Cursed Blood

I wonder how wrong this can go, I thought, watching my brother, Terrance, glare at my other brother, Warren. Along with those two, I had a third brother, Charles. Us four were the rowdy children of Alice and Jeremy Rose, two farmers in the Valley of Mythira. The Valley surrounded the castle, built on the peak of Mythic Mountain, and was considered a part of the capital of our kingdom. The Rose family was known for healthy, well-grown crops and therefore popular in sales for anyone living in the Valley or elsewhere nearby. Even with a good reputation and promised comfy life being a farmer, my brothers had decided that my parents' paths were not for them, and were enrolled to go to knights' school in the fall. It was currently spring, meaning I still had months to go with my three brothers. Terrance and Warren were twins, each with their own pale freckled faces, chocolate hair and honey eyes. Charles and I looked alike as well, but not like the other two. We both had tanned skin, hazel eyes and leaner bodies. The thing that tied us all together was the thick chocolate hair that our parents had as well. Our mother looked like the twins, but with vibrant blue eyes. Our father shared their pale skin, but had hazel eyes identical to Charles' and similar to mine.

We were a cheery, strong-willed bunch. Which led to my current thoughts. Are Terrance and Warren really going to fight right now?

It had started with me teasing Terrance about liking a girl he saw in the market, and soon Warren realized that they were fond over the same girl. The twins were always fiesty with each other, so I wouldn't have been surprised if they fought.

They continued bickering about who liked her first, causing Charles and I to laugh while our parents shook their heads. It was after dinner, and my parents looked exhausted as my brothers bickered under the light of a dangling lantern.

"Katlyn," my mother called, using my middle name. She disapproved of my name, Storm-Cloud (I go by Cloud alone), but refused to explain why they named me Cloud.

I rose from my spot on the floor, leaving Charles to keep tabs on the fight. "Yeah, mom?"

"Are you busy tomorrow?" She asked. It wasn't the first time. Whenever she asked this, it meant that she and my father were caught up on -- or even ahead of -- work and that she was free for a day.

I grinned. "Of course. Girls' day?"

My mother mirrored my grin, blue eyes sparkling. Our girls' days were tradition, since the testosterone overload in our home was influencing us to be more macho, or at least that's what our joke was. Since us Lightbloods were constantly fighting an unforgiving war, our family was hell bent on focusing on the good in Mythira.

The Rose family was a surprising bunch of Lightbloods. My father had power over the air, but wasn't that powerful. His control was limited to a certain radius, and the bigger the effect his power would have, the less he could do it. My mother, on the other hand, was able to talk to plants. Not aloud in the literal sense, but if she came in contact with a plant, she could communicate with it and find out all about it. Their combined abilities aided them with farming.

Terrance and Warren had linked powers. The two were almost fully telepathic; Terrance could read people's emotions, and sometimes thoughts, while Warren could speak in other people's heads, but never recieve a response. Charles was gifted with the power of giving or sucking energy from people, making them dance for hours or drop down in a deep sleep. Helpful for partying.

Myself, on the other hand, showed no power. I, Storm-Cloud Katlyn Rose, had nothing to use to my advantage. It was uncommon but not unheard of -- after all, I'd been kidnapped by a Darkblood as a child, only to be rescued by royal forces. People figured that the contact with a Darkblood as a baby had made my magic hide from me, or that it left my blood entirely.

So, this led to me being the next in line to run the Rose family farm while my brothers went off to be soldiers. I didn't mind my fate, not one bit. I'd be happy as a simple citizen of the beautiful Mythira, living with a family of my own.

I'd be able to survive that.

This was the way I lived; simply, happily. I flashed my mother one last grin before glancing at my brothers. Terrance and Warren sat on separate chairs, leaving the sofa empty as Charles watched them on the floor by the fireplace. My parents stood in the doorway to our living room, dry smiles on their faces. Charles was holding back a giggle, and I shook my head at them with a smile.

Terrance glared at me, sensing my amusement. He could feel the amusement of all of us.

Getting the message that I wasn't helping, I walked to our front door and pulled on my shoes and light jacket. My leather clothing, traveler's clothes, was comfortable and worn in, keeping me warm in the spring breeze as I left the stuffy house. I'd always only ever worn leather, specifically traveling clothes. It was tough, but grew to be comfortable once I wore it for a while. As I strolled away from our plain, mostly wooden house and large farm, the breeze blew my hair into my face, sticking to it. Many vendors' shops were closed up tight, their owners nowhere to be seen, while the nightly crowd began to appear and take to the taverns of the Valley. Guards patrolled, though the threat of Darkbloods was unlikely in the capital.

And that thought was the one that jinxed me, and my entire family.

I was the first to react as I heard a scream. My blood ran cold as I recognized the voice as my mother's, and I began sprinting back toward the house. Guards saw my urgency and followed, trying to get me to stop to speak to them, but I pushed myself harder and continued to sprint ahead of them.

When I reached my home, I could see that all the lights were out inside, but my family was very much awake. From outside, I could hear my brothers and father as well as my mother, who continued screaming. The guards continued to yell for me to stop as I threw open the door, only for the noise to cut off abruptly.

Panting, I realized that the darkness seemed darker than dark, and that I couldn't even hear my own breathing. By the time I realized that something was hiding in the shadows, manipulating my senses, it was too late. The Darkblood creature flew at me, sharp nails digging into my shoulders as we both went out the front door. My back slammed into the pavement of the road, but I managed to keep my head from hitting as I struggled, screaming as well. As the creature snapped at me, I began to hear once again, and the sound of crying rose to my ears.

Then, there was a war cry, and the Darkblood landed one bite on my arm before jumping off and running down the road, heading for the outskirts of the Valley.

My arms and shoulders were bloody, continuing to bleed as the guards ran into my house, completely forgetting about me as they heard crying from inside.

And, to be honest, I would've focused more on them than me too. I didn't seem to be seriously hurt.

Key word being seem.