Bones of Salt

Jonathan

One thing not everyone knew about Jonathan: he was very fussy about the details.

He figured the Court would pay attention to them, too, so he tied his messy hair in a ponytail, hoping to make a better impression. Then, he dressed up with some of his most formal clothes – each recruit had a few shirts and ties to choose from, and some jackets. Jonathan's favorite was a black one with red linings.

When he went to the toilet to wash his face, an unwelcome memory of the past washed over him. Jonathan had forgotten, but he used to throw up sometimes, as a kid, before he had to go to school. In his memories, it was easy to downplay the place as somewhere where Jonathan hadn't belonged, a boring prison where he had to sit still and try to make sense of the words on the pages, but the truth was different. There used to be a time where going to school had made Jonathan panic. Of course, the throwing up had to stop once Pablo had found out.

Jonathan massaged his cheek, recalling the blow. And Pablo's words, 'We don't have enough money to waste food like that.'

'I could make us more money if I didn't have to go to school', Jonathan had replied. 'You know I can.'

In fact, the two had always been very poor, but Jonathan had always had a knack for business, and from time to time they could get decent food on the table and enough to get by.

'You're not a drunk like me,' Pablo had replied. 'Don't act like it. Remember, you need to study if you really want to make it in life. But fine, quit it altogether. You might never be able to learn how to read and write either way.'

Jonathan still felt his cheeks hot even if it was just a distant memory.

He still had half an hour before the Tasks. He decided to put it to good use. He took his sword from its sheath and started sparring against an imaginary enemy. In his mind, it was a tiny and fast salamander.

Thinking about his friends, about Matias having been as kind as to share the secret of the salamanders, made him feel a little grounded. At least, he had people who had his back. His future team, the Speaker included. Jonathan couldn't help but feel a little dizzy when he recalled the details of his life he's shared with Roman, in his old, ugly little apartment.

If only the Speaker could have known that Jonathan thought he'd always deserved much better than that. If the occasion ever came up, Jonathan decided, he would tell him.

For the moment, he closed his eyes, and tried to recall the things Pablo had said during most of their fencing lessons in his childhood. He would often say the same things.

'Jonathan, pretend it's a robbery.'

Jonathan hated robberies. A few days after his mother died, he stayed home alone because he was too depressed to do anything at all. Until a thief entered, and he couldn't do anything about it.

The thief stole most of Jonathan's belongings. Later, when Jonathan's uncle came to check up on him, he was still in a shock because of the sudden, terrible way his mother had died. He didn't care too much about the robbery. But Jonathan still hated the thief — it was unfair. Besides, his uncle beat him up because he could not protect the house, and now he had nothing to inherit.

That was when a mother's friend, who had come to the funeral, discovered that Jonathan's uncle drank too much to keep him, and the only person he could find was their neighbor Pablo. Too bad that he drank, too.

'I won't go easy on you' Pablo used to say. 'There's no need to. You asked me to teach you how to fence. If you wanted me to go easy on you, you wouldn't have asked. So, I will pretend this is a fight like any other, and I will not back down, even if it means cutting you.'