Every society needs rules, without them everything falls into chaos.  There are governmental rules - Don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t cheat on your spouse. Then there are social ones, such as don’t lie, don’t mistreat your loved ones, don’t be rude to strangers. It was the third kind that Helena couldn't handle. Laws that only she was expected to uphold: Stare at exactly two centimeters above a person's eyes to avoid looking directly into them, always smile so as to never appear intimidating, talk in a low voice so that people could not hear your opinion, and try your best to not stick out - something near impossible at 6 feet 3 inches.  As difficult as all those rules were, she excelled at following every last one. At least until she took a bad tumble near the orphanage one morning and every ounce of politeness got knocked right out of her.  Now the only person to show her kindness in ages is the one person who knows her true nature. xxx Elbert had long past given up on the idea of having children of his own. His one and only love had passed before he could turn that dream into a reality.  The sane thing to do would've been adopting a stray kitten or two, but then - the ex leader of the biggest rebel group in the country could hardly be considered ‘sane’. And besides, he was allergic to cats. **Note to whoever decides to read this story: I would love to hear your criticism, I really want to get better at writing!**