With a yawn, I raised my arms above my head and stretched. Hm…? When did this blanket get here? I picked up the small blanket and scowled at it. My sister. I must've fallen asleep and she put it on me. She should just leave me alone! I threw it inside through my window and stormed off, already irritated. "Oi, Kaistyn, get over here!" I glared at Jiyak, the only friend I have in this village. Most have taken my warnings and decided I was too scary, but he's way more thickskulled than that. Rather than waiting for me to do what he'd said, he raced over and put an arm over my shoulders. "Come on...help a friend out!"
"Why?" I couldn't hide the anger seething under the surface, but he shrugged it off and grinned at me.
"Oh…! Don't give me that! You couldn't sleep last night, right? So stop lazing around and help me out!" He saw me lying outside. Can I just punch him?
"Help me out this, help me out that, but what is it you're expecting from me?"
He took a deep breath and acted serious, but I already knew this was going to be anything except that. "I'm losing a bet. They offered me a piece of iron ore they found in exchange for my sword! Since I couldn't do that, we made a bet using my sword and the ore...can you help me? Please?" Jiyak, the oldest son of the village's retired blacksmith. Of course he's do something stupid for a rock.
"How is that my problem?"
"Did you wake up on a bed of quills or something?!"
"No, I just can't see why I should bother."
"Ugh...but I can't do what they're asking…! They said I could get a single friend to help me! You're the only one I know who can do anything!" He made me stop and dropped to his knees in front of me, holding my tunic and begging. "I need that ore! There's so much I can do with it…!" Several people were staring at us and even though I didn't care, he seemed to be hoping one of them would lend a hand. Too bad for him, everyone hates me and want to pretend I don't exist.
After a minute, I sighed and said, "Fine, but on one condition."
"You will?! Tell me your condition!"
"If you want my help, you're going to use that iron to make me something of my choosing."
He hesitated, but soon had a silly grin on his face. "Sure thing! Anything, but since it's my only iron, you'll let me experiment, right?!"
"As long as it's usable and doesn't look like an idiot made it."
"Awesome! This way!" He yanked me off the ground and slung me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Right...so why am I helping this dumbass again? Jiyak has been learning how to use a forge and craft all sorts of items with his father, the one who hopes his son will take over his profession and get rich. Seeing as that's how he grew up, he has an unreasonable amount of strength that only ticks me off even more. He's a massive, muscled, random idiot. Easy enough to manipulate depending on the situation. He took me into the forest, only setting me down when he reached his destination. There, I saw--obviously, it all makes sense--the village bully, Hanson, and the girl he forces to hang out with him. Despicable trash. "This is the friend!"
Hanson scoffed at me, not even trying to hide his disgust. "The grouch? How'd you get him to help, kidnap him?"
Done with his crap, I said, "How'd you get a girlfriend, kidnap her?" Using his own words against him is far more pleasing than coming up with something different...especially since it made his face go completely red with rage.
"I have changed the rules! Instead of going over the trench, you will climb down and up the other side!" Wow~, quite the hothead.
"Typical pretty boy...getting so mad over just a little teasing." He crossed his arms and huffed at me.
"Do it and I'll give you every piece I have! But you have to get out uninjured or it's off!" Doubtful, I glanced over the edge and sighed. This is what I thought it was.
"Why are you involving a griffon in your problems?" It's sleeping down there right now, but if we were to wake it up, it'd be difficult to escape fast enough.
He pulled out a huge bag and presented the ore inside. "Do it." This is so stupid...I gave up and knelt, trying to find a way past the sleeping mythic. So dangerous...it's a fact that he expects me to die. Let's prove him wrong, shall we? I slid down the steep slope and angled my feet just right at the last moment, landing soundlessly. Now I just hope he stays quiet up there. I stepped carefully over the griffon's hind paws, dodging its swishing tail deftly. If I'm discovered I'll most likely die. Is it really worth it? Hell yeah. Jiyak may be a musclehead, but his equipment is top-notch. Besides, this is great stealth training. I squeezed in between the griffon's back and the incline, unable to find any other way up. Unwilling to use the creature as a foothold, I grabbed a tree root and used it to pull myself up. Cautious to not dislodge anything, I moved slowly, climbing over the opposite edge and standing. Hanson glowered at me. "Not fast enough! Again!"
Aware that he would continue telling me to redo this, I flipped him off. "Do it yourself then, if you think your ass is so privileged." He raged over my response. I aimed at an overhanging branch and leapt, taking a loose grip to swing off and land next to Hanson. The jerk went silent, quivering under my gaze. "Time to honor your word. Let's go." My friend picked up the bag and we left Hanson standing there in mute fear. I wasn't completely honest back there. The griffon had cracked open an orange eye to regard me. It was clearly curious why I was trespassing on its nest without fear. That's the only reason it didn't attack--it wanted to see if I'd give it away. I believe my move to get back across gave it a satisfactory answer--the reason why we're alive. I'll only do that again if there's better ore for Jiyak to use hanging in the balance.
"How'd you do that?! So cool! I knew I picked the right person!" He gave me a bear-hug that effectively made it hard to breathe.
"Let go of me." His grip tightened and he refused to release me the rest of the way back to his house. After taking me to the forge behind his home, he dropped me like he'd been stung. Bastard. I rubbed the back of my head with a frown. That was way more harsh than it could've been...at least he didn't throw me.
"Kaistyn, what do you want me to make?"
"I don't know. How about a small knife? One I can hide on me. I'll know what else later."
"Alright!" He saluted me and got to work. For how ridiculous he can be, he sure looks serious when he's out here. He has a brain, that's for sure, he just doesn't like using it most of the time. I watched him pump the bellows and select ore. Having seen him make items before, I stepped outside and sprawled out on my back in the grass. I drifted off and at some point Jiyak was shaking me. "Hey! Look, look, is this what you wanted?" Surprised, I blinked at him for several seconds before realizing he was dangling a knife in front of my face. He turned his dirty-blonde hair black in there.
I took the weapon and examined it. "This is...more than I asked for." The blade was paper-thin, the handle barely any bigger. He didn't even put on a handle, it's just the metal itself shaped for me to hold.
"Well, Hanson made the bet worse than it was when I asked for your help…" I sat up and put a hand on his arm.
"Thank you." His expression displayed shock. "What? I'm not totally heartless, you know?"
"Heheheh, I know!" He hugged me and I quickly moved the knife out of the way. This thing is deadly sharp. "And since there was some iron left over, I made you some more of those!" Jiyak pulled away and handed me a box full of almost a hundred knives.
"Did you use all of it?!"
"No! Of course not! I only took ten or so pieces of ore to craft them!" He's insanely proficient at this.
"Right...I'll be returning when I figure out what else I need."
"Huh? Need?"
I paused, staring him down. "Want." Jiyak shuddered at the underlying threat in that single word. Leaving him stunned, I went back home with my box. Telling him what I meant is unnecessary and will only bring me further trouble. There's no point and nothing to gain by telling him anything. When I entered, it was to be tackled. Caught off-guard, I gritted my teeth and glared at my sister. "Why?"
"Hey, Kaistyn! Welcome back! Did you enjoy yourself out there? How come you brought back a box of knives?" She waved one of them in my face. This girl ignored my question. How did she get hold of that in the first place?
"Give it back. Stop being a pickpocket when I come home."
"Awwwww~, but it's so~ much fun!" When does she plan to get off of me?
"I'm not a bed."
"Hmmm...you're not?" She lay her head down on my chest and smirked. "Comfortable enough for me...are you absolutely sure~?" I don't have time for this. Annoyed, I shoved her off and rolled to my feet, already done with her. "Hey! That's not very nice!"
"Neither is tackling someone, pinning them down, then harassing them." Surprised, she stopped in her tracks and stared after me. What the hell is with that? Older sisters don't act like mothers--they shouldn't. Closing my door, I added, "You're not my mother." It wasn't long before I felt guilty. I made a poor choice just then. Unable to admit I was wrong, I sat on the edge of my bed and looked out the window. I wasn't in the wrong, but not in the right either...no need for me to say anything. Still...I went a bit too far. I'll apologize later. I miss her...our mother was so amazing and would willingly go through hell just to keep us happy. Like every other time, having locked my bedroom door, closed and shuttered the window, I sat there and cried quietly. Tears fell down my face silently, dripping onto the wooden floor. There's not much I can remember from that incident, but the feeling of mortification when she vanished inside of a dragon's blast of flame, her scream of agony piercing through the pandemonium with crystal clarity, is something I could never forget. Edgy, I took a deep breath and lay down on my back, closing my eyes. Why do people never leave me alone? It should be obvious that I don't want friends. A muffled knock followed by my sister's voice made me open my eyes. Who's at the door? Her faint conversation with them didn't last long, as a finger rapped on my door. "What."
"You have a visitor, Kaistyn. Hear her out before chasing her off, at the very least."
"Fine." She opened my door and brought in Siala, the girl Hanson has been pestering for a few years. "What do you want?" I sat up, not entirely too pleased by this intrusion. Her pretty brown curly hair goes just past her shoulders, much shorter than my sister's.
Her green eyes nervous, she said, "I-I wanted to thank you. Hanson let me go because of your help…"
"When?"
"In t-the forest."
"Oh, you mean when I sassed him. Must've hit him deep, eh? Can we be done now?" She froze where she was, not intending to leave nor remain, but simply astonished by my plain dismissal.
"Uh...I…"
"There's more?"
She bit her lip, gathering her courage, and shouted, "I want to be your friend!" She surprised herself with her outburst.
"My friend?" When did my sister leave? Clearly while I was focused on Siala. "Why would you ever want to be around me?"
"Y-you...you're nicer than everyone thinks. I-I know it!" Her confidence in that statement made me sigh. See? People never leave me alone and keep putting labels on me. "So...will you be my friend…?"
"I don't care. Call yourself my friend at your own risk." I lay back down and rolled over, turning my back to her.
"Thank you…" Seriously...we're both already sixteen, what's with the childish friend thing? Others should stay away from me. I want nothing to do with them. She had already left, but I was still irritated.
"Kaistyn." I groaned and faced my sister. She was leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed. "That was rude. If you want someone to be mad at, then point it at me, not the villagers. Especially young girls who turn bright red when I ask what they're here for." Ignoring my protests, she sat down beside me, putting her left arm over my shoulders. "Cheer up a bit. It's been a long time now, so smile. I haven't seen your wonderful smile in years."
"What's there to smile about in the first place…"
She flicked my forehead and shook her head. "Plenty! Tease the girl for bothering to come here! I know you well enough to understand that you thought her request childish. Say so. It makes a world of difference. At least you've mostly figured out how to do this to Jiyak." After tapping my nose, she added, "Why don't you ever call me by my name? I miss your old self and feel for your new self. Can't you see that?" She hugged me and stood up, smoothing out her dress before striding out the door. "Don't forget that you don't have to do everything on your own." Pest. Having used up any give-a-shit I had left, I plopped back down, pulling the blanket over my head. Damn it...she must've put it back on my bed when she found it on the floor. Stop...just stop. I took a few hours to calm down and wasted time in the forest by testing out the knives. Grabbing one, I balanced it on my finger and smirked. Perfect, as always. I flipped it, throwing it the moment it touched my hand. The blade embedded itself in a branch, disappeared inside of the wood. Expecting to have just lost one, I was shocked when it snapped and fell, the weapon impaled in the tree behind it. That's...disbelief made me walk up to it, pulling the knife out and frowning. He went overboard. Not gonna complain, but I have to say that it's a bit excessive. I should lessen the strength or I'll start losing them. Twirling the thin blade through my fingers, I slipped it underneath the band on my arm. I can put some of them under the bands, but not all.
I'll figure that out later. For now, I should get back or it'll cause a panic. I'm not pleased by this, mainly because my sister is the one who freaks out. She's dedicating too much to me. I quietly entered my home, sneaking into my room without being caught. Perfect...much better. Getting in bed, I lay awake debating how many uses those knives had. They have number, the most apparent, but what else? It didn't take long before I was asleep, dragged into my past once again.