Part One: Chapter One: The Dead Planet

Four Hundred Years Later

Chapter One

Scorpion

The Dead Planet

Scorpion was sitting on her throne, kicking her feet back and forward. Vipress, her identical twin sister, was doing the same. Vipress was wearing a grey dress, only two shades lighter than her skin, so was Scorpion. Neither of them like dresses, but their father made them wear the outfits. They both wore black leggings, and chrome colored necklaces and tiaras. 

They were little, six years old, so they wore dresses that fell just above their knees, that were fluffy and frilly, and supposed to be perfect for little princesses. Scorpion actually felt bad for Shadow, who had to wear a long, flowing gown of black silk, that reached her feet. Her hair was all up in a fancy, complicated bun except for her bangs which covered her left eye. Her hair was worn like that to hide her abnormalities that could be hidden, and so her sparkly, grey tiara would rest on her head correctly. 

Scorpion was almost jealous of Skull. He was a boy, so he never had to wear dresses, Father still made him dress up, though. He had to wear a silver dress vest over a black dress shirt, and a silver colored tie. The pants Father made him wear looked really uncomfortable, but Skull never complained, probably because he didn't have to wear itchy, puffy dresses. Vipress scowled at the bows on her shoes, Scorpion, determined that they do everything the same, looked down at her shoes and frowned too. Scorpion was most jealous of Skull because he was born extra special.

Shadow didn't really look like a Scorpio, but if someone who wasn't a Scorpio was told that Skull was, they would never believe it. He had skin that was almost the color of linen sheets, which were only used by commoners like Scorpion's best friend, Scalene. His hair was such a light blonde, you'd have thought it was white too. His eyes were bright blue, which was a rare color on their planet, and he was tall and muscular. That last part was common in Scorpios, all men were tall and muscular there.

The royal girls were the only girls allowed to be really strong. Scorpion's father made that rule up, because he thought strong girls were too wild, and they'd rise up against him, but also thought that his own daughters would never turn against him. He was wrong, though, Shadow was a rebel. Only Scorpion and Vipress knew just how rebellious she really was. She and Vipress both looked over to Shadow at the same time, as though they'd been thinking about the exact same thing. Shadow turned her head towards them, just slightly, and winked. Scorpion winked back, knowing Vipress probably did the same. 

Her father was giving a really boring speech about the Galactic force army, and their next steps to take them down, and Scorpion wasn't listening. She was too busy wondering, why on Scorpio girls wore dresses and boys didn't. She didn't want to think about fighting right now, she wanted to think about getting out of her princess outfit. She didn't want to be sitting on her throne, she wanted to be sitting in a blackwood tree. She didn't want to be holding a black scepter with a grey skull on the top, she wanted to be holding a wooden practice sword or a book about really easy magic spells.

She usually didn't have to do things unless she wanted to, but she wasn't allowed to argue with her father. She and Vipress looked at each other at the same time with a bored expression. They both stuck their tongues out at each other, then looked away. Skull and Shadow weren't the only ones in the family born special, actually, everyone in the Scorpio family was, you just couldn't see what was special about Scorpion and Vipress. 

Scorpion and Vipress had skills most people had to earn or get in an accident or something. Scorpion's bones were almost indestructible and she could lift things nobody her age could, except for Vipress. Vipress was just as strong, but her bones were normal Scorpio bones, her other special trait was that her hair was alive, and she controlled it with her mind.

There were some types of aliens with snakes for hair or something similar, a few of them went to visit the aliens on Earth called Humans, and were killed by Earth's warrioirs. It was strange that Earth called their warrioirs heros, because heros saved people from bad guys, not killed people because they were scarry, maybe they had a different meaning for the word hero, or the name of their warrioirs had been lost in translation. 

For the aliens that had living hair, each piece of their hair had a seperate mind, like with the fallen hero Medusa from that one planet with a whole bunch of mountains and jungles that Scorpion could never pronounce the name of, but for Vipress she was completely in control of it, so it usually just fanned out behind her like it was caught in a wind when it really wasn't. Finally, her father sat down on his throne and motioned for Scorpion to stand and share her opinion, all of his children had to do that, but, since Scorpion and Vipress were still little, they were supposed to say something cute to the people that were supposed to adore them, but only really pretended to. 

Scorpion walked up to the podium, then, pretending she hadn't realized she couldn't reach the microphone, she walked back to Vipress, who stood up and whispered in her ear,

"This is so stupid." Then, pointed to behind the thrones where there was a silver step stool. 

Scorpion gave a cute little embarrassed smile that was not like her at all, and dragged the stool over to the podium, making sure to trip once and give another nervous smile while everyone forced a good-natured laugh, except for her father, who was actually laughing slightly, as always, thinking Scorpion and Vipress were just the cutest thing.

Scorpion then stepped up to the microphone, her head barely peaking over the desk-like surface in front of her, and reached up high to tip the microphone down so she could talk into it. 

"I think we should send a whole bunch of pixites into their base, 'cause that'll distract them." Scorpion said, trying to pretend she actually believed what she was saying.

The collective audience gave another forced laugh and a long, drawn out;

"Aw." Scorpion knew she was not good at being cute, but everyone had to pretend she was, and so did she. She didn't want to be cute, she wanted to be taken seriously. 

She didn't want to suggest stupid ideas like pixites, which were tiny, green, fairy-like creatures with small, bird-like wings and teeth like needles. If she was going to sit through one of these she wanted to actually contribute to something, and not just be there, she knew Vipress felt the same way.

"It's important to distract them, so they'll be distracted." How stupid was that? Everyone laughed again, but it wasn't funny, it was idiotic. Scorpion was smart for her age, and she hated acting like a dumb, spoiled princess, who was still the nicest thing in the world.  

"They get in my daddy's way too much," since when did she ever say 'daddy', "and they're annoying, so we should distract them with pixites." She really felt stupid saying things like that, and suddenly envied Vipress who did not have to, because Father had given her one, scripted line to say, and it almost was cute... almost. "That's all everybody, bye, bye." She stepped down off the stool, making a disgusted face at Vipress, who stuck her tongue out at her.

She stepped up to the microphone and said in a loud voice;

"I think you should all listen to my sissy, 'cause she's the smart one." Everyone laughed again, a few of them sounded a little less forced. "Bye, bye." She turned, jumped off of the silver stool, and made the same face Scorpion had made, then sat down on the throne with a stupid grin, both of them resumed kicking their feet.

Shadow was then called to stand. Scorpion knew Father had told her to flaunt how powerful she was... not that Scorpion knew what flaunt meant. She was pretty sure that meant Shadow was supposed to show off, though. Shadow stood from her throne and, with a lazy flick of her hand, sent the stool soaring gracefully through the air, landing behind the thrones, once more. The crowd hushed in awed amazement. 

They were so amazed because witches and mages needed a wand or staff, but Shadow, Scorpion, and Vipress practiced a different kind of magic, one that was popular in the Galactic Force army. They did pythonissam craft, magic that was very hard to pull off, the only life forms able to do it were Chrysalides, Scorpios, Araneas,  and, rumor had it, humans.

It seemed that she couldn't be bothered to lift the microphone up, herself, so she just snapped her fingers, and it straitened itself for her. She stepped up closer to the microphone, cleared her throat and launched into a speech about stopping supplies from getting to the Galactic Force base of operation on Wolfite. Then she started talking about stricter rules about leaving the planets their father controlled. When she sat back down she looked thoroughly disgusted with herself.

Skull then took over the microphone and started talking about almost exactly what Shadow said, then, where Shadow ended, he said;

"I also think that it is imperative to rid the Galactic Force Army of their Pythonissi, the Scorpio Empire is the only place for such skill and power, and, as my wonderful sister has already proved, our royal family is perfectly adept for using that power." 

The deal couldn't end fast enough for Scorpion, and she was sure Vipress felt the same way.  Finally, Skull sat back down, and Father dismissed everyone. Once everyone had cleared out of the hall, Scorpion, Vipress, and Shadow took off toward their rooms. 

"I'll race you two to the playground." Shadow called, as she slipped into her room, closing the door. Scorpion and Vipress both ran into the room they shared, closed the door, and immediately changed out of the dresses and tiaras they hated so much.

They did like to dress the same, though, it was fun to confuse people, but Vipress liked the color green best, and Scorpion liked the color red best, so sometimes they just dressed simalarly. This was one of thoes times. They wore catsuites a lot, because Shadow said they were best for Pythosiamm Warriors and that's what all three of them wanted to be. The catsuites they wore were always black, so were the hooded cloaks and pointed hats. Scorpion had a crimson ribbon around her hat, Vipress had a deep green one, Shadow a plumb ribbon. They each had an animal on the back of their cloaks. Vipress had a green snake, Scorpion a crimson cat, and Shadow a purple raven.

Scorpion and Shadow had both chosen animals they'd only ever read about. Shadow could transform into a raven whenever she wanted. She used a mimicry spell, so really she only looked and moved like a raven. Scorpion couldn't turn into a cat, and Vipress could not turn into a snake... yet. Both were determined to figure it out, and be like Shadow. The twins both had little black ankle boots with tiny heels, and zippers and buckles. Shadow had a similar pair, but hers were tall, spike heels. Scorpion's had red heels, Vipress's were green, Shadow's were purple, almost everything Shadow owned had purple on it, so, naturally, Scorpion and Vipress had to have their favorite colors on everything too.

Shadow kept journals full of her adventures and magic she'd learned, so Vipress and Scorpion kept journals as well. They were little, black, leather journals with an animal surrounded by plants of the same color on the cover. Scorpion's cat was surrounded by Oleander, Vipress's was Nightshade, and Shadow's by Aconite. Scorpion's favorite plant didn't grow on Scorpio either. Nightshade and Aconite did, but they had been genetically engineered so they could, so they'd lost their magical properties. Vipress's friend, Foxglove, had once tried to eat Nightshade, and Shadow had to mix up a special antidote for her. That had happened at the playground.

When the three sisters talked about the playground, they didn't mean an actual playground, they were actually talking about a secret place they had, a ring of blackwood and weeping willow trees, with a huge pond with waters as black as the oceans on Scorpio that sat in the middle, surrounded by all sorts of animals that only lived there; Albino Werewolves, Witch Hounds, Argenti Daemoniums, Ferai, and water dwelling Malum Pisces. 

By the time they got there, Shadow's cloak, hat, and shoes were on a rock near the pond and she, in her waterproof clothes, was swimming in the dark waters of the pond, Malum Pisces jumping around her. They were really quite friendly, even though they didn't look it. They were slim, long fish that were the same color as the water they inhabited, with spikes up and down their backs and on their fins, mean-looking, red eyes, and sharp, needle like teeth. Scorpion had a pet there. She was a Fera named Insidea. Fera were little round balls of fluff that came in just about every color imaginable, had huge eyes, usually the opposite color of their fur, and tiny, peachy colored feet. They moved around by either hopping or rolling. They had mean tempers, though, and were very venomous. 

Insidea was pink and had bright green eyes. There were only thirteen Ferai on Scorpio anymore, they couldn't blend in with their surroundings anymore. Most people didn't know, but Scorpio was once a beautiful planet with blue skies, green grass everywhere, snow topped mountains, forests, blue oceans, lakes, ponds, streams, flowers, deserts, and all sorts of animals. Scorpio and Crysalide were the only two planets to ever have Ferai. Crysalide was supposed to be the only one now, but Shadow had found two Ferai, and took care of them, and they had little babies, so now Scorpion was helping to take care of the Ferai. Vipress had a pet Argenti Daemonium. They were bright silver, otter-like animals with black, cavernous eyes and similar mouths that were always stretched in a demonic smile.

There weren't very many of those left either. They only lived on Scorpio and Malum, and there were only four left here, two boys and two girls, and one of the girls was chubby. Shadow told Scorpion and Vipress that that one was going to have babies soon. Scorpion didn't know how she could tell that, but took her word for it. Vipress's pet was named Wolfsbane. Shadow said that plant grew on Scorpio too, and she pointed it out, but Scorpion was pretty sure that Shadow was confused about what plant they were talking about, because she had pointed at aconite. Scorpion didn't tell her that, though. She took off her cloak, hat, and shoes too, then she jumped into the water, and at the exact same time, Vipress and Wolfsbane jumped in too.

A Witch Hound came walking up to the edge of the pond and got a drink. Witch Hounds on Scorpio were much different than the Witch Hounds anywhere else. They were skeletal dog-like creatures with holes for eyes that witches and pythonissams often kept as pets. They were native only to Scorpio, and there were only twenty of them left. Scorpion laughed, happily, and pat the Witch Hound's nose. She loved going to the playground.

Author's Note

Yeah... I'm sure this is dumb.

Reviews

[Goulden Bean]

Sounds like you got the beginnings of something interesting here. Familial politics in a royal family can make for very gripping drama, and I'm curious to see more how this may unfold. From what I can tell, the princesses aren't too fond of their role in their father's court. Makes me wonder if any royal usurpers might try to appeal to them? Or maybe a foreign government, like that Galactic Force that's being mentioned, might contact them to undermine the royal administration?

I do feel, though, that this chapter lacks tension. You've focused on the worldbuilding, letting us know a bit about Scorpio's past and some of the species they encounter. However, we need some tension to keep us reading. You say it yourself, their father's speech is boring. Try to start us off with something shocking. Maybe a great battle has just occurred? Or someone has been assassinated? Maybe a high-profile criminal has been apprehended or sentenced? If you're going for something gentler, it can also be emotions running high in the family and maybe a shouting match has occurred. That way the reader will be more invested in what's happening.

As another note, you may want to differentiate your characters' names more. Between Scorpion, Shadow and Skull I had a hard time keeping them apart. Besides the alliteration, they all have similar feelings, the same kind of "connotation", with dark scary things. Think about making them more unique, and I feel that you'll be able to develop them more easily that way. You've got a cool idea here, and I'm curious to see where it will go.

[Scorpion Flametail]

Thank you for your feed back. Please keep reading and commenting.

[LyraStar]

I agree with Goulden bean on the last paragraph, I can't really tell them THAT apart...