Chapter 1: Chapter 1: What About my Job?

“Oh, crap...”

***

“God, why did it have to rain today of all days?”

The summer months have waned, and the dark winter is fast approaching. We aren’t there yet though. Currently, the fall season is at its starting point and the first rainfall of the dreadfully damp and dark season has finally approached.

But seriously, today is a horrible day for rain. I have a job interview!

It would not be serious if I could take the public carriage but... Well, I do not have money for that.

The sky was a deep grey, hosting the kind of clouds that look like they will fall from the sky at any given moment. It was just spitting now, but I had a feeling the weather would only get worse.

My feeling was right.

I made my way down the narrow, cobbled streets, trying my best to stay dry and pulling my worn double-breasted coat over my head (after all, I didn’t have the money for an umbrella), and the spitting turned to pour. The rain came down heavily. Soon, most people had vacated the streets and fled somewhere warmer and drier.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have that possibility. As someone who grew up spending my early life without parents, a home, or even much food, money was more important than almost anything else. This was my first ever job interview, how could I give it up? It was important to get job experience before you turn into an adult, or no one would want to hire you later in life if you didn’t go to school. Not to mention, my auntie had worked hard to make connections with the head librarian to give me this opportunity. If I worked at the library, not only would they feed me, but I could learn to read for free! I knew if I learned to read, I could get better jobs in the future.

My coat became damp, and my boots became dirty as I continued to hurry toward the center of town. Before I knew it, the streets became nicer, the buildings newer and the carriages gaudier. Instead of seeing the public carriages, you could rent for 10 pence, there were the fancy, personal coaches that had family crests and silk curtains. These were sure signs I was heading in the right direction, after all, the library is in the upper-class part of the city.

By now, I’m sure I looked completely out of place. I was wearing the best clothes I had, but since when did the best clothes of a poor forsaken ever look even decent in the blessed citizen’s eyes? I was getting weird looks. Weird isn’t the right word. I was getting disdainful looks. But I couldn’t care less! I had a job interview to get to.

The way I pulled my coat over my head was messing up my hair. But I guess it’s still better than being wet, right? As I crossed the street, I noticed the coat was slipping so I went to pull it up. As I jogged, I gave it a yank, and to my horror, my beloved wallet fell out onto the wet street. My wallet was important! I previously mentioned that I don’t have any money but that’s not entirely true. To work in the library, you had to pay a damage deposit of 5 pounds, and you don’t get it back until you’ve worked there for at least 3 months. 5 pounds may not be a lot of money to some, but to me, it was quite literally my life savings and losing this much money was detrimental to my future.

Working at the library would pay 1 pound a week. Technically it was 2 pounds, but 70 Pence will be subtracted for teaching me how to read, and another 30 subtracted for my meals. Still, 4 pounds a month is even more than my auntie and other forsaken citizens usually make.

So, you get the picture. This wallet was important. It holds my future!

With those 5 pounds being the only thing on my mind, I at once whipped around and bent down to pick it up. All too late, I realized there was a carriage coming at me... And it was too close to stop.

From my squatting position, with my hand reaching toward my precious wallet, all I could do was watch as the large hoof came down on me.

This really couldn’t be a worse day for a job interview...

***

It’s cold. And snowing. Isn’t it supposed to be fall?

I went to plug my nose as I smelled a pungent stench in the crisp air coming from somewhere down the dark alley. As I stood up, I realized something was wrong. Aren’t I a little too short? I looked down and realized that I was holding some trash. Why are my hands so small? Trash is the word most people would use, but I’ve lived in this scene before. It’s not trash. Its food.

A door opened to my left, and a woman holding a bag of trash came into the alley to throw it out. When she saw me, a great look of surprise flashed across her delicate features.

“Auntie!” was what I wanted to yell. Unfortunately for me, my mouth wouldn’t open.

“You poor thing, out in the snow like this! And on Christmas Eve too... How could your parents let you run around in such sparse clothing on such a cold night? What’s that you’re holding?” Like an angel, she dropped the garbage bag and came up to me to put her warm hands on my cold cheeks.

She continued without giving me room to speak. “You’re freezing! Come inside first, then we’ll talk about getting you home, alright?”

My young body opened its mouth to refuse, but at this point in my life, I was young and malnourished. I didn’t have any strength to refuse her as she grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into the dark tavern from the back door which she had come out of.

By now, I knew what was happening. How could I not? I’ve had this dream countless times before, and it’s not strange I’m having it again. I always start to have this dream when the seasons change, and the air gets colder.

She pried the trash, or rather food, out of my hands and sat me down in an old wooden chair at one of the tables before rushing off to throw away that trash and get me a blanket.

Coming back and wrapping me up, she started rambling again. “Goodness, look how skinny you are! A young boy like you needs proper nutrients to grow strong...”

I’ve heard this kind of nagging from her so often, I tune her out by default. Looking at her red cheeks, I realize how young and full of energy she was at this point in her life. She must be somewhere close to 16 or 17, near my current age. She didn’t have the deep-set look of worry that she carries with her in the future, and she is not yet riddled with the grief of her father and the stress of running the tavern on her own.

“...Your name?”

My young body snaps me out of my thoughts as it replies to her latest question.

“I aren't got one”

She can’t help but look at me funny. I also internally cringe at my younger self's lack of language skills.

"What about parents...?” She mumbles softly as her voice trails off.

It’s easy to tell she already knows what my answer will be by a glance at her face full of disappointment.

“None ma’am” I state as I confirm her assumption.

“...” She stares at me with pity in her eyes. Thinking back, It’s probably empathy. At this point in my life, I didn’t know her situation and I couldn’t tell the difference.

“Noel.”

She told me the one word with determination and hurry as if I was going to just disappear and not listen to a word she says.

“...Noel?” I repeated after her confusedly. I was wary of her at first, but between the blanket and the warm apple cider in my hands, wariness turned to friendliness rather quickly.

She suddenly smiled. It was like warm sunlight on a cold day. She glowed like the sun and her blue eyes sparkled like snowflakes against her pale skin and warm cheeks. As she opened her mouth again, I felt like I could accept anything she offered without a care in the world. It must have been her smile that finally allowed me to throw caution out the window and trust her. It felt like I could leave my life in her hands.

“Since it’s Christmas Eve, your name is Noel!” she exclaimed brightly as her warm hands grabbed my cold ones.

“Say, Noel, I have a deal for you. How about, in exchange for a place to eat and sleep, you work here? My dad is short on employees right now. You wouldn’t have to do anything hard! Just things like sweeping and cleaning and occasionally taking food to customers. The food here is good you know!”

Living on the streets as an orphan never left room for more than the occasional small joys. I seldom smiled. But drunk on the warmth of her smile and the drink in my cup, I shyly grinned back at her. Maybe it was the promise of food. Maybe it was having a warm place to sleep. Maybe it was the wonder of having a name.

“Oka...”

***

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Voices. Two women?

Shit. Shit! My job interview...

I abruptly tried to sit up and opened my eyes. And immediately closed them and lay back down. What a splitting headache...

Confusion set in, before turning into anxiety. The carriage! I got trampled by a horse...?

As soon as the thought occurred, I realized how sore I was. Not a single bone in my body didn’t ache. ...But isn’t this too mild? Sure, I’m in pain, but I should have died, or at least be crippled right now...

I gave opening my eyes a second try and did it slowly this time, to let my eyes adjust to the light gradually. I realized I must be in a hospital. I couldn’t help but sweat a little. How could I afford the hospital bills? Especially now that my job opportunity went down the drain...

Wait, is this the time to be thinking about money!? I sat up again, more slowly, and started to examine my body. I was dressed in a simple hospital gown, and to my surprise, although I was in pain, there weren’t any external wounds on my person.

‘Don’t tell me... They got a healer to heal me? That was the only logical answer. If someone who had awakened a healing blessing healed me, it could be possible but...’

I shook my head to myself. Maybe my injuries from the horse just weren’t as bad as I assumed. A healing blessing could indeed bring me back from near death, however, they would never use their blessing on a forsaken citizen like me.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as a woman- who I assume was either a nurse or doctor- came into the room and approached my cot.

“Hello, young man. I’m Amy, the assistant nurse that will tend to you this afternoon. How are you feeling?”

She gave a smile that was glaringly obvious to be fake, and I could practically hear her inner thoughts groaning about how she wanted to just get this shift over with and go home.

Truthfully, her smile didn’t look that fake, but I was very sure it was.

“Ah...” I started my sentence weakly. Honestly, I was still in quite a daze.

Collecting my thoughts, I started again. “Ahem, other than some aches and pains I feel like I’m in rather good health.”

She continued smiling as she replied. “Well, aches and pains are to be expected after being treated by a healer. They can help your body recover quickly but aren’t all-powerful. You must be experiencing a rather strong headache as well. Most blessed do when they first awaken their blessing.”

“Yes, I... Wait, what?” I quickly looked up in confusion.

‘I didn’t mishear, right?’

They used a healer on me... And... I awakened my blessing!? Although I’m an orphan and can’t remember my parents, I had always just assumed that I was forsaken, like those I grew up around... But blessings are hereditary. If I awakened mine, it meant I was blessed all along. My parents were nobles?

“Sorry ma’am, are you sure there’s no mistake? I awakened my blessing you said?”

I had to double-check just to make sure. Giving it another thought, I also pinched myself. ‘Ouch...’ well, it's not a dream.

Amy’s eyebrows knitted for a split second. But I didn’t miss it. She was also doubting if she made a mistake just now, wasn't she? I can tell she’s worked a long shift and is quite tired. This is probably her last responsibility before she gets to clock out. I wasn’t sure how I could tell this was the case, but I was sure I wasn't wrong.

If what she’s saying is true... I wonder what my blessing could be.

Blessings are magic powers that awaken by experiencing near death. No one knows how they work, after all, they’re magical. Blessings won’t awaken unless the near-death experience is genuine and a real coincidence, in other words not purposefully created.

As I mentioned, blessings are hereditary, so you can only awaken yourself if your parents are also blessed. Your parents' powers don’t have to be awakened to awaken your own though, their's can be dormant as long as you have the gene. Studies show that at least one of your grandparents must have blessed genes on both their mother's and father’s side for you to have the possibility of awakening. Any less than that and your bloodline is just too weak.

Blessings aren’t random. Most people have an idea of what their blessing will be before it awakens, and you can even influence what you will awaken as. Since blessings manifest as a form of power related to whatever you have the most knowledge or skill in, you can easily predict what your blessing could awaken as. For example, someone who has studied linguistics all their life may manifest the ability to understand, write and speak all languages- including secret codes or other things related. A botanist may manifest a blessing that allows them to control nature and plants, etc. There is a very large range of blessings, and no one blessing is the same as someone else’s.

With all this said, you may be thinking why I don’t have an idea of what my blessing will be. The reason I’m unsure is that... I’m not good at anything in particular. I mean, I doubt sweeping the tavern in record time or putting on a 100% real-looking customer-serving smile no matter how I’m feeling counts right... A smile?

The lightbulb finally went on.

‘Could the way I could practically read that woman’s thoughts be part of my blessing...?’

If I thought hard about it, living on the streets when I was younger really honed my ability to judge others. After all, how could you ever be sure someone was trustworthy and not just trying to take your money? Reading body language and inferring people’s motives or feelings had always been something I never paid mind to but maybe, in reality, it was my biggest strength.

The nurse's bored voice brought my mind back out of my head. Well, she didn’t sound bored. But I just knew she was.

“Yeah, kid.” She told me after double-checking the papers she was holding. “You had the signature glow when the paramedics came to get you and everything. Now, what’s your name? Do you have any idea about what your ability is? It should have manifested itself by now. I must write up your admission letter to the Academy by tomorrow.”

She didn’t roll her eyes, but... I could tell she wanted to.

I put on a strained smile and answered her questions. “My name is Noel Hound ma’am.”

Noel from Christmas eve, the night Bella found me, and Hound from the name of the tavern, the Fox and Hound tavern. Bella had asked her father to let me have their family name, but it was no surprise he declined. It costs money to officially add members to the family register, but they wouldn’t have to pay if I was just considered a full-time worker who lived in the living quarters on the second floor of the tavern with them. It didn’t matter to me; I owe them my life either way.

I continued with the answer to her second inquiry.

“I’m still unsure about my ability, but if I had to make a guess, I would say it leans towards social understanding and semi-telepathy...”

I scratched my cheek. I tried my best not to make it awkward, but I was practically admitting that I was reading her thoughts. I got no reaction. Maybe she was too tired to care? It’s normal to want to get your shift over with and go home, so thinking about it, it wasn’t surprising that she wasn’t embarrassed. I’m just an overthinker.

“Okay, I’ll write that down for you. One of the Academy’s scouts will come to pick you up the day after tomorrow and bring you to the academy. Remember, everything will be provided at the academy including clothes. You’re permitted to pack one suitcase of personal belongings only. Understood?”

She was looking increasingly bored by the minute.

The Academy is just what it sounds like, an Academy for awakened youth. It’s mandatory by law that all awakened blessed attend the academy for 4 years, and later move on to work for the government in one way or another.

Some choose to be professors at The Academy, some become law enforcers or detectives, some politicians and some scientists. It all depends on what field you can best use your blessing.

“Understood... For my address, just put down Fox and Hound Tavern on Harp Avenue...”

I sighed as the nurse handed me the form to sign.

Unless I wanted to fake my death and go live in the country with a bunch of hicks, I had no choice but to accept my fate.

‘I have a lot of explaining to do to aunt Belle...’

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