Free Shattered Destiny by Shay West

Volgon, her red hair flying about her livid face. “I will do no such thing. Do it yourself!” She turned and took her plate to the sink, grabbed the bucket off the counter by the front door and then stormed out of the house, muttering under her breath.
    “Then you do it.” Kyron pointed angrily to Kaelin.
    She stood, her face pale and cold. “I'm busy. Find someone else.”
    Gwen felt a rush of gratitude for her friends. The feeling was diminished somewhat by the look on Kyron's face.
    “Enough. We cannot fight amongst ourselves,” Brok said.
    “I will do it myself.” Kyron took a piece of cloth from the counter and used it to tie his hair back, though he had trouble with the knot at first. He stormed out of the house.
    “Don't let it get to you, Gwen,” Saemus said.
    “Easy for you to say. He doesn't hate you. ” Gwen lashed out. Why did I have to be born this way? The tears fell down her cheeks, though she tried hard to stop them. She still held the piece of cloth in her hands.
    “Do not judge him so harshly, little one,” Moylir said. “Your way is not our way. We cannot change who we are. The feelings we have for those who are weak is a part of who we are. It is why we survived.”
    “Not all of you seem to have issues,” Jon said.
    Moylir smiled grimly. “We all do. It's just that some of us hide it better than others.”
    Gwen swallowed hard at the admission. She thought that the incident in the cave had changed their minds about her and that they finally accepted her. It appeared she had been mistaken.
    “I'm sorry too, little one. We do not mean to offend or anger you. We can't change who we are any more than you,” Seelyr said.
    “People can change, if they really want to,” Gwen mumbled.
    Moylir shook her head. “Changing an attitude is not the same as changing something that is fundamentally a part of your make-up. We cannot change our feelings any more than you can change being able to use this power. You can choose to not use it, and thus change an aspect of yourself, but you can't change the fact that you possess the power. Strength is everything to the Volgons. Our race has been bred so that only the strong survive to pass on those favorable traits to our pups. And in the rare instance that one is born sick--” she looked at Seelyr “--it must be sacrificed for the good of the colony.”
    “We can force ourselves to interact and be civil, but the feelings of repulsion are still there. They surface each time we see your deformed body. But we are trying. And that is all we can do,” Seelyr said, forcing herself to touch Gwen's tiny hand.
    Gwen kept her hand there even though all of her instincts screamed at her to yank her hand away and run off to be alone. “This is why the Masters needed us to spend time together, to learn about one another. We have to work together to fight the Mekans, and we can't do that if we fight amongst ourselves.” Gwen raised her brown eyes and met Seelyr's blue ones. “You are not the only ones who need to try to change. I, too, need to understand you and your world.”
    Brok felt a swelling of pride at Gwen's words. The girl spoke with wisdom far beyond her years.
    The rest of the evening passed in awkward silence. Kyron refused to talk to anyone and sat alone, staring into the fire. Keera would not speak to any of the Volgons, and she too sat in sulky silence. Kaelin was re-braiding Seelyr and Moylir's long brown hair, but none of the women were in the mood for small talk. The incident at dinner had left them all with doubts and mixed feelings about each other.
    Brok and Gerok sat outside, each smoking a pipe, gazing at the majestic twin moons hanging in the night sky. Glow bugs flitted here and there, tiny points of dancing light. Crickets filled the cool night with their song. Neither one wanted to be the first to break the silence that hung between them.
    Gerok finally cleared his throat. “I apologize for the actions ofKyron. I did not realize how