The land I'm coming from was harsher than you can imagine.

We were a small tribe, always on the move. Our skin was dry and rough, our feet were tough, and we spoke in whispers. We called ourselves the People of the Sands, because we lived in the desert. Which was stupid, because everyone in that land lived in the desert.

But we weren't just anyone.

We were nomads, hunters, gatherers, and magic users.

My mother and father were both healers, and so was my older sister. We had enough for the next day, but that wasn't enough for me. I always had a fire in my chest for more.

I was a thief and a liar. I would steal food, money, and whatever I needed. I would go to the bazaar and look for someone who had money but not enough sense, and I would sell them whatever I had.

I wasn't alone though. I had many brothers and sisters; I was close to all of them. But they never knew about my ways.

Healers were important and valuable, so we never lacked food. But food wasn't enough. I wanted more; I needed more.

My parents went walked through all the desert; we saw every big city, and they would offer their healing. My parents weren't just any healers; my father had the gift of foresight and my mother couldn't just heal someone's body, she could also heal their mind.

They were loved and respected, and everyone in the desert knew about them. I was proud of my parents, but I hated how little money they had. They could have been rich, maybe even kings and queens, but they didn't want that. They were humble, but I was never satisfied with what I had.

Truth be told, I also hated wandering, the tents, and the sands. I just wasn't made for that life, and I was sure I could find something better. I always asked my father why we didn't settle down, but he never had an answer.

One day, we were in the biggest city in the land of the desert, Kantu.

It was my first time there and everything impressed me; the homes of the rich were towers that reached the clouds. The poor were better off than us. But I had a problem. My parents made me stay at the camp. They didn't want me to run around the city.

But I was never the one to listen to orders, so I found a way to leave the camp; it was easy. My parents should have known that I would find a way out.

I sneaked into the city and was amazed. I had never seen anything like it. There were people from all over the world and they spoke many languages.

There was a bazaar filled with beautiful things: colorful clothes, shiny jewels, and delicious foods.

I wanted to see everything, but I didn't want to be caught by my parents, so I stuck to the shadows. I sneaked around, stealing some food, and watching the people.

The food I got was delicious, I never saw something like that before; it was a thin piece of bread that had melted cheese, sauce made of tomatoes, and meat on it; every bite pulled the cheese apart, but it didn't let go and followed your mouth.

When I was about to be done with that delicious food, a hand grabbed my shoulder, and I turned around with fear for my father to look down on me. "Tera?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

I was shocked to see my father standing there, and I froze.

My father smiled at me. "What is this?" he asked, pointing at the food in my hand.

I blinked, and it took me a moment to understand what was happening. "A stranger gave me this," I lied, without shame. "It's really good."

"I told you to wait at the camp," he said.

"I know, but I got bored," I said.

He shook his head. "It's dangerous here," he said. "But you know that, don't you?"

"Why? This looks like paradise."

My father sighed. "Never believe the water in the desert before having it on your tongue."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"The water could be just an illusion, something to trick you into believing it exists."

"That doesn't make any sense," I said, but he was too wise for me; I know now that he was right.

"It will make sense when you grow up."

I bit my lips. I wanted to scream at him, let all my anger out, but I didn't, and I'm glad for it. "You know, I like coming with you when you heal people."

He went through my hair with his hand. "I know. You will be a great healer one day. You care about people."

I wonder to this day if the wise man, who always knew right from wrong, was blind to his own daughter, or if he saw more in her.

"But you must do as I say, Tera," he said. "It's for your own good."

"But you and mother are strong. You can take care of me here."

"There are things you can't imagine." He sighed.

"But I really want to go with you."

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"Do you promise you will behave?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yes!"

"You can come with me, but you have to promise that you won't wander too far from me."

"I promise."

"Good," he said, taking my hand in his. "Your mother is waiting."

We went to a tent in the slums; a lot of people were there, waiting for us. They had wounds on their bodies, but they weren't bleeding.

The area and people there were clean; I could have never guessed it was the poorest area if people weren't that naked and hurt, and the buildings looked like small buildings on top of each other, making something that resembles towers. I wouldn't call them towers, because they actually looked like a group of buildings on one another.

"These are cuts from a whip," my father said. "They put sand in them until they stop bleeding, which leaves the people with infections."

"Why do they have whip cuts?"

"Some people aren't free like us," he said. "We are lucky to have been born in the desert."

"Are these people from outside of the desert?"

"They're born within the borders of the desert," he said. "But they're born within other borders, too."

I didn't understand what he meant, and I wanted to ask more questions, but I knew it wasn't the time. I stood in a corner and watched my father and mother work. They used a paste made of herbs that my mother always carried with her and bandages that she always had.

After a few hours, we were done with most of them, but the sun was setting, and my mother wanted to go back to the camp; but men in golden armor with spears stopped us.

"Are you the healer?" the leader asked my father.

"Yes," my father said. "Why do you need a healer?"

The leader looked at me. "Is the girl yours?" he asked.

My father nodded. "Yes," he said. "Why?"

The man grabbed me with his hand and held me tight. "Just making sure you won't run away," he said. "We need your service."

My father nodded. "Fine."

The leader took us to the main building in the center of the city, a tall tower of black bricks and red sand. We went in, and it was even bigger on the inside; a huge room with a red carpet on the floor and golden chandeliers on the ceiling.

We were led up the stairs, all of them, until we reached the top floor. There were more rooms here, but only one of them had a door. The leader knocked on it, and a voice told him to enter.

He opened the door, and I saw a man sitting on a throne made of gold, gems, and wood; it was a big chair, with cushions, and there were some pillows around him.

The man was old, his hair was white and long, he had a beard of the same color, and he was wearing a black robe.

"Welcome," the man said. "My name is Taki."

He got up and walked to us. "I am glad to have you here," he said. "I need your help."

"I heard," my father said. "Who is injured?"

Taki turned around, lifted his robe, and showed his behind and back. "There are weird marks," he said. "They itch and hurt sometimes."

My mother went through her bag until she found what she needed and told Taki to sit down. "Take off your clothes," she said.

Taki nodded and removed his robe. His body was muscular and strong, but also thin and pale; he had scars on his legs and arms. He sat on the chair, and my mother looked at his back.

She examined the marks; they were purple and black, with lines of red going through them, like blood vessels. She put a cream on the marks.

"I thought you're a healer," Taki said. "Not a doctor."

"I'm both," my mother said. "I believe that medicine can use healing, but healing needs medicine."

"Interesting," Taki said.

My mother smiled and wrapped his back in bandages. Then she put her hands on his back and moved them up and down; slowly, a light awoke between her fingers.

"This will hurt a little," my mother said.

"Okay," Taki said.

My mother closed her eyes, and the light increased its brightness, making everything around it disappear. After a minute, my mother removed her hands, and the light faded.

"That was amazing," Taki said. "I haven't seen magic like this in a long time."

"Thank you," my mother said. "You sit and lay too much. You have to move more."

"I will," Taki said as he got up before putting his robe on. "How can I thank you?"

"Give your slaves more water and food," my mother said. "That will thank us the best way."

Taki nodded. "You're good people."

"Excuse me," I interrupted. "I need to go for little girls."

Taki smiled. "I see," he said. "Two floors down, there's a bathroom."

I thanked the man and walked down, but instead of going to the bathroom, I went into the other rooms and I stole jewelry that look like it would cost entire cities.

Taki didn't notice anything, and we went to our camp. I don't know what I thought. Maybe I thought that someone who's that rich wouldn't notice it. I was right for the moment.

Nothing happened for the rest of the day and the night was a peaceful one, but something unusual happened the next day; my father didn't wake me up in the morning.

I was surprised to see that the sun was up for a while and I asked my father was happened. He told me I deserved a break. He was very nice to me that day, so were my mother and siblings. It spooked me.

Towards the end of the day, my father called me. "Tera," he said in a serious voice. "Take this." He gave me an envelope.

"What is this?" I asked.

"There's a special message," he said. "A very important one." He pointed towards nothing. "Walk that way until you find a small village and give this to the healer there."

"But my brothers are faster than me."

"I only trust you. You're my little star," he said. "You will be fine."

I took it, and he sent me on the journey instantly. I didn't know what was inside, but I didn't care either. "If you don't find the village or healer, open it and it will help you," he called from behind.

I walked for hours and hours; the sun was burning my skin, and the sand was filling my boots.

I saw that it was about to get dark and I knew better than to be alone in the desert at night. But I didn't want to let my father down. So I opened the envelope and there was a letter addressed to me:

 My dear star,

 I saw what fate was to fall upon us. You stole from the tower and they are coming for us. They will kill us all.

 I told your mother, your brothers, and your sisters. You can imagine how hard it must have been for them to accept their fate, and the fire inside of their chests burned bright.

 But they forgave you all, and they agreed to gift you a last, beautiful day. You have a lonely and miserable life ahead of you and we only have an afterlife ahead of us.

 I know you will suffer for the rest of your life and this might be too much for you to handle, but I also know that better will come for you.

 We will leave your stolen goods deeply burred below the camp. I don't want you to steal more, so take the money that was paid for our lives.

My whole body shook; I was filled with guilt and sadness, and the last part of the letter was an instruction for how to get to the small village where a healer lived.

I wanted to scream and cry, but I knew my family wouldn't want that. Then I had the thought that I could save them.

I ran the way back without a single break, but what I saw broke me for eternity. Blood was everywhere and my family, all of them, were in pieces.

I should have stayed with them. I should have died with them, but instead, I ran away. My mind didn't allow it to be true; I thought I could save. them.

All of their parts were touched by me and put together on a pile; my arms were wide above me while I was on my knees. And I tried to.

I didn't practice healing a lot before and I was definitely on the chaotic side. All my energy went away, and I fell on the floor; my eyes barely kept open, but I could see movement.

Something grabbed me and lifted me into the air. What I saw was even worse than the image before. All the corpses were connected together, making a bigger being. All the heads were turned to me and smiled.

"Tera," all of their heads and voices said, all of the voices that were too familiar to me. "You got me here, so I will give you a chance."

All the hands and fingers pointed down. "Can I have your riches and you can keep your life?"

I couldn't speak, but it shook me. "Yes," I managed to get out.

"Smart girl," it said. "My star."

I fell unconscious.