Chapter One: Flavia: In Which My World Changes Dramatically
Folks say that if you don't bother someone, they won't bother you. Lemme tell ya somethin'. It ain't true. It's so not true that I doubt there's even a little grain o' truth buried in that lie. Here's a bit o' proof.
My country didn't bother anyone an' Reme still attacked us.
Lemme tell ya how it 'appened.
A guy named Julius Caesar came into my country and started attackin' us fer no good reason.
Papa told us 'bout it some weeks ago which is when ev'rythin' went donw'ill.
It was over dinner one night in early March. Marcus an' I had just set the pile o' sticks with knives an' forks. We sat down and waited fer Papa to get back from a meeting o' the menfolk o' the Veneli tribe in Celtaeca, Gaul.
He got home, kissed Mama on the cheek, an' pulled all us young-uns into a big bear hug like he always did. Then, we sat down to dinner.
Dinner 'ad been goin' well when Papa broke the wellness.
"Amelia," Papa said. "It's finally happened. Reme's attackin' us fer no reason." Mama just lifted her hand to her mouth in shock. Marcus, Cornelia, and Lucius looked at 'im, excitement in their eyes. I just threw some peas at Marcus, who glared at me in return.
"Now I know that's not what you was wantin' to hear," Papa said, "but it's the whole truth. I can promise ya that."
"But what does that mean fer us, Papa?" Marcus asked.
"Marcus," Papa said. "No talkin' with yer mouth full and Flavia, no throwin' peas at your brother." Marcus smirked my way an' a pea hit 'im right in the nose right when it counted. I bolted from the pile o' sticks an' ran fer Mama an' Papa's room.
"Marcus!" Papa called right as Marcus caught me an' proceeded on ticklin' me till I was laughin' my head off.
Marcus knew how to deal with a ten year old. See Marcus was eleven, I was ten, Cornelia was nine, an' Lucius was eight.
Marcus set me down.
"Papa," Marcus said returnin' to the pile o' sticks. "Can I go huntin' tomorrow?"
"I don't see why not." Papa said.
"Can I go too?" I asked.
"No." Papa said. I sat down.
"Via," Marcus said. "Maybe next time." He threw a pea at me.
"Marcus," Papa said warnin'ly.
The next mornin' Marcus grabbed his spear an' went huntin' outside of tribe limits. Which was good fer him when the chief showed up. He was lookin' fer people to join the fight we been hearin' 'bout.
Papa wasn't as lucky. The chief took 'im to join the fight against Reme. Mama cried as did Cornelia an' Lucius. But they didn't know what we was up against.
Reme was the most powerful country our world 'ad ever seen.
What them Remens didn't know, was that we Gauls was gonna keep our freedom.
