16. Being Noticed

Be you long enough...so all anyone remembers is the good you do.

When the Gem awakens to call a Hero, the world is ill prepared...and its fate is placed in the hands of a 17 year old boy, named Wendell. 

Some will say this is nothing but a tale of fiction.
Let them think as they may. 

After all...I can't fix stupid.

Previously: Wendell, Chuck, Dax and Alhannah escaped the Black Market being chased by vallen scouts. When the Iskari High Council makes plans to engage with the world below, Wendell makes his own plans.

---

<— Read Previous Chapter | Read Next Chapter —>

People won’t always like you.

So what?

That’s just a fact of life. 

Most people didn’t like me as I was growing up.

People were mean.

People were cruel.

People accused me of things I didn’t do. People…many people,…also hurt me.

I wished they’d only used words. Instead, they drew blood, broke bones. Heck, one guy even ran me over in his truck. Ruined my new bike.

…I liked that bike.

My point is…it’s not always in your power to change the way others feel or even think about you. What you can do is to be consistent in your moral character until they notice the change. Until they notice that character. 

Your character.

You be you long enough so all they have left in their memory is the good you do. That’s what my dad taught me. 

“Never stop trying to be the best person you can be,” he’d say, “and don’t stop engaging with other people around you. Let your good efforts shine.”

So when you’re surrounded by irritating or mean individuals, stand in your place. On your feet, upright, shoulders squared.

For me, that also meant focusing on doing the job I’d agreed to do.

“For the last time,” Chuck yelled, “she’s not IN Sanctuary!” His face flushed an apple red. The veins in his neck and face bulged between the snow white hair and bushy eyebrows, like purple worms about to burst through his skin. He stepped forward, boney finger prepared to stab — but Dax pushed harder — keeping him out of swinging distance.

“This house and garden are NOT part of the Iskari community,” he said. Sleeves rolled up, Chuck tried again to jump at Gaidred, who stood there, calm and unflinching. He also stood on the front doorstep of the cottage. The Elder kept his hands tucked within the wide sleeves of his tunic, which ticked the wizard off even more. 

“This estate was established in Sanctuary before your great, great, GREAT, great, great, grandfather was a twinkle in his daddy’s eye!” He gave the elder a full-toothed snarl. “It was built for the hero and his lineage after him, and I am the steward! I will not have some child tell me who I can and cannot have as a house guest OR whom I can employ!”

Elder Altorin tried not to laugh. Unsuccessfully. He finally tugged on Gaidred’s sleeve. “Oh, leave him be, brother. The little girl isn’t going to hurt anything, surely.”

Alhannah sat patiently on the couch next to me, arms folded, ankles crossed. Her bottom lip jutted out from her face, but she said nothing. When she noticed the Elders staring at her, she glared back, throwing in her own snarl for good measure.

I covered my mouth with a hand and tried not to laugh.

Gaidred shook his head and shot a wary glance at Altorin. “I would not be so certain. If you remember, his last gnome guest nearly caused an exodus of our people back to the surface of Elämä! It took us a week to find those dead sheep in the water ducts.”

Dax snorted. “That was funny, if ya ask me.”

Gaidred looked down. “We did not.”

Chuck’s mustache quivered. Even from where I sat, his body language screamed to engage in a glorified butt-kicking. Dax grunted under the strain of the old man’s efforts.

With a sigh, Gaidred finally backed out of the doorway. “Then again, she is not Höbin Luckyfeller. We may be safe.” 

Alhannah hopped from the couch and opened her mouth to retort.

Dax growled at her so quickly she bit her lip.

Gaidred bowed ever-so-slightly to the wizard. “I apologize, Morphiophelius. You are right, and I will keep the peace.”

“Oh, I’ll give you a piece…” Chuck grumbled, trying to kick as the Elder turned. Luckily, Dax deflected his leg, and the wizard mule-kicked the door frame instead.