Author's Note: I've been really busy with college and life in general, so I haven't been able to write much. Don't expect updates regularly, though I will try to finish the stories on my account. I apologize for the lack of updates, and I promise that I will write when I have the time! Thank you for your patience! NOTE: THIS IS A PREVIEW OF AN ORIGINAL WORK. THIS IS NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM RELATED TO THE STORY,

The Cursed and Lucky Stars appeared after the Great Emperor started his reign over a thousand years ago. It is said that He brought them, Cursing some and Blessing others. However, I am not so sure of that fact.

CHAPTER 1: BETRAYAL

"There are legends. Stories of a time before the Great Emperor. It is said that there weren't any born under the Stars. The animals were allowed to roam without a Herder to reign them in."

Leona smiled as she spun her tales of the past. Casa loved to hear the stories of the years before the Great Emperor.

"It is time to sleep, child. You need to rest, and it is getting late." Leona whispered.

Casa knew the streets quite well. They were dangerous, something she was aware of more than most. She was, after all, Cursed, a half noble-half commoner mix. She wasn't fit to serve in any of the different factions of the government.

Casa was barely a teenager. She had an older brother, Kaiser and her mother. She didn't know anything about her father. Whenever Casa brought him up, Leona would stiffen and change the subject.

Casa woke early the next morning, soft sunlight barely visible through the cloth canvas of the tent. Kaiser was gone, likely raiding some noble's house for food and money. She frowned. Her brother never took her on raids. He insisted that it was too dangerous. So Casa took up pickpocketing.

Leona was still asleep. Her breathing was somewhat relaxing to Casa.

"Casa?"

Casa turned. "Hi, Jay." she grinned.

Unlike Casa, Jay was an orphan, adopted by Leona about a month before Casa's thirteenth birthday.

"Do you have any plans for today, Casa? I've heard that Gadel is out shopping at the moment, not too far from here." Jay said.

Casa grinned, "One of the highest ranking nobles, coming down into the streets? That's just asking for trouble."

"Are you really going to...?"

Casa nodded. "Why shouldn't I? He's a noble, after all. He's one of the more unsavory ones. I've heard stories, you know."

"Stealing from a man like that is dangerous, though!" Jay protested.

"You shouldn't have told me about his little shopping trip if you didn't want me to pickpocket him." Casa smiled, lightly punching Jay in the arm.

"Honestly...the things you do could get you executed." Jay sighed.

"If I didn't do them, we would die of starvation." Casa said quietly.

"Kaiser's raids don't provide enough money for us?" Jay asked, amused.

Casa scowled, "He should take me with him! I can handle raiding noble homes!"

Jay shook his head. "Kaiser cares about you, Casa. He doesn't take you because he doesn't want to see anything happen to you."

"But still..." Casa began

"That's enough of that, Casa." Jay said.

"Let's go. Gadel isn't going to stay in our turf for long!" Casa grinned, abruptly changing the subject.

"I'm not coming." Jay said.

"Yes, you are!" Casa insisted.

"I don't want..." Jay was interrupted as Casa seized his wrist and dragged him off towards the shopping area, grinning from ear to ear.


"There he is!" Casa said, pointing at a man wearing a deep red suitcoat.

"You're really going to go through with this." Jay shook his head.

"You bet I am!"

Casa crouched and made her way through the crowd. Her footsteps became quiet and she was able to make her breath inaudible. She reached Gadel, carefully and quickly reached inside of his pant's pocket. She felt some paper brush against her skin. Casa smiled, pulling her hand out, in her fingers was a note for five hundred bordos. Enough for Casa and her family to survive for another month.

"How'd it go?" Jay asked when she got back.

Casa held up the money she'd retrieved.

Jay frowned. "He really carried that much on his person? In an area like this?"

Casa nodded. "Why? What's..." she stopped when she saw the look on Jay's face.

"Pakdor." he whispered.

Casa paled. "Where?" she asked.

Jay pointed. Sure enough, five cloaked men, each bearing the symbol of the Pakdor, were heading straight towards Casa and Jay.

Jay and Casa bolted through the crowd.

"You really shouldn't have stolen from him!" Jay yelled, panting.

The two turned down a random alleyway. They watched with baited breath, waiting to see...

The men with the Pakdor cloaks didn't bother to stop to look down the alleyway. Jay let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"You're lucky I was here." a new voice said from behind them.

Casa and Jay jumped, whipping around to face the newcomer.

"Who are you?"Casa asked.

The newcomer smiled, "A friend." he said, "You should go. My distraction won't hold them for long."

"Thank you, um..." Jay trailed off.

The man grinned, "My name is Liever! Now go!"

Casa and Jay bolted towards where Leona was waiting. However, when they got there, the tent was empty.

"Leona must be shopping." Jay sighed, sitting down on the floor.

"You're right. She'll be back." Casa said, attempting to reassure herself.

"There's a note!" Jay exclaimed, standing up and retrieving it from the center of the tent.

" By order of the Pakdor, Leona Dawn has been arrested for spreading rumors that could potentially incite rebellion. Her execution will be at sunrise." Jay read, blood draining from his face.

"No..." Casa whispered.

"Her stories of times before the Great Emperor...the Pakdor would really execute someone for talking about those times?" Jay whispered.

"Yes. They would."

Casa and Jay turned to see Kaiser, his face grim.

"Do you know what this means? It means that we're in danger as well. The Pakdor have a habit of executing the families of criminals." Kaiser said.

"You think we don't know that?" Casa asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"Casa, please don't cry. You're going to make me cry too..." Jay trailed off.

Kaiser watched his two siblings in silence, his face stoic. "You need to get out of here." he said.

Jay nodded, then grabbed Casa by the wrist. He charged out the exit of the tent.

Only to find that they were completely surrounded by Pakdor.

"Very good, Kaiser. You have done well. Well enough, I think, to earn a position within the Pakdor." The one in the front said.

Kaiser emerged from the tent, his expression triumphant.

"This...has to be some sort of joke." Jay whispered.

"No. Not Kaiser. He wouldn't..." Casa gasped, her voice cracking.

"I'm not the brother you used to know, Casa. I am no longer Cursed." He grinned ferally.

"Why?" Jay said, "You're our brother, Kaiser! Why'd you betray us like this?"

Kaiser shook his head. "True I was your brother. However, I wasn't so fond of mom. The way she talked about the times before the Great Emperor, it disgusted me. He is our King! We don't talk about what was and what could have been!"

The Pakdor moved to arrest Jay and Casa. Casa grabbed Jay and bolted.

"It's no use. You can't run from the Pakdor."

Casa stopped, her eyes wide with shock. The man had just flown. He'd landed right in front of Casa.

"There's no hope for your escape. You Cursed don't have any power whatsoever." The Pakdor man stated matter-of-factly.

Casa's heart was beating rapidly. Jay's expression was terrified.

They were about to be killed.

Casa's heart began to beat faster, and she felt something rise within her chest. She didn't know what it was, but she instinctively called out to it, like she knew it would help her.

The Pakdor's eyes widened. "No. She can't...there's no way! Only certain nobles are granted that ability. A half-blooded freak can't have it!"
Casa glanced down at her feet, or rather, where her feet were. She turned to look at Jay, who was nowhere to be seen.

"Where are you two? You can't have gone invisible! You can't have!" The Pakdor yelled.

Casa felt something else rise within her chest. She called on that, too. Suddenly, she could see Jay. The Pakdor, however, still couldn't see either of them.

The Pakdor cursed, running off, muttering something about reinforcements.

Casa felt someone grab her around the wrist. Before she could do anything, the man yanked her and Jay behind a nearby wall. The man was wearing a cloak, his hood up, so that his face was covered.

"Follow me." the man ordered. Something about his voice was familiar to Casa and Jay.

Casa and Jay didn't protest. The man led them to what looked like a run-down inn, the letters on the sign had faded enough that it was impossible to read. One of the windows was broken, and the others were clouded with dirt.

"Go inside. You're not invisible anymore, so they can see you." the man said quietly.

Casa and Jay didn't move. The reality of recent events were starting to sink in. Their mother was going to get executed. Their brother had betrayed them. Kaiser was gone...

"I've got money to buy us food! You don't need to worry about starving this week!"

"Come on, Casa! I'll race you to the bridge!"

"Jay, protect Casa for me, would you?"

"I'm here for you, Casa. You can cry on my shoulder, it's alright."

Casa put her head in her hands and wept, tears cascading down her cheeks, sprinkling the pavement with tiny droplets of liquid.

Jay put a hand on her shoulder, his expression mirroring that of Casa's. "Let's go inside." he offered gently.

Casa shook her head. "I don't trust him." she said.

Jay swallowed, "Come on, Casa. It's a better alternative than waiting out here to be caught and executed." he said, his voice thick..

Casa nodded, "Fine. But only because you're going to be there."

Jay turned away from Casa, not wanting her to see his tears.

"You two coming?" the hooded man asked softly.

"Yeah. We're ready." Jay swallowed.

The man threw the doors open. They were greeted with a crowd of about twenty or thirty people, all talking and laughing.

"Welcome to my crew, the Gale Force." The man smiled.

"Hey! Liever is back!" somebody yelled.

"Who're the kids?" someone else's voice rang out.

Liever held up his hand. The crowd instantly quieted.

'This man has a lot of influence over these people.' Jay thought, impressed.

"These two are brother and sister, and their family was killed by the Pakdor not even an hour ago. Mack, would you mind showing them to the vacant room upstairs?"

Mack looked like he could be a giant. Jay could have used one of his muscles as a bed, and he wouldn't have to worry about falling off or even having enough room to toss and turn.

Jay and Casa followed Mack up the stairs. He lead them to the fifth door on the right, the last room before the hall ended.

Mack gestured for them to go inside, "You will sleep here, as Guild Leader has instructed." his voice was deep and slow.

It didn't take long for the two foster-siblings to fall asleep. They were both exhausted from the day's events. And Jay had a feeling that it would only get worse.