Scar's Perspective-

Scar got up bright and early the next day, excited to start working.

Pearl and Anthony already started working for their parents, I'm the only one that hasn't yet.

Scar got dressed and walked down to the store.

His father was already putting on his apron.

"Hey Scar!" He smiled at his son.

"Hey dad!" Scar smiled back.

"The Watchers just put in a big order." Scar's father said, taking a folded-up piece of paper out of his pocket.

He unfolded it and Scar peeked over to see it.

"They want an enchanted bow and sword, arrows, an axe..." Scar's father mumbled.

He then shook his head.

"What?" Scar asked.

"This is gonna take a while."

"Well, when do they want it?"

"By tomorrow."

Scar's eyes widened.

His father chuckled, "Exactly."

He then walked over to his desk and scribbled out a note.

He then grabbed an owl and sent it up to the castle.

"What'd you say?" Scar asked.

"I asked them to arrange a meeting today talking about how I can't finish all that tomorrow."

"You mean we can't."

His father smiled and ruffled his son's hair.

"Exactly."

-

Scar and his father walked up to the castle.

Scar had around 128 arrows with him as the Watchers requested.

He started to get nervous as they walked through the giant door.

"Zoid and Scar? Blacksmiths?" One guard asked.

"Yes. We're here for a meeting." Scar's father said.

The guard nodded and led Scar and his father towards a giant door that Scar assumed was the meeting room.

They walked through the door and Scar saw two people sitting and whispering to each other at one end of a long table.

They both had a white mask that had a purple, closed eye on it.

They also had a white coat over purple clothes.

"Ah, Zoid!" The man said, "Yes, yes, you needed to talk to us today?"

Scar's father nodded and bowed.

Scar did as well.

"Yes." Scar's father said as he stood up, "I needed to discuss a couple of things with you. First of all, the date that you want your tools to be ready. All we have right now is the arrows."

Scar put the arrows down on the table.

"But we need more time to make everything else."

"Oh, yes, that should be fine. We just need them for Grian. He'll be starting dueling lessons soon." The woman said.

Scar's father nodded, "I actually needed to talk to you about some...other things."

"Er- should Scar just wait outside?" He asked.
Scar looked up at his father, confused at why he couldn't stay.

"He could go up to Grian's room. Grian isn't allowed outside so he doesn't really have any friends." The woman said, turning to Scar, "You wouldn't mind meeting our son, would you?"

Scar shook his head.

"Great! I think he's playing chess with Mumbo up in his room."

She opened the door and the guard who was out there jumped.

"Could you lead Scar up to Grian's room?" She asked and the guard nodded and bowed.

"I'll send your father up when we're done." She said to Scar before closing the door.

The guard looked at Scar before turning and leading Scar up a long, spiral staircase.

-

"And that's checkmate!" Scar heard from outside the door the guard led him to.

The guard then nodded and walked back downstairs.

Scar took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

The talking stopped and he heard someone walking.

The man with the mustache opened the door.

"Er- hello?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Uh..." Scar cleared his throat, "I-I'm Scar. I'm the blacksmith's son. Er- my dad's in a meeting with the Watchers and the woman, Grian's mother, sent me up here."

"Oh." The guy said, stepping aside, "Come on in."

Scar walked in awkwardly.

He saw the kid he did yesterday in the garden sitting on the ground.

They made eye contact and Scar waved and smiled awkwardly.

"I'm Mumbo." The guy with the mustache said, "And this is Grian."

Scar nodded as he sat down in between them.

Scar felt very nervous as Grian looked at him.

"You're Scar, right?" Grian then asked, breaking the awkward tension.

"Er- yeah."

Grian smiled, "You're friends with Anthony and Pearl. You guys were playing a sport yesterday, right?"

"Uh...how'd you know that?"

Grian giggled and pointed to his mask.

"I'm a Watcher. I'm only watching a couple of families right now. One of them is the Bensons, Anthony's family."

"So you saw us playing?"

Grian nodded.

"Do you know how to play soccer?"

Grian shook his head.

"I'm gonna go get us some tea." Mumbo said, getting up and walking out.

"So what's it like being a Watcher?" Scar asked, "Oh, sorry if that's rude."

"It's fine!" Grian smiled, "Besides, I have a lot of questions for you."

Why would anyone want to know about me? Scar thought but he quickly snapped back into reality as Grian started to answer his question.

"Being a Watcher...well I'm not allowed outside, my only friend is Mumbo, and I have to watch people."

"How?"

"With my mask. I focus and then, boom."

"Can other people see what you're watching?"

"Er- I think that's more advanced. I know my mom and dad can, but I can't."

Scar nodded.

"What happens if you take off your mask?" Scar asked.

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I get shocked whenever I touch it."

"You get what?!"

"Shocked." He said it as if it were normal.

Scar blinked.

"Now can I ask you questions?" Grian asked.

"Sure." Scar shrugged.

"What's it like being normal?" Grian asked immediately.

It seemed as though he had been dying to ask this question.

"Er—what?"

"What's it like being normal?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like...not being a Watcher."

"Oh...well it's fun. I mean, sometimes I get a bit tired of my life but normally it's fun."

"Anthony works at his parent's bakery, right?"

Scar nodded, "And Pearl works at her parent's tavern."

"And you're the blacksmith."

"Yep." Scar nodded.

"How'd you meet them? How'd you become friends? What's it like with your family?"

"Uh...I kind of just talked to them, I guess. I think they were playing soccer and the ball rolled over to me and I started playing with them."

Grian looked amazed.

"What about you? Do you have any friends?"

Grian shook his head.

"I mean," He said, "Mumbo's my friend. But I don't have any friends that are outside of the castle. I'm not allowed out there, so I've never met anyone. But it's fun watching you guys play with Anthony. Sometimes I wonder what it's like if I were there with you." He mumbled.
"But this life is good." He smiled, "Mom and dad always told me that if I was normal, I would hate it. They said that everyone wants to be up here where it's safe."

Grian then looked out the window, "Mom and dad always told me that it sucks being normal. People get bullied and killed. They said it's hard to watch sometimes but it's definitely better to watch it happen then to be the one getting killed or killing."

"People don't normally die." Scar said, "It's mostly pretty peaceful."

Grian shook his head, "No, mom and dad always said that it sucks being down there."

"Have they ever gone down into the Southlands?"

Grian nodded, "Yeah. They said that they've gone there, and it sucks."

Scar didn't believe him but before he could say anything else, Grian's mother walked into the room with Scar's father behind her.

"Hey Scar!" Scar's father smiled, "It's time for us to go."

Grian watched as Scar got up and walked out with his father.

"Bye." Scar said.

"Bye." Grian said, looking a bit sad.

Scar bit his lip, feeling sorry at the fact that Grian didn't have any friends.

"Hey," Scar said and Grian looked up at him, "I'll send you a letter later."

Grian's face lit up and Scar smiled.

He then left with his father and Scar started to wonder.

Maybe the Watchers weren't actually that good after all.