Chapter 3

3

Martha looked like she wanted to claw my eyes out.

She was either incredibly stupid or just pure evil.

In our small town, most families barely cleared five thousand a year in profit.

That was before paying for food, rent, and Kaelen's expensive training gear. Being able to save two thousand dollars was a miracle.

I had skipped meals and walked to work in the snow to save that money.

I never complained, but in Martha's eyes, I was a lazy, unfaithful woman.

I couldn't stay silent this time. "Mom, be fair. Before I moved in, you were picking berries just to survive. My job is the only reason this family has a roof over its head. Ask any neighbor―no one else has two thousand in cash right now."

Martha exploded. "How dare you talk back to me! Kaelen hasn't even left yet and you're already trying to start a rebellion!"

It was impossible to reason with her. It was like talking to a brick wall.

To my surprise, Kaelen frowned as well.

"Elowen, two thousand is a lot, but the capital is expensive. Hotels and meals cost a fortune there. I'm not sure this will be enough."

He was telling the truth about the costs, so I thought for a moment. "I'll ask the neighbors for a loan. I can pay them back with my next few paychecks."

Before I could finish, Martha screamed again. "A loan? You want to drown us in debt? Haven't we suffered enough?"

I was losing my patience. "Then what do you want me to do, Mom?"

Martha reached out and snatched a silver moon-shaped pendant from around my neck. "This is wasted on a girl like you. We can pawn this for a decent amount of silver."