This is the first time I share something I've written. Please give me comments, I appreciate your help.

 

Talia

The beginning...

"A long time ago, our family name started." A young boy lies in bed, quiet and excited. His grandfather always tells him interesting stories.

"Our ancestors were very curious humans. It is said that they traveled around the whole world, looking for something new. I believe they found something, something that changed the blood running through our veins." The little boy glares at his grandfather with sparkling eyes.

 

 

She lies still in her bed, sleeping. Her room is not big, but perfect for a girl her age. Her room looks like a boot from above. The bed lies between two walls in a corner, on the heel of the boot. This makes the only entrance the feet end of the bed. One closet stands next to the bed wall. On top of the boot there are windows along the wall, and a desk she usually use for homework.

This night she forgot to lock her window. An unknown boy steps inside. He slowly walks to the bed. Unnoticed by the girl, he crawls to her face, with her body between his legs and arms. His hand sneaks under her dress and takes a hold of something interesting. It is silver. Suddenly she switches her body position, now facing him. Three seconds later she opens her eyes. He can tell she is shocked. Who wouldn't be? Facing a stranger in the middle of the night must be scary. She keeps calm.

"What are you doing?" She says low. He drops the necklace, speechless. Before he gets the chance to say or do anything further, she pushes him away and runs out of the room. She stands in the kitchen, ready to attack with a chopping knife in her hand. After a while she returns to her room.

He is gone.

2: Chapter 1

I hear screams. Loud, terrifying screams. They won't stop. I wake up, and I can't remember what the nightmare was about. Beads of sweat roll down my forehead. I hear a knock at my door.

"Talia?" Linda asks.

"Yes?" I reply with an angry tone. I really hate talking or seeing people in the morning. That is why I usually wake up early, to avoid any kind of human contact. My conscience struck. I don't have any right to be sour, but people are just so annoying.

"Are you alright? I heard a scream," Linda says worried.

"I'm fine," I say.

"Are you sure? You usually wake up much earlier. Its breakfast, oh.. and Talia?" She asks.

"What?" I shout.

"School starts in 10 minutes," her calm voice makes me sick.

"What? Why didn't you wake me up?" I shout.

"Don't get angry at me! I'm not the one who stayed up last night reading books," she says peaceful.

I jump out of the bed, and almost tremble in a huge bag. Sometimes my room is a mess; this is one of those times. Clothes occupy each spot at the ground. My brain shuts down. What do I do? This is the first time I oversleep. Clothes! I hurry to my closet, and grab the first sweater and pair of jeans I can see. I end up looking like a rainbow. My jeans are red, and my sweater is yellow and blue. Despite how I look, my feet run as fast as they can out of my room, into the living room, up the stairs from the basement, to another living room, and into the kitchen.

"Good morning." I meet Linda's smiling face. She looks way to cheerful. Every morning she usually greets me with a serious face that doesn't show any emotion at all.

"What's up with you?" I ask with a tense smile on my mouth. My nose catches the smell of burnt egg and bacon. Last time we had such a delicious breakfast was last Sunday, we only eat bacon on Sundays…

"Why did you wake me up?" I ask irritated.

"Sorry." Her voice is on the perk of laughing, and she can't hold back that smile much longer.

"I want us to eat together." I give her a suspicious look.

"Someone will join us for breakfast?" I ask. That someone knocks at our front door. Linda opens the door.

"Hello!" Linda says.

"Hi," a dark male voice replies. Is she going to introduce me to her new boyfriend? Like.. right now? I check myself in the reflection of a pot. I certainly don't look normal today. I feel like the pot is teasing me, making my face look even worse than usual.

"Duglas, please come in," Linda says. A tall boy steps inside the kitchen. His face hides under a hoodie. Everything he wears is black; his hoodie, his shoes and pants. I am pretty sure his favorite color is pink. The sight of him can make the strongest and bravest men afraid and suspicious. I'm surprised Linda didn't hesitate to invite this guy in. I mean, she is afraid of frogflyers.

"This is Duglas," Linda says. She stands in front of the lord of darkness in her everyday clothes: An orange, huge sweater and tight blue jeans. I'm also surprised someone like him could fall for someone like her, they are complete opposites.

"Uhm…okay?" I mumble. Linda makes one of her rare expressions. One eyebrow stretches to reach the sky, one eye looks bigger than the other, and lines comes to view in her palm. She snaps out of it.

"This is your brother Talia," she says as kind and calm she can in a situation like this. I release my grip around the pot. The pot falls. It starts to spin for some seconds, before freezing completely. We all jumped when it hit the ground.

"What?" I can't move, hardly speak. It takes a minute for me to realize I am staring at the pot. I fix my eyes on Linda. She seems troubled and confused, like she doesn't know what to do. How should I react? What is a normal reaction?

Linda finally says something, "I wasn't sure it was true at first, but there is proof. You share the same blood!" I hadn't recognized the paper he holds in his hand, even though it stands out from his dark outfit. He slowly hands me the paper. I skim read the text, and then look up.

"What now?" I ask. Linda's eyes glisters. Some tears falls down her chins. She tries to hold them back and clear her voice.

"He wants you to come with him." I shake my head. She wipes her tears, but more keep coming.

"He has the right to take you into his custody as a grown man. The government agreed to it." My heartbeat fastens; I don't know what to say. Words come up in my head, angry words.

"I don't even know who he is! You can't let him take me mom." Linda widens her eyes. I realize this is the first time I call her that. I knew from the very beginning that Linda wasn't my real mom. She told me, and kept reminding me. I think she would prefer to be called sister, but in my eyes, she will always be my mother. She was only 16 when I was adapted to their family. Half a year after, her mother died, and Linda had to take responsibility for me.

"I'm sorry," she hugs me. Her tears are cold. I don't cry, no matter how much I want to, I can't. "But you have to go with him."

"Why?" I whisper. She leans back to look me in the eyes. Linda's eyes are really brown. Drops of water still flow down from them.

"He is a nice young man. Don't worry; I've met him several times. He wants to take care of you, and tell you about your family." She sniffs and gives me another hug.

"I will miss you," she says low.

"Why can't I stay here?" I shout, and steps away from Linda.

"Because..", Linda thinks about what to answer. "Because I'm not capable of giving you what you need anymore. Soon I will have a vacation." She is serious, no movement in her eyes, body or face. I can't believe her. The first chance she gets, she tosses me away like an old doll.

"Fine!" I run to my room, pick up the packed bag, and run out of the house. I don't stop, I still run.

3: Chapter 2

I find myself sitting on a swing at a playground. My body is out of breath, I had to take a break. Linda looked so sad when she said those words. 'Not capable of giving you what you need.' A little girl who had been playing in the sand screams and runs out of the playground.

"Hey," he says slowly.

"What?" I say.

"Hey," he repeats.

"Eh… that's not what I mean, what do you want?"

"Don't be so rude. We are leaving!" His voice is harsh and scary.

"No!" I protest.

"Yes, we are," he says forcefully.

"No."

"Yes." He starts to push my bottoms.

"No! No! I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't even know you." He face palms himself.

"Ok, but I know a lot about you. You were born in November, 459. You originally come from Nally."

"Wait! Are you a stalker? There is no way I could have a brother," I say.

"You saw the paper, didn't you? We come from the same source and your necklace.."

I interrupt him. "My necklace? How do you know about my necklace?" I ask suspicious. He takes of his hoodie. I end up staring at him. He must have understood I don't know what he is doing, because suddenly he comes closer. 2 meters, 1 meter, 10 centimeters. His eyes. I have seen them before. Crystal blue. Where? I shriek and fall backwards.

"It's you!" I bust out. He doesn't back off. I get on my feet.

"Yeah, its me.. now let's go."

"I'm not leaving with a creep like you." I start on my way back to Linda. A hand grabs my arm. Duglas lifts me up and starts to walk in the opposite direction. My feet wriggle along with my arms as I scream.

"Help! Put me down you idiot." People near us start to stare. Probably wondering if they should help or not. Duglas notices them too.

"Look, I mean listen. She threw you out, she don't want you anymore." I stop all movements. Duglas let me down at the ground. The people stops staring. He is right. I have nowhere to go.

"What now? Where are you taking me?"

"I'm taking you home." I lose the grip around my bag.

"Bu..but, that country has no order. Chaos runs in every street. Not to mention how far away it is. And, I don't trust you." It looks like he is reaching for my hand again, I hold it against myself, but instead he picks up my luggage.

"You don't need to trust me, let's go." My mind is spinning. What is his deal? A month has passed since I got a visitor in bed; yet, this jerk pretends it never happened.

"Wait! What did you want that night? Why were you in my be.. bedroom? Even though you are my brother, it's still rude to intrude a girl's privacy like that," I yell.

"Sorry, If you want to know, walk with me." He simply turns around and starts to walk.

"Wha..? Wait! What about Linda? I know she didn't mean what she said. I have to clear things out." He doesn't stop. How can someone be so cold? Linda is my best friend and mother. This is not the goodbye I want. My feet are on their way back home. Everything turns black.

The last words I hear before passing out is "Its okay." What? It's not okay. What did he do to me?

4: Chapter 3

I am about to panic when I open my eyes. The only body part I can move is my head. We sit in a carriage. My eyes focus on the village we are leaving. It looks so small from this distance. Huge trees will soon cover it, like there has been nothing more than woods in this area for ages. Duglas notices me. It is hard to see, but it seems like he isn't wearing his hoodie anymore. It takes a while, but I realize my head is resting on it. For my peripheral vision as judge, his eyes are much lighter and blue in the daylight.

"Don't worry," He says. "You woke up early, much earlier than the others." Others? So he has done something like this before? How can I not worry? I have been kidnapped by my own brother.

I thought Duglas was a tough, unsocial guy. He is far from unsocial. The first 10 minutes he talked about everything we passed.

"That rock is really huge. I've seen a bigger one in Bju.. Oh.. and those trees. This is the only place in the world they grow." He didn't even need any response, like he was always talking to himself. His eyes never rest; they drift from one place to the next within few seconds. He is full of energy, despite how slow and tired he had looked this morning. I try to move any body part, any at all. After a while I can move my fingers, and in no time I have control over my whole body.

Duglas has changed his clothes. He can probably pass for a normal student at my school. I guess he switched to normal clothes after knocking me out. His pants are blue and match his eyes. He also wears a black regular t-shirt. I have to admit it, he looks kind of cool. I spot holes in his pants were they should cover his knees, but it only makes him look tougher.

"Hey," I say, and wait for him to focus on me. After a minute I repeat myself. He finally turns his head around.

"I was observing a very rare bird! You scared it away," he says loud and irritated. His voice reminds me of my childhood friend Gifro. It is strong, but at the same time wavering.

"Where are we going?" I ask. He keeps quiet and looks everywhere except me. I stare at him, but no matter what I do I have a feeling he won't tell me. I sigh.

"I.." he says.

"Yeah you?" I say questioning.

"I have.." All my focus gathers around his lips. I wave my hands in a way that tells him to continue. He suddenly bends his head to meet my eyes.

"I have to go." He jumps of the carriage and vanish, like a scared rabbit, into the woods. I am officially alone or maybe not. Who controls this odd wagon? My head turns to look behind me. A black horse tramples impatiently. We stand still. If I'm not completely wrong the horse waits for its owner to return. I am not willing to stay any longer than necessary. Duglas practically kidnapped me; I will not go any further with him. I jump of the carriage. My ears hear the sound of a horse barking. Barking? I don't know if it did, but the noise defiantly reminds me of my neighbor's dog.

Several times I check if someone is following me. Luckily Duglas has not returned. Trotting feet comes closer. I turn around. The black horse is sprinting against me. Is it seriously trying to capture me? Or is it just attacking? I run off the road, unlike theater people, who once in danger runs straight forward.

I end up lost, deep inside the forest. My sense of direction is bad. The wood makes many strange noises. If you stand still for a while you can almost hear the trees breathe. Twigs snaps somewhere behind me. Duglas clearly think I haven't noticed him. He looks like a cat, ready to catch his pray, me. Even though I run better than most of the girls and boys in class, I don't think it will make a difference in this situation. Duglas is well.. his whole body is made of muscles, and those legs can probably run for hours.

"Duglas? Please leave me alone. Don't make me faint again; I will kill you when I wake up." I turn to face him. He still holds his position, like he still is trying to sneak up upon me.

"Oh.. you noticed me," he says disappointed. Duglas lowers his shoulders and switch to a body position that looks more comfortable. He also seems amused. I can't tell if it is the sight of my clothes or what I just said.

"Anyway," I break the small pause of silence. "How did you do it?"

"You want me to show you?" He comes closer. 5 meters, 2 meters, 1 meter.

"No!" Duglas put on a sad face.

"Come on. But, will you please stop trying to escape? This is much harder than I thought it would be. And you are heavy." I feel anger burning to take action. Heavy? Me? It's just my height.

"This is the worst mission ever." It takes him about five seconds to realize what he just said. I don't hesitate to push hum away and run. He keeps up with my pace. Soon he will come beside me. I grab the first stick visible, and turn it as hard as I can against Duglas head. I don't reach it, so instead it hits his chest.

"Ai!" He exclaim. But he looks really calm, just like he is enjoying this. I, on the other hand, breaths much faster than I normally do after a jog. He takes a hard grip around my hand and walks back to the road; along the way I try to loosen his grip.

"Let go!" He picks me up like I am nothing more than a feather, and throws me back into the wagon. He literally threw me.

"Off," I cry. His look is dead serious. The hopeless person I thought he was fades away.

"Stay!" He commands while pointing at me. Now I am really angry. No one has ever ordered me around. I slowly get on my feet. He jumps onboard, takes my hand again and locks it in chains. My lucky day, chained to a wagon.

"What are you doing? Let me go! Who are you? I demand and explanation." The horse moves forward. Duglas, or whoever he is doesn't answer, which only makes me angrier. Therefore I use the only power I possess for the moment, my mouth. I scream. At first he holds his hands over his ears, and yells.

"Stop it!" Then he forces me to be quiet, sealing my lips with his hands.

"Okay!" He says."I will tell you, so be quiet." I nod in agreement. He sighs and sits down beside me.

"My name is Anzor. I'm taking you to your brother in Akila." I hoped for more information, but this is a start. I shake my right hand, with chains on, to give him a hint. He shakes his head with no emotion.

"Come on! You have to tell me more than that. Why did my brother send you instead of coming himself?" He raises one eyebrow.

"Oh, he didn't send me, I volunteered." He smiles. "And I'm not the only one after you. There are much worse people than me."

"What? Why?" He is probably just joking. I haven't done anything wrong. Maybe I have something they want? There was this one time, when I stole over ten notebooks from school. But they were most likely not after me for such a wired reason, right?

"Hm.. well it's not like we suddenly decided to find you, we've been searching for a long time. I bet I would never have found you if you hided on purpose." Thanks, I think. Someone has been searching for me? For a long time?

"How old are you?" He seems sceptic to my question.

"How old do you think I am?" He says overconfident. He is clearly teasing me.

"My age," I guess. He raises is left eyebrow again.

"Anzor!" A slim guy runs towards us. Anzor whistles and his pet speeds up.

"Oh that jerk. He's been following me for a year now."

"Him?" I point at the guy, who is surprisingly fast.

"Yepp. Banan. He knows I'm a better tracker than most people, that's why he's been stalking me. Until now he has kept his distance." Anzor curses. He looks desperate to get away. Can the guy chasing us be that dangerous?

"Are you afraid of him?" I ask. He gives me a death threatening look.

"No. He.. he is just annoying." Anzor is nervous. He isn't shaking, but his voice wavers more than usual.

"You are scared," I say, blurting out a small, but weird laugh.

"No. I'm not. Be quiet!" He bumps his elbow in my shoulder as an attempt to silence me, but I still laugh. Banan is not behind us anymore. Anzor seems calmer. His horse slams on the brakes, which makes me and Anzor fly forward. Banan stands in front of the horse. He is tall, but not as tall as Anzor. His hair is black, and his face expression makes him look bored.

"Hello. I hope I didn't startle you." His voice is pleasing, but creepy because it doesn't match his face. "I'm Banan. Lady, who are you?" He sounds so kind it can be mistaken with irony.

"Hi, I'm Tal.." Anzor covers my mouth again with his gigantic hands. I don't hesitate to bite him.

"Ai!" He shouts.

"It's not nice to treat a lady like that Anzor; putting her in chains, kidnapping her. I never thought of you as that desperate type," Banan says loud and overjoyed. He smiles. The wider smile he has, the greater his eyes become. I know my jaws would hurt if I were to smile like him.

"So, Anzor. That's what you normally wear? I like it, that black unhappy outfit you usually use is.. well.. unhappy." Banan still keeps his smile.

"Get lost," Anzor says irritated while waving a hand saying: Shoosh.

"I think it would be for the best if I take her Anzor." Anzors body is tense, he can't relax. Banan finds an ax somewhere under his cloak. He shows us some tricks with it. Suddenly Banan points his ax on me.

"I claim her mine. Now, hand her over!" Anzor jumps off the wagon. He hands out a small sword and attacks.

5: Chapter 4

Banan responds with his ax. I was certain Anzors sword would break Banans ax in two, because of the strength he uses in every stroke, but that isn't the case at all. Banans ax is strong, and for almost every stroke Anzor sends, Banan is faster and steps aside. If you look closely you can see that Anzor is struggling, and that Banan is only playing with him. After five more strokes, Banan gets tired of this game and pushes Anzor to the ground. Anzor is skilled, but not as skilled as Banan.

"I did expect more of you Anzor, what a pity." He smiles, and starts to kick Anzor in the stomach. His smile widens when he see blood come from Anzors mouth. Anzors horse barks and attacks. Banan steps aside and jumps onboard. His smile fades. Anzor still lies helplessly at the ground. The horse stops once it realizes that it missed its target. A small jerk makes Banan fall on me.

"Sorry," he say and crawls back to a sitting position beside me. He takes my hand. "Let me help you." He starts to smile again. Banan finds his ax. "Stay still for a second, will you?" His smile widens. He places my hand so that the chain straightens up. "You should probably close your eyes." I scream and close my eyes once Banan raises his ax. Click, it says, and I dare to open my eyes. Now I can move as I wish. "Come with me," Banan says. He offers me a helping hand. I accept without hesitation.

"Thanks," I say. Together we jump of the wagon. It would probably be natural for me to be afraid of him, but I find him more like a gentleman compared to Anzor. Anzor lies at the ground; he tries to stand several times, but his wounds drag him down.

"What a weirdo, he never should have accepted my challenge." Banan spits at the ground. "He never knows when to give up." Banan still holds my hand. "Let's get going doll." Should I feel offended? Or is that a compliment? Banan looks me directly in the eyes. His eyes are huge. Imagine a marble, his eyeballs is about that size. The iris has the color of a grey cloud before it's about to rain. Under his eyes he has a cute little nose. His hair isn't completely black; it has a taste of brown in it. Hair straws are dangling along with the tip of his ear lobe. Tired eyes are surrounded by darkness, with heavy bags under each. Banans expression changes from serious to overjoy in a matter of seconds. His smile is still creepy, but I notice his perfect set of white teeth. Banans robe takes form in a dark red color like my pants, and it covers all of his body too his knees. Even his ax cannot be seen. The dark grey color of his pants makes him look paler than he already is. Banans dark combat boots matches the rest of his outfit. He is cold. I look down at our hands and see his gloves.

"Would you prefer to be called something else? Bobo, honey, sugar, candy, Leonard?"

"I would like to be called by my name."

He interrupts me. "Angel? Because you look like someone who belongs in heaven." Is he saying I look like a dead person? Or that I should be dead? Or that I look like an angel? I hope for the last one.

"No! Talia. My name is Talia," I say irritated.

"I knew it had something to do with god. Dew." He is a complete idiot. It is true that my name might mean dew, and somewhere it says my name means dew from god. Anzor manages to take a sitting position. He whistles. His pet comes running.

"Let's go Dew." Banan drags me along into the forest. We run for about 5 minutes until I understand what is really going on. This is the second time I'm kidnapped today. I loosen his grip and run in another direction. "Wait! Stop Dew!" Banan shouts after me. He manages to reach my hand, but I slap it away and keep running. I run until I'm forced to the ground by a body.

6: Chapter 5

Somehow Banan caught up with me. He pushes me to the ground.

"What are you doing Dew?" He asks confused. He is to close. These guys really don't respect a girl's comfort zone. I want to tilt him over, but his arms and legs are on mine. I am stuck.

"Get off!" I shout. He smiles again.

"Your eyes are gorgeous. What are those two black dots?" He leans closer to me. "You want to know a secret?" He whispers.

"Argh!" A voice shouts from the left. Anzors sword wounds, and pushes Banan away from me. Blood drips from his arm.

"What's your deal? You never give up. She's mine," Banan says with a calmer voice than my history teacher. Which is practically impossible. Banan finally notices his wound.

"And how dare you ruin my cloak?" His tone is polite, but at the same time offended. Anzor answers with another stroke. Banan is too quick; he avoids every stroke and finds his ax. He throws it at Anzor, it hits his leg.

"I don't want to kill you, you're too much fun," Banan says laughing. He sounds like a crow. Anzor falls. He struggles not to scream out of pain. Blood spread to every corner of his pants.

"I like that color," Banan says. "Now Dew, let's go." He grabs my hand again.

"No," I shout. "I won't go anywhere with you." He pulls out a dagger from Anzors boot. His handgrip tightens around my arm. He starts to cut. It is sharp; I almost don't feel any pain. Blood drips. Actually, I barely feel anything. I usually don't. Banan smiles at me one more time before pressing his lips against my wound, and drinks.

"What on Quince are you doing?" I'm about to slap him, but he raises his head.

"It's succulent," he says while licking his lips.

"Thanks," I say, not clearly sure about what succulent means.

"I like red." He seems satisfied, and opens his robe to look at the injury. It's huge. In no time, it disappears.

"Thank you, Dew." I widen my eyes. My body starts to shake, my pulse raises. What is happening?

"Oh… nobody has told you?" He asks confused. His smile is so wide you can probably catch a glimpse of it from space.

"Don't know what? And where did you're wound go?" I say, pointing at his arm. Blood still drips from his mouth.

"We don't have time for this," he says. I feel goose bumps coming up.

"I like your pants," he says, with an even creepier voice than his smile.

Everything turns black again.

I wake up and find myself sitting on the back of Banan. My body is about to collapse, therefore I tighten my grip around Banans shoulders.

"Ah.. so you're finally awake?"

"How long was I out?" I ask while rubbing my eyes.

"Long enough for me to get bored," he says optimistic. Is he sarcastic?

"I feel dizzy." I actually feel exhausted, like I'm the one who has carried a person for many kilometers. I look at my arm that was supposed to be injured, but there are nothing, not a single scratch.

"Yeah. I think you panicked or something."

"We are going to Olivia right?" I ask.

"How did you know?" Banan says surprised.

"It has the only ferry that goes to Akila."

"Oh, yes. Akila? How did you know? How much did Anzor tell you? That idiot." I jump of his back.

"Ey, don't go anywhere!" He commands. I narrow my eyes. It is hopeless to run away from this guy. I could always scream again. The only problem is that we seem to be the only humans in these woods for the moment.

"Are we going to walk in the forest forever?" Banan grabs my hand. "Uhm..," I murmur.

"You have made it obvious; I can't trust you to stay with me. So what do you chose? Walk before me, or hold my hand?" His head looks forward.

"You can't trust me? How can I trust you? I want to make another suggestion; to stay by your side without holding your hand."

"Fine!" He tosses his hand along with mine in the air so that we separate. Although his action came out of anger, he still smiles. We walk for a while without saying anything. Our footsteps make most of the noise around us. The sun hides behind the high trees, but some of its long warm, glowing arms still reach us.

"We will reach our destination soon if I'm not completely mistaken, Dew." For some reason I can't imagine Banan scared or stressed, he always seems calm.

"Why are you looking at me? Don't tell me you have fallen for me?" He says with a flirtatious voice. I blush, which is really embarrassing.

"Oh," he exclaim. He looks kind of surprised. "Listen Dew. You are cute, but what about Anzor? This wouldn't be fair to him." I think Banan is nervous. For some reason he talks all the time. I decide to stare at him to make him feel more uncomfortable.

"Say something!" He commands. "Stop staring at me." He keeps talking while making strange hand moves. I decide to quit glaring at him.

"Now we are crossing the border between Olivia and Odel. This is supposed to be the safest town in Olivia," he says. I am still quiet. Banan glances behind us from time to time to ensure that no one, Anzor, is following us.

7: Chapter 6

We end up in the city's highlight. I search the place for more danger, but all I see are women and children, playing together. I also see some guys wearing the same robe as Banan, but in different colors. The thing holding Banans cloak together is a single and simple round silver brooch. I already know that this symbol is the symbol of Olivia. Odel, my birthplace, or were I was raised, has the symbol of a square. But the only people allowed to wear them with pride are our soldiers. I never thought it would be this easy to cross the border between Odel and Olivia. Now is my time. I open my mouth and scream. I scream until Banan shuts his fist on my mouth. It cannot be proved, but it felt like the earth was shaking. The guys in robes come for my rescue.

"Are you alright lady? Who are you?" They ask Banan. Banan simply points at his brooch and hands them a card he fetches from underneath his gown.

"Oh, we are terrible sorry Sir. Please, keep enjoying yourself in our city." They don't hesitate to get out of our sight.

"Who are you?" I ask. He watches me, probably overwhelmed that I actually spoke.

"Why did you scream like a little baby Dew?" He asks with an annoying voice. I push him.

"Ou!" He exclaim. "I prefer that you don't know who I am, I don't want to have more contact with you than necessary," he says polite.

"Your most likely a guard or soldier, one with a better position than others," I guess. He turns to look at me again. Correct.

"You are a good fighter, you're wearing the brooch of your country and the other soldiers seemed a bit scared of you," I add.

"Dew, you're flattering me." He kisses my hand. Without thinking I automatically slap him in the face.

"Uh.. you're quite the fighter yourself." He strokes his sore cheek. "Let's find a place to sleep."

We walk for about one hour until we find an inn.

It is gorgeous. As you walk in, mirrors follow you until the end of the hallway. The first room reminds me of one of my rich friend's houses. The brown tree floor does not make the room smell like mold like it usually does. This room smells like spring. Each wall is colored in red. A table and four chairs are made out of dark wood, and stands in the middle of the room. Against every wall there is at least one bookshelf, which contains a lot of books. Cute tea sets and many other objects are exhibited as decorations in other shelves. In addition they have adored with flowers everywhere.

There are only two doors left. I open the first. The only thing inside is a bathtub and a toilet. Most inns have outside lavatory, but now they have found a new and better way to settle this: A hole in the ground. I'm quite impressed by this.

In the last room there is a large bed. If you imagine the fattest guy you have ever met and triple him, the width is about that big. And if you imagine the highest guy you have ever seen, the bed is about that long. On each side of the bed there are small tables with stearin candles. And above the king sized bed there is a painting of a rose.

"Do you like it?" Banan asks optimistic.

"Yes, you must be rich. We actually have an inside bathroom," I say overjoyed. He drags a hand through his hair, and winks at me. His hair stays behind his ear for some seconds until it goes back to its rightful place, before his eyes.

"So. Where will you sleep?" I ask him.

"In the bed."

"Where will I sleep?" I ask.

"In the bed."

"No," I say. Banan responds with one of his famous smiles. He starts to bite his nails.

"No!" I repeat. He looks up and comes closer to my face.

"Dew? Honey?" He is irritated. "If I let you out of my sight, you will try to escape again. Besides, have you seen this bed? It's huge!" I don't reply. But my disagreeing stare is enough to trigger him. He searches for something in his robe. Banans actions are too fast for me to react. Before I manage to do anything I'm already tied to the bed.

"I didn't think I would have to use this."

"I will scream," I say with a voice I don't recognize. I make sure my expression doesn't change, still staring. I will not let him think I'm weak.

"Um.. why are you glaring at me? Would you please stop it?" Banan backs out of the room, but stops in the doorframe.

"Don't scream, you saw what happened last time. Is there something I can get you?" He asks.

"Yes," I say.

"What?" I mumble something. "What?" he asks again, leaning closer to me, holding one hand behind his ear.

"Freedom!" I shout. He jumps one step away from me.

"Something else?"

"Food and clothes." I stare angry at the ground.

"I'll be back in a minute." He hurries out. Now I can think in piece. These guys are strange. Why do both of them want to escort me to my brother so badly? My brother could have come to get me himself. If my brother is responsible for this I won't forgive him, nor stay with him. 'I will have a vacation soon.' A vacation? What was Linda talking about? I have to get home. I watch my arm. Mine and Banans injury vanished. Do I possess some kind of power? I look around the room. On a table close to the bed I can see a vase. Banan made sure to tie me up close to the bed. I try to reach the vase with my mouth, but it's too far away. I also try to untie the rope, but he has made a really weird knot. I notice something interesting; the bed is not attached to the wall like most are. Most inns make sure no furniture is loose because they fear burglars. Therefore even beds are secured. Who knows? Somebody could throw it out the window and take it with them if they're strong enough. I move against the vase, the bed follows me after a few tugs. I manage to push the vase of the table. It breaks. Parts of it separate to every corner of the room. I pick up one piece with my mouth.

This is not the first time I do something like this. A year ago, we went camping with our school. As entertainment we made a theatre show for our teachers. I got the role as the hero who should be captured. In order to play the role perfect, I practiced until I mastered the art of untying myself.

I let the piece of broken glass fall behind my back and into my hands. It is hard, but I free myself from the rope. Without me realizing it, Banan had locked the door out of here. He really doesn't trust me. I can kick the door down, but it will take too much time and make too much noise. There is a window across the bed. As I open the window, I hear a door closing. He is back.

8: Chapter 7

I climb out of the window. Luckily there is a porch I can follow to some stairs that brings me to the ground. I run as fast as I can away from the inn. I have no idea where I'm going.

"Talia! Doll! Wait!" Banan shouts from somewhere behind. I don't dare to turn around to confirm how far away he is. I run until I meet a dead end. A huge wall divides the road and whatever is on the other side. In each corner there are at least four barrels. Maybe I have enough time to run out of here. My breath is calm, and so am I.

"Finally! I managed to catch you," Banan says with a heavy breath. "Nowhere to go. Just come." I smile at him. I run to the wall, jump on two barrels and try to jump again. My hands are just long enough to reach the top. I hitch myself up and sit on top of the wall for a little break.

"Wow," Banan exclaim. "Man, you're really tall. I should stop underestimating you." I wave at him and jump from the top. Fortunately I fall into water. It is a small lake of fresh water. Untouched water lilies hide between long strays of grass. And before my eyes, on a lily blade, sits a little ugly creature. You can compare it with a frog. Its whole body is blue and probably slimy. Its back is covered of a huge blade, like a dorsal fin. The frogflyer also has a long tail following him. Linda is terrified of these small animals.

"Grrh," it says. I splash water on it and swim to dry land.

"Talia!" His splash echoes in my head. I start to run again. Before I get the chance to look behind myself, an object hit me in the head, and I trip with my face first.

"Sorry," Banan apologizes. He helps me back on my feet.

"Oh.. you look.. hm.. look at the sun, we should get back. Don't you think so?" I slap him. My hand leaves a red mark on his face. I search for the objective that made me trip. 5 meters away from us I can see a boot. I smack him one more time.

"You know, youre not what I expected you to be," he says with a shocking face.

"To bad," I say angry.

"It's already gone," he says while investigating my face. He forces me back with him to the inn.

I walk in and see a table covered with food. Plates are filled with everything from fruit to fish.

"Iii! Why is there so much?"

"I don't know what you like, therefore I bought everything I could find."

"Find? Where on earth did you find this much?" He doesn't answer. Banan stares at the roof like he is having a flashback I will never hear about.

Everything is delicious. My stomach has never been this satisfied before. Linda was never good at cooking. She always tried to increase her level of skills with dishes. Since she always tried out a new recipe, she never mastered any of them. They would mostly end up as a drink or a disastrous pudding. I couldn't complain, her cooking is better than mine.

"You must love food." I look up from my plate. Banan stares at me with a flirtatious face, and an even creepier smile than usual.

"What?" I ask offended.

"Nothing." He looks like a lovesick boy, staring dreamingly at the roof. I feel a little embarrassed. Could it be that he has been watching me like that the whole time I was eating? I hate when people look at me when I eat. It's uncomfortable. Home, we usually take our plate and go to different rooms. It is unnatural for me to eat with someone else, especially when that someone is Banan. We eat lunch at our school, but my school is strict. Unlike every other school in Odel, we have to sit alone with our desk all the time.

"Did you make this?" I ask him. He snaps out of his imaginary world and focus on me.

"Time to sleep," he says and drags me from the table, and into the bedroom. This time he doesn't tie me to the bed, but to himself.

"I don't know about this." I say concerned.

"It's okay. I'm a soldier. You don't have to be scared," he says encouraging. "If you try to escape this time, I will notice."

I mumble something.

"What?" He asks and comes closer.

"I have to go," I say embarrassed.

"Ah. I will follow you," Banan says natural.

"No."

"Why not? I won't peek. I never knew girls were this shy." He ties us apart. When I come back, he tie us together again.

"Stay on your side of the bed," I say strict.

"Yes." This is probably the most awkward night I have ever had. Except from when Anzor visited me that time, which was even more awkward. We are silent. I'm looking around the room to find something interesting to watch. I pull my blanket tight around me so no air can sneak in and make me cold. I always do this, it makes me warmer and I feel safe. When I was little and afraid of monsters I would go to Linda. She would make me some "Pudding", and cheer me up. 'In order to sleep, you have to pretend to be asleep.' She used to say.

I wake up from a window slamming. Earlier that window was closed. I guess Banan must have opened it during the night. It is still dark though. It takes a moment for me to realize how close Banan is to me. He is sleeping peacefully next to me. I take a look around the room, nothing seems unusual. I switch side, facing the door out of here. I width my hand across the bed, prepared to feel the edge of it. But my arm have much space, I have to stretch my whole body to reach the edge. Banan is not the one close to me; I'm the one close to him. This is embarrassing. At home I end up using the whole bed for my body. A lump forms in my throat as I think of home. I hear a creak coming from the dark.

9: Short story I

Banan`s POV

A rich guy sits in a restaurant. I can tell he is rich. Firstly, he is as fat as a pregnant woman. Secondly, he wears fancy clothes. And at last, he has servants and sits alone. In addition his table is filled with food. He looks like a good pray. The dark shadow I make on his table is perfect. He is most likely scared.

"Hello." I say.

"What do you want?" The old man asks uncertain. I notice his earlobes. They are hanging, like they're tired of wearing heavy earrings of gold. He wears a white dress with patterns that are also in gold. Everything about him says that he has a lot of money.

His servants also look like security guards. They are staring at me with suspicious eyes, ready to act at any moment. Even though I would love to have a fight, a fight will only make more trouble for me. I show him my card.

"I'm a soldier. Your food has been poisoned. I need to check it," I say conveniently. His face expression changes from an angry and mean man, to a nice and cooperative man.

"Of course Sir." The old man says with an offering hand.

"It will take time." I say.

"My dinner will get cold." He looks sad, so I decide to cheer him up.

"You can order something else in the meantime. I promise, I won't come back empty handed," I say and leave with the food.

After mine and Talia`s inspection of his food, I bring the plates back. The guy I was supposed to give them to have apparently died of poison in his food. Bad luck.

10: Chapter 8

A man enters the room through the window.

"Tsj!" Anzor whispers. He is probably wearing that dark outfit again, because I can't see him clearly. Anzor cuts the rope with his dagger and takes my hand. My hand is most likely full of bruises now.

"Anzor," Banan says, still lying in bed. "Where are you going?"

"Just taking the girl for a walk in the moonlight," Anzor says with a sense of humor. Banan finds some matches and light a lot of candles. The light flickers. It makes our shadows visible on the walls.

"This is my district. Leave now and I will let you go." Banans voice is calm.

"No, don't think so."

"I'm a soldier who knows your sins." Banan sounds a little tired. He gasps and sighs.

Anzor drags me closer to the window.

"What about you?"

"You kidnapped her Anzor. I'm just escorting her to her brother."

"What about her? What does she think about us?" The atmosphere is tense, like a battle can start at any moment.

"Sexually harassing and kidnapping is what I would call it for both of you."

"She is impossible to handle, even a monkey would be more obedient than her."

"Need a hand handling her?" Anzor asks amused. Banan stands up from the bed and reaches for Anzors hand. As they shake hands I narrow my eyes.

"Can you really trust each other?" I ask with my arms crossed. At the exact time, both of them turn to look at me with serious faces, still shaking hands.

"No," both of them shout in choir.

"What do you get if you manage to bring me to my brother?" I ask curious.

"If? We will bring you to him no matter what. And we don't get anything special," Anzor says. He lies. His eyes twitch a bit, and his voice sounds nervous.

"Idiot! Where did you learn to lie?" Banan says and punch Anzors arm. Anzor reacts by jumping backwards. This is hopeless; these two can never get along. Anzor, who still holds his dagger, looks angry at Banan.

"While you two fight, I will go back to bed. Night!" They keep staring at each other with hateful eyes and fists ready to attack.

When I wake up, Banan sleeps in one corner and Anzor in another, like they argued the whole night. They look peaceful with their hands folded on the stomach, and crossed legs. Both of them snore. Anzor sounds like a bird. Every time he breaths out, he whistles. Banan snores brighter.

The night has returned to its hibernation. Compared to Anzors terrible snoring, the birds make lovely melodies. And the sun reaches every room. I tiptoe over to Anzor. I ark out the dagger he has in his boot. Nobody can stop me this time. I walk happily out of the inn and I'm on my way back home again. To think they forgot to tie me. A safe place and weapons is what I need. It has been a long time, but I have friends in this city. I hope I find someone who can help me. As I walk in town I register a poster on a wall. It is a wanted poster. 10 000 C for an assassin. The poster shows a man wearing a black hoodie. I think this might be Anzor. Even though the picture doesn't show his face, Banan said something about sins.

The level of security in this land is high. Soldiers came up with a good technique to capture criminals; all of the prisons are full according to my knowledge. Olivia means peace. Their law is based upon a theory for safety, and a good society. I think it's strange that no one has captured Anzor yet. I mean, for the time being, he is in the strictest and most secured country in the world. 10 000 C is a lot of money. Banan could just bring Anzor to prison. Maybe I should catch him myself.

My legs hurt after walking for hours. The streets are full of people, and no matter where I look, I see one or more soldiers. I don't know where I am. And I certainly don't remember where I came from. All of the buildings look the same. This is a perfect city. Even the streets are cleaner than water. People cover every spot on the ground, like the mess in my room.

"Out of the way!" I hear someone yell behind me. Banan pushes folks aside, forcing himself forward. This is not good. How did he find me? But Banan isn't the one leading the way, it is Anzor. He doesn't stand out from the crowd like Banan does with his massive cloak. I hurry to one of the closest shops. It is full of clothes and shoes. I grab the first pair of jeans in my size, and a sweater.

The colors don't crash this time. These clothes actually look cute, but at the same time very simple. Now I wear black pants and a white thin sweater. It might not sound cute, but compared to what I had been wearing, it makes a huge difference.

When I come out of the dressing room, a guy pokes my back.

"Talia right?"

"Yes! You're just the guy I was looking for," I say happy.

"Why? And how come you're in this town?" I come closer; his chins turn much redder than they already are.

"I was kidnapped by a soldier and an assassin," I whisper. He takes a step away from me, looking a bit shocked.

"Are you joking?" Gifro says uncertain.

"No, I'm not. Look outside. That man in the robe, and the other guy who looks really normal," I say and points at my kidnappers.

"What have you done Talia?" I can tell he is about to panic. His eyes and body moves in quick motions. A summer we spent together, I always got into trouble. I don't know why but danger was tempting. Every time I did something wrong Gifro got shaky and afraid that we would get yelled at. But he always stayed by my side, no matter how horrible the situation I got us into was.

"It fine Gifro. I just have to hide for a while." He calms down.

"No, they're coming this way. Put this hat on," Gifro says. He smashes an ugly brown hat on my head that covers my eyes.

"Have you two seen a young woman in colorful clothes?" Banan asks.

"No. What has she done Sir?" Anzor takes the word.

"She ran away. We are supposed to escort her to her brother for safety reasons." I can only hear their voices, but the picture of Banans scary smile appears.

"I know that smell", Banan says and lifts my hat. "Hello Dew," he says overjoyed. "I've been missing you." Anzor seems a bit confused. He was clearly not aware that it was me.

"You know her by her smell?" Anzor asks disgusted. Banan nods.

"Come with us," Banan says and grabs my hand.

"No!" Gifro shouts and separates our hands. "If you don't get away from her, I will call for the soldiers.." Gifro finally notices Banans cloak and symbol. "Oh.. you're a soldier. I'm terrible sorry."

"It's ok," Banan says and takes my hand again. Gifro punches Banan. Banans smile widens.

"Are you picking up a fight with me boy?" He asks excited.

"I.. I can't let you take her."

"Let me go and I won't hurt you," I say. Everybody stares at me like I am a little kid, challenging a ninja clan; even Gifro seems a bit sceptic.

"What will you do Dew?" Banan says interested. Everybody stands still for a minute. Other customers look for clothes, like this tense atmosphere don't exist in their world of harmony.

I show them the dagger I had been having in my belt behind my back.

"Where? How in the world girl?" Anzor says and checks his boot.

"You know this is something you will regret in jail?" Banan says pleased.

"I'm not going to prison or with you two." Banan is about to draw his ax, but Anzor stops him; saying let me with his face. He pulls out his sword which is much longer than my dagger.

"Don't take too long," Banan says and sits on the ground.

"Wait? You can't fight here Talia. There are too many people!" Gifro says.

"You're more worried about other people than Talia? Who are you anyway?" Banan asks calm and lazy. Gifro just smiles to irritate him. It works. Banans smile fades and his hair looks greasier than it normally does. This isn't fair. I feel a little pathetic with this little dagger. I attack my opponent. My dagger crashes with his sword. He tries to strike, I avoid his sword. I'm too quick. My legs move automatically. I end up beside him and before I know a word of it myself, my dagger covers Anzors throat. Anzor drops his blade. It chimes once it hits the ground and leaves the whole store in silence. Every customer stares at us.

"Now, leave me alone," I yell in Anzors ear. He startles. Banan applauds with a serious look on his face.

"I can't afford to underestimate you anymore Talia." My heart starts to pond. Gifro still smiles, I have a feeling he has been smiling the whole time. Banan suddenly stands. Bags that hung underneath his eyes yesterday are almost gone, and his serious expression terrifies me.

"Let me go girl," Anzor says and struggles to escape. I tighten my grip.

"If you were planning on killing or taking someone as hostage, you should have taken me," Banan says. Sweat run down my forehead. "I will call for guards if you don't let him go Talia."

"No, you won't. If you do, they will take me and you will not have your reward for bringing me to my so called brother."

"Relax. I'm counting to three. One. Two." I interrupt him with a scream. Anzor covers his ears. Banan looks like he wants to kill me.

"You," he yells. Not long after I'm surrounded by guards. I let Anzor go, and volunteers to go with the soldiers. As we walk I wink at Banan. This is something he didn't predict. He is furious.

11: Chapter 9

The soldiers march to a huge building. Every wall is either white or grey. With no windows, the only light inside comes from huge candles standing on the ground, one for every tenth step I take. Sealed doors holds secrets few know about.

Three soldiers guide me to a room. On our way we meet at least twenty other guards. We greet them all. I know from history that Olivia is a secure land, but I would never guess they have this many soldiers. With this many, shouldn't the city be safe? The government can't possibly pay all of them. It's like every man in this town is a soldier. Being a soldier is an honor that takes you higher on the social ladder. I believe Banan is a soldier with wrong motives, is he doing this to me for money? I don't understand, but I do understand it is illegal.

I wait for half an hour in this empty room until my first visitor arrives.

"I hope you like this place. You will spend four hours here, when it's dark." Banan says, kicking a wall. He is mad.

"Wheres Anzor and Gifro?" I ask. Banan comes closer.

"They are ok, we made a deal with Gifro. We have a plan." He whisper and smiles. "Anyway, where did you get so good at fighting?" He says impressed.

"Don't come so close. They can't hear what you say. I've read about this prison. No matter how loud and long you scream no one can hear you." Banan widens his eyes. He comes closer.

"But what if I want to get close to you?" I know he is teasing me, but I can't help it, I turn red and study the ground. "How cute." He pets my head like I'm a cat. This is unbelievable, nobody have ever been this close before, except Anzor, but that only lasted for some seconds. My heart pumps more than ever and I can't let myself look at him. I don't like guys, they are scary. Maybe it's because I'm used to live with Linda. At school I only hang with the same people, and I'm only friends with girls. Now that I think about it, I wonder why I've never had a boyfriend. Many of the girls in class have, but for some reason I'm stuck. It's annoying, I'm honestly jealous of those girls who seem to get along with the guys. It's not that I don't talk to the guys in class; it's just that everything gets so formal and polite. I feel like I can`t show the real me. It's easier to become friends with boys younger than myself, than boys older or at the same age. I'm weird. No, I won't let him win. I push him and look up. Banan is tall. For the first time since I turned 13 I feel low. I'm the tallest girl in my village, even taller than most of the guys. Luckily there are some women's that are taller than me. One example is my neighbor Josephine. She is an old woman in her forties. But even she got herself a husband.

In Odel I always felt so strange and different. Whenever I moved I could sense everybody's attention on me.

Our eyes meet. His are very gray without life. It suits him though.

"I need to tell you something," Banan whisper and waves me closer. For a moment I forget that no one can hear us. Instead of saying anything, he kisses my cheek. I back away.

"Wha.. what was that for?" I ask confused.

"I wanted to. You should see your face, it's all red." Now I'm irritated. How dare he?

"Enough of your nonsense." He looks a bit hurt by my words. "How do you plan to kidnap me?" I ask angry.

"Hold your temper Dew, we can't do anything until this issue is solved."

"What issue?"

"Kidnapping. You're not really a kid. Ladynapping, womanapping?"

"Shut up!" I shout. Banan seems surprised.

"I have never met a girl like you. Hey, what about girlnapping?" I sit down, giving up on this jerk.

"Are you tired? Do you want to borrow my precious cloak as a carpet?" He asks friendly. "It's a cold room." He hands me his robe like it is worth a million coins. Underneath he wears a light blue colored hoodie with a dark gray west over. His ax is on his back. And he wears a little red purse.

"Take care of my beauty cutie," Banan says and smiles like a joker.

"We will meet again," he says and leaves me. I have to wait for four hours. Should I stay in prison or go with them? I scream too much, it's not like they are harming me or anything. I want to go home. We made a deal. I wonder what kind of deal they made. Banans cloak is huge. I also wonder why Banan gave me his robe when he seems to treasure it so much. I decide to try it on. When I'm about to, a paper falls on the ground. I pick it up and read through it. It is a poem:

They find a mysterious place

A strange fruit is eaten by them

Red like blood, hard to trace

Wealthy they leave with jewelry and gem

My impression of Banan change a bit. This is a strange poem. I find Banan strange too, but this is kind of creepy. If he found it or if he wrote it, either way it scares me. I study the poem. It's not like I have anything else to do. What does it mean? It's not hard to believe Banan made it himself, but the fragile, old paper tells a different story. At the bottom of the paper, someone has signed the name Kan. That can be a last name or a first name. It can be anyone. Banan Kan? Maybe it is from his grandfather or someone in his family. My prison door opens. A little man stands in the doorframe. He is holding a small plate with bread, and a glass of toddy, which is a warm blackcurrant juice with alcohol. I am suspicious and don't trust this prison. Luckily my stomach is still satisfied.

"I don't want it, thank you.." Even though they imprisoned me, and I'm partly innocent from my point of view, he is just a soldier at work.

I can always tell them about Anzor and Banan, maybe they will let me go if I do. But that won't be fair. I want to escape on my own, and it's not like they will believe me. Besides I'm sure Banan will catch me sooner or later anyway.

"Miss? I will lay it on the ground," he says and smiles friendly. I smile back.

"Ok, thank you Sir." He blushes, and closes the door after him.

My attention goes back to the poem. Blood. The image of Banan licking my arm comes in mind. I don't understand anything. I pull the robe around me. It smells like blood. I need to stop thinking about blood. I like blood. Get out of my head! This room is cold.

12: Chapter 10

Banan`s POV

I feel sorry for Gifro. Leaving him tied to a chair without food or water is evil. Who knows how much time he has to spend in that toilet before someone finds him. Maybe we should have removed that dirty rag, filled with blood, from his mouth. He will be fine. Someone will find him, eventually.

I do not have as much authority in this city that I have in most others in Olivia. It bothers me. This city is one of the strictest in the world. This is so because it lies closest to Odel. Although people are allowed to cross the border without any consequences, many soldiers are on duty at all times to prevent trouble. However, because of the strict security, and my lack of authority, I have no right to take out an imprisoned person. The person must first be examined and judged.

The strictest city in the world right now is Bju. Here I have a lot more power.

Anzor sits. He doesn't say anything. I feel the urge to break the silence, but he is probably just thinking. I love his hair. The red color reminds me of my precious cloak. I regret giving it to Talia. She will hopefully treat it nice. I don't think she is the person to break or ruin others stuff. But I miss my cloak. I catch myself staring at Anzors hair. And without noticing, my hand reaches for it. I stop it.

We are at a restaurant. Huge men serve small, but cheap portions. We sit next to a window. It is getting darker outside. I can feel the moon push the sun. I smile.

"I know it!" Anzor turns to talk to me. He makes a face expression I don't understand. His eyes get big, and for some reason he presses himself against the window.

"Banan, could you stop smiling like that?" He sits down properly.

"Anyway, we need a distraction. We won't risk sneaking in without a plan. You know this land better than me. Any ideas?" I don't know much about this district. The only time I had a mission in this town was four years ago. Some bucos had escaped. They created chaos and disorder in the city. And since they were so many, the soldiers needed assistance. To think I, a highly respected officer, had to help in such a lame and boring situation. When I think about it, I feel disgusted.

"Where is that horse of yours?" Anzor don't know what I'm thinking.

"My horse?" He asks.

"Bucos. They are afraid of black things. I know where we can find a massive herd of them." Anzor leans forward of excitement.

"Genius."

The grass lies some kilometers away from the town. Bucos are huge creatures everyone fears, even me. They smell bad and when I eat their meat, I always find hair in it. That black hair which looks like my own. I respect them though. Their fur is, most of the time, long and brown. They might remind you about a mix between a bull and a dog. Their horns are as sharp as a spear, and can stick through anything or anyone. I'm a little nervous. My smile widens. Anzor sits on his dark and cool horse. Horses are beautiful.

"What now? Wont people suspect that something is fuzzy if we let them out?"

"No, this is a major problem that happens often." I can't believe they don't have guards to watch over them, even though they have ruined parts of the city several times before. What a stupid city.

I nod as a signal. He doesn't understand me.

"What?" He asks, and leans his head to one side, looking completely confused.

"Just.. do your job," I say and smile. He looks afraid, or is he blushing? I don't understand the difference sometimes.

"Stop that!" He shouts and looks away from me. I guess the correct answer is afraid, or disgusted. Am I disgusting? No, I'm handsome. At least Talia think so. That horse has blue eyes, so pretty.

"What is its name?" I ask, pointing at the horse.

"Anzor junior." Anzor says happy.

"What an ugly name. I'll call him junior."

"Whatever," he says and starts to chase the bucos with junior. I open the gate. Bucoses run from one side to another, they separate. These creatures runs until they get stopped. Most of them go towards the town. When I say most of them, I mean at least 200. When I think about it, I don't think it was necessary to scare all of them. My stomach hurts. The village will have a big problem to deal with. I think I sympathize with them, or have a bad conscience. My stomach rumbles. Guess I'm just hungry.

Bucos ruin everything that comes in their way. It can be that the soldiers have to use the entire night and the next day to collect them all. Last time we used four hours to collect a smaller amount of bucos. But it's not like the soldiers have anything better to do anyway.

Anzor comes back to me, and let me sit on junior. I must admit it, it is wonderful to ride and feel the wind fly though my hair. When we get to the prison, we hide in some bushes. We observe the prison from a safe distance.

"Anzor?"

"Yeah?" He pets his horse.

"Mind removing your whore? I mean horse? It's drawing to much attention." I'm a bit jealous of him. I also want a pet. Anzor slaps juniors back. It runs away. We can hear screams, and loud tramps from two hundred bucos. I hope no one gets hurt. My good plan is working. Soldiers from every rank are leaving the prison, running out to save the day. I know the feeling of being needed, it's great. After half an hour no other guards come out of the building.

"Let's move."

13: Chapter 11

The ground underneath my feet is trembling, like we are experiencing an earth quake. My door opens. Banan, and Anzor steps inside. Banan close the door just enough so it don't lock itself. They don't pay any attention to me. They stay close to the door like they are listening to something.

"He's gone?" They nod in agreement and turns to face me.

"I said we had a plan," Banan says with a smile.

"What did you do? Bomb the city?"

"Not exactly." Anzor answers. Banan comes closer. He starts to poke my shoulder.

"You look so cute," Banan says and acts really happy. Suddenly he tugs his cloak.

"Now, give it back to me!" His friendly attitude becomes a serious face. I hand him his robe. He notices the paper I hold in my hand. Banan widens his eyes and looks a little shocked.

"How? I thought I had that in my purse."

"Why do you have such a weird poem?" I ask curious. Banan snaps it from my hand. He puts it in his bag. Immediately afterwards he starts to kiss his robe and mumble something about missing it.

"You took good care of her, thank you," he says and kiss my forehead. I am speechless. Even Anzor looks a bit surprised.

"Banan, why did you kiss her?" Banan turns his head. Even though I can't see it, I'm sure Banan uses his evil smile, Anzor looks afraid.

"I wanted to show my gratitude. You jealous?" He asks teasing. Anzor doesn't answer, but his face expresses something that tells me he doesn't care.

"Don't act like you don't care, I know you like her." Before this gets more awkward, I push them aside and go out of my prison room. There are no soldiers in the hall, which is surprising.

"Where are all the guards?" I ask.

"Oh.. they.." Banan covers Anzors mouth.

"We killed them," he says. Banan is probably lying, yet, there is nobody here. I'm bewildered.

We just walk peaceful out of the prison, like this is how criminals escape all the time.

The town is a mess in flames. Bucos are running over guards who try to protect commoners, and stop these strong beasts. Every store has either a hole in their wall, or a broken door. And people scream, really loud. I sympathize with Anzor and Banan. That pain they must have felt in their head when I did exactly the same thing. Except that this is most likely ten times worse. Anzor whistles. His pet comes running against us from the woods.

"Junior!" Banan shouts overjoyed and run towards it. The horse barely notices him, it runs past him and stops with Anzor.

"His name is junior?" I ask critical. We have to shout in order to hear each other.

"Actually Anzor junior," Anzor corrects.

"Yeah, junior sounds better," I say honest. Anzor gets a bit depressed.

"Anyway, where are Gifro?" Nobody answer me. Anzor jumps on his horse and holds his hand out to help me get up. I accept his help. Banan runs beside us as we trot out of the town. I feel a sting of guilt, this is partly my fault. And just leaving them like this is irresponsible and mean.

The ferry that goes to Akila is located in the big city Bju, the biggest in the world. I have heard rumors about people who were on vacation there, but got lost, and never came back. The buildings are supposed to be taller than mountains, which makes the whole city feel like a labyrinth. The thought of it makes me shiver.

"Talia?" Banan looks concerned. "Are you alright?" I nod.

We have confirmed that we will reach Bju by tomorrow. We've been following the road and many signs. Right now we are looking for a place to rest for the night after walking for hours; he horse couldn't bare our weight anymore. The road gets smaller and smaller for each step we take until it becomes a small path into a forest; a very tight forest. I swear I see fog come from a small lake we are about to pass. We haven't seen another human for the last miles. It makes me worry. Frogflyers screams a lot tonight, I startle every time. Luckily there are starflowers round the lake. Starflowers are white and they only grow close to water. They gather energy from the sun and lights up at night. Their light is surprisingly good for such a small plant. If you drag one out of the ground its light will last until the flower dies. These flowers can live without water or earth for several hours.

"We will sleep here for the night," Banan declares. Both I and Anzor looks at Banan like he is crazy, but he is…

"We will sleep on the ground. Let's start a fire." Anzor babysits me while Banan finds something to start the fire with.

We sit on the same rock.

"Anzor?" I ask. He is busy cleaning his sword. I wonder where he keeps his sword. Anzor looks at me; his face asks me what I want.

"Im just asking, but why did you want to know if I had this necklace?" I show him my necklace. It is made of silver and formed like a drop. I have been wearing it since as long as I can remember.

"Just to confirm something," he answers and switches over to focus on his sword again. Anzors sword has dried blood on the end, but he doesn't have to struggle to remove it.

"If I remember correctly, Linda said that you two had met?"

Since it is dark, and the starflowers are far away, it is hard to tell, but I think he is blushing. Anzor focus on me again and nods.

"How many times?"

"Not many, enough to make her trust me." I question Linda's intelligence. Firstly: for trusting him. Secondly: for trusting him with me. I honestly don't understand what goes through her mind.

"Wouldn't it have been easier to kidnap me immediately?" He doesn't answer.

Banan comes back with enough wood and sticks to keep the fire alive for several days.

"So Anzor, now I also have a question. How come you healed so fast? I'm sure my ax got deep into your leg," Banan says while he rubs two flint stones together to create a spark that makes the wood burn.

"You took a lot of blood from Talia yesterday. When I woke up, the whole place was covered in red." Banan places his hand underneath his chin and stare at the starry sky. It looks like he is thinking or just spacing out again.

Banan notice Anzors sword.

"Anzor? Is that the sword you used when you ruined my cloak?" He asks suspicious. Anzor gives him a charming and winsome smile. Banan grabs his ear and shouts some bad words. Anzor lets him do it. Somehow they seem a bit friendlier than yesterday.

"Oh, that right! I found soft moss." Banan runs back into the forest.

"What happened to Gifro?" I ask Anzor.

"Yeah, your boyfriend… we left him." Gifro is not the type to run away or give in. He never did, no matter how much mess I got us into.

Banan comes back with a large load of moss in his hands. We can't even see his face. Soft moss is a special kind of moss. When a living creature lies, stands or sits on it, it gets warmer. It adjusts to your body heat. Before we go to sleep, Banan finds another rope from his cloak and ties me to himself. This time he assures himself that I cannot escape.

14: Short story II

Banan`s POV

I accidentally spilled Dew`s blood everywhere, even on her pants. Fortunately they are already red, so she won't notice. I wonder why she passed out; it could be that I took too much blood from her. Maybe her fragile and thin body couldn't handle it.

I can't believe it works. It's just like it said, special. With Dew around I can fight as much as I want. But maybe I should try to keep us away from troublesome situations. She looks nice, I'm sure she won't cause any trouble.

There are two small black dots in her eyes. I've never seen anything like that. It makes her eyes look more mysterious and strange. The iris is a mix between yellow, brown and green. I think it looks like flames that try to escape from a ball, her pupil. And her hair looks kind off tousled. It is long and straight with some waves at the bottom. Dews hair matches the earth underneath her head. I like her lips, they are really red. Anzor`s hair is red. I love it. He ruined my rope though. This hole wont disappear by itself. Dew might be kind enough to help me sew it or something. I drag my ax out from Anzor`s leg. He groans as I pull it out, and turns to another side before he also passes out. That was about time. I want to kick him another time. But I want to fight him again. Some decisions are too hard to make. I kick him in the stomach one more time. He moans of pain, still faint. The sound makes me smile. I lift Dew and put her on my back. She almost falls off for every step I take. I have to hold around her as much as I can in order for her to stay on top of me. My back feels something lumpy and soft. It dangles as I move. What is this? When I realize what it is, I get a bit warm. I shouldn't feel embarrassed by this. It's true that she is cute, but I'm just here for the reward.

After 16 years, Nally is still in chaos. I don't get why they use this long to fix things. The war ended after six years. Nally consist of two ethnic groups, and non-ethnic groups. They came to a disagreement about how and who should run the country. A civil war broke the peace they had kept for centuries. For ten years they have tried to find a solution. There still is a tension between them, and they don't want other countries to intrude.

After the war, I, a fifteen year old officer, had to help. Believe it or not, I am the first person in the world that had such a high rank at such a small age. It was my first mission. It involved cleaning and hepling injured, but also searching for something. That was when I got a lot of documents and books.

Talia Kan. You were really hard to find.

15: Chapter 12

I wake up as the sunlight reaches my face. When the sun is up, the starflowers don't light. And the frogflyers don't scream. I will never understand why they scream. It could be that they are scared of the dark, or maybe they just communicate. I wonder what Anzor and Banan did to Gifro. They are still sleeping. Banan looks like a sleeping baby. He sleeps soundless. Banan holds some of his cloak close to his face, like it is a cuddle cloth and he lies in a fetal position. This makes him seem smaller. When I notice his face, I startle. He sleeps with an evil smirk on his mouth, as if he is having a good dream. Anzor, on the other hand, snores more than ever. His mouth is open. Anzor lies with one of his arms under his head. And his hoodie is off. He must have pulled it off during the night. I think his red hair shows a contrast to his eyes. It looks messy. The top has a light red color. The longer it is, the darker it gets.

My eyes drift from one place to another. I have to find an option, a way to escape. I search all over their body to find weapons or something sharp. Obviously I don't find anything. They have learnt from their mistakes. For a moment I forget the rope and look for weapons somewhere else. When I go too far, the rope drags me back. The pull makes Banan and Anzor wake up.

"You always wake up so early," Anzor says and rubs his eyes. Banan stretches his body and yawns.

"Time to go," he announces. I'm ravenous. It feels like my stomach soon will break the silence. I regret rejecting the food in prison.

We walk into the forest. To my astonishment I see a bush with berries. The berries are in different colors and looks like a marble. Someone are green, others have a light blue color, like Anzors eyes. I walk to it and start to gather. As I am about to wolf it down, Anzor slaps them out of my hand.

"Hey!" I exclaim.

"They are one of the most poisoned berries on Quince you idiot." I was sure these berries are safe to eat. Somewhere in our biology books it says that the achromatic marble berries are poisoned, not those with colors. I quickly pick one of them and swallow it. Anzor run amuck. He puts his hands on my cheeks and looks at my face.

"Are you mad?" He shouts timid. Banan also comes. I smile at him.

"They are not poisonous. Relax." Anzor seems to calm down and let go of my face. He sighs. Then he looks in my eyes.

"Did you do that just to prove that I was wrong?" He implies. I give him a mysterious smile.

"Now that! That was amazing. I love that smile!" Banan compliments.

"You're too stubborn. How did you know that anyway?" Anzor asks and ignores Banan.

"School."

"You learn about things like that at school?" Anzor looks excited.

"What is school?" Banan asks. Both I and Anzor show him a look saying: Seriously? It's not like I have forgotten that they have abducted me. The only problem is that I don't have a clue about what to do. And I never get the chance to do anything without them watching me.

In the shadow of a tree I see something move. I focus on it. It looks like clothes, flapping with the wind. Anzor snap his fingers before my eyes. My stare and concentration fades. I look at Anzor for a second, but my eyes drift back. There is nothing. I must have imagined a person or an animal.

"Is something wrong?" Anzor asks. I shake my head.

I pick some more berries and eat it while we are walking. We walk for about an hour until we stop. The path separates into three other ways. Luckily there are signs telling us which path takes us where. We are going to Bju, but decide to rest for a while. I look up at the tall trees. Although the sun is up, these trees make everything dark and sad underneath their branches. I think it is amazing how much we in Quince, our world, have accomplished. Incredible people have invented medicine for almost every disease, and the cities in each land get bigger and bigger over the years. Yet, our technology isn't good enough to cut this forest down and make a road. It would take forever to remove it all.

"I'm hungry!" Anzor complains. Banan seems to get an idea. He points at Anzor and keeps eye contact with him, only to point at me. Anzor nods. Banan cuts the rope and runs deeper inside the forest, out of our sight.

"I've heard rumors about this forest," Anzor says with a scary and low voice. "People say that it lives some creatures in the dark, thirsting for blood. When someone walks inside, they are already dead. Travelers claim to have seen it. Others claim they have buried several skeletons that lied outside this forest." The wind makes me shiver. It's cold outside. Everything gets quiet. Even the birds, that were singing beautiful songs earlier, are silent. It doesn't feel like the sun shines on the outside. I can hear the bushes rustle, and sprigs break.

Suddenly some birds fly out of the bushes. I fix my look at Anzor, who also have noticed the unpleasant atmosphere. Behind him, in the shadow, I catch a glimpse of an indistinct figure. The closer it gets to Anzor, the more certain I am about who it is. It can't be mistaken for someone else, his curly hair that stops bellow his ears. Gifro holds an iron bar and are about to smash Anzors head with it.

16: Chapter 13

My shocking face reveals him. Anzor pull out his sword and stops Gifros attempt. It doesn't end there. Their sword vs iron bar fight continues. Gifro surprises me with his smooth and elegant posture while he fights. It looks like he has complete control over the situation. While Anzor, on the other hand, uses a strange technique that might remind you of an angry bird with kids who only attacks. This gives Gifro an advantage, because he is able to defend himself and attack. A cold hand places on my shoulder. I startle. Banan stands beside me. He holds a dead rabbit by its paws, which makes the blood drip from its nose.

"What the? Where did he come from? I'm sure I told him to.."

I pick up the closest stick and throw it at him. He uses the rabbit as shield. The stick breaks, which is why I find another one. I swing my stick against him, and he sways the rabbit against me. Our strikes are powerful enough for both of us to lose our weapons. I pick up random things from the ground; like rocks and grass, and throw them at him. Banan avoids every object and comes closer. I get a glance of his face. He is annoyed, luckily he still smiles. I give up my throwing stuff strategy; it wasn't good enough to stop him. My feet get stuck in a bush as I try to get some distance between us. I get a picture of Gifros situation. He is winning. Anzor seems to get tired. When Im sure where Banan is, I stretch my leg out and kick. I managed to hit him hard, sufficient to make him fall.

"Ai!" He exclaim as he falls. But he is back on his feet in no time. Banans smile is gone.

"Im tired of this," he says and runs against me. I prevent him from catching me. He takes my hand, I hit it away, but he is able to hold around me instead. My hands are crossed. I push them from myself while I push Banan away with my back. Then I run out of his grip. Free again. Banan is inexpressive. He finds another rope. How many does he have? I don't manage to do anything more before I'm bound in capacity again.

Gifro and Anzor are still fighting. While I lie helpless on the ground, Banan walks to them.

"Stop playing around!" He says and throws the dead, and bloody rabbit at Giro, who falls and loses his weapon.

"Leave," Banan says. Anzor looks insulted at Banan.

"I was about to finish him!"

"You are not allowed to kill anyone in my presence," Banan says confident like he just said something genius. Anzor withdraw his sword and puts his hands in the air saying: "Whatever" or "I give up."

"Now," Banan says. He points at Gifro, who still lies on the ground, with a rabbit taller than him covering his body.

"Go away. I told you we would harm her if you did anything."

"No." Gifro stands. "You only said if I asked for help to catch you, not if I followed you." Banan spaces out. Anzor sits on one of the closest stones and pout for himself while he draws something in the earth with his sword.

"Ok, do what you want. Don't come to close to us, and don't attack again," Banan says and throws Gifros iron bar away.

"As an officer it would be child abuse to tie you to a three were almost nobody pass." Gifro burst of some sticks and dust from his pants. They are brown, and blend with the tribes around us.

"I just want to make sure Talia is safe. You will bring her back after she has met her brother?" Banan nods.

"Then let me go with you."

"Fine, don't do anything stupid," Banan says. He helps me on my feet, only to help me sit down with a rock as support for my back.

"You will stay this way," he says and smiles. Banan gathers some wood and starts a fire. Gifro picks up the rabbit and gives it to Banan, who accepts it. Banans smile makes Gifro jump and go one step closer to me. He sits down next to me and the fire, while Banan makes dinner. Tied to Banan again. I sigh.

Banan cuts the rabbit and tear of the fur. The more he pulls the wider smile. Then he cuts it in pieces and starts to roast parts of it on carved spears.

Anzor still sits some meters away from us and talks to himself. But when he smell the food, he come and joins us.

Girfro turns to look at me. Even his eyes remind me of threes. They are big, and green, like the color of the pine needles on the spruce on its best period. His hair is blond but brown and curly. Bellow his tubby eyebrows, on the left; I see a little mole that I haven't noticed before. And the clean baby skin makes me want to touch him. In addition he has a perfect and straight nose. Big black stains cover most of his previous beige sweater. I look at my own, that doesn't have any white spots left. He also wears dark brown boots. He looks at me with huge shocking eyes.

"Are he always this scary?" I nod.

"How long have you been with them?"

"For three days."

"They used three days to get you here? That's a long time." Banans smile fades.

"Hey boy. Don't talk so much to her. Now, who are you?" He says and hands me a spear with meat on.

"Gifro. I'm a friend of Talia. And I'm on my way to become a soldier."

"Oh!" Banan seems excited. "I can teach you. A student!" Out of the blue he hugs Gifro. He hands him a spear and smiles. The funny thing is, this time it feels real. Banans smile isn't scary, it's rather cute.

"You smell good," Banan says as he sits up. Gifro gets red of embarrassment. Banan gives Anzor a spear. I probably smell just the way I look; like dirt. Yesterday I had a bath in that small lake. But since I didn't use any soap, I must smell worse than I did before. When I think about it, Anzor, me and Banan looks like farmers who have spend their day working in the garden.

"You do smell good," I confirm as I smell him. He gets redder and stares at my lips. Banan suddenly separates us, and sits down in between.

"Eat," he commands. The meat melts at my tongue. It tastes like chicken.
"This tastes amazing," Anzor says happy. I don't think he has eaten since, well, I don't know actually.

When we finish, we start on our journey to Bju. On the way, Banan teach Gifro different things about soldiers. They even have some practice matches. Sometimes they both look at Anzor and whisper something. Banan and Gifro walks ahead of me and Anzor.

"How long is it?" I ask.

"I don't know, maybe a mile."

17: Chapter 14

When we get outside the forest it is dark. We came from darkness to darkness. A road leads us to Bju. The buildings are even taller than I thought they would be. Even though its night, about every corner is illuminated. No matter where your gaze takes you, it doesn't attach. I see people from every kinds. Someone isn't taller than my legs. Others are two times taller than me. A man wears nothing more than pants, and he has strange drawings on his stomach; a black drawing of the sun. I find it interesting and start to stare. Banan hits my head, which hurts, and makes me to move on.

I catch people glaring at us, someone even gapes. Compared to others, we look terrible. Not only do we look bad, we also smell awful. We are pigs, while they are white and proud horses. The streets must be cleaner; it honestly looks like you can lick the ground.

Wherever you walk, you will meet a desperate seller. They say everything from "I have a family that starves" to "Buy this or I will kill you."

In an ally I see two men and a young girl. Am I the only person who sees this? Everybody walks past them, somebody looks straight ahead, and others stare at them as they pass. Neither of the men have hair, nor any weapons as far as I can tell. They wear black clothes, like Anzor. If I look close enough I can see that they are wearing masks, that are also black. I grab Banans hand and run to them. They are still facing the girl, showing their back to us. In the middle of their head, I see another strange drawing. This time it shows a slant route with a dot in.

"Let go of her!" I command. They finally turn around. Their masks are ridiculous. It covers their faces, but leaves the ears sticking out. It has golden dust on its edges. When they notice us, they laugh. Banan puts on an offended expression.

"Make us little girl," one of them says.

"Ey Dew?" Banan whisper. " They are from the black bandits. A group of people who were soldiers."

"How do you know?" I ask.

"I was asked to join them once." Our hands are still united.

"I take the one at the left," I say and force Banan with me. We separate when I punch the guy in his chest. As we fight, I have a small flashback. One time, when I and Gifro were balancing at railings, Gifro lost his balance and fell. The railing hit him in the middle of his legs. I remember him screaming something about his weak spot.

Before the man gets the chance to do anything, I kick him between his legs. He screams and falls to the ground while holding his hands on his weak spot. I understand.

Banan is still playing with his pray.

"Just hit him," I say irritated. Banan looks at me like a kid who has to go home, but wants to play more with his friends. Then he looks down at the man I have injured. He raises one eyebrow along with his fist. Banans fist knocks the guy out, punching in his chin pit. I'm surprised the rope didn't interfere with our fighting.

The girl sits in a corner. She holds her hands around her legs, and her face is buried in her knees.

"It's alright. You are safe now." She looks up at me. Her eyes are red and filled with tears. She is thin; I can see her veins sticking out from her skin. They are blue and make her look like Banan when he is really tired.

"No, no one is safe!" She screams, pushes us aside and runs.

"How rude." Banan drags a hand throught his hair. No one is safe? I wonder what she means.

When we get back on the streets we see Anzor and Gifro talking to a woman. She looks angry and waves a paper in their faces. Anzor has a troubled look; his eyebrows tries to gather, and this gives him wrinkles. He has an unsure smile. Gifro seems scared and hides behind Anzor, while using one hand to hold onto Anzors sweater.

"We are sorry!" Gifro repeats over and over in an endless circle of apologies.

"We don't have any money," Anzors says with his hands in the air. Banan drags them out of the situation. He literally drags them away from her.

"You're hopeless Anzor. All you need to say is no."

We stop where a sign says: "The Inn." They must have had trouble getting a name. Down the street I can see more signs: "The fantastic Inn," "The pink Inn," "Walk Inn," and so on.

The building is tall. I don't understand how people make them, or the fact that the building don't tilt, or that the floors don't fall on each other. The point is, how do they make them stable enough to stand?

On each side of the front door there are flowerbeds that contain starflowers in different colors. Some of them are blue, yellow, red and even pink. How creative, they must have painted them. As I look at them with admiration, I accidentally walk in a door. The others laugh. I open the door and go inside like nothing happened.

On the inside the walls are white. They keep starflowers in pots to make the rooms light. Maybe they take them out during the day to absorb the sun and then put them inside again during the night. A cute woman greets us and shakes our hands.

"Hello! My name is Ty. I will be your host during your stay. If you have any questions, please ask me." After saying these words like a robot, she inspects us with deeper interest. I can tell she is disgusted, her eyes gets smaller as if she's trying to concentrate on what she is actually looking at, but she keeps her expression in check and smiles.

"Would you like to have a bath?"

To my astonishment, they have two bathtubs on the second floor. I wonder how they manage to bring fresh and clean water to the bathtubs all the time. There is one bath for women, and one for men. Banan made sure Ty came with me to watch me and keep me from escaping. He handed her some money and suddenly she started looking at me like a vulture that has been out in the desert for days without food. She doesn't take her eyes of me, not even once. This makes me feel uncomfortable, especially when I'm about to take of my clothes.

"This is from Banan," she says and hands me clothing. I receive it.

"Thank you, I will put it on after the bath."

I won't call it a bathtub, it's a small pool; a square where each side is at least six meters. Even though its cold water, stealing the heat of my body, I feel like a queen.

"Aren't there any other guests?" I ask.

"Not, right now. They will come with the boat tomorrow."

"Oh, how do you switch water?"

"We don't." With these words I feel uneasy. How many people have been in here?

"We don't because we don't have to," she continues. "After someone have been bathing, we but in clean grass." Clean grass is rare and hard to get, not to mention expensive. Biology taught me that some plants can make every kind of liquid clean. This is a plant they use in medicine against poison.

I scrub myself with soap. When I'm finished, Ty holds up a towel.

"Thank you."

I nicked out the clothing. It's a dress; a very pretty dress. My mind remembers something. I asked Banan for food and clothes, could this be what he bought me in the other town? It fits perfectly. The dress is red and covers my knees. The red color probably match Banans cloak. It's pretty simple and makes my waist look small. It's easy to move in. I really do feel like a queen tonight. The only problem is my shoes. They are dirty and don't match the dress.

"You look lovely. If you want to, you can buy some shoes from me." I welcome her suggestion. It's not me who's going to pay, its Banan. Ty showes me a couple of alternatives; I chose some black shoes with a bit of heel. If I decide to buy a shoe with a taller heel, I will be much taller than Gifro. Even now I'm sure I'm some centimeters taller.

Ty follows me all the way to Banan, who stands just outside the woman's wardrobe.

"You are la.." He stares at me for some seconds. When he snaps out of it, he smiles at me. Its real, his smile is real. Banan have also changed his clothes. They are the exact same, but clean.

"That! I knew you would suit it, you look gorgeous," he says and hugs me. I push him away.

"Don't get any funny ideas. Where are Gifro and Anzor?"

"In our room."

18: Chapter 15

Ty leads us to a door. When I walk inside, Banan stays behind and talks with Ty. He closes the door behind me. The room is big enough to contain three separate beds, two single beds and one double bed. There is also a huge table with four chairs. Compared to the other inn, this is smaller and looks more modern. And again there are starflowers that lights up the room together with some candles. Anzor and Gifro are playing a card game called Nalin. Gifro looks unsecure, like he dosent know what to think, do or say. It dosent take long before he loses the interest in me and rather looks down at his cards. Anzor, on the contrary, studies me and uses a long time to determine his opinion. He gives me a gentle smile.

"You look beautiful." I'm not sure I can believe what he said, but I still feel this rush in my heart that forces me to get a little happy.

Nalin means lotus flower. It is a game we used to play at school. Each card has a different flower with a number. Gifro hands me a pile of cards. One pile consists of twelve cards. You play Nalin with all of the cards. And every player needs one pile. The first thing you do is to shuffle the cards and lay them down the wrong way. You is not allowed to look at them. A challenger pics one card and challenge another player with it. Each player have to challenge someone three times. The goal is to get most points. The player who is challenged has to challenge the next time. If two numbers are the same, nobody wins or loses their card, and they have to shuffle their cards and lay them down to try again. The player with the highest number wins as many points as the difference between the cards. You will count your points at the end, which is why you keep your pair for themselves.

We shuffle our cards, and line them upside down.

"Who will start?" I ask.

"Ladies first," Gifro says and blushes when I smile at him.

"Yes! I challenge Anzor with this card!" I say and pick up a card from the left. The number is seven, Calla lily. Anzor picks one of his cards and gets ten, Orchids. He gathers our cards and lay them aside. He challenges Gifro. Gifro gets tree, Sunflower. Anzor gets six, Carnation. Ten minus seven is tree, six minus tree, is tree. Anzor has six point in total.

"Talia! You bought shoes for 1000 C?" I turn to watch Banan barge in. His eyes are big and his smile scarier than ever, strange enough this doesn't make wrinkles appear in his face. He drags one hand through his hair, it seems like this is becoming a habit. There are just enough chairs for everyone to sit.

We continue with the game. Gifro challenges me. He gets four, Passion Flower. I get eleven, Magnolia.

"I challenge Anzor, with this card!" I say again, and slam it at the table. My card is twelve, Lotus. He narrows his eyes.

"It's just a game, relax." He picks one of his cards. Twelve. We shuffle our cards and place them. This time I pick one, Iris. Anzor have good luck today, he picks twelve again.

When we finish, Gifro has 12 points, Anzor has 17 points and I have… 19!

I count myself as a bad looser, but I'm an even worse winner. If I win, I wave my hands in the air and shout: "I won, I won!" And sometimes I point at the losers while laughing. This is not one of those times. It feels unnatural, but I sit like a mature person with my legs crossed and a pokerface.

"Stop smirking like that!" Anzor says irritated. "It's just a game." He mutters something and looks angry at the cards. Suddenly he claps his hands and get in a brighter mood.

"One more time!" He says.

We end up playing Nalin for the rest of the night. I won almost every fight, I mean match.

There is something moving on my face. It feels loose and moves back and forth. It's annoying. At first I'm afraid it's a spider and opens my eyes. I meet Tys dim face, which is almost covered by her blond and long hair. Her smile reminds me of Banans, that is why I get a fright and sit up in a.. bed? Anzor and Gifro are still sleeping with the table. Banan lies in the double bed with me. What am I doing here? And most important, what is he doing here with me?

"I'm sorry if I scared you. The officer asked me to wake you up. You just looked so cute when you slept," she says and step away to give me space. Ty thinks about what she just said. Her cheeks turn pink; she studies the ground and holds a pale hand over her mouth, like she said something terrible.

"Thank you," I whisper. I turn to look at Banan again. He lies in the same position as he did last night, and he seems to be in a deep hibernation. Soundless and defenseless like a child. I get of the bed and face Ty. Her eyes don't meet mine, but when they do, she has tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry!" She says.

"It's ok. Will you let me go?" I ask and come closer. She backs away, her hands are shaking.

"Bu.. bu.. but the officer.."

I interrupt her when I take a hold off her hand. She looks at me with admiration or puppy eyes. Her cheeks are red. I know what she wants and thinks. This is a situation I'm familiar with. At school we have a lot of strange guys who likes to bully the girls. I'm the person who usually helps the girls out and beat the bad guys. The guys are afraid of me. I get it now.. How stupid can I get? Could it be that I give the image of a boy?

Anyway, as the protector, a lot of girls seem to like me. Many have even confessed. Even though I turn them down, some of them still follow me around. I guess that's why I have so many female friends.

"If you like me, let me go!" I hear hands clapping behind me.

"Nice play! But you're not going anywhere." I let go of Ty`s hand, she looks dreamingly at me. Banan snaps Ty in her forehead. She blinks her eyes in confusion.

Gifro is tied to his chair. When he wakes up he screams and tries to free himself. His scream wakes Anzor who startles and fall of his chair. Gifro is panicking. I go beside him.

"Relax. Ty will probably free you when we have left," I whisper. He seems to get calmer, his green eyes are buried in mine.

"What about you?" I ask concerned.

"I will be fine, you know me." I say and smile. He is still worried. When he is about to say something more, I seal his lips with mine. Gifro turns completely red.

"Thank you for trying." My first kiss. I feel my heart pumping blood faster than before, and I get a bit warm. It didn't feel special though, as I thought it would. Someone separates us.

"What do you think you're doing?" Banan asks with an angry tone.

"Kissing," I answer. I look around the room and notice everybody's gaze at us. Were they staring all the time? Ty stands in a corner and looks at Gifro with hateful eyes, while tighten her fists. Anzor gapes and doesn't move from the floor, like he is in shock. Banans anger is not for me, but for Gifro who still is embarrassed and stares at my lips. Without a warning, Banan hits him in the face.

"What on Quince are you doing?" I ask as I push him away and check Gifros face. His lips are bleeding. I turn to look at Ty.

"Can you do something about this?" I ask and point at his lips. She hesitates, but decides to nod.

"We are leaving!" Banan announces. We pack our stuff, not that we have much to pack, and say goodbye to Ty and Gifro.

As I thought, the starflowers are outside. But they won't manage to gather enough energy to light tonight. Today it's raining. The water is pouring down from the grey clouds, that could be Bananas eyes. Water makes the streets look cleaner. The sellers that were outside last night have disappeared, and there are not many people around. I see some people lying at the ground, covered by a lot of paper. They look dirty and hide in alleys. The rain feels heavy on my shoulders, and I can hear every drop when it hits the ground. The town is silenced by the weather.

19: Chapter 16

We don't have to walk for long before we are with the coast. There is a huge quay with no boats.

"How long must we wait?" I ask. The rain pours down for some minutes, until it becomes less and less. When the sun sticks up from the clouds the rain stops, but leaves a rainbow before it disappears completely.

"Maybe an hour, half a day. It depends on the wind and the waves," Banan says and sits beside me on the quay. Anzor stands with some barrels further away. What is he doing? After a while there come more people. Some of them run, probably late for work. Others gather around us, most likely waiting for the ferry.

I see kids playing with a round circle, having fun on their day off from school. Banan stands and points at the ocean. I follow his finger with my glance. It's a huge ship.

"Is that the ferry?" He shakes his head.

"No, it's our ship."

We walk away from the crowd to a smaller quay. The only other people close by are some men that are preparing a lot of barrels and boxes for transportation. It's a sailing boat named Grecella. Somewhere on the ocean I see another boat. It's a little bigger than Grecella, but not much. Grecella is big enough to be boarded by at least hundreds of people.

"Is this boat here to pick up goods?" I ask curious.

"Yeah. And party guests," he says with a sense of humor. I can't see Anzor anywhere. Where did he go?

Out of nowhere there appear men, and some women in fancy dresses. They smell good and are styled from head to toe. Some of the woman's are even wearing colors on their nails. I think I still look good, not as good as them but close enough. They stand calm in line. I think it's weird their not surrounded by beggars and thieves, exposing their wealth so openly. I notice some men around us. They are just standing there, like protectors of something precious. No one tries to pass them. I wonder how long they have been standing there. Did we walk past them?

We can still see the people who are waiting for the ferry. They are not standing in line. The closer the ferry comes, the more they push each other. Some of them even fall into the water.

Men rigs Grecella to the pier. More rich men and woman comes from it. When everybody is at the ground and off the ship, it's our turn to come onboard. Where is Anzor?

"Anzor?" I shout. Banan shuts my mouth with his hands. We face a man that looks like a butler. In his hand he holds a block and a pencil.

"What are your names?" He asks with a pleasant voice. He doesn't even look at us. Banan holds up his sign and hawk to get the butlers attention.

"Oh. You may go onboard Sir." He says with welcoming arms.

The boat is even bigger once you're at it. It's almost empty right now, but within an hour it's filled with people form high classes. They are laughing and drinking champagne.

"Where is Anzor?" I ask confused.

"You don't want to be alone with me?" He asks depressed. I cancel our eye contact.

"Do you know what I love about boats?" Even though I'm not looking at him, I can tell that he smiles. It makes my body shiver. "There is no way for you to escape. This ship doesn't even have any lifeboats!"

"Why not? Every ship should have lifeboats," I look at him again.

"I don't know. The kid might be too stingy I guess."

"Kid?"

Grecella is already leaving harbor. Waiters are filling every woman and every man's glass once their glass is empty. Banan unties the rope and hides it underneath his cloak.

"Where is Anzor?" I ask once more.

"I'm right here." I turn to look at Anzor in waiters clothes. He is wearing a white shirt, gloves, black pants and there hangs a white towel on his hand. In his hands he holds a board with glasses that contains champagne. It suits him to be a servant. He looks kind of handsome.

"How?"

"I hided in a barrel."

"Why? Couldn't you just come with us?"

"No, Banan didn't want to help me."

"Your late! Dew was worried," Banan says. Anzor looks me in the eyes.

"What? Where you?" I get a bit warm and uncomfortable when both of them are acting like this. Anzor seems to have hope in his eyes, while Banan stares out at the ocean with a disgraceful look on his face. I want to get away. I'm about to look at the ground and disconnect our connection. But instead I randomly hold my hands on his cheeks and move his face from one side to the other.

"Of course I was! You're important," I say overwhelmed.

"Ai, Talia. That hurts." He loses the grip around the board; it falls at the ground and makes everyone look at us.

"He was touching me!" I shout. The other waiters grab Anzor and take him under deck.

"What? Weren't you touching him? And why did you do that?" Banan asks. I smile at him. He smiles back, but his smile is not complete, it's nervous and crooked.

"I have to go check on him," he says and leaves me. All of the other guests go back to what they were doing except one woman who still stares at me. I'm about to ask her what her problem is when she suddenly comes to me.

"Hello!" She says. Her hair has this light orange brown color, and is set up by two golden sticks. When she walks you can hear her feet "Click," because of the high heels she is wearing to become as tall as me without shoes. She has freckles that almost match her skin tone, and blue eyes like the ocean itself. Her dress is a mix between blue and green, turquoise.

"Hi." I reply. Her eyes focus on my chest. I feel the urge to cover myself, but I clear my throat to get her attention.

"I like your necklace. It's pretty. Is it a water drop?" I nod.

"I'm sorry, my name is Mino." She holds out her hand to greet me, I accept it.

"I'm Talia." Once I say my name she widens her eyes and smiles brighter.

"Nice to meet you Talia. Let's be friends during this small journey." She goes back to her partner, which is a little boy, younger than me actually, a lot younger. He doesn't reach her waist, which is why he holds around her butt. Banan returns and look at the strange couple walk away.

"Rich and he have a good looking woman. That kid is lucky."

"Kid? Is that the owner of the ship?" I ask shocked.

"Yupp, I believe so. I've heard rumors of it, but I never expected it to be true. A kid who loves parties. He inherited his parent's wealth after they drowned. The ticket to be on this ship is expensive, more worth than many peoples life." We ate food at the inn last night, and before we left this morning. But my stomach is starting to get hungry again; sometimes it even feels like someone is sticking a knife in it. I smell something that makes me even hungrier. Waiters come from every direction with different food on their boards to the guests. I get a plate with lasagna and sit down at a bench. Banan picks a plate with soup and sits beside me. He stares at my food, and then back at his own.

"Yours look better," he says irritated. Banan takes his fork and steals some food from me.

"Ey!"

"It doesn't taste better though," he says with his mouth full.

"Want some of mine?" He asks and offers me his plate. I shake my head and look strange at him. We are silence for a while and look at the rich people in their fine dresses and clothes. Someone starts to play music. Those who are finished with their food start to dance.

"Do you want to dance?" Banan asks with his creepy smile.

"No, thank you. I have to go to the toilet." There is no toilet on deck; therefore I go down one level. Where can I find a toilet on this ship? There is no one to ask here. It's empty, compared to upstairs which is filled with people. I hear a clicking noise and feel someone breathing behind me. When I turn, I meet Minos smiling face.

"Hello! Are you looking for the toilet? I can help you," she says and drags me along. She stops before a door, opens it and waves me inside.

"Thank you," I say and go inside. When I'm finished Mino is still outside, waiting for me. She takes my hand again and forces me with her.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"I'm helping you. I know about one lifeboat we can escape in."

"How did you know?"

"You were tied to one of them," she answers. She pulls me around a corner but stops so sudden I fall into her. Mino and Banan crashed. Banan gets back on his feet and look at Mino who also stands up. His eyes and smile get bigger, looking like a retard.

"Where do you think you're going?" Banan says and pulls his ax.

Mino pushes me away and takes out the sticks in her hair. Her hair is long and messy like mine.

"I'm taking her!" She shouts. Mino stands in a position ready to attack with her sticks. She twist them and they transforms into fans; gold on the sides and a picture of a rose at the fabric. Or is it fabric? It looks more like thin steel. But she can fold it together? Banan strikes with his ax, she uses her fans to shield every strike Banan sends and push his ax away. Mino folds her fans together and put them back into her hair. Banan is about to cut her in two, but stops because she surrendered. Mino smiles.

"Help! Darling, he attacked me." Behind Banan I see the owner of this ship.

"Take him to prison. Even though he is a soldier, I won't let him harm my lady," the boy says. Banan looks shocked, but put away his ax. Waiters grab Banan and take him down another level.

"Thank you for saving me honey," Mino says and hugs the little boy who neither says nor do anything.

20: Chapter 17

Banans POV

She surprises me with a smile. Why does she smile? I'm the one who usually smile. Dew looks behind me, while Mino still looks at me. I have a bad feeling about this.

"Help! Darling, he attacked me." Mino shouts. The owner gives his guards his command, I withdraw my ax. Mino was the woman beside him earlier? I tried to avoid other hunters, which is why I chose this ship, yet one of them are here. Anzor is enough luggage, now I have to get rid of her to?

The waiters bring me down some stairs to the storeroom and into a small prison cell where Anzor sits. They leave us. Anzor sits at the ground and are drawing something invisible at the ground with his finger. When he sees me he looks shocked.

"What? Why are you here?" He asks stressed or confused.

"Mino! She tricked me," I say angry and hold tight around the bars. This storage is huge and it's almost filled with packages, boxes and barrels. I wonder what's in there.

"Mino? Is she here?"

"Yes, she is the kid's lady right now." Anzor curses. He pinches his eyes together and thinks. Unfortunately the guards took my weapons and my purse; there is no way for us to get out of here.

 

Talias POV

Mino brings me to her cabin. It smells fresh and new. It's a quadrate and pretty small actually. There is a fancy blue coach, a closet and a big double bed with blue flowers on the bedclothes. She sits down at the bed. Around her neck she wears Banans red purse.

"Anzor didn't wear anything interessting. Banan on the other hand have this thing, it's filled with books and stuff that might be entertaining." I sit beside her.

"Did you get it from the guards? And how do you know them?" She doesn't pay attention to my question. Mino open Banans purse and throw his stuff at the bed. Could she be one of the other people who are after me? She tried to help me, but why? The red purse contains three small books and the paper with the poem on. I take one of the books and open it. This diary belongs to the family of Kan. It says at the first page. Kan again. I read some sentences on random pages.

The sword makes my blood pump faster and I feel powerful.

I have noticed something strange about myself. When I fall or get injured, the injury vanish at once.

I don't know why, but it seemed like I couldn't handle losing that much blood. My heartbeat rose, and I suddenly fainted.

What is this? My blood…

My blood.

Blood.

I close it. Mino stares at me with her head crooked. It looks like she is trying to figure what my problem is.

"You don't know about your family yet?" She asks excited. Maybe I finally have found someone who understands me and want to explain what situation I'm in.

"No."
"Your name is Talia Kan." Mino starts to scroll and read in one of the books. She doesn't get what she is reading. Her mouth is open and her eyes seem to read the same sentence over and over.

"You can't read?" I ask her.

"Not much, but I understand some words," she says and still try to read the same sentence.

"Got harmed. The wound disappeared. Blood," she mumbles.

"Is there something special about your blood? Blood is repeated a lot of times." She looks up from the book. Mino doesn't know more than I do. Talia Kan.

"This isn't fun at all. Let's sleep." Mino throws the books off her bed and put the bed sheet over her body. I walk away from the bed and are about to go outside when she suddenly makes a strange sound that reminds me of a cat.

"Where are you going?" Mino looks at me with a threatening face; her blue eyes rays, her hands are crossed and she has a pout, which makes her look mad.

"You don't have anywhere to go. I will let you sleep here. Or do you prefer to sleep outside with the waiters? They love girls like you."

I decide to sleep in her cabin. But while she sleeps, I end up reading in the books of my so called family.

Date: 22.10.442 - It is a boy. Although he doesn't look like me, I feel a bond between us.

Date: 12.08.458 - Duglas have left us. He went to Akila to study.

Date: 23.12.458 - He never visits us. We don't know where he is or what he does.

Date: 17.02.459 - Miraculously she is pregnant. For many years we have been trying to get a new child. I am so happy, even though there are conflicts in our land.

Date: 04.10.459 - It's a beautiful girl. We decide to call her Talia because we think it's a wonderful name for a wonderful child. I'm so glad, but she deserves to grow up in a safe country. Right now tribes are fighting against each other for power. I hear screams every day.

 

Banans POV

I and Anzor had been trying to find a way to get out of here all night, we got nowhere and used our time in prison to rest and sleep. Some waiters are checking on us every now and then, and sometimes they bring us food. Being a criminal in a rich kids prison isn't that bad. This boat is faster than the ferry, which is why we soon will be in Akila. The ferry uses about two days on this journey, while Grecella only uses about one day. It all depends on the wind and the sea.

I hear some noise coming from a couple of barrels. Anzor notice it to. We both stare at the barrels. The lid on one of them falls off. Outside comes a full grown man in black clothes. He is bolded and wears a black mask. Another cap falls of, and another man gets out of a barrel. I look at Anzor with suspicion.

"Is that how you came onboard?" He nods, still staring at the guys. They take of a barrels lid and bring up two small stones. But the barrel is also filled with something dark I don't know what is. They notice us.

"Hey lets free them. They deserve a chance," the tallest and most well-built man comes closer to us.

"One of them is a soldier," he says and looks at his companion, and then he turns his attention to me.

"Join the black bandits."

"Yes! Just get me out of here," I say and smile. He has no problem finding the key on the wall at the opposite side from us. When we get out Anzor takes his weapons that lies at the ground close to where the key had been, and runs up the stairs. I stay behind.

"What are you guys doing?" I ask while grabbing my stuff. But where is my purse?

"You should probably get off this boat," the one further away, holding the stones, says. He puts one hand in the barrel and lifts it up, dragging a pile of dirt or sand with him. Then he slowly makes it fall back into the barrel. It's not sand.

 

Talias POV

Mino is still sleeping when I wake up with a book in my hand. I pack Banans things back in his purse and tiptoe out of the room. Yesterday she talked about a lifeboat. On deck there are only waiters, but they are all sleeping. It would be a nightmare to sleep with them. I mean, they snore worse than Anzor. When I go down the stairs I meet Anzor. He takes my hand and drags me with him another level down. We meet Banan in the stairs. His breath is heavy.

"We have to get off this boat," he shouts.

"Come with me!" I say and get out of Anzors grip. I walk the same way Mino took me yesterday, but I stop when we have to pick between two corridors with three doors in each corridor that leads to different rooms.

"I check at the right side, you check on the left." Banan commands. They both run to the doors and search.

"Found it!" Anzor yells. We all run inside the room. It's small, but big enough for a boat. I jump onboard. Banan rolls a weld that for every round he rolls opens a part of the floor underneath the boat. Now the boat is dangling over water. Anzor starts to roll another weld that lifts the boat down. But Banan pushes him onboard as he jumps himself.

"We don't have time for that," he says and hold out his ax, facing the rope holding this boat over the sea.

"On three. One." Anzor gets the idea and looks for his dagger in his boot. "Two. Three!"

21: Chapter 18

As the boat hits the sea, we are forced down by the gravitation. Banan almost hit his head against mine, but he manages to stop it with his hands, while Anzor falls at my legs.

"Are you alright?" Banan asks face to face with me. I push him away and sit at the bench in the middle of the boat. Anzor sit behind me and Anzor in front of me. We all turn to look at Grecella which is not far away. She is heading for the city before us, a city in Akila.

"Explode?" I ask ironic, looking at Banan. Suddenly we hear a scream. My breath and heartbeat stops. I see something light and hear something extremely loud which makes me cover my ears. The sound leaves me with a ringing noise. I fall again, still covering my ears. What was that? That sound? It hurts. When I have calmed down I sit up. Smoke and dust makes everything unclear. As far as I can tell, Grecella have lost two masts and a lot of its back. The ship is in flames. People are screaming and jumping of the boat. And the smell or air burns my eyes, I feel like I'm going to cry, but I don’t. Anzor and Banan are coughing and looking at the ship with big eyes.

"What was that?" I ask. Grecella are sinking. The people that survived are swimming against the shore.

"I think they were planning to hit Akila," Banan says.

"Who are they?"

"The black bandits."

We stare at the ship as it sinks and drift further away from shore. Anzor takes the oars, which came with the boat, and starts to row. Banan looks at me and notice his purse.

"You got it for me. Thank you." I give it to him. At first he hugs it and places it around his shoulder underneath his cloak, then he puts one hand under my chin, stare at my eyes and kiss me. I'm in shock. He leans back with a smirk on his mouth. Anzor, who are still rowing, looks like he didn’t see anything.

"Why did you do that?" I ask confused.

"What? Gifro are allowed to do it, and I'm not? It shows my gratitude."

"Thanks are good enough for me."

"But that wouldn’t be any fun. And you looked so cute Dew," he whispers. My body gets a bit tense and warm. I can feel my cheeks turn red. I don’t like this feeling that is why I slap Banan. Anzor suddenly pay attention to us, his face tells me he doesn't have a clue about what is going on. Banan starts to laugh. I don’t like his laugh either, but I don’t slap him again. He sounds like a crazy man that just discovered the world's biggest secret.

"The books. Why do you have my family's books?" Banan finally stops laughing.

"Do you know everything now?" He asks serious.

My family name started in year 0. There were few humans on earth. My family was one of the few who dared to explore the world. The poem Banan have in his purse is about my family. It seems like they ate some kind of fruit that made their blood special. My blood. I have never been badly injured. As a child I noticed that my wounds would recover fast. A scratch vanished once it appeared; a deeper cut needed some seconds to recover. I thought this was normal. And as I grew older I almost never got injured, but once I did it wasn’t more than a bruise or a small cut.

Some diaries are missing, but the first book is a diary from the first generation of Kan, the second is about a generation during some years. The third interests me the most, because it's about my family. It's my fathers.

"Not everything."

"Well, this is all I got from her."

"Her?"

"You're Nanny." My Nanny? I ask him a lot of questions but he doesn't answer any of them. When I'm about to ask again, Banan interrupts me.

"Anzor? I'm curious. How did you manage to find Talia?" Anzor are still rowing and looks at Grecella. The boat is barely over water.

"Her blood." He says simple, still looking at the wreck. Banan pulls a hand through his hair.

"Explain." Anzor finally turns to look at us. He raises one eyebrow, like he thinks were dumb or something, and takes a break from the rowing.

"I broke into the archive of Akila and found Duglas blood. Then I travelled to different cities to compare it with other people's blood. It was really hard actually. Her blood matched his most, that’s why I took a chance on her." On Quince, every birth certification is written by hand by professionals. You have to register your child, or you might risk being imprisoned for a long time. This is causing a lot of trouble, especially if the achieve burns down like it did in Nally a few years ago.

"I talked to her biological parent and got to know what I needed." Linda. I have to get back to Linda. Anzor seems to notice my strain expression.

"I'm sure she was a good parent to you." He says, sounding considerable or maybe sad.

"Was?" He widens his eyes and starts to row again. I feel a lump take from in my throat.

"Was?" I ask again.

"I thought you knew," Anzor says low. "She had an illness that runs through her family." 'Soon I will have a vacation.' I cover my mouth and look at my knees through blurry eyes. Drops fall down at my dress. But it doesn't matter; the color doesn't ruin the color. It fits perfectly.

"Talia! You're crying blood." Banan puts his hands around me; I push him away and cover my eyes as I cry. Small, soundless tears. Meaningless tears. My hands are shaking. I want to throw something, anything. But I stay still and dry my cheeks with my dress.

22: Chapter 19

It goes slow. When we reach the harbor Anzors hands are trembling of exhaustion. Banan ties me to himself again. I'm so tired of this. I honestly don't care anymore. There is no place for me to go. Nowhere. I might as well die.

"Duglas are one city away from here."

People that were waiting for today's ferry stand still and stare at the ocean. For the first time in history, a small part of the world has witnessed an explosion. Some of them are crying, and someone is even panicking. They go down at their knees, look up at the sky and beg a God for mercy. There is still some dust and smoke in the air, which makes people cough. Those who have shaken off the shock are sending out boats to help the peoples who survived the explosion and are swimming against shore. Of course not everyone knows how to swim, especially not the rich people with their fine clothes. They wave their arms above the water like they are trying to reach something in the air they can hold onto. Others, the waiters, try to help them, but most of them are leaving the party to join the harbor. I also know how to swim, but I'm not good at it. Linda used to say that I looked like a dolphin when I was in the water during summer. Linda.. I used to jump from the sea bottom, fold my hands together and dive down into it again. When my hands hit the ground I would repeat my action. This is my style of swimming, never bothered to learn how to swim like everyone else. The only problem is that in order to do this the best way is to have a ground underneath you can reach when you stand. I manage to swim like this with no ground as well, but it takes a lot of effort. I've never had the need to know how to swim properly.

A small hand grabs the lowest part of my dress and tugs it.

"Lady. Are you alright?" A little child says. His eyes are full of worry. I look at my hands which are full of blood. I'm crying again.

"She's fine." Banan says and gives me a scarf to dry my tears as he pulls me away from the little boy.

"You can't go around crying like that." Banan doesn't seem to be angry. The tone in his voice is friendly, but anxious. Is he trying to comfort me? Both he and Anzor are the reason I never got the chance to say farewell to Linda. The anger I feel inside is indescribable. My head is boiling and my body is restless, like I'm ready to fight.

"Calm down Dew. Let's go and get some food before we starve to death."

We pass a playground where a girl is crying. Banan goes inside. I and Anzor join him. Banan bends down to face her.

"What is wrong doll?" He asks consoling. She dries her tears and tries to speak, but she is unable to stop sobbing. Instead she points at two boys that are swinging. The swings are attached to a trees trunk. Banan walks to them. He pouts with his mouth, and his arms are crossed. The boy's doesn't seem to notice him. They are laughing and talking as they swing. Suddenly Banan smiles, and as he does the boys stop to laugh and move.

"What did you boys do to make her cry?" One of them jumps of the swing, even though it's still in motion. He lands some meters away from the swing. It's like he started running in the air, because he disappears as fast as he lands. The other boy screams, but runs away when the swing stops. Banan turns around and show us his famous smile. The little girl hugs Banan. When she looks at me her face becomes pale, she seems terrified. Her small feet are heading away from us.

"God Dew! You scared her. Your face is still covered in blood." He takes out another scarf and washes my face with it. I sizzle and hit him.

"It won't go away." He says like nothing has happened.

"You can't walk around looking like that either. Anzor, you go and buy some food. I will watch her." Anzor puts away a stick he was holding. Behind him I see a sandpit. A huge drawing of a rabbit is evidence enough to conclude that he was playing in it. He is wearing his hoodie again, but slowly takes it off. Then he swings his red hair, forcing it to one side.

"No." He answers.

"Yes." Banan says forceful.

"No."

"Yes, you will." Something about their conversation makes me feel like I have heard this before.

"Why not?" Anzor doesn't answer; he studies his drawing with admiration.

"We go together and tie her to a thing here." Banan looks at Anzor like he finally understands something, or get why Anzor acts the way he does. He nods in agreement and finds a rope. They tie me underneath a slide and leaves. Banan push Anzor with his elbow while they walk away from me. Why are they acting so strange? The two boys Banan scared a while ago see them leave and come to play again. They are about to climb up the slide when they see me underneath. Both of them loose their grip and cries for help, as they once more run dramatically out of the playground. Since I sit in the darkness the effect must have doubled to scare children. I try to shout for help, but nobody seems to hear me. I also try to untie the knot, but nothing I do works.

I wait for about twenty minutes before they return. Even Anzor makes a small squeak when he sees me and unties me, only to tie me to him.

"Put this on." Banan hands me a mask. It only covers my eyes, and it is completely black.

"Wont people be more suspicious if I wear this?" Banan looks down at the rope that unites me and Anzor. When he looks up he meets Anzors eyes. Is he angry? He gives up the unkind stare.

"No, don't worry. I think the rope will grab their attention."

We eat something Anzor calls "Flamingoo." It's a pink, big and fluffy bun. He explains them to be famous and nutritious small meals that fill your tummy with one bite. My hunger makes me eat everything, while Banan and Anzor only manage to eat half of it.

We start to walk towards the city's highlight. It's not as crowded as in Bju, and not as many different people. We pass people in suits and business clothes. Excellent street musicians make the most beautiful sounds. It also makes the atmosphere warmer together with the flickering lights. Someone is even singing with their powerful and fantastic voices.

At the marked I notice how many clocks they sell, and with every stall there are a long line. It's a new invention, from one of the wisest scientists in Akila, and probably also in the whole world. His name is Conroy. The clock uses the sun to find out which time it is. People greet each other and sellers smile to every customer.

"Come! Come and try to beat me, the smartest guy in Quince." We hear a fragile voice shout.

Anzor stops with the man. He is old and sits alone in the dark. Compared to the joyful atmosphere around, this guy doesn't fit in. He wears a hat that covers his eyes, but his white long hair and smile is visible. Anzor walks against him. He appears to be poor; his holey clothes are so big they hang and flings. And he sits at one of the two chairs with a table. There are no people close to him. We are the closest; 15 meters away. When he smiles at us I spot a golden tooth.

"Pretty couple. Come and see if you can win." Anzor dosent hesitate, he walks straight to the guy and sit down. Banan is still moving forward through the crowd.

At the table I see a glass, one Nalin card, one coin and a thin, small rectangular tree.

"You want to make a bet?" Suddenly people start to gather around us.

"Yes."

"It costs 100 coins, but you can win 1000 coins."

"Don't act like it's a lot of money. I will try." Anzor hand him the money, the old man gladly accepts it. I hear people whisper. Someone asks if Anzor is mad, others say that the old man will tick him. I also hear someone saying that this guy always has a new bet, and that he always wins.

"Name is Su." His smile is even sneakier than Banans. Thinking of him, I haven't seen him in a while. Su places the card over the cop. At the card he places the rectangular tree with the coin at the top.

"The bet is easy. All you have to do is to get the coin inside the glass. You can't touch the glass, the coin or the card. You only have one shot. Go ahead." Anzor stares at the glass, wondering and thinking. People are silent and excited. Anzor put a hand at the table and starts to shake it carefully. Everything wobbles and the coin is about to lose its balance. Anzor stops and keeps on thinking. Then he tries to blow at the coin, but it doesn't work. He thinks and thinks. Then he suddenly put a finger in the air, like he just got an idea. He bends until his head is on the height with the table. Anzor looks up at the coin and blows underneath the card. Shortly after, the card flees away, the tree loose its balance and the coin falls into the trap. Su gapes at Anzor while people applaud.

"That is the first time anyone wins." Su says shocked. Anzor take the bag with coins Su holds in his hand, and leaves him speechless. After a while of walking, we see Banan who comes running against us.

"Where have you been?"

"Just betting," Anzor answers as if it was not a big deal.

We walk out of the city to a smaller road that leads us to smaller villages. I get the feeling that someone is following us.

23: Chapter 20

We meet less and less people. The buildings are also getting smaller and smaller. The further we go away from the city, the longer distance there is between the houses. There are also more farms and animals.

The sun illuminates everything, but I can't shake of the feeling that a shadow is following us. I look behind several times, but there is nothing pursuing us.

My feet hurt, and I struggle to walk. These high heels, which aren't that high, are killing me. When I stop to check if I have any galls, I fall forward by the pull Anzor makes with the rope.

"Ai." I exclaim as I fall. Anzor turns, when he sees me at the ground he immediately come to help me at my feet.

"I think I need a break." Banan runs to my side and study my face and feet.

"You're not lying, Dew?" He asks suspicious. I shake my head. He turns his back against me and bows.

"Up!" Banan says as he lurks me towards him with his hands. I jump on.

We have been walking for hours. Banan doesn't seem to have any problem lifting me the whole way to a small, ramshackle cottage. The painting is uneven and almost gone, and the windows are broken.

"We can rest here."

Inside it is as small as it looks. There are no furniture's except from a chair with a broken leg. And the ground is filled with holes. In a corner, close to the window, I see a small creature with a lot of gray fur. I come closer to it. The creature snarl when I'm about to touch it. Then it stands and stares at me with its huge black eyes. It's creepy. The creature must be a wul. It looks like a dog with big eyes and a lot of fur that makes it look like a ball. Since it is so small, I feel the urge to protect it. The wul decides to attack. It bites the hand I'm stretching out and runs out of the cottage. I'm bleeding, but my wounds recover so fast no one would believe it was there. The wounds at my legs have also healed.

Banan is outside. Anzor sits quiet against a wall, drawing something at the floor with ash that lies at the ground. I don't think he registered the situation that just occurred. Banan rushes inside.

"I saw a wul! Come out. There are apples." He says excited. At the backside of the cabin there is a big tree with apples. To reach them we have to jump. Anzor conjoin me and the tree. I stare angry at them while they struggle to get some apples. Anzor pulls his sword to reach higher. Banan looks at Anzor, who's method surprisingly enough works well. Then he finds his ax and does the same. They gather the appels into two piles. When both of them try to obtain the same apple, it falls at the ground, but none of them picks it up.

"It's mine," Anzor says. His voice is wavering.

"Let's fight over it." Banan says and smiles. His smile always makes him look like a maniac. Anzor is tense but restless. Banan leaps from one side to another. When he stops, he breathes out.

"What are you guys doing?" I shout. They don't care about me and focus on each other. Neither of them takes their eyes off their opponent, or blinks or moves. Their fight can be mistaken for a staring competition. Banan makes the first move. He tries to hit Anzors head with his ax. Anzor coves for Banan, who used too much speed and passes him. His powerful attempt to cut Anzors head makes him fall. He saves his failure when he rolls around and get up at his feet again after the movement. It was risky, the ax almost hit him. Anzor runs after him. Even though Banan shows Anzor his back, he manages to dodge the sway Anzor takes with his sword by showing. Just as if he could hear the sword. Banan swings his foot to kick Anzor and make him fall, but Anzor jumps over it and tries to strike again. This time he cuts some of his hair. Banans smile widens. His teeth's are to perfect, it annoys me. The sun makes them sparkle, they almost dazzle me. Banan push Anzors hand, and makes him loose his sword. Anzor kicks Banan and runs to get his sword back, which lies some meters away. Then Banan follows him, keeps up with his pace and are about to hew Anzors back. I hear rustling in the bushes behind me. The trunk is in the way, but I know there is someone, something there.

My rope slackens. I get out of it as quiet and careful as possible to avoid attention. Banan and Anzor are lost in their fight and don't notice anything. I walk around the house to the front. A boy, lower than me, meet my eyes. His are brown, but golden. His hair is straight and black, combed from the middle and down.

"Hello. I'm Fabian and I'm fabulous." He says with a feminine voice while he poses. That was too strange, I can't even laugh. Fabians smile is sweet, and his lips are so red I think he must be wearing makeup. His clothes consist of a light green sweater, and tight dark brown pants.

"I'm here to help you. You want to get home right?"

I honestly don't know what I want. But I'm sure I won't trust anyone who says they want to help me. Since I don't answer, he takes my hand and brings me into the closest forest. I'm still thinking. I don't have anywhere to go. Should I meet Duglas? I want.. I want to.. to be free! Up to now I've been following him without resistance. He won't expect anything. I hit his legs, which makes him fall at his knees, and runs. He is far behind. Something hits my hand. I'm stuck to a tree by a small knife. I struggle, trying to pull it out. Fabian is already with me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think clearly. Are you hurt?" Finally I manage to drag it out. I look at him with furious eyes, and make sure he sees my hand. The cut slowly disappears. Fabian studies it, and when it vanishes he gasps.

"How?"

"Who are you and what do you want from me?" I ask.

"Fabian. I want to help you." I wrinkle my forehead to seem more threatening.

"I want to exchange you to your brother for money." He admits with a charming smile.

"I will go to him myself." I say and turn.

"You're going in the wrong direction and I can't let a lady walk by herself in the woods." He says, hoisting up his shirt. Underneath he wears a belt with a lot of small knifes.

24: Chapter 21

Banan`s POV

He notices that I'm right behind him. Anzor jumps down on the ground and turn so he lies at his back. I'm about to chop his chest, but he covers it with his sword. Anzor use his sword to push away my ax, along with me. Then he rolls in the opposite direction from where he pushed me, safely out of my advantageous position. When he stands I hear his heavy breath. My confidence rise as I see how tired he is. His face is soaked with sweat as well as his hands, which gives him trouble getting a good grip. Anzor almost loose his sword a couple of times.

I attack him, but my ax is hard to control today. It swings by itself if I use too much power. Anzor keeps his distance. He seems to know that I don't have any control. And it is at this state I'm the most dangerous. Suddenly he makes a move. He times his swing with his sword to hit my ax, and force it out of my hands. It goes so fast I don't get the chance to react. The ax flees high in the air. For a moment I think it will reach heaven and never come back. I have to focus on the fight. Anor tries to strike; I duck and kick him in the butt. My ax is still in the air. I follow it with my gaze. The sun makes the polished steal shine. It ends up in the apple tree. Some apples fall down. They should have hit Talia, but she isn't there, and neither is the rope.

"Stop!" I say and stretch my hand in front of his face while I still look at the tree. He holds his sword with both of his hands behind his head, like I usually do with my ax. Anzor stays in this position, bewildered, but he withdraws his sword when he sees that Talia is gone.

"Where is she?" Anzor shouts angry.

"Calm down. We haven't discussed much, she can't be far away." I turn to face him.

"It must have been Faby."

"You mean Fabulous? No, that's wrong. I mean Fabian?" Anzor asks. I clear my throat.

"Yes. I saw him when we were in the city. But I didn't think he saw us."

 

Talia`s POV

"How did you find me?" I ask.

"It was easy. I saw this huge crowd of people and got curious. That was when I saw Anzor and you Talia." Fabian looks like he is bored, checking his nails. To my surprise they are painted in black. The fact that he is lower than me, boost my confidence.

"Leave me alone!" My voice is harsh, but strong.

"I don't have to worry about harming you anymore. What a relief." I try to hit him in the head. He uses a knife as shield. It went so fast I didn't even see it. Blood drips from my fist, but I don't care. I try to kick him instead. He grabs my leg and pulls it enough for me to fall. Then he slowly presses a knife against it. The blood strainers down my leg. Since I'm already at the ground I kick him with the other foot. This time I actually hit him in the stomach. Fabian drops my leg and put his hands around his tummy while he makes weird noises, most likely out of pain. When I try to kick him again he retreats to a safe distance.

"Coward." I shout. I can feel my wounds growing back together. It feels strange and I'm afraid to get small stones in them or something while they heal.

I run towards him, but he starts to throw knifes again. Every time he throws one, he hits me. I stop to move when he have thrown all of them. My body has twelve knifes inside. It doesn't hurt; it only bugs me because it's hard to make a movement. The blood I spill might be enough to fill a small pool. I'm surprised I haven't passed out yet. Even though it's hard to move, I pull out one knife after another. Fabians eyes widens of terror. When all of them are at the ground, I walk to him. He covers his face with his hands and screams like a little girl, too afraid to run, too scared to do anything else.

"Not the face."

"Stop it, down with your hands." He does as I command and I tie him to a tree with the rope I've been having around my shoulder.

"How far is it to my brother?" I ask.

"Not far." Banan stands behind me. "As I thought; first we meet Mino, and now you."

"Mino was also one of the people who were after me?" Nobody answers. I start to notice how much blood I've lost. My head gets dizzy and I feel like the world is spinning with two Banans and two Anzors.

"Talia!" Banan shouts and catch me before I faint.

 

Anzor`s POV

Banan gently lays her at the ground. Then he pays attention to me, while Fabian complains and tries to escape. Banans gray eyes suddenly seem black and emotionless.

"My boss will get angry if I don't do my duty. I'm sorry, but this is where it ends. Leave now and I won't harm you." The smile he gives me makes him look like man who tries to sell a product, and I startle. Even his polite manner and voice is uncomfortable. His smile doesn't fade, not even when he retrieves his ax. I first react when he try to gain speed with both hands behind his head. Some of the sun's rays come into the woods and makes Banan black as I look up at him. I've automatically taken out my sword and use it to respond to his hew. We push ourselves against each other. He stands at a taller place, which is a benefit, and makes me lose my balance. Before I'm put out of action, I step aside. Banan throws away his ax, while he jumps and extends his arms to reach me. I put up my sword too late. He takes hold of my head and drags me with him down at the ground. We roll down the hill and when we stop, Banan is faster than me. He sits on my arms and grabs my head again. The smile widens as he looks at me with joy, like he wants to see me suffer. My heart beats fast.

"No blood this time." Banans grip becomes firmer, it hurts. The little sunlight that still reaches us still makes Banan dark. I look up at him, but the only thing I can see clearly is his raised mouth corners, that smirk. I have never liked that smile, never will. To think that that is the last thing I see before I die, when he cracks my head, is horrible.

25: Chapter 22

The place I'm at right now is cold.

I open my eyes, my eyelids feel heavy, and so does the rest of my body. I'm lying in a huge bed in a black room. Everything seems to be pretty modern, but classic.

Banan sits at the bedside with an empty look on his face, probably spacing out again.

"Where are we?" I ask. My voice is low and almost inaudibly, but Banan hears me.

"You're awake? We are in your brother's house." My body suddenly feels normal again; I rush out of the bed.

"Calm down."

"Where is Anzor?" Banan ignores my question.

"Your brother said he would meet you when you're awake. Come with me."

I follow him through a long corridor with a lot of doors. The door we enter is at the end of the hall, five doors away. On the way we meet a lot of waiters and servants, all dressed in white and black.

The room we go into is enormous. It's filled with bookshelves like a library and in the middle of it all there is a throne; a gray masterpiece with a lot of details such as small children that seem to be afraid, maybe of the realistic fire that surrounds the throne.

One man sits on it. He is a middle-aged man with dark, long, brown hair. I'm too far away to see his face, but he wears a black suit with a white shirt inside.

"All in all it was you, Banan, who brought her to me. Thank you."

"It's an honor master." Banan says and kneels while he holds one hand against his heart.

"Please stand." The man raises both of his hands like he is helping Banan up at his feet.

"I never thought it would take you ten years, but rather now than never." Ten? Just how old is Banan? The man looks at me.

"Talia. My sister." He says with open arms as if he thinks that he is close enough to hug me, and believes I want one.

"Why am I here? What do you want from me?"

"I will run some tests."Duglas snaps his fingers, and suddenly we are surrounded by waiters and servants. Banan steps aside and allows two of them to hold my arms, they makes me fall at my knees. Duglas slowly walk down the stairs from his throne. In his hand he holds a thin, long, probably sharp, sword that looks like a foil. When he comes close enough for me to spot his details, I notice the waves in the end of his hair and the color of his eyes. They are like mine, but on the perk of becoming yellow. Even though he is older than me, he actually looks a lot like me. I think we are at the same height. His suit matches the rest of his household. I can tell he is curious and excited, it almost feels like he does small jumps of happiness on his way to me. He looks at one of his servants until he folds out my arm and holds it steady. It's too difficult to do any resistance because their grip around me is too firm. Duglas sticks the foil into my skin, it's like a needle. When he slowly brings it out, my blood rushes out in every direction, and when the blood gets to the end, it drips down at the floor. Duglas uses his forefinger to catch some of it and licks it off.

"It doesn't taste good. I wonder what we can do with it." When my wound starts to grow together he loses his sword.

"It works!" His laugh sounds worse than Banans, it is evil. He laughs higher and higher, greedy for more power.

I have lost too much blood today; the outcome is that I feel very dizzy. I get thirsty and have the urge to eat something salt. My sight fails a couple of times and I'm really tired. I need to lie down and rest my weak body.

"Let her down." The servants let go of me, when I fall, I manage to protect my head with my arms.

"Talia!" Banan shouts and lifts my head from the ground to repose at his lap.

"What is this? Banan, have you no shame?" Banan looks at Duglas like he just discovered a terrible truth. His face is full of worry and confusion. Banan carefully lays my head at the cold ground again, gets up, and walks a bit away.

Duglas stands above, and looks down at me. I want to hit him; I want him to feel a huge loss rather than victory. He picks up his sword and starts to cut in my skin again.

"I wonder how long you can keep this up." For the first time in my life I feel pain, it honestly hurts.

"Stop." Duglas stares at Banan in overwhelming.

"You dare command me? Where is your loyalty?" Duglas cuts deeper, rubbing the foil into my bone. I can't help but scream. The world is turning black, but I can still hear. It sounds like Banan is finding his ax. My body is shaking. Duglas removes the sword. After a little while I'm able to see again. I sit up.

Banan is fighting the servants and waiters. His smile is back and the more people he hews, the wider it gets, as does his eyes. They are sparkling of joy.

"Don't kill him, just capture him!" Duglas shouts. Banan manages to kill a few of them before they make him face the ground. Someone's dead body is covered in more blood than I am, and some of them are missing their head. The servant's throws Banans ax away, they need five people to hold him still.

"I see. We must train you again. Put him and her in detention."

26: Chapter 23

They bring us to separated rooms. Mine has no windows, its dark like the night. In order to see, I have to light some candles. There is only one small bed, a desk, and a chair in the room. It's not that big, just big enough for the furniture's to fit in.

"Talia?" His voice is unclear and dark, but I can hear him pretty well.

"Yes?" I answer. These walls can't be too thick since we are able to hear each other like this. Suddenly I hear the wall making noises that reminds me of drums. It gets louder and louder. It doesn't stop until there comes a foot through the wall. His combat boots are dusty, but it falls off when he takes it back. Banan looks through the hole he made, and smiles at me.

"Hello. These walls are thin because the guards shall be able to hear the prisoners. I think it is possible to knock down the door too."

"Why did you do that? Won't they notice?" His smile gets bigger.

"I don't care. They can't do much about what I have done. I wanted to talk to you." I brush away some hair that gets in my face.

"You need to be trained. What does he mean by that? Why am I here? And where is Anzor?"

"Calm down. I will tell you, just be quiet."

 

Banan`s POV

I tell her about everything from the very beginning.

Ever since I was a child, Duglas has been my Master, like he was to other children. I have never known my parents or where I came from, but Duglas gave me a home. He treated me well and raised me to fight, to become a soldier. Every day was a training camp, separated from the other children. I was personally trained by Duglas. He kept on giving me different and difficult situations to handle, in order to get independent and strong.

His area is big, and in the middle of nowhere, a perfect place to keep his upcoming army, and a perfect place to train them without anybody noticing.

When I turned 15 years, I had been in the army in Olivia, which holds the best army in Quince. And I was promoted to become general, a leader like Duglas wanted me to.

The same year I was sent on a mission by Duglas to Nally after the war, to check on his family. He had left his family as a 16 year old kid to study abroad in Akila, the country with the best schools. But there are more reasons to why he left.

During the war in Nally, people were not allowed to enter the country. They didn't want other countries to interfere. After 6 years I could finally enter. Duglas said that I should return if the family was fine, but if they had died, I was to bring back his family fortune.

Half of the country had burnt down; most of the houses had burnt down as well as the families that had lived there. Most of the archives were also in ruins. It was impossible to tell who had lived where, that is why you had to have proof that you owned what you owned.

Unfortunatly I got to know that they had died. On my way to theìr house, I met Duglas former nanny; an old woman that had kept the books about Ika safe. The nanny only handed me the books when I made her believe that Duglas was my Master. She handed them to me and started to talk about a child, a child that was born just before the war started. The nanny had smuggled her out of the country, to make her grow up in a better place, one time during the war. It had been tough, but she managed it. She didn't know where they sent the child, but she made sure that Talias birth certification and special belongings, such as the necklace, came along. With the books I got Duglas fortune, and was on my way back. The way back was long and boring, which is why I started to read the books. Duglas mother was originally pregnant with Duglas with a man she didn't know. Her childhood friend decided to marry her so that it would look like he was the father, and so that she wouldn't be punished, or feel ashamed for the rest of her life.

When I came home Duglas shared his story with me because I already knew most of it. Apparently Duglas read these diaries when he was 14. And for those years he had believed that Ika was his real father. He was disgraced and disgusted, and determined to move away from home, as far as possible. Not only didn't he like this, but his stepfather had kept a huge secret about his blood. It had the power to heal his body, a power Duglas did not have. He never contracted them after he moved, not even once.

The last book was pretty new, and Duglas had never read it before. He was happy because of the money he had inherited, but when he heard and read about his stepsister he was shocked. His stepfather and mother had a child together. After a while he made up his mind about finding Talia. Duglas never told me his plan, why he was making an army, or why he seemed to want power so much. He just sent me on a new mission to find her. I was to send him a message of where I was every month with a dove and wait for him to send me an answer before I could move on. Many months passed by on the search for the lost child, but one day I suddenly got a different letter from my Master. He had employed a couple of people to help, for money. He described them for me and sent drawn pictures. They were all people with criminal backgrounds.

When I recognized Anzor from the picture one day in a random city in Olivia, I started to follow him. I believe most of the trackers gave up after a while, but he never did. That is why I got interested and understood that he knew something I didn't.

"Why didn't you say this before?" Talia asks. I can only see some of her face, but I feel like her voice pities me, as well as her concerned eyes.

"I thought it would be easier to manipulate you if you didn't know much, and also, it would be a nuisance if you actually managed to escape with all that information." I give her a smile. She startles and leans away.

"By the way. Where on Quince is Anzor?"

"I killed him." She is silent for a moment.

"You're joking right?" She asks with a tense smile.

"We should get some rest. Let's sleep." While I lay down in bed, she remains with the hole and shouts my name. I regret sharing the air with her by making an opening. She continues to nag on me, but I shut her voice out and close my eyes.