How My Life Began

It wasn't the screaming, the men who were trying to kidnap my family dying in the hallways of the mansion, or even the hard demands of my father trying to round us up for escape that woke me up that night. It was the tightly round fear coiled into my body; the knowing something terrible was about to happen. I was awake even before the alarms were sounded.
I remember when I first woke, I didn't dare breathe trying ever so hard to hear the entire house from my room. Even as my lungs quickly began to burn and scream at me to take a breath, all I could really hear was Chitose's loud snoring from the next room over. I pushed out the stale oxygen and quickly sucked back a fresh intake. The sheets flew off my body and silently as I could manage I exited my room trying not to disturb Violet, who thankfully didn't even stir. Every hair on my body stood on end as my foot falls crept along the dark hallway to the next door on the right. I stood before Chitose and Magi's bedroom door with my hand raised hesitating my actions. I bit my lower lip suddenly unsure of my purpose, when the door swung open quickly and my throat was met with a small jewel studded dagger.
I was about to scream out in surprise when Chitose's hand wrapped over my mouth. “Felicity? What the hell are you doing here? Go to bed.” The 11 year old Chitose lowered the small dagger and took a step away from me, frowning with confusion.
“Chitose,” I breathed trying to remember how to speak, “listen, somethings going to happen. I can feel it. I don't know what, but I think we should go warn father.” I was nervous, Chitose was always more cautious than myself. He was a fighter; a born killer.
He groaned, rubbing his face with a free palm. “Felicity, it's 3am. Can this not wait till the morning? You know how many whippings we are going to get if we are caught talking after lights out?” He was just as scared of our father as I was. At the time, our family's relationship was more business-like than a normal household.
I growled lightly at him, the sound came out bubbly not menacing. At 10 years old, I was just perfecting my death glare and demanding streak. “I know you feel it too. Why else would you be awake and at the door with a weapon in your hand?” My stare went to the dagger to emphasize my point.
“I always carry a weapon under my pillow, you know that. I do not trust our servants.” Chitose quickly retorted, his upper lip curling back as our hushed whispers began to get louder.
“.....Chtiose....” The 8 year old Magi yawned coming up from behind his big brothers body. “What are you....oh, Felicity?” He was dead tired, looking like he was more sleep walking than actually coherently awake.
Chitose sighed hearing Magi, giving me a hard glare before looking down. “Magi, go back to bed.”
“No, not if you aren't.” The family stubbornness flaring so early in my little brother.
“Magi, this isn't-” I began to protest when I heard Violet snort lightly behind me. I whirled around, my heart jumping into my throat when I saw my older sister leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. “V-Violet? Uhm...I was just...I-I thought...”
“Save it Felicity,” She snapped back calmly, her penetrating stare sliding to each of her younger siblings. “Magi, come here.” She spoke lightly, but her voice was louder than any of ours. Once Magi shuffled over, Violet picked him up and cradled our youngest brother on one hip. Almost instantly, Magi rested his head on her shoulder and was out.
Her cold eyes flickered between Chitose and I, the growing silence making my heart race. The unworldly feeling kept creeping up my spine, swirling up my back and prickling my skin. I was about to break the silence, explaining to her the feeling racking my body and stating that I knew Chitose felt the same, but her velvet voice broke out first. “I know. I feel it too. So if we know, Dad knows. C' mon, lets go down to his study. I'm sure he will want to make sure we are all accounted for.”
I remember just staring at her. My older sister was everything to me....she was smart, resourceful, calm but always in control. She always knew what to do and how to do it in the most precise manner. Violet had grace worked into her body even before she was old enough to carry a weapon. I found myself constantly envying my family for their natural talents, always waiting for mine to bloom.
The four of us made our way through the corridors, past the living room and kitchen. Chitose stayed at my side as Violet took the lead with Magi sleeping in her arms. As soon as we turned the last bend we found pacing in front of fathers closed double doors was Koda, the eldest of us all and his hands clenched into fists with his face hardened in angered fear.
“What are you all doing here?” His whisper was harsh and sharp as his pacing circle broke and he took a few steps up to meet us before coming closer to fathers study. “Go back to bed, all of you. I will deal with your disrespect for the rules another day.” He was growling at us, his eyes were alight with worry and frustration. I hardly knew Koda, but he frightened me. He was strong and aggressive, unlike Chitose who was always kind and gentle to me. I took a step back reflexively, placing my small body behind Chitose.
Violet began defending our position when I heard my father yelling. No one else was in the room as far as I could smell and hear, so his muffled snarls were into the phone. I clung myself to Chitose in front of me, fear of the unknown tearing my thoughts to shreds.
That's when the alarms went off.
I felt Chitose's body tense along with mine as our eyes search the blackened corridor as if to see what exactly was happening. Violet and Koda's heated bickering ceased when the annoyingly loud ring sounded off through the once silent house.
After the brief moment of shock, the house then was buzzing with commotion. Servants, guards, even other family members that were living at the estate ran like headless chickens though the now lite corridors. Chitose turned and grabbed my shoulders pushing me out of the way of an oncoming battalion of armed soldiers ran at full speed toward the front entrance.
I remember trembling so bad, my knees nearly gave out.
My father burst from his study, taking a maid out with the swing of the heavy oak door. I've never seen him look so dishevelled. His body was reeking of rage and pain, his knuckles were bloodied from the deadly attacks he landed on the undeserving bookshelf beside his desk. His crazed stare locked onto his trembling confused children. He growled and barked several commands, of which to this day I will never forget.
“They are coming to kill you all. You are going to leave. Now.” He didn't bother to give us hugs of reassurance, or tell us where we were headed.
Koda and Violet respectively began to ask the questions all of us wanted to ask. Magi curled into Violet, now awake, as he watched the people that served our family yell and scream running around the house in complete panic. My own grip of Chitose's body tightened as did his on mine. We were so confused and scared, but knew we had to stay calm for the sake of our father; for the sake of our family.
“Violet, take Felicity. The two of you are to meet Eleiki on the south end. Koda, you Chitose and Magi meet with Rohland, east end.” Our Father commanded, roaring over the quiet questions of his children.
We heard what he said, but none of us could move; cemented to the floor with fear. Abandonment was hard to swallow, no matter the circumstances. Although later I would understand he was not abandoning us but rather saving us, at the time...I thought my heart would implode on itself. I remember my chest felt so heavy it hurt to breathe. I felt Chitose's blood drip down my forearms from how tightly I held him, my nails unknowingly digging deep into his flesh.
“NOW!” My father growled, curling his lips back aggressively.
All of us jumped at once then began to scurry. My face was wet from the silent tears I had unknowingly been shedding as Violet let Magi go and yanked hard at my arm, tugging me in the right direction.
The entire journey to the south end passed by like a slow motion blur. With graceful accuracy, Violet weaved our way through screaming people, scared guards and rushing tactical forces. I remember watching servants not so scared, whispering in the darker corners of the household and slaves grabbing at the priceless artifacts and over priced items alike around the house and running with them. It seemed to take years to get to where our father told us to go.
Half way to the south end of the mansion is when I heard our front doors explode open. The sound was loud, shaking the house to its foundations. My head whipped back to see the shrapnel and dust float from that direction. From my distraction, I ran full force into an aunt of mine, causing us to soar through the air upon impact and crash painfully in a heap. I don’t actually remember standing back up, but I do specifically remember Violet yelling at me.
“YOU STUPID AIRHEAD! WATCH WHERE YOU ARE GOING!” She shrieked at me, her eyes large with rage and blind with fear. I was suddenly pulled to my feet and yanked onward leaving my dazed aunt to suffer by herself.
Eleiki stood pacing at the south section corridor waiting for us. Once he caught sight of us, he ran down the hallway toward one of our portal rooms. My throat burned and my muscled ached beyond anything I had felt in my life, but the despair that bloomed in my soul numbed my mind to my bodily pains.
Without so much as a word, he activated the portal and threw the both of us through, closing the portal behind us.
I recall landing hard on my hands and knees, skidding forward from the force. My mind felt scrambled and lost, my ears were ringing painfully coming from heavy gunfire, screams of agony and death to total quiet. I called out my sisters name, but I couldn't hear myself say it. I stayed on all fours with my head hung low before I crumbled over to my back, my limbs too weak to keep me up. I called out again louder, or so I thought, getting scared I had lost her on our way over.
Cold, hard hands jolted me from my spot on the floor, picking me up and taking me off toward what would be my training area. I tried to fight, but it was useless. My limbs were filled with air and the space my heart should have been was stuffed with lead.
I turned just in time to see Violet be carried off in the same fashion, kicking and silently screaming as the two men hulled her off for her own training. My vision was horribly blurred from the tears freely falling down my face to see where they were taking me. Well, until all I felt was a quick sharp pain to the back of my head then my world went black.
That was the last time I saw my family for the next 9 years of my life.