Prologue

The explosions ring in my ears as they light up the Council Dwellings. In brief flashes of red glow I see the building, standing regally and impenetrable to all whom tried to pierce its walls. That was until tonight when we began the siege on the pearly gates that held the beating hearts of Ode`s Council. For the first time in the history of Ode, the Council Dwellings will fall.

Its tall gleaming pillars, cascading staircase, cavernous domes and unprotected ornate doors will no longer be under the control of the elite Council. They will belong to the common Oderian, paid for in full with blood. In another flash of light, I see the staircase, littered with the broken bodies of those who have been slain. The blood runs like a raging river from the top of the staircase, staining the once crisp white stairs with a violet hue. My eyes follow the bloody river down to the bottom of the staircase where my breath gets caught in my throat.

There, at the bottom of the staircase, surrounded by an ocean of blood, stands the gallows; the ropes swinging ominously in the breeze. The wood creaks with every gust, mimicking the soft pleas for help from its victims. After noticing the freshly tied rope, I feel my neck tighten and my lungs gasp for the air they most desperately need. I can almost feel the coarse rope pulling tighter and tighter until…Pop. The victim’s neck snaps if they were lucky, those who weren’t, were strangled to death.

My mother had been one of those souls stolen by the dreaded noose. She was taken away from me when I was young. The memories are like a blur in my head. All I remember are pieces, fragments of joyous memories, her features, her gentle touch, and an Earthly lullaby coaxing me to sleep. These are all I have left of my mother before the Council arrested her. Before they hanged her for a crime she didn’t commit.

I was once told about the drastic change when humans arrived here, three hundred sixty moons ago. However, it was far before my time. I do know something like this has never happened before on Ode. We are peaceful and cooperative people, a government takeover, followed by a mass rebellion, then genocide. This is unheard of for us. Many blame the influence of humans because of their violent past, but I have never met a cruel human, my mother was human. She could never hurt anyone. With the blame stuck on humans and their children, many wish for them to leave. They cannot return to Earth. Although Earth still exists, it is uninhabitable by life. Nova has pointed it out for me in our sky many times.

The aching in my hearts grows ever stronger. It doesn’t go away now. It stays with me, following me like my shadow. I’m unable to run from it, and unable to hide from it. It’s impossible to get even a brief moment of relief.

Now I know what Nova felt like, dragging me into his world. A world full of blood, pain, and death. A world where there is no happiness, just the shadows you can’t run from. He was scared. He knew something like this would happen. He knew at some point I would have to face his world without him by my side.

I step away from the Commanders and look down as I blink back tears. I study my shaking blue hands. I sit down and lay back on the ground. My silver eyes take in the site above me, so many stars, so many beautiful stars. They look like the ones Nova showed me a few moons ago.

Nova would never have wanted this to happen. He would never have wanted me to put myself in danger, at least without him there to help me…to protect me.

I glance around me at the other Oderians, their light blue skin glows intensely as they prepare themselves for what may very well be their last day. A few humans stand alongside them in the dark, about to fight a battle, millions of miles from their planet of origin, in a place unfamiliar to them.

This place doesn’t seem familiar to me anymore. These are not the same people I knew when I was young. It was so different before all this started. My days were all the same and I would wish for an adventure to break the painstaking repetitiveness of my life. Now, I wish this nightmare would end. There has been enough adventure, action, death, pain, and worry in the past few moons to last me a lifetime.

Sadly, I could never be lucky enough for something like that to happen. There will be plenty more death and pain in my future, it’s impossible to avoid.

Shaking my head as I stand, I glance up at the Council Dwellings. I hate them. I hate this government. I hate them for putting me into this position, for taking my family, for taking Nova’s family, but I hate them most of all for taking Nova from me. He was all I had left in this strange new world. He was my one friend. He was my lifeline and shock of reality.

This is the first time I’ve left the base since Nova’s disappearance. He said it was one of the few places where we could be safe from the Council. He was wrong at times, but for the most part we were safe there while he taught me. Giving me every chance at life he possibly could, he is the reason why I’m still living and breathing now. From the day all of this began, to when he was taken, he did everything to keep me safe, no matter if he put himself in danger in the process. He was there from day one.

I smile to myself as I remember that typical day.

Chapter One

Ara

My regeneration tube vibrates softly telling me it’s time to get up and get the day moving.

I groan as I wobbly stand, maybe going for a run with Nova yesterday wasn’t such a good idea. My legs ache so intensely I sit right back down again. I shake them out, trying to get the pain to ease.

I glance around my room as I do this. Constellations decorate the walls and ceiling. For some reason ever since Nova started teaching me about them, I’ve been obsessed with stars and the way people like to make pictures out of them. I remember the time Nova told me how the constellations received their names. He said thousands of years ago there was a group of people who lived on Earth, they were called the Greeks. They believed there were gods who controlled what happened in the world around them, they also believed there were demigods, children of the gods and mortals. Many constellations were named after the gods, demigods and the monsters they battled in the myths. My favorites are Hercules and Pegasus, even though they are very faint in our sky.

I look over at another wall and see my staff hanging in its case. Every Oderian is given one when they are born, whether they ever use it is up to them. I’ve never used mine because I have never been presented with the chance to do so, and I hope I never will. The red glass globe shimmers in the light. I could stare at it for hours, the swirls and color patterns never seeming to end.

Suddenly there is a knock at the door of my room, startling me from my thoughts.

“Come in.” I sigh as I stretch my stiff and sore body.

The person outside the door clicks the button and the door slides open with a quiet whoosh. I glance up and see Nova grinning at me. I give him a cheesy grin right back.

“Did you get up a few moments ago?” he asks as he strolls into the room. Nova leans against the side of my regeneration tube as I try to stand up again.

“I’m trying to. It’s not so easy when your entire body feels like it’s on fire,” I groan as my spine crackles.

Nova nods. “Get ready quickly ‘cause we’re going for another run today.”

“Do we have to?” I whine.

He laughs and replies, “Yes, you have too. If not then we will go on two tomorrow.” For a moment he traces the constellations on my walls, “They never get old do they?”

I shake my head, “No, they never do and they never will. They are constantly changing after all.”

“They are,” he nods. “I’ll let you get ready for our run now so you will quit purposely stalling.”

I pout. “How did you figure it out?”

“It’s not very difficult.” He leaves the room so I can change, but I know he is standing right outside the door.

“I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to run today. I’m still really sore from yesterday,” I say as I slip off my plain white regeneration clothes and put on my Tan Dew, the traditional clothing for Oderians. I should be getting new colors soon, every moon we get a new Tan Dew in a different color which represents our age. I lace up what many humans call a corset, however here on Ode they provide protection for our hearts.

“Eventually you’ll get used to it and you won’t get sore anymore,” Nova explains as I push the button on the door and it slides open. “Besides if you miss today then you will be behind and it will take you longer to adjust to the running and the exercise.”

I glance around and see him leaning against the wall, right next to the door. “Fine, I guess I have to.”

“Are you ready?” he asks as he stands up straight and follows me down the hall. I glance back at him, for some reason his cloak always seems to billow out behind him as he walks, making him seem so regal and important.

“I am but first I want to get something to eat.” After searching around for something, I come up empty handed.

“Looking for this?”

I whip around and see Nova holding up a small package, a nutrition bar made especially for Oderians. I eat one every day and he knows that. Nova enjoys messing with me. It has become a tradition of his to do odd things whenever possible.

“Hey,” I exclaim as I snatch the bar from Nova and walk out of the house.

As I chew, Nova comes up behind me and asks, “How are you coping? It’s been several moons since the Council imprisoned your father.”

“I’m okay, I guess. I’ve been finding ways to distract myself. I get upset if I dwell on it for too long,” I answer in between bites.

Nova shrugs his shoulders, “Understandable. Have you heard anything else about what happened?”

“They won’t tell me anything. It’s so confusing. One moment, my father is the most loved and reasonable member of the Council, the next moment the entire planet hates him for something he probably didn’t do,” I shake my head as I respond. “Plus, ever since the whole thing happened, it’s like no one wants to even be associated with me. I’ll walk up to the Council dwellings and the whole way there, no one will even look at me. Not to mention how being a hybrid makes everything even more difficult.”

Nova sighs, “It’s all probably the Council, I bet they cooked up some crazy rumor about you so no one would want to be around you.”

I laugh a little and reply, “I wouldn’t be surprised. They are always cooking something up.” I finish my food and turn back to Nova. “Thus, the reason why I am always alone. Hey, did you hear about the murder of those two hybrids by a group of Constables?”

Nova pales slightly. “I did.”

“I can understand why you are scared, Nova.” I sigh as I see his expression.

“Y-you can?” he stutters, surprised.

“Yes, however, I am not scared because I have you with me. I am a hybrid, I am proud and I have a very close friend who will keep me safe from any monstrous Constables,” I answer, smiling brightly at him.

“Yes, I wouldn’t let any of them hurt you,” Nova nods, suddenly at ease again. I wonder what that was about.

“Are we going to go for a run or not?” I ask.

He grins, acting completely different than he had been a few moments ago, “Try to keep up.” He takes off and I go after him, laughing as I run.

I squint as I glance up at the lilac colored sky. The seven suns seem to be brighter than ever today. Usually, they are much dimmer and we have to rely more on our glow to see anything, even then our sightline is limited. Sightline is nothing for me though. I have to rely on other Oderians’ glows because I can’t glow. No hybrid can as far as I know. However, there have been stories about how some hybrids started glowing during an extreme situation. It makes life harder for hybrids as if we didn’t already have a hard-enough time.

The thumping of my boots comes to a stop as I stand still and stare at the sky.

“Are you alright Ara?” Nova asks as he doubles back to see what I am doing.

“I’m looking at the sky,” I answer.

“It’s not nearly as interesting during the day as it is at night when all the stars have come out.” Nova stares up at the sky with me for a moment.

For some reason, I feel like something is off, like how my mother told me about the calm before the storm. How the feeling in your bones told you the storm was coming but outside everything was still, there was no wind, the sun shone, everything was serene. Then a few hours later the wind would be coming in gusts and the rain was pounding on everything.

“You are alright, correct?” Nova asks his question again.

I shake my head, clearing my thoughts, “I’m fine.”

“Okay,” Nova says suspiciously, “Are you sure?

“Yes, I’m sure. Now let’s go.” I take off running again. The thumping of my boots in time with the thumps of my hearts is loud in my ears.

I run until my lungs burn for air and my legs feel like liquid. I drop to the ground, lying on my back as my chest heaves sucking in and pushing out air at a rapid pace.

“Good job, Ara.” Nova stops beside me, not even short of breath. He stares down at me trying to keep from laughing at my exhausted state.

“Easy…for you…to say,” I gasp, still trying to catch my breath. “Literally, because you…can talk…” I heave, “I…can’t.”

He laughs as he reaches out a hand to help me up. I gladly take it and he pulls me to my feet. I glance up at his face. He’s quite a bit taller than me and he has built up a decent amount of muscle.

“You did excellent, though,” he says as I take off my cloak and brush the dirt off of it. At the moment my Tan Dew has a blue color scheme. My shirt and pants are a slightly lighter blue than the cloak. He helps me brush off more of the dust so we can head back a little quicker.

I shrug, finally starting to catch my breath. “I guess these runs are really hard on the lungs.”

“Your lungs will get stronger the more you run, the same goes for your legs,” Nova answers as I pull the cloak back around my neck. He helps me refasten it around my shoulders.

“Sometimes I wonder why you put up with me Nova,” I sigh as we start walking back to where I live.

“If I didn’t then who would?” He laughs as I roll my eyes. Leave it to Nova to try and make it a joke. “No, but really I put up with you because you are willing to put up with me. It’s a mutual put up with each other kind of relationship,” he says as his grin fades into a small smile. “Why would it matter? What is going on with you today? You seem…” he pauses, “Off.”

“I feel like something is off. Me, the rest of the world, I don’t know but it’s strange. You know how sometimes you feel like something really bad is going to happen. You don’t know what, so you sit wondering what it is and how bad it’s going to be.” I scuff my feet as I talk, sending a small cloud of dirt into the air. I cough slightly on it, quickly regretting kicking the ground.

Nova nods, not fazed by the cloud of dirt. “I get that feeling a lot. I don’t mean to scare you, but usually that feeling is right.”

~ * ~

Nova and I lie on the roof of my home and stare up at the stars above us. He points to random constellations, quizzing me on them.

“That one?”

“Camelopardalis,” I answer.

“And that one?” he points to another.

“Vela,” I say quickly.

“How about that one?” he asks.

“Lyra.” I sigh.

“You are getting much better,” he nods, turning from the sky to look at me. His smile seems to brighten his glow.

“Who taught you all the human’s constellations?” I ask as I turn from the stars to look at him. His smile quickly falls at my question and he reverts his eyes back up to the stars.

“I learned about them a long time ago from a friend of mine. He had a human sickness which was incurable, even by us. He passed away many moons ago,” Nova mumbles.

“Oh,” I say. “I’m sorry I asked.”

“No, it’s all right.” Nova shakes his head. “So, in his memory, I learned everything I could about the stars. I even learned where most of the constellations originated back on Earth.”

“It makes me wonder why Ode had no interest in stars. There is so much more out there, we know now because the humans have come here,” I whisper.

“I know. It makes me wonder what other amazing things we could find if we explored a little like they did.”

Nova agrees, he turns to look at me once more.

“Can you imagine leaving your home planet forever, though? They will never see the places they grew up ever again,” I ask him, turning to lie on my side to face him.

“I couldn’t, even though there are places here I never want to see again. There are far too many of those, but still, I don’t think I could ever pack up and leave Ode. It’s my home whether I like it or not.” Nova looks back to the stars.

I stare at him for a moment, his glow giving me a warm comfort in the cool dark night. I still have the feeling deep down something big is about to happen. I wish the feeling would go away. I don’t look forward to whatever it is because it’s not going to be good.

Maybe my subconscious is trying to tell me I forgot something I will need later. I don’t know.