Chapter 40: A Spark to Ignite
Chapter 40: A Spark to Ignite
From the barely open door came stifled breaths, an oppressive sound that made the apprentice’s fingernails dig deep into his palms, drawing blood that seeped from the cuts.
The dark gap in the doorway seemed to hold everything he loathed. He despised it, wanted nothing more than to storm in and plant his fists on that fat face, but cowardice held him back. All he could do was seethe in silence, letting his hatred fester.
Sometimes, he wondered what was wrong with the world—why did every misfortune seem to fall on him?
His parents had divorced long ago. The man he once idolized as a role model had left Jingang City with a woman nearly a decade younger. The court granted custody to his mother, as he was still a minor and his father explicitly refused to take responsibility.
After a brief consultation with a lawyer, his father had washed his hands of him, leaving him to live with his mother.
Life was far from easy. With more and more illegal immigrants arriving, jobs were scarce, wages low. Everyone touted Jingang City as a beacon of economic success, but as a native, all he felt was crushing competition.
Six months ago, his mother decided he needed to learn a trade. Having just graduated high school, he went through "research" to determine that Johnny’s bakery was the most successful business nearby.
Earning one or two hundred dollars a month from such work would be astronomical for a single-parent family like his.