Orion~

“I DON’T CARE!” Father practically screeches. “I will NOT stand and let my own son take part in that scrabble they call an army! Their principles are incorrect, and the group is filled with young children!”

“Young children?” I scoff back, making extra sure that my tone points out the stupidity of my father. “Father, there are plenty of adults and royals. General Sprocket’s around my age. Queen Mina is a bloody queen. It’s a diverse group, but at LEAST it isn’t as evil and corrupt as Catastrophe’s RANKS!”

“I’M DONE ARGUING WITH YOU!” Father shouts back. “YOU ARE STUPID LITTLE BOY!”

“AND YOU’RE A MALICIOUS OLD MISER!”

I walk out first, not wanting to be the one left standing. I won’t let him win that. I run up the stairs and to Sera’s room to cool myself down. She’s the calm one, she’ll help. Right? 

I slam open the door and shut it twice as hard. 

I slump on her bed and groan loudly, contemplating yelling into the blanket before she makes a comment. 

“Drama queen.”

I lift my head. “I am not. Father is a *****.”

She shakes her head in exhaustion, but I can see the weariness in her eyes. Just the other day, she had a row with mother, then the next day we both fought against our parents. She exhales and jumps up, giving her legs a quick stretch. 

“Well, I’m going out. Feel free to come once you’ve cooled down.”

“I’m calm,” I reply. “Are you going to visit Winona?”

“Probably.”

I accidentally let a smile escape, and I quickly glance at Sera. She says something under her breath which I don’t hear, but I know she knows how I feel about Winona. How does she know these things? Women. 

We sneak out of the house somehow, and just as I’m pondering how, we reach the door and I hear mother and father arguing loudly. Perhaps mother was on my side this time, but I couldn’t care less. 

Once we leave, we soon cross the hills of the countryside, and it doesn’t take long until we reach the outside of the town. Sera looks around, and we move to walk a bit closer together. The market is really crowded today, with people shouting and bustling around everywhere. It must be a busy day, and all the fishing ships just came back in from the day’s catch. 

Sera squeals as she ducks to avoid a wet fish being thrown from one side of the road to another. I let out a laugh, and we soon reach the dress shop. 

Our parents love getting clothes here, and I don’t blame them. However vain they may be, Winona’s family makes clothes that could make anyone look amazing. 

Suddenly I see Sera’s expression turn into one of confusion. “Oh.”

I move closer to the sign on the door. “Closed? What for? Are they all okay?”

She shrugs. “I’ll drop by her house later. I’m sure she’s okay.” I can tell this is what Sera really hopes. 

“Plus it’s the bakery’s day off too,” I offer. “So maybe they just wanted to rest. Let’s stop by and visit Rowan. I’m sure he’s up to no good.”

Sera laughs as we take off running, it turning into a competition quickly. Sera’s really fast, but I’m just a little faster. We’re soon back into the country side, and the ocean from a bit farther away carries a breeze that whips us in the face as we run. 

I spot Rowan’s house and the farm, and we run down the path on the side of the hill. I can see Rowan walking with someone. 

“OI ROWAN!” I yell, my speed accelerating . 

I see his head pop up, but he doesn’t come to greet me. I slow down and tilt my head. Sera slows down with me. 

“What’s wrong with him?” she asks, looking towards his direction. 

“I’m not sure,” I reply, and the both of us break into a light jog to see Rowan. 

Once we reach him, he’s sitting down and seems to be comforting someone. 

“Winona? I’m sorry we were gone,” Sera gasps. She walks up to her and wraps her in her arms, Winona sobbing and accepting Sera’s invitation. 

“What happened?” I ask Rowan, walking closer to the group. 

“Her cousins’ shoppe in Northwest Kyngdom was bombed by Catastrophe’s aeroplanes,” he replies. “They haven’t gotten any other news as to whether they’re still...alive,” he mouths the last word. 

I’m at a loss for words. Sera carries her inside to the barn, and Rowan and I stay behind. He stands up and sighs. “This war is getting ridiculous.”

I nod. “Half of Kyngdom knows the war is going on and the other half had forgotten about it until things like this happen.”

Rowan nods. “How’d the Resistance conversation go with your dad?”

I give him the How do you think it went? look, and he shakes his head. 

“Your dad’s old fashioned.”

“And he’s a supporter of Catastrophe.”

“Yeesh,” Rowan exhales. “How did that even happen?”

“Don’t ask me,” I reply. “It’s ridiculous. But I don’t care, as long as the war is over soon.”

Winona~

 "Winnie!!!!!" 

 The shout reverberates down the hall and bangs into my room. I groan and haul myself onto one elbow, groggily blinking my eyes.

 "What?!" I holler back, angry at being woken up from my short nap. 

"Your brother has been sick again! Please help him!"

I groan even louder and get off my bed. My younger brother, Hugo, and both my parents were down with the flu, and as a result Eloise and I were acting as hospital nurses.

I stumble down the hall and into the bathroom. Hugo is kneeling next to the toilet and the smell of vomit fills the air. I wrinkle my nose and go to stand by him.

As I walk across the bathroom I look in the mirror. I look exhausted, with bags under my eyes and droopy  shoulders. My hair is falling in my face, barely held back by a hastily tied bandana. My dress is wrinkled and dirty, and overall I look like I just spent all night and morning looking after my parents and five year old vomiting brother.

"What is taking Wheezy so long?" I mutter as I brush Hugo"'s hair away from his face and flush the toilet. He looks miserable too, and tears stains make shiny tracks down his face. Poor kid.

 I lead him gently back to his room and prop him up in his bed. 

 "You just try to get some rest, and if you feel sick there''s a bowl right here by your bed ok?" I say gently.

 He nods.

"When is Wheezy bringing the medicine?" he asks. Eloise had been sent to go pick up some much-needed medicine at the store.

I sigh.

"She should be here soon." 

"Winona!!!!!!"

This time it's my dad.

"Coming!" I yell, walking out of Hugo's room. This was going to be a long day.

Sorry I spaced mentioning that I have a sister who is slightly older than me called Eloise and a younger brother called Hugo. Eloise's nickname is Wheezy. 

Okay, I didn't see Alexandria's post so I will go with that instead of mine. Sorry, just ignore my post. XD.

Rowan~

I sit between the branches of a tree near our house, thinking. For once I got all my chores done early and have some time to myself, away from my family. It's not that I don't love them, but they can be trying at times. Especially my youngest siblings. What's been bothering me the most is how oblivious they are to the war. Mama and Papa hardly ever talk about it, around the little ones especially. They don't want to worry them. And consequently, the kids are perfectly happy, in their own little worlds, far away from reality, blissfully unaware of the war. I suppose that's a good thing. I guess it makes me jealous. The war is all that's been on my mind lately, and I envy their obliviousness.

Suddenly, I see a spot on the horizon. A small figure makes its way down the huge hill that stand opposite from the hill my house is on. Straining my eyes, I quickly recognize the figure as Winona, a girl who lives not far from us, and who, I've met a few times. Her parents own the finest dress shop around, where my parents go once a month to buy new clothes. I jump to ground, and trot halfway up the hill to meet her. 

When I reach her, she's panting, as if she ran here. She looks like she's been crying, but I don't say anything.  

"Do you know where the Queensly's are?" She asks. "I wanted to talk with Sera, but I stopped by their house and they weren't there." Her voice sounds strained.

"I think they went out."

Suddenly she sucks in a quick breath and puts a hand to her mouth, like she's trying not to cry.

"Winona, is something wrong?" I ask.

"It's--it's my cousins," her voice trembles and cracks. She takes a deep breath and continues, "We just received word that their shoppe in Northwest Kyngdom was bombed by one of Catastrophe's aeroplanes."

"I'm so sorry," I start. She suddenly breaks into sobbing.

"Come on, let's go sit down," I say, taking her hand and leading her down the hill. She takes a few deep breaths and calms herself enough to talk again. 

"We haven't received any more news," she says. "I just...I hope...they're okay." That causes her to start crying again.

We're at the bottom of the hill now, and I lead her over to a large stump as she pulls a handkerchief from her pocket and blows her nose.

"I'm sorry, it's just very hard for me to talk about." 

Suddenly I hear a shout.

"OI ROWAN!"

I know it's Orion before I jerk my head up to see him and Sera bounding down the hill towards us. Normally, I would have smiled and broken into a run to meet them, but instead I simply sit Winona down on the stump.

A minute later, Orion and Sera have reached us. Sera rushes over to her friend. "Winona? I'm sorry were gone." She wraps Winona in a hug and walks her over to the barn, Winona sobbing into her shoulder. 

"What happened?" Asks Orion, taking a few steps closer. 

"Her cousins' shoppe in Northwest Kyngdom was bombed by Catastrophe's aeroplanes," I reply. "They haven't gotten any other news as to whether or not they're still...alive." I mouth the word 'alive'.

Orion's silent. I stand up. "This war is getting ridiculous," I sigh.

He nods. "Half of Kyngdom knows the war is going on, and the other half of it had forgotten until things like this happen."

I nod sadly. "How'd the Resistance conversation go with your dad?" I ask, changing the subject.

He gives me a look that says, 'how do you think it went?' I shake my head. "Your dad's old-fashioned."

"And he's a supporter of Catastrophe."

"Yeesh." How could anyone in their right mind believe someone so obviously evil was doing the right thing? "How did that even happen?"

"Don't ask me. It's ridiculous. It doesn't matter anyway, as long as the war is over soon."

"Yeah."

Over soon. I can only hope with all my heart that Orion's words prove to be true.

~~~~

I hope I didn't control anyone too much! 

"Shh...don't worry. They're going to be fine. I'm sure they're alright."

I nod blindly as Sera leads me to the barn. Even though I know her assurances mean well, they won't do anything. She knows just as well as I do that no one survives the bombs.

"I'm-I'm-sor-sorry," I hiccup in between sobs as we enter into the cool shade of the barn interior. "I know-I shouldn't-"

"You have every right to cry," Sera says firmly. "What Catastrophe does is awful. To turn a blind eye on it would just give him more power."

I nod again and take a few shaky breaths.

"I know," I say, trying to calm down. "I know."

"Do you want to sit down?" Sera asks, gesturing to a few hay bales.

I smile weakly and make a general gesture with my hands.

"No. I think I need to, you know, move around."

She nods and we walk around the open space. The barn is tranquil and still, and I find myself beginning to calm down.

Finally my tears stop. I wipe at my eyes and fan my face. It felt good to cry, letting out all my pent-up emotion and sorrow in one go.

"Are you ready to go outside?" Sera asks softly.

I smile.

"Yeah. Do I look like a drowned rat?"

"Not at all," she says, her voice kind.

We walk out of the barn together, arm in arm. I feel my heart expand and I smile inwardly at how lucky I am to have a friend like Sera.

"Thank you," I whisper to her as we walk towards Orion and Rowan.

She squeezes my arm in reply.

We reach the boys, and the concern on their faces makes me feel bad. I shouldn't have made such a big deal about it.

"Are you feeling better?" Orion asks, his voice worried.

I try to smile.

"Yeah."

"I'm so sorry to hear about your cousins. I hope they're all right."

I take a deep breath, this time less shaky.

"Thank you," I say as Sera squeezes my arm again.

"So," I say, trying to change the subject. "What are we gonna do? I have some patterns that I have to pick up at the shop, but after that we could go do something."

"Let's go get something got to drink," Sera suggests. "I think we could all use a pick me up."

We all agree and begin to walk back towards town. 

Sera~

The Wild Moose.

We’ve all been meeting here since we met and we’re old enough to sneak out. The owner, Antonio, is always nice enough to not tell our parents. Now that we’re older, he doesn’t even care, and if we come in at night, he sighs but gives us a plate of fries with a smile. 

However, when he sees the solemn expression on our faces when we enter today, he raises an eyebrow. 

“Everything alright?”

We all nod at different times, and he gives us a questioning look before letting it go. 

We sit in our usual booth. It’s in the shape of a semi circle, with a dark wooden carved table in the middle as we all sit around it, Rowan, Orion, Winona, then myself. I look around the tavern, and smile at the pleasantly familiar atmosphere. It’s pretty dark in here, with natural lighting in occasional places, like large torches. The tavern looks like a much nicer version of a cabin, and bigger too, with some pathways to different seating areas. It smells of fresh pine often, and there are a couple pine trees inside for decoration. It certainly looks like the outdoors were brought inside. However, it is more locally known and doesn’t get tourists often. Today it doesn’t have that many people. There’s a small jukebox in the corner, decorated with vines to make it fit the theme, and it plays light background music. 

I glance up when I realise that Antonio has made his way to our table.

“And what can I get you youngins today?”

We all look towards Orion and nod. 

“Your Butterscotch Concotion, for all four of us please.” (Basically like butterbeer)

“Coming right up,” he says cheerfully before leaving. 

There’s a small pause. 

“Minella and Jason are a thing again,” Winona tells me right as Orion asks Rowan something about a rugby match. 

“Yikes. Talk about codependency,” I reply. “I would never want to be like that.”

She nods and sighs, glancing back at my brother. 

“Cute.”

She whips her head back at me, embarrassed, and slaps me playfully on the arm before we start laughing quietly. Luckily, Orion didn’t hear me, but they both do give us strange looks at our sudden outburst. 

Antonio comes back with the Butterscotch Concoctions, and we do cheers before taking a sip. 

“Good stuff,” Orion gasps after taking a sip. 

Winona laughs. “You have a moustache now.”

“Finally he’s a man,” I mutter. 

“I heard that, Serafinne.”

We all laugh. I catch eye contact with Rowan and look away awkwardly. Pull yourself together, Sera.

“Um, so, are you guys going to Lina’s birthday party?” Orion asks, trying to catch is breath. 

“Wasn’t invited,” Rowan shrugs. 

“Oh, then we don’t have to go,” I say.

Winona looks at me confused. 

“What?” I laugh, trying to recover. “It wouldn’t be fun unless the entire group went.”

Orion shrugs. “You’re right.”

I lean in closer to the table. “Has anybody notice that we’re being followed?”

Winona raises an eyebrow. “By who?”

“That pangolian,” I reply. “Sitting in a booth across and two to the right. I swear I saw them at the barn.”

Orion shrugs. “It’s probably fine.”

I let out a sigh and nod, although uncertainly. It’s probably all fine. 

Rowan~

The scent of pine is all around us as we sit at our half-circle table that's carved with a crescent moon, sipping our Butterscotch Concoction from thick glass mugs the size of our heads, the foam floating on the surface of the sweet, caramel-colored liquid. 

Orion takes a long sip, getting foam on his upper lip. "Good stuff," he says with a refreshed sigh.

Winona laughs. "Now you've got a moustache."

"Finally he's a man," Sera mutters. 

Orion looks up. "I heard that, Serafinne."

Everyone laughs. For a second, my eyes lock with Sera's. My stomach twists and I feel my face heat up. She looks away quickly. After a moment, I drop my eyes. I sometimes forget how pretty she is. I take a deep breath, telling myself to forget it.

"Um, so, are you guys going to Lina's birthday party?" Orion asks. Hmm. I didn't even know she had a birthday coming up.

"Wasn't invited," I shrug.

"Oh, then we don't have to go," Sera says quickly.

Winona gives her a look. 

"What?" She laughs. "It wouldn't be fun unless the entire group went." I smile gratefully at her.

"You're right," Orion agrees. I'm really lucky to have such good friends.

Sera leans in closer. "Has anybody noticed that we're being followed?"

Winona looks confused. "By who?"

"That pangolin. Sitting in a booth across and two to the right. I swear I saw him at the barn."

I crease my brow. "Come to think of it, I did see him," I say. "But I didn't take any notice." 

Orion shrugs. "It's probably fine."

But I'm not convinced.  

Soon, we're all finished with our drinks and heading out the door of The Wild Moose.

"Thanks, Antonio!" Sera calls over her shoulder as we leave. The little bell rings as the door opens and we walk out. 

We're maybe a yard away now, talking and laughing, but I hear the bell ring a second time as someone else exits the tavern. The pangolin. I wonder what he wants from us. 

Orion~

Right as things start to relax, we suddenly hear the air raid bells go off, and the people in the town stand shocked before they scream and frantically try to take shelter.

"The shop's just a few more yards down," Winona says loudly above the shouts, cries, and sirens.

"We won't make it," I reply. "Let's head to the bakery."

"It isn't open," Sera says back.

I look towards it. "It is now."

The window has been broken by several people who crowd inside, covering their heads. It's fascinating how the desperation to survive will make people do the craziest things. I wonder what else a human would do- I suddenly stop thinking. I mean, I shouldn't think like that. I don't want to turn into Grandfather.

We duck through the opening in the bakery and hide behind a counter.

"We'll be fine," I whisper to Winona. I feel her huddle closer to me as more people shout and come in.

We wait for a few more seconds, and my words mentioned prevsiouly are forgotten. We're scared. We're all scared we're going to die. We are going to die. Death. Death is inevitable. I close my eyes as my heart beats in anticipation. 

And just like that, suddenly everything is silent. The alarms go off. There's not a sound to be heard. I look up and then stand up, and notice people are still crouched, waiting for impact. 

I look down at the rest of the group, and they begin to stand up in confusion. Then I notice a couple other people that can hear the silence, that look just as confused as us.

I take a bold step forward, then a few more steps until I use the front door this time on the way out.

I stand in the middle of the road, and look up as papers gently float down from the sky. I snatch one, and look back at Sera who's doing the same.

I then look down at the paper, and my eyes widen.

This is our land now. Thank you for sponsoring us.

-The New Republic

Of course. Another name for Catastrophe's army. I see a drawing of a large area below it, with the words "You are here," centred around a small dot in the map.

And now you are us. We are everywhere. Stay safe. 

Winona gasps and I turn around. Sera looks absolutely livid, and Rowan sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"They can't just do that!" Sera exclaims. "They can't just threaten us! Who gave them the right to do so? Who would sponsor them so they could take this land?"

Suddenly the answer crosses her eyes, and it crosses my mind.

My jaw clenches, and Sera's fist tightens. "Father."

-------

Sera~

If I wasn't mad before, I sure as heck am now. How dare he. How DARE he.

I take off running, out of the town, out to the countryside and to our estate. I can hear Orion close behind me, and I can't tell if Winona and Rowan are following also, but my main objective is to get home. Father needs to be confronted.

The poster begins to crumple in my hand, and my fist clenches. Once we reach the entrance to the estate, I slam the gate open and run to the house, slamming the door open also. I make my way to his study, Orion close behind me, and practically break down the door. Father looks up from his paperwork, shocked.

"WHAT IS THIS?" I yell, slamming the paper down on his desk. "WE KNOW IT'S YOU! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?"

He sighs. "I wanted to protect you all from this, but-"

"Oh, it's a bit too late for that, Father," Orion responds. I turn to my brother and nod, catching Rowan and Winona out of the corner of my eye. 

"I am a dedicated sponsor to Catastrophe," he replies, irritation growing in his voice. "You have no place in this."

"Do you realise what he does?" I exclaim, turning back to him. "What he's done to populations of people? Internment camps. Drafting. Population control. That's where we're headed."

"No," Father replies suddenly, standing up. "Not our family at least. And you don't know. These people are stubborn and haven't supported him. Maybe they deserve it."

The room starts spinning.

Maybe they deserve it.

I run out of the room, to the nearest bathroom, open the toilet lid, and vomit. I sit there and feel tears of anger running down my cheeks. Innocent people deserve nothing bad. Innocent people shouldn't be uprooted from their homes because a few largely named people decided to call the wrong shots. Innocent people should be treated with basic human rights. And yet my father wouldn't mind if lots of innocent men, women, and children were forced into circumstances where they would be treated harshly. He doesn't mind that innocent people will be killed.

I vomit again before quickly flushing the toilet. I roll to the side and lean against the wall, trying to gain my composure.  

This can't be happening. 

Rowan~

I stand just outside the door to Mr. Queensly's office, quietly watching the scene unfold. 

"WHAT IS THIS?" She slams the slip of paper on his desk. He flinches, barely. "WE KNOW IT'S YOU! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?"

He sighs, closing his eyes. "I wanted to protect you all from this, but-" 

Orion cuts him off. "Oh, it's a bit too late for that, Father."

"I am a dedicated sponsor to Catastrophe. You have no place in this."

Sera bristles. "Do you realize what he does? What he's done to populations of people? Internment camps. Drafting. Population control. That's where we're headed." Her voice is strained.

"No," her father replies quickly, standing up. "Not our family at least. And you don't know. These people are stubborn and haven't supported him. Maybe they deserve it." 

I gape at him. Deserve it? Innocent people DESERVE to die, just because they don't support an evil, insane man taking over Kyngdom? It takes all of my strength not to scream at him. 

Sera runs out of the room. She looks like she's going to be sick.

I wait a few minutes, and then I walk down the hall. The bathroom door is open, and Sera leans against the wall, looking weak. Her face is red and tearstreaked. I sit down beside her. I want to say something encouraging, something comforting, but I can't think of anything to say, so I just place a hand on her shoulder. "I wish there was something I could do," I say quietly.

"Rowan!" I hear someone call. I stand up.

Mrs. Queensly stands in the hallway. Her face is pained. "You're wanted at home. You had better go quickly." I nod.

"Thank you." 

Before I know what's happening, my legs have carried me out the front door. I'm sprinting toward the farm, my heart pounding in my chest. I try to tell myself that it's probably nothing serious, but I'm still worried.

I swallow.

I finally reach the crest of the big hill that stands across from our house. Virginia, one of the farmhands, is there to meet me. Her lips are pressed together, and she's fidgeting with the hem of her apron.

"Ginny?" I take a few steps nearer. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Rowan," she says. "It's your father." 

My heart catches in my throat.

My father has been away for a few weeks on a trip to Northern Kyngdom. He was expected home two days ago. I'd been trying not to show it, but I've been worried. Northern Kyngdom is one of the more dangerous places right now*, what with the fighting and bomb raids. But he's always come home before. Surely...surely he's not...

"What is it, Ginny?" I say quickly, and a bit more sharply than I mean to. "What happened?"

She seems hesitant. "Th-there was a bombing in the area your father was in. He hasn't been found..." she trails off.

I stare at her blankly. It takes a moment for the news to sink in. I feel hot tears behind my eyes., but that's all. I can't think, can't speak, can't breathe.

"T-thank you, Ginny." I finally squeeze out.

"I'd better go and help your mother now," she says, placing a hand on my shoulder. "But there's still hope, Row. Don't lose hope." Then she turns and hurries toward the house.

But she's wrong. There is no hope. They always say that, but it's never true. No one survives the bomb raids. I've heard people get the news before. But I never thought I'd be the one receiving it. Papa always came back. 

I know I should go back and help Mama with the kids, but I can't right now. There's only one thing I can do. My only real comfort. 

I run down the hill as fast as I can, tears running off my face. I reach the stable breathless, and burst through the door. The horses look at me with questioning eyes. I walk up to the first door, engraved with the name 'Smoke', and unlatch it. Inside, a dapple grey stallion stands, looking at me with milky blue eyes. I stroke his nose. He understands me perfectly. 

I swing myself up onto his bare back. I stopped needing a saddle a long time ago. A dig my heels into his sides, click my tongue twice, and we're flying over the hills. There's nothing else I can do, so I lose myself to the wind.

~~~ 

*I don't actually have no idea where the more dangerous stuff is happening right now, so feel free to correct me.