The pavement was cold, as cold as his hands, but still... His legs were sore from all that effort and with that lack of warmth. After all, a piece of food that you throw into a freezer will stiffen and might even weaken it, for a single hard shock may destroy it. He kinda loved his legs; he had some use for them still. Yeah, it's a bad idea to stay here more than necessary. Now, all he had to do was find a way to get out of this shitty situation. Because, after all, it would be hard for him to leave with three people looking down at him. More than that, two of them are wearing a suit, the kind of suit that would have been cliché in another situation than this one. Was this place under some weird territory that he didn't know about? If that's the case, it might be useful... if he gets out of here alive, that is. Because to him, he was more likely to be taken away to have his organs removed and sold the very next hour.
-"Milady?"
The voice came to break the silence. After all, the three unknown figures—him included—had not said a word since he woke up. Like hell, he didn't even know how much he had slept; he didn't have any time to waste with them. So, for the first time, he tried to look at their face directly.
The one that spoke was the tallest of the three, a red-haired woman. One that gave the impression that she would be able to find the imperfection in an immaculate white canvas. Her ruby-like gaze was turned toward the...elderly woman? And yet, he still felt that she was looking at him. He didn't like it...
The elderly...no, that's not right to call her that. Because if not for her long, pristine gray hair styled in a single braid falling down to her hips, he would have guessed she was in her late thirties or maybe in her early forties. Still, if Miss "I'm Perfect" wasn't looking at him, the same couldn't be said for the old lady. Her skin was pale, which gave her a weird impression; she was either an old aristocrat, sick, or a vampire. It was hardly human to have a pale skin like that and be healthy. Her deep blue eyes were looking at him; they had a shade of blue that made you think of what icy water would look like. Still, there was some warmth behind, like a candle in the middle of the night. It was kind of oppressing but in a good and weird, very weird way. It was mesmerizing.
-"Are you alright, Little One? It was not very safe of you to run in front of our PTV like that... What's your name?"
Yeah, no, her way of talking was clearly giving some old lady's energy. He felt like he was given a sermon by the elderly next door...or at least the one he had before. That thought took him a moment to realize that he didn't answer her question. In his gesture, he tried to make it look like he was still half-asleep, which was not entirely false at that point.
So, his name? He was not dumb enough to give his name to a random lady, but it was not the first time he had to give a name. So the answer was already made; all he had left to do was to give the form to it. Forcing just a little to look like the poor boy that they thought he was. Yeah, it should do the work. The metal of the ration was now pressing even harder against his body...
-"My name is Elios, miss... And I'm sorry, but I... I was chased, and it's been two days since my last meal... so, so I did what I thought would help me keep my ration..."
The little voice, with his eyes having a hard time to look directly at her. And as if his stomach was a paid actor, it started to growl right after... Gods, couldn't they just disappear and leave him alone with his meal?
- "Excuse me, but... Are you crazy?! I almost killed you on that road! The dead don't get to ea-"
Like a volcano, the facade of perfectionism of this red-haired woman broke instantly, right after his explanation. She only stopped after being hit behind her head.
The elder lady, on her side, was giving a weird look once again, but if he had to describe it... She felt pity. Which was only confirmed once she gave a silent glance toward the second figure in a suit. The one that hadn't talked since the beginning—now that he was looking at her, Sunny felt even more in danger because...how in the world could she be in the face of a beast like that!? Her black hair was cut short, her face showing off easily that she was the youngest of the three. Not that it impacted her dangerousness; on the contrary, she was maybe the scariest of this trio. Her muscular stature still showing through the fabric, one look was enough to make you change your mind. It was not a question of "Could she bend a tempered steel bar?" but "How easily could she do it?" and the answer was simply: Yes.
She had green eyes that gave a completely opposite energy from her muscular body. A killing machine with the face of a playful young woman. And that "thing" was now moving her hand weirdly, as if she...oh, she's mute. Still, he still didn't understand a single sign. Which was not a problem for the old lady, since she simply gave her another nod before turning her attention back to the boy.
-"My poor boy, please let me help you. Seeing you trembling like this will break Grandma's heart."
And without the time to respond, two hands were now placed under his armpit to put him on his feet. Too fast to react, clearly too fast for this old hag to be normal. Still, it was weird; they were too close, too "I don't want to hurt you" kind of people. His instincts were on fire, retreating against the wall behind him as soon as his feet touched the ground. He would humor them for a little bit longer, just enough for him to find his way out. His ration was still against him. Good. The pressure kept growing, just by the presence of those three... Awakened? Normally, someone would be able to guess it that easily, but he had a nose for those kinds of things. Like, a subtlety in the surrounding air, as if they weren't entirely here. They stand out from the feeling that the world usually gives. He wouldn't be able to blend with them if he had to hide.
Maybe it was just his skill to hide that told him that they were not normal enough for him to try and blend. And hence, if they stand out, they usually are not normal humans. Yeah, that sounds logical to him.
Still, the old one was still in a mood to chat with him since she kept trying to do so.
-"From what you told me, you're from the Outskirts, right ?"
No shit, Sherlock. For whoever this Sherlock is. Still, he gave his answer by nodding to her. The simplest way to kill a conversation is to not participate in it; by experience with the drunken men around his block, it used to work. But it seems that even those with a higher concentration of alcohol in 100 ml of blood than in their drink are better than her at reading a room. Because she kept going?! Even the bodybuilder and the volcano seemed to be taken aback by her interest in him. Like, miss, it was fun at the start -for you at least- but now he really had to go.
-"From which sector are you, Little Helios ?"
Quick, please be the last question. Because it would matter if they ran me over before it was for me to die because of the cold... My spot, with a little luck...
No time to tell a lie, and an incomplete truth should be enough. So, that's what he did:
-"I'm moving around, but before, I was in Sector 7."
-"You should return there then, if not tonight, then tomorrow. The lack of rations here will be more impactful as time goes by; gangs are starting to drug them to trap the poor and the hungry and use them as labor for their illegal matter."
It's...quite true, actually. It was also why he had to go that far to get this one ration, and also why the other kids were running after him. Rations are starting to become a currency in Sector 8. He wasn't really planning to stay here, but hey, if the old lady was telling him to do so. If a group of three Awaken were to tell him to not go somewhere, even if they were as suspicious as hell, he wouldn't dare to oppose them. It was even more the case when the said group was giving him real facts to push him away from a real known problem. A bit too talkative the Grandma but still a bit useful.
The mute one was now starting to sign again, but this time, the two other figures shared the same expression. As if something was not going their way... As if he was a probl-
Oh no.
The wall was now pressed against his back, or maybe it was the other way around. He wanted to be elsewhere, far from here. So since they now started to sign with each other, he had to try to do something, even if it was something stupid. He was a problem for people that could vaporize him for who knows what reason. His respiration started to slow down, and his presence began to merge with the elements surrounding him.
Be silent. Don't talk. Let the breath be lost in the wind. He is nothing; he could be the piece of trash falling from the huge garbage bin. Or maybe the broken umbrella, which had been forced into a corner, smashed into pieces. Who knows? One step at a time, he didn't even try to look back...until he did. In the middle of the alley, he dared to see if they were still "talking" only to see them. Looking at him. As if they were surprised by his stupidity. The grimace on his face should have been funny to see; he didn't get the chance to observe it himself. For the lack of a mirror or maybe because the mute and muscular woman was already on him. Holding him in place, her grasp was firm but yet gentle. He was doomed now. If they wanted to kill him, he wouldn't even be able to scream for help. It was weird; he could almost imagine the sensation of his throat being crushed, leaving him with only a whistle-like sound to express himself before the suffocation began.
He was guided back to where he had fallen asleep. With no unnecessary force, he couldn't tell that he was pushed at this point. He was no different from a lost pet that someone was returning home. One that the old lady had to talk to. Once again...
-"You're staying here for tonight, little Helios. The violence around here is growing fast, and even faster at night. Pl..this mute woman will protect you until dawn, and don't even try to argue. Just eat your ration and try to get as much sleep as possible. Do we have an agreement?"
A rhetorical question, one that almost makes him want to forget that it sounded a bit too close to a threat. With a gentle voice, maybe, but still a threat. With that, the red-haired one seemed to finally have had enough of this, since she simply started to walk away, with each step being followed by a clapping sound from her heels. Not without her giving him a last glare, as if he had done something to hurt her pride. Like, Miss, he was as stuck here as you; the only one to blame here is the old lady. But speak of the devil, she was now taking off her coat. Which revealed her attire: she had a white pullover with a turtleneck. Her long braid was now falling against it, almost reaching her pair of slim gray jeans. The cold wasn't something that concerned her, from the look of it. And to push even more that fact, she simply gave her coat to him. Give was a bad choice of word, since it was more like being imposed on him than offered. Even if he wanted to refuse it, it was already on him. The warmth of a good cloth, made from good fabric and worn by wealthy people. It had a smell that contrasted too much with those you can find in the Outskirts.
It smelled like something clean. With a hint of perfume that he couldn't describe, from smells that he hadn't experienced before.
-"Try not to die of hypothermia, Little Helios..~"
The tone was far too playful, but somehow, it was threatening. Everything was threat. All that was too good to be true was one. But he couldn't tell her that, since she was already leaving. Meaning that it was only the mute woman and him in this dark alley. The light coming from outside was enough to reflect on her green eyes.
Onyx oppressed by Emerald.
The rest was done in complete silence, him sitting against a wall and her standing against the opposite one. It felt weird, too weird. Because he didn't know if he was a captive or simply protected. He was not harmed a single time since their first interaction. What's more, they gave him advice? Gave him a guardian? And something that would protect him from the cold? Now he had an idea of what's going on in here; they wanted to recruit him. To be their eyes and ears in his sector, in exchange for those kinds of presents. But wouldn't that mean that he would just sell his loyalty? The same one that he swore to give only to Rain? The hunger was doing a rampage on his poor mind. So without wasting any time, he simply opened his ration and started to eat. He didn't even watch what he poured into his mouth. His taste buds were acting as if it was the best meal he ever had. And yet, something felt wrong. Because even in hell, the teaching of an angel should not be discarded.
I
n silence, without a word, he simply rose from his position. Walking toward the mute as she simply looked at him, questioning the situation with her eyes only. Then intrigue turned to surprise when the half-eaten meal was shown to her. She simply moved one of her eyebrows; it should have been enough for him. And it was. So he talked.
- "I'm paying you... I don't know what you want from me, but I won't be able to give it to you. Still, my mother had always told me to never take other kindness for granted. You're helping me in the cold...i can only give you that... I'm not even hungry anymore..."
Weirdly enough, the mute woman's expression shifted. As if she simply couldn't not react to this, one aspiration, two aspiration and she was now focus again. Taking the meal that was presented to her, bowing her head as she took the first bite. The token of gratitude had been accepted, now , Sunny was feeling a bit more at ease, more safe. Now that more like it, a bit of normality, of his normality. He simply turned back and returned to his place after that. Because the exhaustion was growing once more, the coat covering him was too long, acting like a blanket. This time, when he closed his eyes, he felt it. This feeling of losing himself, being enable to distinguish the dream from the reality. Still he completed his usual routine.
-"Goodnight... Love you, Mom... Love you, Rain... Love you, Dad..."
And then, the boy was simply asleep, unable to hear what was told from the returning duo. Both women were reappearing from nothingness as sparks of light were undoing the veils surrounding them. The mute was looking at them, her expression unable to block the little smile from the corner of her lips. Seems like she was happy, still holding the ration's box, now empty, in her hands.
The old woman had to retain a chuckle.
-"Strong morals, even in this situation. It seemed like you lost your bet Dana."
-"I'm glad to be wrong when those kind of things are involved, Milady."
The old woman had a smirk, and yet, she seemed conflicted.
-"The sector 7...he is one of Jeanne's kids... Maybe she could tell us more about that "Helios". This little devil still dared to lie to my face even in this situation. Plume...you can leave him my number on the ration box. The kid had expressed his unwillingness to come; we shouldn't force him, but we can at least still leave him the option to change his mind. Don't you think?"
The mute simply smiled, accepting the demand without hesitation, after all, this was a good kid. He deserved to be saved if he wanted to.