Orphans: Food is Thicker than Blood

Prophecy

The spin of a Coin

Two sides the same but different

Cast in the Tides of Fate

Favor Shall Shine

On those Who Fortune is Fated to change

By luck or their own might

In the End

Poverty’s Children

Shall Change their Fate




Chapter 1: Food is thicker than Blood

Whack!

Whack!

Whack!


The punches rained down on the pale scrawny kid with flaming auburn hair, tousled even more from the abused that he currently received.

“Think you can take from me!” another punch hurled down on the crumpled heap. “Take my food!” A kick added to the punch. “WHAT MAKES YOU BETTER THAN ME! THAT YOU DESERVE MORE!”

The abuse is halted so that the bloody mess on the ground could take a moment to try and answer the barrage of questions that were hurled down among the countless blows. It took a tick, for the young boy to find his voice. A rough cough, accompanied by a spat tinged in blood he finally cleared his throat enough to answer.

“Because…” voice raspy and strained, his breath coming in raggedy breaths. “I’m better….looking…” the blood stained smirk only managed to add fuel to the already enraged boy.

Yanked up by the front of his shirt, “You’re gonna regret that!”

“Am I?” another strained smartass response. “Right now I’m just regrettin the smell of your breath in my face.” It seemed that he could just not help himself, even in face of the near ham shaped fist that had balled up and pulled back to deliver what he hoped to be the blissful end. This scraggly boy had to taunt the danger, no matter how stupid it would seem.

“Leroy!”

The voice cut through the tension like a hot knife. The gaggle of boys that had been gathered there to watch the beating, silenced and made way for the figure who entered their circle.

“This does not concern you, Sara!” Leroy through over his shoulder without even a glance at the girl who now loomed over his shoulder. “This little bitch thought he could take my food and now I’m going to beat it out of him!”

“So that you can what? Eat his shit?” the confident girl spoke, with her arms crossed over her chest in a relaxed, almost bored manner.

The gathered crowd looked between the two, as the bully known as Leroy contemplated what it was he wanted to do. Surely he could continue with the vicious beating but in the same breath, it would only accomplish sore knuckles and what would likely be an altercation with Sara. If he was a bully than she would be the law that fought against Leroy and his sniveling lot that thought themselves the rulers of this shit house of an orphanage. When you got nothing and wanted something, anything you often found yourself in the business to take what you wanted. This is what Leroy and his band of thugs did. Terrorized the other unlucky lot and took from them whatever they could and often if not always without any recourse. At least that was how they wanted it to go. Every now and again, she would intervene and their fun would be over. Whether it was through the use of words or fists, an agreement would come between the two and the rest of the group knew it.

“He ain’t worth the shit,” Leroy spat in the face of the boy he held up and dropped him back to the ground. With an intentional shoulder hit, he pushed passed the girl and began to stalk off.

“You alright?” she asked the mess on the ground who had started to pick himself up and wipe his face clean.

“Oh yeah! Just dandy! Not every day I get pummeled by a troll whose mother I saw under the bridge just yesterday!”

Even without a look over her shoulder Sara knew Leroy heard him. “Why do you have to poke the bear?”

“What can I say? I don’t like bullies.”


The tussle lasted for some time, with the pair working in tandem with one another. The fluidity of their movements oddly in sync for a pair who had only just met. At the end Leroy stalked off to harass them another day. With the pair left sitting together side by side on a log as they watched the sun begin to set. “What’s your name?” Sara asked into the comfortable silence that had settled between them.

“Uratan.”

“Well, Uratan can you try to not get into a fight tomorrow?”

“Nope.”

“Can you try to at least not get into one unless I’m there?”

“I’ll try but I make no promises when there is the opportunity for a killer joke.”

“Guess that’s better than nothing.”


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