• I calmly walked out of the bathroom, ready for everything that was going to happen that day. I yawned and then opened my eyes wide. Wide enough to see my brother's room door was shut. I growled and pounded on his door.

    "Kedai! You had better be ready or I'm going to come in there and kick your a**!"

    "You're going to kiss my a**?" He asked. "It's about time!"

    "Damn you, little brother..." I muttered, bowing my head. Nonetheless, my hands curled into fists and I opened the door, slamming it against the wall with fire in my eyes. The smug smirk on his goofy twelve-year-old face disappeared as I stomped toward him. He was ready to go out to my graduation, but after that comment, I wasn't exactly ready to show mercy. I picked him up by his shirt, swooping him off his bed and holding him in front of my face. I pulled my arm back, getting ready for a nice, hard punch.

    "N-no no, Lucy!" He said, putting his hands up and waving them back and forth like I had it all wrong. "I-it was j-just a joke! You can take a joke, r-right?"

    "It's my day, today, Kedai, I think you can lay off the 'jokes' today." He started nodding wildly. I lifted him up further and dropped him. He fell on his rear and watched me closely as I walked out of his room and slammed the door. I cracked my knuckles and looked at the clock. It was almost time to leave. I sighed and walked down the hall. I lightly knocked on the door.

    "Mom? Are we leaving soon?"

    "Just a moment, dear!" I heard from inside. "Are your brothers ready?"

    "I think it's safe to say they are. I haven't checked on Lev, but he's usually ready on time. Kedai's ready, I think." Mother opened her bedroom door. She was in a long, semi-formal white dress. Her long, light blond hair was in a complicated braid and her beautiful face had little make-up on it. She wore white sandals that strapped around her ankles. She was pretty and practical, classic Mother.

    "You look so pretty!" She said with a motherly smile across her face. I looked away.

    "Jeez, mom, it's just semi-formal..." I was wearing a tight, uncomfortable braid and a dress shirt with black pants. It was so formal, I wanted to jump in some mud.

    "But you're never this gussied up! You're so adorable!"

    "Okay, let's just leave now, please?" I said rolling my eyes. I walked down the hall with Mom behind me. I knocked on Lev's door while Mom looked over Kedai.

    "Lev? You ready?" Lev had taken the weekend off for my graduation. He didn't have his own place yet, so he stayed with us in his old bedroom. After the war. He was appointed lieutenant of the Local Protection. He helped guard the city from attacks and sometimes patrolled the city to watch for local crimes. All men and women in lower ranks in the military must stay in the military dorms. They are allowed to visit their family, but have to wait for a higher rank to have their own house. If you're a higher rank, but you want to stay at the dorms, you can be moved to a special, more luxurious part of the dorms. That's where Lev lived.

    Lev opened the door and smiled warmly.

    "I'm ready!" He said. He was wearing a suit as well, and his long, sleek hair was tied back into a ponytail. He put his hand on my shoulder. "I am proud to be your brother, Lucy. You're becoming a full-fledged ninja today! And you had straight A's all through school, in body and mind. You'll make history." Another smile, and then we walked out the door and started down the road to the school.

    He said I'd make history, but was that good, or bad?