*WARNING. This chapter contains graphic content. Proceed with caution.
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* * * *
"You dirty little rat!", the loud yelling echoing can be heard from the bookkeeper's store but the villagers were pretty much used to it now.
"Ugh. Here we go again", complained one lady while hanging out her laundry, rolling her eyes as she does it.
"Ow, ow, ow! I'm sorry!", Lupa apologized as the bookkeeper dragged her by her hair outside of the book shop.
"You steal, I catch you, I barricade the place yet you always still manage to sneak your dirty little ass in!", the bookkeeper frustratingly complains while hitting Lupa's behind with a broom stick. It doesn't hurt as much as her hair does but it made her clothes dusty.
"I'm sorry! It's just that I love to read"
"To hell with your reading, you think you can do that with my books without paying?", the tabby keeper scoffed as he pushed Lupa out in the streets.
"I want to learn!"
"Then pay up, do you even know how much I had to pay for all of these books?!"
"I have no money! But I can help you clean the place, I'll be your apprentice"
"Don't need it", the tabby keeper turned his back and went back inside. But the little girl wanted to be determined, she hadn't quite acquired much of the knowledge she needed yet.
"Please teach me how to read, Sir!", she lied to try and raise pity from him.
"Go back home kid before I report you to the militia"
* **
'Tsk! Fucking loser'
I could almost feel myself roll my eyes as I wiped the snot away from my face and got up. Patting and wiping the dust of dirt away from my clothes and skin, the village gossipers have feasted on their latest issue yet again, me. Out of everyone in the village, the bookkeeper is probably the only one who can read well enough. We both understand the joy of reading books, yet he refuses to share any of that with me, that greedy bastard.
That was just a diversion anyway, but I still wanted to see some kindness from someone whom I consider to be the smartest person academically around here. I thought that I could make him my mentor, but I guess he is as stupid as the rest of the lot.
After I've ensured that the bookkeeper had shut his doors, I snuck around the back again to the tree behind the shop. I simply came back to get my books because I won't be able to come back here anymore seeing as I will be reported…again, for the last time before being convicted then my father will know that I had been stealing again. Using a long stick that I found near by to poke at the stack of stolen books and notes I hid on the tree branches in order to drop them. And after, I quickly picked those up and ran away from the scene. I had to cover them up of course.
This much isn't even enough, there were still a few other things I wanted to study but sadly my opportunities aren't given. I think he would've let me read more if I hadn't cut out words from the books which I needed for my scrap book. But I had made sure to cut them out from the older books, ones where worms had eaten off a page or two or have rotten covers. But desperate times calls for desperate measures, I need to acquire such knowledge now while I still can.
I think I have enough however, I'm not sure if it'll suffice. I searched around the area and spotted a few soldiers getting together over a few drinks, probably on their breaks and decided to approach them. A few faces were familiar, I'm quite certain I've seen them drinking around with my father.
"Excuse me Sir", I greeted as I held unto my stuff.
"Huh?", the tall soldier cut off his laugh from his conversation and spared attention to me.
"You're friends with my father aren't you?"
A tall, dark man with a loud laugh and a scar on his cheek took notice of me. Once, my father drunk ranted and said that this guy was his best buddy in the military. I want to test if he is as much of a jerk as my father is or not.
"What's your family name", he nodded at me.
"Bricallis"
"Yeah? I was buddies with Eric. Don't tell me, you're his brat? No wonder why that black hair looks familiar", he leaned in on his gun that he was using as a support to stand lazily.
"Yes. My father is in need for medicine, he fell sick this morning and we have no one else to ask help to", I lied, in case I can get something from him to pay for some books.
"Oh really? Sorry, little girl. Paycheck's not until Sunday, besides yer dad owes me money anyway"
I had a gut feeling but I still didn't listen to it until it was proven, such a shame. I must keep on forgetting that everyone in this village has forsaken any connection to me as insignificant.
"Ya gotta look somewhere else", the soldier scoffed and messed up my hair as he continued on the conversation with his friends.
This is just how I have to live for now. Though, I did get goosebumps when the soldier mentioned my father's name. I didn't even learn of it until now. Everyone knows that I am indeed his child simply because we have the same hair color. I guess it's apparent but how I wish to be anonymous. They say he's actually a foreigner because they've never heard of any other family from anywhere here with the last name Bricallis.
Since I had nothing else to do, I thought I might as well check on my parents since the state of their situation determines my life and death. I doubt that either of my parents are at home at the moment anyway so I'll have the house all for myself, I'll get to check on my father's old military records. But when I did got home, that was soon proven to be the wrong assumption.
The man opened the door before I could even get to it as if he knew I was coming and greeted me with his belt in his hand. I quickly threw my books out of the way and to the side of the hut, otherwise it would also get destroyed or worse, burned.
His face looked sober but the reek of alcohol coming from him says otherwise. His expression, cold and fierce, almost eerie. He is angry with something and that something has to do with his only obsession besides alcohol, my mother.
"Where is your mother?", he asked simply but from this angle and my height, he looked terrifyingly tall and furious. The nerves of being a child got the best of me as instinctive fear rushed through of already knowing what's to come and accepting it albeit most cowardly.
"At work…", I reasoned. We stared at each other for a few seconds before his pupil's dilated and he began shouting at me again.
"She lies, you lie, everyone lies in this fuckin' family!-- And don't you dare fucking look at me with those goddamn eyes!", as my tiny body recovered from jolting out of nervousness, he had already grab a hold of my wrist and dragged me into the house. Where I had no time to pick myself up from falling to the ground.
"Where the hell is your mother?! Huh?!"
"Where is my wife!", he continued to yell and began trashing the place. I hated hearing the loud echoing noise it causes so all I could do was cover my ears.
"I don't know!", I reasoned. My father knows this village in the back of his head so my mother must have went to town with some other man again.
"She said she was at work last time!"
"Don't belittle me! You think I didn't check?! She's not fucking there!", he yelled again and this time hit the table with his belt.
"I'm sorry", I apologized as I closed my eyes shut as cold sweat is beginning to drenched my skin. I didn't want to see his face. This is ridiculous, I don't want to be dealing with this.
The moment turned silent for a bit so I peeked thinking he had calmed down and I could make my escape but he only sighed, rested his hands on his waist and proceeded to order me. I thought he'd order me to look for her but my eyes widened when I realized what it actually was. "You…get on your knees, on the ground", he ordered but my body froze in shock.
"No! Not this again, I'm not in the fucking military old man, I'm a kid!"
"Now!", like it was second nature to me, I instinctively did as he told me to. Kneeling, even though the ground was uneven and had bumps of solid rocks.
"I told you, to tell me where your mother is!", with a swift move of his hand I gritted my teeth as I feel the steady effect of the sudden force on my calves, letting the pain seep through my skin.
"I'm sorry. I do not know!"
Even when I continue to answer him, my voice wouldn't reach his head anyway.
Then I was hit again.
"Where!"
And again.
"Is!"
And again.
"She!"
"Argh! My fucking wife!", he yelled out frustratingly as he turned and hit whatever furniture was around him after hitting me. Either kicking the chair off or pulling his hair before reverting back to punishing me.
"1"
*whack!*
He hit my face with the head of his belt causing me to off balance but I did my best to keep my stance, otherwise an even worse punishment will be upon me. Even when blood splattered from my nose.
"I…swear on my… family honor that I'd never lie in the face of an enemy greater than I…"
"2"
"I swear on my family honor that I'd never lie in the face of an enemy greater than I!"
"3"
My nose and lips are now bleeding but the burn from my calves was much worse. As I pulse on my nerves there to keep my balance, it hurts. Probably because it's not only bruising but bleeding.
"I… s-swear on my family honor that I'd never lie in the face of an enemy greater than I!"
*whack!*
It's a military punishment whenever an enemy is captured for interrogation. Where they are forcefully tied upside down on a tree, hands tied behind their backs while their calves,back or stomach were whipped and forced to repeat the code of honor until they admit. He use to rant me stories of his military life after he asks me to steal him rum.
It's the most basic level of the punishment, and as one could guess there are many different levels of it. He made me experience through some of it. Most of what he could remember still. It was what I had to endure for the last half an hour before I was finally able to excuse myself after he shooed me away and went on to trashing the house. Thankfully he left me still a bit able to walk after his belt finally broke.
So, I dragged my feet with bloodied calves to the nearby river to have a drink and clean myself up. He didn't chase after me this time. My face feels numb and aching at the same time as I drenched it with water. From here, I could see the peach trees behind the temple. Now that I think about it, it's where Lupa would go to pick up fruits to sell and bump into the protagonist. The drama in my family is stirring and so is time running, I hope he comes soon so this miserable childhood ends.