19

The Second Month of 1246

Levi

"Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

I'm looking at a good looking,

But sadly it's not you."

I giggled, raising my hand to my mouth as I tried to suppress my laugh. Right in front of me, I can barely see Petra's frown with the tears forming in my eyes.

"Seriously Levi, is that the best you can come up?" Petra rolled her eyes at me.

"Of course, and he likes it!" I snatched the latest letter that my penpal sent me and shoved it to Petra's face. "See! He thinks it's funny!" I exclaimed, showing off the proof.

"Alright," Petra shrugged and started writing.

I giggled as I reread his letter. Yes, I somehow stole Jean's penpal, it's not my fault that his penpal likes me more than him. Rogue... That's what I secretly call him, I can't just call him my 'penpal' forever. It's not that we have some sort of secret language that only the two of us can understand. Petra thought that we are only exchanging sappy poems but it's more than that.

I felt heart my chest grew fuzzy just by thinking about it.

"Alright," Petra rereads the letter. "I guess this one's done-"

"Thanks!" I snatched the letter off her hands. I neatly folded and placed it in the envelope before bolting outside and placed it inside the mailbox.

"Levi, I don't mind you making friends but will you and Petra stop with the giggling!" Kenny shouted from his garden.

"Fuck you!" I spat back to him. I don't giggle, I don't! It was Petra who's giggling.

"Ummm... Mr. Ackerman, I never giggled. Levi does. All the time," Petra laughed at me.

"You little-" I growl.

"Alright, I'm going home now!" Petra rushed out of arm's length. "Bye, Levi! Bye, Mr. Ackerman!" Then she bolted.

I sighed and waved back at her. Closing the mailbox, I look over my uncle's garden. He had this dream of turning the backyard to a vineyard so he can have free wine. It was a stupid idea but I gave in and decided to plant tea so I can have free tea as well.

The town where I lived is fairly small. Everyone knew each other despite the huge gaps in each household. Petra's house and the other were a good distance away from ours. I like it that way, it is quiet and people tend to their business and not giving a fuck of what we do.

I went to the garden and tended my small tea plantation. Or maybe I shouldn't call them a plantation if there are only ten plots. I hate touching dirt, it's a thing that developed in me when I was living in the streets.

There was a plague back then and the only way to survive it was to keep me and everything around me clean. It was hard but I was desperate, I can't afford to get sick because I knew I'll surely die. Months past, the plague past yet the mentality to keep everything clean never left my mind until this day.

I hate touching dirt but I'll hate myself more if I didn't keep my plants clean. Supplies in this small town are limited, forcing the prices to go up, leaving the town's people to grow their food. That's not a bad idea, the soils were fertile but the town had no farms with so little on the population resulting in too little manpower. In the end, people only grew enough for themselves.

"So, does your loverboy ever planned on visiting?" Kenny blurted out.

"W-what?! Visit?!" I snapped at him, completely flustered. "He's not my... loverboy..." I blushed as I heard myself say that word.

"Come on brat, I'm not an idiot. Tell that dude to come here. I want to see the guy that turned my nephew into a giggling machine." Kenny grunted as he pulled the weeds in the garden.

"I don't giggle!" I exclaimed. However, maybe... inviting Rogue is not such a bad idea. He claimed that he was bored to death on where he lives, that was why he engaged in writing letters to Jean before, now we're exchanging letters. But doesn't inviting him over seems too fast? I pondered.

Pulling the weeds with all my might, I decided to just do it. If Rogue really cares about me then he'll visit.

The sun was setting and I'm still in my room practicing my writing. I knew how to write but... it's not pretty and I always messed up the spelling. I never had an education but during my early years in the street, I met this guy. He claimed that he's a teacher and that taught kids in the streets. I joined his class until one day, he vanished. I was 12 when I heard that he died and none took over his place.

I sighed as I pushed back the memories and practiced writing. Petra was nice enough to let me borrow some of her books, I used them as a reference for the spelling now that I finished reading all of it.

Sighing again, I rest my head in the hardwood. I want to meet Rogue. It's been two months since we started sending letters. I don't know what he sees in me based on the letters, I don't even know his real name... Maybe it's only me who's feeling this way?

It all started when we open up our dynamics and I shared my frustration by being an Omega then he... he said the nicest thing and it didn't stop. I pulled the drawer open in my desk where I kept his letters. Before he started exchanging letters, Rogue taught me the secret messages that he and Jean used before. I don't why they established such secrecy but I trust Rogue because it's more private and fun that way. And I do agree.

As I reread his past letters, I felt the familiar fuzziness that blooms in my chest.

"Hey, brat! Get down! Let's eat dinner!" Kenny shouted from downstairs.

I sighed as I stood, cleaning my desk before leaving my room. The table was set when I reached the ground floor and Kenny was already digging on his plate. Taking a seat and helped myself with some stew from the bowl.

"Well, you are inviting this friend of yours?" Kenny asked.

"I think I will," I shrugged.

"Good, because I want to make sure he ain't using witchcraft just like your bastard of a father did."

I sighed. This is not the first time Kenny freely expressed his hatred towards my father. He told me the tale of my how mother met my father and they eloped, no matter how much Kenny stopped her. The old Alpha claimed that my mother was under some sort of spell. I had no idea, I never met the guy. It was only me and mother until she passed away, she hadn't mentioned anything about him. What happened to him is no longer I'm interested in, or so I thought because I can't help the curiosity that sparked within me.

"Uncle, did my father used magic on mother?" I asked.

"Pfft! Of course, he did! I knew something was going on on that fella. He must have sneaked it in Kuchel's drink or those flowers..." Kenny sighed, leaning back on his chair. "I should have keep on eye on that bastard..."

I kept my mouth shut after that, no matter how much hatred my uncle had on what happened to my mother, I can feel his sadness as well as his guilt. I noted to myself to never bring the topic again.

A sudden flashback peeked into my head as I continued to eat. It was when Kenny found me in the streets. I was so depressed with my friends' deaths that I haven't attended to myself. My hair grew long that it reached my shoulders, that's when Kenny saw me and thought I was my mother, his sister. Kuchel.

Kenny's weariness towards my penpal was understandable. Putting my spoon down, I faced my uncle. "I'm inviting him."

"Who?"

Oh, my gods, I can't believe he already forgot about it. "My penpal."

"Good, when will he'll be visiting? I'll set up some charms just in case he is fond of using magic on people."

I rolled eyes on him. "Well, I'm still writing to him. How about next Monday?"

"That'll do."