"When I was born, I felt... chained. By something, by someone, that I couldn't see. The more time passed, the more I became chained. I accepted what happened to me. After all, Ace, Alex, that's what they taught me to do. But, the way I am now, I've changed from the woman I once was. I believe it was only a slight change. Something somewhere changed ever so slightly. And so, here I am before you, wondering where that surging freedom originated. This is not my home, and this doesn't feel like a dream. Tell me, Uncle, where I am," Katie's demand sent Ben to chuckle.
"This is my reality. However, what you perceive as the truth differs from the rest of the inhabitants of this 'reality.' We obey your every whim, your will, your heart. If you so wish it, your escape from this world is guaranteed. However, if you wish to reside here, you will do so until the desire to leave is reignited. Tonight, our family is having a dinner party with everyone gathered there. You go tonight or you leave now."
The curiosity of that inherited brain, innate bloodline silently demanding answered questions. Her nature she couldn't control, the ready future; as she inched her hand toward that choice, she could feel the timeline alter as the determination of events laid out into that distant time.
"So, you wish to stay. My memory will be wiped clean of this conversation after you leave my office. So, before you do, and continue with the day, is there anything more you wanna know?"
Kate nodded at his question, his head tilting, silently awaiting her next words.
"If you're going to forget this, then I want to let something out. When I was being abused by them, I wanted to die… so often. I tried so many times but it never worked. I always survived. I should be dead but I'm still breathing. I've been wondering for a while, but even now, I'm still unsure. Do you think life is still worth living?"
But he had no answer. For someone like her, to gift what she wanted to hear, it would be half-hearted. He, more than anyone, had known the truth of the world, no matter how artificial the man was, there was no doubting the extent of his knowledge. Doorknob's shifting entering ears, with one foot nearly at the door, a hand reached out, but it was slower than the sound of his voice.
"Wait!" He called, and so, she turned back, retracing her step as the two locked eyes.
"That's a question you have to answer… on your own."
The chills from that room were cut short by familiar warmth in this corridor, hustling students conversing against lockers, others vanishing into classrooms. The incessant chattering turned to background noise just as the world morphed to a blank canvas, for Katie to drive herself forward, those embedded words resounded like a deafening screech.
'He is Ace's grandfather, huh?'
For her to ask herself this, how oblivious could she be? There was no denying the authenticity of this world, for the autonomous programming to extend its reaches so far as kilometers ahead; a dream could never be this detailed. Furthermore, that interaction…
She looked to her sleeveless arm. No scratches or scars, instead replaced by subsiding goosebumps. An otherworldly chill had slipped upon her skin, the type she felt after drowning in a tub. The distant sound of ethereal voices calling to her from another realm felt so comforting compared to survival's bottomless torment. To think she'd feel that same way in his office.
'I feel like I'm gonna be sick- like I'm gonna puke. I wasn't talking to Grand Uncle in there, was I? The more I stare at that door, my body idles amid the crowd, the sinking sensation of perpetually drowning is recognizable to me. When I was born into this world, there has been one undeniable fact I can't deny. I've always been me… this is my reality. I have to find- my Answer.'
But the question remains. When the time comes and the question she'd asked just earlier is given a reply, what would she do? She wasn't given time to think about it before an arm, intimate in masculine shape, draped over her nape.
"Hey, where ya been, 'cuz? We've been waiting for you in Dad's class," Ace greeted his older cousin with his father's signature shit-eating grin staining his face.
"Was talking to the Headmaster Uncle. Needed to get some stuff sorted out. Do we have any assignments in this class we have to do? I kinda stood up late last night, eheh," Katie chuckled sheepishly, leaving Ace to deny her suspicions, head leaning over her shoulder.
"Nahhh, you know the typa guy Dad is! Doesn't give a shit about giving us work and passes us all just cuz he can," Ace guided her to his father's classroom, the duo cousins walking together, Katie slightly turned her head at him.
"Isn't that illegal?" She queried for clarification.
"Prolly, but the Government knows the old man's the strongest and he saved the World a few years back so it doesn't matter."
Eventually, they reached the first millimeters to the doorframe, leaving Katie before the entrance, he waved to her as he entered. She soon entered, entranced by her silent voice as thoughts raced through her psyche.
'This Ace is much more immature compared to mine. Well, I guess happiness and peace do that to you.'
Once entering her range, June threw herself onto her cousin, leaving Katie to almost tumble so her skull would smash against the ground. Just in time before an inevitable descent, she captured her balance and embraced her white-haired relative with a proper grip.
"KATIE, KATIE! I was waiting for you to get here like the proper girl I was, instead of going out of class before it started like the delinquent my brother is! Praise and love the superior younger cousin, June Wilder, nyahahaha!" June giggled like a maniacal gremlin with fingers over her chin.
'June's the same way as Ace; when we were ANZEN's Agents. Without the pain of the New World, everyone's happier here. I wish this was real for everyone else too.'
Katie assumed her seating with June and Kim, sounds of repeated voices gradually fading before the chatter ceased completely from the emergence of a dominance overshadowing them. And that domination originated from none other than the heterochromatic Reaper, August Rivera, standing at the podium with his gaze darting straight ahead. With the assumption of he who was before, you'd think a frightening sensation would be lost on them, however, it was as though staring at a slowed motion.
Time slowly accelerated to the point it was perceived by the naked eye, where future actions could be determined as a knife moving in slow-motion descended upon a healthy cake. When would it form that cut? That was the question that raced through the human brain, with the mind scrambled, all it could do was wait until that scripted ending.
But the aura subsided and time resumed its natural pace as he stepped out from behind the wooden podium, though, August's eyes stood shadowed by the spherical darkness of his shades. He snapped, allowing for the lights to dim and a presentation to project onto the wall behind him. The attractive tones of his masculine voice sent vibrations through the walls, for even the most studious of learners leaned against them to hear the seducing sound of the Reaper's enticing intonation.
"As all of you might know, I don't like work, in the slightest. Now, I've always been a nice guy who cares for my students, I've always hated higher-up businesses with old traditional fools that demand things be a certain way so they're kept in power. However, while I may be full of myself and one of the best people on this earth, I do have the ability to admit when I'm wrong. That being said, this isn't one of those times," The students collectively chucked, excluding Katie's silence and confused looks,
"Today, this assignment isn't from me. Rather, it's a request from Detective Azazel Karlo himself. You see, with these gifts, we have power. And that's not just mental, not hoping or wishing for something to change like kicking the tiniest rock on the way to an abusive home. No, of course not. Now, I know some people have their majors decided. But for the some that don't, this is your chance to do so. It's only the year after next do you have to begin this for college, after all. That being said, ahem!" August cleared his throat, lifting a clipboard, he threw it aside immediately after.
"Ace Wilder, Kima Myers, Katie Moon, Claire Rivera, Louis Rivera. If I called your name, bring your asses down here," August demanded, leaving a rippling massage onto his temples, courtesy of two extremities' tips.
The named students obeyed their instructor's direction, facing forward to stare at the indistinguishable faces of the many students laid ahead.
For Katie, they were all silhouettes, 'Don't recognize any of them…' she thought.
"Each one of you six will be divided into a single division under the instruction of one commander. For Katie, you get Azzy. Ace, you're with me. Kima, you're with Whitney. Claire, you're with Alex. Louis, you're with Emma. Take these and head to the assigned room number after class."
August handed them mock badges and paper sheets, unreadable lengthy paragraphs aside- the numbers stood out to them all. With the information absorbed and the announcement finished, they all returned to their seats near the higher entrance. After a folder to converse the sheet, Katie, amidst zipping her bag shut, intruded upon June's nap. Head down, atop crossed arms…
'She brought a pillow to sleep on just because the desks were too uncomfortable. Sounds like something my June would do NOW, heh.'
Katie reached her hand out after her quick-fire thought, shaking June,
"Hey, June?" She beckoned to her relative softly.
Wilder's head spun so she could target her cousin's face with those shimmering grassy eyes.
"Yeeeeesss?" June replied with a mischievous smirk staining her mouth.
"What's your major? Your dad didn't call your name," Kate ignored her grin, stifling a chuckle, continuing with her curiosity.
"Oh! I already have my major settled. I wanna be a therapist, so I'm majoring in psychiatry with Professor Jefferson's wife. I'm also minoring with Professor Jefferson in African American Studies," June explained, rosy cheeks shining in the invading sunlight, Katie stared into her cousin's eyes as she finished her speech.
'Looks like that old man she met is here too. And August said, Alex. I wonder…'
As quick as it started, the school day ended, not with a whimper but with the signature screeching of an iconic bell ringing through the students' ears. Most of the scholars would've headed to their dorms.
Katie groaned as she was forced to escort Ace to the men's dorm with Kima in tow. Afterward, now following June, she realized they'd passed the entrance to the women's.
"Uh, shouldn't we have gone straight ahead if I'm walking you to the dorms..?" Ignorantly queried Katie of her cousin.
"Oh, I'm heading to ask Professor Jefferson if I have to make up any assignment. I was sick yesterday, ya see," June replied without turning her head.
The two stepped inside the confines of the teacher's domain, but as they crossed the line, the sound of a booming voice echoed to them.
"Ah, if it isn't our favorite star pupil!"
The professors praised their students, but like a ghost in the darkness, Katie turned invisible. With the World blackened, more thoughts racing through her mind, unbeknownst to the fact that the next step she'd taken had been outside the Academy's interior, and into the dwindling light of the setting sun descending over the cityscape's horizon.
"What a pretty color…" She commented at the twisting scenery of mixed colors as the bright day sky was overtaken by the moon's black sky.
The curtain of the night would soon descend, but that was the least of her worries. An emboldened voice reached to her, originating from the beyond to echo its signature throughout the realm of her being. Why she decided to stroll instead of calling for a ride, they'd never know. And so, as the attenders of the future dinner prepared themselves for imminent conversation and mingling, Katie traveled deep into the city.
Flickering lights from neon sights briefly illuminating her fair skin, with crossed arms and an active conscience, she strolled past a diner with iridescent windows, pouring only silhouettes onto amber borders.
'This place seems so familiar to me, like I've been here before. Maybe that's just Dad's memories or something. I'm still confused by what the Headmaster was like… he seemed so cold, so heartless. But the way he was speaking, was warm and hopeful. He reminded me of what Ace said. I have to find the answer to that question I asked. But, what if the answer isn't what I'm expecting? What if I manage to discover… life isn't worth living at all?'
She raised her head and sighed into the air, watching as her breath turned visible in the chilly wind. But as she continued to stroll, no cold sent bumps down her spine, all she did was continue to walk as if she were a spirit revisiting old memories to find peace somewhere in the afterworld. She continued to ponder unknowingly before an outsider's exasperated grunt entered her eardrums, head snapping to the progenitor of the voice. What she was met with was a young boy being kicked in the stomach by overgrown adults, with women standing by.
'Are those women cheering… for that boy to be beaten?'
She stepped into the alley, hand on her waist, manifesting her weapon, she prepared to slice them all to shreds. But, she stopped. Another thought intruded upon her instincts.
'What am I doing? This isn't real, this boy isn't being abused. This must be my imagination playing tricks on me. August, Dad, Alex… why would any of them allow something like this to happen? I should head to that dinner party the Headmaster mentioned.'
She turned her back, but as she attempted to step out the alleyway… once more, she halted. Through blurred visions, the boy watched as their bodies thudded to the ground and a divine hand guided his frail frame onto her toned back.
Eventually, they reached an orphanage. She released the youth from her grip and allowed for his shoes to tap against the concrete. Wiping away the blood from his nose and the tears from his eyes, he cried through sniffles,
"T-thnk… thank you!"
"Don't mention it. See you around," Katie waved to the kid after replying, a kind smile over her lips.
A worker inaudibly escorted him inside, but before she could flee into the silence of the sleeping city, a voice called out to her.
"Hey!"
Katie turned her head, recognizing the face as a blonde woman came running down the stairs of the center to meet with the blue-eyed girl.
'Grandma Ella. Always wanted a chance to meet her. Hana told me so much about her.'
"Fancy seeing you 'round 'ere! I thought you'd be at home with your dad getting ready for that party."
With her hands in a white coat, Ella smiled… Katie suppressed the urge to vomit, catching her knees and coughing violently. The blonde's face immediately changed, patting her granddaughter's back,
"Are you okay, Katie?! What's wrong, what happened?!" She worriedly cried for the safety of her granddaughter.
"Ahh… shit," Cursed Katie, "I'm fine, just a little something. I'll pick up something on the way back."
A silence stood between them as Kate attempted to catch her breath. Minutes later, they sat together under a glimmering lamppost, bottoms plastered against the bench. Back stretched forward and her temples on the fronts of her fingers, Katie threw her hair aside as she revealed the shape of her face.
"I found that boy being abused by men. Their wives cheer on for them to continue hitting him. Do you know why this still happens?"
'This doesn't feel like a dream. This feels too real. It makes me sick.' Katie fantasized about finishing her question with that addition but withheld it.
Ella's nerves signaled relaxation as that breath came sliding out her perfect lips, not to mention that back resting so calmly against the border of the furniture. Katie didn't count. Innately, however, she could tell a minute went by before the apparition of her grandmother answered.
"I think coming up with an excuse is the hardest part about being the people we are and having the power we have. I wish I could go around, speeding through the night and picking people out of their homes, slaughtering them, or bringing them to the police to face justice. Whether it be abuse, neglect, depression: I wish I could do something more about the matter. But we're selfish people, and because of that, we resign ourselves to being just that and not executioners. There are still some people who don't agree with the way things are, but because they can't change anything, they take it out on others. Unfortunately for us, we can't do anything to stop it unless we have proof or witness it ourselves. We can intervene but killing that person, is that righteous? I guess these types of questions are best left for Azazel. Even with all this power, we can't be all-knowing or ensure a utopia is made. We just have to wait and see, live with the flaws and continue onward, destroying them, piece by piece, one at a time."
'They don't know who to save and who not to? But, if that were true, how did Ace… how did Ace know to save me?'
The next thing she knew, Ella was walking back to the orphanage as the relatives shared a wave, Katie was left alone. The bulb in the lamppost had lost its glow, leaving only those azure orbs to illuminate the surrounding night, Kate's vision shifted. Everything became a mirror of itself, the lights doubled, the buildings' shapes indistinguishable, for all that mattered was her inner self.
'How did Ace know to save me from that hell? Did he even know I was being abused or was it just on ANZEN's orders? What the hell was Ella even talking about? August alone has the power to end poverty, to end all sorts of domestic troubles, but he chooses not to. Then again, look at what happened to the Evolutionary Capital. We rid that society of the manipulative government, but at what cost? Their world's in shambles and chaos is more common than fresh food. Ace, Alex. They're good people, right? After all, why would Ace want to rid that Capital of oppression? Because he wanted to save those people being tortured like me, right? But, if that were true, then-
Why did we abandon them?'
To Be Continued.