Flower Girl

Siv

Let me tell you, it’s not easy being the son of one of the village’s chiefs. Not only do you have to constantly set an example of good behavior for your peers, but you also have to put up with being bullied by those bastards while maintaining your exemplary demeanor. There are moments in a young man’s life when he wants nothing more than to fight back against his foes, but to please my Father, those early years of my existence weren’t meant for that.

But time passes, and things change. As you’re reading these lines, I’m on my way to the West, searching for answers and hoping that one day, I can return to the Village and bring about the promised changes for everyone’s sake. I also want to return to Vala and Theo, my truest friends, but I can only face them again when I’ve come to terms with myself.

Right now, I’m just a lost sixteen-year-old boy, no longer bound by family ties, leaving everything behind because, for once, I’m the one making decisions about my life. I want the villagers to open themselves up to new things and finally unite the two sides—Left and Right—once and for all.

In order for you to understand why I’m heading out on this journey of self-realization, I need to tell you everything that has led up to this moment.

At the beginning of my life, I had to deal with things most children never experience. Thanks to all of that, I was angry and short-tempered around other kids. But then, when I was put on a leash (don’t worry, not a real one) and forced to behave myself in every situation, I naturally became well-mannered over the years. I didn’t really have another choice, considering the lucky turn of events in my life.

This so-called luck came from a few defining moments in my childhood.

First, I was lucky enough to be born as the biological son of a drunkard whose favorite pastime was regularly beating either my Mother or one of my elder siblings in front of me.

Then, I was even luckier to experience the life of beggars and vagabonds at the budding age of three because, after ten long years of enduring, Mother finally gathered the courage to leave my biological scum of a dad. The separation wasn’t easy—we had nowhere to go and were practically penniless, given that Mother had been raising three kids and couldn’t work herself. We had to rely on the villagers’ kindness and goodwill to find shelter. But there were nights when we had to sleep under the vast night sky—Mother, Leah, Soren, and me, Siv.

And finally, what many consider the greatest luck of my life was when Gideon, the chief of the Left Side, took us in, married my Mother, and accepted us as his children. Gideon was a widower, but as chief, he needed a successor. So he took the chance and killed two birds with one stone—securing an heir while also being seen as a great man among the villagers, earning the title "Helper of Others". Gideon was a practical man, deeply tied to traditions, but I never had to question his love for me as his adopted son. Though his marriage to my Mother was purely functional, he cared for us like his own. I was always grateful for that and did everything he asked of me to prove my loyalty.

A funny side note—despite being the eldest son in the family, Soren, who had suffered a great deal from our biological dad’s violence, was a weak and sickly boy. Thus, joining this new family completely determined my future—I, the second son, was destined to become the next chief of the Left once my new Father could no longer serve.

Now, I’m sure you can see just how lucky I’ve been ever since the day I was born.

When I first started kindergarten, kids didn’t play with me because I was absent a lot—due to my unfortunate circumstances—and because all of my clothes were full of holes. Wandering the streets, sleeping over at family friends’ homes, and staying with kind old ladies from the village, I had only a couple of garments, which naturally wore out quickly.

Then, after becoming part of the village’s wealthy circle at the age of six, the kids still wouldn’t play with me—but this time, out of jealousy. They weren’t jealous because I had suddenly become rich or because I had tons of new clothes without holes. It wasn’t even because I now lived in a huge house with a private swimming pool and gym. No, it was because all the adults around me were always giving me sweets and sometimes even one-of-a-kind toys that everyone else desired.

Of course, I knew all along that this sudden attention was just an attempt to suck up to my Father, to get in his favor by using a child for selfish purposes. The kids, on the other hand, knew nothing about this—or about the hardships of my early childhood. Nor did they care to get to know me at least a little.

All they did was take out their jealousy on poor little Siv, leaving him out of group activities and, on occasion, even hurting him physically. If it weren’t for Theo, my only friend at the time, I might have cared. But with him around, I managed to keep my composure and be the good son my Father expected. Before I met him, I had frequent outbursts of violence and got into fights more often than I wanted to.

I’ve been friends with Theo ever since the first day of kindergarten. We were placed in the same group—the Wolf group—and, surprisingly, ended up going through all stages of education together. He’s always been just slightly taller than me, with a slimmer but still muscular build.

He had all the best mangas, and wherever he went, people seemed to be drawn to him. He was considered this cool, unreachable guy who, for whatever reason, had made friends with the weirdo stray kid—the lucky one who had unexpectedly become the future chief.

As you might have guessed, that’s me. I’m the friend.

Later on, when we got older, Theo told me he’d always had this extraordinary feeling about me ever since he first saw me—standing at the door with a hardened expression, messy hair and tattered tee, then taking the first step into that small kindergarten room – with its brightly colored walls and huge windows – the center of our lives for the next four years. He said he just knew that life as my friend would be full of adventure and excitement.

That was one of the things he was right about, even so early on.

***

I remember a time in kindergarten when Theo was absent for two whole weeks because of a lingering cold. Without my best friend around, those days felt like the loneliest in a four-year-old’s life. I was still in my raging phase, getting into fights with my bullies every now and then, and without Theo's presence, it was even harder to keep my temper in check.

It was around the time of my parents' separation, so my dirty little self had no chance of socializing without being met with distaste. Just one look at me was enough for the other kids to turn away. Since nobody talked to me—aside from the badmouthing and constant mocking—whenever recess came around, I would wander to the farthest end of the garden, sit in the grass, take out my frustration on innocent bugs and weeds, and stare at the sky until one of the teachers called us back inside.

Normally, kids spent this time playing together, but I only had Theo. Without him, I just wanted to hide—far away from those stupid little assholes who always laughed at me and left me out of everything just because they weren’t mature enough to look past appearances and see people’s stories.

One day, during his absence, one of the kids angered me so badly that, when recess finally came, I bolted outside, running straight to my usual spot at the back of the garden. I threw myself onto the grass and started yanking out weeds with unrestrained anger, fed up with my bullies—but even more with my situation at home. It made me furious, not being able to do anything about it. I wanted to make my Mother happy, and I wanted to punch my failure of a father in the balls.

As I was ripping up the weeds, I heard footsteps approaching. I didn’t dare look up, afraid they might belong to the same kid who had pissed me off earlier, coming to push me even further. I didn’t want to get into a serious fight—I was too scared of adding to my Mother’s troubles—but I knew that without Theo’s support, I probably wouldn’t be able to control myself. The teachers would just get mad at me again and have another talk with Mother, making her feel ashamed.

The footsteps grew closer, small feet moving through the overgrown grass, each step pressing down on the tangled weeds. My fist clenched automatically as I peeked up from behind my fringe, heart pounding.

A girl stood above me, smiling, holding some flowers in her hands.

Before I could say anything, she crouched down and started tucking the flowers into the holes of my T-shirt. When she had filled every gap, she stepped back, looked me in the eye, grinned even more brightly, and said:

"Finally! It looks much better! I was collecting these flowers and wondering where to put them—then I saw you! I’m so glad you have all these holes. You’re a great help!"

Then she hopped away cheerfully, leaving me sitting there, completely stunned. Why had she come up to me? Why had she really put flowers in my shirt? And why wasn’t she bullying me like everyone else? She had friends – she was always playing with the others – so why had it even crossed her mind to approach me with this weird act of kindness? Was she secretly making a fool out of me? It didn't really make sense for someone from the Right Side to interact with a bullied outsider from the Left Side. 

***

Ever since that day, I had been fond of this girl, silently watching her until Theo came back. When he did, I told him all about the flower incident, and he somehow managed to get her to play with us during recess. He grinned and told me she’d make a great third member of our group – proving himself right for the second time in our friendship. Within just a few weeks, we became friends. She was a funny, good-spirited girl, always eager to join in whatever wild game the three of us dreamed up. Those were truly the best months of our lives—carefree, happy, together.

Unfortunately, by the time I turned six and my Mother married the chief of the Left Side, I could no longer spend time with Vala because she was from the Right Side. For a commoner, befriending someone from the other side wasn’t a big deal as long as it wasn’t romantic, but as son of the chief, I had to uphold our ideals and traditions more strictly than others—I couldn’t mingle too much with people outside my side of the village. My loyalty to my Father and respect for our traditions had to outweigh a friendship with someone from the Right. At least, that’s what I convinced myself to believe. 

Thankfully, Theo was from the Left Side, which meant I could spend as much time with him as I wanted. In the end, this bound us together for life.