Don't Kill Your Heroes

Chapter 3

After breakfast Jade had walked over to a friends house and Aiden had headed off to work at the butchers shop.
Maya had though to herself that she could either stay home alone or go and help out at her fathers work.
As Maya entered the store, the old rusted bell giving a soft ring, she remembered back to when she was younger and she used to help out Aiden with his work. There was only one indecent, but she didn't want to think about that.
Aiden walks back out from the 'cold room', which is never very cold these days, with a large chunk of fresh meat, probably skinned this morning.
Maya didn't like the though of all the dead animals, but she had always just shrugged it off and got to work.
But today something was weird about the place. Normally the small building would be crowded with people, but today... No one. Not that she'd been here in a while but last time she was, there had been at least twenty-five people, maybe even more, around the store waiting for their meat.
Maya walks up to the counter, and Aiden greets her at first with a smile and then that smile fades. He quickly glances around, seeing if there are people in the shop, hoping Maya wouldn't have to find out. When he seems there aren't he knows he can't keep this a secret any longer.
"Business is going down." He says, his expression sad. "It's getting too hot and no one trusts our meat anymore."
Maya shakes her head, wishing he hadn't kept this a secret. No business meant no money, and around here, that means... Well that means not good.
"How long?" Maya asks, hoping it's not as long as she's thinking. 
"Five months maybe." Aiden can barely say it.
This store was his pride and joy and now it's dead. Not only that but he had Maya and Jade to take care of. They needed money and they needed it fast.
Maya sits on the clean counter, swings her legs to the other side and jumps off so she's standing beside Aiden. Maya hugs her father tightly.
"It'll be okay." Maya tells him.
Aiden shakes his head. "We need more money, Maya. We're going down." He tells her.
Maya nods, "I'll get a job, maybe even two if we need it." Maya says even though the last thing she wanted was a job, let alone two. "I can do it! It'll all be okay."
Aiden looks at Maya, "I can't let you do that. Your whole life is ahead of you. I can't pin you down with a job at 16." He tells her.
Maya tries to smile and succeeds a slight one. "But..."
"We'll find another way!" Aiden tells her, firmly, cutting off her protest.
Maya let's her smile fall slightly as she gets an idea. One that could save Aiden and Jade. Get them enough money so that neither of them have to work again. But that is, only if she can win the competition to become a hero. With this thought in her mind, Maya gives her dad one last squeeze before jumping back over the counter.
"I'm going to head back home." Maya lies to Aiden.
And then she's gone. Walking towards the common centre, walking towards the sigh ups, walking towards, probably what would be her own death. But she hoped not.