The Lost Heir

I - Kenna McElroy

I

KENNA McELROY

I could not believe the nerve of the neighboring authorities. Palace authorities stationed in The Swamp always believed they could overpower us just because they had abilities that could weaken our own. I pushed back the caramel strands of hair that dangled in front of my eyes to get a better look at my oppressor; a surprisingly familiar looking, young, palace guard towered over me, almost afraid. Even from the ground, I could tell he was at least a good foot taller than I was; he probably thought he was more intimidating than he actually was—with his dark, midnight black hair, ice blue eyes, porcelain skin and stocky build. It was almost as if he were a doll. He sported the typical palace work uniform for guards, military combatants, and officers: deep, navy blue from head to toe, minus the boots—which were, with no exceptions—black. The uniform comprised of matching flame-retardant nylon and cotton arm-length jackets, pants, and cap. The standard working uniform also required combatants, security, and officers to wear hard, black leather boots. If there were to be a war—uniforms would be replaced with Kevlar infused uniforms, along with other protective gear.

However, what he did not realize was that working for the king never meant you were going to have biological abilities granted by the elements like most common folk had on the island. Unlike me, this young guard knew that I could defeat him in swift motions if he had decided to go on the offensive. I knew this guard could not understand the undeniable difference between working for His Majesty and being a slave. We all inhabit the same patch of land surrounded by hundreds of miles of oceanic waters; Ariton—also known as The Jewel to Earthen citizens—was about an hour journey from my hometown, nicknamed The Firebend, which has been called The Firebend for so long that nearly everyone has forgotten the official map-given name. The Jewel was the home and hub of every politician, government official, upper-class entrepreneurs, and then there are people like me. Under the order of His Majesty and the other government officials, we have been labeled The Capable; but everyone calls us The Gifted—Gifted by the Gods above. Moreover, we are those who can manipulate and control the five elements at will, but in the eyes of the royal family and every other inhabitant of this dreaded island, we are merely slaves: slaved around to do the bidding of entrepreneurs and government officials from the early dawn, until the ungodly witching hours. Only to be given about an hour or so to catch up on the sleep we did not get the night before. It was a cruel system, cruel treatment, and one hell of a cruel life. The only thing that separated the Gifted from the other inhabitants of The Jewel was the ability to control the elements. Legend has it that only select individuals across the solar system were given the ability to manipulate the elements.

The young guard looked down at me with his ice blue eyes and let out a playful chuckle, "Stealing again, Miss McElroy?"

His sympathy, or lack thereof, came as some sort of surprise to me. As a member of the Gifted slave society it was rather rare for any kind of un-Gifted individual to address you by name.

Yet he rolled his eyes and turned his head slightly to take note of the crowd that grew behind him. A rather big crowd as well, I guess that was the only good thing about living in a town where everyone was tired of the oppression cast over us by the upper classes.

Before I had the chance to respond, the guard grabbed me by the hair and shoved my head down into my knees so he could scan the back of my neck. Every Earthen inhabitant of Ariton had been administered a barcode which resides on the back of the neck, below the hairline, shortly after birth. Barcodes had been originally administered to government officials and the royal family, only, for travel purposes; however, after conflict arose between Earthen and Venusian leaders, crime rates within the lower-class districts began to skyrocket. Therefore, His Majesty declared that all inhabitants were to be instilled with a barcode; this decree extended to not only non-Gifted members of society but to slaves and the Gifted to keep track of those who were committing crimes against the crown.