Silver Walls

I think the day I lost all hope in humanity was the day my uncle told me he was sending me to the rangers. My mother did not protest, nor did she agree, she did not react at all, a curt nod of her head, making her imperial look goddess like from my shorter angle. It was my brother, Domien who reacted and spoke out for me, I wouldn’t protest and risk a second scolding that day. “Why? What good will that do her? What can the rangers provide that our city cannot?” he was outraged, his hand placed on my shoulder protectively. I gazed down at the floor, the glare from the candle was hurting my eyes.  “It is best for everyone, Domien, be reasonable.” My mother, Natallia snapped, the most animated she had been since I was brought into my Uncle’s study. “How is shipping her off with a group of homeless cowards reasonable?” He put his hand over my ears, making me jump at the sudden touch of his hands. “You just want her gone, don’t you?” I heard him say in a slightly muffled but unmistakably  enraged voice. “She has no reason to stay here,” My Uncle, Elindye replied calmly. “She won’t ever be in line for rule nor any office position, it would be easier on her as well, not having to walk around being so ridiculed,” Elindye’s eyes glanced over to my mother who coolly looked in the other direction. “And who’s fault is that?” Domien shot back his voice nearly hitting a yell in volume, I glanced up at him. He towered over me at that age. He was tall for an elf standing at nearly six feet. His light sandy hair that he always kept cropped at his jaw was falling into his green eyes. His face was twisted in outrage, but it softened as he glanced down at me. He was one of the few people who would ever make direct eye contact with me in my home city, Meadrah the Elven capital in the north. Domien clamped his hand down a little tighter on my head and turned back to my uncle and mother. “Uncle, you can’t do this. It would only make the rejection harder on her! Knowing that the elves are so un-accepting of her that we would…banish her!” “We’re  not banishing her, Domien, we are finding a more suited place for her in this world.”
“And that better place is in the middle of the Aizen forest with a group of antisocial…killers?”
“They protect and guide”
“When it suits them”
“This isn’t you’re decision, my boy… uncover her ears, she can probably hear you anyways.” Domien removed his hand from me head.
Elindye beckoned me forward, I took a step with little hesitation. He knelt down so that he could look at me, he was also part of the exclusive group willing to look at me in a civilized manner . “Kenya,” he said to me in his quiet, gentle voice. He reached out and went to move a strand of my long black hair from my face but I turned away, looking down to the wooden floor. He ignored my subtle way of saying stay away, though he knew exactly what it meant. He moved the hair from my face and slowly took my chin and turned my head to face him. I saw my reflection in his green eyes that were trademark to all my family… except for myself.
“Who struck you, child?” he asked me, noticing the main reason I had allowed my hair to fall over my face.
“No one.” I muttered.
“What did you say?”
“No. One.” I said louder, looking down again.
“You lie. Why are you lying to me, Kenya?”
“No, I-”
“For the Gods’ sake, Ketriannya, don’t you know better than to lie to the lord of Meadrah?” My mother snapped at me, using my full name. when she did address me, it was always my full name. A reminder I suppose, of how much she thought of me.
Ketriannya means “Worthless in our language”
Elindye glared up at my mother. “Have some patients, Natallia. She is frightened I’m sure.” he turned back to me.
“What gave you a black eye, Kenya?”
“I fell.” it was a lie, but it was my safest bet.
He raised a brow at me.
“you fell?”
“yes.”
Our eyes met.
“Okay,” he said. “I believe you.”
We both lied. But we both agreed.

“Now, Kenya,” Elindye continued, shifting his weight slightly. “Do you know what is happening in the morning?”
“I’m going with the rangers. To stay with them…” I mumbled. I wouldn’t look at him. From the way the dark hair about his shoulders moved I could tell he was nodding.
“It may not be forever,  but I think right now it what’s best for all of us.” They were empty words, I knew as well as he did that he was just saying them to keep the fragile peace Domien was holding. 
I was never coming back.
It was something that didn’t come as a shock to me, yet still left me feeling apprehensive, I had never been outside of  Meadran limits before.
Elindye stood and I stepped back to my previous spot close to my brother, I felt his hand reach down to my shoulder immediately.
“You may take her away now, Domien.” My uncle said. “Natallia and I must discuss some final details.”

I was lead from the room and down the white hall way. All the walls were white, the entire city was built from the marble born from the mountains that protected the Meadran valley. I remember studying the marble once, there was little colour to the stone, mostly just white and varying shades of gray though here and there a thin vein of orange or pink could be seen pulsing what little expression could be flushed about the cool city.
Domien was tense, his hand remained on my shoulder, pressing harder and harder unconsciously. I wanted to comfort him, tell him that it would be okay. That our uncle was right, this was probably for the best.
But what was the word of a child against a man’s wounded heart?
I stayed silent.
We walked for a time, through the open hallways, the mid afternoon light peering at us between the columns standing guard against the open  gardens. I watched as another group of youths ran past us, laughing and chasing on each other. One of them, a pretty blonde girl had invited me to join them once, but one of the supervising adults had scorned her for doing so. I didn’t matter that my uncle was the leader of our city. People got away with all things cruel aimed towards me.  At least, while my uncle and brother were absent from my side, the… abuse was limited to sneering looks as we moved past.
But in those final weeks I spent in Meadrah, their company became uncomfortably infrequent. 

Neither one of us said anything as we walked back to the section of my family’s estate where Natallia, Domien and I abided.  Once we entered out apartments I pulled away from his grasp on my shoulder, heading towards my own private room. I shut the door behind me and sunk to the floor. I pulled my knees up to my chest and laid my head atop them, fiercely battling the hot tears and choking back a lung-full of sobs.

That was the last time in my memory that I had been so close to breaking down.