"Don't eat lunch before 12:00."
"Don't retaliate in a controlled environment."
"Walk with pride and dignity, do not forget to also act with them."
Rules upon rules. A small army of commandments designed to sculpt the perfect son. There were forty-four so far, and the list kept growing like some creeping vine in the dark.
Every morning Kenny recited them with bright eyes the moment he opened them. He knew each rule down to its bones, yet acting on them was another story entirely.
Keeping all of them felt impossible, as if each rule elbowed the others for space in his mind. And on this bright, rainbow-colored morning, his eyes did not shine.
While reciting the list he had reached a particular rule that he had broken just the day before. The guilt clung to him like a shirt dipped in water. He was not familiar with being an outlaw.
He got out of bed, still inside his pajamas, and trudged to the bathroom. Cold water splashed across his face, waking him in pieces instead of all at once.
Today was going to be a long day. He had a mountain of cleaning ahead of him.
He walked to a small body of water trapped inside a glass bowl, and inside it floated a shiny goldfish trapped just the same.
Kenny frowned at the innocent little creature as a cruel memory rose from the depths.
On his twelfth birthday, Julian had bought him this fish. It was the only gift he had ever received from his father, and that was the only reason the creature was still alive.
Kenny opened a drawer, took out the food, sprinkled some into the bowl, and headed downstairs.
The area he was supposed to clean was massive. The walls were painted in deep crimson and gold with careful splashes of other colors woven into the aesthetic.
The place smelled of baked cookies and chocolate cake. The long dining table at the end of the hall was the source of that ghostly sweetness.
It was empty now, only clean white plates arranged neatly across the polished surface.
The air carried the lingering scent of meals already devoured, as if the spirit of yesterday's feast refused to leave. Kenny stepped into the kitchen, his feet brushing against the thick rug. The rug fought back by muffling every sound.
He sighed when he realized just how quiet the house was. All the maids and even the butler had left, following Julian's instructions.
Kenny grabbed a towel, a relic that somehow survived despite humanity's towering advancements. He dampened it and began wiping dust from every piece of furniture.
He stopped sighing and grunting, his mind drifting elsewhere as his body cleaned on autopilot.
This question or thought always returned whenever he saw the golden fish upstairs.
Someone who did not know you, who did not recognize what you liked or hated, someone who did not appreciate you even for the smallest efforts you made, someone who did not encourage you, did that person truly like you?
The question looped in his mind until he arrived at the same answer he always did.
"Of course Dad loves me. It is just that I am not performing enough. Which parent does not like their kid?"
A small sound suddenly scraped across the silence, breaking his chain of thoughts. Kenny froze and spun around faster than a blade cutting through air. He was supposed to be alone.
"Who is there?"
His voice hung unanswered. The house somehow grew even quieter.
"What in the world..."
He placed the towel on a counter and crept toward the kitchen where he had heard the noise. But the room was empty. Rats had been practically eradicated. Insects had long migrated away from the Voss estate. So what caused the sound?
The question dug into him but he pushed it aside and returned to thinking about his father.
He moved through the house toward the security panels. One by one he reset them using a simple trick. He mimicked Julian's voice perfectly; it made his task easier.
Once the artificial intelligence registered the confirmation, Kenny quickly completed a portion of his tasks. Time drifted by and afternoon drew near. Kenny felt like someone or something was messing with him, making small imperceptible noises as if he was crazy, but the security array should have stopped anyone from doing that, so how?
He reached the dishes he was supposed to wash when he noticed a cake sitting in the middle of the table.
The table he'd been walking past absentmindedly. A cake!
His blood chilled.
The table had been empty earlier. Now it was not.
"Hahhh!"
Someone screamed behind him.
Kenny jerked violently as a scream burst out of him in return. When he saw who had nearly frightened him to death he almost cursed.
He grabbed his chest, breathing like a marathoner.
"Marieee..."
The culprit giggled, looking very pleased with herself. She was a red-haired girl with freckles sprinkled across her cheeks. She wore a suit that resembled a military uniform fused with advanced technology. On the left side of her chest, a glowing tag displayed her name: Marie Mason, class D.
Marie studied him with a mix of concern and irritation.
"Where were you? You missed class today. Not that you do not know all the theory, but... you didn't send me a message on your tech–com."
Kenny placed his hands on his hips, directing a questioning stare at her.
"Marie, how did you even get in here, and what is that cake for?"
She rolled her eyes, as if his questions were the dullest things she had ever heard.
"Get in here? You think that tiny security array in your compound can stop me? Aren't you hungry? Why are you talking so much instead of eating?"
Kenny swallowed hard when his eyes drifted toward the cake. Then the rule resurfaced in his thoughts.
Do not eat lunch before 12:00.
He tore his gaze away.
"Marie, you know I am not supposed to eat before 12:00."
Marie looked absolutely scandalized. She clutched her chest as if stabbed.
"You are quite bold. I bring you food after class, because I am a concerned best friend who apparently cares more about your stomach than you do, and all you can think about is more rules. You should get yourself a leech. That creature would worship your habits."
She dropped onto the red couch and sank into it with zero grace, forgetting everything about posture and etiquette.
"I mean, one little bite will not destroy–"
"Me? Bold?" Kenny interrupted and stared at her, offended.
"You are one to talk. You do not follow any rules or even try. You're like... so bold!"
He turned away from her, though she had already grabbed a remote and flicked on the television.
"Yeah... whatever, I'll help you finish your tasks. In the meantime, let us watch some Lympus."
Her suggestion made him pause. He knew exactly what she meant.
After artificial intelligence took over nearly everything, jobs and careers vanished. Movies and entertainment became easy for machines to produce. Only a few forms of authentic excitement remained.
One of them was the battle arena known as Lympus. Beast tamers and their beasts clashed in hyper realistic simulations.
Kenny could never resist watching. So, he sat down beside Marie, clinging to the comforting logic that watching battles did not count as breaking any rules.
The television flared to life and revealed the arena.
Marie squealed.
"Yes! Just in time for the finals."
She clenched both her fists.
A commentator's voice suddenly filled the room.
"Welcome to Lympussss!" His roar thundered through the speakers. A massive crowd appeared on screen, cheering from the stands.
"We are back in the finals with the last match between two fierce fighters.
We have seen them crush their opponents throughout this season.
These two, whether beasts in the shape of men or men partnered with beasts, will go head to head.
So, stay tuned and buckle your belts if you have any. You are about to get your money's worth."