NERA

Chapter 1

   The blood fueled battle cry of an army charging off to war drummed inside my ears, accompanied by the loud clashing of steel. 

   "FOR ILESIA!"

   "FOR ROREST!"

   Two opposing forces cheered in near unison amongst the growing chaos. An unheard of war was about to come to an end, as I had watched it unfold time and time again in dreams of mine like this.

   "Nera."

   Faintly some distant voice was whispering to me, attempting to call me awake.

   "Neeerrraaa!"

  A child's voice was yelling my name. Another one of the children in the orphanage that I've had to learn and call home.

   "Try pulling his hair, that always wakes him up"

   I could hear one of the older girls giving orders to the younger kids, many of their small voices barely speaking louder than their growling stomachs. Sadly I was the oldest of the orphans and the only one who knew how to cook with the others refusing to learn, leaving me with them as my wake up call each morning.

   "What do you wanna eat, guys?"

   Each kid began shouting their own order at my request, leading me to retreat back beneath my blanket from the noise.

   "He's being lazy again! I'm gonna jump on him"

   Without time to react the thin scratchy cover, I struggled to keep warm under every night is pulled from atop of me. I grit my teeth and curl into a ball on my side as a couple of tiny bodies begin to pile on top of me.

   "I want eggs!"

   "I want cake!"

   Stretching my arms out, I wrestle free from the submission of the kids. The twins of the orphanage, a boy and a girl sat in the bed next to me watching to see if I was going to make the effort of getting out of bed.

   "Alright everybody, to the kitchen!"

   Like the general of an army, I pointed my arm out towards the door of my room. The kids followed my command and as the last of them made their way in formation I could hear the gallop of horses in the back of my mind. Though conscious the dream from last night still played in the back of my mind, vividly in view whenever I shut my eyes.

   Entering into the kitchen the kids all sat clumped together around our table. As happy as you would think it may sound whenever I came out to see them waiting for me like this, the image only ever filled me with disgust. This place we lived in was nothing more than a run down old cottage on the edge of town. None of us had families, nobody knew half of our names when we got here, we all live day after day just wondering what we were even born for. I don't blame them of course, I've come to love them as the siblings I never had. But knowing somewhere out there that we weren't wanted, these young kids some of which barely can talk yet, that we were just abandoned makes me sick.

   "Okay everyone, Nemia wins we're gonna eat leftover cake again until the old lady goes to buy more food."

Although their fragile, thin faces beamed at my words I knew there was something they were still craving inside. I guess one can only eat sweets for so long until you wish you could come home to a real dinner, prepared by a mom or dad.