Braden found himself floating above his body, standing at the precipice of an endless ravine. His skinny-toned arms dangled limply at his sides, his pale complexion, and anxious demeanor were far more apparent than normal. Braden's blue almond shaped eyes stared into the abyss, a look of terror etched on his face. Braden woke with a start, his stomach doing backflips. With a shudder he realized today was the Choosing. He was barely even sixteen, his name had been in the drawing since he was fifteen---as all kids' names had. He looked down at his hands, then his arms, was he ready again to face the possibility of being chosen? A sharp clap of thunder brought him to his senses. A scream came from the other room---Braden's younger sister Kayla hated thunder. The pitter-pattering of rain could be heard beginning to douse the roof of their house as Braden's dad Nathan roared from the other room, "Braden, help me with the barrels!"

"Coming," Braden responded, shooting out of bed, sliding his boots on, still in his night clothes he raced out of his bedroom toward the front door, hot on his dad's heels.

The dark sky flickered ominously. The wind whipped past them, pulling bits of debris along with it. The two men sloshed over the already muddy ground toward a small shed near the house. Nathan fumbled with the lock before throwing the doors open to reveal three large-wooden barrels. Nathan was a stout man, not tall, but very strong, he hoisted two of the barrels up at once making his way out of the shed, leaving Braden with the last one. Braden admired his dad's strength---one day he'd be big like him. Braden was already quite strong for his size. He wrapped his arms around the barrel, hoisting it with relative ease. Braden took pride in being able to lift things many kids his age couldn't. He used to always get mocked for being skinny, that hadn't changed, but now he was stronger than most of his peers who were bigger than him. Braden followed his dad out of the shed, setting the barrel down in the middle of the yard next to the other two. A booming clap of thunder sounded, and everything went white, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. The lighting strike must have been very near to them. Braden was still disoriented from the flash when he felt his dad's strong hand grab his shirt collar pulling him along. A moment later they had re-entered the house. Nathan put his hand on Braden's shoulder. They shared a look that expressed gratitude for one another that words could not convey. Braden relied on his dad. Braden's mom Lara was comforting Kayla. Kayla was sitting on their parent's bed huddled underneath a blanket, whimpering quietly as lightning crackled in the distance. Braden had always been fascinated by the energy---It seemed so powerful, so un-tamed to him.

"It's really coming down out there," said Nathan. "If it keeps up we'll have have enough water for the next couple weeks.

"I was getting really worried, we hadn't had rain in so long," exclaimed Lara.

"This storm is worrying me," said Nathan, peering out of the window---rain battered the glass. First-light was approaching, causing the dark sky to turn a sickly green color. "Nothing to do but wait it out," Nathan clapped his hands together. Braden's eyes lit up, he couldn't remember the last time they'd played a game together.

The family only had one game, they didn't often have time to play---life was a struggle in their village. The game consisted of two wooden dice, a small board, and four wooden pieces that Nathan had crafted himself. They took turns scattering the dice, and moving the pieces. As they played, the rain hammered the roof of their small house. Occasionally thunder would rattle the ground.

Braden was having such a good time he didn't realize the rain had subsided. Light was pouring in through the open windows. Kayla rolled the dice, scoring the winning point. She cheered, still huddled underneath the blanket.

We've got work to do," said Nathan as he scooped up the game to put it away.

Braden's heart sank. For a fleeting moment he had forgotten all about the choosing.

Nathan pressed a small bag of coins into Braden's hand, "Run to the market, get us something to eat. When you get back we'll all bathe before..." His dad didn't have to say it, they all knew what he meant.

Braden donned his jacket and boots before slipping out the door into the muddy, wet reality.