Leon understood the logic behind Mathew's words, but to him it felt like as long as they met the daily quota, Dan and Gill wouldn't bother them. Mathew was being paranoid — extremely cautious — but Leon respected that about him. It was that wary nature that made Mathew dependable. Leon recalled a colleague from his old life, someone just as meticulous — triple‑checking every line of code, every detail. Meanwhile, Leon had always been the opposite: "If it works, don't touch it."
"Leon, here. Take it," Mathew said, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"What the hell is this?" Leon blurted out, staring at a plate with a piece of plain bread and a bowl of faintly scented water. At least, that's what it felt like — a thin liquid with a hint of boiled potatoes and vegetables, no seasoning, no richness, just warm, green‑tinted water.
"Better than eating dry bread," Mathew said, giving Leon a light tap on the shoulder.
Out of the corner of his eye, Leon noticed Lisa and Mira whispering to each other. At first, he thought it was just girl talk, until he noticed them pointing towards the boys — towards him and Roan.
Then, slowly, the girls stood up with their plates and came closer. They sank down beside the boys, and for once, Lisa spoke quietly.
"Guys… now that we have enough money, how about we escape from this place?"
Mira jumped in, voice hopeful. "Yes! We can rent a small room. I heard from a passerby it only takes ten copper a month."
Bear, the one who'd brought in enough money for tonight, added, "It can work. With the dollar bill, we can sustain ourselves for at least a year."
Mathew sighed, looking down at the floor. "That was always the plan. Mine… and Jack's." At the mention of the name, the group fell silent, faces darkening. Mathew continued, voice wavering slightly, "Jack always wanted to leave this place. He was older than us, and he knew if we stayed under Blood Water, this is what would happen…"
Bear glanced up sharply. "What fate?"
Mathew met their eyes, voice somber. "Lisa and Mira would be sold off, and the rest of us would be molded into low‑level gang members — meat shields for their wars with the White Fang." He paused, making sure every word sank in. "Jack had seen it happen to older kids. That's why he started making a plan — a detailed one — for us to escape. But… we can't do it now."
"Why?" Mira asked, frowning.
"Because we'll be caught sooner or later. Do you think we're the first ones to try and run?" Mathew shook his head slowly. "The gang monitors every entrance and exit. Not just to protect their turf from White Fang spies, but to make sure kids like us can't slip away. Even if we somehow bypassed that, we'd have no choice but to cross the Black Water River or enter White Fang's territory. We wouldn't survive that — if we weren't killed by the river, the White Fang would kill us or use us like Blood Water does."
Mira sank down, shoulders slumped. Mathew softened a bit as he spoke to her. "Don't be like that. Jack had a plan. I have that plan too. We just have to wait for the right time."
Bear looked up sharply. "And when will that be?"
Mathew's voice dropped to a whisper. "Blood Water and White Fang clash almost every day, but those are small scuffles. Every few months, a big fight breaks out — like the one a few months ago, when Dan and the rest were gone for days, and only Gill was left behind. We have to wait for that to happen again. It's been long enough. The next big clash could be soon."
He swept his gaze across the group. "When it happens, that's our chance. Until then live as you have been don't talk about this not even to among ourselves."
With those words, the discussion came to an end. The group fell silent, finishing their meals in quiet, tense thought.
The next morning, when it came time to split into groups, Leon noticed that Mathew teamed up with Bear. Sensing that something was going on in Mathew's mind, Leon spoke up.
"Let me come with you," he said.
Mathew hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright."
As they turned down a quiet alley, Mathew checked left and right, making sure no one was within earshot. When he was certain, he fixed Bear with a sharp, wary gaze.
"Bear," he said, voice low.
"Yeah?" Bear replied, swallowing hard.
"About that dollar note…"
"What about it?" A bead of sweat traced down Bear's temple.
"Tell me the truth." Mathew's voice was like steel. "How did you get it?"
"I… I already told you," Bear stammered. "An old lady… I helped her, and she gave it to me."
Mathew didn't flinch. He kept staring, burning through Bear with that knowing gaze until, at last, Bear snapped.
"Fuck it! I stole it, alright? Happy now?" he hissed, voice shaking.
Mathew clenched his jaw, voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "My God, Bear. You know the rules. Beggars don't steal."
"Yes, I fucking know!" Bear exploded, voice rising despite himself. "But no one was giving me anything. No one! You have that boyish smile, girls have that 'cute' thing going for them, and Leon… Leon can still pass for a helpless kid. But what about me? What about a scrawny, ugly boy that people just want to beat or walk past like a disease? Do you know how many times I've been cursed, kicked, or spat on just for holding out my hand?"
He clenched his fists, breathing ragged. "This world doesn't give a shit about people like me, Mathew. I tried looking for work — hauling, cleaning, anything. No one wanted an ugly, skinny boy. So tell me… what was I supposed to do?"
Mathew drew a long, slow breath, voice softening as he sank down closer. "We'll cover your quota from now on."
"What? So I just sit on my ass? Wag my tail like some dog in front of you?" Bear growled, voice rising sharply. "Then what? Let the gang kill us when we can't make quota? Let ourselves be bullied, starved, thrown into a ditch when we're no longer 'useful'? Do you want that for any of us?!"
"Then what do you want, Bear?" Mathew said quietly, voice like a whisper, brushing a hand down Bear's shaking arm. "Break the gang's rules? You know what happens then. Theft is Martin's turf. If he finds out, he will grab Dan by neck . And Dan? you what he is like , he will not punish you because you broke the rule he will kill you to went his anger "
Hearing Mathew's calm voice . Bear sank down , covering his face with both hands . "Mathew… as long as I can remember, you and Jack have always been there for us. Not just for me — for everyone. I don't remember a father, or a brother. Never had a family until I met you lot. Everyone talks about how badly they want a parent, a sister, a home… but I never needed that. You, Jack, Leon, Lisa, Mira, Roan — you're all I've got. You're all I'll ever have." He said with pained voice
He wiped a shaking hand across his eyes and pulled Mathew closer by the shirt. "I was there when Jack told you about his plan to escape. I heard every word. I know it won't be easy to run from this hell, and I know how much money we'll need to survive. So I just wanted to help."
He tightened his grip, voice shaking with desperation and conviction. "I'll do this for all of you, Mathew. You can try to stop me, scold me, beat me if you want… but I won't stand by and watch any of you starve. Not when I can do something. Not when I can make sure Jack's dream — all our dream — has a chance to survive."