Just A Bow

Part 1

"I love you." 

A bee sting.

"I love you."

An ant bite.

"I've always loved you."

A million ant bites. Not just any ants. Fire ants. All over my body, defending their home, eliminating the threat. Biting as much as they can until I'm gone. Until they're safe. Bites everywhere.

Not only was he ridiculous, but he was stupid as hell. An emotional thundercloud forcing his noise upon my ears and strike into my chest. Not only to me, but everyone around us. I'd never live this down.

"I have to go." My brain wasn't braining. I couldn't process. His words echoed back and forth and back and forth into my brain until I knew his voice clearly, and I knew his words exactly as he'd said them. I hated how I focused on something I had heard over and over well past my sickening and annoyance of whatever it was. Whether it be songs or something someone had said to me, it stuck like an annoying piece of tape stuck to your finger that you just can't get to let go and fall. It was the equivalent of a texture ick. It made my entire being feel uncomfortable and my instincts screamed flight.

"You have to go?" 

I didn't understand. What wasn't clear? "Yes." I bowed to him and walked away, begging and praying he wouldn't follow me. I walked fast, so that even if he followed, he would have enough time to change his mind and turn away. But my luck always stayed true and he ran after me with plenty to say. 

"Vena! Vena!! I just told you I love you. You don't have anything to say to that?"

"I believe I spoke perfectly clear Ithil. I said I have to go."

"I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?"

"I- uhh.. I.." I stared at him, waiting for an answer. 

"I was very clear Ithil. Goodbye." I turned away and walked even faster. I would've ran home if it weren't for my injured knee, something I'd acquired after a failed attempt to climb a nearby tree.

Finally my luck had turned because Ithil did not follow me home. Although it might've sent him screaming from the arguments I heard within a mile of the house. We were the poorest of elves in all of Algrim. Algrim, a large country of rich elves, and us among the poorest of elves, unable to handle finances and barely scraping by like rats feasting off unwanted scraps. We were a disgrace and even we knew it. 

I couldn't make out what they were saying but it didn't sound good. They screamed at each other almost every day and my siblings and I had to hide, to ignore it and pretend we hadn't heard or seen a thing. I peeked through the window of our old and small shack and saw the usual, my parents arguing with fingers pointed and children hiding. At this point they weren't even scared really, just avoiding any sort of conversation and involvement in case it turned physical. It rarely turned that way but it still happened and we had to be careful. 

I was the second oldest out of seven siblings, the youngest being only a baby. The eldest held our youngest sister in her arms, not daring to even look at our screaming parents. 

After a little bit of listening and watching, I had concluded they were screaming about not having enough food to feed us all. It was a common argument, one we saw maybe two or three times a week. Sometimes our mother would sell herself at a brothel for some extra coin to get us food. Father didn't know that and neither did any of our other siblings. The only reason I knew about it was because I lingered around the location in hopes of robbing a drunk fool. It was a bad habit of mine but it always paid well and with my intentions and ambition, I needed to take drastic measures.