Curious he closed his book and crept around the building.
He saw a group of boys and girls standing in a circle around one girl. They were jeering at her and calling her and her father all sorts of foul names.
Nero saw that she was trying to be strong but tears were running down her cheeks.
Not standing for bullying, and not one to just walk away, Nero marched up to the circle and pushed his way through the crowd.
He planted himself in front of her. “Leave her alone!”
“Don’t you know who this is?” One of the older boys laughed.
“She is the daughter of a thief!” Another called.
“So?” Nero snapped.
“So get out of the way little boy.” A boy walked up to him and pushed him back.
Nero was ready and didn’t lose his footing.
“You get out of the way you big nosed bully.” Nero glared at him.
“What did you call me?” He asked.
“You heard me.”
The bully threw a punch aimed right at Nero’s nose. Nero staggered back, but still didn’t back down.
“Leave her alone.” He growled.
“Make me!”
The bully threw another punch, Nero blocked it and hit him in the eye.
“Nero!”
Nero cringed at the sound of his sister’s angry voice. The bully saw what his sister thought and fell on the ground screaming.
“Nero what did you do?” She marched up to him.
“I… I… I…” he stuttered.
“Come on.” His sister grabbed him.
“Thank you,” the girl whispered as he passed out of the circle.
Con aka Samwise: Kyra was glaring at me. Those eyes were shooting daggers at me. They expressed so much. Disappointment. Lots of that. Hurt. Hatred. Maybe even a tinge of disgust.
I peered at her from beneath my brown hanging locks. Okay, I was picking up on a lot more than just a tinge of disgust.
I had the kiddish urge to stick out my tongue at her, defy her judgement. Proclaim to her, and the world at large that I could care less that she scorned me. It was disturbing that I barely restrained my tongue.
Instead, I spat onto the dirt, and rubbed my spittle into the dirt with my bare foot. It was cold and squishy beneath my toes, and when I looked back down on my toes there was a splatter of wetter and cleaner skin there.
I glanced at her retreating back. She was escorting away her younger brother, a witness to my latest misdeed. He was dressed in a nice tunic. She was in a pretty dress. Heck, it was lovely.
I slowly stuffed the chunk of stolen bread into my mouth, and chewed slowly. Contemplatively. Did she have reason to scorn me?
I swallowed a lump, which almost caused me to choke, and stuffed some more in.
Probably.
I was a dirty thief now. We had been pals growing up, but lately grown apart. She had been taken in by the noble’s lady as a maidservant. I was taken in by no one, and cast out by them all.
I stuffed some more bread into my mouth, and slipped the rest into the pocket of my baggy jerkin. It had used to fit me more snuggly.
The world owed me a loaf of bread. I was convinced of that.
And yet, part of me despised myself. Part of me wanted to sign up for the army, go die a hero in some senseless war. Another part of me wanted to disappear into the woods, never to return. To live off the land.
A figure came up and clasped my hand. I stared down into the soft brown eyes of my younger sister, and slipped her the rest of the loaf. “How’s the hair, princess?”
She fingered a lock as she twirled it between her fingers. “Dirty.” Her tone was careless. She was used to this life. She enjoyed it. The adventure, the screaming cooks shaking cleavers at us. The adrenaline was exhilarating, I must admit.
I cackled, rubbing my hand in it. It was dirty, so was the rest of her. And me. “How do you feel about moving on, sis?”
She glanced up at me. “Where would we go?”
I stared off at the horizon. “I was thinking anywhere but here.”
Sabrina aka Legolas: Illessa’s glare cut through Dare’s chest, like she was tearing through his clothes and flesh to rip his heart out with just her eyes. It wasn’t so much that she was glaring at him, it was why she was glaring at him, and the emotion that was encapsulated in the dark brown depths.
Disappointment.
He had disappointed her.
He had finally started to build up her trust. Something had sparked between them. He was certain something had. He’d thought maybe she was finally starting to overlook the fact that he was a half-blood.
It hadn’t taken much for that trust to be shattered.
“Illessa,” Dare started.
Her brows drew together in a dark, firm line. She cut him off with a slice of her hand through the air. “Stop.” Her voice was thick with emotion. The muscles in her jaw and neck were pulled taught. “Just, stop.” She shook her head, disappointment brimming in her eyes. A smile lifted her lips, but not a happy one. It was a smile that had fiery anger and seething emotion crackling and snapping behind it. That slight smile was worse than if she had outright yelled at him. He would have preferred that she had yelled, screamed, beat his chest with her fists, punched him, slapped him... The angry smile was so much worse. But what cut like a dagger to his breast was the look of disappointment in the eyes he loved so much.
He had failed her.
Zachary aka Kili: “He’s fading…” The Doctor said. “No! He can’t be!” I shouted, leaping from my bed. I grabbed the Doctor by his coat, and said “That is my partner, you better help him!” “Corporal Ryrie, please! Keep your voice down, they’re still searching for you!” The Doctor said, “We’re doing the best we can!” “Can you let me see him?” “I can…” Outside of the Hospital, the SS was still searching for Peter and me. A little boy got loose from his mother, who was tightly holding him, trying to keep him from being taken. The SS were frantically searching for us. This meant they were willing to kill. They were always ready to kill. The little boy ran, right in front of an SS soldier. The man grabbed the little boy, and pushed him to the ground, and pointed his Mauser at him. His mother rushed to grab him, and wrapped her arms around the boy, shielding him from the SS man. The soldier pulled his rifle back, and started to walk away. He then turned and smacked the woman in the head with the butt of the stock. She fell over.