"Damn, what the hell, Grandma Lu?" I muttered, rubbing my head where she had just hit me again.
"What do you mean, you brat?" Grandma Lu shot back, her voice stern. "Go to school!"
"Fine, stop hitting me," I groaned as I grabbed my bag and walked out. No shoesâcouldn't afford themâand honestly, this village felt weird.
As I walked to school, I tripped over a girl who was carrying a water bucket.
"Are you okay?" she asked, looking concerned.
"I'm fine, I'm sorry about the bucket," I apologized quickly as I saw water spill onto the dirt.
"It's fine, I don't care," she shrugged, tossing her hair. "I'll just go fill it again."
I watched as she did, and then she turned to me. "I thought you were staying home today?"
I sighed. "School's important, duh."
She laughed. "You're one to talk. You skipped school all day yesterday."
I smirked, teasing, "What about you? You're not even going to school. You're carrying a bucket!"
She rolled her eyes, "After I fill this, let's go to school together, okay?"
We walked to the river, and I couldn't help but laugh when I saw a donkey had pooped right in the water. "You really gonna fill that?"
She blushed. "Shut up, you idiot!"
She filled the bucket anyway, and we made our way to her houseâa small wooden shack. Life was rough in this village, but it didn't matter much.
"Let's go in and leave for school," she said, and I nodded.
As we walked, she asked me, "What do you want to do when you grow up?"
I paused. "We don't really have dreams around here." I laughed. "Joking! I want to explore the world, duh."
She smiled but seemed thoughtful. "I have to become a knight, actually. It's because of my aura. My dad says I have to join the knights."
I raised an eyebrow. "So, your dad's the knight, huh? The 'Slice Master'?"
She nodded. "Yeah. He's known for it."
"You're talented, huh?" I asked.
She shrugged. "I don't know."
"Well, do what you want," I said, grinning. "Don't let that old man tell you what to do."
We reached the school, but we were late. The teacher hit us with a stick for our tardiness. Suddenly, the teacher's voice rang out: "Goblins! Goblins are heading toward the village!"
"Hide the kids!" the teacher yelled, but I didn't want to hide. I stepped away, moving toward where I saw the goblins.
Lyrael didn't follow me.
One goblin appeared in front of me, and I stood my ground, holding a knife I had grabbed.
"Why are we scared of goblins?" I muttered to myself, preparing for the fight.