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Rain.
It was common during this time of the month, late September in Solanari, but now, it seemed more like a curse to Aru.
The rain had been relentless for nearly two days, falling without warning. Most of her crops from the field, which she had spent grueling long hours in the hot sun, had washed away. Without the crops to sell in the market meant there was nothing else to sell.
The house she lived in was empty, except for a dirty mattress on which she slept and a few essential items for basic survival. There was nothing else to do to make money, which meant rent would be overdue once again; there was nothing to buy from the market, and no way to pay off the overwhelming debt passed on to her from her parents.
Aru sighed from the window, watching as half-formed carrots and green tomatoes were uprooted from the ground and tossed aside like sacks of dirt. At the very least, most of the farm animals had successfully been sold to other families in the village instead of staying with her.
It wasn't easy, and it hurt more than she was willing to say. To watch the animals she loved, with her heart and soul, being sold to unfamiliar people was soul-crushing. Sure, it was for the better, but without the horses to plow the fields or the chickens eating the bugs, life on the farm became nothing short of a living nightmare. She had loved them like a family, the only one she had ever known.
The only life on the farm that wasn't the bugs and Aru was Evio, the weird, stray, black and white cat that always hung out near the farm. Evio wasn’t like other stray cats, not to the girl at least. The cat always came out of nowhere, whether that be out of the shadows or from under a blanket; he was always there.
Aru didn't mind the company; it was nice to have a friend to vent to during the night, even if Evio wasn't exactly listening or saying anything. Probably because he was a cat and cats couldn't speak.
Duh.
The girl sighed for what seemed to be the 10th time in the span of 15 minutes. At times like these, she wished to run away, but even if she did, it would be futile. Everywhere she went, they were there. The 'they' being spoken about were not necessarily a single person, but rather an entire Mafia from Geoarla.
Only once had she tried to escape the limits of the village and hide. She only lasted a day before the woman found her. Just the mere thought of it made Aru shiver and move away from the window and to the mattress in the middle of the room. Initially, it was a living room; however, once everything got sold, she turned it into a makeshift room.
It was a living room, right?
Aru shrugged it off, crouching down and scooting onto the mattress. She couldn't remember much of her childhood, from the age of 7 to the present day; everything in her childhood was a big blur. Anytime she thought about it, a headache formed in the center of her brain, and she forgot about it.
The quiet tapping of claws on the ground and the feeling of soft fur curling around her made the white-haired girl yawn. Evio meowed quietly. The cat was an oddball. Despite living in poverty and barely having any money to buy food, Evio stayed. When he was with her, it seemed like there was a little more food than before, the mattress was a little warmer, and the crops didn't look like failed science experiments turned sentient.
“In the morning, we can find some last-minute jobs,” Aru mumbled, curling around the ball of black and white fur. Her stomach rumbled. “And maybe find some food.” She added. Lured in by the warmth of Evio and the sound of rain falling, Aru closed her eyes.
When she awoke an unspecified amount of time later, the rain had stopped.
Aru rolled onto her back, blinking away the lingering effects of sleep. The dawn light flittered through the window. Evio was curled up on her chest, still asleep. Aru held him close. Even in the pretty lighting and the warmth of Evio, she knew today was the day she inevitably lost everything.
The Garaton mafia had given her strict instructions: 50 ingots a month; if she fails to meet that, they will burn the entire village down and torture her until she dies. How pleasant. Last month, she failed to meet the requirement, only making 12 ingots. When the woman who shall not be named came, she didn't seem shocked or angry when Aru said she needed more time.
Whether the woman was in a good mood or feeling pity for the white-haired girl, she extended the time to the end of October. However, now that time has passed, Aru didn't even know how much money was in her name when she woke up. “Evio. It's morning time,” she raised a hand, rubbing behind the cat’s ears until he woke up.
“Meowwww!” He said, leaping off her chest and onto the blood-stained mattress. Arching his back, his tail flicked to the side before looking at her. Aru got up, peering out the window. The rain had stopped, but the damage was beyond repair. The fields were flooded, and all the crops were overturned.
It didn't matter, it was the last day before the mafia came by, and once they realized she couldn't pay for the second time in a row, they– “Meooow!” Aru turned to Evio, who was now circling some of her clothes on the floor. “...” Aru tilted her head, then looked down at the clothes she slept in. It wasn't anything fancy - just a white shirt stained with mud and droplets of blood, and brown shorts.
She had sold practically all her clothes, including her shoes and socks, as well as her casual clothing. The only thing left that wasn't on her was a pair of overalls that she usually wore while on the farm. A spasm of hunger instantly made her fall to the ground, clutching her stomach. “Bleh!” She recoiled on the ground. Evio flinched, his ears pinned against his head, hackles raised. Aru stayed on the ground, then slowly rose to her feet. Her vision was blurry, but there was nothing to bump into, and the room was small, so the main danger of falling over wasn't there. Besides the mattress in the room, there was a small jar that held her money.
She fell onto her knees and picked up the jar. Not feeling like a normal person, she opened it like a sane person, and chucked it across the room, watching it shatter into thousands of tiny pieces. “Murp!!” Evio hissed and then ran to the corner of the room.
“Sorry, Evio…”
Aru stumbled over to the area of destruction, picking up the small shiny ingots.
She counted five.
Her eyes widened, five ingots.
“Meow?”
“....”
Her heart pounded aggressively beneath her chest. At this point, she could practically envision the look on the woman's face as Aru nervously had to say she didn't have enough money yet again. The girl's hand shook, sweat dripping down her spine. She knew she wouldn't have enough, had known it since the woman left last month, but for some reason, she was still terrified.
“Let's just go…into town.” With a push of her thighs, she stood back up, not bothering to see if Evio was following. She had grown used to the cat following her everywhere at this point.
The girl hesitated at the front of the door. Undoubtedly, when she returned, she would have a few foreign visitors. Might as well make the most of what time she had left before life got turned upside down. Finally, her hand gripped the doorknob, and she opened the door and walked through.
Outside the house was surprisingly big as Aru walked down the gravel road. The house itself was two stories high, though everything except the living room was unoccupied. A gravel path led from the front of the house all the way down to the village. A large fence and bushes surrounded the home; not too far away was the farmhouse, which remained vacant. Surrounding the entire plot of land were the fields, then a fence. A river ran through the back of the land, and surrounding that was a giant forest.
It was a large plot of land, now even larger without the animals that usually roamed it. The downside of having such a big plot of land was the rent. The fucking rent was beyond absurd.
The landlords were demanding 250 ingots a year! Initially, it was 100 every six months, but once they realized they could twist the system to their own greedy advantage again. Seriously, why add another 50 ingots?! Inflation be damned, they just wanted all the money they could get their greasy, fat hands on.
By the time Aru came to her senses, she was in town, standing in front of the bread stall, staring at the food.
“Uh…I said that would be 6 ingots.”
Aru looked up.
The man, no teenage boy running the stand, stared at her before saying, “You asked how much?”
“I did?” Aru frowned. She didn't remember saying that.
“Yeah,” He responded.
Aru stepped back, taking the ingots out of her pocket. One short. Of course, it was really just her luck to be so close yet so far from the one thing she wanted. “H-hey, wait! You're Aru?” The sudden blurt from him made the girl pause and slowly turn around. “Whose asking?” Her eyes sharpened.
The boy looked around, but no one was looking at them. “My name's Cael, I've been a huge fan of yours for some time now!” He leaned in closer. Evio meowed curiously, jumping into Aru’s arms. A fan. What the hell. The girl scanned him over, taking in his appearance. Cael had short blonde hair and sky-blue colored eyes. He was wearing green shorts and suspenders, accompanied by sandals.
An average boy having an average job.
Lame.
From the silence, Cael turned a bright red, stammering over his words as the quietness pressed on him like an invisible field. “A-ah! I'm sorry that seems really weird, what I meant to say is that I've seen you around before, but I was too shy to say anything, I think you're really cool looking!” By now, he was redder than a tomato, sweat dripping down his forehead.
Aru’s mouth stayed frozen together. “Cool…looking?” Who the hell even was this guy?! Cael sighed and opened his mouth to speak, but an unnecessarily loud growl rumbled from Aru’s stomach, interrupting him. “...” Cael said. “How much can I get for five ingots?” Aru extended her left hand, the one holding the shiny ingots.
“O-only five?” Cael couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt for the girl. She was very obviously in poverty and even more obviously starving. Although he didn’t understand the full extent of why she was so broke, he wasn’t necessarily evil, so he said, “I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to give away bread for a lower price.
The girl’s head lowered in disappointment. Evio hissed viciously at Cael. Aru turned around. If there was no food, then there was no reason to stay any longer. Cael could feel her disappointment float through the air and slap him in the face. “Wait!” He pleaded desperately. Aru stood in place, still facing away from him. “Just this once, I'll give it to you! Completely free!”
That made her turn around, a devilish grin on her face. “Free, you say?” Aru scooted closer, scanning the rows of bread loafers. “Then I want this one!” A pale, skinny finger pointed at a shiny, brown, and golden loaf glazed in a thin coat of honey. Of course, she chose the most expensive one. Cael forced a smile, nodding.
“Of course. Let me just bag it, u-” Evio leapt out of Aru’s grip and onto a nearby trash bin right as Aru, with zero hesitation, picked up the honey-glazed loaf with her bare, crusty hands and took a bite like some sort of ravenous animal that's been starved for weeks. That wasn't far from the truth, though.
His face fell, and in its place was a tight, awkward smile. They maintained eye contact for what seemed to be years until Aru swallowed the food and simply…walked off, leaving a stunned and shocked Cael behind.
A small chuckle left Aru’s lips while walking away from the bread stand. “Well, I would say that was easy.” She chuckled, ripping off small pieces of bread and dropping them onto the ground for Evio to eat. “Meooow.” Evio’s tail lashed behind him before pouncing on the chunks of bread on the ground. “Whaaat? Feel bad? No! It was necessary, I’d rather die with a full stomach.” Aru mumbled more to herself than to the white cat.
“What a little freak…talking to herself,” a voice said loud enough to catch her attention as she walked by.
Aru stopped walking and slowly turned around.
Standing by the clothing store was Nancy, along with her squad of goons.
Aru couldn't help but internally groan. Of course, this slut was here. Nancy was the village's resident asshole. Whether you're just walking or simply waiting for something, she’ll pick a fight. Fighting back is futile since she's the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in town. On top of being the town's number one terrorizer, she had two other girls at her side, both equal in being obnoxious and getting a sick pleasure in tormenting the other residents. Then two men were constantly at her side, ready to defend or fight anyone who threatened Nancy. Either the two boys were bodyguards or her boyfriends; either way, it didn't matter.
Just her luck that she was caught talking to herself. Nancy already hated the white-haired girl. Hell, Aru didn't even know why herself. It was like love at first sight, but replace love with hate, and that would sum up every encounter they had.
Aru didn't face them completely, not yet. “Nancy.” She growled out, beside her, Aru hissed. A chorus of giggles and barely suppressed mocking laughter echoed through the air and into her ears. Just the sound of their laughter made Aru want to crawl into a hole and never return. The contrast between them was already embarrassing enough.
Nancy was wealthy, always wearing brightly colored dresses, with a face full of makeup and nicely styled hair. Aru, on the other hand, wore scraped clothes with dirt-streaked skin and greasy hair half the time she had to bathe in the river because the town's bathhouse was closed or out of hot water. Most of the time, it was both. The hot water was a luxury the ‘normal’ people could rarely afford.
I'm going to stick my feet in her face. Aru kept a poker face on, now turning to face the gang of five. “Eeek!” One of the other girls squealed and hid behind a tall, black-haired boy. “I-its even more hideous up close! Get it away, it's diseased!” Another round of laughter rang out, but Aru didn't find it funny.
What were their names? She could never remember.
Aru clutched the loaf of bread closer to her, as if it could shield her from the laughter. “What do you want, Nancy? I dont think it's wise to pick a fight, especially after what happened last time.” The last time then was being spoken about was referring to, well, the last time they had unfortunately encountered each other, and a fight broke out, which resulted in blood being spilled in the road.
Nancy plugged her nose, waving a hand in front of her. “Ewww, I can smell its breath from all the way over here!” More laughter came from them; by now, other townsfolk were staring at the ongoing, one-sided verbal beatdown. Aru could feel the blood in her body start to boil with rage. Her eyes narrowed into slits, hands balling into fists.
As if sensing her anger, beside her, Evio hissed. “A kitty! So pretty..” The new voice came from one of Nancy’s friends, who had long brown hair in pigtails. She wore a long, pink-and-white dress with thigh-high stockings and high heels. How could they even wear such thick clothing, given the humidity outside, especially since it was primarily rainy? This was something Aru could never understand.
Maybe it was a normal people thing.
“Here, kitty, kitty! You dont want to be close to that thing, it’ll probably eat you.” The brown-haired girl squatted down, holding her hands open, but that only made Evio hiss louder. His tail was spiked up, his back arched, and his claws were out.
Nancy hmph’ed, sticking her nose up. “Tommy, Jal! I want that kitty! Bring it to me now!” Aru felt her heart drop to her stomach. She could probably beat one of the guys, but against two, she was sure to lose. The two men, now known as Tommy and Jal, with Tommy being the tall, black-haired one and Jal being the shorter, grey-haired one. Both turned their attention to Nancy, then Evio, who had hidden behind Aru’s legs.
Oh fuck. Aru stepped back as they approached, their figures seemed even taller and more imposing up close, and the air around them thickened with tension. Her grip on the loaf became almost crushing as adrenaline coursed through her veins. However, one thing remained firm in her mind: They weren't getting Evio without a fight.
Aru balled her hands into fists and stepped closer, now standing less than a few feet away from the two boys who had taken fighting stances.
This was a bad idea.
Actually, no, scratch that, it was a horrible way to go out. It was beyond stupid! But it was for Evio, the stupid stray cat who refused to leave. For the cat, Aru was willing to do anything; after all, she didn't have anything else to lose except her life.
The three girls stayed back, whispering among themselves. Still, it meant nothing to the newly formed crowd that had gathered around them. Even if someone wanted to back out now, it would be impossible. Once a fight starts in town, it doesn't end until one of the participants admits defeat, which is a deeply humiliating experience.
“Evio, stay back.” She whispered to the cat, who stubbornly stayed at her side. It made her smile, just a little. It was nice knowing he was willing to wait until the end. Her attention snapped back to the two boys as thundering footsteps approached rapidly. She didn't have any time to react before WHAM!
A hit from Tommy directly to the gut made her recoil, a breathless gasp leaving her lips, and the bread flew out of her hands and onto the ground. Around them, gasps and murmurs exploded from the townsfolk. “Ok…wow.” She wheezed out, stumbling back. A dull throbbing came from the left side of her abdomen where the fist made contact with her body. A bruise was now undoubtedly forming. Her left hand clutched the side of her waist. It hurt more than she was willing to admit.
Tommy cracked his knuckles, no sign of emotion on his face. Aru didn't know what was worse, the fact that one punch almost took her down, or the fact that Tommy was acting as if this was normal! It pissed her off even more.
Aru rolled her shoulders, wincing the pain away. Jal circled both of them, searching for an opportunity to strike. Tommy brought his hands back up, still emotionless. Jal lifted his leg, quickly decreasing the distance between them as Aru lowered her head and ran forward with his fist raised above her head, striking Tommy in the face. Then, with a mighty swing of her leg, she knocked him down.
Jal breathed heavily behind her, but she didn’t focus on him. Instead, she slammed down on the ground, striking Tommy multiple times in the face. With every strike, a gasp rang out.
Blam!
A gasp.
Thunk!
A small shriek.
Crack.
Jal ran forward, grabbing Aru by the arm she used to fight, and pulled her up, their fists inches away from each other.
Before any of them could hit each other, a man ran into the crowd. He was sweating all over with a look in his eyes that could only be described as pure terror. “Everyone!” The fight halted in favor of staring at him; as a matter of fact, everyone in the crowd stopped to stare. “Solanari had declared war on Belogoon. As of now, we are at war!”
…
…
…
The area exploded in shock and fear. Aru stared at the man. It was known that Solanari and Belogoon had been at each other’s throats for months now, but to hear it confirmed that they were at war made her stomach churn with sickness.
Jal let go of her and turned on her heel to Nancy, and the others were stumbling around like newborn babies. “Take me to daddy!” Nancy demanded when Jal rushed to her side. “Yes m’lady.” He murmured, already leading the way. Aru turned to Tommy, who had crawled away from her, keeping his head down.
There was a small puddle of blood where he was lying. Aru swallowed the bile in her throat. She didn't mean to beat him so harshly, but in her fit of rage, even she misunderstood her own strength.
“Meow!”
Evio!
Aru whipped around and looked down at Evio, who was now sitting in front of her, unharmed. “Evio…” She murmured. As much as she wanted to say something else, the sound of revving engines from the other side of town and shouting pulled her away. “Let's go check it out,” she said as she took off with Evio.
The other side of town was about a 10-minute sprint; it was a big village. As she ran, the scenery shifted from the city's usual quiet to unfamiliar voices and soldiers in Solanari uniforms. There were vehicles everywhere, and desks set up with people lining up to join the war. The air was thick with smoke and debris.
“We really are at war…” She whispered under her breath, and quickly she ducked into an alleyway to catch her breath. Evio purred curiously, leaping onto a trash bin. Aru peeked out, scanning the town square that had become designated for recruits. She turned north, toward the farm. By now, the Geoarla mafia was already there, searching for her.
A pang of fear hit her chest. She didn't want to die! Not now, not ever. It was a sudden, unfamiliar thought. In the past, she had accepted her fate, ready to give up and lose whatever she had left, but now, she didn’t want to.
Maybe Tommy had accidentally hit some sense into her.
She turned back to the town square, staring at people signing documents and loading up into wagons and army trucks to get sent elsewhere. Some people looked determined, while others had a look of fear etched into their expressions. Getting sent away…huh?
An idea popped into her head, which, half the time, was either extremely dangerous or downright stupid.
Ideas from Aru were never good.
Maybe if I join the military and fight in the war, I can escape the Geoarla mafia! If I can escape the village, then they won't be able to track me!
Aru bounced lightly on the soles of her feet, peeking back out at one of the recruiting stations. The person in front was a man wearing the standard uniform and cap. She turned her gaze to the line. It wasn’t that long, but there were other recruiting stations. It would be easy to slip into the line; she was small and mostly unnoticeable, except for her snow-white hair, which stood out starkly against the gloomy atmosphere. Even the sky was grey!
Her heart beat in her chest; the only thing stopping her from making the stupidest decision the world had ever seen was Evio. “I'm gonna do it.” Evio’s ear twitched. She turned to the black and white cat. “You… can't go to war, can you?” Guilt seeped into her mind. She didn't want to leave Evio behind, but they wouldn't accept a cat to go to war!
What good could he do?! Meow at the enemies?!
More soldiers walked around, and their yelling became nothing more than a background noise in the alleyway. “I'm sorry, Evio,” Aru whispered, awkwardly hugging the cat. “You can't come with me this time.” He meowed. Unshed tears pooled in her eyes.
How silly.
Crying over a cat.
She pulled away, wiping the tears with her sleeve. “You have to find somewhere else to survive.” Evio leaned in closer, then pulled away as if sensing her inner turmoil. “Muuurp?” His tail curled around them as Aru backed away. “If…If I survive, then I'll come back for you!” Her footsteps were quiet in the alleyway, but in the silence that followed, it sounded as loud as a gunshot. “I promise!” She called out and, with a final wave, left the alleyway.
“Meow?”
Getting through the crowded streets while dodging ridiculously tall people, she secured a spot in line close to the front. No one paid attention to the girl; they were either busy signing themselves up or trying to navigate their way around. “Next!” The soldier at the desk called. The line moved up, and the person signing up left the line, guided by another soldier.
With every shout, her skin got sticky, her heart pounded furiously against her ribs, and, more of a stupid idea, the whole thing was, but it was too late to back down now, because now? It was her turn to step up and register.
When she approached the table, the man blinked and had to look down physically. “Next!” He completely ignored her. “H-hey! I want to sign up!” Aru stood firmly in place, toes digging into the ground. Behind her, murmurs from the others in line could be heard. “Really, she's so small?” One said to himself. “Tsk, it's suicide if she goes.” Another whispered with a hint of pity in their voice.
Aru ignored them. The soldier in front sighed heavily. “Sorry, but I can't sign you up. You're too small to do anything.” He waved her away, as if she were some kind of annoying pest, then an actual person wanting to fight.
The audacity!
“But you said you're accepting anyone! You can't discriminate!” Her eyes narrowed. God, everyone was so annoying! The man grumbled something then leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low whisper. “Look, kid. I'm sorry, but you're not eligible to join. You're short, skinny, and I'm gonna be frank, you look homeless.” Aru opened her mouth, but he continued. It's suicide if I let you join, and I’d never hear the end of it from the captain!”
Captain? That was perfect! If she could personally ask the ‘supposed’ Captain, then she could know for sure if she could join.
She looked back at him with a look in her eyes that made him sweat. “No, you can't meet the captain, now scram! We’re at war and need all the reliable soldiers, not just some street kid.” He moved his hands around, shooing her away like a bug. “Next!” He yelled out to the person who was standing behind her.
Now Aru watched from the sidelines.
She looked around at the other recruitment stands, but those lines were wrong, and if all the other soldiers were like the one she encountered there, what was the point in standing around just to get rejected over and over? The white-haired girl looked around. Soldiers were unloading and carrying crates of supplies, making a stack on one side of the town.
Another group of soldiers was pitching tents and entering houses, while a second group ordered people around. Then it hit.
They didn't just come to get recruiters; they were making the village a war station!
It felt like a punch to the gut, not like the one from Tommy, but like an invisible force coming out of the shadows and giving her a personal beatdown.
If the soldiers were taking over the town, it wouldn't take long for them to reach the farm, and she would be kicked out of her own home! It wasn't really a home, though, but either way, she would be homeless.
Wait.
A frown creased her face.
Why was she thinking about the future when the Mafia was most likely already here, searching for her?
That was stupid, even for her.
Aru looked again. There were still a few horse-drawn carriages loading in new recruits. Just simple walking and climbing into one would be futile with how many people were over there, but as she lowered her gaze, perhaps just sneaking in would be too normal. Climbing under and clinging to the underside of one of the carriages would work.
No one would notice her, and it would be perfect to slip under!
Perfect, and then she could fight without having to register.
She was a certified genius, well, to herself she was. Everyone else thought she was beyond stupid, even for someone who's never been to school and couldn't read or write.
Aru looked back at the soldier at the registration table; he wasn't looking. She scooted away and, once a safe enough distance, darted over to the carriages. There were only three left; the fourth one had just set off, only god knows where. It was dangerous, beyond dangerous even. Her nerves were practically on fire at this point!
On the downside, the only good part about the idea was that there were almost no people where she was. Aru dropped to the ground, hastily army crawling under the cart. Every slight noise made her freeze; there were still people clinging in, with every footstep, the wood and metal cracked under the weight, making it seem seconds away from collapsing in.
The underside of the cart had two wooden planks attached, with a small gap where she could slip her legs through, then a bar hanging upside down, which she gripped with her hands to keep her puppet body from being dragged along the ground. The only problem was that it took much more effort than she thought to just stay in position.
It doesn't matter, I'm doing this for survival! With a determined face, she steeled her expression. A burning sensation had already spread from her shoulders to her legs, but despite that, she made no sound and kept her position.
“Alright, Cart 3 is loaded up! Send 'em to Fort Oamal!” A voice called from dangerously close to her. Aru cracked her eyes open, and a pair of boots was next to the cart where she assumed the voice was from. Holy hell- She swallowed thickly when the cart rattled, the horses neighing, then the cart began moving.
This was it.
There was absolutely no going back now.
Aru stared at the gravel path below. She had successfully escaped certain death at the village, but now she didn't know what the future held for her.
Her expression schooled, and in its place was determination.
No matter what,
She won't die.
She promised herself that.
For evio.