“She’s probably fuming right now.” Thought Theo, knowing someone had snitched her. Everyone knows that what happens across the bridge, stays across the bridge. They are different worlds and the only way for Mrs. Sianna to find out about what happened was if someone had told her.
Of course Theo didn’t stay too long on his spot and went up to the second floor once he had seen the Mistress grab Ruby by the ear and take her along. He just didn’t go immediately and stayed there for a few seconds as he didn’t want to go up and get caught up in the scandal that was about to explode on the girls floor.
To his surprise, no temper tantrum came nor was there yelling and cursing back and forth. Theo didn’t know if it was because Ruby truly knew she had messed up or it was the beating to half-dead she received that got her so rattled. He knew his sister and could tell straight away she was acting pretty meek. The sister he knew would have jumped at Xanis with raised fists, Guard or not, the second he insulted her.
Theo couldn’t help but sigh in defeat as he looked to the ceiling once inside his bedroom. This one he shared with the oldest kids, and looked just as dilapidated as the rest of the house. The bed frames were made of wood, though at least half of the beds here didn’t have one.
The orphanage rarely got any donations of big importance, instead just getting food, yarns of wool, and other menial stuff that by no means wasn’t useful, but didn’t really fill all the needs of the children living there.
For that same reason, Theo felt a little bit guilty. He knew he was going to get the Guard class, which means that the barracks would immediately hire him and get food and housing the second he got his class. But his sister? What was she going to do without him? The second he got his Class he was out of the orphanage and across the bridge, and while unawakened are not exactly kicked out, it is very dangerous for them to be around people with skills. Any one of them being able to take advantage of them.
Ruby was a year younger and Theo couldn’t help but feel like he hadn’t done a good job to his sister. He could have stopped her more often and helped her with her temper, but now it was too late.
“My awakening day is just a few days away and she’ll be left alone for a year. A whole damn year. May The Renegade darken her stray paths.” He silently prayed while another sigh escaped his lips.
Turning on his bed, he took the stick he had right next to it and started knocking on the ceiling, asking how she was. He waited a couple of seconds, thinking she may be too angry to hear anything and then tried again, but eventually gave up as no reply came. He knew her well enough to know she just wanted to be left alone for a moment, but that wasn’t enough to stop him. One thing is to be mad, another thing is to be mad like Ruby gets mad. “I should stop her escaping plans before things escalate.” He thought, getting up again and going for the door.
“I should also try to find who snitched on her. I would have been in trouble too if it wasn’t because I’ll be leaving this place in a few days now.” Theo knew that the Mistress had been lenient on him for his leaving instead of the reason she had given, but he still liked to think it was a kind gesture, keeping his record clean until awakening day. It wouldn’t set a good precedent if he got his Guard class while being grounded for misbehaving.
As he made his way back to the second floor, Ruby’s words about this new skill came back to him. He didn’t know Guards had a skill like that one, but could totally see Xanis acting like a villain while questioning someone. Theo never had the opportunity to be present at an interrogation in front of a real criminal, mostly because he was still unawakened and just an apprentice, but he could imagine the devil having a skill like that. If he could practice it before getting the Class, he had a high chance of getting the skill with more ease later on.
“Maybe he has used it and I haven’t even noticed.” He thought, trying to remember the times when Xanis gets even pushier with his questioning. Did he have any personality changes when doing so? He couldn’t remember, but it would make sense.
For public and personal reasons, skills were hardly disclosed to anyone unless you had an apprenticeship. And even so, until you actually get the Class you were aiming for or one of similar fashion, one can hardly get enough knowledge about how to obtain certain skills. For the same reason, he had to practice this skill before his awakening day.
Wondering what to do, his eyes saw a certain someone running away with something in her little hand. With a raised eyebrow and wondering if she was influenced by Ruby, he couldn’t help but intercept her on her way to the third floor, right before she went to hide in the girl’s floor.
“Hi Sky, what are you doing?”
“Oh, eh, hi Theo. Also bye, I have to go.” She said in a rush, eyes wide before trying to rush past him. She clearly had something in her hand she didn’t want anyone to see.
Theo, however, just gave another step and got in the way once more, now crouching to be the same height as her.
“Sky, why do I think you are hiding something?”
“M-me? Not at all my dear precious brother. I would never.” Why was it that she always went all lady mode when she tried to lie? Probably one of her sister’s fault.
“You know, if you were to ever do something you shouldn’t do, you know you can tell me, right?”
“I-I know. But you’re leaving in a few days, aren’t you?”
“But I’ll join the guards, and the guards are always there to protect you. Did you know that if you ever do something wrong and confess, you may not even get grounded?”
“Really!?”
“Yep, but if people find out and you didn’t say anything?” He then took his thumb across his neck, claiming it was pretty serious.
She just looked at him like her eyes were about to fall, guilt sinking down.
“Got anything to tell me? I promise that if you do me a favor I’ll not tell mama.” He smiled, pushing her to come out with it already.
“I won’t get grounded?”
“Nope.”
For Theo, the confession was more on the funny side than anything, though he tried to keep a serious face through it all, as he knew he was teaching an important lesson to her. With that out of the way, he asked her to check on Ruby, his younger sister by blood. She had the innate ability to get into trouble and was pretty confident it would turn into a skill the second she awakened.
Now he only had to find who was the one who snitched on them.
Xanis had told him that endeavors like this were very difficult for Guards if you didn’t have a starting clue to go at it. There were some Rogues, Thieves and Bandits who had really great Classes for them to leave no trace behind their crimes, and that’s without mentioning the more specialized Classes.
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Luckily, Ronzés was not a city for higher level guilders and it was relatively a small city compared to others, or so he had been told.
Fortunately, he did have a clue though. If there was something he couldn’t be more sure about is that it was one of the children of the orphanage itself.
“Hey Renick, still dusting?” He approached the kid as he plopped down on a corner in the main hallway of the second floor.
“Yeah, I spent the day tracing all the routes from here to the bridge. I still can’t remember them all though.”
Renick was one of the other kids who were turning sixteen this upcoming winter and who was aiming for the Courier class. Respectable to be sure, as it would give him wide opportunity to leave the city in the future. He always had his eyes set on the sky, so it didn’t surprise Theo when he found out about his longing for getting to know the world. Most guilders could pull that off easily, but then again none of them had the opportunity to get mentored by one. Besides, they knew better.
“You still have a few days left though.”
“You make it sound easy. Just a few days doesn’t sound like a lot of time in my book.”
“You don’t have a book though.”
“Fine, my mental book. What do you want anyway? Come to lecture me about doing my chores in the morning again?”
“Me? Push you to do your chores in the morning like everyone else? I would never.” He blinked at him with doe-eyes, hand in chest exaggerating the gesture. A smile on his face.
A dusty rag to the face was Renick’s only reply. Not like he could blame him.
“Seriously, what do you want?” Asked the teenager as he got a short break, sitting right next to Theo.
“Info.” He looked him right in the eyes.
Renick gave him a raised eyebrow, not saying anything else.
“We were across the bridge today.”
“Everyone knows.”
“Yeah, but the question is, how does everyone know?”
Renick just shrugged.
“I just want to know who did it.”
“I don’t know though, why you looking me like that?”
“Because only someone close to the bridge could have seen us.”
“You think it was me!?”
“No, I think you saw the one who saw us.”
“I- I don’t know…” He paused for a second, giving away that he had in fact remembered something.
“Renick, please tell me.”
“What? I said I don’t know.”
“I’ll help you finish up before dinner. You and I both know Mrs. Sianna checks for things to be ready right after dinner.”
“I... I just don’t want to get anyone in trouble…” He replied, eyes tracing to the side, towards the window.
“I’ll help you tomorrow too.”
“It was Layla! Saw her when I was coming from the bridge.” He spilled the beans quickly at Theo’s offer.
Theo just smiled. He knew he couldn’t just tell people they were going to get a reward every time they gave away important information, but he at least could tell the thing worked. If he could get the skill Ruby had mentioned, it would probably make things a hundred times easier. The best thing is that, while he liked the idea of becoming a Guard, he didn’t truly love it. However, this feeling right now? It felt good. Really good.
Quickly, he got up and left for the room he knew Layla was going to be.
“Hey! You said you would help me out!”
“I’ll be right back!”
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Theo made it to the main room of the orphanage, the one where all the little children played with the very few toys they had and just hung out.
The room worked as their library as well, which had a few old books about the gods and such. Reason for which it was often used for reading and writing classes, but they hadn’t had those in a while since Ms. Thornery got sick.
Right in the ledge of the window, looking at the stars in the night sky, was Layla. White hair flowing like silk and her white dress all prim and proper, like always. Not even a stain of dirt on it, despite the fact that the slums they were in were covered in grime all over.
“It was you, wasn’t it?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Layla, don’t bullshit me.”
Violet eyes finally stared back.
“You and I both know winter is around the corner, Theo.”
“So that’s an excuse for putting me on the line too?”
“Funny, not defending your sister now?”
“She’s in trouble by default anyway. You could have spared me, though. Not like it was the first time.”
“Sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do.”
“Said every criminal ever.”
She frowned at him, clearly insulted at the prospect. Then, with a flick of her head, she turned from facing him and went back to stare at the stars, though continued talking.
“Say what you want. I’ll leave this place as soon as I can.”
“Until then, however, don’t think I’ll make it easy for your party.”
“Do as you wish, obstacles are nothing more than that.”
“Did your mentor teach you that?”
“What if that was the case?”
“Then I hope it’s no surprise when you realize the guards can be more than just a nuisance.”
“Oh, you surprise me all right. You think you are so high and mighty because you’re turning into a Guard when your sister, the Future Breaker, is a year away from becoming a Thief.”
“I’m high and mighty? You’re the one flaunting her apprenticeship all over as if you now ruled the place.”
“Typical Theo, avoiding the topic. Everyone thinks you’re so perfect and ready for the job, not a stain in your record. But we both know your biggest mistake is right there, two floors above us crying her eyes out, fuming and preparing a more awful plan for tomorrow, or worse, right after dinner.”
She said while getting up and approaching him. While he was taller, she stood up right in front of him, looking him straight in the eye.
“You’re a hypocrite, Theo.” She spat her words in disdain right before walking away.
“I’ll go help in the kitchen. Dinner should be ready soon.” She added with a bored tone as she left.
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Helping Renick was a good opportunity to think about what had just happened. Before he could clear his head, however, it was already dinner time.
Layla’s words kept going through his head as he ate. He was distracted a bit, but didn’t let his appearance falter and just kept on chatting and eating along with everyone else as if nothing had happened.
Layla was a headache, but Ruby was a migraine. She hadn’t shown up for dinner, which of course Mrs. Sianna couldn’t help but comment about as soon as they were all sitting down. She could be harsh, but would never starve a kid out for the sake of discipline.
Whispers and snickers started to fly over his head, many of which he just ignored as he stared at Sky, the little girl just eating her potato as if it was the last one on the planet.
Once dinner was over, he made sure to talk to her before she went to the third floor, otherwise he wouldn’t see her till tomorrow.
“Hey Sky, did you get to check on Ruby?”
“Yeah, she was knitting something really pretty.”
“Knitting? Are you sure you checked on Ruby?” He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
“Of course I did! It’s the one with messy hair who’s always yelling and waking everyone up.”
That did fit Ruby’s description, but also he couldn’t match it with the idea of her knitting of all things. Ruby was staying still in one place? Even more shocking, she could knit?
“Knitting?”
“Yes!”
“You sure she was knitting and not making a shiv or something?”
“What’s a shiv? Can I have one?”
Theo stared.
“No, sorry, forget about that.” He gave her a thankful smile. He was about to add something else, but then his ears caught a commotion going on upstairs. He didn’t hear yells or anything, but clearly heard the girls talking loudly.
Sky proceeded to ask for a shiv while running back towards Mrs. Sianna, who promptly appeared back in the main hall. She paid the little one no mind, however, as her attention had landed on the ceiling above, clearly distracted by all the chatter coming from the third floor.