September 3, 2024
In the bustling city of Paris, out on the waters of the Seine River, there was a Bateaux-Mouches by the name of Le Parisien, a tourist cruise, filled with around 150 people. Inside the boat there was a room filled with the soft sounds of classical music produced by an accordion, while others spoke softly over the slow-paced beat.
In this room far in the corner sat a lean, tall, young black man talking to a beautiful young Parisian teenager, "I will have the organic poached egg, with the mushroom cream to start and for my main the beef sirloin with the mashed potatoes." The young man's eyes showed no emotion as he spoke and even underneath his tone there was a sense of apathy.
He sat down slouching in the corner, his view covered by some curtains, while wearing a black suit that made him look like a noble, or a prince. Across from the young man sat a young-looking blonde woman with a white dress with violet flowers.
"I'll have the baked roma tomato confit, blueberry coulis, and lemon zest with the hake steak and seasonal vegetables." The woman's soft voice followed soon after the young man's. "Thank you."
"Of course, I'll be out with your Sprite and your water, ma'am." Said the waitress as she walked away glancing back a few times at the young man in the corner.
"Kaes." Said a voice with a soft harshness.
"Yeah mom." Kaes responded, his eyes looking like they were about to drift off into sleep. Slowly he turned to look at her while perching his ankle over his knee, while crossing his arms.
"Look happy." Said his mom, her teeth were clenching, as she was trying her hardest to be quiet.
"What? I don't understand how you want me to 'look happy', when I was forced to come here." His voice was even softer than his mother's, it was as if a woman was speaking. "Also, I just woke up barely an hour ago, I'm still tired."
"You were asleep for almost 10 hours on the flight, and I had to wake you up to get into a taxi, then almost another hour you were asleep, then I had to wake you up and then get you into the hotel where you slept for another 8 hours. You slept for almost 20 hours in a day, you shouldn't be tired." His mother said while staring at his eyes, her irritation clearly visible.
"Hostel." Kaes said his voice, extremely soft, was lost in the symphony of other voices and music.
"What did you say?" His mother's voice came afterwards lost in confusion.
"We are staying in a hostel, not a hotel, a hostel is much cheaper than a hotel, and the school doesn't have the money for 3 weeks in a hotel plus everything else we will do." Kaes' voice came much deeper and clearer as he explained.
After the blood moon on November 8, 2022, the governments of the world had their bonds strengthened while they promoted inclusion between the countries, a small part of that was students coming from different countries to learn of other cultures. The multitude of programs that were founded by the U.N. funded their and several other colleges around the world study abroad trips, however that still doesn't mean that the governments were going to go all out.
His mother stared at him for a second in silence, her mouth opening and closing for a good minute before closing, then opening once again to say: "This is your first time ever leaving Miami, and we are in Paris, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, you could at least smile."
"I could, but it would first require me to like this…place," Kaes said, his voice carrying a hint of disgust as the ship passed the Eiffel Tower, his eyes catching sight of it, "and a fake smile is something I'd never do." he said while a lazy smile started to bloom on his face.
All that followed was a slow sigh that caused the table to go into silence. Slowly the waiter came back with the starters, and they began to eat while the music played over the room.
"I just wish you'd apply yourself more." The woman said her voice low. "You know, get out the house, see the world, make some friends, and not just sleep in my house for almost 16 hours a day, eating all my damn food."
Looking at her, Kaes reached over the table with his fork piercing a baked tomato, "I'm applying myself as best I can, mom." He closed his eyes while taking a bite.
"Как черт возьми, ты. (Like hell you are.)" Her voice came out filled with frustration and indignation.
Kaes when faced with such a harsh response, merely said, "It's like that thing that Miguel said, what is it called, yeah, yeah a canon event that's right and that breaking that canon, could lead to the destruction, or a great change for the universe." His fork was already cutting through his poached egg in half. "And it'll lead to destruction 9 times out of 10."
"Okay and?" Her voice came filled with confusion at the fictional concept.
"Alfred Nobel, in 1866 created dynamite for controlled demolition, something helpful for humanity was eventually perverted by humanity for war and death. A man of peace, and a remarkable genius in his own right." Kaes' voice was clear and deep as he devoured a half of his egg, as a dot appeared before his eyes before ultimately a box was drawn around it caging it.
"Oh an even better one," He said as another dot appeared before his eyes, only visible to him. "Oppenheimer's creation of the atom bomb, one of the most powerful weapons the world has ever seen, perhaps his biggest regret and his North Star, the canon event of a great mind that only brought death, pain, and loss." Eventually another box formed around the dot, eventually caging the dot.
"So, what about them?? You think that you are like them," His mother's joking voice entered his ears as a line was drawn connecting the two boxes, separating the time periods, "that's a high evaluation of yourself, especially for a person who sleeps all day."
"Of course I do. And just like them my mind exists over here centuries before its time," he said as another dot appeared before his eyes representing his own intelligence. "And I chose to learn from my predecessors by not creating something that can truly end the world or cause death and suffering."
"He Hehe. So, you really believe that if you got off your ass, you'd end the world? Разве это не зрелище, которое стоит увидеть. (Wouldn't that be a sight to behold.)" Her soft giggle is as adorable as a child's and capable of bringing nothing but a smile to those who heard it.
"Why couldn't I?" He said his voice now sarcastic as if questioning her, "After all I am the smartest." His very words cut off her joyous laughter.
His mother was dead silent and was currently giving him a look that meant 'STFU', as the Parisian girl waiter returned with the main course. "Alrighty here is your sirloin and steak, madame, sir, please enjoy and call me if you need anything at all." She said her feet were already on the way to her next table.
"Thank you." Kaes said respectfully, as she was walking away, and his mother was still giving him the same look.
With the waiter gone, his mother resumed the conversation, "You're smart, Kaes truly you are but you are no scientific genius like them, nor like your grandfather." Her voice was odd as if the emotions behind her voice were unresolved. "I don't know sometimes, you act like him so much, but at times, you act nothing like him, he loved building his experiments every day with a bright smile, to create something, but you, you reject moving and even more building something nowadays."
"Of course, now I have to limit myself every day for I fear if I actually tried, I'd create something that could doom the world or help it yet, knowing that one day it could be perverted for the very same purpose." While another box was inevitably drawn around his dot caging it. "Yet at the same time I am not bound by responsibility to anything, and the world is an even more peaceful place for it." Kaes' voice was soft yet wise and at the same time yet filled with a sense of withdrawal.
His mother just looked at him, her eyes filled with a sense of pity and sorrow for his sense of withdrawal.
"STOP!" Kaes yelled and time stopped, his eyes showing a sense of care and affection for his mom. "Sorry, mom, I can't change not now nor for the rest of my life, no matter how short or how long it may be, the world is safe and peaceful, and my mere existence can change that. I'm truly sorry for not being able to live up to that image you have of me in your mind."
"Baise Paris, n****. (Fuck Paris, n****)" he said his voice contained an odd feeling of hatred for this city.
After he had spoken the world, itself seemed to fade away into darkness. Everything that had just happened was merely a simulation created by Kaes, based off of several interactions with his mom and other interactions on this same topic, with the purpose to see how this conversation would go and end. Coming out of his simulation his eyes opened and he was finishing biting the same tomato he had just taken off his mother's plate, it was delicious.
His mother was once again looking at him with frustration and indignation. "Как черт возьми, ты. (Like hell you are.)"
And just like he predicted he was right, "Mom, do you want to play a game? I will make you a deal if you can tell me the name of a neighboring city of Paris, I'll be on my best attitude for the entire trip." Kaes said his voice calm and despondent as if he couldn't care, however all he wanted was for the same situation not to happen. His fork was now cutting through his egg for the first time, and shoving half of it down his throat.
"What?" His mother said confused as he reached over the table and grabbed another tomato. "KAES." Her voice was loud but not loud enough to disrupt anyone, it was kind of a playful feeling.
"What mama, man's gotta eat." He said, taking a bite out of it, as she watched in silence before eating one of her own. "Now then mama, your answer." Kaes knew her best in the world; she always loved a game, just like a child.
"Hold up I'm thinking," she said after she finished eating her tomato, "it starts with a V. Ve, Ven, no Ve. Ver" Kaes knew which one she was thinking about and so he just finished off his egg and grabbed a few more of her tomatoes, not without putting up a little resistance that made him smile, until the waiter returned.
"Alrighty here is your sirloin and steak, madame, sir, please enjoy and call me if you need anything at all." She said her feet were already on the way to her next table.
"Versailles." His mother said, clapping her hands together in victory, catching the attention of a few others including the waiter. As she turned around, he caught sight of her face. She was quite attractive, yet he didn't care much for it, as all he did was mouth 'thank you' and she smiled in response.
"Alright then Kaes, can I expect you to be on your best behavior for the entire trip, and of course smile." His mother said her face beaming with an innocent look of a child.
"Of course, mama, I give you my word." Kaes said with a soft smile.