A full year had passed since we were exiled beyond the wall. The comfortable life we used to live behind the walls turned into a journey of suffering. We no longer owned more than our daily food, and above our heads was that worn out roof that barely stood against the wind.
Despite all that, fortunately, my mother knew how to live here. It seed as if she knew the alleys, the people, and even the places where food could be obtained at a lower price. Thanks to her, we managed to survive in this new environnt.
My mother got a job in a small sewing factory. She used to leave at sunrise and co back after sunset, her face pale, and her hands full of small scars from needles and scissors. I tried to convince her to let work with her, but she refused.
She used to say while taking off her coat,
"One of us has to stay with Iris, she’s still young. Besides, you don’t know how to use sewing tools, but I’ve been used to them for a long ti."
On so nights, when everyone was asleep, I used to sit in the corner and stare at the paper that boy had written. I thought more than once about trying the thod he described to gain power. But every ti, I backed down. I didn’t have the luxury of failure. If I failed, there would be no one left to take care of my mother or Iris.
...
The first year passed until I turned sixteen, while Iris turned six. Our daily als consisted of slightly moldy stale bread with soup that tasted more like water than soup.
My mother’s health deteriorated over ti. She began coughing a lot and couldn’t even get out of bed. Then I had no choice but to take her place in the factory. She tried to stop , but she knew there was no other option left for us.
I worked in the sewing factory for hours every day. My hands were bleeding from the needle, and my back hurt from constant bending. But I endured. I was getting a small wage, but it was more than enough.
Unfortunately, that didn’t last long. One evening, a group of n stord into the factory, carrying clubs and knives. On their arms were black tattoos of a skull. They started smashing the machines and stealing the fabric, then set fire to the goods. The factory owner shouted at them, trying to stop them, but they grabbed him and threw him into the burning fire.
From that night, everyone lost their jobs. , and all the won who worked with .
The next day, I went out looking for work, from shop to shop, but every door closed in my face. Days passed, and hunger began to eat away at my mother. Even Iris, who used to laugh in the hardest tis, began to cry from hunger.
I kept searching until I finally got a job in a small restaurant as a waitress. The work was extrely tiring, but better than nothing. I used to work until midnight, returning ho carrying so bread and small pieces of at they left after closing.
My mother’s health began to improve a little.
But that hope didn’t last. After weeks, those n with skull tattoos ca back again. They stord the restaurant shouting, flipping tables, and pushing custors outside. One of them grabbed the cook and hit his head against the wall.
They started wreaking havoc in the place, then threw us all out of there. That was the second ti I lost my job because of those bastards.
Days passed again, during which my mother’s health deteriorated very rapidly. I tried to take her to the hospital with the little money I had saved, but the amount wasn’t enough even for one day there. In the end, my mother passed away on her bed.
Before closing her eyes for the last ti, she whispered in a weak voice,
"Take care of yourself and Iris."
After she passed away, I collapsed. I no longer wanted to get up or do anything. I didn’t want to eat; I didn’t want to leave the house. But I had no other choice. Iris needed . So I got up and forced myself to look for work for her, and for myself.
Later, I noticed sothing strange. I had beco lighter, able to move swiftly and faster. I also beca able to hide and move without anyone noticing . My use of this ability wasn’t intentional at first, but when I couldn’t find any work, I decided to use it.
I started stealing from the mbers of the Skull Gang at night. I used to snatch money bags from their pockets and then disappear. I wanted to stab them too, but I held myself back in the end; I didn’t want to expose myself. With the money I collected, our lives improved greatly. Iris slept on a softer bed, and we ate at every day. Even her laughter returned again, and then I felt as if life was smiling at once more. But that didn’t last long.
One night, after I ca ho from a successful theft, I turned to find a man standing behind . Half of his face was deford, one of his eyes completely white and the other deep black. His hair was gray, almost white.
Before I could comprehend, he raised his hand, which extended toward quickly. I dodged the strike, and it pierced the wall of the house. Then his hand shrank back to normal.
I tried to pull out a small dagger I had hidden for ergencies and rushed at him from behind, but before I could touch him, my mother appeared before in his place. I stepped back, and then that man appeared again.
He smiled a wide smile that made shiver,
"Interesting, what kind of authority power do you possess?"
I didn’t respond and tried to attack him again with my dagger, but before I even reached him, he had already disappeared quickly and appeared behind in a sudden move, striking hard on my back, which sent flying backward.
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