Seren let the door to the chemist’s shut behind them. The weight lifted off of them as they took a deep breath of frigid air. In their hand, a little paper bag with a new bottle of medication. Their face broke into an enormous smile with all their teeth. Their other hand felt the remaining money still in their pocket. Getting away with 1.35 left.

They bounced in place a few times before running for the grocer. There was enough left over for them to grab something for dinner! Seren stopped under the green snow-covered awning, stomping off the snow from their boots before entering the small wooden building. The room was chilly, with tables and baskets and wall shelves that all held non-perishable and seasonal groceries. Behind the counter was a butcher counter with displayed meats for purchase.

A few other customers mulled about the displays, and Seren joined them. Unsure of what they were looking for or what they should get. They wandered up and down the aisles to get a vague idea of what they should get. There was a time somewhere in the depths of Seren’s memory, that their dad made use of the kitchen. But it was so long ago they couldn’t remember any of what he used to make.

They settled on basic non-perishable goods, figuring a little butter, salt, and flour were going to farther than any dairy that would spoil. Seren brought their choices up to the counter and counted out what they were worth. Leaving them with the single stl left. With all their purchases in a single paper bag, Seren went running for home.

It was almost noon and Seren had been out for way longer than they meant to be. Fresh powder snow was piling, and the shovelers were out clearing the walkway. Seren waved as they passed, internally they were rehearsing their apology and readying their excuses. Seren ducked into the Winter district and nearly knocked over Miss Jass.

“Whoa! Well you seem to be in a hurry,” Miss Jass said curiously. “Where’s the fire?”

“Sorry,” Seren said, trying to dodge around Miss Jass but she stopped them.

“What do you have there?” She reached for Seren’s grocery bag. Seren pulled away from her reach.

“Nothing,” Seren said. “Just groceries.” They jumped to the side and out of Miss Jass’s reach. Running back toward their house.

“Thanks for your concern!” Seren turned and ran backwards as they yelled at her. Turning and running to the very end of the street where their house leaned. It looked just as sad on the outside as it did on the inside, with peeling paint and fallen boards. The shape lent the idea that there had once been a second floor that had long collapsed. Seren skipped up the walk and in their front door.

“Dad! I’m back!” Seren called. Tapping the snow off their shoes, they didn’t hear any noise. “Dad? I got groceries!” Seren put the bag on top of the kitchen table and everything on it. A chill slid up their spine, Seren lunged for the curtain and peeked in. Their dad was lying in his bed, Seren held their breath, staring wide-eyed at the bed. They let out a long breath of relief seeing their dad’s slight breathing movements.

Though, the relief that washed over them was short-lived as guilt and shame quickly replaced it. Seren backed out of the curtain and turned to look at the mess of the kitchen. The sight made them tear up. They rubbed at their eyes and drew in the most air they could, standing a little taller. They breathed out with commitment, narrowing their eyes at their mountainous opponent. Cracking their knuckles and shaking out their hands and hopping back and forth. Procrastinating slightly while building their motivation to tackle the impossible task.

Dirty dishes were stacked everywhere, the floor was chaos, and the sink was completely invisible. A Herculean labor in its own right, and Seren squared up to tackle it. They charged kneeling to the ground to pick up the floor hazards first. Bits of paper that looked important were placed in a new heap on the single broken down couch, alongside other random vaguely important looking items. Battle plans were drawn, if they cleaned the floor, the table could be readjusted and once the table was clear, the sink would have no place to hide.

Seren found the broom and swept the mess into a pile. Before they could dump the dust into the compost bucket, a knock on the door interrupted them. Seren stared at the door, frozen in place. Slowly they put the dustbin and broom onto the ground and crept toward the door. They peeked through the crack in the door and saw thick skirts and furs.

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“I’m not supposed to open the door for strangers,” Seren said through the door.

“I’m not a stranger, you know me.” The unmistakable falseness of Miss Jass said.

“I’m certainly not supposed to open the door for you.” Seren said, feeling bold in their own walls.

“I just wanted to know where you got the money for those groceries. Did you steal it?” She asked gently.

“No! I earned it!” Seren snapped angrily. They grit their teeth and clenched their fists until the pressure in their chest dissipated. “Thank you for your-”

“Wait, one more question. How?” Miss Jass knelt down, so she peeked through the crack at Seren’s eyes. Quickly they stepped out of sight.

“How what?” Seren bit. Wishing she would just leave.

“How did you earn the money?” Miss Jass asked with a sickly sweet tone that made Seren want to puke.

“I was employed, as an enforcer.” Seren said.

“By who?” Miss Jass laughed. Seren paused for a second, unsure if they should disclose it. However, the sound of her laughed made them shake in rage.

“Only name I got was Asche.”

The giggling stopped.

“Aren’t you a little young to be an enforcer?” Miss Jass said seriously.

“No,” Seren said. “I have stuff to do, thank you for your concern.” Seren turned back to the kitchen, though their motivation had vanished entirely. They scooped up the dustpan and dumped it into the compost bucket. The table was still covered, and the counters were still swamped. The creaking of the ancient bedframe interrupted their thoughts. Squealing that it was being vacated.

Seren ran to the curtain divider and opened it. Their dad was sitting up and braced on the unsteady headboard, trying to stand.

"Dad! What are you doing?!" Seren yelled running to catch him in case he fell.

"Going to see who you were yelling at." Their dad answered. "What's going on out there?"

"I brought home groceries and Miss Jass got nosey." Seren said, helping him sit and taking a seat as well beside him.

"She's like that," their dad nodded. Then he frowned. "What happened to your face? Did she hit you?" He clumsily grabbed and held Seren's face.

"Hold still, I'll get an-" he tried to stand but quickly stumbled back.

"Dad!"

"Just a bit of vertigo, I stood up too quick. It's fine," he said, covering his eyes and wincing. "Don't change the subject this is about you. What happened?"

"I…. I got employed." Seren said with all the maturity their twelve years could materialize.

"Doing what? You weren't at the academy again were you?" Their dad uncovered his eyes and looked at them sternly.

"No. It's closed for Yuletide." They said awkwardly.

"Then what were you doing?"

"I. Was…" Seren bit their lip, trying to muster up the courage to lie. "I was an… enforcer." They faked confidence.

"For who?!" Their dad shouted, wincing from the pain yelling caused. "You're too young for that!"

"I am not. I got nearly five ingts! I brought home food and had enough for a medication refill!" Their dad started to speak but had to close his mouth to think of a better argument.

"Look at your face!" He said finally. "No! Absolutely not, you know what happens to enforcers?"

"They die?" Seren chanced.

"Exactly!" Their dad said slightly surprised Seren had the right answer. "How am I supposed to feel when you're out there possibly getting beaten to death?"

"The same way I feel when you sleep for days on end?" Seren mumbled. Their dad froze, the color drained from Seren's face realizing he'd heard them. They both stared at each other, waiting to see what the other would do.

"I cleaned and swept the kitchen floor." Seren said.

"Oh, good." Their dad said numbly.

"I better move on to the table." Seren stood up, heart pounding in their throat. "I bring the medicine in when the sun goes down, right?"

"Right."

Seren left the curtained room and stiffly started organizing the things on the table. Their chest was constricting, they bit hard onto their lip to stop from crying.

Little teardrops fell and soaked into the papers as Seren moved them around.