Chapter two: Dinner and Family

I usually made the ten kids that made up my new family trade chores everyday. One day the boys would have to gather firewood, while the girls got food, the next day, they switched. I never told them to split up by genders, that part just happened. Today was the girls turn to filch food. The Merchants didn't know about my 'family' yet. The market was always crowded, so it was easier to blend in, but the stall workers were on the alert for thieves, so it was also much more dangerous. Raz was the only boy who was brave enough to steal from the markets, I never asked the other boys why they didn't. I guess it had something to do with their lives before they lost everything, and we all had lost everything. The other boys, both older and younger, had night terrors. That was another thing that I didn't ask about, I figure that they'll come and tell me in their own time. Just because they didn't say anything didn't mean that I was sleeping through an entire night.

In the beginning, we had set up a sort of buddy system. Whenever someone had a nightmare, their buddy would wake up and get me. It didn't matter if the sun had just disappeared behind the "city" roofs, or if it was so dark that they tripped over the sleeping forms of the other kids; I still got woken up. Usually, Zana woke me, because her buddy, Kane, had night terrors. He showed up one night with a broken arm and multiple green-black bruises on his face. That was three years ago, and his past still managed to haunt him.

All of the kids had strong wills. Sure, they got scared, but they all survived on the streets and had done this on their own for a long time. Most adults didn't even make it through a year before they crashed; but Zana had been by herself since she was two and the twins had been out here in the harsh world for much longer than Zana. I took a deep breath of clean air. The only clean air is up here, on the roofs. The warming fires from the slums had polluted the rest of the air until it tasted like trash and soiled linen.

One of the better things about this place is that the slums aren't a depressing shade of gray. In t

the last town that I had lived in the slums were so filthy that a film of white mold covered every pathway. At least here I could Everyone, even the homeless like us, owns some colorful clothing; and with Mr. Zano's farm nearby, it is easier to get green vegetables to eat in the summer.

"We're back!"

"And we brought food!" I turned to see the twins as they climbed up the ladder and onto the roof. Azida and Daazi's shoulders were starting to broaden and their voices sometimes cracked, but they still managed to look good.

"Did you bring back the others?" I asked. I hadn't seen the other boys who had gone to the farm with Azida and Daazi yet.

"Yeah, they're coming..." Azida trailed off, "it's not my fault!"

"Where did you leave them?" I asked. I tried to keep the panic out of my voice, but both boys flinched at my tone. I forced my breaths to be even and slow. "We're a family here and family looks out for each other. Now tell me where the rest of the boys are." The twins had grown up on the streets, their childhood was the same as mine was, but they were the last to come under my care. There were some rules that the twins needed to have shoved into their thick skulls before they understood.

"They wanted to go and play in the stream."

"And you left them there!"

"They said they'd be back soon. Don't worry, Hestia. We'll go back and get them. This wont happen again," Daazi said.

"You'd better." I could see that the threat wasn't necessary. Azida was whiter than a lacy sheet on wash day and his brother had a determined gleam in his eye. Daazi would not forget himself again. He didn't speak unless he believed in what he was saying, but I wasn't so sure if Azida would remember. Azida was hot headed, but Daazi was much more likely to throw a punch before his brother could bother to feel insulted. As the oldest in the group, they were often caught by Mr. Zano, and beaten for their attempted crimes. While they were receiving black eyes and swollen ribs, the other kids were running away, or stealing food. The girls had an easier way to take from the old man. They split up and had one group beg at his door and the other wandered through his fields, choosing the best of his crops. They called it the Beg and Bag.

I looked up at the sky. There weren't many clouds, so I wouldn't have to set up the rain guards- which was a relief- but the sun was nearly setting behind the nicer houses in the "city". I turned toward the large, cast iron pot that sat in the middle of the roof. Zana had found it a few years ago and it was still usable. I think some homeless family had used it as a cradle for their baby, seeing as Zana found a few toys in the pot. We gave the toys to Leena and she played with them until they fell apart. I poured a bucket of freshwater into the pot and inhaled sharply. As I let my lugs push the air out, I raised my hands and smiled when a small fire started under the pot. Soon, the girls would return with firewood and I wouldn't have to concentrate to keep the fire going; but for now I sat cross-legged on the roof and closed my eyes.

Slowly, the kids made their way to the roof. Raz and Kane were sent back out onto the street to see if there were any new people in the slums who could benefit from a warm meal. Sometimes a person who eats dinner with us will stay the night and, eventually, become a permanent part of the family. This didn't happen often, but it wasn't unheard of. Mostly weary, poor travelers would be grateful for the meal and they would be indebted to us. My family needed all the favors it could get.

"Lizz, you start cutting up some of those vegetables; and Leena, you feed the fire," I said. The girls nodded and began to work. Lizz was ten years old, so I trusted her with a knife. Lizz had kept the short blade on here since her lonely street days. She was tough for a ten-year-old, and even if she didn't say it, I knew that she valued being in this group. When Lizz was done, I dumped the vegetables into the pot and waited. Raz and Kane came back as the food was cooking and reported that there were no newcomers that needed our help. Then they ran off to join the other kids, who were on the other side of the roof playing a game.

"Guys food's ready!" I called out a few minutes later.

"No it's not!" Azida said. He rushed towards me and held his hands behind his back. I raised an eyebrow but waited for him to explain. "We got you something." All of the kids were gathering behind Azida, and his brother smirked a little. "It's been another year that you've kept us all safe and fed," Azida began, "and we thought that we should do something to thank you. We've been working hard and we managed to get you this," he held out a small glass jar with a golden powder in it. I took the gift from Azida and willed my hands to stop shaking. My eyes burned and my throat felt like there was a rock stuck in it. I unscrewed the cap and sniffed, the powder was a spice, that much was sure.

"Did you get me," I sniffed it again, "curry powder?" I asked. All of the kids nodded. I turned to the pot and sprinkled a little of the spice into the soup. "Here's to us then." I dished out the soup into the bowls that the kids passed me. They didn't need to hear it from me, I could see from their faces that the children knew how much I appreciated their gift.

A/N: Ahhhhh sorry guys! I exceeded my one week update rule. I am eternally sorry! I'll try to be more on top of that in the future. I'd like to take the time to thank my lovely betas(well, there's only one now because my usual editor is still in school, but there will be two rather shortly) Also a shout out to Locano for reviewing. It made me super happy to hear from you (and in such a short amount of time too!) Have a good week and I hope this will be updated by next sunday at the latest!

-Ananimous