There are many, many reasons why I disliked the village. The fact that people had no sense of space was one of them.

"Ox, look at this! Don't you think it goes well with my hair?" Winter's spoiled voice rang throughout the crowd.

I rolled my eyes and looked up from my book browsing. She had a light blue scarf draped around her neck and white-blonde hair. I didn't admit it, but it did look very nice on her.

"I guess so, Winter," I called back, plastering a fake smile on my face. My answer was good enough for her because as soon as I had finished speaking, she reached into her purse and pulled out three silver coins.

"Hey girl, are you going to buy anything of not?"

I was hit from behind, resulting in me ramming into the table in front of me. I turned around, fists clenched and a snarl on my face. A woman, who was easily two feet taller than me, crossed her chubby arms over her chest.

I quickly unclenched my fists. "I'll be done soon," I answered, trying not to scream. "You can wait your turn."

Her hand grabbed my arm and pulled me around so that I was less than a few inches away from her face. "I don't think you heard me, girl. Move."

"No."

There is a time to be obedient, and there is a time to say no.

This was the time to be obedient.

The fat woman raised her arm and slapped me across my face. The sound rang out all around me. A few shoppers backed away, a few started to open their mouths but closed them, and a few pretended like they didn't hear what happened.

Tears immediately sprang to my eyes as I stood in half-shock, but they were not tears of pain. They were tears of anger.

The lady forced her face closer to mine and yelled, "Next time, stupid, do as I say!"

The spray from her mouth landed on my face, making me draw back.

Just walk away.

No.

Equinox, she is two feet taller, and about three hundred pounds heavier. She could sit down and kill you with her fat butt. Just. Walk. Away.

It took all of my strength to listen to myself. "Just walk away, just walk away," I whispered to myself as I moved past her. My arms wrapped around my chest and squeezed, like that could hold in the raging animal that wanted to rip the woman's head off. I forced myself to go down to the farthest spot from the table I was at and stand for a minute. I leaned up against the tree behind me.

Good girl, Equinox.

"Yo, chick! Get out of the way!"

I jumped, looking around to find the voice that yelled to me. A boot stuck out from underneath the tree branches, then a person hopped down. Well, more specifically, a boy hopped down.

I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms, glaring at him. He had blonde hair held back in a ponytail and hazel eyes that glared back at me.

He stuck his nose into the air, acting like a bad smell had reached him.

"What do you think you're doing, girl? You're in my way. I'm impressing the ladies today, not the dogs."

Heat flared across my cheeks as I turned around to see the "ladies" he spoke about.

Of course.

Summer, Spring, Autumn, and Winter were standing together, each of the googly-eyeing the person I was talking to. I bit my lip. Like I need to be called another animal name today.

Then I remembered what he called me.

Fury rose up in my chest and I turned around to the boy. He had moved away, closer to my sisters. Faking a smile, I skipped over to him.

"Not trying to impress the dogs today?" With that, I swung my arm around and punched him, square in his jaw. He fell to the ground quickly and propped himself onto one elbow, rubbing the spot.

"I thought that you might like your own kind. Dogs would seem like they'd love you," I spat.

A mix of disbelief, shock, and rage registered in the boy's eyes. Who cared. I wasn't going to be around for his response.

Oh, that was fun.

With my rage out, I pranced past my opened-mouthed sisters.

"Ox! Don't you know who that was?"

I don't know which one spoke to me, nor did I turn around to find out. I just kept walking.

"That was Orion! He's the best hunter in the village!"

Well, he just got schooled by a girl.

***

A series of shouts tore me from my book. I was a ways away from town, but I could still hear them. Carefully, I closed it, watching the commotion. A few stragglers ran around the outskirts of the gathering crowd. One of them doubled over and vomited.

Then a scream broke through the shouts.

I bolted from my spot at the edge of the town and started to run into the crowd.

What is wrong?

Summer ran up to me and tugged at my sleeve. "Equinox, we need to leave," she whispered frantically.

Something must really be wrong. She never calls me by my real name.

"I'll be with you in a second, Summer," I said as I pulled her arm away from me and dove into the mass of people.

I passed a woman with tears falling down her face, muttering something to herself over and over. A man stood and shook his head. Someone else crossed himself, bringing his hand from forehead to tip of his collar bone, then from his right shoulder to his left. People were embracing each other.

"Just horrible," I heard someone say.

What happened?

I elbowed my way to the front and hopped onto my tiptoes to see what had happened.

I could feel the blood drain from my face and my stomach churn. Lying on the ground was the boy from earlier. His right leg was nearly torn off below the knee, held on by only a thin flap of skin. Blood oozed from his wound, soaking the cot he was lying on. Splintered bone poked out from the muscle and skin. A bow and a quiver of arrows were lying underneath him.

"Bear attack," the man next to me whispered. "They don't think he'll survive. We don't have a good enough doctor in this town."

I turned away from the sight before I vomited and ran toward my sisters.

Winter's voice shook as she managed to choke out the words, "Let's go home."

I looked back at the crowd. The man's words echoed in my head.

He's going to die. You can help him.

My parents occasionally dabbled in elixirs. Once, when I caught an illness, they gave me medicine to cure me. One of my sisters, I don't remember who, had had a bad run-in with a saw and sliced her arm open. Mother and Father didn't flinch and sprinkled a few drops of potion onto her arm. Within a few days, she was well.

They hadn't used it all.

I turned away, ignoring the pain in my stomach. Just for a second, Autumn's eyes flickered over to me, like she knew what I was thinking.

I have to help him.