As I watched Percy hand his rations to the blind beggar, I started to see Percy as a person for the first time, instead of a stick boy with a gun. The beggar’s clothes, though well mended (by whom? Certainly not himself), showed thin in well-worn places.
“What's your name?” I heard Percy ask. Though Percy seemed more three-dimensional to me now, that doesn’t mean what he just did was right. Before the beggar answered, I cut in.
“Percy. Time to go. The soldiers on patrol will see us soon. We are not to speak to the enemy. Come on, let’s go.”
Percy stared at me, his stubborn jaw clenched. “Callum, do you really think he could hurt a fly, even if he tried? We have plenty of food, and he doesn’t. No one saw us.”
“My name is Shaphan,” the beggar said quietly.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Percy,” he spoke to the enemy. “Do you live around here?”
“Yes, I live a few blocks away. I know that you don’t live nearby, though,” the beggar smiled and looked up at Percy’s face. As if he could see it.
“That’s right,” Percy replied. “I’d tell you where, but it’s classified. Callum here, he’s from Freyland. Ever heard of that country? Well, it was a country until just a few years ago-”
I snatched the sleeve of Percy’s army uniform and dragged him away. He is four inches taller, but I am four inches stronger. “We have to go!” I hissed. “It’s time to meet the general, not feed some low-life who’s probably not blind at all!”
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Percy started up with the same old excuses, but I continued to walk and drag him along. We turned a corner and he said, “Look. I know you expected a nice beefy soldier to accompany you on your first trip of the war. But I’m all they had. And Shaphan is a person, too. A hungry person. He deserves all the help he can get. Also, let go of my sleeve, will ya? If it rips I'll get a demerit.”
“Hush about the demerits already. We’ll get more than a demerit if we get caught fraternizing with the enemy!” I released his sleeve. “How do you know he deserves it, anyway? Did you see the patches on his pant legs? There's no way a blind person, even someone blind from birth, could do that. He's just pretending. He's probably got a friend around the corner waiting to get the loot.”
“Would have to be another disabled person, or an old guy. All the young men from this town got whacked, remember? This is a war.”
“Exactly! He is the enemy. End of story.”
Percy sighed. “You’re just sore because General Morley doesn't like you. You think everyone should fall down at your feet and worship you because you're just so amazing. The whole world does not revolve around you, you know.”
Mouth opened wide, I stared at him. I could’ve caught flies with my fat trap. “Absolutely not true! In fact, I could sue you for slander! General Morley respects me. I actually would hate for everyone to worship me. There wouldn't be enough space to walk.”
“If the general ‘respects you’, then why do you come out from the debriefing looking all sulky?”
“Sulky! I don’t have a sulky bone in my body! Oh hush. Here comes a patrol.”
He straightened his cuff and flicked a tiny speck of dirt off his leg. After straightening his back, he assumed a bored expression. I arranged my face into a look of contempt. I don't owe these people anything, but they sure do owe me.