I stare into the riverbank, hating the face of the girl staring back at me; I have stood out all my life because of it.

Thousands of years ago, the world was divided into Sections, each Section with a certain appearance and ability. I live in Forest, where everyone has brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin. With the ability to climb up trees, to sense danger, hear from miles away and can run at an incredible speed.

I have blonde hair, peach skin and green eyes. I cannot climb, run fast, or even sense danger. I have been made fun of because I’m not like the rest of them.

"Look, its custard cap of Grounded Forest," Hare walks up to me with the rest of The Main Tree Forest kids all laughing and bawling and leans against a tree. "Seems like she's thinking on how much of a burden she is to us."

"A hindrance," The girl comes from the other side of a tree continuing the insult. Nyala walks proud as always over to Hare, who is still leaning against the tree. "I don't know, is it even worth telling how much she's trash?" All the kids stare at me, observing my reaction; the only thing I can do is look down and avoid their glares and mocking eyes reflecting off the river. "The Grounded Forest are for people with speed, stealth or injuries, they are allowed to live there. Not imprudence, ignorant brats that shame the name of the nation!" She snarled as she inched closer.

“I understand why-" I begin.

"Well obviously you don't if you're still here." Hare said cutting me off. Suddenly the bell began to chime and everyone knew it was time for lessons. Not for me. For the Forest children. Because they can climb, because they can run with ease and tranquility, but mostly because they have the ability of a Forest to learn. Hare stayed behind staring at me with a blank face while the kids all started to rush through the forest to The Main Tree.

Nyala walks by Hare, looks back, "the more you look at it, the uglier and more obnoxious it gets." She huffs and starts running smoothly through the forest, her brown hair bouncing as she passes through the trees. I look back at Hare, his brown eyes looking down at me, expressionless. He slowly turns and runs. He doesn't bother camouflaging with the Forest. He wants me to see him run peacefully; he wants me to see him do the things I cannot. The river water plops as a tear falls into it. Another plop and another until I lose count.

I walk home and find my mother outside beating the clothes on a tree branch. My mother is a Forest. Her brown curly hair, brown eyes and olive skin make her a Forest. I try my best to blend in with my surroundings and start to walk towards the house filled with vines.

"Chenoa..." I stop. I don't have the slightest bit of Forest in me.

"Mother." I reply not turning around.

"How was your day?" She says as she suddenly lays her hand on my shoulder. I flinch. Having someone everyday sneak up on you is not an easy habit to get used to. "Sorry," she breathes in as if it offended me. She puts her finger under my chin and turns my face toward her. "Tch, they're at it again, aren't they?" I push her hand away.

"It doesn't matter if they are, it won't change that what they say is true. And the more you tell the councils the more it proves that I'm a burden." I shrug her hand off my shoulder and walk into the run down house. My mother will never understand how I stand out, how I'm criticized.

"Hey I just try to help, honey." She says softly, making noise as she walks so I know she is following me. I walk into my room and turn around to face her.

"Well, just don’t." Closing the door to the room that I share with my mother, I slump into my bed with raggedy cloth, and cry. It’s not as if I can do anything else. I start feeling a jab on my hip, I look to see what it is and I find my gold pin. A set of wings. I grip onto it; my mother always told me that this symbol would save my life. So I have always held onto it. As I hold onto the hope that one day, I will find my father. I know he's out there, I don't remember him but I've met him. My mother left when I was three. She never explained why she left or from where she left. She left from where I was born, where I grew up in an environment that I remember the warm feeling of, she left and put me here. She put me here, where I do not belong, where I will never ever belong. When the sun starts setting my mother knocks on the door.

"Hey, Chenoa, Sweetie," Her voice flowing soft through the door, as if not trying to hurt me "can I come in?"

"Yeah." I mumble into my pillow.

"Linnet is coming over. I know you don't like company, so do you want to get some tea leafs for me to make for us later?" She offers. She sits on the bed next to my feet, and rests her hand on my leg. "Fresh air is always good to relieve stress. Moreover, the Forest kids will not be out until later, so you can take your time. How does that sound?" I actually like having guests over, they talk about things that happen in The Main Tree. Sometimes they discuss the history of our World and how that is affecting us now, but I know she says that because she doesn't want me to eavesdrop. Even if my hearing is not amazing, I can still hear everything through the thin walls. I sit up and force a smile.

"That sounds good." I say while nodding. I have to give my mother her space and time for gossiping, it’s the least I can do. The last thing I want is for her to think of me as a burden to her too. I grab my knapsack, put my short cape on and walk out the door.

I look at the leafs as they fall onto my knapsack. I feel like screaming of boredom. It’s impossible to entertain myself with collecting leafs. Suddenly I hear noise, I hear the chimes of the bell ringing. Was today just a training day? Why were the kids allowed to leave earlier from their lessons? I gather as much leafs as I can stuff into my knapsack, grab it and run back home. I get to the back yard safely, short of breath but safe from insults.

"It must be hard on you, Fauna. I mean, will she live with you forever, until you die?" I hear Linnet's voice and hide myself behind a tree.

"It is, Lennet. It is so much work, and I’m scared of that happening. I mean, her staying home every day is driving me crazy. I have to find things for her to do, create tasks and obnoxious errands to keep her occupied. And I've been doing this for how many years, 11? I can't take it for another year. It's harsh, but that's how I feel." My mother sighs. My eyes widen. Is this really my mother that is talking? Is that how she really feels about me?

"Oh, poor you." I hear Lennet say. I feel my face get hot poor her? Wait, is she the one that has nothing to do with her life? She can go to Forest anytime of the day while I sit by rivers and watch insects do things I cannot.

"I shouldn't have left. I should have stood my ground and stayed." I hear my mother cry in a pitiful manner.

"No, you did the right thing. You should have just left her." Lennet whispers. I can't believe Lennet just said that. What kind of a mother is Lennet to her children?

"Are you crazy? She would have been Next, Lennet. Next. Chenoa isn't capable of being Next. She wouldn't be able to keep up with people's expectations." Their voices disappear west. They’re going to the River. My shoulders slump and my head falls forward. Those words came out from my mother's mouth. I feel a tear fall down my cheek. 'Isn't capable?' Am I that much of a disappointment? That my mother has no hope for me either? What is Next anyways? I stand up; empty the knapsack on the floor. Watching the leafs I picked out carefully for my mother because she and I would have tea later on. I run to the house and go into the room I share with my mother, who is a stranger to me now. I've held back from running away so many times because of her. She was keeping me from giving up, but now, even she thinks of me as a burden. I grab my pin and stare at it. Where did this come from? Wherever it did, I want to run to it. Then I stop, there's no reason for me not to run away anymore. I realize that it will not affect her. It would actually relieve her. I look at my knapsack I had just thrown on the bed and grab it. I know that, this is what I have to do. I have to find out where I came from, which is not Forest. I walk to the excuse for a wardrobe and shove my clothes in my bag. If I hurry I can leave by the back door. She can hear me, but she won't be able to see me. I put on a belt with pouches and coins, slip my mukluks onto my feet and walk out.

"Ah, there you are! Where are you going?" She hollers from outside the house, in the front yard.

"Out." I breathe out while I jump outside the back window and run into the forest.

"Oh-Oh okay! Be here before dinner! Don't want the Forest Guardians pawning on one of their own!" Her voice echoes through the Forest. You could care less if I am eaten by the Forest Guardians. I pull the hood of my short cape because the Forest Wind will not be kind on me as it ever was.

I've tripped and fell more than a dozen times within a thousand steps, the sky starts to become dark and I know I have to stop. I sit against a thick tree and look around. I don't know how to start a fire for warmth, I didn't bring any food and it's already past dinner. This was a mistake, I feel like puking. What happens if the Guardians think I'm dead and eat me alive? As I hold onto my knapsack tighter my hands start to become numb and cramp until it’s become too agonizing to stand. I'm scared of the forest, of Forest and its Guardians that prowl.

As soon as I wake up, I get up and start to walk to wherever I think home is. Until I pass a poison berry bush three times with the same insect on it. So I walk wherever I thought "out" was.

I look up at the sky, the sun directly on top of me, seeping through the branches of the pine trees. I can tell it was already noon and I still haven't gotten out of the forest. I walk until I finally hear a noise in the background that didn’t belong. I run, jog to the noise and am hit by the brightness. I lift my hand up to shade my eyes from the bright sand and clear aqua water. I was at the shore of Ocean.

"A Forest, you've got courage coming out to the entrance of Ocean." I shift to where that voice came from. A man standing in front of a pile of fish, cautious with a knife.

"I'm not a Forest." My voice cracks and fails as I try to speak clear.

"Wearing Forest clothes, coming out of the Forest. Doesn't take a fool to know you are one." The white man stands out with his black hair and blue eyes. I pull my hood down revealing my hair.

"I'm not a Forest and I mean no harm." I walk towards the man, and notice that his eyes aren't as dark blue as an Ocean eyes should be. He stares at me for a couple of minutes, examining me, I feel my face get hot.

"What are you then?" He suddenly asks, I take a step back, because not once has anyone ever asked me that question. It seems like the hardest question I can possibly answer

"I don't know," I say looking away. How can I go back to Grounded Forest if I don't even know what or who I am? "I'm trying to find out." I look back at him. He stares at me then suddenly lowers his knife and puts it on his belt. I notice a tattoo on his left arm; He walks towards me, and then finally is an arm distance away.

"You're trying to find out." He repeats, as he puts his hands on his hips. His voice sounds like Hare's and the boys in his level, he's not a man, yet. "And how are you planning on doing that?"

"By going anywhere, asking people where I might find something about this," I say as I take out my pin and put it close to his face. "This will lead me to where I'm going." He stares at it for a while, my arms start aching from being stretched out for a long time.

"Ask me." The boy says.

"What?" I ask putting my arm down.

"You said you're going to ask people right? I’m considered people." He says.

"Okay... Where-"

"Sky." He cuts me off. I just stare at him and he does the same. What was the point of asking if he was already going to answer it? I push the thought away and finally I ask.

"Sky?" Once I ask he suddenly gets close to my face, closer than close.

"Why are you trying to find out who you are? Why not stay with what you know? Just Why?" He whispers. I'm taken aback at his question. It's so simple yet too personal to share to some stranger. He asks as if the answer is his only hope. I stay quiet and look away.

He nods his head as if he understands and stands straight again, the arms length space between us again. He looks to the forest and lets his breath out. Making me realize he was holding his breath for my answer. He doesn't look disappointed though, "How long have you been walking?"

"Couple of hours." I reply. He looks back at me, his vibrant bizarre blue eyes puzzled.

"Do you have any food or water?"

I shake my head while answering, "No." He sighs, and walks away. I run to follow him and continue to follow for a while. "So are you going to help me to get to S-Sky?" He continues walking and doesn't say anything. I look back at where I can see his fish from a distance. "Your fish...."

"Let it be." He says not bothering to look back at me. He suddenly came to a stop which made me bump into his back, he turns his head towards me, his blue eyes piercing through me and I shrink even more.

"Sorry." I mumble while covering my aching nose. His bare back was incredibly hard and wide.

"Stay here." He says and walks into the ocean then dives. I sit on the sand waiting. Within half an hour he arises from the ocean with what looks like a mask in his right hand and a plastic bag in the other. "Here, give me your bag and put this mask on."

"Are you taking me to Ocean?" I asked while I held the mask.

"What's your name?"

"Chenoa Skylor." I answer.

"...Skylor?" He repeats. I nod slowly wondering why he sounded hesitant. "Well, Skylor, if you're planning on going to Sky then you need food and water and a lot of it." He puts the knapsack in the bag and throws it over his shoulder. "Come on." He walked into the ocean again and waited for me to follow.

"How do you know if I can swim?" I asked with the mask above my head.

"Can you?" He asked back.

"Y-yeah, but-"

"Then let’s go." He stretched out his hand until I put mine in his. Right before he was about to dive I tugged his hand.

“Wait!" I yell.

"What is it?" He askes anxiously.

"What's your name?"

"Ace."

"Ace." I repeat, and then we dive into the clear water.