My name is Teusu. I'm, by definition, a girl. My parents named me after the famous ballet dancer, hoping I'd be the epitome of femininity. Well, let's just say that didn't go as planned.

The first time I tried on my dad's slacks, I was reprimanded for an hour by my mother. She saw in me what any parent would see in their non-conforming children: disappointment. Disappointment later turned to disgust, which then became anger, and finally settled as apathy.

But I guess I don't blame them. After three older brothers who all left home for the war in Maraqua, I'm the only one who isn't in mortal danger at any given moment. Perhaps they thought that I'd be the one child they could count on to live a normal life. But I'm not satisfied to be a normal girl. And at the age of 18, I left the dainty house my parents owned on Mystery Island for the darker waters of Krawk Island.

Chapter I

Oy! Tyler!