The smell of hair spray swirled in Orchid’s nose as well as in front of her eyes. The vivid beam that Lamar had positioned over her stung her sapphire eyes and the stiff chair was growing cumbersome to her already aching back. Yet Orchid Denuder was trying to hold her head up high for Lamar.
"Such composure," Orchid's hair stylist Lamar Crabon stated in a heavy French accent while he styled her bright brown hair for the sixth time. He didn’t seem to be able to comprehend that Orchid’s hair just wasn’t going to curl for him.
"Could you hurry, Lamar? I...." Orchid tried patiently but was interrupted quickly by Lamar. “No! Why must you hurry me every time? This is exactly why I have to do this six times!" he snapped angrily, he hated to be rushed in what he considered to be perfection."Yes, I know, but why......Oh, never mind" Orchid sighed, deciding that it wasn’t worth the fight, she had never liked the parties her grandmother lugged her too any way.
"Oh, Lamar, leave her be, her hair looks fine in a simple ponytail. It’s not as if anyone ever notices her anyway. All the same, it’s my turn!" A sickly sweet voice said as she strode in. And into the light emerged Hannah, Orchid's older sister.
Hannah casually swished her blonde hair to the side as if that would prove her point. "Hannah, Lamar isn’t done with my hair" Orchid scolded gently, trying to sound resolved but Hannah only smirked.
"Is this the face of someone who cares? No, I don't think so. Now, dearest sister, out of my chair." Orchid squirmed uncomfortably; sure she knew what was coming.
"Oh, girls, girls, no fighting over me, Lamar will tend to you both, no?" Lamar tried to come to Orchid's rescue uncertainly, but his attempts did not escape Hannah's attention.
"No, no way, it's my turn, now out!" Orchid tried to jostle out of the way but she wasn’t fast enough to dodge Hannah’s foot, which brusquely kicked her out of place.
Orchid looked up, tears of suppressed rage and anxiety filling her eyes; Hannah didn’t even look down at her. Obviously I’m not worthy of being seen by her Orchid thought disdainfully. "Well get off the floor. Suck it up and run off Orchid, I did warn you" Hannah said softly, almost regretfully as she neatly folded her hands in her lap. Orchid wasn’t fooled. Neither was Lamar, who gave Orchid an apologetic glance.
Orchid shook her head, Lamar was always sympathetic, yet did he do anything? No, he was just as afraid of Hannah as Orchid.
She stood, swiftly leaving the outsized parlor and heading to her equally outsized room.
Once there she landed delicately on her soft, cushioned bed, the familiarity did nothing to ease her misery this time.
She felt as heart-heavy as a ton of lead. Tears ran down her cheeks." Why am I so powerless, why don’t I fight back?" Orchid demanded of herself angrily, she couldn’t believe she had just walked away.
Or actually she could, it’s what she always did. Sulking, she folded her legs and put her chin in her hands contemplatively.
Orchid tried to find some appalling image of Hannah that would make her laugh. In the end she started speculating what Hannah’s hair would look as if green; she succeeded in making herself chuckle.
“A marvelous idea, if I do say so myself." She muttered to no one. A few seconds later a high pitched screech filled the air. "Lamar, what did you do?" Orchid heard Hannah demand. "I...I did not do that!” Lamar then stuttered. Mildly panicked and mainly curious at Hannah’s shriek, Orchid ran from her room only to find Hannah’s blonde hair an olive sort of green!











~1860~

Alley crouched, eyes vigilant, ears alert. Tracking was not an easy task, and she was determined to prove herself; after all most of her family was on this hunt, all of her brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Basically the entire pack.
Alley was grateful for a chance like this, after years of arduous work and attentive research, being such a young wolf, living in the prime of wolves.
A large herd of caribou lay ahead, unsuspecting of the wolves tracking them. Suddenly, the signal was given and a lifetime of training and lessons flooded through Alley's head as she sprinted forward, nipping at the target's neck and heels.
The old male bucked, its hind legs flying out and nearly striking her.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Alley spotted a young caribou run confusedly from the protection of its stampeding herd.
Not even bothering to use stealth, she tackled the doe’s neck; causing them both to fall on the ground.
The wild creature gasped for breath as it thrashed about, striving to get back onto its feet, but Alley had a strong clench on its neck and was planted securely on the ground.
Finally, with a strangled cry, the deer stopped moving, dead.
"Well done, my daughter." A strong bark yipped from behind her. Alley turned around to see her father walk pompously up to her; she instantly flattened in respect, not love, but respect.
"Thank you, father" she sighed as the adults moved in to eat, as they always did first. Still technically being a pup, she had to eat last, as all pups did.
After all of the adults had eaten, Alley sauntered over, licking her lips in the anticipation of eating her first meal of the day. But as Alley moved in to eat, her younger (but bigger, by far) brother Chipow jumped in front of the carcass, growling.
"Where are you going, little Alley?" he sneered. “Well I was going to eat, but you so rudely got in my way." Alley retorted glaring at him with cold brown eyes, her brother had always been determined to bully her.
Chipow let out a rasping laugh."Well, aren’t you an unruly female? Haven’t you ever Heard the saying what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine?" Alley growled.
"It was my kill, so I should be able to eat it. Out of my way, brother!" She shouted but Chipow only bared his razor sharp teeth at her.
"No! You get away!" He snapped. Alley thought about fighting but decided it was useless; Chipow was now bigger and stronger than herself, and besides, her instincts would make her back down eventually anyway.
A female was always obligated to a male, even if that male was your bully brother. With an exhausted sigh she slunk away alone.

















~1762~

Empire, at last, was done. His chores at least were finished, and he was headed home. He rubbed his cheek, which had turned blue now because of the mark that lord John had inflicted onto his face.
One of the many he got every day. Work, work is never done, not here Empire thought resentfully. For years now, Empire had been working at a country villa for a rich overlord, trying to raise money so that his family could travel by water to the colonies and fabricate a new life, away from the deprived, crime-ridden streets of England.
Here, in England, he was a lowly servant, maltreated day after day for his many nervous mistakes. But, in the colonies, primarily in Pennsylvania he could be something else, something more.
Lost in thought, as he often was, Empire tripped over a barrel of apples, spilling its juice everywhere. He hadn’t even realized he was in the city yet.
"My apples!" a deep voice cried. Empire looked up to see the apple seller, a fat man with a chubby, portly face which reminded Empire of the dog’s he had seen lord John's wife carry around.
"Oh, I...I'm so sorry, sir, truly I am," Empire stuttered jumping to his feet, he was a good two inches taller than the man. "You idiot! Look at what you have done; I hope you can pay for those!" Empire couldn’t pay for the apples, and he was sure that the man could see it in his face.
"Well, I…. You see...." Empire never even had a chance to finish his sentence.
Out of nowhere the apple seller pulled out an axe, an ugly grin on his sluggish face. Empire was clumsy but not suicidal, he ran, not daring to take his time.
The apple seller followed him, the two of them plowing their way through the busy English crowd.
"Oh, um, excuse me, pardon me, so sorry" Empire said as he pushed even more barrels and even more people out of the way, adding a couple men to the apple seller behind him.
"Make it easier on yourself, boy, and let me take just one swing!" The apple seller called, the other men called similar things.
"Oh, I wish, I wish, I wish!" Empire gulped, not exactly sure what in the world he could possibly be wishing for at the moment that would help him.
Suddenly, not for the first time, his legs started to shake, almost vibrating, and he was running incredibly fast, faster than any normal human should ever be able to run.
To the people who stared at him, Empire was a mere blur.
Soon, the apple seller and his pursuers were far behind Empire, who finally stopped, panting, in an alleyway. He looked down at his hands flatly amazed at this new power, which frightened him as well as amazed him. "Incredible."





























~57 B.C. ~

“I am very impressed with your talents, my friend; I believe you would be a glorious addition to my crew" Marc Antony told Akoo, who was staring around at the soldier’s room, overwhelmed.
“Hmmmm? Oh, yes, of course, but what of my salary, Antony?" Akoo, a sixteen year old gladiator asked still staring at the fine furniture in Marc Antony’s room. It was much more extravagant than the gladiator’s cells where he was kept. Antony raised an eyebrow and scowled.
“You are a slave, are you not? Why must I pay you to safeguard Princess Cleopatra? If anything, I will pay your master somewhat." Akoo scowled at Antony, growing infuriated as well as bold.
“I will not give my own liveliness to go on an already failed trip with a load of worn down soldiers without any pay! I am a gladiator, I have been sent as far as Pompeii, I deserve something" Akoo told Antony audaciously, he wanted to toss this wretched man to the lions, as had been done to him so very many times.
His mentor's words rang in his head “do not let a single soul call you a slave, Akoo, you are a gladiator.”
But Marc Antony only laughed. "You are a plucky one; I suppose luck makes one brash. You may be well trained in the ring, Akoo, but we will be dealing with Egyptians who are ruthless, mindless creatures, also are deep in our debt."
Akoo threw his hands into the air in a sign of exasperation. "And so Caesar promises to protect Ptolemy’s little daughters? What sense does that make?" He demanded.
Antony narrowed his eyes. "You had better watch your tongue, gladiator, those words could be substituted as treason.” For a long moment, the two glared at each other.
Finally, Akoo decided that he was never going to win this argument. Mainly because Antony was right, Akoo was a captured slave, bound to fighting for the rest of his life.
“Go Antony," Akoo snapped rising. “Leave Rome and watch as Ptolemy spears your army the second you reach the shore, I will have no part in your craziness." With that said Akoo started to walk out, head held cockily high.
“I order you to come back!" Antony declared standing abruptly. Akoo stopped in the doorway, fists clenched. He had been ordered too many times in his life.
He had killed many of his only friends because of orders. "Mark my words, Antony, you will not succeed." And then he was gone.
Soon Akoo was walking moodily down the road, staring at all of the unfamiliar signs and shops; he hadn’t been out of the coliseum in years, and never in this part of town. It’s gone, I just gave up my last hope of escaping this cursed city, I could have started a new life in Egypt, a life as a poet Akoo thought despairingly as his eyes roamed. Oh, but to die at the feet of that man, who doesn’t respect me as a person, but a worthless slave? No!
A yank at his sleeve jolted Akoo back into reality, at his feet were two children and a woman, all dressed in rags, all staring at his polished, damaged armor. The woman cleared her throat. "Please, sir, my children.....My children are sick, sir, could you......." She gulped, seeming to shrink at every word.
No! Do I look like I have money to waste on you and your sick children?" Akoo demanded, and instantly regretted his words; his hardship wasn’t their fault, after all.
"No, sir, but... you seem... you look a prosperous man..." The woman stammered, she was close to tears. Akoo’s brisk temper flared at her words. "Well, I’m not, I’m not, I’m not,
I’m not!” He shouted as he shoved the woman to the ground as violently as he had wanted to do to Antony. He started to march down the road, his resentment preventing him from looking back. He forced himself to become deaf to the tears he knew were behind him.

Beyond the planet earth, four human shadows stood. Human shadows that had been cunningly separated from their original owners. “Go, my children, you know what you must do!" A blonde- haired beauty called pointing down to Earth; her overwrought face a mixture of anticipation and apprehension
Four diamond shaped portals appeared, what was behind them, was hidden by gold vapor. For a minute, the shadows only stared grievously at the portals. “Go!" the woman said again, more powerfully now.
One by one, with a somber nod at each other, the shadows stepped into the portals. This disappeared as soon as they had gone. All headed to earth, or rather, Orchid, Alley, Empire, and Akoo.