ya

keep the Alliance alive. It pains me to see so many kids, under sixteen, pledging allegiance to the Alliance. They should be runn

de and smirks as the question leaves his lips. Every year

, fa

e's a fire in your soul and heart, Enya, never forget that. Never forget who you are." I couldn't count the number of times he's told me to remember who I am and never forget it. But what if I don't know who I am? I'm sure he wishes all the best; he repeats the same thing every year to remind me of our goal. Of the bat

ar words leave my lips like a scripted line I've learned for years. "I'm happy, fat

ans a little closer. "And

s, link our hand tattoos, and place our foreheads

losest friends shortly after I was born. If one of those monsters hadn't kidnapped and killed my mother, he wouldn't take such a drastic step. He often tells me stories about mother's disappearance, how desperately he tried t

istory," one of the leaders speaks

treated me as less than the experienced warriors who have joined them. My gender has nothing to do with my role among them. However, there was one thing that was different for me. I have been trained for the ceremony since I can reme

d, an eight-year-old killer, but I am who I am, and there's nothing I could change even if I wanted to. I have to do this for the memory of my mother. As long as I have a goal,

bed. And somehow, we both built an unrealistic relationship with this fairytale. Proof of this was the blood-red hooded cape my

father commanded me to do. Today, being twenty years old, I see far too many problems with the things I had to do

llow me deeper into the woods. I couldn't take him out while he was alert and aware of his surroundings, so I told him that I was tired. When he tried to build a campfire to warm me up, I wrapped my arms around his neck, took my dagger, and plunged it into his flesh. If I were ol

t the dying creature, wondering if he would shift before my eyes. Father had told me so many horror stories that I expected to see the beast raging, but he just lay on the ground, silently repeating the question. Only

get ready for bed. My tiny form, hidden behind the tree, trembling and crying as my g

thing but a play of my father's imagination - he created his own version of the Red Riding Hood. One that would kill any wolf i

join the hunt if I don't focus - that type of attitude would get me killed. I want to ask them what is going on, but my father clears his throat, so I have no right to say anything. If any of the Alliance leaders so much as coughed, you must be silent. Sure enough, a moment later, he speaks up again. "Tonight is a glorious night. Not only are we gaining additional forces for our Alliance, but the boys will be leaving for their first hunt. Have no fear; my daughter will lead you. Enya, the woman from the