One week had passed since Jane first led Victoria and I into the building I'd mentally named the Runaway House. A shabby condo complex building forgotten by most of Vancouver. Now repurposed to shelter the cities runaway and troubled youths.
In that week and the following months, we moved in and transformed that place. Inch by inch. Room by room. Which wasn't easy, but compared to started from the ground up, it was alot quicker.
It hadn't been easy. It hadn't been clean or properly maintained in Goddess knows how long. And it needed a lot more then just a good cleaning.
From the moment I decided this building was a viable spot for temporary housing , everything became about momentum. Mold was the first enemy. Not just in our unit, but throughout the entire building. Black spores crept behind walls, under warped flooring, inside broken vents. If we didn't deal with it properly, everything else would be pointless.
Jane and I took point. When she heard I would fix up the place she volunteered automatically. After that we bought all the right equipment needed.
Industrial strength vinegar
Alot of Baking Soda
Hydrogen Peroxide
Tea Tree Oil
Lemon Juice
Along with proper protection, then Jane and I got to work. We stripped some units down to bones, ripping out ruined drywall, tearing up rotten floorboards, hauling out trash that had been accumulating for years. Alot of it was neglect. The more we ripped out the worse it got. But we didn't stop. We told the kids that they might have to camp out or live with some other unite for a while.
When they heard and saw how bad things were, they didn't complain. Which made the job alot easier.
We watched hours of DIY holo-guides, pausing and replaying sections until we got it right. Mold treatment. Pipe replacement. Sealants. Structural reinforcement. Jane and I learned fast. The most surprising part was she picked things up fast. Almost like me, but I not entirely, for all I know she has a photographic memory as well, or is just a bright street kid.
She didn't complain even once, when things got messy, neither did she slow down or quit even when things got ugly, and I was working all day nonstop. My superhuman strength, stamina and endurance carried me for hours at a time. Jane was the only one who could keep pace with me consistently.
After what she showed me in that back alley, I wasn't surprised. I even offered to let her rest while I kept going long into the night, but she refused. The only reason we stopped was because Victoria came in with a apron and bandana on saying, its time to eat so call it a day.
That was the only time we stopped. We she fed us, and told us to take a break.
By the third day, other kids started helping. At first hesitantly. Then more eagerly. Once they realized the work actually meant something, they showed up in force. Carrying debris. Cleaning surfaces. Holding lights. And asking questions on what they needed to do to help.
By the fourth day, the main worst health hazards were gone, not just in our units, but across three floors. By the end of the week, we had eliminated the most dangerous mold throughout the building, replaced leaking pipes, reinforced weak flooring, and sealed exposed wiring and other holes.
It should have taken months, but It only took us days. That's good thing about being street kids we, have nothing but time.
But my funds had been bleeding fast. Materials weren't cheap, even is salvaged. I was already preparing to go out and drain more ATMs when Victoria showed up one evening and dropped a thick envelope of cash onto the table.
Twenty thousand Canadian dollars.
My eyes narrowed as I stared at it. " Victoria. Where on Earth did you get this?" I asked. She just smiled and waved it off. "Don't worry about it. Just keep helping the kids."
"You didn't sell your virginity or services to someone, or a bunch or weird perverts did you?"
Victoria blushed. "What do you take me for a lady of the night. Me?"
I just stared at here. "Isn't calling yourself a lady a bit to much. " What do you do that's actually lady like?"
She then proceeded to throw everything at me from tools to the dirt. I dodge it all with ease. She was huffing and puffing with exhaustion.
Then she said. " I didn't do anything weird for that money. And I actually never even dated a guy, let alone kiss or sleep with one. So don't go thinking something weird about me." she said her face flushing red against her light brown complexion. She tried to hide her face behind he long curly black hair.
As I stared into her bright light green eyes. My psychic sense flared. Something was off, something deep, but I let it go. Whatever she'd done, she believed in it, and I chose to believe in her, until it prove to be a issue for me. And right now, that money meant stability.
With that money, everything accelerated. Victoria took over interior design like she'd been born for it, and she seemed to love it as well. She coordinated layouts, color schemes, furniture placement. She turned broken rooms into something that felt personalized to each person, a safe space for them to lay their head.
While Jane, when she wasn't working, kept mostly to herself. But she was always polite and welcoming. Always helping someone. From carrying food, checking on kids, stepping in when tensions rose. Even securing supplies.
Sometimes Jane and I worked out together in the early mornings. Sometimes we ran through the city at night. When Finch and his Tenth Street whatever they called themselves showed up, we shut them down every time. They knew they couldn't beat us. But I took a mental note on their activities. If they kept harassing Jane or Victoria, or came anywhere near the runway house I'd end them permanently.
By the end of the third month, the building was livable. And then Victoria brought me to my unit. For the last two months since we moved in, Jane was hosting us. She wasn't touchy or controlling of her space. Her and Victoria shared the bed and I slept on he pullout couch.
Sometimes when there were really bad, lightning and thunder storms, Victoria will come out to the living room and lay with me. the only problem was she was a heavy snorer, and tossed and turned in her sleep. So that wasn't fun.
Jasen focused back on the present moment. "It's finished," Victoria said, standing in front of the door, practically vibrating. "Open it."
"You're the one that seems the most excited, so why don't you." I said flatly.
She smirked. "Nope it's your home. Now just do it."
I opened the door, walked in and stopped. The space was completely unrecognizable from how I first saw it. Even after the clean up.
Black painted walls with clean gray accent panels. A massive, comfortable light gray L section couch built for five. A sleek ebony coffee table. A holo-TV mounted above a dark oak TV stand. With a gray and gold kintsugi rug. The kitchen gleaming bright white with black cabinetry, peel-and-stick marble countertops that somehow didn't look cheap. The island matched. With black oak laminate flooring.
"This is amazing, how did you pick this all out?"
Victoria smirked. "What can I say, once I see a person, I can tell what design would fit them among other things."
They then moved to the bathrooms. Which were spotless. A white, black and, gold design. With mixed modern designs. The two bedrooms were furnished, but bare enough to personalize. "I left the bedroom alone," Victoria said proudly. "That's your domain, so decorate it how you like."
I stared at everything in awe. "…This is amazing."
Victoria beamed. "I know. Senpai, praise me more. I am the goddess of interior designing."
Jane and I exchanged a look of small smile and smirks. Then we both looked back at Victoria. Then a question came to mind. "Victoria. How did you even get all this furniture up here?" I asked.
Victoria puffed up. "Elementary, my dear Thirteen. Why you see—"
Jane cut her off immediately. "I carried and put together everything."
Victoria froze. Then pouted. "You were supposed to let me build mystery."
Jane shrugged unbothered with a small smile on her face. "By the way. Dining table's still on the patio. Couch just got here, so didn't have enough time to put it back."
I exhaled slowly. "Thank you. Both of you. This is beyond incredible."
Jane and Victoria smiled kindly.
"I have a surprise," I added.
Victoria's eyes lit up. "Is it my housewarming gift?"
"No, but better."
I led them to the roof.
The two were surprised by what they saw next. Half of it was covered in solar panels. New and efficient, angled for optimal exposure. The other half was a garden. Raised beds. Soil already set, and seeds planted with what looked like vegetables already growing
Jane stared. "Did you do all this yourself?"
I shook my head. "Got the kids to help with the garden. Turns out they really have good green thumbs, and took to it quickly. Now the solar panels, I got help from Spencer on the first floor. The guy is sharp, and has a future as a engineer, or electrical engineer. Helped me wire and set up everything. It only took two days."
"So our electricity issue?" Jane asked.
"All covered. Plus backup generators in the basement to store the power it absorbs, for emergencies and nighttime use. With fifteen people here, we've got power for three weeks no problem even if all the lights were being used."
Victoria whistled. "Okay, that's insane. Great job thirteen"
"Not to complain, but I wish we had water and Extranet," she added.
Jane added. "Agreed. I wish we didn't have to go out through town to fine a place to bathe. But makin that make shift shower room on the first floor is still helpful.'
Victoria nodded. "Yeah, but it would be nice if the bathrooms were more than just decoratives."
"Already handled ladies," I said. placing my hands in my pcokets.
They both turned. Their eyes widen in awe. Victoria's mouth looked like it was about to drop.
I continued. " I Hacked nearby buildings for Extranet access. Then I upgraded the buildings internal systems routers, so we will get all the channels and more. As for water. I talked to someone in city utilities. Turns out he used to live here a while back. I told him what I was trying to do, and he was on bored working with me. So we made the building invisible in the system. Water's live as of two hours ago."
I heard a scream, and after a pause I continued. " But should we have any water issues, boilers, frozen pipes and polluted water. We will have to handle everything ourselves, otherwise they will shut off the water again.
Victoria screamed again and tackled me in a hug. "I LOVE YOU, THIRTEEN!" She kissed my cheek, then bolted inside. "I'M SO USING YOUR SHOWER!"
I raised a eyebrow confused. "Why my bathroom?" I muttered after her.
Jane watched quietly. "You did a lot for the people here Thirteen," she said. "More than just fixing things. You gave them something no one else did. A home."
I didn't know how to respond to that. I'm still not use to getting recognition or praise from others. Great now I feel awkward. So I turned to leave.
"I couldn't have done it without you, Jane." I said my back turned to walk back in and waving my hand
Jane muttered, "Liar."
Back in my room, I unpacked my backpack. Inside was a Laptop. That I connected my Omni-tool to for a secure connection. That way Cerberus. The Alliance. Hackers. Or whatever perverts can't track me. Still in side my pack was the still disassembled Cerberus pistol. I left it this way to get it through airport security.
I booted up my computer and searched through secure files. It was the file I had when I was at the downtown Library. It had all the composite information on Spacer Route Shepard. Which was now confirmed at one hundred percent. From the Hannah Shepard file. Ship logs and space station records. A picture of a young boy that matched the default male Shepard model almost perfectly.
Then another file. With pictures of Jane. File name: Possible Female Shepard.
Current Confirmation is at twenty percent. The superstrength and other abilities was not part of the original story. Not to mention I don't know if she is a biotic. Because Shepard from what I remember is in canon a biotic.
From the male Shepard's medical file. He is a biotic. As for Jane she seems to be like me, but how. Could this world be balancing things cause I was born. Or maybe because my bodies host survived, and that's why things are the way they are now.
I shook my head. No that can't be, because the story of Mass Effect is meant to have different iterations. It's basically a self insert. The ending is already set, but how you get their is up to you basically.
Before I could dig deeper into that, a notification popped up. It's from an online forum I signed up to. It's for kids in abusive homes, and who want to get out.
It from username, caged_bird. I been talking to this person on and off since I arrived in Vancouver. From what I can tell she is a teenage girl from Australia. Let's see what her message is.
Thirteen. I cannot stand my father, he is such a horrible man… I will be seventeen soon but he's so controlling. From what I eat , to what I wear, and who I interact with. All my time is spent doing so many extra activities, when not in classes. I know I will be trapped even when I turn eighteen. He has that much money and influence.
Most people would dismiss this, as a bratty teen or rich girl with daddy issues. But I didn't. When context is left out and you don't see it in person. Things can seem nicer then they are. That's the bad part of dissociation when it comes online forums. That or an ungodly amount of rage baiting, racism, or ignorance.
I spent most of my time talking to her and trying to be a safe space. I swear this feels so wrong in some way, but because I'm a kid trying to help a older kid, I know this is the gray area. Why do I feel like that something someone caught on How to Catch a Predator, would say.
I stopped that train of thought and focused back on her message. Since I have the Runaway House set up, I could definitely help her if it's that bad.
I typed. When do you want to leave? I can help.
Three dots appeared.
Don't you live in Canada? how are you gonna help me?
I have my ways to get you out of the country, and take in you and your sister, or help her find a better life. Let's make a plan, just know I'm here to help you. You just need to go through that door on your own.
…okay. I'm choosing to believe you.
I leaned back and rubbed my neck. Another kid in a cage. Time to break it open and set this bird free.