The world changed.

It wasn't always like this- I know that for sure- because I can remember walking deep in the forests, bow and quiver on my back, my eyes looking up to the top of the tall trees were sunlit flittered through the branches and leaves.

But those trees have been replaced with skyscrapers- apartment buildings, offices, hotels. cities.

No one else that I've asked remembers, and I've learned not to ask about Before.

Sometimes, really late at night, or when I get home from school, I wonder if I'm just imagining a time before to make myself feel better. But then my eyes turn to the windows, and I look up into the sky, or across the still busy street to the small park, and I know that I'm not just making it up.

There was a time before, and it was the right time. not this fake, high tech excuse for a world.

Although really, it probably wasn't much different back then. Not in the social part at least.

Humans were at the top. They always had been, and always will be- just because there were so many of them, and they were and are so strong in ways that the rest of us cannot understand.

Next would be, and are, E'latians. They are a lot like us elves, only they have more magic, they are more beautiful, and they are as cruel as a starving wolf.

Those two races rule the world, as they always have. They share their power, each trying to be better than the other, raising prices, building factories, making cities. leaving the rest of us ages behind.

Elves are a minority, and because of that, none of us are rich or well known. My parents both work fulltime- my father is a police man, and my mother is a nurse in one of the large hospitals nearby. My older sister, Kharrian, is a scholar, a scientist of types, but her job isn't going to well, although she is trying.

I'm not old enough to work yet, although.

I glanced outside into the rain, watching the blurry lights of the humans' cars and the Riders' motorcycles zoom past, far below me.

My Day of Coming was today, now that I thought about it. It was the Spring Solstice, the day when all elves who had turned sixteen over the past year picked the fix stones out of the water, and dropped them on the floor. Depending on how they dropped, you discovered your purpose.

That's one of the traditions that I remember from Before. I remember when Kharrian dropped her stones. Back then, the ceremony had been in a clearing in our forest, and everyone was dressed in their finest clothes. Long, white and golden flags and banners had flapped gently in the wind.

I shook my head. Maybe I shouldn't try to think about Before. after all, there was enough to worry about now.

I set my bag of books down on the kitchen table in our apartment, and curled up in a chair, my eyes falling to the doorway. I was always home first, but my mother came home next, always carting a huge stack of books and papers on her patients. Lately, the King Elf's (each clan has a king) youngest son, Tarrian, who's my age, has been helping her as she gets out of the elevator at our floor, and carrying half of her work. He's nice. but too quiet. I don't mind him really, just his older brother, the Crown Prince. He's a year older than Kharrian, and he's been trying to court her for the past few months. It's annoying, but Kharrian doesn't notice. It's not like her to notice things like that.

The door opened, and I heard my mother lustily thank the prince. I turned my face away, sighing, prepared to be asked why I hadn't started dinner, gotten milk, or even bothered to clean my room.

I wasn't going to tell her why- she'd only worry if she knew about the gang of Kyliaen Elves who roamed the streets near my school.

I was a Daerylian Elf, my clan was different. We had dark, curly hair, very different from the almost pearly white of all other elves and E'latians. We were one of the smallest clans, a poor, dying race. Because of it, I was picked on at school, and I knew that my younger sister, Kali was too.

Mother wouldn't understand. There was no reason to tell her.

"Karigan? Are you home?" My mother asked, dropping her bags near the front door.

"Yes." I glanced out of the window, watching as droplets of rain slid down the glass, forcing myself not to think that these were my last hours of my free life. Once I was given my life job, there was no way of escaping it.

"Exicted?" My mother asked, giving it away that she was excited for me.

I thought about the question. "No. Not really." But I was. Very excited. Or maybe I was nervous. I don't know. Most Daerylian Elves knew what they were going to be. but I had no clue. I sighed inwardly. I supposed that I'd see.

"Oh! You didn't get milk! You knew that we needed some," My mother stepped into the kitchen, disappointment written on her features.

"Sorry." I looked to the side, out of the window again, "I forgot the money in my room this morning."

"It's alright than. Do you want me to do your hair for the Coming?" She asked, smiling proudly down at me.

Another pause. "Sure."

My mother got to work, brushing out my long, dark hair, tucking it behind my pointed ears, and wrapping it around the back of my head stylishly. She stuck barrettes in it, and then stood back, admiring her work. "Ah, Kari, you look beautiful!"

"Thanks." I glanced at myself in a mirror, and then looked at my mother, smiling quickly. "It's not hard, is it?"

She laughed, and squeezed my shoulder. "Of course its not, silly!"

I grinned, and replied, "Well you never know. So." I searched around, almost desperately, for something to talk about, "what's for dinner?"

My mother raised her eyebrows. "Whatever you want."

"Oh. Um." I didn't know what I wanted. "I dunno. Whatever we have, I guess." It was rare when we got what we wanted to eat for dinner- usually it was whatever we could forage up- nothing special.

Suddenly, the door banged open, and Kali and Kharrian entered, arguing loudly.

"No! Seriously, Kali, that's not even funny!" Kharrian snapped, chucking her bag against the floor.

"You're just a boring old human!" Kali retorted, slamming the door behind her.

"Mom? Did you hear that?" Kharrian stuck her head into the kitchen. "Shouldn't she get punished or something for that? Oh hi, Kari."

"Hey, Kharrian." I yawned, and made my way into the room shared by myself and my three sisters. Kharrian and Kali argued a lot. I guess that it was just their thing.

"Kari! Seriously- today isn't your Coming, is it?" Kali had followed me in.

I laughed at her. "Yeah it is!"

"Oh. Right. I totally forgot!" Kali blushed, and sat down on her bed, bouncing slightly. "What do you think you'll be?"

I shrugged. "Dunno."

Kali screwed up her eyes. "Aww. maybe a thief. Do y'know how neat that'd be?"

"Pretty cool." I said, yawning.

Kali sat there, and turned her head to the side, watching me silently. "You aren't hardly as excited as Kharrian was for hers! I remember." Kali suddenly paused, and I looked up. Would she remember how it used to be? No. I could see herself making up her history, blocking out the truth. "I remember how we all crowded downstairs and she wouldn't shut up about it. You didn't like it though, because you thought it was a stupid way of choosing your career."

"It was. And it still is," I informed her, yawning. "Really, a bunch of stones?"

"Magical stones!" Kali said, making her eyes go all big and wiggling her eyebrows. "Yeah- I know what you mean."

We sat quietly for a few moments, until I yawned, and muttered, "I'd better get changed."

"Yeah. I guess you should," Kali agreed, stretching out on her bed, closing her eyes.

I glanced at her, smiled quickly, and then pulled off my plaid, old skirt, pulling my nicer, blue one over myself. Being mindful of my hair, I pulled my normal, gray t-shirt over my head, and replaced it with a button up white blouse. Better, but still nothing compared to the stunning elegance of Kharrian's Coming.

Oh well.

I walked out of the bedroom, into the main room, where my mom and Kharrian were sitting on the couch, talking.

"Oh, you look very nice," My mom said, smiling.

"Thanks." I sat down next to her and yawned. "Almost time yet?" I asked.

"Almost. There's about half an hour." My mom closed her eyes slightly, before reopening them.

I was impressed. My mother had a special magic with telling time. She always knew if she was early or late to something, or what specific time it was.

I nodded, and asked, "is it alright if I get there super early? I just want to." I shrugged, looking at her.

She smiled. "Of course. Just be in the basement in time!"

I stood up, and made my way outside into the hall, glancing to make sure that no one else was in the hallway before turning the opposite way from the elevator to the stairs which led up to the roof.

"It's raining, stupid," I muttered to myself, walking on anyway.

My family lived on the top floor. It's a sort of. nobility thing, which level you live on. My parent's are high nobles, which is why we live right next door to the royal family. It's alright some times, but annoying when you want to get to the room or outside quickly.

Of course, I usually used the roof. but not many of the others know that you can get up there.. Which is why I'm up there a lot.

I grinned at the thought. No, I wasn't really anti-social or anything. I just enjoyed being alone sometimes, trying to remember Before.

I reached the window at the edge of the hall, and pressed my forehead against it, biting my lip, trying to decide if I wanted to go up and risk a spell growing weak and wetting wet, or taking it safe and staying inside. Wisely, I chose the latter.

However, I kept my head pressed against the cold glass, trying to cherish the last minutes of my really 'free' life. Once the ceremony was done, I'd be entitled to do whatever I was truly meant to do- not something that I had ever looked forward to.

"Hey! Karigan, is that you?"

I turned around, surprised to see Prince Tarrian standing, looking mightily uncomfortable in an ancient suit and tie.

I couldn't help myself- I laughed at the miserable look on his face. "Oh my- I don't think I've ever seen you wearing that before!"

"I tend to avoid it," he admitted, grinning a little. "Are you anxious too?"

I nodded, suddenly realizing that he might be one of the very few other elves currently living in our clan who didn't know what was going to become of him. After all, he couldn't just be a prince- that wasn't exactly a job, unless you were the crown prince, where you'd become King. But no- he was the second born- useless to the King.

"Heck yeah. I have no idea." I shook my head, letting out a long sigh.

"I know how you feel. Hey, wanna head down? Better early than late." He turned slightly, and then glanced over his shoulder at me.

"Sure."

Together, we walked to the old elevator, waiting patiently as it slowly climbed up the many levels, finally stopping at the top. We got in, and then headed down to the basement, where the Coming had been held ever since Before.

There were already a few other people- there were only ten elves who were my age in our were so small.

I shook my head quickly, and followed Tarrian up to the table, where a bucket with five normal looking stones was placed.

"My brother said it was easy enough- and that they've never guessed wrong," the young prince said, looking into the bucket.

I let out a nervous laugh. "Well, that's good!"

"Yeah," he agreed, letting out his breath, "but none the less."

We stepped back, away from the table, and I sat down in one of the plastic chairs set out for the occasion.

I twiddled my thumbs, tapped my knees together, not really talking to anyone else, and trying not to think about the thing which I wanted to think about the most.

What would become of me?

What if- what the stones were wrong- and I didn't want to become what I was destined to be?

I bit my lip as the older and younger elves of our clan began filing in, talking cheerfully and waving to us.

I saw my family enter, and Kali and Kharrian waved to me. I didn't fail to notice that the Crown Prince was walking next to Kharrian, holding her hand.

He winked at Tarrian, who rolled his eyes and leaned over to me. "Tahnran's obsessed with your sister, you know."

"Yeah, I know," I said, forcing a sort of nervous and strained smile on my face, not really able to concentrate on anything but my nerves.

It seemed like hours until the last of our clan entered into the large, dirty, smelly basement of the apartment building, and the large, steel doors shut behind them.

One of the elders got up to give a speech, but I wasn't listening- I couldn't- I don't think. couldn't- where would my stones land? What if I ended up being stupid?

My insides twisted as Tarrian's name was called, and he stepped forward. I didn't fail to notice the slight quiver in his legs as he walked forward.

Feeling terrified for him, I stared as he slowly picked up the stones, moved them around in his hands, and then dropped them loudly on the floor.

The three elderly elves leaned over, and nodded, opening their books to confirm their ideas. "Yes," the eldest said, smiling, "you are to be a doctor, Tarrian."

He bowed, and flushed, moved to the chairs across from the main groups.

"Karigan?" The elf next to me nudged me. "It's your turn."

Feeling empty and knowing that I was probably a bright red, I stumbled up to the stones, picked them up from were Tarrian had left them, and held them in my hand.

Please be good! I whispered to myself, shutting my eyes.

And I dropped the stones.