Gold

1: ONE

ONE

All it would take was one swing for Cassia to take down the tree that leaned precariously over her family's hut.

The giant plant had been tilted for months but the previous night's storm had uprooted it further, threatening anything that laid below it. Cassia had spent the day climbing neighboring trees to carefully rope the hazard so that now it could be cut and pulled away from the home.

Sweat poured down her face as she leaped from out of a tree and onto the forest floor. The storm had left the warm rainforest more humid than usual and all forms of life felt it, Cassia noticed. Fewer birds swooped through the air and less beasts could be heard. A couple of feet ahead she could see her older brother, Todd, clearing a place on the ground for the soon-to-be timber. But instead of letting the vegetation go to waste, Todd gently cut every edible plant with his machete and placed the crop in a basket to store for later.

Cassia quickly tied off the last rope and came up behind her brother.

"All of the branches should be secure now. One swing from the axe and this beast is going down. We're going to need Pa to help us guide it's fall though."

"Alright." His amber eyes did not move as he cut a few more flowers. "I am almost done with the clearing. How 'bout you find Pa and by the time you two come back I'll be finished. Then this guy'll be down before we know it."

"Sounds good." She glanced nervously up at the leaning lumber before jogging off towards the village. She tried not to think about how easily the tree could fall, how easily her ropes could snap and drop the behemoth down below, crushing her brother or father or even destroying the one room hut she called home. The only place she had ever lived. The last remaining memory of her mother. Her heart ached at the thought.

Subconsciously, she glanced down at her gloved hands. Guilt spread through her veins and fear that she might kill another loved one crept into her mind. No. She shook her head. No, it won't happen again. Even with her thoughts of encouragement, the seed of doubt was firmly planted inside her.

Cassia could not remember a time when she did not fear for her family's safety. She was always haunted by her uncontrollable, unnatural ability that no one had an explanation for. And it was on days like today that were the worst. Her hands grew damp and clammy in the warmth of the leather gloves.

It was on days like today that Cassia longed to free her fingers and let the fresh air flow over her skin. But fear kept those gloves glued to her hands. Occasionally, is she knew she was alone, deep in the forest, she would let her hands go and try to understand the mystery behind her power. However, each and every time a finger made contact with anything- a leaf, a rock, a stick- the object would turn solid and golden. And each and every time this frightened Cassia because the inanimate objects before her were always replaced with real, living things. Animals. People. People she cared about. Visions of her father and brother watching her in horror haunted her. Since she could remember, her father had forced her to keep her hands covered, and Cassia complied, terrified of her unwanted "gift".

As she neared the village, she pulled the leather coverings tighter over her fingers. She did not need to risk her family's life but anyone else's as well. The village of Alcombey was composed of a small gathering of huts, all similar to the Mason family's- small, sound, and made from the earth. Sweet smells wafted from the gardens into Cassia's nose. She breathed deeply. Her sinuses swelled with the freshness of it all. There was something rejuvenating and electric about the world after a storm. Something Cassia clung too. It made her feel a little more alive. A little more...human.

She slowed from a jog to a walk as she entered the village. Spikes and traps lined the pathways. Sharp spears, coiled rope, deep trenches- all attempts to ward off beasts. To her left, Cassia saw Reed in front of his home, working in his garden. Reed was eighteen, the same age as Cassia, but he lived a life of solitude. A few seasons ago Reed's home was attacked by beasts, both of his parents killed. Cassia winced at the memory. It had been a bloody night. Not one soul in the village was left unscarred.