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The Beginning

I woke up to the wonderful smell of a freshly baked cake wafting through the air. 

I smiled as I got out of bed, knowing exactly what day it was.

"Happy birthday!!!" 

My older brother, George, came in holding a cake with candles in his hand.

"George, that must have cost so much to make this!"

Since we didn't have much, buying a 15-coin cake was a significant expense for him.

"Look, my 14-year-old sister deserves a great birthday, okay? Anyway, I've leveled up to a fighter." He smiles, as if it's nothing.

"What?!! A fighter?" I looked at him, concerned. 

A fighter represented the most complex and dangerous rank; one could be killed easily. Venturing into the woods to confront enemies was challenging because they had trained for years and possessed extraordinary abilities. Their skills often appeared nearly impossible.

He sighs.

"Look, Belle, I don't have a choice. We need the money. I just have to bring back a body part from whatever I kill out there, which will earn me 100 coins per item. We could get so much from this! I start tomorrow; I'm doing this for us, okay?"

He set the cake on the table and left the room.

George knew nothing about fighting; he would be killed immediately. I knew the only reason he was doing this was because of me. He wanted to provide more for me, to give me a better life.

I looked at the cake and blew out the candles, wishing for my brother's return home safely. That was all I cared about. He was the only family I had left.

             The following day went by slowly. I woke up quite early, trying to persuade him to stay, but nothing worked.

"Belle, listen to me. If I don't return, there is money under the floorboards. No one must ever know you're a girl, and the mark on your arm must be hidden at all costs. Do you understand?"

 He strapped the sword around his shoulder, waiting for my response.

I had to be strong like him. 

I wrap my arms around him, hugging him tightly. "You'll do great; just come back safe." Tears stream down my face as he places the key to the house in my hand.

I saw him smile at me one last time before getting up and leaving. It was wrong for me to stop him, but some days, it crosses my mind that maybe if I had, he wouldn't have gone that day.

Every minute I waited for his return, I barely slept or ate. I couldn't help but wonder if he would come back okay.

Soon, minutes became hours, and hours became days, and soon after, they became years.

He never did return.

I suspected the worst, so I had no choice but to live on my own. I told myself that I had to be strong like my brother and that I would get my revenge. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but I would never give up until I found out what happened to him.

I made a cardboard sword and began fighting.I trained every day after breakfast and got a small job at Luny's bar shop. I would be the one picking up the dishes and washing them. I was young, but if I knew anything, it was that I needed money. 

I used my brother's old clothes and tied my hair into a bun with his old beanie, which he would make me wear to make me look like a boy. I would smear some dirt on my face to make sure no one would look too long to notice I was lying. 

Every day was difficult. Customers constantly pestered me while I was working and treated me very poorly.

"Hey, little boy, pick up my cup!" he said with a laugh, dropping it onto the ground.

I sighed, grabbing the cloth and the bucket to help clean it; as I knelt to clean it, I felt something get poured over my head.

They just laughed as the wretched smell of beer settled into my head.

No one cared to help; they always turned a blind eye.

 Over time, I learned to ignore the people who laughed, and it got easier.

The only one who cared was the old lady who worked at the beer shop.

"Did those pigs do this to you?" She noticed me going to the back, soaked in beer.

I nod.

I never spoke, so no one knew my voice; my brother told me not to reveal I was a girl to anyone, so I followed his instruction and didn't. 

She grabs a warm cloth with water, wiping my face gently

"I know you're a girl, hun." She smiles, looking at me.

I quickly moved away. How did she know?

"Don't worry no one has to know I won't tell anyone." 

She smiled again, reaching for my beanie and putting it aside to dry, as my hair casually draped over my body.

She smiled."Don't worry, you can stay back here while it dries."

She got up again and left the back room to return to the bar.

She was the only one who knew and never told a soul.