"When the other starts to play unfair, break the rules. Merciless, never feel guilty. Must win, never lose...
Drop down like a deer, rise up as if it reincarnated
Feel down like a dead person, fly again as if you're going to heaven
As he fakes his smile, figure his motives as if the angels whispered to you
If he starts manipulating you, control him as if you used a voodoo doll...
There are no rules in the battlefield because,
you'll be the one to make them...
Live to prove to them that your life is yours, not theirs..."
***
"Aghh!"
In a small warehouse near the palace, a little girl was pushed inside by one of the king's servants. The room was dark and stiff, as light-source came straight from the faint lamp hanging above her head. The corners with standing water as the wooden walls chewed by insects. Rats scattered and squeaked away as they entered the room. Foul smell of waste food suffocated the air together with the guard dog's stool...
Jamie screamed in pain after every time the whip hits her bare skin. Blood streamed down her nose towards her firm jawline. She cried and continued to whimper, holding in the tears. Every time, it leaves one sincere scar on her back, it felt like a thousand flames. 'Is this hell?', she pondered.
She screamed again and again, moaning, telling the nobleman to stop. She already had enough! Outrage, she streamed all her strength in her fist, agonizing the burn of those thousand flames...
"Why the hell did you picked a fight with the ruler's son?! Not that he's a prince but you as a crystal bearer!"
He motioned his whip, aiming for her spine
"Know your place, you rat turd!"
"AGGHH!"
As the rope whipped her, it left one large and deep scar, it bled a bucket among the others. The little girl cried, she knew the biggest scar makes him stop, and she knew it as time for him to leave her in peace, so she paused and behaved. Another mistake can destroy her patience, and she never wanted that. Not when she goes home and tolerate her mother's abuse and her brothers's teasing.
And yes, the man stopped, he tied the rope, tainted in blood altogether and kept them in the nearby wooden cabinet. She exhaled, knowing all the torture is now finished...
But the man's next move was unexpected...
At the same time he kept the whip, he pulled out a bolo knife and held its spur firmly, as if he's ready to strike someone. Yes, that someone was her...
Jamie "Sandrine" Harris, the youngest in the Harris' clan. Fun fact, she was one of those crystal bearers. She's one of those weak mages ever lived in Dragon's Ring, and she's the first one ever in her kingdom. A delinquent, a thug, a disgrace, those were the names of those so-called "crystal bearers". As one tiny crystal deeply intact on their foreheads, and one tiny scar behind their ears: All of them were born like that, not in the family's bloodline but chosen by magic. Some of them were discriminated, isolated, captivated, tortured or even exterminated. Yes, this is quite unfair for them but it is the kingdoms's deep-rooted rules...
The man ambled towards her, slowly, She tried backing off as her eyes shook, her body trembling in fear. She noticed him walking faster, giving her one death-look, raising his knife and...
***
Haaa
I swiftly rose up like a zombie from its grave. I continued breathing...
What was that dream? I asked myself, rubbing my absolute chubby face. I carried my palms towards my face, looking at a scar. It wasn't completely healed, it remained leaking some blood on its edges. This blood did not came from old history but it was from yesterday morning. Yes, the day I was tortured, the dream that replayed yesterday's nightmare. Well, it's not strange that I could feel it in my dream, because I experienced it in real-life. Not once, but a thousand times. I mean, just how hard could living a crystal-bearer could be? It's pretty easy to cease the pain. After a few weeks it'll heal eventually, you'll soon get used to it...
Sun rays laid on my eyes from the window and I realized...
"Shit!"
I swiftly got on my two feet, rising from the floor. Running across the room and walked towards an old bag. I pushed my hands inside it, filled with clothes I created from old rags I found on the street, thread from used clothes designed with my own embroidery. I wore my usual white shirt under my sleeveless jacket, in my jodhpurs and my feet on the brown flip-flops I found from the trash, it's still durable though....
Speeding up, combing my hair with my fingers, yes, it hurts and washed my face in the bathroom. Well, I'm not late or anything, it's because of my mother...
When I opened my eyes, I noticed my brothers weren't in bed anymore. I sleep with them in the same room but I perform my slumber on the floor, it's pretty uncomfortable, but not so long I got used to it. I knew they're already in the living room or heading in school and I am aware that if I hadn't woken up yet before those two does, I'm screwed. I don't want my mother to crack up again...
I tip-toed down the stairs, pretty near to fall but unfortunately, I did. I fell face-first on the floor as I felt I tripped on something...
I looked up and noticed, my brother laughing historically. In his blue sleeveless hoodie and his dark cargo pants, with tiny metal chains attached on it, I'm clueless what kind of fashion he had but I never really cared. I would call it an evil laugh, I knew he purposely made me fall, that's my brother ya'll...
I sighed, I don't want to pick a fight. Especially, not with him...
Cairo Harris. A mage you never want to meet. He mastered the art of frozen magic since he was a kid, I never knew how great he was, not until he kicked the strongest warriors's asses. With his charisma and charm, most women admired him and the kingdom's men gave his respect. Even I loved him, but I don't think he likes me back...
Not even a little...
"Haha. Are you really a mage with that-" He rolled his arms, looking for an offensive word to describe a little bitch like me. "-intelligence?" He continued...
I rose up and brushed off dirt from my shirt...
"Nah, you just t-took me by surprise"
I wanted to be like him, always. I trembled from my response, I knew he would never fall for a lie like that. Why? You asked...
"A mage can sense it's surroundings. Don't tell me your wasting your time going to school?"
He's right, I shouldn't be a mage. But it's my first step to become like him, my brother.
***
We walked straight towards the kitchen. He pushed the door as it swung open, revealing mother and my other brother, Dennis, sitting oppositely in the dining room. The table was topped with plates of toasted bread and a bowl of fruits. We joined them. Cairo sat beside mother and I sat beside Dennis, for personal reasons...
Cairo clapped his hands together and rubbed them, looking at his plate of bread, drooling. He started munching too, but pretty fast than I think. He's pretty lucky, I must say...
I dragged my hands toward the bowl of fruits, trying to reach an apple. But even after a few inches, my mother flicked them away.
I pulled them in a flash from reflex, I blew the spot where she slapped it. As a red mark imprinted on my hand filled with bruises from previous torturing. After that, I stare at her, frightened.
Oh, you don't know my mother. She's a trillion times scarier than Cairo nii-san.
I glared at her piercing eyes to her cheekbones. Giving me the stare. The look she makes, reminding me of my previous mistakes...
I remembered breaking the family's vase, cracking the plates, accidentally pouring salt to her coffee instead of sugar, failing my mage tests and...
My whole existence...
Perhaps, I was a crystal bearer? Now, I know...
***
I gulped...
"No food for you today"
She remarked, solemnly.
"You already know why"
She's correct, I do know why. It's the same reason I got called yesterday in the torture room.
Starting a quarrel with the kingdom's prince is something to shed blood at. You may belong from the Harris clan, the strongest clan of mages in the kingdom, respecting the royal family is still our duty. But him menacing one of the female servants without consultation was unnecessary, someone had to stop him. Even if it costs my life...
I bowed my head, ashamed of myself while my brothers remained quiet. They're already used with these morning arguments.
My mother grabbed an apple and started munching. She stared at her wrist watch and sighed...
"I forgot to mention. You're 20 minutes late for your mage classes..."
"WHAT?!"
We screamed in unison and quickly packed our bags and jogged down the lane towards school...