Poverty

Letharia's POV

I ran passed the sun struck buildings, with a gun in my left hand, and a bag of food in the right. I looked passed my shoulder to see one man chasing me until his very last breath. I grabbed my gun, turned around, and shot 3 rounds of bullets, each one hitting his chest. I stopped running, I then walked back, taking the camera from my back pocket, taking a picture of the man I killed, innocent or not.

But no one is innocent in Xoria, not even the children, the kingdom has been corrupted for centuries, king after king, dictator after dictator. The rich kill the poor, and the poor kill those they get their hands on, for revenge, or food. Crime runs rapidly through the streets, but who do the people blame? The King.

I shot the man again for the last time to make sure he was dead. The shots echoed through the streets. As I started to run again, placing the gun in my back pocket. I ran until I was out of range. I panted, as I reached home. I entered the house, the rooms were pitch black. No signs of Jessi, or Lorelei, I walked further into the darkness until I felt a pair of arms around my neck, I struggled to get them off as I elbowed the man behind me. I heard a thump as he fell against a piece of furniture. I blindly put my hands in the air looking to pull the light switch, Until I finally pulled the switch. I saw a man relying on the kitchen table to get up, that man just so happens to be Jessi, my brother. He stared at me then smiled "You get better every day".

I smiled " I know. But enough of that it's time for dinner".

I picked up the bag of food I had dropped during our fight. Setting the bag of food down on the table. Jessi had gotten his knife from his back pocket, as he was happy to chop the fruits and vegetables in the bag. I emptied the bag, raw fruits, and vegetables were all we ate occasionally I'd sneak some candies, ones the rich would eat. "Lorelei! Father! It's eating time"!

From the dim corners of the room emerged, Father holding sweet Lorelei, Father with a smile on his face. He sat on the floor with Lorelei in his lap, feeding her chopped fruit as if she were his own baby. Father looked at me "I thought I told you to let your brother steal today".

"We swapped places, its no big deal really---

He slammed his fists onto the table " And have you be killed or worse have you be a female slave for little King Aven?!", He interrupted, causing little Lorelei to cry. Handing her into my brother's arms. "You know what happened to your mother, do I have to constantly remind you that she's gone", he had raised his voice at me.

"I know Father, I'm sorry". I replied.

"Nevermind that, Jessi would you show her the map"?

"What map", I asked.

Jessi quickly grabbed the map from the other room and smiled widely.

He laid the map on the table "We're going to kill him tomorrow".

"Who?" I looked up at Father seeing him grin. I gasped "King Aven", I whispered. "But do we even have enough manpower t-to even do that?

"John Wilkes Booth Killed Lincoln with one gun, and he was one man", Jessi said.

"But that was 1860 it's 3055 dumbass", I said.

Father didn't laugh, he stared at me "You memorize this plan right, or your getting yourself killed, Jessi and I already memorized every square inch of that arena".

"Arena?"

"An execution is taking place tomorrow, Lorelei will stay with someone I know, while I kill King Aven. You and your brother will shoot the guards at gates 5 and 7, now here's where the other rebels kill the guards at gates one, two, three, etc, later you will bomb the place, make sure to kill the rich".

"Why do get to kill king Aven, Father, why I'm curious".

He turned to my brother "That Bastards father scarred Letharia, and killed your mother, and before that he shamed her, stripping her of her dignity, so you ask why, why is it that you've been living without a mother burdened by your Father instead. After I kill King Aven I'll go after Nero, we must eliminate the public prince and go after the sheltered king, do you understand your role in this? One screw up and it's over".

"Yes, Father", me and my brother repeated in unison.

He stood up with deep hatred and sadness in his eyes, for whenever he told the story of the day mother died, he'd silently cry in his room wishing he would have been the one that died.