Siblings

Jean paces back and forth in her bedroom, staring intently at the floor as she goes. The creaking floorboards beneath her feet echo her rising anxiety. What is taking Captain Demetrius so long? It has been a week since he left. The Evil Lord's forces have not pushed forwards, but they could do so at any moment. Jean is growing anxious.

"Miss Jean!"

Jean jumps at her last name but gathers herself quickly and responds to the guard outside her door, "Yes?"

"There is a young man at the gate. He claims to have been sent by Captain Demetrius," the guard informs her.

"Okay, I will be out there in a minute," Jean replies.

Jean is shocked when she opens the castles doors and sees the form of a scrawny John Callis.

"Hello," he says sheepishly. "Are you Jean Ango?" he continues.

Jean has to stop herself from laughing. John is definitely younger than her with very little muscle and clearly no battle training. Is she seriously supposed to believe that he can help defeat the Evil Lord?

"I am," she answers. "Who are you?" she asks.

"Oh, uh, I am John Callis. I was sent here by Captain Demetrius," John replies.

"Okay, come in," Jean says.

John looks hesitant at first, but he reaches down to grab his bag and marches into the castle with a shaky confidence.

"Well, this is a dramatic place to live at," John says as they walk.

Jean remains silent.

"Not the talkative type, huh?" John continues.

Jean leads him to a room. She tells him about mealtimes and shows him around the castle then finally leaves him to rest. Jean still cannot believe this. John is a boy, barely fit for farming, let alone fighting. She takes a deep breath, hoping that Captain Demetrius knows what he is doing.

Another day passes by, filled with simple, mundane pastimes, and the only place where Jean sees John is in the dinning room at mealtimes. She can tell he is uneasy, most definitely from being brought to such a strange place in such a strange manner, but he refuses to let it fully show. Every time their eyes meet he tries to crack a smile or a joke; to both, Jean only replies with a slight nod. The following morning, another recruit arrives. Jean hopes that he surpasses John- and surpass him, he does. Jean opens the doors and sees not a scrawny, young boy but the muscular physique of William Aleyn, who is taller than her by quite a few inches.

"Hello. You must be Jean Ango," William says.

"Yes and you are?" Jean answers.

"William Aleyn," he replies.

Jean lets him in. They are both silent as they make their way to William's new room. Jean tells him about mealtimes and shows him around the castle just like she has done with John.

She is about to leave William alone, but he stops her and asks, "Jean, when will I see Captain Demetrius?"

"Captain Demetrius has not returned from his journey yet. I assure you that you will see him when the time is right," she answers.

"Well, that is vague," William says.

Jean shrugs and says, "I suppose."

William gives Jean a smile, and she returns with a nod then walks away. Jean tries to be optimistic. At least one of the boys is ready for combat. Once again, Jean's life continues with her usual routine. William and John meet at lunch the same day that William arrives. They talk to each other during meals and spend most of their days together. Jean can tell that there is something on William's mind, keeping him deeply troubled.

Breathe in.. breathe out.. breath in.. breath out.. breath in..

"Hey, Jean!" a skinny twelve year old girl with dark brown hair done up in twin half-buns says with lots of excitement.

Jean sighs and says, "Grace, what did I tell you about interrupting my meditation?"

"Sorry! I just got back and thought you would like to see your little sister," Grace replies.

Jean smiles as her tense demeanor softens. She stands up and says, "Of course, how silly of me. It is good to see you again."

She hugs her sister gently.

"Now, report!" Jean commands

"No unusual activity to report. The Evil Lord's forces remain at the Mutiny river," Grace says with a serious tone.

"Okay. Now, let's return to our usual lessons," Jean says.

Grace smiles as she follows Jean out of the room and to the gardens outside. There is a small waterfall, which feeds into a thin stream and snakes its way through the rocks and bushes of the garden. Jean and Grace follow a stone path leading to a bridge over the water and step onto the soft grass next to the stream. Both girls take a similar stance and breath in slowly.

"Jean, go first! You always do the prettiest tricks," Grace says.

"All right," Jean replies, ready to impress her sister.

Jean places her right foot out diagonally and raises her arms. She moves her hands in a wave-like motion. A ball of water rises up from the stream and hovers between Jean's hand. Grace awes as the water splits into five sections and morphs into translucent butterflies that flutter around Grace's head. She then makes lightning flicker through the butterflies. Jean's power is storm, the control over water and lightning. Jean then returns the water back into the stream.

"That was amazing!" Grace exclaims.

It is now Grace's turn. The young girl plants her feet beneath her. She then brings her hands up and around, creating two spirals of wind. She makes the spirals dance around her and Jean, creating a breeze. She then sends a strong gust of wind beneath her, and she flies. She does an impressive back flip in the air and lands safely. Grace is the elemental master of wind.

"So, who are the two new boys?" Grace asks.

"Elementals," Jean answers.

"Which elements? Are they powerful?" Grace asks with excitement.

"I do not know, Grace. I know as much about them as you do. Their names are William and John. Please do not act weird around them," Jean replies.

During dinner, Jean and Grace sit beside each other. Grace stares at John and William, who are sitting further down at another table. Jean gives Grace a subtle nudge with her elbow when the staring continues for far too long. A guard walks into the room and walks towards Jean. He leans down and whispers in Jean's ear that another boy has arrived. Jean nods and rises up from her chair. When Jean opens the gate, she meets the tall, fit and blond Wimund. Greetings are exchanged, and she welcomes him inside. She shows him his room then invites him to dinner. He is greeted by John and William, who quickly get along with him. Grace pelts Jean many questions when she returns to eat her food, but Jean does not answer her. After they finish their meals, both girls are just about to enter their bedrooms and sleep; however, another guard shows up again and informs them that Captain Demetrius has returned. He is in the balcony. Jean and Grace quickly make their way towards him and welcome him back.

"Have all three boys arrived?" Demetrius questions.

"Yes," Jean answers.

"There is still one more elemental, but I discovered he is sadly in the Evil Lord's territory. We must extract him, but we have to wait until the conditions are right. Go rest, girls. We have much to do in the coming days," Demetrius says.

Both girls leave their captain. Grace notices a worried look on Jean's face.

"Hey, it is okay to be a little scared," Grace comforts.

Jean looks down at Grace with a smile that breaks through her concern then hugs her little sister tightly.

"Thanks, Grace, but you do not have to worry about me. I will be fine. Come on, you need your rest," Jean says.

Thomas Cavendish grumbles to himself as he hunches over the rough timber table and continues making another blunderbuss. The acrid scent of gunpowder fills the air, mingling with the sweat-soaked fabric of his clothes. While gritting his teeth, he focuses on attaching the stock to the barrel. He is tired, sweaty and filthy, but he has to endure. He has to, for his and his sister's sakes. Thomas's weary gaze drifts to his last piece of bread resting on a makeshift shelf. He has planned to split it with his sister, but on the other side of the room, he sees a young boy sitting on the floor huddled in a corner. The young boy is cold and hungry and is wearing torn clothes just like Thomas. The difference is that the boy has nothing to offer the Trolls, so they have never shown him mercy. They torture this poor boy every day. Thomas walks to him, his heart heavy with empathy. He kneels beside the boy and extends his hand that is holding the piece of bread.

"Take this," he commands gently as the boy's eyes widen.

"Really? You.. you will share?" the boy asks, his voice trembling.

"Eat it all. You need it more than I do," Thomas says.

The boy grasps the bread with a desperation that makes Thomas's heart ache.

"Thank you. I..," Thomas instantly goes back to his work before the boy even finishes his sentence.

Thomas is only sixteen years old, but that did not stop the Cave Trolls army from enslaving him as well as his younger fourteen year old sister and many other kids and teens. He has shaggy brown hair and is extremely thin. He is wearing torn clothes. Just sixteen but burdened with the responsibilities of adulthood. His father went on a pirating adventure when he was seven years old, and he never came back. His mother's legs were paralyzed in an accidental injury when he was nine. Since then, he had been forced to take care of both his sister and mother. As a result, Thomas has been robbed of his childhood. Every single day is a nightmare for him, and the nightmares never end.

"Are you almost finished, Tommy?" his sister asks.

Her name is Ava Cavendish. She is shorter than him and has long black hair. She is very thin but also beautiful. She is wearing a white blouse and black orchid pants. Her clothes are not torn as her brother always stole the best clothes for her. Thomas has been working for the Trolls on behalf of himself and of his sister, so her clothes never get stained. She herself barely suffers from this kidnapping. She wishes she could help her older brother, but he refuses to let her. As much as this is extremely kind from him, it is driving him crazy.

"Do I look finished to you?!" Thomas snaps with anger all over his face.

As he speaks, he can feel the guilt gnawing at the edges of his conscience, knowing she meant no harm.

"Okay, okay. I was just asking. Sorry," Ava replies, retreating slightly, her eyes filled with concern.

Ava cannot really blame him for being upset. Since they were captured by the Trolls, he has been forced to make them cutlasses and blunderbusses, so that they do not torture either him or Ava and provide them with food and water to stay alive. Their mother is locked somewhere else, and the Trolls make sure to remind them of that every day. They threaten them that if they try to escape, their mother will be dead. Thomas has finished working on all the blunderbusses required for that day. He has also finished making one cutlass. He puts it down and wipes away some sweat from his forehead.

"Hey, I got you this. A boy said that he has some extra water and agreed to give me one cup," Ava tells Thomas while handing him a cup of cold water.

"Thanks sis," Thomas says with a half smile. "Sorry about my attitude. I am.. I am just.. I do not know tired, crazy maybe. I do not know what to call it," he continues.

Ava looks at him sympathetically and reaches out to stroke his arm gently. She almost lets a tear out of her eyes.

"No worries, Tom. I know what you are going through," she says.

Thomas does not waste much time. He continues making cutlasses. He can't waste time. The Trolls will be here soon, and he must have everything ready.

"Tom! Tom, they are here," Ava shouts suddenly.

"Wait. What? They are early, very early," Thomas panics.

He drops his tools, the clattering echoing in the room. Five Trolls enter the large room. They hold whips in their hands. They let out sinister laughs as they see the fear in each kid's eyes. They begin their grim inspection and start checking if each kid did his work. They look at them with their scary red eyes and ugly teeth. The first five people are not harmed as they did all of what they were asked, and they are provided with food and water. It is now the turn of the "useless kid". The one who gets tortured every day as he has nothing to offer the Trolls.

"You know the drill. Come on," the leader of the five trolls says.

His name is Grimnir. He is easily identified by everyone as he is the only Troll with three eyes. The boy obeys him. He proceeds to take off his shirt, stand up and put his face against the wall while holding his hands upwards. There are many bruises on his back. The five Trolls whip him brutally. The cracking of the whips echoes like thunder. The Trolls smile and laugh as the boy lets out cries of pain. The young boy after him does not suffer the same fate, neither does the one after. It is now Thomas's turn. He is the last one. Grimnir signals for one of the Trolls to inspect Thomas's work.

"There are five missing cutlasses," the Troll says with an evil smile.

Grimnir reaches forward and grabs Thomas by the collar.

"What kind of insult is this? Five weapons short!" Grimnir shouts.

"I ran out of time. You came early," Thomas says.

Grimnir throws him hard to the ground.

"Do your worst, Stinkfoot," Thomas spits defiantly, bracing himself for a few whip cracks.

"Oh, you are playing tough, huh? Aren't you that boy with the paralyzed mother? So no father and a kidnapped mother. Such a tragic little story. Let's take more people away from you and see how you do. Take the girl!" Grimnir commands then laughs.

Thomas quickly grabs a cutlass and swings it wildly at the approaching Trolls.

"Don't you even dare touch a hair on her head," Thomas says.

"Fool," Grimnir mocks with a grin on his face.

Grimnir swings his massive club at Thomas. It hits him dead in the stomach. He falls to the ground clutching himself. Ava tries to check on her brother, but she is pulled away by the Trolls. She tries to resist and fight back, but she is unable to do anything. All the others in the room watch. They want to help Ava, but they are all scared to do so.

"Ava!" Thomas calls weakly, tears streaming down his face.

With all his remaining energy, he rises to his feet and tries to get closer to his sister, but Grimnir strikes him again. Grimnir bends down and grips Thomas's chin, pulling him close.

"I want double the amount tomorrow, child, or you might never see your mother or sister again," he says with a sinister smile.

He laughs, lets go of Thomas and begins to leave the room alongside the other four Trolls. Thomas looks up and locks his eyes with Ava's as she is carried away.

"Ava, I will find you. No matter where you go I will find you!" Thomas calls desperately. "I promise you," he continues.

He clutches his stomach again as the pain swells for a second time.

Silence fills the room as soon as the Trolls leave. Thomas is left sobbing on the dirty floor. He looks around. None of the others in the room comfort him or try to support him. They only look away, unwilling to bear witness to his suffering. They already have suffered from lots of pain; there is no way they can also suffer from the pain of another.

"See, we told you. Everyone around you, every single living thing is the real monster, not us. They always act good then suddenly show you their bad side and abandon you when they have the chance. We are the only ones who have been with you since the day we met till now and will always be with you forever," a voice speaks in Thomas's head.

"I am in no mood for your bullshit. Just leave me alone," Thomas says to the voice in his head.

A different voice speaks in Thomas's head, "You promised the girl that you would find her. Just like you promised to protect her but failed?"

"Shut up," Thomas says.

The voices continue, "Or maybe just like you promised to take care of her and your mother but also failed."

Thomas puts his hands over his ears, trying to stop the voices from talking.

"Oh wait it is going to be just like when you promised your mother that you would not make anymore mistakes but still made lots of them or when you promised to be by your sister's side but ran away. Do you remember your failures, Thomas?"

"I said shut up!" Thomas screams with anger and guilt.

His eyes glow with purple light, and his hands burn with purple flame. He then quickly gains back control over himself. Everyone stares at him but says nothing.

The voices inside Thomas's head switch once more.

"You know you can always try to escape this place," the voice says.

"And what would I gain? The death of my sister and mother?" Thomas questions

"They will never kill your family. They will keep them alive so that they can always threaten you with them," the voice replies.

"What makes you so sure of that?" Thomas asks.

"The fact that they have kept your mother alive all this time," the voice replies.

Thomas thinks about what the voice said and realizes that the voice is right. However, the thing is that he has no idea how to escape. The door is most likely guarded by some trolls, and there are no other exits, except for a locked window. He lays down on the floor and tries to think of a way to escape. Soon night fell, creating dark shadows throughout the whole room. Thomas usually would have been asleep at this time, but he is still thinking. Suddenly, a loud crash of the door interrupts his thoughts. Two heavily armored men break in. All the teens and kids wake up to their noise and look at them. They are not Trolls, they are people.

"Listen up, everyone! We are here to rescue you. However, more of them might come at any moment. There is a boat waiting, but we have to hurry. But first, which one of you is Thomas Cavendish?" one of the guards announces.

Thomas approaches them and says, "That would be me, but how do you know my name?"

"We were sent here by Captain Demetrius. There is no time to explain. Come on. Let's go!" the guard replies nervously, as he is expecting to be attacked by Trolls at any moment.

Everyone follows the guards to the Mutiny River. They all get onto a large ship on which there is a helmsman, except for Thomas. He is stopped by the guards.

"Actually, Mister Cavendish, you are coming with us on this small boat," the guard says and points.

"Why? Who are you? What do you want from me? I am not going anywhere until you tell me everything," Thomas replies.

Meanwhile, the large ship begins to leave. It is going to take everyone on board a place with food, water and protection. The two guards look at each other. They know that they do not have time to talk with Thomas. The next thing Thomas knows, a wet cloth is being pushed into his face. He struggles and tries to scream, but within seconds, he is unconscious.