2052 Month of Vour, 13th
frrshh… fffrrt… rustle-rustle… shff-shff…
I felt a ruffle through my bedsheet. As I opened my eyes, the first thing i saw was my mom's face, her amber coloured hair was tied into a bun and she was waking me up.
"Alyss, dear, wake up. It's getting late for school. Leo's already up like a good boy. Why don't you wake up too, sweetheart?"
"Five more minutes, Mom."
"You've been saying that for the past hour, Alyss."
Just as I was about to say "five more minutes" again, my mom pulled the bedsheet away from me.
"Ma, you didn't have to do that."
"Get ready, Alyss. You are getting late."
Ding dong… ding dong… ding dong ding dong…
The sound of the doorbell really didn't do much to wake me up. I was still half asleep, rolling on the bed, and I heard my mom say,
"Alyss, I swear on Vour, if you are not out of bed when I come to check on you after attending the door, I will not feed you for the day."
I heard my mom's footsteps going off with some thuds, and I also heard the door creaking. Dad said he would fix it, but he still didn't. That was not a pleasant thing to hear.
I slowly rolled out of bed and walked out, rubbing my eyes. Leo sat on my left in his high chair with yellow-green cereal the milk had spilled all over the entrance. My mom was talking to a man wearing silver clothing with a suit and a badge I'd never seen before. He had crimson hair, his voice was hoarse, and I heard a few of their words as I brushed my teeth.
"You must be the wife of Theo Moreau."
"Yes, I am his wife, Lina Moreau."
"May I speak with Mr. Moreau?"
"I'm afraid he's still asleep. If you would like, I can relay a message to him."
"I was sent by the deputy minister. I serve as a field officer from the Shire of Silver Park, and I have matters I need to discuss with both you and Mr. Moreau."
SPLAT!
That was the last I heard before Leo pushed the bowl from the table. Well, who cares? It must be one of those schemes where people get money for contributing to society or a notice for my dad for the job he was trying for. I heard my mom yell from the doorstep.
"Alyss, clean your brother's mess."
"Fineee, Mom."
I always thought, why do I need to clean up that brat's mess? When I asked them, they always said that I am the older one and should be responsible. I asked for a sibling. I never remembered asking for a monkey like him. I grabbed the dry towel to wipe the spilled milk, and while wiping it, I felt a gaze from the man not scary, not soft, but just a gaze at me with his crimson eyes.
*****
It was 16:30 in the evening. I was waiting outside the gate of my school. I waited and waited; the sounds of vehicles passed the road. One vehicle gave out a lot of smoke. Didn't they ban these after the invention of the relic of Fogless? Must be one of those law-breaking guys.
Pat!
It was Elian.
"Alyss, were you waiting for me?"
"Of course. Why would I be standing outside the school gate for an hour?"
"Well, sorry. The school function rehearsal took long enough."
"Well, bet you ruined it."
"No, I didn't."
"…"
"You got the money?"
"Yes, I did."
"How much?"
"Three hundred Lumes."
"That's it?"
"That's it? I took three months to collect it. How much do you have?"
"Five hundred."
"No wonder you are rich. Your parents give you allowance and all that stuff."
"It's not my fault that you are not getting allowances."
"It's your fault for making me jealous."
"Maybe you will develop an ability to be jealous." Elian laughed as we started to walk.
"Shut up. Let's just go get the caplets."
Elian's face went serious.
"Alyss."
"Yes?"
"…"
"I am sure I can get an ability through a caplet."
"Are you hundred percent sure though?"
"Umm, no, I am not."
"What if our parents found out?"
"No, they won't, alright? And it's worth a shot."
"I really don't want your mom to call mine and complain that I am pulling you into the web of evil."
"It was a one-time thing."
"You know where the shop is, right?"
"More or less."
"I shouldn't have mentioned caplets. Caplets enhance and help in better swirl control, not gaining an ability or a swirl. What makes you think you will get one after swallowing a couple? You don't even have one."
"Well, that hurts. But imagine we learned about decimals in school, right? What if I have an ability or a swirl, but it's in decimals? Then if I take the pills, I could use it."
"Well, guess they have to form a new caste solely for you, and the blights could finally have someone to stomp upon."
"Ruined the fun."
"When was going behind our parents back fun?"
*****
THUD!
That was the sound of the door shutting close of the store. The store clerk yelled at us.
"Get lost, you little f*ckers, coming here to get caplets without a permit and pestering!"
Well, that was quite unexpected. I thought they would just hand out the pills if we slid the money. Guess we need a permit and a signature from an adult, and damn that old fart calling us names.
"Alyss."
"What now, Elian? It's not your fault he shouted at us."
"I know it's not my fault, but, Alyss…"
"…"
"Maybe take it lighter, won't you? You still have five months till nine. You can get an ability before that."
"What will happen if I don't get one?"
"Dunno. Who knows? Maybe you will get your own caste."
"It isn't funny."
"Or on the plus side, you might be like the protagonist of superhero stories, the chosen one who defeats a villainess and becomes a king."
My face lit up.
"That sounds good. Maybe I might be the chosen one."
"If you ever become a king or a god, don't forget me."
"No, I won't. Once I become supreme ruler, we can eat all the chocolate we want."
"And we don't need to go to school."
"Yes, right. I wish I'd become nine sooner."
"Yeah, me too."
"Well, see you tomorrow at school, chosen one."
"Bye, Elian."
We parted ways right as I entered Block A Street.
*****
The dinner table was awfully quiet, only Leo's coos were the sound. Mom and Dad didn't ask me how school was. With a pale face, the food was quite tasteless too, yet no one asked. I wondered what happened. Did Mom and Dad have another fight? Or is it because Dad got rejected from the job he was trying for? What really is happening? The silence was loud, deafening. Just as I finished my last bite, my mom interrupted.
"Alyss."
"Mom?"
"Did you enjoy the food, dear?"
"Umm, I did, Mom, though it was a bit bland."
"I am really sorry, Alyss, for giving you such an awful meal for your last food at this table."
My mom started to cry, tears streaming down.
"Mom, why are you crying? The food was good. It wasn't bland. Mom, stop crying."
My mom continued to cry. I looked at my dad, looking away, holding back his own tears. I still didn't know what was happening. Did I do something? Are they sending me to those military schools to discipline me? Did they find out I was going behind their backs?
"Mom, I am sorry for going behind your back. Dad, sorry. I am really sorry. I won't do it anymore. Dad, tell Mom to stop crying. Mom, stop crying."
I pleaded, but they didn't budge. Mom continued to cry, and Dad also started to cry. Dad said,
"Lina, let's get this over with fast."
My mom dropped down from her chair and hugged me, crying, kissed my face, and said,
"Forgive your mom, Alyss. Forgive me for being so incompetent. Don't start to hate me, dear."
My mom's tears drenched my clothes.
"Mom, I am sorry."
My dad hugged me and said,
"It's not your fault. It never was. Forgive us. Don't hate us, won't you?"
My mom lifted me up the first time after Leo was born. I found out that the reason my mom couldn't lift me up was because she fell down on the bus when she was pregnant with Leo, and she was barely safe thanks to a man helping her out. I started to cry. I don't know why, but seeing Mom and Dad crying made me cry too.
They took me to the basement. It was dark and secluded. I didn't even know this place existed. My mom put me inside, hugged me, cried, kissed me, and said,
"Sorry, Alyss. Mom and Dad didn't find any other way for you."
"Mom, I am sorry. I won't do anything behind your back anymore; don't leave me alone, I am scared," I cried pleadingly.
Dad sobbed, saying,
"You don't understand, do you, Alyss? Well, it's better that way. Forgive us."
They withdrew from the basement as I ran toward them.
Thud!
All I felt was the small basement door shut in front of my face. I could hear my parents crying through the small slit, and I saw my mom wiping her tears and saying to me from the slit,
"Alyss dear, listen to Mama, okay? From now on, don't make any noise. You will get your ability soon. It might be hard for you not to see Mom, Dad, and Leo, but you will develop. Until then you should stay quiet no matter what, got it? You are Mama's boy, aren't you? Be strong and brave like your father, and once you get an ability, you can come out and be happy forever."
I didn't know what to say. I was shocked by the turning of events, but I muttered,
"Mom."
"…"
"Mom, don't leave me." I cried, still wiping my sobbing eyes.
And the slit was shut tight.
I looked around the cramped basement. It had a small tap, a drainage system, a small makeshift mattress, and little to no light from the gaps of the door. I thought to myself, Come on, Alyss, you can do it. You are the son of Theo Moreau and Lina Moreau. You can do it. You will get an ability and throw dirt on those who mocked you.
*****
Days passed. I tried to count the days by tracking time, by counting each second, and I quite didn't know how to keep in mind the huge numbers. There weren't numbers above One hundred thousand, so that was a failure, and I just tried to estimate it, and I completely lost the sense of time. Day in, day out, it felt as if it was on bullseyes. I would get three meals per day through the slit. My mom usually pushed them through on disposable plates. I could touch her hands only during that time. Sometimes we talked. Sometimes I said that the food was amazing.
One day I asked how long it had been, and my mom's answer completely shocked me. She said it was 2052, the month of Maleth, the 25th. Month of Maleth? Don't tell me I've been in here for only three months. It felt as if I had been here for a hundred years. Does time really go that slow? Guess having nothing to do makes it slow, but it's my perfect arc from the countless novels I read, which my mom said not to. I know one thing: the chosen one awakens his power through pain, and if I endure it, I can also become the chosen one soon enough and live happily forever in my own castle.