The sky was cloudless and bright on the morning before everything fell apart. A carriage, led by two white horses, bustled down the countryside. The trip for the three passengers was quite an unpleasant one, as the party took nearly two hours to get to. Speaking of these passengers, they were one of the richest on Warbler Island. There were a lot of rich inhabitants on the island, since their Queen had many ships, which could be used for trade and warfare. Queen Eagala tended to hide away deep in the mountains where her kingdom was located, but that didn't mean she left her people isolated. She offered jobs for all those who were worthy, and by some miracle, the family in the carriage were the first to get them. Becoming very rich came with new opportunities, like moving into a large mansion, affording to buy maids, and getting connections with other wealthy, high social class families. Often, these connections would flourish by going to a party, or perhaps even getting married. That was the way life worked for families with importance, and Sky's family was exactly that.

Sky could never sit still on carriage rides as bumpy as these. She would've preferred walking or riding a horse, but she knew her mother would call her improper for even mentioning those things. Warbler was by far one of the most proper in all the seven islands. For someone as high social ranking as her, she was required to wear the tightest corset imaginable (apparently not being able to breathe was in fashion), knee-high frilled white stockings, black Mary Jane shoes, and a long gown with too many buttons and layers. At home when no one was around, she liked to borrow her father's old clothes just for fun. She liked when she could run around outside without having to worry whether she was being proper or not.

Today, she was dressed exceedingly nice. She wore her favorite dress, a sunset-colored one that matched the golden orange of her eyes. Her dark copper hair had been twisted up into a crown braid at the top of her head, and her mother swore it made her blond highlights stand out more than usual. Sky's mother, Copper, believed tight updos made her look more beautiful, but Sky thought it looked like a snake had woven itself in her hair. It was so tight that Sky kept pulling at it to make it looser. A large part of her wished she could've at least worn her father's boots today, but going to a huge party full of many wealthy people made her change her mind. She couldn't ruin this for her family.

Sky stared out the window, a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. She hadn't a clue why they were going to this party. It was obviously for social gathering purposes, but she still didn't think she had to go. What was this party for, anyway? It couldn't be for only small talk. Last time she went to a party like that, she was ten years-old and bored out of her mind. She asked her mother about it, but she refused to tell her, only giving her a smile and saying, "it's a surprise!"

Perhaps it was a birthday party they were going to? Her gaze slid to Crow, who was dressed as fancy as she was. He was best friends with a boy named Henry Haluki, but Sky had never actually seen this boy before. Crow had gone to a birthday party for him every year. Whenever Sky asked if she could come too, her brother scowled and told her she wasn't allowed. It was even stranger when she found out that Crow never told their mother about the birthday parties. It was almost like he was sneaking out off the house...almost as if he was doing something he shouldn't be.

She thought of any other possibilities. Her mother didn't have many friends that lived this far away, and nor did Sky. It was hard to make friends when you have to be so reserved all the time. She wasn't permitted to speak unless spoken to. She had some friends who were put in the same situations as her, but now that they were teenagers, they didn't have much freedom. They couldn't shout or scream in public, and they definitely weren't allowed to swim in the river that Sky sometimes dared to jump in when no one was watching. She furrowed her brows. So where were they going?

"Sky, quit scrunching up your face like that," her mother said, snapping her out of her daze. "I'll give you wrinkles when you're my age. You do want perfect skin, don't you?"

On the seat next to Copper, Crow snickered. Sky had to try very hard to maintain her lady-like composure and not glare at him.

Sky kept her eyes on her mom. "Uh…yes. I was just…thinking."

Her mother sighed. "What? About the party?"

Sky pursed her lips. "You haven't told me yet whose party we're attending. It's been itching at me all week!"

Her mother's golden orange eyes, the same trait every Warbler native had, softened. "I know you've been waiting. It is a surprise, you know. Not even your brother knows."

Crow looked up from playing with his wooden toy, a carefully carved crab that was a gift from their father before he passed away. He had named it Karkinos. He liked to make up stories about it. He said it used to be a living crab, but after Henry fed it seaweed, it turned into wood. Sky didn't believe the weird stories he made up, even if they were just for entertainment. Crabs didn't turn into wood! "Hey, that's not fair to lie like that! I already know! The party is for-"

Instead of clamping a hand over his mouth, Copper gave him a look that silenced him before he finished his sentence. She smiled a real, genuine smile and looked at both her children. "No spoiling anything, Crow, or I'll force you to wear Sky's clothing for a week."

He shut his mouth, opened it, and shut it again. "That's ridiculous!"

Sky grinned. "Not really."

"Says you, the most ridiculous one of the family!"

"Hey! I'm still smarter than you!"

"Shut up!"

"No, you-"

Their carriage came to an abrupt halt, and someone threw open the door in a matter of moments. Everyone quickly straightened their posture and politely smiled at their coachman. "Copper, Sky, and Crow. We've arrived at the party."

One by one, they exited the carriage in orderly fashion. Sky smoothed down the front of her dress and caught sight of a marvelous house, which was about half the size of her's. They walked around the side of the estate and down a polished, pearly white set of steps. They entered a huge garden maze to see a crowd of people that had to be about a hundred. It was unlike any party the small family had ever been to. Everyone was clad in fancy attire, some even fancier than Sky's. Everyone her age or older was dancing or talking in polite, quiet tones. The children who were closer to Crow's age were free to run through the maze or play games. There was food and drinks being served at various buffet tables. In the middle of the party was an extravagant water fountain, shaped like a winged cheetah in flight. Connected to the path leading to the fountain was a beautiful gazebo.

Sky swallowed hard. She didn't recognize anyone. "Mother, will you tell me now? Why are we here?"

Her mother sighed. "Fine. I suppose I can tell you this. We're meeting the Stowe family today."

She frowned. That didn't ring a bell. "Who? Why is it this important we meet them?"

Copper shushed her daughter and laced her arm with her's and Crow's. "Shall we? Let's not keep any people waiting."

They entered the party in regal fashion, walking through the crowd and saying hello to people Sky had never met before. They smiled at her, staring at her longer than she would've liked. She wondered if it was her hairstyle. Maybe it really had made her look prettier like her mother said it did.

A pale, brown-haired man who looked about Copper's age walked up to them. "Hello. You must be Copper."

Their mother released her grip from Sky's and Crow's arms and smiled. "I am. And you must be William Stowe." She extended her hand and the man kissed it. Crow gagged.

"Yes," the man said once he'd pulled away. He looked at Sky and Crow. "Ah, and these must be your children."

He stared straight into Sky's eyes, causing her heartbeat to speed up. Something about his eyes made him look practically emotionless. He nodded in approval at her appearance. "Quite a beautiful young lady your daughter has grown up to be. What's her name, again?"

"Sky," her mother replied.

"Lovely name," Mr. Stowe said. He glanced at all of them again and gave them an almost timid smile. "Come along, Sky. I'll introduce you to my sons." He cleared his throat and his face turned paler than it already was. He made a gesture for her to start walking with him. "I mean…son."

Sky frowned and exchanged a look with Crow. Who in their right mind would believe they had two sons when they only had one?

Copper placed a hand in-between her shoulder blades and firmly pushed her forward. "Go on," she whispered. "Make a good impression."

Sky started forward and straightened her posture as she fell in step with Mr. Stowe. She clasped her sweaty hands together and planted a small smile on her face. She wasn't used to this many people staring at her and commenting "what a lovely young lady she turned out to be." These were all strangers. She felt odd.

It didn't take long to find Mr. Stowe's son. It wasn't hard to pick him out of the crowd. He was wearing the wealthiest, most tight-fitting clothes Sky had ever seen on a boy her age. He had wavy brown hair cropped close to his head. He was talking with a group of people with impressive charisma and confidence. Sky caught the words "negotiate" and "money." Just hearing those two words made her bored.

Mr. Stowe made a loud sound from the back of his throat. The group turned and all smiled. The boy whipped around. His eyes narrowed. "Father, I was in the middle of entertaining our guests! Don't interrupt me like that! Why didn't you wait until-"

He stopped midsentence. His dark eyes fell on Sky and his mouth dropped open. He didn't seem to have the ability to speak anymore. She studied the boy. He seemed a little too arrogant and looked incredibly silly in his ill-fitting clothes. She awkwardly looked away when he wouldn't stop staring.

"Aaron," said Mr. Stowe. "This is Sky, the girl I told you about. She just arrived with her family and I thought I'd properly introduce you two."

The boy, Aaron, shook himself out of his daze and managed to look at his father. He nodded and looked his eyes back on Sky. "Hello. I'm Aaron."

"Sky," she said in her naturally low, hoarse voice, another trait that natives from Warbler had. "Pleasure to meet you."

She forced herself to lift her hand and extend it to him like she'd seen her mother do thousands of times. A chill ran down her spine when he took her hand in his and kissed it. Something told her he wanted to kiss something else that wasn't her hand. She shivered again. The fact that he wouldn't stop staring at her made her uneasy.

"Alright, well, how about you two get acquainted? I'll be with my wife if anyone needs me," Mr. Stowe said, briskly walking away.

Everyone dispersed into different groups to talk, leaving Sky and Aaron alone. Sky cleared her throat and slid up beside him. "You know what would be nice? A long walk in the garden maze you have. I'd like to um…exercise my legs after two hours of being in a carriage."

Aaron nodded stiffly, his head jerking so awkwardly that Sky had to hold her laughter in. "Yes, that must've been exhausting. Shall we?"

He held his hand out to her, and she took it. It felt cold and strange, and found herself hoping she didn't have to hold it all day. She kept her emotions locked deep inside, something she'd always been good at. She could remain calm and collected for at least a few hours, right?

Of course she could. It's what Sky did best.

"Ow, you're stepping on my feet!"

"Sorry!" Aaron squeaked, his voice rising a few octaves. "I've never had much practice with dancing. Especially not with, uh, girls."

More like beautiful girls, Sky thought. He was obviously crushing hard on her, but she wasn't having any of it.

The walk through the maze had been longer than she expected. They talked for a while. Their conversations mostly consisted about family and life in general. Aaron was studying to be a Governor. His father was a highly wealthy merchant and his mother owned a tavern. He was also a public speaker, and he enjoyed giving political speeches in front of crowds. He liked talking about himself, but he liked learning about Sky even more. Even if she was simply commenting on the weather, he would still stare at her like a lost puppy.

After walking, they journeyed back to the party to see everyone out on the dance floor. So that's where they were now, stuck on the dance floor. Not that Sky didn't like dancing. She loved it. But something about dancing with Aaron and having to avoid being stepped on wasn't a good mix. She yelped a fifth time when he brought his boot down on her toes.

Aaron frowned. "I'm not very good at dancing, as you can see."

Sky laughed softly. "That's okay. I'm not either."

He adjusted his hand on her waist tighter, making it even harder to breathe than it was with the tight corset on. She ignored the pain and sucked in slow breaths. They spun around the courtyard, causing Sky's head to spin from lack of oxygen. She trained her eyes to the ground and took gulps of air.

"I have a question for you," she heard Aaron say.

She met his eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Alright. What is it?"

If it was possible, his face turned redder than it'd been all day. "Why are your eyes orange?"

She frowned. "Hm. I-well, I'm not positive. I heard that when any person is born in Warbler, they are required to have these acid eye drops put in their eyes. I hardly remember it, though. Do you think that would hurt? Acid eye drops?"

Aaron shrugged. "Who cares? I won't be getting any eye color change anytime soon, so I have nothing to worry about. Unlike you. "

Sky bit back a sarcastic retort. She heard her mother's voice in her head, telling her to remain calm. So she did. "Okay. I have a question for you, now."

"Yes?"

"Why is it that…" she struggled to think of the right wording. "Why is it that when your father said he'd introduce you to me, he said sons instead of son?"

Aaron's gaze hardened, his bad attitude showing through again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She studied him, noticing the way his jaw was clenched and his eyes were haunted. His grip on her hand tightened to a death grip. She didn't try to pull away. "I think you do, Aaron. You can trust me. I'm not going to tell."

He bit his lip and took a sudden interest in the grass. They stopped dancing. When he spoke this time, his voice was filled with bitterness and hatred. "I had a twin brother, once. He's…he's not…"

Sky felt sympathetic towards him. She knew how hard it was a loose someone. She'd lost her father when she was young. While their mother had sat in her room for months, staring at the wall, Sky and Crow sought comfort in each other. They always had. She could tell Aaron didn't have anyone like that, judging from his cold demeanor toward his parents. She rubbed his shoulder and gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry."

He stared at the grass for a while, not responding. They stood like that for a long time, Sky awaiting his response with a feeling of slight awkwardness. When he finally looked up, he seemed different, colder and more distant than before. He wasn't looking at her, but somewhere far away on the horizon, deep in thought.

"Don't be," he said quietly, a sharp edge to his voice.

His eyes slid back to her, filled with understanding, and his face softened. He could tell she understood, too. For a moment, Sky didn't see the bratty, annoying boy she was forced to hang out with. She didn't see the rude, intensely confident boy she met a few hours ago. She saw the shell of a young boy deep inside his eyes who'd been broken many times before."Don't be."

Suddenly, they started dancing again, and the spell broke. Aaron Stowe returned to his usual self, never to mention his twin brother again.

Sky was glad when the dance was finally over. She purposely lost Aaron in the crowd and hung out with Crow, who she found playing hide and seek with a group of kids in the maze. She joined them. It was the perfect game to play at a huge maze like this. It was a billion times more fun than talking with Aaron for hours upon hours. She needed a break from society for at least ten minutes.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!" Sky called. "Ready or not, here I-"

"Sky!" her mother shouted. "What do you think you're doing?"

She turned around slowly and crossed her arms. "We were just playing-"

"Playing is for children, not sixteen year-olds!" Copper scolded furiously.

"But Crow is playing too!" she cried.

"Crow is a few years younger than you. He is a boy."

That hit her like a ton of bricks. She wanted to scream. She couldn't believe any of this. Girls had to be proper, polite, and quiet. They couldn't play games or run around like boys could. She was required to follow a ton of rules and stay within her social class. It was insane. All because she was a girl.

Her mother sighed when she saw the look on Sky's face. She took a step closer and held her hands. "I'm sorry, but we really need to go. You see, you're needed at the party right away."

"Why?" she asked.

Her mother smiled tightly. "How about you see for yourself?"

Sky's mind began to race. Was this what her mother said the surprise was? She felt a tinge of excitement. She hoped this would be a really nice surprise. Today had been boring enough. She and her mother rushed out of the maze, picking up Crow and the children hiding along the way. As they went through the clearing, she stopped dead in her tracks. Every single person at the party was staring straight at her. Her heart hammered in her chest and she sent a panicked look at her mother, who only nodded. Sky looked around at the many faces and walked forward into the crowd. She searched the crowd. She didn't know why they were all looking at her.

And then she saw him.

Standing in the gazebo, the center of attention was Aaron. He was long expectantly at her, as if to say, "come here." She took a deep breath and slowly walked up the path to the gazebo. Her body shook with nerves. So this was what her mother was excited about. She knew exactly what was going to happen.

She averted her eyes from the crowd and forced herself to look at Aaron. His expression was devoid of emotion, but his eyes were completely entranced. He sunk to one knee.

REMAIN CALM, REMAIN CALM, REMAIN CALM! Sky's voice chanted in her head. But she could hardly remain calm now. Her breathing was becoming shallow. She thought breathing was difficult enough with the corset before, but now it was impossible. She tried to think logically. It wasn't working.

"Sky," Aaron breathed. He took both her hands in his. They were as sweaty and uncomfortable as hers were.

"A-Aaron?" Sky replied, wincing at her stutter. She never stuttered.

"Sky," he repeated. "Will you…"

He glanced off into the crowd and looked at his parents. They nodded in approval. He turned back to Sky. "Will you marry me?"

She stared at him like he was crazy. Her world tumbled down before her. So many thoughts were running through her head, and she felt dizzy. She wanted to throw up. She couldn't breathe. Her cheeks were burning like a wildfire, spreading to her entire body. Her ears were ringing, the most important question she'd ever have to answer repeating over and over in her head. She didn't feel any emotion towards Aaron…maybe only a bit of sympathy and annoyance. She didn't love him, that was for sure. But if she said no, she'd be letting her family down. She would be shunned for turning down the marriage proposal of one of the wealthiest boy's her age. She had to do it. She had to say yes. But she couldn't. She couldn't make herself. If she agreed, she wouldn't be happy. Sure, she'd have money, but she believed there was so much more to life than being a reserved, proper, and married lady. She clenched her teeth and struggled to take a breath. "I-I…"

She looked back at the crowd and saw her family amongst them, staring in anticipation. Her mother stared at her pleadingly, expecting that she say yes.

"Well," she said slowly. She met Aaron's eyes again. His face was hopeful, which made her feel even worse. "Everyone expects me to. A-and…you're very charming and wealthy, and you're training to be a Governor. "

Aaron smiled smugly at hearing these things. God, Sky thought. He really is self-centered.

She let go of his hands and took a step away. "This…this is all happening so quickly."

She took another step away. She didn't dare look at her mother. She couldn't. "I…"

She took a few short breaths of oxygen to clear her foggy head. "I...um…"

She looked back at Aaron, a deep frown on his face. He didn't look happy. She didn't care about anyone's happiness right now. All she cared about was getting herself out of there. She took a step away from Aaron, then another, and another. She got a grip on her brain for a second and choked out on sentence. "I need a moment."

And then she ran blindly into the maze.

She slid down again a bush, tears forming in her eyes. She was happy when no one followed her. Nobody could see her like this. A tear slipped from her eye. She never cried. She rubbed her eyes and tried forcing herself to calm down. She couldn't believe Aaron had just asked for her hand in marriage. She couldn't believe any of this. Why had her mother kept it a secret that she was going to get married? At least she could've been prepared for it!

Fear and confusion turned to anger and embarrassment. She curled up into a ball and screamed into her lap until she was hoarse. She hated this. She couldn't go back out there. She didn't want to face the decision a second time.

Sky wasn't sure how long she stayed like that, her head buried in her knees. It could've been for an hour or a year. But when she looked up, it was to the sound of a BOOM! shaking the ground. In the distance, somewhere far away, screams rang out. Her eyes widened.

"Oh no," she whispered.

The island was under attack.

She shakily stood up and heard another booming noise. Fire and smoke lit up the night sky. She ran through the maze, but she had no idea how to get back. Every turn seemed to be a dead end. The hedges were so tall she couldn't see above them. And then, a cannonball sailed through the air, whistling towards her. She didn't scream. She just ran the opposite way-the way she was sure she'd entered from. Another cannonball hit somewhere near her, toppling over a hedge. She stopped, and then a plan formed in her head. She could get out by going over the fallen hedge! A whistling sound that was far too loud got even louder. She sprinted for the only way out, but she didn't make it. A cannonball grazed the side of her leg as she was running and landed right next to her. She shrieked as a horrific pain filled her leg and her body went flying from the impact of the cannonball hitting the earth. She landed hard in the dirt and grunted at the sudden pain. She laid on the ground for a few minutes, taking in heaving gulps of air.

She started to feel overheated. Sweat stained her forehead and heat burned on her neck. She began to cough, but she figured it was only from her tight clothing. Her hair began to come loose from the tight braided updo, and now had many curls hanging out. But it wasn't just that. Her hair started to feel frizzy, and it only felt like that when it was…

Horrified, she turned around. Someone had set the garden maze on fire.

That was enough to make her run again. She got to her feet and tried to ignore the blazing pain in her legs and heat of the fire. She ran faster than she ever had before, out of the garden maze and into the chaos. There were only the sounds of screaming and yelling. The entire town was set on fire and covered in smoke. People ran in a flurry of panic. Sky couldn't tell who was who.

"Mother!" she cried, rushing through the burning streets. Everywhere, she saw people getting killed, kidnapped, or stolen from. She sucked in a breath at the sight of the attackers, all clad in leather and wielding swords or guns. She narrowed her eyes. Pirates.

She continued running, somehow avoiding getting killed or hurt. The world was a clanging of weapons and smoke. "Crow!" she screamed.

"Mother!" she shouted again. She limped down the cobblestone streets, searching wildly for her family. Any thoughts of the proposal flew from her head. She shrieked as someone grabbed her from behind, demanding she hand over money. A million thoughts went through her head. What could she do? She never learned anything helpful like this because no one has ever expected it to be helpful! But this was real. She felt a bang of fear inside her stomach.

Sky acted on impulse. She got a firm grim on the pirate's arm and twisted it as hard as she could. He grunted in pain and released his grip on her. She whipped around and gave him a face. "Sorry."

She brought back her foot and kicked him as hard as she could in the privates. He screamed in agony and clutched his crotch, crumpling to the floor. Sky didn't take a second to praise herself. She continued down until she was near the docks, half-limping and half-sprinting.

"Sky!" she heard a voice call. She whipped around in the direction of the voice, straining to see who it was through the craziness. And when she did, it was too late. It was Crow and her mother, locked in a cage. They were in a rowboat being taken to a pirate ship. Her mother looked like she was unconscious, and Crow was still screaming her name.

Sky ran to them, her clothes stained with dirt and her hair a mess. Tears streaming freely down her face, she screamed their names in heartbroken agony. "CROW! MOTHER!"

She desperately ran to them, but once she'd reached the waters edge, she remembered she didn't know how to swim. She screamed their names again but it was hopeless.

Suddenly, a dirty hand covered her mouth and another grabbed her from behind. She screamed in alarm, but they were muffled. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She tried to pry the hands off of her. They only held her tighter. All the oxygen sucked out of her lungs. She couldn't take another breath without wheezing. She wriggled as more hands grabbed her, and she felt a hot breath against her ear. It was a boy's voice. "You're coming with us."

Then there was a flaring pain in the back of her head, and blackness creeped into her eyesight. Pain exploded through her body. Shouting and screaming rang through her ears. She managed to catch one glimpse of her attacker before her vision, along with the rest of her, went slack.

This boy looked exactly like Aaron.