I, Dewey Percy, was raised by two people who made as many children as they could and then had them earn money so that they themselves would not need to work. Our house was decrepit, our clothes were worn-out, and our stomachs were constantly empty. My first memories are those of working from home as a child. Whenever I made a mistake, my parents would insult and beat me for how useless I was.
Some of my older brothers and sisters had run away without a word, probably fed up with that horrible home situation. Because of our parents, they had never learned how to read and write, and I wondered how they were faring on their own in this mostly literate country. However, I never heard anything from them.
However, Ronnie, one of my brothers, despite being five years older than me, never left home. He remained there, bravely withstanding the dreadfulness of it all so that he could take care of his siblings.
He always sounded grouchy, but he actually cared a lot for us, and he even took food out of his meals so that we could eat more. I looked up to him, and at the same time I wanted to be of some help myself.
Of course, I didn’t want to grow up into someone like my parents, but neither did I want to turn out to be as helpless as my older siblings whose only option had been running away. I wanted to change this horrible situation, both for me and for all my other siblings.
In order to escape from poverty, I needed a good job, which in turn clearly required me to study a lot. I bartered with my siblings, promising that I would keep working just the same, and convinced them to let me go to school.
During the day, I would attend school, where my classmates would make fun of me for my raggedy clothes and old, battered textbook. During the night, I would stay up late to work and study even more, as much as I could.
My efforts paid off, and I was able to skip grades and quickly pass what people called the most difficult admission test in the kingdom, the one that allowed me to work at the Magical Ministry. When I received the news of having passed, I felt the most happiness I ever had in my whole life.
As I started working at the Ministry, I moved to the workers’ dormitory located on the premises, but I didn’t forget about my family. As soon as I received my first salary, I sent almost all of it home, addressed to Ronnie, hoping that it would make my siblings’ life easier, and I continued doing so every month.
However, I eventually found out that Ronnie knew nothing of this money, which had all been intercepted by my father and used to finance his drinking. Or maybe part of it had gone into my mother’s pocket—I do not know—but whatever the case, my siblings did not see a single cent of it.
I was so busy getting used to my new job that I never found the time to visit… Well, truth be told, I did have days off, but I never used them to go back home. At the Ministry I had a nice, clean room and tasty, warm meals. I didn’t have to sleep on the cold floor bundled up in a bunch of rags, I didn’t have to feel hunger, and most importantly, I didn’t have to withstand my father’s violence.
I liked my new life, and I didn’t want to go back just to be beaten by that drunken old man. In the end, I wasn’t any different from my other siblings who’d run away. I was just thinking of myself, doing what was best for me with no regard for how my brothers and sisters were doing. I had abandoned them.
It only made sense that Ronnie would tell me not to come back ever again. I had deserved that, and I had no right to feel sad for it.
It’s all my fault, I thought, holding back the tears as well as I could, when I felt someone put a hand on my shoulder and heard them call my name. I didn’t need to turn around to tell who it was. I knew her voice well—she was Maria, the girl I loved.
We had known each other since we were kids. Even though we lived in the same town, her situation was entirely different from mine—she was a magic user, and a Wielder of Light at that, which made her a rarity among commoners.
At first, I remember feeling envy for her. However, listening to some of the rumor-loving people in town, I later found out that her life had not been quite as rosy as I had assumed. Her neighbors shunned her because of her powers, and, once at the academy, she was bullied by her noble classmates.
I will never forget how she looked as she told me that she, too, once believed that she would have to fight all alone. However, despite the sadness, despite the pain of it all, she kept showing her kind smile.
Even though the people there were anything but welcoming, she would still go back to her hometown on her days off. The strength that she showed was incredibly charming, but at the same time, it made me realize how I could never be like her. I had left the siblings I had wanted to help to their own fate, enjoying my new leisurely life.
“Is everything all right, Dewey?” she gently asked me.
I knew that she was lying. I knew that she had no reason to be there and only wanted to make sure I was okay…and I wanted to let myself go, accepting the pity that she was offering me. However, I wasn’t worthy of her kindness.
“Yes,” I claimed, holding back the tears, “I was only a bit shocked. I am sorry. But my brother isn’t to blame for what he said. I did abandon them. I am sorry you all had to witness that scene.” I couldn’t raise my head, let alone look Maria straight in the eye. “As I said, I will take a public carriage, so please go back without m—”
As I spoke, she took me in her arms, and I found myself inside a warm embrace.