October 18, 2008 9:00 am
Akko Academy, Malison
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▫️Stella:

I am a Zodiac Ranger representing The Zodiac Family. Why? Because I failed my Malison 12 exam, totally bombed it! But it's alright, so did my brother. Yes, I have a twin brother, but you would never guess that we are twins. He has blond hair, I have brown, he has fire brown eyes, I have electric purple. Even our personalities are different. He is kind and compassionate, I am not.

"Okay, just hear me out," Aron begs me as I walk into our bedroom.

"About our story books again?" I roll my eyes. "Aron that time is over, we failed the test, we are nothing! That test determined our social standing, and I am sorry we both suck at test taking, but you need to be a scholar in order to freely write. Right now, you need to focus or else something bad is going to happen in the future to you and I won't be able to prevent that."

"Space mermaids," Aron smiles at that thought.

"Space mermaids?" I snort.

"Extraterrestrial mermaids that swim through the stars." Aron laid out the scene for me. "They can be decorated with stardust in their hair and wear meteorites on--"

"Are you joking?" I laugh.

"We know as much about deep space as we do about the open ocean. Space mermaids could be a thing," Aron argued with me.

"Yeah, sure." I snicker. I start to change my shoes and rub my feet from the exhaustion of training.

"I am being serious." Aron shows me a sketch he made on a scrap paper. "Lurking astronauts into the black holes with a song that carries you across the void where no one can hear you scream. Does that not sound like a wonderful book?"

"It does," I sigh. "But, like I said earlier, we both failed the test, and with this war, we have no time for fairy tales."

Aron frowned and shoved the piece of paper into his pocket. I hated to put him down, he had so many good ideas, but he just never can focus on anything else, and he doesn't understand that this is serious. He pulls our group down with each practice run through, he never shoots the target directly in the heart... I honestly do not think he can kill someone if he came face to face and had to. But everyone can and will kill him. See the problem?

"Aron I'm sorry." I apologized. "But-"

I was interrupted by my watch buzzing. I stopped to answer the call from my commander. He wanted to speak to me in his office. I sigh and look over to my brother, who was drawing some sketch for another novel he invented in his head.

"Aron I will be right back," I told him.

"Of course," Aron grumbles to himself. "You are always off."

That sentence sent pain into my heart, I hated to leave him alone, since my brother didn't really have any friends here in the military academy. Aron was special, different from everyone else. He is a child at heart in a world full of adults. Honestly, my brother is too good for this world, and I will do everything I can to keep him from having to see the war from the front line. But I am the leader of our unit. He is the second in command. I have duties and I have to go sometimes, leaving him alone in his room. I sigh as I leave him alone to sketch another story.

My commander is the one who brought this war into a fighting chance. I hear he had to fight his way to the top. Now the only ones above him are Mike and Luke, his older brothers. They are all even in power. I was about to meet this general who wants nothing more than to take control of our whole side.

His name is Ames Zodiac

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▫️Ames:

"Ames, must we go on this mission?" Larkin, my fiance begs me. "It's risky and we may not make it back."

I pace back and forth across my room, waiting for the leader of some random squad I called to show her face. To be honest, I only know one Zodiac Ranger, who unfortunately sided with Seven. Traitor.

"I already told you," I said. "Others are escaping from Earth with these portals. We must go down and capture them all, so Earth can be a prison once again. Whatever Seven did, it must have involved these portals somehow."

Larkin groans, I know she hates going to the lesser solar systems, and especially to the planet Earth. Earth is a prison planet where we send our worst criminals. We do that because the inhabitants of Earth are stupid and don't know how to build a spacecraft, so our criminals can't escape. Sometimes Luke wipes their memories, so they won't ever bother Malison again.

Larkin pulls her black hair up into a ponytail as he goes to the closet to look for her favorite weapon. Her green eyes casually look for her bow staff she uses in combat. I always felt like I was prey in her eyes because she is my future wife. We were so close though, I felt like close friends.

"Where is it?" Larkin smiles as she turns around and faces me, her hands places on her big hips.

"I don't know what you are talking about," I smirk.

"You do know what I am talking about," Larkin states. She walks in my direction, swaying her hips, being all cute and making me blush.

"Larkin!" I laughed a bit. "You are making me blush!"

"And what is so wrong with blushing, you afraid your brothers are going to see how weak you are?" Larkin chuckles as she places her hands on my shoulders. "How about you show me wherever you hid my staff and I will give you a big fat kiss."

"Eww! A kiss from you?" I joke, putting one hand on her waist and another behind the potted plant in the corner and pull out her staff.

She smiles and kisses me lovingly on the lips, her smooth lips brush against mine as I kiss her back and squeeze her side lovingly. I wish I could kiss the love of my life every moment of every day, she has been my best friend since the third grade, soon she will be my wife for time and all eternity.

Suddenly we are interrupted by a breeze hitting my hair and pulling me off her, then I get a bunch of feathers in my face from a powerful wing.

"Owe!" I snap and try to hit Larkin's pet falcon off me. "Relax! It's just me!"

Larkin laughs and holds out her arm for the bird to land on. "He doesn't like the thought of having to share me."

"Well, he is going to have to get used to it, because I plan on buying you a big house when we get married, and holding your hand everywhere I go."

"Aww tasty, even when you go to the bathroom?" Larkin teases me.

I chuckle and roll my eyes. Then I heard a knock on the door. It must be that commander I called in earlier. Finally!

"Come in!" I call as I hand Larkin her staff.

The door opened and the girl walked in; she had curly brown hair and was dressed in her purple Zodiac Ranger armor, showing her status as a commander.

"You asked to see me?" she asks, standing at a proper position with her legs shoulder width apart and her hands behind her back.

"Yes, I did..." I address her. "Myself and a few other Zodiacs are going to be on a mission to Earth. It's classified and private. Are you aware of the war tomorrow?"

"Yes sir," She nods.

"And you're aware that Malison is going to be fighting against Seven tomorrow?" I ask her. These Zodiac Rangers couldn't mess this up while we are gone. Too much is at risk.

"Yes," She states.

"Correct. Now I'm asking your unit if you are prepared to fight tomorrow."

"To fight Seven?" she questions, stuttering slightly.

"Yes, one on one, or all against him," I explain. "I don't care."

"My group is well prepared," she answered. I could tell something was up in her voice, she sounded worried for some reason. I didn't care about my warrior's personal lives, so I ignored this detail.

"The first of the units were sent out this morning to start the journey to Seven's capital, how soon can your unit be prepared to leave?"

"Immediately."

"Good. Now go assemble." I open the door for her as she left, and I turn back to Larkin.

"You're crazy," she told me. "Asking teenagers so young to fight Seven."

"That doesn't matter Lark," I say to her, continuing to pack my stuff. "They are no younger than we were when we started fighting."

"Lark?" she questions, laughing a little."

"I'm coming up with nicknames for you, do you hate it? If so, I will use it just to annoy you."

"Actually I love it." Larkin smiles as she pets her falcon down his back.

"We are meeting Vestry down there." I close my bag. I was all packed and ready to go. Vestry was my younger brother, although he was taller and more manly then I was. He was banished to Earth for treason a while back, now he might be helpful in locating these portals.

"What do you plan to do with Seven if you find him down there with the portals?" Larkin places her bird in its cage for transportation.

"I plan on cutting him into a million pieces and sending him in a box back to the underworld he came from." I flung my bag over my shoulder. "Then everyone will finally see that I have accomplished something and I am not beneath Mike and Luke."

"So bold." Larkin smiles and takes my arm as I escort her down to our spacecraft.

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Oooooo what are your guy's predictions for the future?

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I dedicate this chapter to VahRudania who's favorite character is Aron.

Thanks for reading everybody!
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