Be aware, all the events in this story are real.

The government has tried to cover up our story, but now, I’m letting you in on the secret. You have been warned-- if found reading this book, you may be in big, big trouble.

Good Luck.

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Prologue

It seems like forever since everything was normal, but really, it wasn’t that long ago. To be honest, my life was pretty average before. I lived like some of you probably do. I had a mother, Brianna, a father, Tony, a brother, Gram, and a baby sister, Emily-- all alive let me note. My mother was a baker, and my father was a military leader, quite a famous one in fact, but besides that, we were mostly just like you-- well, not exactly.

Okay, I’ll be completely honest. Ten years before I was born, a law was passed that you could only have one child. As I already said, I had an illegal brother and sister. My mother gave birth in our basement, and for almost their whole lives, they stayed there. I couldn’t tell anyone one about it, and I could never have anyone over-- but it was all worth it.

Everything changed when I was fifteen. The Fastiax’s started to argue over land with us, and before you could even blink, some of the adults just disappeared. Just like poof-- gone --and no one knew where they went; even the rest of the alive adults. That was when our powers started to form…

All the remaining kids under twenty-one started to develop powers like fire, or levitation. No one knew what was going on.

That was also when my brother and sister finally came out of our basement and explored the world, since there were barely anymore living adults to care.

My best friends, Chloe and Altin’s parents had both disappeared like that. One day, together, their parents went take out money from the bank, and then they never came back. Their car was still in the bank’s parking lot. Other cases like that started to happen, and soon, the news didn’t even report it, because they were all gone. Chloe started to develop the powers of electricity, and Altin had fire and Apportation (ability to teleport himself, object, and people through space.) I suddenly had three: the ability to control water, super speed, and I could hover in the sky.

I always kept my hovering a secret. It was something I had. Something that only I knew, and it made me feel okay-- in control.

All of a sudden, a poison spread throughout the town, only affecting the adults. We later found out it was spread through the sewers. No-- we found out that someone poisoned our sewers in intention to murder the rest of the adults in this dreaded country.

Every other parent alive of died a painful death... My parents certainly did. The last thing they said to me was to take care of Emily and Gram. That’s why I was heartbroken as I watched both my siblings die.

Since all the adults died, the oldest kids took charge-- all twenty-one or under --started to change things. They found an old nuclear center where we stayed, and all the kids that were alive lived together. We were all a part of an army now; we fought for each other.

At first, things didn’t turn out how everyone expected. Some people rebelled and others didn’t want to work with people weaker or younger than them, and we started to grow into a war with each other.

Dylan, a twenty-year-old who had the power of channeling (the ability to take someone else's powers away) solved it. I still think it was only because they were all scared of him, but it worked, so it doesn’t matter.

Dylan sorted us into three categories, Silver, being the strongest, Blue, being the middle, and Green, being the weakest. Silver had the kids with fire, water, electricity, Blue had the healers, intelligent kids, and the ones who had telepathy, and finally, Green had the dream leapers (someone who can force themselves into other people’s dreams) the kids who could talk to animals, and the luck granters.

I was sorted into Silver along with Altin, Chloe, and Gram. Emily was sorted into Blue since she could heal, but managed to talk her way into Silver. Not everyone loved the idea, but it worked, so we kept it.

I later found out that my brother was a spy and decided to work for the Fastiax’s. After he got caught, no one saw him again. I didn’t dare fight with anyone in our small army about that one.

Soon after my brother died, I became commander of the Silvers. It was one of the most sought after positions and it wasn’t easy to get. I fought in three battles, passed ten tests-- one even including killing a baby --and was challenged to a battle with Daniel Piet, which I won easily let me add, to prove myself ‘worthy.’  

But the worst experience in my life, through it all, was watching my little sister, Emily, die.

Chapter One

“You need to let her go,” Altin touched my shoulder lightly.

Tears filled my eyes, “I know,” I cried. My voice broke, “But how am I supposed to let Emily go?”

I sniffled quietly, touching her soft, pale cheek. My baby sister’s beautiful brown hair fell down my lap. Her hair was a beautiful color of fallen brown leaves after the first storm in autumn. It glistened like a jar of honey glistened in the sunlight.

Emily turned over on her side, and her hazel eyes met mine.

“I love you Elowen,” she coughed out. A trickle of blood fell from her mouth, and her body trembled slowly in my hands.

“You can’t go, Emily,” my voice cracked. I don’t think my voice was ever-- and would be --so raw, “I love you too.”

I grasped her tiny fingers, praying that I could save her. Praying that she wouldn’t die in front of my face.

Altin sat beside me, and he held her other hand.

Her hazel eyes opened one last time, a white film covering them almost entirely. I tried as hard as I could to remember that moment, because I knew that was the last time I would ever see her again. The last time I would be able to hold her hand, and the last time I could touch her.

Emily’s brown freckles were now covered by smeared blood, and the crown of flowers she had on was black and burned.

“I love you, Emily. Please don’t leave me.” I pressed my cheek to her’s and cried over her. I could hear her small heartbeat slow, and she let out one shaky breath.

In two rugged breaths, she muttered, “I’ll see you in the next life, Elle. I’ll see you again.” An image like a smile flashed on her lips. Emily always believed in another life.

Then, her body went limp in my arms.

As my heart broke, I screamed. I screamed so loudly that it drowned out every other noise in the room. I screamed so loudly that I could feel my vocal cords cry out in pain.

Altin squeezed me tightly against him, and I could feel his sharp breathing.

I couldn't breathe.

I sobbed on him. Cried for what seemed like hours until Altin reminded me we had to leave.

I leaned onto his chest, “It’s okay, Elle,” Altin whispered, brushing my hair in his rough fingertips, “It’ll be okay. It’s all over now,” he promised.

Altin wrapped his arms around me, “No it’s not,” I whispered back in a ragged breath, “This war hasn’t even begun.”

“It’ll be okay.”

“It’s not,” I cried, “It won’t be, Altin. Everyone’s dying, we already lost. Why are we even fighting?”

“Because we do what we need to to survive,” he forced me up, letting me rest my head in his shoulder.

“How do you know I want to survive?”

“Because you’re a fighter, and your family wouldn't want you to give up,” he looked at me sympathetically.

I started to walk out with Altin but stole one last glance at my little sister’s dead body in the room.

I had watched my mother die in front of me.

I had watched my brother die in front of me.

I had watched my father die in front of me.

And now, I had watched my sister die in front of me. My beloved sister. My baby sister.

No one was left, except me.

Altin took my hand, but as we started to leave the room, I remembered something. I let go of Altin and quickly went over to my sister’s dead body. Turning it over, I found what I was looking for.

A small knife was pressed against her back. It was the knife that my mother had given her for her fifth birthday to protect herself. I grasped the golden handle and started to walk back to Altin. I took it out of its sheath metal of the knife was slightly rusted, and I could see that she never used it.

The golden handle glistened with her small name engraved on it, Emily Nilsa was scrawled on it.

The knife was the last thing that my mom ever gave her… gave any of us.

I slid the knife back into its sheath, tucked it inside my black leather knee boots, and held Altin’s hand again.

We’ve been fighting this war with the Fasitax for years now. It started off small. Petty arguments and bickerings over land and borders. Those arguments turned into small fights, and now, we’re in a full-blown war.

“Elle, you ready?” he whispered in my ear.

I leaned my head against his shoulder, “Of course.” I swallowed thickly. The words felt like tar coming out of my throat.

My family was all dead.

We walked back outside, and I caught a glimpse of someone with shaggy brown hair around the corner.

Quickly, I let go of Altin and followed him. When he turned around, I could see his face melt.

Daniel Peit.

Wiping the blood from my face, I lunged at him, grabbing my knife from my boot, and pressed it against his throat. My eyes watched the blade as I slowly cut into his skin. A small trickle of red, crimson blood crawled out.

I could feel his breathing tighten.

“Elowen, we finally meet,” he spat, still inside the crook of my arm. Even the sound of his voice brought me back to a memory of war and death.

“Daniel!” I yelled. Altin put his hand on my arm.

“Elle! Stop!” he fought me off of him, and pushed me against the wall, “What is wrong with you? Are you crazy?”

I tried to calm my breathing, but all my mind was thinking about was murdering Daniel.

“Get a grip of yourself!” Altin slapped me, cold, clean, and quick. For a second, all I could think of was the tingling numbness flowing from my cheek.

I met his eye… and slapped him back.

“Elowen.” Daniel shoved Altin aside and glared at me. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“You murdered my sister, Daniel Peith,” I spit out his name like a curse on my lips, tears welling up in my eyes, covering them like a thin film. “You’re not getting away with this! You killed her.”

“She was fighting in a battle, Elowen. Her death was noble, and the cause worth dying for.”

I wanted to slap his ugly, perfect face.

“You murdered her! You knew that they had no chance of winning but you sent them anyways! She was supposed to be in Silver! You sent her on purpose!” I swung my left arm and it slammed into his jaw.

Daniel flinched, but recovered quickly.

He pinned my arms to the wall, and whispered in my ear, “Then maybe, Elowen Brooklyn Nilsa, you should do your job better. I will not get hit again from you, understand?”

I grit my teeth as I stared into his dark brown eyes filled with rage and hatred, and nodded slowly. I promised myself that I was going to kill that man.

He let go of me and then yelled, “Everyone back to your stations, there’s an attack headed for Fort Lideon in two hours! Silver, you're taking this one! Do well, commander,” Daniel yelled, staring at me.

Daniel was sending me to battle, just like the rest of my family-- so I could die, just like the rest of my family.

Because everyone hated the Nilsa’s, right-- or was it just Daniel?

“I hope,” I walked towards him, and he took one surrendering step back, but that was enough. “You never take one more breath, without thinking of all the breaths you’ve taken away,” I pushed him, and headed back to my bunker.

I needed to get ready to fight.

Since Daniel called Silver, the attack was serious. For a second, I thought of blasting water at him, but I decided not to turn back.

Our bunker was underground. It had two rooms filled with bunk beds, one ‘bar/social’ area, three bathrooms, two shower places, (one for girls and one for boys) a tidy kitchen, a swimming pool, and two training areas.

Also a room for just me. (Technically just a bedroom with a desk, closet, coat hanger, and bed, but it was the exit of the bunker, so I had the safest room out of the whole place.)

Oh yeah, plus the room four fireproof vests, bulletproof film, diamond glass, warp stones-- it was technically the I’m-going-to-get-ready-for-an-all-out-war-room.

After I walked into the I’m-going-to-get-ready-for-an-all-out-war-room, I put on my fireproof vest on and tied my brown hair up in a high ponytail. Chloe nudged my arm and one curl of her platinum blonde purple hair escaped her hood. Her dark green eyes showed me that she already heard what happened.

“Heard you have no family left anymore?”

I nodded.

“Join the club,” she smiled quickly and gave me a small hug.

Chloe Prince. Oh, Chloe Prince. Chloe’s been my best friend since all the parents started to either die or disappear from thin air.

“It’ll get better, right?” I asked her.

“Eventually,” she whispered in my ear, hugging me tight. “Just don’t die in battle today.”

We both chuckled nervously. Chloe gave me a quick pat on the back, and I got up on the stage.

“Silvers!” I yelled. My voice boomed through the bunker, and the teens looked up at me, “We’re going to war, Fort Lideon will get captured in under two hours, and we need to hurry up!” I raised up my sister’s knife.

“Our sisters, brothers, moms, and dads have died for this!” I screamed. My voice trembled. “We’ll fight to the death!”

A few kids chanted and raised their swords, “For the fallen!” We chanted three times. The energy in the room seemed to burst, and we ran out of the bunker to the trucks, ready to fight. Ready to fight for the fallen to the death.

As I took my seat on the truck, a small girl sat next to me. She had honey brown hair, and big, brown hazel eyes. She looked to be only seven or eight.

“Hi,” she said shyly, twisting in her seat. “My name is Eliana Hope.” Eliana twisted a strand of her hair between her fingers nervously.

“Hey,” I whispered quietly, trying to make my voice sound as nice as possible. “My name is Elowen Nilsa. You can just call me Elle.”

Her hazel eyes glistened, “What’s your power?” she asked.

“Water and Speed,” I smiled at her, and let her rest her head on my shoulder. Just the presence of her made me feel better. I always kept my hovering power a secret.

“What’s yours?” I asked.

Fire and healing-- plus this. A voice in my head said. I whipped my head to face Eliana and let out a small laugh. It was probably the most real laugh I’ve heard in days.

“Telepathy, healing, and Fire,” I said in awe, “Wow!”

“I know!” She smiled. “I’m lucky.”

The truck started to rumble, and in twenty minutes, we were going to be in the center of a war.

The truck halted to a stop, and the driver, Pete, yelled, “Fort Lideon!”

As we got out of the truck, Pete took a hold of my arm, “Hey.” he looked at me.

“Hi Pete, what’s up?” I asked nervously, watching everyone else scramble out of the bus.

“Just, be careful out there, and-- well --whatever you find, just know that-- they all loved you. This wasn’t your fault.”

“Wh-What do you mean?” I stammered.

What was he talking about?

“Everyone out!” he yelled, instead of responding to me.

I put my hand around his neck, choking him, and forced him out of his seat.

“What are you talking about?” I growled, tightening my grip on his neck. He coughed out, gagging for air, but I kept my hand tight.

“Elle?” someone tugged on my shirt.

“What?!” I whipped my head around and saw Eliana behind me. “Get out!” I yelled more roughly then I expected.

“W-We need t-to go…” she trembled out.

I let go of Pete and led her out of the truck. As I left, I glared at him and said, “I can’t take any more damage today.”

It was probably one of the most honest things I’ve said for years now.

“Then prepare for it, Elle,” he spat back. “Your commander now, and you’re going to find out a lot of things that you wouldn't want to.” He said, locking the door and driving away.

Trying my best to push him out of my mind, I looked to the horizon and saw the Fasitax’s army and the sun setting.

This place wasn’t much of a fort. It’s the ruins of a fort that existed long ago. The only thing there is is rubble and dead grass for miles.

Brown dead grass sprinkled the field, and dark chalky dirt added a cracked layer onto the ground.

“Everyone!” I yelled, looking at the group of teens around me, ready to fight, “The Fasitaxs are in the distance, prepare, and get ready to fight!” I screamed, my voice breaking from trying to blast my voice.

Some of them chanted, and some of them whined, but the main part was that no one protested.

I stood in the front of the line and tried to steady my shaky breathing. My hands trembled unsteadily, and I balled my fists. I could already feel water boiling inside of me.

Their commander of their army appeared, riding a horse that had dark-brown fur and light cream hooves. Her long raven black hair spilled out through her fake skull-- or I hope not real skull --helmet.

“We want to take Fort Lideon,” her voice was cracked and harsh, sending a chill through my bones.

Evelyn Crow. The great fighter from Fasitax-- the best commander. This was the one I’ve heard of for years, and it made me smile. We’re getting stronger, that’s why they sent their army.

I remained stern and steadied my voice, “Fight to the break!”

“Wait!” she took off her helmet and revealed a scar that fell from her left eye to under her chin. I bit my tongue. I wonder who did that…

“How are the monsters in Voneshia?” Evelyn made her voice a bit more than a whisper. Her cold, icy blue eyes pierced out through her raven black hair.

“They’re getting stronger,” I said through gritted teeth. I shouldn’t be talking with the enemy. That’s not what a good commander would do.

The monsters in Voneshia was one of our biggest problems. Creatures, dark, black, and fowl, rising during the dead of night, sucking the life from everyone and everything around.

“Don’t kill them,” Evelyn said the words like a warning, her words as sharp as a knife.

“We’re burning it down in two weeks.” A cunning smile fell onto my lips.

“No!” she glanced up, staring me dead in the eye, “If you kill them, we both die. Elowen, the great survivor, fiercest fighter, bravest warrior, if even one is killed, you’ll be dead, in seconds. Lay a hand on them our troops will come for you, but without any leader, because we will be dead. Turned into ashes.”

I told myself that what she was saying was a lie. I told myself that Evelyn wasn’t telling me the truth, but I knew--- there was something telling me-- she wasn’t lying.

“Let the war begin!” I said in reply, and Evelyn whipped her helmet onto her head, practically growling. I could see smoke radiating from her body.