This story is dedicated to RedReality, A.K.A Raliyel Novisty. Thank you for being one of my greatest Wattpad friends and making such thoughtful comments on every single chapter of my books! You have truly made the Books of Lessaenes come to life :D

Cover by cupcakes_rule1234

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"Kay-Kay!"

"What?" I rolled over in bed, startled by the sudden weight on my chest.

"Surprise, Kay-Kay!" Looking up, I saw my best friend's little sister sitting on top of me, gurgling as she clapped her chubby hands together jovially.

"Syra!" I yelled, crossing my arms.

"I'm right here, Cady" Syra smirked from her seat at the foot of my bed.

"Get Josie off of me! Can't you see that I'm trying to sleep!?"

"We gotta get to school, dummy! This is what happens when you ask me to sleep over on a weeknight," she rolled her eyes.

"Okay," I gently pushed her tiny sister away before sitting up with a huge yawn. I had barely gotten any sleep the previous night. Neither had Syra, but you couldn't possibly tell. She was much more of a morning person than I was.

"Lookie, Kay-Kay!" Josie squealed, reaching up for my portable Aurascreen, which rested on top of my dresser.

"No!" I rushed over, snatching it out of her hands. Aurascreens of any kind were a luxury on Rhena. My family had to save for years to buy one for me, and I wasn't about to let a clumsy little kid break it.

"Bad Josie," I snarled.

"I was...showing you, Kay-Kay!" Josie sniffled. "Screen went glowy!"

"Oh, you mean I got a notification," I laughed, patting her on the back. "Let's see," I toggled to AuraNet+, and sure enough, a new post awaited me.

-

Selaeyah Valior @theactualChiefValior: It's time for another awesome year of Warmatches! Don't miss it, because @officialQueenSaralee, @QuirkyLS, and I have some awesome new premiere events planned!

P.S. @EmpowerTheRhenan is such a loser. I heard she almost puked after a particularly gruesome warmatch last season. Like if you agree.

-

I bristled with anger when I saw that the post already had over two thousand likes. I hated it when our Chief bullied my hardworking cousin like that, and I hated it even more when the rest of the Clan helped her do it.

I wished Raliyel could visit Rhena more often, so that I could tell her to stand up for herself. But, sadly, that wasn't possible. She was a very busy Iceheart, she simply didn't have time for us anymore.

My thoughts were interrupted by loud rapping on the door.

"I'll get it," I mumbled to Syra as I walked to the front of the house, still in my PJ's.

"Shh, Cady," a hand clamped down on my mouth before I could reach the door. Turning around, I saw my mother standing behind me, fear clouding her crystal blue eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Just get in your room with Syra and Josie. Hide if you can, and don't make a sound."

"But what's going-"

"Go!" She hissed as the person knocked on the door again, this time louder.

Walking briskly on my tiptoes, I began to return to my room as my mom wiped her hands on her stained apron, reaching for the doorknob.

"What happened?" Syra raised an eyebrow as I entered the room and slowly shut the door, putting a finger to my lips.

"Something's wrong," I gulped, looking down at my feet. "Someone's at the door. I don't know who it is, but Mom seemed very scared. She just said to be quiet, and to hide."

"Oh no," Syra's eyes darkened as she grabbed her sister's hand, proceeding towards my closet.

"What if it's...the Iceheart Department?" She whimpered when all three of us were seated in the dark space inside.

"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing as serious as that," I said confidently.

The Icehearts only took the poorest of the poor, I had seen them cart away beggars straight off the street many times before. They would have no reason to target any respectable, middle class Rhenan family, let alone a family that was related to Raliyel Novisty.

"They can take anyone they want," Syra shook her head, as if she was reading my thoughts. "And you know Chief Valior, she's always looking for...variety," she contorted her face in disgust.

"Nothing is going to happen to us," I said firmly. "I'm going to prove it." I stood up, pushing open the closet.

"Cady...don't," Syra begged, tears forming in her eyes.

"It's alright. I'm going to show you that there's nothing to be afraid of," I smiled encouragingly, unlocking the door of my room and peering into the empty corridor outside.

"Where's your daughter," a gruff voice barked from the living room.

"I told you! S-she's at school!" My mom said, her voice shaky and soft.

I gasped, stepping backwards in shock. The floorboards under me let out an agonizing creak.

It felt like the loudest sound I had heard in my life.

"Aha!" Footsteps echoed through the hallway, and soon, I was face to face with an Ice Guard.

"Well, hello there, little lady," he grinned.