Veyron by true.fantasy (best books to read for self improvement txt) 📕

/> “Mother?” I give her a hug and she hugs me back grinning.
“Your back!” She exclaimed. “Oh Yeira! I was so—,”
“Mother.” I cut in laughing. “Some of the townsfolk came with me—I couldn’t leave them there.”
She glanced behind me. “Good. I brought Haran, Kefir and Garran here too. The poor boys couldn’t tell left from right!” Mothers can be so clueless sometimes. “Now Yeira, we don’t have many rooms—but I think we have enough so each family has one—provided you children sleep out here…oh and then there’s food to make! Hold on.” She walked past me to greet in our new guest. Nothing all that cheery considering their homes were most probably burning up right now.
“Yeira will show you your rooms.” She told them. “I’ll make dinner and we can all get some sleep.”
“I’ll help you Ashanti.” My aunt, one of the families, got up and headed to the kitchen with my mother—leaving the rest of the guest staring at me.
“Come with me.” I say walking down the corridor and gesturing at all the rooms they could take. Soon everyone was settled, but Garran and his friends, my brother and I. I led us back into the living room and gestured to the sofas and the divan.
“You guys can sleep anywhere here.” I say.
“Care to join me?” Garran asked lounging on the couch.
Clenching my jaw I turned to Osaka, who obviously didn’t catch the hint—thank goodness. “Osaka, go find mother and check where she’ll be staying, you can stay with her.
“Yeah, kid, we need our privacy.” Garran leered. The boys laughed.
“Oh, just shut up.” I tell him. At that moment, thunder erupted as the rain started battering down and the room flashed as lightning flickered across the sky outside the window.
“Temper.”
“Garran; shut your trap before you get kicked out of this house. My mother wouldn’t do that, but you should well know, I will.”
“Really?” He mocked. “I dare you.”
“Osaka, go.” I say. He ran off as I death glared Garran. This was going to be a long night…



*****

I woke up in the morning feeling a bit cranky. No one else was awake, so I got up quickly and got dressed in the bathroom and came out refreshed. Water ran out though—we’d need extra water today, with all the guests. With a sigh, I picked up two buckets and headed outside.
“Where’re you going?” Haran’s voice.
I turn around to face him defiantly. “None of your business.”
“Your mother won’t be so happy to know you walked off.”
“You want to starve to death? We need water for cooking. And cleaning, but when was the last month you lot showered anyway?” I mock. “I’m going to get water; care to try and stop me?” “Yeira; about what Garran says, look, we –we’re not all like that.”
“Really?” I mock.
“Really.” He spoke earnestly. “We laugh along to it; but believe me, I feel terrible afterwards. I felt really guilty even yesterday. I’m sorry.”
I give him a look. “How do you expect to grow up and be a man, a warrior for the tribe, if you can’t even stand up for the women that jerk taunts? Worse still you support him! I don’t and won’t forgive you, not until you become a man. Not until you grow a back bone.” Seeing no reply I walked off on the jerk.

I got to the river and filled up the buckets—there was no smoke coming from town. Hmm…I know I shouldn’t, but a quick check won’t hurt. Leaving the buckets by a tree, I made my way towards the town. On reaching it, I came to an abrupt stop—the side closest to the river, was in ruins. Bits and pieces of houses and stores were now rubble on the ground with black mud. The rest of the town looked untouched. I look up towards the river—the ship was gone. The bandits had left! I turn my gaze to one of the houses…it was half burnt and half standing. There was a sobbing sound. Was someone there? I cautiously moved towards it—and yes; I know this is dangerous. I quietly opened the door and slipped inside the semi enclosed room. The sobbing was more evident. I turned in its direction and just down the room, in the midst of rubble was a child—a small girl. I quickly rushed to her side.
“Shhh…it’s okay. What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” I ask kneeling down, carefully moving aside the rubble. She started crying louder.
“Help. Please, help!” She sobbed.
“Just hold on.” I say softly, luckily she was hiding under a table or something—and she was just trapped—I hope. I finished moving the rubble aside enough to create a large hole. She didn’t need any instruction and she started moving through the hole.
“Slowly…” I urge, helping her out carefully.
On getting out she practically flung herself onto me.
“Whoa, hey, come on. You’re ok.” I laugh.
She started sobbing again. “I lost mama! I—I was so scared…t-the fire a-and lightning…I was going t-to die!”
“Shhh…” I comfort—what was I supposed to say? Don’t worry kid, a couple of flames never hurt anyone. Ah…no.
There was a slow clapping sound from behind me. Releasing the girl I got up and whirled around to find a two men smirking back at us. I recognised one as the jerk that singled me out yesterday—the other was also one of the men. Stepping clearly in front of the girl, I glared back boldly at the men, my heart thudding loudly—I had no weapon.
“Yeira, wasn’t it?” The jerk from yesterday asked smiling. “And you seemed to have rescued a little friend.”
“Leave this village alone.” I glare, shoving past the fear. “You’ve done enough damage, and you’re not welcome here.”
The other man stepped up to stand beside me as if waiting for something, and I looked back at him as if to say ‘what-do–you-plan-to-do-mate?’
“And here I was thinking we were wanted here.”
“I’d tell you what I think of you, but this little girl’s been through enough.” I scorn.
The man standing beside us took my arm harshly and I yelped as he pushed me into the wall.
“Where’re the villagers hiding?” The man asked.
“What?” I squeal as he squeezed my arms harder into the wall. “Get a life you bastards.” I pant when he eased his grip.
“You talk to your masters like that?” He growled raising his hand. Tightening my face I prepared for impact.
“TAO!” I looked up to see the jerk from yesterday had stopped this man, Tao. He had taken hold of the hand only inches from my face.
“Release her.” He ordered. Tao release my arms and I held onto a sigh of relief. “I’ll deal with her; you go help with the scout.” With a nod, Tao left.
There was a pause as the girl inched closer to me.
“Sister?” She asked all so innocently. I give her a comforting gaze before turning a deadly one toward the jerk.
“What? And no thank you?” He asked nonchalantly
“No.” I say simply. “Pack your bags and leave.”
“Look, don’t think I won’t do 10 times worse that what he did, maybe traumatize that little girl by doing so—but don’t think you’ll get away with saying just about anything.” He says. I scoffed, but he ignored it and continued. “Just make it easy on yourself and your village and tell me where they are.”
“No.” I say simply. He took my arm.
“Where are they, Yeira?”
I glare back. “Go jump in the river.”
He gave an irritated sigh. “You know why I stopped Tao?” He asked. I shrug. “ It’s because yesterday, when I claimed you, you became my servant.”
“Excuse me? Serve you??” I mock. “Not bloody likely.”
He pulled me closer and I stumbled onto his hard body—soon dead body. “Yes bloody likely.” He countered. “As for the rest of your village, same goes for them.”
“No.” I say. “The men will be back soon, and cowards like you won’t stand a chance.”
He took hold of my waist. “Cowards??” He asked harshly.
I pulled at his grip. “Just let me go!"
“Maybe it’s time we discipline you.”
I stopped struggling and turned to him rebelliously. “Do your worst, it won’t make a difference.”
He leaned forward onto my face, but I resumed my struggling. “Let me go!! You tyrant!”
“Struggling never helps.” He whispered against my lips.
“You let go of me right now, before I…”
“Before you what?” He asked rising and eyebrow. He brushed his lips against mine, despite my struggles and softly enclosed them. A few heartbeats later he stepped back with a wail. The little girl had hit him in the leg with some broken metal piece.
“You brat!” He scowled reaching out for her collar. Pulling his hand away, I gestured at the door.
“Run!” I say.
She looked to be on the verge of tears, but she turned and ran. But two steps and he took her arm. I bit his shoulder and he cried out; letting go of the girl who ran out the door and out of sight.
“Bitch!” He glowered, pushing me into the wall. “What’d you think that would do??”
“Get her out.” I rebuke.
“And how about you? No one to save you now.”
“I’ve never asked for one.”
“You know I could just take you. Right here, right now.”
“Yeah, I know.” I glare back. “And I don’t care.”
“You should. Unless you’re…interested.”
I scoff. “Not even close.”
Tao walked in the door grinning.
“Xavier, it seems that ladies are living here somewhere close. I saw a woman by the river, it’s her mum—we’ve got her.” Tao smirked.
So his name was Xavier? Xavier turned to me. “Where are they?”
“Sorry Xave, you ain’t getting anything here.”
He looked back at me. “Not even for the lady?”
I clenched my jaw, but I didn’t reply.
“Yo Tao, take out your knife, will ya?” He says
“No!” I say abruptly. “You’ve burnt our village, destroyed so many homes…three of the fields have also burnt down and you destroyed our festival. Is that not enough?? Why can’t you just leave us be?”
“I know…” Xave smiled. “You see, that’s our job.”
“To destroy lives??” I ask shocked. “Get off our soil and into your ships, right now.”
Xavier twisted my arms a little more—enough to get me to yelp.
“You don’t order us. Okay?” He spoke sternly. “You do as we say.”
“No.” I say. “You will leave now.” Thunder erupted in the sky as clouds once again began to gather.
“Or you’ll what?” Xave asked leaning forward.
I smile. “You really want to know? Well, I’ll do this.”
The house began to shake vigorously as the walls collapsed around us—the wind beating into them. Tao jumped aside, narrowly missing a piece the falling roof. The wall I was pinned to also begin to crumble as the roof did. Xave wrapped me in his arms, as I gasped in surprise, and leaped out of the house. We came rolling to a stop and we both looked up to see the house collapse. Tao stood on the other side panting. Xave turned back to look at me and I glared back.
“Get off.” I say flatly.
“I just saved your life.” He says, not moving an inch.
“Get off.” I repeat. “If you think I’m gonna say ‘thank you, I am now in your eternal debt’ forget it.”
He laughed. “There goes that idea.”
I repressed a smile and looked away with a sigh. “Could you get off?”
“I’m quite comfortable actually. But maybe if you…” He trailed off.
“Please?!” I say frustrated
He got off laughing and offered his hand. Ignoring it, I got up and took a few steps back—security reasons, and dusted