Chereads / The Rifter: Machi Harkness / Chapter 2 - 02: A Joke

Chapter 2 - 02: A Joke

Seeing Machi put his head down, he sighed and looked at the city his mother built. Machi was just born when she began to revolutionise Academy City. Some say her changes were fuelled by her first love dying due to the war. Others say it's because Machi was born. But needless to say, she changed their city, their home, and influenced other nations to do the same.

Arriving at the school, Zac walked in with his pass and Machi was allowed in and they waited for his time to talk to the teacher. "Look what the cat dragged in. Machi Harkness actually came." Zac turned around and saw Machi wave. "Rocco, stop pretending you know--" Rocco's mother was cut off by Machi as his face contorted into annoyance.

"Hey, why'd you make me go down a rank? I'm second now." Machi asked.

"The mother cares not about my games bro, she shut the power off for me to do chores." He admitted. "But, it's only a few XP. I can win it back. Please I need to shut up everyone at archery club." Machi rolled his eyes and sighed. "If I don't get back to first by tomorrow--"

"Hey, tomorrow is the rehearsal dinner." Zac reminded.

Rocco looked to Machi and he sighed. "You have tutoring tomorrow Rocco."

"No no no dear Madre, I am my best friend's plus one at the rehearsal dinner tomorrow. Can't wait to meet the fam."

"I don't know if I wanna go." He muttered. Hearing his name call out, Rocco left and Zac looked at Machi who just drifted about. From how he saw it, Machi only had one true friend and then he was alone.

"Machi Harkness and Zac Kalona. Professor Titus will see you now." Everyone stared at the pair and Machi wondered why they all had to look. Heading to the office, Machi sat down and Zac shook his Professors hand. "It is a wonderful pleasure to meet you Mr Kalona. Congrats on your engagement to the Lady Harkness." Machi wondered how long this would take.

"Thank you, but this meeting is about Machi."

Looking to his report, his attendance was horrible, his grades were average, nothing signifying genius intelligence, and his level barely grew. "We would like to assure you and Lady Harkness that we do not give Machi any special treatment whatsoever. It's in my honest opinion that if Machi attended further education, he'd be rejected. And the TSA won't accept a barely there level 2. Machi, you are averaging a C and if you want a future, you can't keep ditching school."

"Then kick me out." They both turned to him and he didn't waver. "If I am such a bad and useless student, then kick me out. It's clear I am wasting taxpayer money when another kid could be here."

"Machi calm down. We are just talking about your grades." Zac said calmly.

He went silent and zoned out from the conversation while Zac talked to Professor Titus about Machi's development. The meeting concluded and Zac and Machi were given pamphlets for the Future Fair exhibition. "Do you wanna go to the fair?" Zac asked.

"Only reveals that I have no future." He whistled and headed to the exit when he was stopped. "Future's Fair is compulsory."

Zac showed the robot his identification and it let them both leave the school.

Machi just looked at Zac. "What? I'm hungry." They headed to a café and found a spot to sit and even more cameras and photos were being taken of them. Machi hid his head and Zac looked and smiled before ordering. "Pasta linguini for me with cheese and water and for him, burger and fries with a cola. And two tiramisu's for dessert. Serve it all at once thanks."

"No problem."

Machi looked and saw the crowd was gone and he leaned on his arm. "I'm a joke. Everyone thinks I should be this prodigy kid but I'm a pathetic level 2."

"I think you're a genius." Zac said as his water arrived. Machi looked to him in shock, wondering where that confidence came from. "Anyways, what do I know?"

"Right..."

Their food arrived and Zac ordered some more food and Machi tilted his head. "You'll find out soon why." Leaving the café, they got the hyperbaric train to the plaza and people watched as they got off and walked in the direction of Lady Harkness' office. "She's busy we may as well go." Machi sighed. Never admitting it but he tried hundreds of times and she would always be busy to the point he just gave up and never tried again. Heading to her office, they opened the door and Machi didn't expect a shoe to come flying past his cheek. "It's not Jo with more papers!"

Looking up from behind the computer, she smiled at her fiancé before she froze at the sight of her son. "Did the conference end early?" She asked Zac, knowing he'd be a little more responsible than her son.

"No it's still going." Zac smiled and Machi sipped on the remainder of his cola.

"He used his status to get out."

"ISAAC!" Ever yelled.

"Hey, no using my full name." He scolded.

"Your name is Isaac?" Machi asked at the same time.

Evermore and Zac looked to Machi and he blinked a few times. "Isaac Kalona. Oh why does that--"

"If you say pathetic so help me Machi--"

"Shockingly geeky." He finished. Zac shrugged and Evermore looked to the both of them.

"Your mother likes it."

"Her name is Evermore Harkness. I'm Machi Kilgore Harkness. Maybe she's attracted to your name." Machi teased and Zac gasped. "That maybe plausible--"

"I'M RIGHT HERE!"

But she really enjoyed the sight before her. "Also, I heard from the wedding planner that the banner with your names are too long--"

"Ok Machi you are pushing it." Ever sighed and smiled.

"Lady Kalona doesn't hit the same umph." Since when did Machi listen to his mother. Especially when it came to teasing.

"If I knew my name would make you this talkative, I'd have told you a long time ago."

Machi shrugged and found a seat and sat on it considering the couch was full of paper. "Is that my lunch? I had a lunch meeting--"

"And since when do salads fill you up?" Zac asked. Seeing as he knew her better, Machi didn't say much and just watched as she ate the takeaway meal. "How was the conference?"

"He's doing fine. Dreams of a future genius is crushed," Zac joked, "he's averaging a C."

"Oh--" she took a large gulp at the drink, "a C... like a high C..."

"Solid C."

Evermore looked a little white. "Machi... what do you wanna do in the future?"

"Nothing." They both sighed and looked at the report of a mission that just came in. "Team Ruth got defeated?" Zac asked.

Seeing his mother go into serious mode, Machi figured it was time to leave and Zac apologised and joined her to the healing centre.

Machi made his way home, taking a bus and sitting on the roof, looking out to the midday sky and sighing. "Machi, you ran from your future stepdad?"

"How on earth do you find me Rocco?" Machi groaned.

"Best friend intuition. That and only you sit on a bus rooftop in a bus garage. What happened?"

Machi didn't say anything. He just... remained silent and was left in his thoughts. "Machi Kalona."

"What?"

"Well when Zac Kalona adopts you, your name changes to his." Rocco said.

"He's not adopting me." Machi revealed. Rocco shrugged and just played his games and Machi laid on the roof and looked at the sky. "Hey, what time should my mom--"

"You are 18." Machi reminded. "Curfew doesn't apply to you now."