“Brother! Brother!” I screamed at my brother. He as standing at the edge of the boundary. Only trees can be seen, but every now and then noises that can be described as a mix of a howl and a blood curling scream can be heard in the distance. Looking down I pull up my skirts and dashed to his side. “Brother! Mama Kiri said not to be here.” No response still. Finally getting to his side I let go of my skirts and yank on his arm. “Brother!” He finally notices.

“Oh, sorry little piglet.” Turning to me he kneels down. For his age he pretty big. All the grown-ups said so. He is 12 and yet he looks as big as if he was 15.

“Why you always looking out there? You know not good out there?”

“It’s nothing good is out here, and we don’t know that. All we know is what some old script tells us. I mean, we know that the twisted is out there, but there has to be more than just them.”

“OK, but mama Kirri going to be mad at you.”

“Wait till she finds out I decided to apprentice with the Boundary Guard.”

Waking up to the slamming of a door and heavy boot steps I sat upright quickly. Ignoring the throbbing pain in my head I began to try to stand up. Halfway through this maneuver black dots appeared in my vision and my legs became wobbly. Sitting back down as the door slammed open. “Where were you trying to go? Trying to run to your death again?” This was the same resounding voice that I remembered in the woods.

“Cal? No, I wasn’t I-”. Trying to explain that I only was trying to stand and greet him but was quickly cut off.

“You what? You were going to chase after your brother? Jesus, you don’t even know what is out there. The boundary is in place for a reason. You are lucky we got to you before anything else had.” Cal shouted, but after every word uttered, he became quieter and quieter almost to a whisper. “Why?”.

“You know why, I had to go aft-”.

“No.” With a long pause Cal finally looked me in the eyes. “Why hadn’t you asked me to help you?”

Confused, I knew he and my brother were close, but both were duty driven men. Men who would not give up their duties to venture out without proper authorization from their superiors. Of course, my brother had done it. I guess it is safe to assume Cal may do the same thing. No, he must not. Cannot drag anyone else into this mess. “Because it is not your problem.”

Cal looked genuinely hurt, and a little angry. “I know your brother better than you do. I grew up with him, hell I even knew him longer considering you were born eight years apart. He is my brother as much as he is yours. Do not dare even insinuate that again.” Instead of getting quieter as each word passes his lips, he is nearly yelling at the end of it. “You are lucky that you are a no name, the council would have your hide at the next gathering for all to see for what you did. Hell, I am nearly about to persuade them in doing it too.”

My heart jumped to my throat, one of the worst things one can do in Last Hope is to leave without authorization. Some people were even put to death for it. Not having my first Naming was a good thing. The village still saw me as a child then. “I guess you and brother are happy I never listened to you and hadn’t picked a profession yet then.” I muttered quietly hoping he wouldn’t hear. Of course, he had.

“That is another issue all together. That right there is why you are in this mess. Not picking a profession is severely hampering your maturity level. You are 19! Gods, you understand that you are three years past the average for someone to pursue one. One more year and it will be chosen for you.” Why did I have to open my mouth about a profession. Guess I just like adding wood to the fire and watch it get larger I assume. “You even listening to me?” Of course, I wasn’t really, he and my brother tried many times to get me a profession and we fought about it a lot. Well, they talked to me, and I would only respond with as little words as possible to move on.

“Sorry, I hope I hadn’t caused you too much trouble.” I muttered again.

“Of course, you did.” He said sternly, but then his gage softened. “You don’t know what is out there. The whole village is in the dark. Ancestors' tit, most of the guard don’t know.”

“But of course, you do.” I said sarcastically trying to knock him down a peg.

“That is part of the Outer Border Response Division. You know this.”

“Then why won't you tell me about it?” I whined.

“You know we cannot, it is against the rules.” His tone spoke volumes on how he won't speak further on the matter, but I did not care.

“What were those creatures? Heard one time you and brother Tarvan called them twisted.” The look on his face became dark.

“Do not let anyone else hear you say that name. You hear? If word spreads about anything you hear or saw, your life either is forfeit or near to. I must let the others know you are awake.” He began to rise and as he opened the door, I embraced him in a hug. Words were not needed to convey my gratitude, this more than sufficed.

Some time passed before and elderly fellow poked his head in. Long white hair that were braided and rested on his chest on either side of his beard braid. “Hmm, guess you still here huh? Was hoping you would run out and get into more mischief. Oh well, cannot always be right about someone.” I recognized him but had not known his name. All I knew is he was on the council. The frail looking man had more life than I thought he could have. Moving gracefully and with a pep in his step that is associated with the young, which clearly, he was not plopped right on the floor in front of me.

“Sorry councilman uhh, sorry I am not familiar with your name.”

“Jorgonzilrye.” That name showed he was a man with great prestige in the village. It shows he has had four different Namings. Everyone gets one when they are considered an adult after finishing their training for a profession. Any additional is due to a large contribution to the village. These are no small contributions either. These are great feats. Most do not get a second Naming, let alone four.

“Councilman Jorgonzilrye, please take the bed. The ground must be too hard for uhm proper comfort.” Almost said for him, which would have been rude. Do not want to be rude to one of the men who decides my fate. Jorgonzilrye knowingly smiles at her, but lets it slide.

“Thank you, but I shall pass. Now straight to business, what did you see out there.”

“Trees, I hit my head and was found. So not much really.” I lied.

Chuckling Jorgonzilrye inches closer. “Now child, tell me about the twisted. Be frank, hurry up now.”

Surprise must have shown on my face because he had this smirk on his face, a smirk that looked rather annoying. “I, I don’t know. It was hard to see, and I mostly hid. I remember the noises more than anything else. It was, well unnatural.”

“Did not even get a good look. Really not impressing me yet child.” He made a tsk at the end as if a disappointed teacher would have.

“What do you mean?” Confusion was plainly etched into my face, and I knew it.

“Was hoping to see a little of your brother in you. Sadly, that does not seem to be the way of things.”

“What do you know of my brother?”

“Well, I had picked his name for his first Naming.” He said smugly.

“You were his mentor?” I said in astonishment. Brother Tarvan has been very secretive of how was his mentor that trained him into his profession. Names are a very important matter in Last Hope. Everyone has a family name, but only get to use it when the head of the house acknowledge that the person. Each family has different standards, but many are granted permission when a profession is chosen even before the training has begun. Until their first Naming, a person is called by girl, boy, daughter, brother, and so forth until their first Naming. Earning a name is a powerful feeling of accomplishment, or so I have been told.

“I was, still am in many respects. Was hoping you were like him, but guess we cannot have two prodigies in the same family, can we?”

That stung, my brother had his first Naming by the age of 14, this was almost unheard of because the time taken for his training was over a year of training before his mentor bestowed his name. Most get their name by 17, choosing their profession at 16. Not only had he gotten an early Naming, but he also got his second one by the age of 22. Only a handful of individuals in the Last Hope has gotten their second one before the age of 30, let alone at the age of 22. Mother Kirri received hers at the age of 42. He was a prodigy, and everyone knew it. “What is going to happen to me?”

“Hmm, well I know you have not chosen a profession yet, nor will you at this rate. I know the council will force a nasty one on you that will either end you due to boredom or you are running out of the village again. Well, that is if you do not run out and chase your brother beforehand. So, I decided to take you under my wing and train you to be a Wayward.”