The small town was a sea of lights. Its waves were a radically moving group of people.

  “Keep your hoods on, and hold each other's hands,” Aspen instructed.

  “Do we have to?” Corbin asked, his voice rising up and down in pitch as he spoke. Aspen didn’t

  answer him, just took his hand in hers. Rune followed her lead, taking his other hand and grabbing hold of mine as well.

  As we made our way, weaving between people, I caught the fragrant smells of freshly baked

  bread. It nearly lifted me off my feet as my nose followed it. I had so many questions racing through my mind that I nearly found myself slipping out of Rune’s hand. How many people were in this town? What kind of bread is that? How much is food here? What kind of jobs were there? How many knights were here? Did they have schools?

  Passing the people, I made a note of how different they all looked; some had darker skin and were skinny, while others had pale skin and were stubby. No one person looked like the other, but the only thing I knew for sure was that there were no elves, or orcs, and certainly no dwarfs.

  Every building seemed to be a calling for a different trade, fish sellers and wool knitters. Doll makers and sword shiners. If this was just a simple small town to them, I was dying to know what the city looked like.

  The buildings weren’t like the slobby shacks we would visit back home. These were made of neat stone and placed firmly in the ground. The streets were kept clean, but my feet felt odd against the bumpy texture. It wasn’t from broken roads, but by design. Even though I found it strange, I like the smooth rocks beneath me. The shops all had beautifully crafted signs hanging in front of them. Words I could barely understand were carved into them.

  “Aspen, can we get some sweets?” Rune asked, jumping up and down as she pulled us closer to the stall. The building was smaller than the rest and more brightly colored, too. Looking through the window, we saw rows of sweets we could never had imagene excited. Even though I dare not ask for one, my mouth was watering just thinking of the taste, something I’d probably get hooked on the moment I consumed it. Seeing all of our wandering eyes fixed on the goods, Aspen rummaged through her coin pouch, tossing around the few copper coins we had as if more would suddenly appear. A tall, white-bearded man flashed us a smile as he stood in the shop. Rolling out a white puff with a long wooden spear.

  “Aspen, what’s that?” I asked.

  It took her a second before she answered, still looking at the coins in her pouch. “Sorry, what did you say, Wren?” The look on her face told me she meant to sound upset, but the gleeful pitch in her tone said otherwise. It wasn’t too long ago that everyone would groan and pretend they didn’t hear me when I asked something. Knowing any answer they gave me would lead to another question.

  “I asked what that thing he’s rolling is, I think mother had one, but hers is made of darker wood and looks much older.”

  She bent down to me, looking through the window as the man spread flour on the wood. “Well, it’s called a rolling pin, I think. Mother does have one too; she uses it to roll out our bread dough. Is there anything else you want to know about? It’s a small town, but there are a lot of new things.”

  A smile crept across my face, but before I could answer, a bell’s jingle made us all turn our heads. The tall, white-bearded man from the window stepped out. Rubbing the sticky dough off his hands, he said, “Don’t tell me you mean to just stare at my desserts all day. Come in, I promise they’re tasty.”

  Before Rune could rush towards the man with glee, Aspen halted her with her arm. “I’m sorry sir, but we only have enough for our dinner tonight. It's best not to get them worked up on something they can’t have.”

  “But I want to taste those sweets, oh please, Aspen, you can have my dinner money,” Rune whined, hopping up and down like a bunny who can’t reach its tastiest meal. It was quite embarrassing as strangers passed us by, muttering to themselves. Because when they laughed, I couldn’t tell if it was just all in my head, or they really saw us all as nothing more than entertainment.

  “I’m sorry, but we can’t--”

  “Here, just take a sample for next time you pass by,” the man said, cutting Aspen off and reaching into his shop to pull out a small, hardened brown shell. He gave it to Rune, who, without a second’s thought, shoved the whole thing in her mouth. She simply melted, skipping around as she hummed to herself.

  “It’s so good,” she managed to say. The man, seeing Corbin and me trying not to eye the sweets in the shop, reached back in to pull out more.

  “Here you go, son,” he said as he handed the sweet over.

  “And here you go, dear,” he said, waving the sweet at me. The moment I reached for it, a gush of wind blew sweetly across my face, engulfing the brown treat I had to understand how it was made. How it so easily melted in the mouth, how smooth it was that it could be eaten without chewing, and how bitterly sweet it tasted.

  Trying to scarf it down so I could ask the man my questions, I noticed an eerie look upon his face. He looked as if he’d seen a nightmare come true, as if he’d seen a monster. A group of murmurs surrounded us, growing larger as they shared looks of disdain. It wasn’t till I felt my hair move widely with the wind that I realized what they were staring at.

  They weren’t looking at me. They were looking at a monster.

  “Can I ask you about this sweet, sir?” I said, trying not to let his gritted scowl frighten me. He had just been friendly, not even a second ago, he had just shown us kindness without anything in return.

  “No, are you planning on paying for those?” he asked.

  “You said these were free samples,” Corbin replied.

  “I thought--”

  “You thought we were human, but we’re elves too. Nothing about that changes anything we told you. We didn’t ask for these.” I told him, trying not to let my voice rise any higher than it was. I could feel a burning fire in the back of my throat, clawing to get out as I tried to watch my words. Corbin wasnt’t any better, pulling his hands into a fist so tight he might have drawn blood.

  Rune could only stare behind me, watching as the man flipped in a second. I could feel her trembling hands tug on my dress. Afraid to even peek out at the man.

  “Sir, you gave my siblings these sweets for free; trying to make us pay now would be wrong and illegal.”

  The man only scoffed at her words, throwing his hand on his head in utter disbelief. If there was any stranger on the street walking by at this moment, they may have thought we had wronged him. That we were there, simple thieves trying to make a getaway. “NO, no, you tricked me,” he shouted. His voice rattled in the streets, making every pair of eyes lock onto us. I could feel their stares piercing into the back of my head as I tried not to look at them.

  As I tried to calm every part of my body that told me to scream.

  Stuttering on his words, that man grabbed at Rune, taking her right from behind me. His grip so strong she slipped out of my hands, and he held her tightly. She whinched under his grip, her lip trembling as his nails dug into her skin. “Give me my money, or I’ll have this brat arrested.”

  Before I could think, I began to rush as the man, only being stopped by the grip Aspen had on my arm. A fire had lit the palms of Corbin's hands, and as he stepped towards the man, an unbearable heat began to come off him.

  “Let go of my sister, or I will cut you down, sir. And best believe as part of the king's knights, they will have no trouble believing me over you. Think carefully before you make me do something I regret,” she said. Her voice was loud and clear, unlike the trembling hands that held onto me. Forcing myself to take a breath, I could see Aspen was not shaking out of fear, but trying to stop the anger from boiling over. I had never seen her fight, but with her gaze fixated on the man, anyone could tell she was a force to be reckoned with.

  Seeing me back down, Corbin began to do the same, but the fire, still a bright burning ombre of colors, did not die down with his temper. I couldn’t tell if it was because he was being cautious or because he couldn't control the flame that widely arose in his hands.

  The man stood there thinking to himself, with all eyes on him, he huffed, letting go of Rune. She fell to the ground with a loud THUD, her knees scratched up underneath her dirty dress. She had tried to hold back the tears, but the stinging pain made it unbearable. Aspen rushed to pick her up, and, unsure of what to do or say, the man rushed to lock himself within his shop.

  Everything felt as if it happened in seconds. I couldn’t help but ask myself, why the flip? Why turn to aggression as if we were going to snap at any moment? Why did these people watch as he grabbed a child like a dog, no, worse, like vermin he had caught poising his whole shop. As if the mere association with us was enough to send his regulars running. Why did they look at us and turn their heads to injustice? Why did they not see us as children rather than monsters?

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  My head was swimming, looking for answers I knew Aspen didn’t have. I couldn’t understand these people, but as Rune sobbed into Aspen's arms, I could only think about the blood that stained her dress.

  “It’s going to be okay,” Aspen told her, rocking her back and forth as she nodded her head to move along. I didn’t put my hood back on; I didn’t want to give them another reason to play nice. As we found ourselves a place to sit, I wondered what we were among these people. I had never seen so many hateful gazes cross my path, and even though Corbin nudged me not to, I couldn’t help but stare back.

  “Enough, Wren,” Aspen finally said, not looking up from dressing Rune’s legs. “We’ve had enough problems for today, let's just enjoy the night.”

  “How can we enjoy this?” I asked, jumping out of my seat at the disbelief, I found her calmness more scary than any storm my family could brew. “Rune got hurt, and we almost got scammed. A lady tries to take my sword and my money. When is it enough for these people? All they do is take, and we have to give without push, or else we’re in the wrong.”

  “Wren--”

  “No, this is bullshit.”

  “WREN!” she yelled so loudly it startled me. The cold look in her eyes forced me to sit down; it was the same look she had that night Marcoso and I fought. The same look that told me to control the outrage that seemed to fuel me. “Are you a monster?”

  “N-No.”

  “Then why are you letting this anger control you? It’s one thing to be angry, and another to make it all you can feel. All you can think about. Don’t you think I’m angry? That I can work twice as hard and see them get recognized with little effort? That I can be ignored and watch my family struggle and be hurt? This world is not fair, Wren--”

  “Then why don’t we make it? These people today had a choice: to look away or stay and help. They chose that we weren’t deemed worthy of helping, that’s it’s okay for us to bleed the same color as them.” I found my voice struggling to stay strong, tears welled up in my eyes, and without stopping, I found myself a mess. I couldn’t stand to let them see me like this, to see how weak they could make me feel. The anger sat bitter on my tongue. I couldn't breathe as I struggled to calm myself.

  Putting her hands on my shoulder, Aspen let out a small sigh. “Making them see we are people like them is easier said than done. I’m not asking you to give up this battle, but to think before you charge into a world you have yet to experience.”

  I was speechless. Unsure how my sister can stay so calm, how she can try to reason with people who want her, for better or worse, dead. As we sat quietly watching their world pass us by, I watched how easy their lives looked, how carefree their smiles were, how innocent their children looked around them. I tried to stop myself from going deep into my thoughts, from letting my head consume me so much that I was aware of my own self.

  I was so gone into my head I didn't see a man flash by me, money spilling from the pouches in his arms. The screams of those he stole from wailed through the streets. He ran without any care for them, for their family, for their lives, which he had just essentially taken. Everything in me told me to run after him. To strike him down. To show them they have worse among them, they need to worry about.

  But without a thought, Aspen rose out of her seat, sprinting towards the man, hand ready on

  Desperately trying to gather what he could, he knew he could not outrun Aspen, a speeding bull with eyes locked onto him. Without thinking, he pulled out a thin blade from his side. His stance barely held a candle to a poorly trained boy, and his hands trembled as he pointed to her weapon's handle. “STOP! In the name of King Arcane,” she shouted. The man, unwilling to stop at her words puched himself to run faster, but an uneven rock peeking up from the ground sent him flying, spilling all that he had swiped. he blade towards her.

  “Stand back, or I’ll kill you bitch.”

  “Sir, put down the weapon, do not let this fight be your last. So few coins are not worth it. Surrender, and you will not be hurt.”

  Screaming till his voice lost sound, he charged at Aspen, like a rabid dog caught in a trap. He threw his sword around aimlessly, allowing her to dodge every attack with ease. With every failure to attack, he grew wilder. Swinging the sword in large slashes, and when that failed, trying to rush and stab Aspen. As the man tried to plunge the blade into her neck, she buckled her knees. Letting the blade glide over her completely. Bent backwards, she landed on her hands, sending a force kick upon the man’s arm with a CRACK.

  Coming back to her feet, the sword in the man’s hand clattered into the street, and a painful wail followed. As he clung to his arm i’d never seen a person’s arm bent the other way. Unable to move my eyes, I rushed to cover Rune’s, hoping she hadn’t stared upon the sight long enough to make her stomach unease as it did mine.

  Every instinct was telling me to turn away, to cover my eyes, but the image was burned into my mind. Were humans always this fragile? This aggressive? This greedy? I don’t know what filled my anger more, them calling us the monsters, or the claps and cheers dying down once Aspen removed her hood.

  This town was indeed a sea of stars, a vast ocean of twinkling lights. But how beautiful can the waters be as it dwrons you? Pulls you down to the deepest parts so it can not see you struggle. But in this moment, my sister was the only star among the dark waters. A blinding light that could lead me out of this darkness.

  Picking up the man by his uninjured arm, she shouted, “For the theft from the people of Escrin, you are under arrest, and to await judgment by his majesty the king.” Escorting the man, even as he yelled, she stopped to speak with us,

  “Let me take him to me to the general, and we will talk more later, okay. I promise to answer any questions. I can see it on your face, you're dying to ask me so much.” She smiled, trying to not let the tussling man slip out of her grasp.

  I gave her a quick nod, trying to keep my fidgeting hands busy. I couldn’t contain the smile plastered across my face. My heart thumped like the cheers and applause that still lined the streets. Faint, but there in a growing rhythm.

  But the moment Aspen went to return the stolen coins, an uneasy feeling began to sit on my stomach. It made me uneasy in my seat. The woman, who should have been joyful upon the return of her money, was trembling. Bowing her head, the woman placed a palm of coins into Aspen’s hand. A child clung to her skirt, just as Rune had done with me. They were both dressed in clothes as tattered as mine.

  As the rush of people began to pick up again, the conversation between the two was drowned out. Without thinking, I jumped from my seat, squeezing between people as I found myself getting closer, trying to make out any conversation between the two, or make out the worried look upon the woman’s face.

  Aspen held the coins in her hand for some time. She stared at them as a fish does at a lure, wondering if it should take the bait. Losing them in the crowd i found myself trapped, unable to move any further as I tried to keep her in my sight. Reaching my hand out towards her, I felt someone take me by the shoulder and whip me around.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Corbin asked in an almost out-of-breath voice. Resting his hand on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath.

  “Jeez, how are you so out of shape?” I asked.

  “Don’t try to avoid the question,” he replied, talking between large breaths.

  “I was looking for--” I turned around only to see she was gone. Without any trace of where she went. “--Aspen.”

  “She said she’ll be back. Come on, I don’t need you causing me any more trouble.”

  Following Corbin, I still tried to look for Aspen. To see any signs of where she could have run to through the crowd of people, my head was spinning with questions. I had never been so unsure of what my sister was doing. Was she collecting a tip, or taking the money entirely? Was this her way of paying back the money we owed?

  I felt sick to my stomach as Corbin sat me down. He had instructed us to sit on a nearby bench as we waited. Watching the town ease into the night, I took in the quiet sounds of chatter. I wondered about all the people who passed me. Where they were going, the people they would see when they got home. What they would think about as they rested their heads. And I thought about whether they questioned the same thing about me. If my constant wanting to know things was just the human in me. The part they couldn’t see.

  I tried not to let myself go deep in thought. Laughing at Rune as I came back to the surroundings around me. She had tripped, trying to skip around and skiing to herself as if she was up on a stage. If she had it her way, she would have crowds of people watching her sing till her voice came out. I didn’t know much about the singing ladies myself, but I did hear about them from my mother.

  “Calm down, before you hurt yourself,” Corbin told her.

  “But I’m bored,” she groaned, taking herself into a twirl, “when is Aspen coming back? I’m hungry.”

  “Why do you two insist on asking me things I obviously don’t have the answer to?”

  “Well, why do you act like you know everything?” she replied, throwing on a cheeky smile to add to the insult. “Let’s go over there, it looks fun.”

  Rune pointed to a small band playing behind a wildly dressed man. He had on about every color there was, with a three-pointed hat attached to his clothes. He’d toss balls around and do backflips. He even began balancing a knife on the edge of his tongue, which really began to draw in a crowd.

  “Please, can we go Corbin? I promise I won’t ask for anything else tonight. I’ll even help you with your chores,” she begged, pulling on his shirt to try to drag him over.

  “NO, NO. Aspen told us to stay put. Plus, we don’t have any money, remember.”

  “Please, Corbin, just a peek. If it costs anything, we’ll just leave.”

  Rubbing his temples like always, Corbin let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Fine, but we’re only going to watch for a few minutes. Come on, Wren.”

  “I’m fine, my stomach's not feeling well,” I told him, hoping he would just let me breathe alone.

  “No, we stay together. I’m not gonna take the blame if you run off and get yourself hurt. I’m not Aspen.”

  “You’re right. You’re not Aspen, so stop acting like you can tell me what to do. Just take Rune, I don’t want to go, okay?”

  “Whatever, just don’t do anything stupid,” he shouted, dragging Rune away. “We’re all tired of cleaning up after your mess,” he muttered, disappearing into the crowd of onlookers before I could respond. Trying to shake off his words, I got up to walk around. Hoping the calming landscape would calm my mind down.

  As I walked around, the smells of everyone’s dinner’s rumbled my stomach. My mother’s food was the best, no doubt, but I could just imagine what she could make in a full market like this. Watching the shops and stands close up and the street getting emptier by the minute, I noticed the swarm of knights.

  Trying not to notice them staring me down, I continued my walk. Looking around the burning candles that lit the streets, a faint flicker caught my eye. It was nuzzled at the end of a dark alley. But I could hear whispers of voices as I approached. Just as I was about to enter a small scream echo into the streets, startling me and catching the attention of some knights around.

  Before I could step in, a knight pushed me aside, “Stay back, kid,” she said in a low voice, holding her lantern into the darkness. The flicker of the flame danced around as the wind picked up. It swirled around with a mighty force, shaking the trees and the street signs. The night may have begun to settle down, but trouble was quickly arising in the dead of night.