We wait until night falls.

Davor surveys the SINTRA soldiers from our hidden position, crouched in the high grass.

It takes a lot of effort to stop myself from racing down the mountain and flinging myself at the soldiers, but I resist the urge. It would be stupid and senseless, yes, but watching my beloved Garna turned into a war zone is beyond painful.

All the grass had turned into dirt and mud. The buildings I once called home are now inhabited by strangers. And even from here I can tell that the Luba herd has been thinned out.

All of that anger fills every inch of me, every single space of my body is teeming with rage. They’ll rue the day they messed with Leah Booker.

When the planet falls quiet, we make our move. The soldiers have all retreated to the silo’s for the night, and we slide down the hill as quietly as possible.

We slip past every silo we have seen soldiers enter, and I use my powers to disable the locks, boxing them inside.

They’ll be in for quite a surprise when they wake up tomorrow morning.

As we creep through the settlement, a pack of Rinjin cross our path. I’m happy to see that the crafty buggers are still roaming freely, despite our past differences.

However, I do fear that they’re going to belt out their familiar shrill cries and rouse the entire camp, but instead, they move out of the way and point silently towards the laser-powered fences.

“They sense your power,” Davor whispers. “And want us to save the Luba.”

“How do you know that?” I whisper back.

Davor shrugs. “I don’t know?” He whispers back. “I just… do.”

We tip-toe towards the fences, and once we reach it, my heart skips a beat.

The Luba are looking even worse than I feared. They are pale and famished, their firm, round bodies now nothing but bones and loose skin.

“Those bastards,” I mutter. “Those bastards!”

The Luba catch my scent and start cooing. The familiar sound is somehow different, it’s… sad.

“They’ve missed you,” Davor whispers. “I think I can… hear their thoughts…”

I turn to my mate. “You can communicate with animals?!” I whisper excitedly.

He frowns. “I think I can. On Garna, at least.”

“Do you know what the soldiers have been doing to them?”

He concentrates, and then a look of pain flashes by. “You don’t want to know.”

Even though Davor doesn’t want to tell me, I catch hints of it, due to our close connection. And it fills me with rage — rage strong enough that I can’t control it. Not anymore.

“Those BASTARDS!”

I point my hands at the laser-fences, my hands shaking with anger, and I tear the entire thing down with a mighty racket using my powers. The fence is shattered, and the Luba coo wildly as they storm out, slamming their hips and butts past us both as they stampede out.

I believe it’s their way of saying thanks.

“Hey! What the hell?!”

Two SINTRA soldiers come sprinting towards us, alerted by the noise.

I am still seething as I turn towards them. This time, using my powers takes no effort at all. Using nothing but my mind I simply unfurl the metal in the Silo that they are standing next to into long tendrils, which I then snake around their legs and wrists, locking them into place tightly.

Davor is shocked, as are the two soldiers. They tug and thrash, but there’s no way they’re getting out of their predicament.

“I didn’t know you could do that,” he says.

“Neither did I,” I admit, breathing heavily. I walk up to the soldiers with purpose. “Where is everyone?” I say.

“We’ll never tell you, you freak,” one of them bites. “Aren’t you supposed to be on New Exon?!”

“Perhaps,” I say.

“Just wait till the general gets back. You’ll regret this,” the soldier barks.

I tighten the metal beams around their wrists some more, screwing their arms behind their backs, and the soldiers wince with pain.

“If you want to keep your arms, I suggest you start being more cooperative,” I say.

A lie, of course. Though I’m seething with rage, I’m not going to tear their freaking arms off. However, they don’t know that.

“The Growhouse,” the left soldier cries out. “We rounded everyone up into the Growhouse!”

I know the road to the Growhouse like the back of my hand. We rush over there, and find that the SINTRA soldiers have re-purposed it.

This was where we grew crops and stored our own food, but they’ve turned it into a prison. They are rows upon rows of barred off rooms, with the aid workers locked behind them.

“Daddy!” I cry when I see my father. I run towards him, the metal cage unfolding itself before me as I run straight towards him.

“Leah?!” he says. “What the?!”

I fling my arms around him and hug him tightly, before hugging my mom a moment later. Both of them are absolutely perplexed.

“I was so worried,” I say, my tears welling up. Now that I’m close, I see his face is bruised, and his nose is crooked. “What did they do to you?”

“Nothing,” he chuckles. “A bit of rough housing. They said we were hiding you. I wish we were! We thought… bad things. You’re alive. You’re alive!”

For the first time in my life my father cries. All around us the other aid workers wake up, and an excited buzz fills the room.

“It’s hard to explain,” I say. “You were right: I am Chosen. And this is, well, the one I’m Chosen to be with: Davor.”

My mate bows politely. “A pleasure to finally meet you,” he says.

“What about the soldiers?!” My father says. “You shouldn’t have come back.”

“Don’t worry,” I say. “I’ve learned a trick or two since I’ve been gone.”

“Yes, I see that,” he says. “The metal just… bended before you, as if it were water… How?”

I shake my head. “I can’t explain it all, it’s connected to Davor, and to the Rift, and there’s this prophecy. It’s a whole thing dad, trust me. Right now, I just want to free everyone, and then deal with SINTRA once and for all.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea, dear.”

I free the other aid workers one by one, unlocking everyone’s doors as I pass by them. I don’t think I’ve ever received so many hugs in my life, or cried so much.

I was afraid these people would think I’m a freak when my powers first manifested, but I see now that fear was unfounded. These are my people. They are my tribe.

Everyone gathers around, just like before, at my parent’s Silo. Only then, I was helpless.

Now, Davor and I are brimming with righteous fury.

The ‘general’ is on his way back from New Exon. And when he comes, we’ll be waiting.