Young Writers Society

Prime Minister Victor Harris took his place on June 20th, 1837, with one campaign promise: to launch the UK into greatness. But, greatness always comes at a price; for Malvis, Saturn, Estella Fay, Cyra, Artemis, and Neptune, that price is their lives. The same lives that have been villainized since the day they were born. After over a year of Harris's violent campaign, it's clear something must give. After all, when your country stops serving you, it's best to let it fall.

So, in my world, there are four main species other than humans, so here's a basic description of each species <3

Ukayan


Alis


Subterra


Igni

Malvis: October 21st, 1838

I was aware that my decision to rob the yellow mansion on the corner would likely be my death. I grew up on horror stories of such exploits, thieves who picked the wrong doors and Gatherers who chose the wrong house to rob. After all, Misters aren’t known for taking on any job and killing themselves for it; no, they were the shadows of society, those who played their cards correctly every time.

Unfortunately, I was a little low on cards at the moment.

As October bled into November and fall was murdered by winter, few places had much to spare. The prosperous summer fronts locked their doors and purged their registers. Winter stores had barely ordered stock, only the early birds taking the time to trickle in. However, there was always one place with enough excess to suffocate a man no matter the weather: The Street of Kings, Rich Man’s Row, the place of the modern-day palaces. Each home on that street had enough pounds to fund a small army, but very few would waste their wealth on something as unimportant as that when the Prime Minister’s treasury would pay the House to protect them.

The yellow mansion seemed to be the exception.

Around the clock, a guard had always stood dutifully beside the house even when the sky broke open and seemed dead-set on killing us. He would stare at the same third-floor window, back rigid and a baton hanging from his belt. No one ever challenged him; Misters usually had the sense to stay away from a place they were so vehemently unwanted, so he only disappeared when he switched with the morning guard at dawn. I’m sure he felt threatening, like he was a symbol of power or some other nonsense of ruling class propaganda.

I was oh so terrified, but I was sure I could handle him—a small price to pay for survival.

Of course, it would only be a small price if I managed to keep him dead silent as I murdered him. Otherwise, the entire neighbourhood of the richest fools in London found out there was a Mister in their god-fearing, foot-licking community and sent the whole guard for my head. But it wouldn’t be my last stand without a violent risk of death, would it be?

I was starving. Misters survived because they were never alone. One person breaking into a house was just a thief. They’d steal what they could and leave before the family woke. However, a group of people following one dream, their lives a fight for the ravine they called home, those were Misters. They’d be in and out, with enough ill-earned riches of those who left us destitute to live. I was used to being alongside someone who would fight and die for you, but now I was alone. I had failed those who fought alongside me, and now I was an army of one, a few ribs protruding from my dark skin and ill-fitting dresses to show for it.

Who would I be if I let that stop me? Dying on the corner of the street wouldn’t bring them back. But, if I lived, I could accomplish our dream of ending this nightmare. Maybe I could even change the world.

So that’s why I was in the bushes next to the yellow mansion on the corner. The moon had started its slow descent an hour ago, and the guard stood, flickering torch in hand. He rested his right palm on the baton in a silent warning.

What a shame I wouldn’t give him a chance to use it.

I unlaced the knife, my soap-licker, from around my neck. The harsh smell of soap filled my nostrils as I flicked the blade into place. A thin stiletto blade could pierce layers of leather, the victim not knowing its deadly pursuit until it was too late. Of course, it’s best to use in crowds, when people can swallow you whole as you vanish without a trace, but using it here would only take a few extra steps.

He didn’t notice as I carefully emerged from the bushes. He stayed perfectly still, his head tilted up towards the window. I held my breath, crouching in the open, my entire body rigid.

One.

Two.

Three.

I charged, wrapping my arm around his neck and squeezing. I slid my liccasapuni into his back, tearing into his flesh and clothes. He dropped the torch, the wood clattering on the stone.

“You-”

He wheezed uselessly against me. I squeezed tighter.

“I’m-”

His frantic scratching slowed, his nails barely disturbing my sleeves.

“Don’t-”

His hands fell to his sides, and he slumped against me. I kept him tight for a few seconds longer to ensure he wasn’t pretending. Then, finally, I dropped him to the ground, cleaning my blade with his coat and fastening it around my neck.

I kneeled beside his body and smoothed his coat. “I’m not sorry. But I do pity you. I wish you could see past your poisoned greed and that of your idols. Perhaps then we would’ve been allies.” I picked up his body, careful not to splatter blood all over the stone floor, and hid him in the bushes. “But you wanted me dead, and I made the heinous choice to live.”

I dusted my hands on my dress and brushed my hair out of my face. It was its usual shade of dark red, deciding to settle at the small of my back for now.

“Alright. I hope this was worth it.”

I squared my shoulders and turned my gaze to the window. It was impossible to see into it, but there must be something valuable to pick up a pig-for-hire.

“As long as it’s portable, I just might be able to survive another week.”

I brushed my fingers against the wall, my finger searching for grooves. My hands were just below the false roof, and if I squared my shoulders, my fingers brushed against the edge.
An easy enough problem to fix.

I closed my eyes and willed myself to grow just a couple of inches. Soon enough, I could climb to the second floor. I placed my ear to the glass of one of the second-floor windows. The house was deadly silent, like the rest of the street. My heart pounded in constant a reminder of my possible mistakes.

“This isn’t about me. Get over it.”

My whisper embedded itself in my skin like an oath. I could do this. I was doing this.
There was nothing around to help me up to the third floor. To make it any further, I needed to open the window and use the windowsill as a handhold.

I stood on my tiptoes, unwilling to be taller than six feet, and slowly eased the glass panel open. My fingers trembled, but I couldn’t afford to stop. Finally, the glass stopped, barely allowing me enough room to squeeze through.

I gripped the windowsill and climbed up, peering into the window as soon as I could. It was too dark to see anything, so I stayed there, simply staring into the dark room.
Something shuffled in the room, but it sounded decidedly inhuman.

That better be the breeze. That better be the breeze. That better be-

Something, no, someone groaned right before a gaslamp turned on, bathing the room in light.

It was a bedroom, a bedroom. With a rich girl’s bed, and a rich girl’s wardrobe, and a damn rich girl. We locked eyes as she sat in her bed, and I hung in her window.

“What-”

I sprung into action, diving into the room and tackling her in less than a second. My blade was to her neck instantly, and my other hand held her wrists.

“Don’t make a sound.”

She nodded, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

“You are going to let me leave without a fight. If you do, I’ll let you live. If not, I will not hesitate to kill you. Understand?”

“Are you-” She winced as my blade brushed against her neck. “-a Mister?”

“Why does that-”

Something tackled me to the ground, slamming my head into the wall. It settled on my shoulders, a snout full of teeth growling in my face.

It was a wolf with perked ears and its mouth dangerously close to my throat.

But none of this made sense. Why would anyone hire a guard to protect a bedroom? Especially when said bedroom had a wolf?

“Artemis! I’m so sorry; she usually isn’t like this. Though, I suppose she’s never met a Mister before. Come on, get off her.”

The wolf, Artemis, growled one more time and slowly backed up, teeth still bared in a clear warning.

I sprung to my feet, eyes scanning the floor for my soap-licker.

“Oh, are you looking for this?” The girl displayed my blade, already folded and useless. “You dropped it when Artemis tackled you.”

“What do you want from me? I gave you an opportunity to get rid of me.”

“I don’t want you to leave just yet!”

The girl stepped forward, hands up in a sign of peace. She was vulnerable, dressed in a long nightgown with her blonde hair tied back into an easily accessible braid. It wouldn’t take me long to kill her, even with the wolf. But here she was, making no moves to protect herself, bouncing on her heels as if she was excited.

“And why is that?” I slid into a fighting stance, closing my hands into tight fists.

She grinned, wiggling her fingers. “Do you know how long I’ve waited to talk to a Mister? You all are so free! And I’ve been desperate for that freedom for a long time. So, when Artemis showed me that you were down there, I knew I had to talk to you.”

I tilted my head to the side. “Pardon me. What-”

The girl gasped. “Your hair changed colours!”

I looked, and sure enough, my hair was now a shade of blonde, so light that it was white. “It does that sometimes.”

“How does your hair change colours? Is it something to do with your missing eye? Can losing an eye even do that?”

“Off-topic!” I cleared my throat and batted my hair out of the way. “You want to leave your life of luxury?”

The girl deflated, eyes casting to the ground and her shoulders pinching inwards. “That guard was for me, Mister. Not to protect me, but to keep me here.” She looked back at me. “I’m tired of this life. I’m not wanted here. I can’t act the way they do; I can’t talk the way they do. I want to leave.”

My heart softened in true Mister fashion. Most knew Misters as thieves and murderers, which was true for some of us. But all of us knew what it was like to be unwanted. Only those abandoned and betrayed by the world go to the Mist. I might’ve been born there but felt my fair share of scorn. And here this girl was, feeling that same weight all Misters do, and she wanted me to give her the same relief that all Misters have.

Who was I to deny her that? Who was I to say she didn’t deserve the same ability to thrive as I do?

“What’s your name?”

She froze. “Estella Fay. As in, my first name is Estella Fay.” She laughed nervously. “I’m an alis; it’s a traditional thing.”

I looked at her and saw the slope of yellow wings peeking above her shoulders. The alis used to be a proud species, telling tales of their origin from angels. The ones that came to England lost power, becoming little more than societal refuse. A few ended up in the Mist, spreading rumours that alis had powers.

Some stayed behind, and most of them suffered greatly for it.

“I’ve never seen an alis on The Street of Kings.”

“The Street of Kings?”

“The rich district of London where the people get to live like kings while their subjects languish away in the real world.”

“Oh. Well, my father is a Lord. My governess told me that only three alis can claim that title at a time.”

I hummed, my muscles slowly losing tension. “The Prime Minister allows that many on his council?”

Estella Fay shrugged. “I think a Prime Minister a while back started the tradition, and no one’s changed it since. They don’t want to be the one to do it, I suppose.”

“Okay. Your father is a trusted Lord on the Prime Minister’s council. So what’s making you feel like a prisoner here?”

She laughed nervously, toying with the end of her braid. “Well, you see. It’s a long story. But, the short version is that my entire family was convinced I was possessed, so my parents kept me isolated in here until I defeated Satan’s influence. But, nothing came of it, so now I’ve been in here alone for-” She paused to count on her fingers, eyebrows furrowed. “-nineteen years now. Well, not completely alone. My governess still visits.”
Artemis growled at that, sitting at the ready by Estella Fay’s side.

“And I found Artemis a couple of years back. She’s the one who finally convinced me that I need to escape!”

“A wolf convinced you to run away?”

“Well, she’s not a wolf.”

I blinked. Artemis had grey fur, with stripes and splotches of brown and black. She sat on her haunches, baring her teeth at me every few seconds.

“Then what the hell is she, a wild dog?”

“She’s an igni! You do know what those are, right?”

“Of course, I know what ignis are.” Ignis were a pretty common species, but they mostly kept to themselves. They became predators once the sun set, so they lived outdoors, far away from cities. “Why’s one living in your house?”

“Long story, again. But I’m sure Artemis will tell you in the morning! Because she’s coming with us.” Estella Fay grinned and crossed her arms. “We can be a Mister trio! A human, an alis, and an igni. Who knows what we can do?”

A Mister trio.

A Mister trio.

Three siblings, two of them with bright ginger hair and matching freckles and one with deep red hair and a jagged scar across her eye. All three smile, shushing each other’s laughter as they approach a storefront. All three of them enter.

“Mister? Mister!”

I flinched, shaking my head. My breath was too fast. Why was my breath so fast?

“Are you okay? Your hair turned ginger, and now you have all these freckles you didn’t have before.”

I swallowed, ignoring the way my throat burned. “I’m fine. Though you should know, if you want to form a team with me, I’m not exactly your textbook Mister.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have a plan, Estella Fay. I want to start a revolution. That Prime Minister your father’s working for is terrible. I’m going to overthrow him. You join me; you join my fight.”

“How are you going to accomplish that by yourself?”

“I’m not. I would die if I tried. So, will you join me, or will you let things stay the same and waste away in your father’s house?”

“Can you pick locks?”

“What?”

She stepped forward, grabbing my shoulders. She was almost a foot taller than me, and I was already taller than usual. From this angle, I could see a beauty mark in the corner of her golden eye. Worn gloves fisted the red fabric of my dress instead of warm fingers. “My governess shackled my wings together. Can you pick the lock?”

Nausea surged in my stomach. I have never been arrested; my team was too good, so I’ve never felt the weight of a handcuff or the pain of a legcuff. But I’ve heard stories of those who have. They told tales of feeling powerless and humiliated, frustrated and weak.

Is that how Estella Fay felt behind her smile? Violated and betrayed by someone she’s known her whole life? Trapped in the one place that was supposed to make her feel safer than anything?

“I can pick locks. Turn around.”

Slowly she turned, exposing her back. Such trust from a stranger felt foreign, but I couldn't focus on that now. Estella Fay's wings weren't just yellow, as I thought. They started yellow along the top but faded in colour until they were white at the tips. It was memorising, like a light getting brighter and brighter until it blinded you. But, a chain choked them around the middle, consuming their beauty and replacing it with agony.
It wasn't surprising, but it was devasting. That devastation burrowed in my bones as I unlocked the chains and let them fall into a heap on the floor.

Estella Fay stretched her wings to their full capacity, making them larger than I was. "Thank you." She turned around to face me, tears bubbling in the corners of her golden eyes, and grinned. "Thank you, Mister."

"It's Malvis. My name is Malvis."

She chuckled, scrubbing at her eyes. "Malvis. That's a pretty name."

"Thank you. I chose it myself."

She laughed harder at that. "Good choice." She took a deep breath. "We're going to join your revolution, Artemis and I. I don't know how we can help you, but we will."

"Be willing to fight. That's how you can help me."

"I can do that. Artemis can help you find what you need. Money, food, whatever. Follow her. She won't steer you wrong. There's a hole in the wardrobe that leads to a hallway. When you get back, we’ll run." She kissed the top of Artemis's head, ruffling her fur. "Good luck." Estella Fay opened the wardrobe, gesturing inside.

Artemis took the lead, pushing aside stiff clothes and gently stepping inside. On the back was an opening just large enough for a small person. I made myself smaller, ignoring Estella Fay’s shocked gasp. Artemis eased herself into the hole, and I followed, inching forward as the light of Estella Fay’s room gave way to a dark walkway.

Artemis kept her nose low to the ground, ears perked and rotating every so often. Finally, she looked back at me and gestured into the gloom ahead. The light from Estella Fay’s room disappeared, leaving me alone with Artemis in the dark.

My hands instinctively went for my neck, only for my fingers to brush against flesh. Damn! I had left my liccasapuni in Estella Fay’s room. I took a deep breath. As long as I kept low and followed Artemis’s lead, I would be fine without it.

Artemis froze, her turning towards the end of the hallway. A loud thud rang out, and I flinched. We stared into the depths of the hallway without moving a muscle.

Artemis started walking again, leading me to the ground floor. Light seeped beneath the closed kitchen door, casting dull shadows across the dining room floor. I crouched beneath the table, my hair hanging at my waist now. Hushed conversations filled the room.

Artemis darted past the stairs, disappearing into the gloom. I bit back a curse and inched forward, keeping as low to the ground as I comfortably could.

Artemis propped her paws on a small desk, looking back at me. On the desk lay a small leather coin purse.

I grabbed it and held it tight so the coins didn’t rattle against each other.

Something crashed to the floor upstairs, causing Artemis to jolt and shake the desk. The conversation in the kitchen came to a halt. The door opened, and I dove behind a chair.

“Hello?” A young girl, obviously a scullery maid based on the clothes, stepped into the parlour, holding a small candle. “Is anyone there?”

I pressed myself against the wall, controlling my breathing to be silent even as my heart pounded so fiercely that Estella Fay might be able to hear it upstairs.

“I’m staying right here until you reveal yourself.”

I couldn’t do anything to harm her. She was desperate for work and should not face punishment.

This wasn’t a confrontation I could solve through fighting; I’d have to wait this out.

Artemis growled, hidden amongst the furniture. The girl squeaked, almost dropping her candle. She hesitated a moment, eyes scanning the room, before sprinting out of the room. I stayed where I was; my entire body curled tight against the wall with just enough view of the parlour to see the door. Artemis, however, left her hiding spot almost immediately, her tail stiff and rigid.

I rolled my eyes and crept out from behind the chair. That was stupid and could’ve gotten her spotted. But it worked, so I wasn’t going to waste time complaining.

We made our way back up the stairs, moving cautiously as we finally made it back to the hole leading to Estella Fay’s room. Artemis froze right in front of it, baring her teeth and hunching over. Her ears stood straight up, and she walked painfully slow like she was approaching a dangerous predator. I kneeled by the opening, straining my ears.

"Estella Fay, this is getting ridiculous."

"I already apologised!"

I scrambled backwards, my chest burning with a sudden fire. I didn't need Estella Fay's sharp gasp to tell me my hair had changed again, now a shade of black so sharp it looked blue in the light. "Does Estella Fay need help, Artemis?"

Artemis snarled.

"You go through the wardrobe, then. I'll go through the door." I picked myself off the floor and charged through Estella Fay's bedroom door.

I did not end up in her bedroom. It was a bedroom, sure, with an oil lamp lit on the nightstand. But the bedspreads were white. The room was mute and sterile. Most of all, Estella Fay was not inside.

“Estella Fay?”

Did I take a wrong turn? There was only one door by the opening.

A sharp cry of pain rang out from behind the back wall. I cursed under my breath, pressing my ear against the wall.

“I have told you almost every day at this point. Do you think I wanted to wake up and do this to you?”

“Why did you then?” There was Estella Fay’s voice, though it was thick with tears.

“Well-” Another whimper. “-someone has to beat the devil out of you.”

Oh no. Oh, hell no.

I gritted my teeth, my hair curling so tightly that it formed a ball around my face. There had to be a door. Focus, Malvis. Find it.

The room so looked painfully ordinary. Everything was clean and straight.

Except for the dresser. It was crooked as if someone had pulled it out from the wall.

Sure enough, there was the door tucked behind it. I squeezed myself through and slammed the door open.

A tall woman stood above Estella Fay, her bronze skin slightly lighter than Estella Fay’s. Her hair hung in a stormy grey braid. Estella Fay looked up at me, hope blooming in her eyes. The woman grabbed a ruler off the table and brandished it at me. “Who are you?”

I shifted into a fighting stance, leading with my left hand. “I’m what you people fear. Nothing more, but certainly nothing less.” If I had my soap-licker, I could flay this woman alive. But I didn't, so I had to be smart instead.

The woman dropped her ruler with a sharp gasp. “Get out of this home. You’re not wanted here.”

“Oh, what a threat.” I laughed, clenching my fist. “I’ll be sure to leave right now.”

“I will fetch the Lord. He will kill you where you stand.”

“By all means, go get him.” I nodded towards the door. “Walk past me.”

She glared at me. Her entire being trembled, and she seemed ready to leap into action and tear me apart.

Well, if she could ever move, that is.

“You can’t do it, huh? That’s alright. You don’t have to. Just let us go, and you can go back to sleep.” I smiled sickeningly sweet.

Her eyes widened. “There’s more of you?”

I chuckled. “There’s always more of us, miss.”

“You’re a disease! All of you!” She spat at my feet. “You dirty the ground you walk on.”

“I guess you’ll have to clean the rug once I leave, then.” I stepped towards her, my gaze trained squarely on her darting eyes. Her breath hitched as I came close enough to touch her. “But, until then, be a dear and let us go.”

“You don’t deserve to live.”

It was hard not to flinch. Too many Misters have died in their never-ending battle for survival, which probably made this woman giddy. She’d giggle about it in knitting circles. Have you heard how many Misters died this week? Not enough.

“And makes you think you’re so much better than us? Huh?” I clenched my fists so tightly that they shook. “Is it because we’re thieves? No. It can’t be that because you rob people blind constantly. They starve in the streets while you gorge off of their wages.”

The woman backed up, face full of venom. “It’s because you have no moral decency! You break into houses-”

“You horde all of the damn food in England! What do you expect us to do? I may be capable of many things, miss. I have killed, and I have stolen. I have freed, and I have protected. But I will never-” I shoved her against the wall. “-die to appease you.”

She lunged, grabbing my shoulders and pushing me to the ground. “You Misters are all the same! You oppress good people and blame them for your sins.” She grabbed her ruler and wound up a swing.

And promptly collapsed, unconscious.

Estella Fay stood behind her, breath heaving. She held a candle bara in her shaking hands. “Are you okay?”

I stared at her. “Did you-”

“I hit her. Oh stars, I hit her.” She dropped the candlestick, covering her mouth in horror. “Is she dead?”

“She’s not dead.” I pushed the woman off and gingerly rose to my feet. “Who is that?”

Estella Fay swallowed, eyes not leaving the unconscious body. “She’s my governess. She launched on top of you, and I didn’t know what to do. I was so scared.” Her voice shattered at the end.

“But I’m okay. You did well.” I gently set a hand on her should. “Thank you.”

She nodded, sniffling. “Can we leave now?”

I nodded. “Let’s go. We only have a couple of hours of night left.”