Jalen cleared his throat. "Everyone, sit down."
They exchanged glances but obeyed. Jalen leaned both hands on the crate table. "We're leaving Bracken Hollow."
The girls froze.
Lily blinked. "What? when?"
"Tomorrow," he said, "preferably early morning.
Meredith's eyes widened. "Are we… Are we running from something?"
"No," Jalen said cautiously. "We're leaving so we can survive. There's nothing for us here."
Lily bit her lip. "But we don't know anyone there."
"I know someone."
Jalen thought of Nara, his friend—were they friends if they'd shared a kiss before, from years back? She'd run away from home and ended up in the capital, Gathon, well known here as 'The Big City'. She'd written to him once, more than a year ago, bragging about the city life, about the luxury and wealth she'd gained.
If she could make it there…maybe they could too. They just had to leap.
And so they did.
Travelling to the city had sounded exciting when Jalen imagined it. In reality, it was a cramped wagon that smelt like goats, a driver who chewed loudly, a sick mother who had to throw up every mile and four sisters who argued about petty things.
The journey passed faster than expected. Bracken Hallow was located in the northern region of the Great Empire of Hallon. Gathon was the capital, located in the south and had access to the sea. Jalen had never seen it before. It was one of the things Nara had bragged about in her letter. He hoped to experience it with his family one day.
When they finally reached the city, it hit Jalen like a physical blow. It was huge, overwhelming, and alive in ways Bracken Hollow never was.
Tall buildings of stone and bright paint reached toward the sky. Copper lanterns lined the streets. The streets were filled with markets where people shouted, bargained, laughed, and cursed; the air smelt of spices, sweat, sewage and fresh bread all at once.
Jalen stared at a tall building, windows glinting in the sun. "This is…incredible."
Meredith leaned close. "And crowded."
Elena clung to his arm. "Don't lose me!"
He squeezed her hand. "Never."
But for all its glamour, the city also had shadows: narrow alleys where the light didn't reach, people sleeping in doorways, and children running barefoot with hollow cheeks. The slums of the city smelled like hope compared to Bracken Hollow.
Jalen saw it all, the wonder and the rot, and immediately understood: this city could save them, or it could eat them alive—maybe both.
They found a room above a butcher's shop. It was small, cramped, and its surroundings were noisy, but it was far better than the hut they'd lived in since Jalen was a baby. It was better than anything they'd ever had.
The butcher, Korn, had given a discount on the room when he'd learnt they were new in town.
"You work?" Korn had asked.
"Not at the moment, but I'm looking for anything legal," Jalen answered.
The man snorted at his words. "You'll change your mind about that soon enough."
And in a way, he was right.
Their money—the one he'd stolen… No, the one he had to take by force ran out in a week.
The city was expensive, and so was the medicine his mother was to take regularly. He tried every job he could find—lifting crates, washing floors, running messages—but the pay wasn't enough.
Jalen realised something about the big city; for all its glamour, it was so overpopulated that finding a decent job was harder than finding a Shiwan flower (an ancient flower for healing that only blossoms once every year).
And that was saying a lot.
Now he was willing to do anything.
Anything.
Which was how he ran into Nara again.
He'd spotted her near the market. It was shocking he'd even recognised her at all.
She'd changed a lot and gained weight in the right areas. Her bright red hair, wicked smile and her dress cut low enough to make nearby men walk into posts. She squealed when she saw him.
"Jalen Wilde, as I live and breathe! You grew up handsome, didn't you?"
He flushed and scratched the back of his neck. "You look…uh…beautiful and successful."
"I am beautiful and successful." She said in a sassy tone and hooked her arm through his. "Come on. Take a walk with me. Tell me why you look like life dragged you through a sewer.
He explained rather briefly, and she swore, "Bloody hell. Life sucks, doesn't it?" as though she'd been the one to experience it all. Maybe she had a fair share of life's miseries.
"You always get the worst luck, don't you?" She muttered, then gave him a slow, measuring look. "But maybe luck's changing."
He raised a brow. "You got a job to offer?"
"Not exactly," she said. "More like…an opportunity."
"That sounds ominous."
"No, it's not." She squeezed his arm as though she was feeling the muscles in it. "It actually sounds fun."
He didn't like the emotions that action was stirring in him.
"Nara—"
"Relax. Let me finish." They stopped beneath a balcony. She let go of his arm only to lean in close. Jalen exhaled deeply.
"There's a new demand in the city. Something the rich women can't get enough of."
His eyebrow went higher. Now that got his attention. "Rich women?"
"Mm-hm." Her grin widened. "There's a haven. A private one, where men…dance…for women."
Jalen blinked. "Dance?"
"Yes…naked."
He blinked again—harder—and stared down at her in shock.
Nara burst into laughter. "Oh, don't look at me like that! It's good money. Heavy money; more than the mines, more than the docks, more than anything you can do without training."
Jalen opened his mouth, closed it and opened it again. He was willing to do anything for money, but was it to the extent of his dignity as a man?
"Nara… I don't…that's…"
She stepped closer, her voice lowering. "You told me you'd do anything for your family. And you will. I've seen the way life made you fight. There's no shame in using what you've got."
He was temporarily speechless. He understood everything now. All the jewellery and the elegant dress she wore didn't come from hard work but from selling her body to anyone who offered a price.
He'd been naive to think otherwise.
He didn't judge her for that. Nara had been abandoned by her parents at a young age; she had to do everything herself to survive.
But could he go to that extent? It was a lot to consider.
Before he could respond, Nara cupped his jaw and pressed her forehead to his in a gesture warmer than he expected. "Think about it. And if you need a distraction, this is where I leave."
Jalen looked towards the brick building with a small flower garden in front of it. It wasn't small, and neither was it big, but it looked like home. And he was happy for her. Truly, he was.
Nara's lips brushed his cheek—not quite a kiss, not quite no—and a warm feeling, one he hadn't felt in a while, stirred in his groin.
Her eyes seemed to be telling him to step inside with her. And who was he to refuse?
They slipped into her house, and Jalen's lips met hers in a heated kiss. Heavens, he missed the feeling of being with a woman.
Back in Bracken Hollow, he often visited the brothel when he had a few coins to spare.
He pried her mouth open with his tongue, twisting his with hers, eliciting a moan from her. She wrapped her hands around his neck and guided him towards the bedroom.
Their lips parted to catch a breath. "It seems you've improved a lot these last few years. I almost melted like butter on fire."
Butter? Jalen thought. Only someone living well like her would think of butter.
"I learnt from the best," he replied. And soon they were kissing again.
"Show me everything you've learnt then," she whispered seductively against his lips.
"Gladly."
And truly he did.
In his mind, he'd already made a decision. If stripping for strangers meant food, medicine and safety, then he'd do it.
Whatever it took.
He always had.
And he always would.