Rueln Layheart

"Go fill that bucket there, Boy," Fhal Ghran barked, pointing at a rusted bucket that had one too many holes. There was no way it would hold half the water the old man wanted, but I didn’t want to get smacked again for pointing that out. Grumbling to myself, I retrieved it and filled it halfway before dragging the heavy thing back to set at his feet. He didn't even bother glancing at it before he growled at me for being slow and ordering me to retrieve something else for him.

It has been like this every day since I started working for two coppers a week a year ago. It wasn't much, but it helped get a little food on the table since Papa couldn't work like he used to. After that hard winter, Papa had been struggling with lung rot. Some days he couldn't get out of bed at all, but he still did his best to take care of us. Worried for him, I decided I would work for the family and help Aleah so Papa could get better. It helped, but I knew it wasn't enough. I was only eight years old. That meant my selection of jobs in this miserable village was slimmer than most.

"What are you doing over there, boy?!" Fhal snapped, catching me by surprise and smacking the back of my head hard enough I stumbled. "If I catch you lazing about again, I'm taking a copper from your pay. How I got stuck with a useless brat like you, I have no idea." He continued complaining as I glared daggers at his back and rubbed my head.

"Hateful old man," I murmured, careful to keep my voice low, or he would hit me again. I scowled, picking up the tin bucket and dragging it over to the well to fill it again. He wouldn't treat me like this if I had gotten my recall back when I was five. He wasn't the only one either. There was a whole mess of people in the village who looked down on anyone who wasn't a reincarnation. Stall owners in the market would charge extra if they saw someone without the recall mark on their arm. Workers got bullied, and others found it hard to get jobs at all. It was stupid. Just because someone didn't have memories from a previous life didn't mean they were useless or couldn't learn.

Papa’s job fired him as soon as his boss found out about the lung rot. They didn't have time to care about a new soul like him, since he would die anyway. I nearly dropped the wired brush on the ground when the thought hit me. I didn't want to think about it again, the chances of Papa living out the next year. Aleah had talked to us about it, and so had Papa, so it wouldn't be a surprise, but it still scared me.

What were we going to do?

Aleah already worked more hours a week than she should. I helped her bandage her blisters and cuts nearly every night. I worked as much as I could, but it was hard to find work for a kid as young as me. Eidke had it even worse. No one would hire a blind boy and what little he got in donations from his past life's followers wasn't enough to sustain us. He learned to weave and helped by selling the few items he made. Still, the rent was due again in a week, and unless we did something, we wouldn’t have enough.

Distracting myself, I hurried through the rest of Fhal's list of chores before tossing his stuff onto his porch. My fingers were raw from scrubbing his entire shed. I guessed it had to have been decades since it had seen a wash, but I had finished as he had asked. Stepping up to his door, I knocked a few times before I called, "I finished. Can I have this week's pay before I go home?"

There was a creak of wood, then the door was pulled inward. I was suddenly facing the sweaty old man, his greasy hair pulled back away from his face. It was hard not to stare at his extended gut and tattered, stained tunic as he tried to stare down at me to intimidate me. "Fine," he muttered, and I held out my hand eagerly, only for him to drop one copper coin into my palm. My face fell as I stared at it.

"Sir—" I said, only for the old man to bend down and get into my face.

"Something wrong, boy?" he demanded. "My money not good enough for you?"

"We agreed to two coppers a week," I said back, clenching my jaw and trying not to look like I was afraid. He could beat me again for speaking up to him, but I had to get that money. I had earned it.

"I warned you. Don't think I didn't see you scampering off back behind the shed earlier. You get what you earn, boy. Now go on. I don't have time to deal with you anymore." He stepped back, shooing me away like I was a stray hound.

I opened my mouth, sucking in a breath to defend myself. I had only gone to relieve myself. Before I could get the words out, the old man slammed the door in my face. My cheeks flushed with anger, and I clutched the coin in my palm hard enough that I could feel the indention it was leaving. I raised my foot and kicked the door as hard as I could. "You cheap old man!" I yelled. "I can't even take a pee working for you!"

"Go on, get out of here!" Fhal snarled, jerking the door open and waving his cane at me. The wooden stick smacked my arm hard enough that it went numb before I scrambled out of range. "That's it, boy. I've had enough of your disrespect. Don't bother coming back!"

"Yeah?! Well, who would want to work for a cheap old geezer like you?!" I said, picking up a rock and throwing it at him. I missed, and it chipped a piece of the wood off his door instead. I turned and ran for it before he could do anything else to me. He could use magic if I riled him up enough. He enjoyed threatening me with it often enough.

I only slowed to a walk after making it to the street where my family lived. My anger was gone, and my heart was suddenly tight with a new unease. Staring down at the single coin in my hand, I swallowed. What was I going to tell my family? Aleah probably would help me find another job, but… I didn't want to disappoint them.

Feeling my cheeks burn with shame, I stuffed my week's pay into my trousers and ran. If I hurried, I could beat Aleah home. Maybe if I was careful, I could sneak the coin into Edike's collection tin and just leave tomorrow to find another job. If I'm quick enough, no one will need to know. I would just need to distract Edike for a few minutes, maybe drop some things by the hearth, and then I could—

I cried out in surprise when a foot shot out between two shop buildings. It caught me in the shin and sent me crashing to the ground hard enough it knocked the breath out of me. I tasted blood and knew immediately that I had bitten my tongue. Between coughing and trying to pull air back into my lungs, I spat red into the dry dirt and looked around for whoever tripped me when a weight jumped onto my back. The next thing I knew, a fist came around, slammed into my cheek, and knocked me back into my mess.

"What did you steal, foder?" hissed a familiar voice I didn't want to hear. There was only one boy in our small town that sounded like he needed his nose re-broken to fix his nasally tone. Pip Jonken was the town chief's youngest kid and a pain in my backside. If he wasn't lying to every adult about me and any other kid who wasn't a reincarnation, he and his friends would find us alone and beat us senseless. It was why most of us traveled in pairs if we went anywhere. Too bad for me, I didn't have many friends, so he thought that made me an easy target. It was too bad for him, I didn't like being called that insulting term because I didn't have a past life.

As soon as I heard that annoying voice in my ear, I reacted, jerking my head back and slamming my skull into his nose with a most satisfying crunch. He screamed and fell off me, giving me a chance to roll over and get to my feet. I didn't know how to fight like a warrior, but I brought my hands up and got ready, anyway. Even if I couldn't win, I wouldn’t go down without giving him a few bruises too.

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Pip clutched at his bleeding nose, one of his friends helping him up while the other sneered at me. Three against one wasn't the worst odds I've seen. Would it be cheeky of me to imagine the odds were in my favor? Nah…

"You broke my nose, you little bastard!" Pip yelled, sounding like he was half drowning in his own blood.

"Darn, and here I thought I would help your voice. I'm sorry, I think I made it worse," I smirked, overconfident, after I had landed a solid strike. I regretted that a second later when all three charged at once. Within seconds, we were a tangle of bodies, shouting and throwing insults at each other. Fists, elbows, and knees pummeled every inch of my body, but I knew I gave back plenty.

"Alright! Alright, enough!" Someone ordered before they roughly yanked us apart. The next thing I knew, I was being held back by the collar of my tunic. I was just out of reach of Pip and his stupid friends, who lay on the ground breathing hard. They didn't dare do anything with the adult standing over them, holding Pip and me. Even Pip had gone still. He looked madder than a cat with its tail pinched.

"He started it!" Pip accused, pointing at me as he looked appealingly at the woman.

"You lying piece of—" I snarled as I tried to free myself from the stranger's grip and hit him again. I hated liars and cheats, and Pip would get me blamed for this again. I'd had enough. It was about time someone taught him a little respect! My words cut off as my tunic tightened around my throat from my sudden movement.

"Oh, no, you don't. I said that was enough," the woman ordered again, her grip like iron. "You two are going to come with me. I think I need to bring this up with your families. Fighting in the market like a bunch of street mites. Come along."

At hearing she would drag us in front of our parents, my heart sank. Before I could think better of it, I twisted in her grip, and my teeth clamped down over her fingers. She hissed, and as soon as her grip loosened, I jerked free. I ran for it, out of the alley and into the street. I didn't dare look back, and as long as she held the others, she couldn't chase me. At least, I hoped she couldn't.

I ran for all I was worth, all the way home, until I half-collapsed in front of my house, breathing so hard my head was spinning. Daring to look behind me, I waited, listening for any sound of pursuit. When I heard none, I hurried into the house and closed the screen door behind me.

"Welcome home, Rueln," my brother said from his place by the table. I nearly jumped in surprise at his voice and had to take a few seconds to settle my heart down. It was just Eidke. "You're home early."

"Yeah…" I began, suddenly remembering why I was back already and slipped my hand in my pocket for the coin. I needed to slip it in Eidke's ti— where was it? I fumbled with my pockets, searching for the copper piece, but I couldn't find it. "No! No! No!" I hissed, horrified.

"What's wrong?" Eidke asked, pausing his work and lifting his head. He got up, following the sound of my frantic, searching hands.

"My pay!" I exclaimed, terrified. "I lost it!"

"Rueln…" Eidke sighed, but I didn't let him go on.

"I had it, Eidke!" I said defensively, pushing past him. "Pip and the Kori brothers jumped me in the market on the way here. It must have fallen out of my pocket! I can't believe this!" I yelled, kicking the first thing that appeared in my path. "First I get fired, then I lose a whole week's pay!"

"Wait, you lost your job?" Eidke asked. It took me a moment to realize what I said.

Oh no. Turning, I stared at him as the emotions tried to overwhelm me and force tears out of my eyes again, like I was some little kid. I wasn't a kid. I refused to cry. Not about this. Balling up my fists, I let my anger at the day burn out the guilt and shame. "The old man cut me half the week's coin when I went behind the shed to piss. I got mad about it, so he fired me. I was going to find another job tomorrow."

Before Eidke could reply, a deep, sickly cough brought both of our attention to the bedroom's door. My eyes widened when I caught sight of the grizzled salt and pepper hair of my father as he leaned against the doorframe with a hand covering his mouth. He didn't look strong enough to be standing. Papa's complexion was pale, but there was a slight flush to his cheeks that said just as much as his eyes. He was angry, and I would bet all the coppers in our tin that it wasn't at me.

"I'll go see to him in the morning," Papa promised, as Eidke moved to offer him support. Papa took it, and Eidke led him across the open floor to the cushions near the hearth to sit. Eidke might have been the one who needed a guide outside our small home, but it always impressed me how well he could move inside the house. At home, at least, his blindness wasn't as limiting as people believed.

Just as I came to help Eidke lower Papa to the cushion, another fit of coughs overwhelmed him. Hurriedly, I grabbed one of the few handkerchiefs and pressed it into his hand. Papa covered his mouth, his face turning red with the force of his coughs before, at last, they settled, and he could lean back into the cushion and rest.

"No, Papa," I pleaded softly, concern slipping into my voice and squelching what anger remained in my chest. "It's not worth it. I'll find another job. The postmaster was looking for boys," I lied when I saw my father's expression harden. I couldn't let him risk his health any more. A few coins weren't that important. I could skip a meal or two or go fishing by the stream to get by. Papa didn’t need to go talk to the old man. "I'll go there tomorrow."

Papa took in a slow breath, his eyes boring into me for a long moment. I held my breath before, at last, he nodded. "Alright then, but I won't forget this. He will pay you, even if I have to go to the village chief myself."

"Okay," I said, nodding and hoping if I agreed with him, Papa drop it. I would catch Aleah tonight and have her tell Papa she would do it instead, if she did it at all. I glanced over towards Eidke as if he could see the look to give me some solution I hadn't thought of yet, but only found him reaching for a clean glass on the counter. After quickly adjusting a pillow under Papa's back, I went over to him to murmur, "You don't think he'll really go, do you?"

Eidke grabbed the water pitcher and rested a finger along the inside rim of the glass as he poured. "No, but I want you to talk to Aleah about going, just in case."

"Yeah, I already figured that much out," I answered and took the pitcher as he finished so I could put it away while he brought Papa his drink. We worked together to settle Papa down until he fell asleep by the fire. His health was getting worse. I wished I could do more to help.

"Go grab the firewood. I'll help you get dinner ready," Eidke said, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't disturb Papa.

I frowned at him and dragged my feet over to the screen door at the back of the house. "If you're helping with dinner, that means it's going to be that nasty stew again, isn't it?" I complained only to grin when Eidke tossed a small pincushion that had been on the table near him in my direction.

"Yeah, it'll be the stew, but we don't have any meat, so you'll just have to be happy with it. Go on before I make you grab the vegetable stores and do all the chopping too,," Eidke stuck out his tongue and pushed himself off the floor to walk into the kitchen where the floor vegetable store was. I laughed softly despite myself and hurried off to the firewood pile to gather what we would need for the night.

I had a good stack of wood going when I heard a knock on the front door. I thought nothing of it until I heard Eidke going to answer it and a voice I never expected to hear again reached my ears. "Hello, is this the Layheart residence?"

I nearly dropped my load when I heard the smooth voice of the woman who had stopped the fight between Pip and me in the alley. What was she doing here, and how did she find me? My heart jumping under my ribcage, I quietly moved closer to the open screen door to listen.

"Yes," Eidke answered. I could hear the uncertainty in his voice, not recognizing the stranger. "Can I help you?"

The woman cleared her throat. She hesitated like many often did when they first saw Eidke's disability. It was unexpected. I leaned closer to listen, clutching the wood tightly to keep myself from dropping it and giving myself away.

"Hello. Are your parents home? I need to speak with them for a moment about your younger brother," she answered.