Chapter Text
“You cannot just leave me here!”
Those were the last words I muttered to my parents before they drove off. I watched my entire life, aside from a few bags of clothes, rush away. I felt both cold from the feeling of emptiness and hot from the scorching sun above me. My parents always threatened things like this if I didn’t ‘fix my attitude’ but never ever did I think they’d go through with it.
There I stood, my large bags laid all over the disgusting dirt that they dared to call a road. Everything was silent aside from the soft breeze hitting the many crops that went on for miles and miles. It smelled like shit. Literal shit. So bad that I could feel my nose scrunch up, a weak attempt to try to block the stench but to no avail. It was surrounding the area, dug deep into the ground after years of build-up.
A classic old farm.
Not exactly the place someone of my stature would usually be found in but my parents decided It would be best for me. For some reason. Why would you be surprised that a child you practically grew up spoiling would end up being a spoiled adult? Not my fault!
I coughed, jumping a bit as a gust of dust pushed towards me, swatting my hand in front of my face to desperately get any particles away. “Heyyyy Nephew!” A familiar voice caught me off guard, making me turn back despite the dirt. This massive farm, or at least most of it, was owned by my ‘uncle’. I quote that because he's not really my uncle but he’s practically like family. He sat on a massive seal brown horse, its mane shining brightly with red and tan lines across its back. Uncle Schpood loved horses, he grew up on this very farm with his family, raising horses for practically his whole life. The farm got passed down to him and despite earning thousands from it, he refuses to hire much help or retire. His daughter used to live with him before she left for college, helping around the farm but now he has nobody. Except for me now. I guess.
He shifted off the saddle, casually jumping off without using the stirrup, patting the elegant mare's shoulder. “Parents just leave ya’ here? Poor thing.” He spoke, reaching to stand in front of me, a mere fence blocking us now. I watched his gaze fall down to my many bags, seeing the squint in his eye. “All these are yours?”
I sighed. “Yes, uncle, who else would they belong to?”
He seemed to chuckle before I even finished my sentence, jumping over the small fence to pat me. The sheer impact of his hand on my back caused me to jump forward a bit, crossing my arms as the scowl on my face deepened. “Aw, come on, lighten up! Here, grab a bag.” He picked up two of my bags, throwing them over the fence, repeating the process before only one was left. He smiled, jumping over the fence once again before grabbing some bags, putting a few on his horse before getting on. “I’ll come back for the others, you carry that bag, okay? Okay!” He patted his horse once again, making a clicking noise with his tongue to signal that the mare should start moving.
I stood there, both surprised by how quickly he left but burdened with the fact I had to actually help? What kind of torture is this? Reluctantly, I moved down to grab the handles of the bag, grunting as I attempted to lift it will all my might. It’s just clothes. And maybe some shoes. And also some essentials. With care, I stepped forward before dropping the bag from the little height I managed to pick it up at. My body shivered as it felt my muscles do exercise for the first time in months, causing me to quickly need a break. I pouted, sitting down on the stupid bag.
“Need help?” I looked up at the voice and it was a boy who looked to be younger than me. He had a medium complexion, big sunglasses covering half his face which made it hard to see anything. On his head he wore a classic cowboy hat, decorated with a yellow feather. He looked like a little kid who had just found a Halloween store for the first time, wearing flared pants and everything.
“No. I’m fine.” I huffed, even though I was clearly struggling.
He tilted his head in confusion, assuming I was just going to let him assist me. I spoke up again, “Go away, kid.”
The boy gasped at my words, stepping back and taking off his hat. His shoulder length yellow and blonde hair messed up as he lifted it. “Kid? Do I look like a kid to you?”
“You do.”
“Well, I’m in fact a big boy and NOT a kid. Sorry for trying to help you hold your bag, you city swine!” He turned away, putting his hat back on. He crossed his arms, huffing as he spoke his insult.
My face twisted in both confusion and pity. Where are this poor kids parents? He looks to be from the farm so he doesn’t seem to be in a similar situation as I am. But so young? Uncle Schpood never mentioned him. I sighed. It doesn’t matter, I knew that I was too weak to carry the bag so maybe it’s more do-able when it’s two people. I stood. “I’m sorry for calling you a kid. Can you still help me with my bag, please? It’s too heavy,” He quickly turned around at my whining, grabbing the bag in one swoop before throwing it over his shoulder like uncle had before. He shifted to carry it right before showing off by making it look effortless, though his shaky arms were very much visible.
“Where to?” I pointed to a tucked away farm house, light in color and made of pure brick and wood. He nodded as he began following the road in stomps. After taking a moment to breathe, fixing my outfit carefully and picking at my hair, I followed behind. Admittedly, at a very much slower pace. But can you blame me? What stood at the end of this long path was the shack that I was forced to stay in for the next three months. Maybe I wanted a little more time to look back and imagine my parents returning to pick me up, bringing along the maids to bathe me well and clean off all the mess I’ve already got on myself despite only being out here for a few hours. I knew that wasn’t going to happen. It was nothing but wishful thinking of mine.
My parents weren’t returning. I wasn’t going to be pampered.
This was going to be a long summer.