WIS- Chapter 1

Ignorance is bliss.

That’s what the proverbial “they” always said, wasn’t it? That the less you knew the better off you were in general. There could be a monster under your bed but as long as you didn’t look you were safe, right? But ignorance went a step further to go from bliss to a total nightmare in seconds and it all came to difference.

Allow me to define difference to you, people don’t like differences because they don’t understand it. When faced with something they know against something they don’t they pick the known rather than the unknown in a heartbeat and cast the difference aside, alienate it. And I’m not just talking about new foods or a new game, people do this to other people every day of their lives and this is where ignorance is hell as opposed to bliss.

People fear what they don’t know, they fear those differences between countries, cultures; and sometimes that fear can be deadly not only to them but to those they fear. If there’s a culture people don’t understand, they feel as though it needs to be destroyed. Every country goes through this moral war and every one of them loses by giving in to that fear. Everyone. Not many people knew what it was like to be hunted down and antagonized, dehumanized, just for being different.

But we did.

“There it is,” August Ibarra, a close friend of ours, said and we moved to the edge of the cliff to look down at the large Compound. Our country of Asoria had long ago lost the ethic battle I’d mentioned earlier and decided that my tribe’s difference was just too horrifying to overlook. Half a century of fighting, annihilating, and hunting my people and they were still dead set on destroying their own countrymen because we weren’t like them.

It wasn’t the Laroches’ look that made the Asorians fear us. No, for once it was what was inside that made them hell-bent on our destruction but our looks? It’s what helped them find us. Every one of us had dark skin which contrasted with our beige to white hair and golden eyes. Sure, that wasn’t what started all this, but it became a source of derogatory terms and verbal attacks that none of us really paid much attention to, it was always the same.

“You okay?” I looked down at Auggie to see that he was tying the rope to the iron rod left by a group before us. “You’re awfully quiet today.”

I snarled at his quip and turned back to the Compound just as all the prisoners were brought outside despite the rain. So what if their only clothes got soaked through? So what if they all got pneumonia from the cold? The Asorians weren’t going to schedule a rain date for a bunch of captive Laroches. I pulled out my binoculars to look down at the courtyard of the Compound.

“I see him,” I said and Auggie nodded.

“Alright, Avani, he’s going in,” he said into his mouth piece and then nodded to me.

I belayed myself down the cliff and straight into the Compound. It wasn’t the best place to build the prison but it wasn’t the only spot big enough to hold it. I hit the muddied ground and stepped back into the shadows to get my bearings and look around the courtyard as I let my black cloak slip off my shoulders to the ground. Now I was in full prison gear, brown, plain and did little against the autumn rain. I started walking over to the stump sitting in the middle of the yard when a rock was lobbed at my head. I rubbed the spot where it had hit me and looked back at Auggie who was shaking his head and motioning me to walk slower. Again I snarled at him and continued walking, this time slower. I sat on the ground next to the kid on the stump and watched the men playing ball in front of us.

“It’s about time,” he said without looking at me.

“Well excuse us for being efficient,” I replied without looking at my brother. We were identical twins, the only difference between us were our hairstyles and eyes. His was short and neat, mine long and pulled back. My eyes were the usual gold while his were a completely unique silver. I’d never seen another Laroche with eyes similar to Castor’s but that wasn’t the only thing that made him unique. “They took your gloves?”

“Yup,” he replied. “And even after they received burns from my hands they didn’t give them back.”

“Hmm,” I said. “Their mistake.”

“They took my blindfold too,” he said and sighed. “I’ve been walking around with my eyes closed for the past three days.”

“Auggie’s got another set of gloves and a blindfold up top,” I said and stood. “Ready to go?”

“Sure,” he said and stood up to follow me. “Walk without purpose, would you? They’re watching.”

“Yes ma’am,” I replied and slowed my pace to match up with his.

We stopped to lean against the wall casually while the guards were watching but as soon as they turned away, I knelt down to replace my cloak and nodded to Cas to start climbing.

“Hey!” The guards spotted us and ran towards us from the other side of the yard.

“Keep going!” I shouted to Cas and started to climb after him. One of them grabbed my leg and pulled me down to the ground.

“Orion!” Castor shouted down in concern.

“Just keep going!” I said and punched the guard who’d grabbed me and used him to jump up an extra foot.

“Come on, Cassie!” Auggie held out a hand but Castor hesitated. “What are you waiting for?”

“Rion?” Castor looked down at me. I rolled my eyes and climbed over him, taking Auggie’s hand and reaching down to help Cas.

“You know, you’re going to have to get over the fear of touching people sometime,” I said as I helped him up.

“Probably,” he said and slipped on his gloves. “But today I feel like playing it safe.”

“You always feel like playing it safe,” Auggie said, Castor would have glared but he kept his eyes closed.

“Well with a friend like you one has to!”

“Guys, not helping,” I pulled out my katana and cut the rope to hear the thuds of the guards falling. “Let’s go!”

We jumped up from our ledge and then started to run through the rocky outcropping unsure of how close our pursuers were.

“Too bad Avani isn’t here to move the rocks,” Castor said as he tied the blindfold Auggie handed him around his eyes.

“We don’t need Avani,” Auggie stopped and held his hands up to the boulders above. The boulders clattered down the cliff to block off the path. “Telekinesis can move them just fine.”

“Or me,” I said and held up the rope that kept the boulders in place. Auggie glared at me.

“You always take my away my spotlight.” He pouted and I shrugged.

“Why have you exhaust your psychotic abilities when the rope was right there?” I shrugged and started to run again.

“Psychic! Psychic abilities!” August shouted after me.

“Funny, that’s what I heard, what do you think he said?” Castor replied and laughed at August’s outburst thereafter.

It was what the Asorians feared and it was a reasonable fear if it were in context. Laroches were different mentally in that they had psychic abilities. We may not have many physical differences to our fellow Laroches like the Asorians who had different eye colors and hair and skin tones but it was our psychic powers that were the diversity. In some legends, it was said that Laroches were fallen stars and that’s where their powers come from, our whole religious system seemed to be based around this idea. We had powers and we thanked the stars for them. Unfortunately, while my brother was unique with his eyes and his powers I was different in the fact that I had none.

“We can probably stop running now,” August gasped and I stopped only to have him run into me.

“You’re right, we’re getting closer to the city and if they see Cas in his prison clothes then we’re back to square one.” I said and took the pack that August had on his back. I handed Castor a stack of his clothes. “Here you go.”

“You want me to get dressed in the woods?” he asked with a raised brow.

“That’s right,” I replied and grinned devilishly.

“I hate you,” he sighed but started towards a tree.

“It’s not like Avani’s here!” August said. “We’re all guys.”

“Yeah but Castor’s a little OCD and shier than the dickens,” I said and sat on a large rock sitting in the path. “There’s no way he’d show indecent exposure.”

“Shut up, Rion,” I heard from behind the tree and moments later Castor came out. It was just his normal clothes, black pants, white dress shirt and a buttoned up vest. All that was missing was the bow-tie and monocle and he could be renamed Jenkins.

“Just sayin’,” I shrugged and ignored his glare.

“If you two are done bickering like an old married couple,” August stood up with a stretch. “We should get back to the hideaway.”

“Hey, Orion,” Castor said and I looked at him. “I learned a new ability!”

“Peachy,” I muttered. Castor’s psychic ability seemed to be learning everyone else’s ability, he was able to develop new psychic abilities either on his own or if it was taught to him. It started out with telepathy, as kids we could have conversations between the two of us with no one to here but soon he learned what other people had. I ended up being his psychic guinea pig. “What is it?”

“The Laroche I learned it from called it dream walking.” Castor said.

“You stay out of my dreams,” I said and he rolled his eyes.

“You don’t want to be in my dreams,” Auggie said.

“And Avani would kill you if you even thought about her dreams,” I added and Castor sighed.

“How am I going to practice then?” He crossed his arms.

“Find a naked mole rat,” Auggie said as we entered the city.

“What’s the difference between a naked mole rat and you?” Castor grumbled and I quickly stepped between them before the fighting could continue.

“Let’s have a nice, long, peaceful walk, eh?”

Author's Note

Once again, it's a work in progress. Let me know what you think :3