The rain pounded on the glass as the man stared out of his window, a look of forlorn pasted on his face. The sky rumbled, the sky flashed, the clouds transformed like dark beasts ready to reign down on the land of Man. The streets were deserted. You can see the detritus blowing in the wind, can see it slapping on lampposts as it flew away into the distance. He wished he could just disappear. He wished he never existed at all. Why would a world want a man like him who was the cause of all this turmoil? Why would a world want a man like him who was the cause of this war? He'd rather be dead. His eyes travelled up to the heavens where it opened up and unleashed beings that were far from human, beings with horns on top of their heads, beings who smiled wickedly down at him. But then again, he wasn't human himself. He could feel his pulse quicken. Could feel adrenaline rushing into his veins as the blood of his ancestors flowed - as he was reminded of their destiny, of his destiny. There was no one else but him to end this war. No one else... With sudden determination, he clenched his fists and called upon to the spirits of his ancestors to give him strength. And with a yell, burst through the roof of his dilapidated house and flew towards his target. "Come ye, spirits of Ángelito, to guide me to victory!" The heavens opened once again and unleashed six, glowing souls, the souls floating their way to him. He could feel the power emanating from them as they circled around his body and became the saviour of this world that he grew to love.

Be Brave We were the kings and queens of promise. We were the victims of ourselves. A darkness comes at dawn. Pray to your God, open your heart. Whatever you do, don't be afraid of the dark. Cover your eyes... The devil's inside. These lessons that we've learnt here, have only just begun. To the right, to the left. To the edge of the earth. Here we are at the start... I can feel the beating of our hearts. Darkness falls. Here comes the rain. To wash away the past and our names. Darkness falls. Here comes the rain. To end it all... the blood and the game. It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie. And the moment to live and the moment to die. The moment to fight, the moment to fight... To fight, to fight, to fight... To the right, to the left. We will fight to the death. To the edge of the earth... It's a brave new world, it's a brave new world... We were the kings and queens of promise. We were the victims of ourselves... ~30 Seconds to Mars, song #quotes. ##quotes #song #lyrics

Just A Little Something "Catch it! Catch it!" Thump! Series of yells from the children around her erupted as she handed them the ball made from tattered rags that were not being used in the Chapel at the moment. Usually, the rags would be used for wiping the tables in the dining hall or scrubbing the plates when she would wash the dishes during Chores Hour or for doing the washing - which was always a pain for her. It would give her back aches whenever she was hunched over like that. Huffing and puffing, she gave a smile to the children and wiped her brow. "Alright children, time to go back to your mamas and papas now. It's getting dark," she said, kneeling down to look into their eyes and pat the heads of each and every one of them. They pouted and crossed their arms, shaking their heads in unison, making her laugh. "I promise... that I shall play with all of you tomorrow, alright?" At this, they gave her a grin and nodded their heads, vigorously. She chuckled once more, waving bye to the running children who disappeared outside the gates. They were such happy souls. They had everything she ever wanted. A family. A mother... a father... Sister Fatima told her, when she was old enough to comprehend, that her and the others and the priest found her lying in a woven basket on a rainy day, covered in soft linen with just her name sewn at the side. She still had the linen. And she still hoped that someone would suddenly appear and say that she was not alone. That her family, if she even had a family, was alive and always there... somehow. All she knew was her name, and she would like to know more than just that... "Miriam, what on earth are you doing staring into space? Come and help me with this Adam's Ale! Dear Lord, help my frail body survive this!" Miriam turned around and suddenly had a smile descending upon her face at the sight of Sister Fatima carrying a bucketful of Adam's Ale. "I shall, Sister Fatima!" She replied, walking over to haul the other side of the bucket up, making the job much more faster. "Oh, don't use such formalities with me lass! Fatima! Fatima, I tell you!" Miriam chuckled, helping Sister Fatima carry the bucket and set it onto a nearby crate with a chicken trapped into it. Sister Fatima let out a long sigh, "Thank you, now you can go back to yer staring." With that, Sister Fatima chased Missie, the Chapel dog, for her bath. Laughing again, Miriam knelt down and poked the chicken's head, earning an irritated croak from her. "Well, how are you Berny?" A cluck was her response. "Well then..." She stood up and dusted her skirt, waving bye to the scowling Berny - if it was even possible for a chicken to scowl - and rolled up her sleeves for her last chore of the day. Scrubbing stains off rags, towels used for the laundry, clothing and polishing the shoes - was hard work. But after a few more hours, the pile of towels and rags were finally dry and folded in front of her. Now, she only had to take the clothes off the line and she would be done. Eureka! Grinning at the thought that after this she could finally settle down with a good book, she opened the wooden door that would lead to the front of the Chapel - just in sight was the gates that would lead you into town - and trotted over to the line, grabbing the clothes and dumping them on a nearby crate. She folded them carefully and delicately, these were other people's clothes of course. She wouldn't want anyone just throwing her clothes about. Just as she was about to finish with the last piece of clothing, the wooden door opened again... revealing Father Geoffrey, the Chapel priest. "Oh, Miriam, you're still at it with your chores? You're such a good child..." He let out a chuckle that made her laugh as well, smiling warmly at him. Father Geoffrey was kind enough to offer her sustenance and a shelter, so she was very grateful to him ever since a young age. "How are you Father?" She asked, clasping her hands in front of her, showing the obedient nature that Father Geoffrey liked about the soulful girl. "I am great, thank you, and you?" Miriam smiled, "Am too Father, just famished... and what might you be doing out at such an hour?" She couldn't help the curiosity and Father Geoffrey had noticed the wonder sparkling in her eyes the first time he laid eyes on Miriam in the basket sparkling right now, and instantly, he felt like she was his own. But suddenly, he realised why he was out at such an hour... an important task that the Mayor had asked him to do... an important task he couldn't do anything about, but accept... "Oh... well... I'm meeting a group of people... They're going to be staying here, at the Chapel, for a while..." Oh yes, Miriam had heard about this news, and the fact that they were all men... unnerved her. But nevertheless, she smiled and nodded to show it did not bother her, when it did. With that, Father Geoffrey walked over to the gate with a small smile sent at Miriam's direction, unlocking it and waiting while tapping his foot. Miriam turned her attention to the clothing and continued her chore. Finally adding it to the pile on the crate as she let out a big sigh. Time to relax... finally. "Were you the one who stole my cigar, Finn? Did you steal it, y-" "This chicken here is sleeping in a crate... is that norm-" "Why are we staying in this-" "What happened to my-" "I want t-" A series of unfamiliar voices made Miriam's head perk up, turning around to see these men that were going to be occupying the Chapel for a while. They better not touch the garden she was currently working on. "I'm sorry for the rudeness of these boys, Father. We're very grateful you let us stay here." Her heart started to beat just by the single voice of this man who seemed to be the one in charge of this raucous crowd. He shook hands with Father Geoffrey and followed his figure as he started to walk to show them their rooms. As they did so, Miriam and the man caught each other's eye... and everything just seemed to fade... It seemed like it was only her and this man - she didn't even know - in this world, in this place, right here and now; no one else. Just them. Her heart skipped a beat as she tried to get her mouth to open and inhale fresh air. The man just continued to stare... Everything continued to move in slow motion. And with just the click of a finger, everything was back again. The noise of the other men could be heard, their tapping feet could be heard, their laughs and their deep voices moulding together. And her heart continued to skip skip a beat. The man slowly passed her, letting the other men move in front of him. He took off the hat on his dark hair, that flopped into his eyes, and nodded to her. "Evening..." He said, almost in a whisper as she curtsied and gave him a smile. He smiled back and she noticed his strong jaw and the slight stubble on his chin. And then he was gone. Walked into the wooden door... leaving her heart to beat furiously in her chest... and to wonder how unusually gold his eyes were, which made them shine in the moonlight... a beautiful golden colour. It may have been just her, but she thought she remembered the man glancing behind him, at her, before walking in. All she could think about now was those eyes of his... she could not take them out of her head and predicted that the eyes would visit her in her dreams. And it did.

Song Bird One Blood. Blood everywhere. My arrow - my favourite one, the one with the leaf markings - fly back to my hand. The droplets of blood on the granite floor came from its tip. The tip that just took another #life. Did I feel anything, anything at all? Seemed like the answer was no. I jump to the broken window, the shards of glass laying next to the bodies now motionless, #lifeless. A hand twitched. I took one arrow from the pouch on my back, adjusted it on my bow, and fired. Bullseye. I was born to do this. This, is my destiny. I will forever be a monster... And then I woke up. Breathe... Breathe. In. Out. Good, that's good Sierra. I gazed at the dream catcher hanging from my window. Useless. Absolutely useless. Sighing, I relax my body from the position of knees tucked under my chin and tossed my duvet to the right. 03: 55 am, my clock read. I let out a groan of impatience. Why can't it be seven already? Dreadful dreams like those have been happening to me for as long as I can remember... At first blurry, but as I start to grow up, they've become even more HD. I rub my arms with my bare, cold hands and stumble outside my bedroom. The landing was dark, which didn't help my growing fear of being watched. Eyes following your every move. Hand reaching for your arm and... I whipped around. Nothing. I swear I heard the tap tap tap of footsteps. Shaking my head, I quickly told my feet to hurry it up and get to the bathroom, hauled the door open and slammed it shut. A glance at my reflection on the mirror, clearly showed my lack of sleep. It was all that stupid dream's fault. I turned the tap on and splashed cold water on my face, opened the door, took a breath and ventured outside. It was when I took my first step when the creak of the floorboards entered my ears, made my heart beat furiously in my chest and made my eyes dart all over me. Man up, Sierra. I let out a breath and took another step. And another, and another, and another. By now, I was facing my bedroom door about to yank it open when the feeling of someone's breath, made me scream and then laughter. Laughter, could be heard. "Pete!" I yelled, throwing lame punches at his side. He was clutching his belly while sprawled across the floor, me on top of him as he continued to laugh at my face. This is my dork of an older brother, who loved to scare me to death. A bedroom door swung open and out came mum, wrapped in her purple robe and her hair in a messy bun. She glared at us, but ended up bursting out laughing. This was a common occurrence in the Blanche household. Scribble. Scratch. Swoosh. My sketch book was full of pointless drawings, but this one... this one was nowhere near pointless. I continued to add shading to the bow in my dreams, making sure to accentuate the leaf markings. I had the feeling that this bow and that bizarre yet dreadful dream was going to occupy my head with questions. Trust me though, I'd much rather forget about it than have it stuck in the recesses of my brain. The stereo was playing the latest track and my seat belt still annoyed me. Pete was drumming with his hands, playing the tropical beat on his lap and mum was humming along to the music. I, Sierra Blanche, am very lucky to have such a crazy family. Note the sarcasm. After about twenty minutes or so, mum pulled up outside Evergreen Secondary School as Pete - looking like he might just pee on the car seat - thrust the door open and slammed it shut, happily running over to his posse. Mum turned to give me a crazy look which made me burst into snorts of laughter and kissed her on the cheek as a sign of "see you later". I climbed out and looked at the throng of students piling outside the buildings. You wouldn't think that this place was a school. More like a gothic-looking cathedral. "Sieeeerra!" I whipped to my right and found my best friend Josie Trinkle with her arms wide open, running to me. Josie gave the most painful hugs, what her dad being a boxer and growing up with yelling at the TV and fighting with her four brothers on who would get the last chicken for dinner. I sometimes wonder what her secret for survival is. She couldn't be alive right now, considering her four brothers were huge. And I meant, huge HUGE. I stepped away from her figure with my arms out in front of me, shaking my head. As much as I love my best friend, I didn't want to die right here on this spot. Nuh-uh. She gave me a pout and the cross of her arms, but I still shook my head at her, pushing my way to form with a sulking redhead behind me. Today, seemed like a drag. I waved to Josie as she got in her dad's car, her dad smiling at me and giving me a thumbs up. I grinned. Josie's dad was awesome. As I waited for mum and waved by to Pete - he had band practice - I kept myself busy by continuously kicking a stone. After a while, the place felt deserted and I felt the creeps creeping into my stomach again. Hurry up, mum. The wind howled in my ear and I shivered, feeling the eyes, feeling the hand... I whipped around and there in front of me, stood a boy. He slowly walked over to me, my heart beating those badump badumps. I know I should run, but I was frozen. Soon, he was in front of me, his breath on my head. "Are you Sierra?" He asked. I nodded. He looked into my eyes, his penetrating mine and poring into my soul and whispered two words. "Song Bird."

Her Days Are Over Ravens fly above her body. She stares, expressionless, at the sky. The sky that used to be a vast blue mural. What happened to everything? She doesn't know. She lives in a place with nothing and no one. Except for these ravens, of course. The ravens that rid her of the #life she once had. The ravens who were not even ravens themselves. The ravens who now turned into people wearing black-hooded cloaks that covered half of their faces. They approach her, but she stays still and continues to stare at the whiteness above. The sky looked like it couldn't feel... like her. She couldn't feel anything, couldn't feel the emotions that once filled her heart. "Asgarth, wants to see you," they said, then transformed back to their raven forms, cawing at her to hurry up for Asgarth was never a patient person. She closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the fact that all she could see was nothingness. She would've loved to live in this nothingness, to just sit there and think. But her #life is already gone. That joyous #life of smiles and her Mother's baguettes were now over. This, is who she is now. Sighing, she opened her eyes and slowly sat up. She didn't care that her tunic dress was tattered and ripped. She didn't care that her hair was messily in a bun. She hadn't had the time to brush it. She didn't care about anything anymore. A swirl of wind appeared before her and there stood Asgarth, crossing his arms. His black hair dancing as the wind slowly dissipated. "I called for you." He confidently walks towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiles. Only Asgarth... He was the only one that could make her smile these days... With a kiss on her forehead, Asgarth whispered in her ear those words she dreaded would one day come. "It's time for your judgement."