Your POV
———

I laugh as I run after Katelyn, nearly slipping every now and again from the mud. She continues to sprint away from me until she trips and falls. I reach her in mere seconds and help her stand.

"You okay?" I ask innocently, worried about my best friend.

Kate chuckles and nods, "Yeah! Let's continue!"

She then tackles me to the ground, the wet earth gripping onto her dress and my clothes as we wrestle in the mud.

This goes on for a while until a carriage starts rolling up to the manor. We stand and run towards the front of my home, eager to greet my new step-mother and sisters.

Katelyn lives nearby, but she spends most of her time playing with me or helping around the fields and such.

Kate is nine and I'm ten. She thinks she's more mature, which is probably true. That doesn't stop me from protesting against it, though.

She comes to a full stop off to the side while I hurry to stand next to my father as we wait for the carriage to pull up.

Father chuckles as he looks me over, "Well, I was hoping to introduce a clean boy, but it seems that you will have to do."

I smile up at him, "I beat Katelyn!"

"No, you didn't!" Kate calls back playfully, covered head to toe in mud.

I snort at her yell, while she just sticks her tongue out at me. Father pats my head as he laughs.

"No matter who won, you're both slobbered in dirt. Anyway, are you ready to meet your step-mother and sisters, YN?" Father inquires, catching my EC eyes with his own.

I nod in excitement, "Yeah! I'm so happy! I'm getting a step-mother and sisters all in one day!"

He smiles sadly down at me, "You remind me so much of your mother."

"I wish I had the pleasure of knowing her.." I say as my mood drops a little, but my smile returns when his does.

"She loves you, child."

"I love her, too."

The carriage stops directly in front of my father and I. Katelyn watches from the sidelines for a few moments before looking towards the sky, then back to me. She waves a goodbye before rushing back home. I wave back before looking to the carriage again, impatiently waiting to meet my new family members.

The driver steps in front of the door of the vehicle and opens it, holding his hand out to help three ladies. Two my age and one my fathers age.

The three women stride up to us, asserting confidence. Something that I have a lot of, but they seem to have a lot more than me. So much so that I begin to feel a little intimidated.

The adult lady stands front and center, with her two daughters standing a step behind her at her sides.

My father moves forward, meeting the lady in the middle before giving her a tender kiss.

She looks...evil. Almost like a witch. I'm not trying to judge based on looks, but I'm getting bad vibes from her.

"Theresa! It's so nice to see you and your daughters again! This is my son, YN," Father says proudly, clapping me on the shoulder regardless of getting his hand dirty.

"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you...boy. These are my daughters, Michi and Ivy," Theresa drawls, motioning towards her children as she gives me a slight look of disgust.

Probably from the dirt on my clothing.

I give them a wary smile and step forwards, my father giving me a slight push. The daughters gasp and stumble back, as if afraid to touch me. I ignore them as I say as cheerfully as possible, "It's nice to meet you all!"

Theresa huffs with a scowl before begrudgingly giving me a smile; forced. Michi and Ivy do the same.

My confidence depletes a little, but I keep the smile on my face. My father doesn't seem to notice their attitude, blinded by love.

Seems to be a common reoccurrence.

Ever since my mom died, he's been dating other women with children or just plain single ladies, but he never realizes how awful and cruel some of them can be. Some were nice and I actually really liked them, but others were just horrid.

All of the women he was with either left him for wealth or for some other reason. The ones who left my dad for money were the horrid ladies.

My dad's been trying, he really has been, but all that has led us to is a new family with wicked people apart of it. Not including him and I.

I have a feeling that these three women standing before me will be exactly what I had hoped they wouldn't be.

"YN, will you show your new step-sisters to their bedrooms, please?" Father asks me kindly, and I give a solemn nod.

My grin dropping as I turn around, I motion for the girls to follow. They do so, but pause as I wipe my feet on the mat before heading inside. I'm not wanting to draw tracks in the house that the servants will have to clean.

They already have a hard job as it is.

•••

Later that night, I'm lying on my bed with my father sitting next to me. I'm flat on my stomach, looking up at him.

"Do you like your new family?" Father inquires, pushing a piece of my short hair out of my eye.

I swallow before responding, a fake smile present, "Of course! I love them! They're everything compared to the ones before!"

Lies.

I want to make my father happy.

If he's happy, then I am too.

I'll just have to learn to deal with it.

Dad grins down at me and ruffles my hair, "That's my boy. Hey, I've got something for ya."

I sit on my knees, suddenly alert, "Really? What is it?"

He chuckles and pulls a book from behind his back. It's labeled The World We See.

Noticing my confusion, Father answers, "It's about everything around us, from animals to rocks."

I nod, "Can you read some of it to me?"

He shakes his head as I crawl towards my pillow and get under the covers, him sitting down next to me again.

"I'm afraid I don't have much time tonight, son. I will be leaving tomorrow on another business trip."

I sit up, "Again? But you just got back from the last one!"

Father sighs, "I know, I know, but I will be back in just three weeks."

"Three? Why so long?"

"This job requires me to be gone for long periods of time, YN. You know that."

"Yeah...doesn't mean I have to like it."

"I don't like it either, son," Dad sighs once more, giving me a sad smile. "I'll come back soon, I promise."

I give him a small smile.

"I know you will."

•••

The next morning I went outside to see my father off, my step-mother and sisters standing beside me as well as our servants.

Father gives us hugs and kisses, then landing on me. He smiles and hugs me tight, nearly squeezing the life outta me. I couldn't care less.

I just wish my father didn't have to go.

"Show them the ropes, YN, okay? They aren't much used to getting their hands dirty," Father glances at them and chuckles while they roll their eyes and frown.

I beam up at him and nod, "I will, Father."

"Good. Farewell, my boy," Dad waves as he hops onto his horse and rides off.

As my step-family begins to walk off, I call after them, "Wait! It's tradition to wave him off at the gate!"

They sigh and come back, waving with me as my father turns and lifts a hand to the sky at us.

Little did I know this would be our final parting.

The last time I would ever see my father alive.

•••

Two and a half weeks later, there is a knock on the old manor door. Puzzled, I rush to get the door before the servants or my harsh step-family could.

I open the door and there stands a messenger. He holds a letter in his left hand and his facial expression is grim.

"Hello, to what do we owe the pleasure?" I ask kindly, nervous for what he's about to tell me.

Nothing could have prepared me for what came next.

"Are you YN LN?"

"That's me."

He hands me the letter, "I'm sorry to say this, but your father had passed away on his return back. We assume it had been from an illness, though he showed not many signs of it. My deepest apologies and condolences, Sir YN."

That's when my world came crashing down.

•••

I bolt upright in a matter of seconds, gasping for air as the tears build up in my eyes. I shut my eyelids tightly and curl up my fists, not wanting to continue reliving the past over and over again.

My eyes lock onto my favorite book.

The World We See.

I thought he would come back...he promised.

I suppose some promises can never be kept.

The world is just too unpredictable.

———

-CastrarWolf