Prologue
Once when the world was old there arose a great power, a little girl of the name Skyelar. Along with her mate and her friends they form the paradox squad to return the world to its former glory.


Skyelar live in a community where males and females live separately and only come together or special occasions. When a child turns 16, the community matches the child with a person of a different sex of the same age and sends them off into the wilderness for five years.

Chapter 1 – Skyelar
"Skyelar," Maria mother calls,” time to wake up and greet the day." Skyelar's eyes blinked open as she pulls her homespun quilt off her thin cold body exposing it to the wind chill morning. Skyelar pulls on blue gray cotton dress which reaches all the way down to her ankles. As she tied her auburn hair back into a long woven braid, she thought only one more week till my 16th birthday. Skyelar headed out of her bedroom and down the hall to the big living area she shared with her mother, grandmother and four younger sisters. Skyelar knew she had a dad but in her community it wasn't right to talk about the other sex. "Good morning all" 12-year-old Rainne says while walking into the living area from her room, "are you getting excited Skyelar to see who your mate will be?"
"Most definitely," Skyelar answer to her little sister. Both the girls walked to the big wooden table that they ate every meal at and sat down waiting to be served. While they were waiting eight-year-olds Luna and Lena and six-year-old Hattie run into the room and announced in a week they'll be nine and seven.
"We know we know" Skyelar and Rainne said in unison, "I think you been telling us for about two months."
"But we are so excited and when you are nine you get to meet boys at the parties." Lena and Luna say excitedly.
"And, and, and when you're seven you can stop wearing your hair in pigtails and where it in a braid." Hattie answers.
"All right all right, girls sit down breakfast time" Maria and their grandmother says coming into the room with big plates of eggs and pancakes.
With everyone sitting they pass around the eggs and pancakes and all the juices on the table and jibber jabber about the days to come.
As soon as breakfast was done Skyelar and Rainne clear the table, helped Luna, Lena, and Hattie dress long dark purple and dark green dresses and braided Luna and Lena hair and then put Hattie's hair in two perfectly equal pigtails. Skyelar and Rainne gather up all their school belongings and walked out the door to the high – middle school they attended in the center of the village. Skyelar and Rainne bid each other goodbye and walked into the classrooms. As walking into her classroom Skyelar was greeted by her two best friends, Kayliah and Snowe.
"Are you getting excited Skyelar?,” asked Kayliah timidly.
"Of course Kay” Skyelar answered perfectly, "only a week away"
"Who do you think it will be?" Snowe questioned
"I think it might be Niger or Jimson" Kaiah answered, "I just hope it's not Nikolai."
As Skyelar and her friends took their seats the bell rang in class began. After being school for hours straight they break for the midday meal. The midday meal normally consisted of water or milk, a turkey or ham sandwich, salad and a cookie for dessert. These meals started from the time you're five years old until you've 16 years old. During the school day and learned about how the world use to be a crazy mess with people picking their own mates and males and females lived in the same house. Finally at 3:30 PM school is completed. Skyelar and friends meet up Rainne and her two best friends, Naylah and Daye and they all walk home together. "What do you have for homework Skyelar?" Rainne asked
"I have woodland geography and survival skills homework" Skyelar responded "what do you have"
"I have stinking all about boys work" Rainne complained. At a 4:45 Luna, Lena, Hattie arrive home with their share of uninteresting homework. School for the girls is majority about learning about being mothers and to be strong. Dinner was served at six o'clock sharp and it was like every other dinner of some type of fish, some type of meat, salad, soup and either water or milk and this time ice cream for dessert. "How was your day girls?" Maria asked
"Great" all five girls say in unison, "we guess"
Grandmother walks in and announces that there is a town of emergency and Maria must go and help the female in need. Maria rushes out of the room so fast is like she was never there at all. Grandmother explains to Hattie, Lena and Luna glancing at their confused faces, that Maria, their mother was the chief female and when a woman or girl was in trouble it was her responsibility to help them. Another time she goes is to meet with the chief male, your father. "Our fa- fat- father is chief male?" Rainne stutters. "Yes Rainne, our father's chief male” Skyelar says meanly. Skyelar goes on to explain that their father and mother were destined when they were matched to become the new chief male and female like grandmother did and her mate. And it is the youngest female of the chief female that will become the next chief. Hattie's eyes meet Skyelar's and they share a look that only an older to younger sister could have. Around 7:30 PM Maria returns and beckons Skyelar, Rainne and their younger sisters to her in the large living area. The girls all snuggled in their night clothes from Hattie in her calf length nightgown and her dark red hair dangling in the middle of her back, Lena and Luna in short knee-high nightgowns that coordinate with the color of their age with their identical bright red hair and freckled faces looking at their mother, Rainne in knee-high shorts and a tank top and her long strawberry blond hair falling all the way to her waist clutching to her mother's every word and to Skyelar with shorts that barely covered her thighs and the shirt that cutoff right before her stomach representing her majority and her auburn hair flowing all the way to her thighs listened to the announcement their mother made. "My dear dear girls your birthdays have been moved up to the day after tomorrow" Maria sides with big relief after telling them. "Really, why mom" Skyelar asked curiously.
"My dear Skyelar the one that called me Kayliah and Naylah's mother asking me if the birthday ceremony for all the girls could be moved up" Maria answered "due to the fact that her due date of her young son the day of the original ceremony and she would be away in the male village that day Kayliah was matched with her mate."
"I guess that is a valid reason" Skyelar says. After the conversation with their mother the girls one by one shuffled off into their beds Hattie to the closest room off the main living area, to Lena and Luna in the biggest sleeping chamber of the house because two people slept there. And Rainne to her bright blue bedroom and finally it is just Skyelar and her mother sitting in the main room. Skyelar’s mother smoothed the hair on her head and kissed her little girl who in two days would be an adult off with a male. Maria knew of her daughter’s future, of the prophecy it follows but right now she is enjoying her 15-year-old daughter as she was.