The Nation of Qui will be comprised of three states—Gavi Quintar, Yamara, and Zuashi.

There shall be no other divisions in the land.

-Qui Law 1

 Our story begins before We were born. Our story begins with our father. From our collective memories, he was a man with many wives. How he got so many wives, We do not know. The mind of children do not have knowledge of things that occurred before their births. So, all that We do know is that there many “mothers” to Us. The 50 of Us, or as our father would call us: the 25 Pairs of Wealth. Why were We “25 Pairs of Wealth?” What wealth his there to being a Twin? The 25 Mothers would mutter the Law from time to time, usually when embarrassed about mistaking her “Pair of Wealth” with that of a different Mother’s Twins. Were We really that similar? Or should the snarls they uttered when wrong been a warning to Us? About what was to come of Us. Ah, but how can the mind of a child perceive the workings of its parents? So, alas, how could we know what was to come and be warned?

I, not We, remember one particular day. I had been mistaken for a different Twin. And when determined that I was not her’s, she threw me aside with a force that left me slumped against the wall trying to catch my breath.

“Any births of Twins must be reported to the Nation immediately. Further action will be determined. Qui Law number four.” She shoved me down as I tried to rise, then turned and picked her way through the room littered with toys until she reached the next boy. On the back of her hand was a marking. “A star,” I recalled at the time. She grabbed the little arm of the child in front of her, yanking him up and away from his game, “Oh, my little Wealth. There you are! How many times have I told you not to play here?” She looked sideways at me with narrowed eyes that, later in my life I came to know as suspicion. Then she turned back to the boy and dragged him towards the door, stopping frequently to shake him in her distress. “Do you know how much I worry?” She walked a step. “How could you do this to me? I…” She stopped and shook the one who looked like me but wasn’t me. “You are not allowed out of my sight, don’t you remember? You must stay with me, my little Wealth. Where is your Twin? Why has he left me too? Why don’t you think of me? Why can’t you listen—”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Get your hands off my Wealth.” A smooth voice interrupted.

That was Our name. Wealth or, at times, Wealths.

All 50 of us had that name. And, hence, the squabbling of Mothers began. The one who had been dragging off her prize grew angry, accusing the lady in front of her of trying to steal her Wealth, that she knew her own Wealth. The Mother who had entered just stood there, her back as straight as a a chair. In my four years of life at that time, I had never seen it stoop for anyone. Her already delicately curved eyes grew more and more narrow as the first Mother went on about how her Wealths shouldn’t be allowed to play with the others because her Wealths were special. Finally, when the first Mother finally declared that her Wealths had been chosen this quarter to be Repaid, second Mother grabbed the boy’s arm and ripped off his shirt sleeve. Her curved nails making easy work of the seams. A loud shrieking sound echoed throughout the still room. First Mother’s eyes grew wide as the Marking on the Boy’s arm was exposed. Then she grew quiet, releasing the boy as if she had been burned. Without another word, she turned and left.

That was how it was. Our names were “Wealths” but to distinguish who’s Wealth was whose, each pair of us had Markings. One had it on the left shoulder, the other on the right, as if to say that one was the left hand and the other the right. Mine was also of a black feathered bird with a sharp curved nose and squinting eyes. “A falcon,” Mother had said. I had my Falcon on my left arm. The boy in front of me had it on his Right. And Second Mother had it on the back of both of her hands.

We were her Wealths.

She looked us over once. Gave a nod. Then left.

Like I said, she stooped for no one.

So it went. Some days a Mother would mistake her Wealth with that of someone else’s, always around the time of Repayment. But it got easier as the quarters passed. For with each quarter, one Twin pair would leave. So, by the 13th quarter, less than half of Us were left. And less than half of the Mothers were there as well. By the 14th quarter, I found a Pair with hair not like my own, and who’s features were different yet similar to mine. Not exact, like my brother’s, nor so similar to the others that it caused fights between the Mothers. Their Markings were that of the new moon. “Arc.” They said it was called.

“Arc and Arco,” their Mother said, pointing to first one, then the other. This was the first time I had heard one boy called something different. And they were different. But they were also Us. Wealths.Waiting for our Repayment.

We didn’t know when it would come, just that it was coming.