was in panic.

"Citizens of earth, I am Loki of Asgard, your new king." Loki announced. "Kneel before me."

No one moved a muscle. I scanned the crowd for Madeline, hoping she would not get in trouble. Then, from out of no where, I heard a small voice.

"Excuse me Mister, excuse my language, but you are really stupid." Madeline said. I heard whispers in the background. I tried to push my way to her.

"You are a silly little girl." Loki laughed.

"You wanna know why? Because you are dealing with humans. We are the toughest race. You can knock us down and crush us, and we get back up."

"You are nothing compared to me. You are an ant."

"Ants can still bite." Madeline said rather sassily. "And besides, who would bow to a man dressed like a goat?"

That was the last straw. Loki fumed, raising his spear. I bolted through the crowd, pulling Madeline behind me.

"Please don't!" I cried. "She's just a child!" Loki lowered his spear, amused.

"And who are you? Her mother?" He questioned.

"I'm her sister." Madeline pulled on my jacket, trying to see. "Please, she meant nothing by it."

"Children learn from their elders, you should be more careful how you act from now on. I won't be merciful to those who dare insult me again." Loki warned. I nodded, blending back into the crowd. I kept my head low, bowing with the rest. It was degrading. Loki was no king, he was a tyrant, a dictator. As our new ruler and his men walked through the crowd, I could feel his gaze burning into me.

I searched for my parents among the refugees. The camp for New York City was just outside the city. I couldn't find them, wherever I searched. My older brother Mark, who worked in the military, had gone missing as well. Madeline cried for Mom and Dad almost every night. It took me years to tell her they weren't missing, they were gone forever.

The bell rang, bringing me back from those horrid memories. I slammed the book shut and put it in the closet, tears in my eyes. I quickly dried them as my students came in laughing. I put my usual fake smile on my face, ready to get through the day.

"Alright guys, History! Pass your reports up the row and I'll collect them!" I announced. "Now, today we will begin our study of World War II!" I saw a face in the doorway for just a few seconds, but I couldn't make out who it was.

As I was packing up to head home, I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in." I sighed. The principal walked in, smiling weirdly.

"Hello, Ms. Sigyn." He said blankly.

"Hello, Mr. Seng." I replied.

"Are you almost done here?" He walked over to my desk.

"Yes sir." I nodded. "And...I don't mean to be rude or anything, but is there anyway I can avoid teaching the new curriculum next year?"

"Why?" A look of skepticism crossed his face.

"It's just, they bring back some really bad memories."

"Well, I guess I could move you to the kindergarten next year, since Mrs. Applegate is retiring."

"Thank you!" I sighed with relief. Mr. Seng scanned the room nervously. There was something wrong. "Are...are you alright sir?"

Mr. Seng shook his head.

"Yes, I'm fine." He mouthed 'No' and picked up a pen and pad. "I'm going to give you my number so we can talk more about the kindergarten curriculum." Once he finished, he hand me a piece of paper that read, "Ears listening. Get out and run. You're not safe."

"Thank you sir." I nodded, plastering a smile on my face. "I will call you Sunday. I have to help my family tomorrow."

I scribbled a note to him saying, "Who is here?" Mr. Seng shook his head. He couldn't say who it was. I began to panic. I couldn't abandon my family.

"Thank you. Have a lovely weekend." He walked with me out the of my classroom and down to the entrance. He handed me an envelope that read, "Open in secret." On the front. I nodded and left the building. Quickly jumping into my car, I left as quickly as I could. My chest began to tighten at the thought of being taken away from my family.

I drove home quickly and ran up to my room. Locking the door, I made sure no one could see the envelope. Inside, there was a plane ticket to the opposite side of the world, a credit card, and a letter.

Melody, I know this is short notice, but you must get out of here. Go into hiding as soon as possible. The Preston Company is after you and they will stop at nothing till you are theirs. If you do not leave now, then you will be caught.

I read the note again and again. The Preston Company was the leader in slave trade at the time. If they were after me, it would be nearly impossible to hide from them. Quickly, I stuffed everything in my backpack, along with some extra clothes and my medicines. Lori was nowhere in the house so I left her a note.

In my stress and rush, I did not notice the black SUVs pulling up outside the house. Bursting out the door, I ran straight into the arms of a guard. I struggled, kicked, and screamed. It was no use.

I felt a sharp pain in my neck and suddenly, I felt dizzy.

"That's it, go to sleep." Someone soothed. I still struggled weakly as they placed me in a car. There was nothing I could do except accept my fate.

I only saw blurs. There seemed to be a man with long black hair and green and black clothing in the car. I tried to move away from him, but he only pulled me closer. Surrendering to him, I laid my head on his lap. And as I drifted off into darkness, I felt him playing with my hair. I whimpered.

"Shhhh..." A familiar voice soothed. "Just go to sleep."

The King paced around the room. Five years had passed. Everything had gone smoothly. There had been little resistance from the people. The economy had stabilized and trade had been opened with the rest of the Galaxy. And now he could finally focus on himself.

The day his new world had begun the smallest child had dared to resist him and her sister protected her. That bold action to beg for mercy had caught his attention. He had kept his eye on the sister since that day. He made sure she had a family, a job, and enough to keep her stable.

There were certain matters that needed attendance, his own personal needs and lusts. Eventually, he would need an heir, but for now, someone to keep his bed warm would suffice.

"Melody Sigyn." He muttered to himself, staring out the window at the ruins of New York. "I believe it's time I collected you."