Opening my eyes, I saw to my left Noelle dozing off on a chair next to me. I didn't hesitate to pick her up and carry her to her bed. Memories of collapsing on the floor rushed back, and I sighed, remembering everything that had happened.
I moved to the window, gazing into the endless field of flowers, and tears trickled down my face.
'I hate everything and everyone. Why me? Why did I have to be the one who wouldn't even get one spirit? Everything was supposed to lead up to my triumph. 'But all that training, all that studying on Spirtha, was all for nothing.'
My dad would never acknowledge me, and my brothers would keep looking down on me.
The door opened, and my father stared at me with a blank expression.
"You're not done. Not yet. Come with me. I have some explaining to do."
We walked through the long hallway, lit with a single chandelier hanging from the tall ceiling. Each step on the warm rug met my feet as the thick fibers cushioned each toe.
I wondered what Father had to tell me. I eagerly waited until we reached the end of the hall.
Father opened the door. Inside was my mother, who stared at me and rushed to hug me, her arms trembling.
"I'm glad you're okay," she said softly.
Pulling a chair from the side, I sat down.
"We knew something like this would occur. Spirtha is something that draws us—a blessing, even, giving us access to the elements. Spirtha allows us to control non-living objects.
Once we obtain Spirtha, our DNA intertwines with the spirits, bonding our souls with them."
"But you're different, and different isn't always bad," he said in a soft tone.
"But it does!" I lashed out. I stared into my father's deep blue eyes.
"Sit. I haven't finished," he said aggressively, his eyes narrowing.
"You were never supposed to have Spirtha. You were born with something else. Ki."
'Ki?' I was confused. I didn't understand what he was talking about. In all my studies about the world, I had never read about Ki.
"You weren't blessed with Ki—you were born with it.
Ki is still unknown, as only a few have ever been born with it. It's also the reason you haven't studied it. No one has lived long enough to master it.
From what we know, Ki imprints onto you. Your emotions and willpower can influence Ki. Willpower is a big, essential part of it. Ki flows through your body the moment you are born.
The other continent was inhabited only by people with a spirit. Those with Ki were all executed. Only thirteen people—including you—were born with Ki on this continent."
My chest seized up, breaths coming in shallow gasps. Tears welled in my eyes, pressure building like a dam ready to break.
Father gently placed his hand on my shoulder.
"No. This continent is different. No need to worry."
I noticed my mother. Her eyebrows drew together, her lips pressed into a thin line. The worry in her eyes was unmistakable. My chest tightened like a vice, and breathing grew more difficult.
"Honey, do you have any goals? Why do you want power?"
"I wish I could be strong. So Ben and Ken wouldn't turn their back on me. I will be the Spirtha King!"
"Forget it," my father said, narrowing his eyes.
"Find something else. You stand no chance."
Father continued to ramble on about something.
But I didn't care. I couldn't hear. Everyone had turned against me.
I opened the door and ran, my feet thumping loudly across the hall and down the stairs. I kept running until I reached the main door that led outside into the backyard. I didn't look back. I ignored the guards yelling behind me, chasing after me. I heard someone familiar call out from the stairs.
I ran blindly into the forest. By the time I stopped, darkness had swallowed everything. A distant howl sent me running again, choking back tears.
I spotted a cave. I ran inside, and the echoes rang deep into it. I didn't care anymore. I fell onto the cold stone, the soft thud echoing through the cave. Then I wept myself into a slumber.
Hours passed. I was alone in the forest, and Father's words still haunted me. I realized I had never gone past the front of the manor or the field of flowers in the back, not on my own.
A bright light shone from the sky, bouncing off the stone and warming it. It was coming from the front of the cave. The cave was smaller than I thought.
I got up and slowly walked into the light as my feet met the warm stone.
"Geez, that was hot! I'm going to keep walking till I get to the grass."
As my feet left the warm stone, I was met by the cold, soft grass grazing my legs. I held my head high. The sun pierced my eyes, blurring my vision for a moment. I turned my head left and right and met a lively forest with creatures I had only read about, right in front of me.
I saw a family of horned rabbits binkying in unison, a troop of water monkeys skipping across the river with webbed toes, a flock of macaws passing overhead, and saber-tooth salmon jumping out of the clear river, sunlight reflecting off their scales and the water's surface.
It was breathtaking. It helped me forget what happened and the situation I was in.
Then my stomach rumbled, and I realized I hadn't eaten in a while. I found berries and mushrooms. Thanks to the studying I did, I could tell what was edible and what wasn't. I only had a handful of edible berries. I scarfed them all down, relieving my parched throat. My stomach still rumbled. I needed more nutrients, like meat or eggs.
I wandered the forest, avoiding all the predators—including the turtle bear at the river near the waterfall, hunting saber-tooth salmon, and the giant pale snake slithering across the grass, leaving a trail of goo behind.
But it was very far from the cave I intended to stay in for the night.
After around two hours, I saw a half-dozen red, blue, and yellow eggs snugly pressed together. From different trees across this part of the forest, I climbed two of them and took half of each nest. I felt selfish taking more.
I checked my pockets—I had three in both. I strolled back to the cave. Surprisingly, it was easy to remember where I had come from.
Tomorrow I'll find my home and ask for my parents' forgiveness. But a thought loomed over my head: 'They'll never love me for who I am. I'll never be welcomed in my home again.'
The smile that had kept me going fell.
I pushed the thought away. I didn't need them right now.
I continued with a forced smile and entered the cave.
My feet left the soft grass and met the rough, warm floor of the cave again.
Even though I knew how to forage for berries and eggs, I had never learned how to cook. I also remembered I'd never learned how to start a fire. So I decided that if I wanted to survive, I'd have to eat the eggs raw.
I walked to the edge of the cave, pulling one egg from my pocket. I held it against a dripstone coming from the floor. It cracked, and before it could fall, I flipped it on one side so I wouldn't waste any.
.
I decided not to think too hard. 'How bad can a raw egg be?'
Forcing the full thing down, I gagged as the slimy substance slipped down my throat. I vomited in my mouth and forced it back. I gasped, taking in long breaths of air. It left my throat with an acidic texture.
"I think I'm good for today. That was horrible."
I turned my back on the sun, which was falling and becoming dimmer by the minute.
'Already? I swear I woke up around two hours ago. I must've slept way longer than I thought... I did pass out.'
I tried to sleep, placing my hands on the now-cold stone and lying my body out to rest. However, something was missing.
'Ah, yes, I know!'
A jolt ran across my mind. A blanket and a pillow. I needed to make one now before it got dark and cold.
I ravaged the vines across the cave, stripping the leaves and keeping the vine intact. Then I quickly went outside and gathered some leaves. I proceeded to sew the threads and leaves together. I left every row in a straight line, sewing the leaves behind and in front of the vine.
Just like my mother had taught me to do. I finished.
My throat tightened, and my stomach turned a thousand times.
Memories flashed back—my mom teaching me how to sew my clothes.
I once again forced a smile so I wouldn't cry.
I lay down, used both my hands to cover myself, and used my arms as a pillow.
Closing my eyes and seeing the world darken into an abyss, I began to wonder, and a thought crossed my mind:
'How was Noelle doing?'