The world looks just as grim and gray as it always has been. Bringing water from the well and boiling it for the brothel to use. I would bring the buckets of boiling water to the whores in the brothel. They would bathe and service their clients and the hot water was sure to bring customers. People around the village would think the brothel had a mage creating the boiled water and rumors would spread. After all, only mages could create boiling water in high quantities unless you were rich, in which case, you would just hire a mage for you to spare yourself the labor. It was a slave's job, to do these things, after all and I am that slave.

Earning pocket change for exhausting labor every day just to feed my sisters and sometimes myself. It was exhausting. My body is strong and being a mage on top of that made me much stronger physically than others my age. That is, if people knew that I was a mage. Sort of.

I had an affinity for lightning and fire, but all I can do is make small sparks of lightning or a flame barely rivaling a candle's. So instead of working on my destructive power I would mediate. Feeling all my magic circulating through my veins. Ahh, to feel it later tonight. The feeling's almost euphoric. If only this job...

-"Hey! Get to work, slave! What the **** do we pay you for? If I see you stop for just one more second I will beat you half to death, you hear me?"

-"Yes, sir, but I didn't..."

-"Shut the **** up! I don't wanna hear your fucking complaints. Now get those buckets to the whores upstairs, now!"

-"Yes, sir."

I felt horrible. I didn't even do anything wrong. I was still walking, right? Yeah, I don't remember stopping, but why would he get mad, otherwise? It made no sense, but I did as I was told, regardless of how they spoke to me. After all, Ava and Nevaeh needed to educate themselves in school and i'm their only hope.

Walking up the creaky stairs with two full buckets bigger than my head was always fun. Everyone upstairs would look anxiously at me as if I would fall. I've walked up these stair hundreds if not thousands of timesand it never broke. It shouldn't break today, but when they look at me like that I get anxious sometimes, too.

I put the buckets of still boiling hot water into the bathtub and go home for the day.

I approached Voss, my superior for my daily pay. He was the one who yelled at me earlier, too. I felt awkward approaching him after he yelled at me before, but I needed to ask him. Swallowing hard, I ask him for my pay.

He doesn't even look at me when I speak to him. Maybe he doesn't hear me? I ask him louder this time and walk around him so his eyes don't miss me.

-"I worked my 11 hours today, can I have my pay, please?" I said almost yelling at him

-"You're not getting your pay today for what you did"

I can't feed my siblings, today. We barely have any leftovers from yesterday and I didn't get my pay because of my mistake at work.

I walk through the streets of the village and enter the alleys. Everyone here is poor, but your status as a human being is even less if you live in the alleys. We are basically less than human beings in the eyes of most. Hopefully, I can get a good job in the future and get us a better place.

I walk further into the alleyways until I see the pair of stairs leading down to the other houses. Our house has one window beside the door unlike others so it is never hard to find.

My siblings should already be home since their school ends before my work does. I knock on the door and wait for my siblings to open. I always tell them to lock the door from the inside when they get home. Burglary and kidnappings were normal occurrences in our neighborhood.

I hear small yet quick footsteps coming closer from behind the wooden door. Most likely Ava's footsteps. The sounds of locks clicking and opening as she tries to open them as fast as possible. Not that it has ever been quick to open three locks, two of which need keys.

10 seconds go by and the door opens, at last. Ava is there to greet me. I give her a hug and kiss her forehead. Even though I'm at work I can never stop worrying for them. I'm glad she's alright, as well.

But where's her sister?

-"Ava, where is Nevaeh? Have you guys eaten, yet?"

-" She's sleeping right now. She said she was tired and went to sleep and no we haven't eaten, yet. We waited for you.

Hearing her say that warms my heart and makes me annoyed at the same time.

- "Ava, you two need to eat after you come home from school. I come home late so don't wait for me. I'll take the leftover vegetables and make some soup since it's so late and you better eat it"

I don't know what went through Ava's head, but she started smiling a lot. Bouncing by lifting her heels from the ground as quick as she could. She is small so she looks really cute doing it. Her long black hair getting in the way of her eyes and all she does is blow it to the sides with her hands behind her back.

She should make herself useful when I'm so kind to make this goblin some food.

-" Make yourself useful and bring the bowls and spoons for the soup. You're cute little bouncing won't give you any less chores."

-" Whaa? That's not what I was trying to do! I'm happy we get to eat with you. We never eat with you."

Her voice falls silent and she prepares the table with bowls, spoons and cups. She's quiet the entire time.

After she's done she walks into the bedroom without saying a word. I quietly stir the soup and decide to give it a taste.

I gently lower the wooden spoon and let some broccoli and water pour in on it. Lifting the spoon gently as not to let anything fall. It's really hot so I should be careful. Before I get to taste the soup, Ava screams and I burn my mouth.

-"****. My mouth!"

I quickly let go of the spoon and run in the bedroom where I see Ava at the verge of tears and Nevaeh laughing.

-" What happened here?" I asked in the tone they knew that meant I was angry.

-"Ava was annoying her older sister so she got what was coming to her." She arrogantly exclaims.

-"I was trying to wake you up so we could eat, you idiot! Vidarr made soup and we never get to eat with him." She was basically crying at this point

-" Nevaeh, you are not older than Ava because Mom you came out before your other TWIN, Ava. Secondly, what did you do your sister to make her scream?"

Nevaeh doesn't meet my eyes and looks around the room instead, fidgeting with her fingers. I cross my arms and click with my toes on the ground signaling that I'm waiting for her response.

Suddenly there's a knock on the door. This was rare. I immediately told Ava and Nevaeh to hide under the hatch and put the rug over it to hide them from any intruders or slavers.

I walk up to the door and ask who it is they are seeking.

-" We are the of Grimwa family and we seek a wanted man who we believe resides in this village."

This is weird. Nobles never come this far away from the kingdom to ask peasants like us for wanted men. They simply send soldiers to do these jobs. Maybe this was an exception?

-" Who are you looking for? What does he look like?"

There's a slight pause, but I hear no movement so they must still be behind the door.

-"He's a tall man with green eyes and brown hair. His name is Vidarr."

This makes no sense. How am i wanted? I haven't done anything to warrant me being wanted by nobles. I could feel the panic welling up inside me. Thoughts i never considered reality were coming up. Will i be executed? Am i a criminal? What have I done? What about Ava and Nevaeh? They will become slaves to whoever finds them. 

I can feel my heart beating in my ears. My breaths are getting heavier. I have to calm down. The people behind the door are wating for my response and anything I say may be used against me later, or something. 

I take a deep breath and speak clearly and loud enough for them to hear me properly.

-"I know no such man so please be on your way."

-"We apologize for your inconvenience.  We will be on our way."

They said that, but I can't hear them walking away. I put my ear closer to the door to hear what they are doing.  They are still not moving. Maybe I should look through the window? If they see me, I'm as good as dead. It's too risky, I'll just walk back to Ava and Nevaeh to see how they are doing. 

I lift the rug and knock on the hatch two times and then another two times to let them know it's safe. 

-"Are the people gone?" Ava asked anxiously. 

-"Were they bad guys? Did you beat them up?" Nevaeh is more excited to hear about my supposed fight I had with the people behind the door, but she's always been like that.

I pat both of them on the head and say that everything is alright. I also didn't beat anyone up, who do I look like? 

I get an exaggerated sigh from this little goblin. I pinch Nevaeh's cheek hard enough for it to not hurt, but with enough strength to make her cheek red. 

-"Ow! That hurts! Leave me alone!" She stomps off into the kitchen and I hear one of our chairs creak on the floor. Fufufu, she wanted me to leave her alone, but is now sitting on the eating table where we are going to eat soup. 

I ask Ava if she's hungry and she storms off into the kitchen where her sister is. I take that as a yes. I decide to follow suit and walk into the kitchen to feed them my glorious soup. I take their bowls and fill them up. They look eager to eat, but wait for me to have my own bowl filled before eating. 

I also need to thank Ava for helping her big brother out.

-" Thanks for setting the table, Ava, it was a big help." 

-"You're welcome!" She says, obviously happy that I thanked her for her efforts. What a cute little girl. 

-"Alright, let's eat!" I tell them and we all begin eating. 

The soup is mostly made out of water and vegetables. It has no meat or any other animal in it. Not that we don't want it, but because we can't afford it. Every now and then the farmers will give me a discount on their chicken, but even then I tell them it's out of my price range. It makes me feel so pathetic that I can't even buy something so simple. This shabby house if it you can even call it that. One room and a kitchen. I want to get away from this entire village. 

How are my sisters, though? They probably don't worry as much as I do. I ask them how school is and they tell me how they have gotten some friends. They play together, but sometimes the boys like to pick on them. Nevaeh then proudly talks about how she beat the boys up and now they don't even dare to pick on them again. 

I can't help but laugh. My laugh causes them to laugh and now we are all breaking dinner etiquette by laughing at the dinner table. We all laugh for a solid 30 seconds before I calm down.  Ava quickly follows. Nevaeh is still grinning, but she calms down, as well. 

-"So I can rest assured that you two are happy at school?" I ask them.

They both nod. That's good. I would die if all my efforts to make them look presentable were in vain. That's probably why the teachers treat them well, too, since they didn't mention anything bad about the teachers. I let out a burdened sigh. My shoulders feel lighter now. 

We all finish eating and I'm cleaning the bowls and spoons. Ava is cleaning the table of any accidental spills and Nevaeh went to sleep. I tell Ava that she doesn't have to clean the table and that I will do it. She can just go to sleep and I will take of everything. 

-"Okay, goodnight, Vidarr." She yawns on her way back to the bedroom. She's obviously tired and decides to help me. 

-"Goodnight, Ava, sleep wel-"

The door suddenly bursts open and three men in black clothes come inside the house. My entire body is in shock. I can't react. What is happening? A tall man tries to reach for Ava and she screams.