"A year."
I muttered with no confidence.
It's been nearly a year, about 345 days since the "incident". Since the time I've turned 11. I've also been issued to a local orphanage on the outskirts of the city.
'The city.'
"They would be better off in a situation like this than me."
I muttered as I looked down towards the floor while sitting on the side of my old beaten mattresses.
*
About 343 days ago.
I had just awoken from my hospital bed.
A man with a chivalrous face that girls would fall for was sitting in a chair next to my hospital bed. He had blonde hair with typical ranker gear kids would fantasize over.
"You're finally awake."
His expression was happy, along with his tone.
I ignored him. I looked around in a daze. I tried grabbing my surroundings.
As I finished looking around, pain started coursing through my body. My armband legs were covered in cloth and my chest felt heavy. A sticky substance like bandage on the upper right side of my forehead.
The chivalrous mystery man stood up from his chair and guided me to lay back down.
"You took quite the tumble, huh?"
I glared at him in disgust. How could he say such a thing?
"I was trying to lighten up the mood…
Jeez, alright alright I'm sorry."
I continued to glare at him dissatisfied as he averted my glaze with his hand on the back of his head whistling.
My thoughts gained composure. The events that had unfolded on that dreadful day, who knows how long ago.
The man became serious again.
"Two days ago…"
It's like he could read my mind.
"Do you remember anything?"
I ignored his words again.
"Mom… Dad…"
I muttered the words slowly until my voice picked up traction.
"Where are they?!!?"
My tone had become aggressive, and my glare attempted to pierce the man.
It was a dumb question. I had seen both of them die in front of me, within a minute time span, but I still refused to believe it.
"Tell me now!"
I kept demanding useless answers from the man as I pulled on his shirt with my good arm and sat back up.
"Look, I won't sugarcoat it…"
A 5 second silence emerged as we both stared at each other, one with despair in his eyes, one with anger and confusion.
"They are dead… To be more precise…"
His tone deepened as he looked down towards his lap, with lifeless eyes.
"Every single one of your fellow villagers were killed."
His tone was cold, you could tell he's had experience in situations like this, from both points of view.
'All?'
'Jack, Emelia, the town butcher, the nameless merchants?'
"Me? I'm the only one left?"
My voice had lost its tone. My face without expression. The man responded in a similar manner.
"Yes, you were lucky."
'Lucky? In what sense am I lucky?!'
I let go of my grip slowly as I looked down towards my legs, back hunched.
'I'm lucky to have missed my chance? I could have died already, but no, and because of that I'm lucky?'
Mom and Dad, Jack and Emelia, Death and Luck, they were the only terms that repeated in my mind.
My never ending thoughts which lead to nowhere were cut out.
"Listen, please tell me, is there anything you remember from that night 2 days ago? All the authorities know is that it was a man-made disaster."
'2 days ago.'
I told the man everything I knew and remembered, I figured it wouldn't be much help, but I figured it would be best to give any help I could.
After telling the man I repeated the way the events unfolded within my head, as to subconsciously numb myself from the memory.
"I see."
His face turned gloomy after he realized I wasn't of much help.
'I wonder why he's sad, shouldn't it be me with that expression on my face?'
The reality of the situation hadn't fully kicked in yet. As I was trying to understand more, he spoke.
"Listen, you're currently placed on the northernmost part of Curfan, which holds Providence, the city which takes up most of the island, and the only hospital on the island."
I already knew all this. Jack and Emelia had forced it all into me before. After all, they dreamed of coming here.
"Your village was southwest of the island, no more than a mile off the mainland. It will be impossible for you to see your hometown again for a while, due to the long length of the trip and your current age and abilities."
He was being very blunt about the whole situation, which made me a bit mad. What did he know?
"I also heard you had an older sister, who's in the Tower of School, in the middle of secluded training. She's quite lucky."
'How is she also lucky. Her entire family except for her useless brother just died. What's this psycho definition of 'Lucky'.'
In the middle of being baffled by this man's playful use of the word…
"I'm going to catch them."
His words shocked me. He made it seem as if he didn't care at all before, and now this?
"Whether for me, or for you I will find whoever did this. I promise."
An empty promise with no meaning was the first thing that came to mind.
"My name is Bane Luksworth, if you ever find that I'm near, don't hesitate to confront me."
It was a cliche sounding one sided conversation that seemed like he was trying to console a broken child.
'Luksworth.'
An eerily familiar sounding name.
"You will be transported to a nearby orphanage for now."
His voice stopped abruptly as he got up from his chair and proceeded to walk out the small hospital room.
"You will be discharged in 30 days, the expenses already paid for…"
His face grew a more serious expression.
"I promise I will catch them."
His tone had deepened and you could feel his determination through words alone.
I found it odd that he would go such lengths for me.
He continued to walk out the hallway as I lied back down, with a blank expression numb to the situation, trying to wrap it around my head, as I thought about it over and over again.
**
As Bane turned the corner into the hallway, a man with a cigarette was leaning against the wall.
He took his cigarette out and tilted his face upwards, as he did, he opened his mouth as his face was no longer covered by his hat.
"You don't resent him?"
His tone seemed worried, as he took off his hat allowing his short white hair to reveal itself. He put his hat on his chest as he continued to smoke with the other hand.
"I'm sorry, Bane."
Bane continued to walk with his head down covering his face.
Drip
The tears he was trying to hide from his boss had seeped through his eyes falling to the ground.
As he kept walking, he attempted to block the tears with one hand across both eyes.
'Why?'
'Why couldn't it have been you who survived…'
'Emelia!'