It was Stein's sixteenth birthday. One didn't go out on their sixteenth birthday. Most people locked themselves up, surrounded by their loved ones trembling while baselessly reassuring one another.
It wasn't unusual for most kids to faint, burst into tears, or stop coming to school as their sixteenth birthday drew closer. However, Stein wasn't most kids.
Bright rays of the morning sun streamed through the window as he knotted his tie. The sunlight reflected off what was left of the trophies and medals on the shelf, casting golden highlights across the room. There was no silver or bronze trophy on the shelf; they were all golden.
Stein had known he was different from a very young age. He had never been able to fit in with his age mates; he always found them, simple-minded.
At first, he preferred older company, but that was before he began noticing their flaws.
Stein grabbed his school bag, pausing in front of a mirror. His collarbones stood out beneath his uniform, and his cheeks looked more hollow than he remembered. He made a mental note to eat more. His front locks were beginning to fall over his face again; he would have to bother Lindsay with that.
He sighed. The bags underneath his eyes had become more prominent. It wasn't himself he was worried about, though.
Stein stepped out of his room to the sound of a toilet flushing. A door to the side squeaked open, and Stein braced himself as he came face to face with one of the most flawed individuals he knew—his father.
The man's eyes were unfocused. The stench of alcohol and degeneracy made Stein's nose wrinkle as he passed by. Unfortunately, his arm was grabbed, stopping him in his tracks.
Stein was repulsed by the wet hand firmly holding his arm in place, but he wore a mask of indifference.
"What?" the man slurred. "You're just gonna walk by without greeting your father?"
He forced himself to look at the man. "Good morning, Father." He blinked trying to appear as natural as possible. He could easily slip away and run off. He wanted nothing more than to do that, but he gritted his teeth and stayed put.
His father's drunken eyes roamed around. "Well, have you got any money from one of those stupid things?"
Stein tensed. He hadn't been to any competition or received any prize recently. The leftover money he had was for his sister, in case the day ended with the worst-case scenario.
"I've got nothing, Dad." Stein shook his head. "I'm sorry."
"You're lyin'," his father stumbled forward and was upon him.
He leaned back as his pockets were emptied. The odour of alcohol and vomit assaulted him, but he kept a straight face. If he showed even the slightest bit of disgust or anger, it'll only make things worse.
Done with the pockets, his father pried open Stein's fingers. After that, his bag was snatched and turned upside down.
"Where is it?" he screamed. "Tell me where!"
"There's no money," Stein tried to remain calm.
"And how did you plan to go to school, by foot?" his father sneered.
"Yes," Stein met his eyes. For Lindsay's sake, he would have to endure this.
His father stopped rummaging through the items on the floor, his hand tightening around a book as his face reddened with rage.
"Useless!" In a spurt of motion, he spun, throwing the textbook at Stein.
"Books, books, books!" he roared, grabbing another book and advancing. Now was another time to run. Stein swallowed and stayed put.
"It's always books with you." he slammed the book into Stein's head. "I told you to quit and make yourself useful." Stein shielded his face with his hands as the book kept slamming down. "When I was your age, I was already bringing money home for my father. That's what a good son does."
Panting, the book slipped from his father's fingers, the madness in his eyes receding. He quickly looked away then cursed before leaving Stein and his school items on the floor.
Stein's fingernails dug into his palm as his father stumbled away.
Don't think about it.
Stein bent down and picked up the items on the floor, neatly arranging them into his bag.
Let it fade away.
He straightened his tie and dusted his uniform before continuing onward as though nothing had happened.
A lean figure emerged from a corner. Lindsay. Her hands were folded across her chest, and her large green eyes were furious.
Stein sighed. He had hoped she would miss that.
"Why do you let him treat you that way?" she asked, tears threatening to burst free from her eyes.
Stein shrugged and forced a smile. Their father didn't hate them; he couldn't care less about them. He just needed an outlet for the negative feelings born from regret and self-loathing. If Stein deprived him of that, he might move on to the next available prey. Lindsay. It was better this way.
Lindsay took a step back, her eyes darting up and down. "School?" She wiped her face. "Have you lost your mind?"
Stein sighed. "I'm not going to lock myself up all day, Lindsay. That wouldn't change anything." He met her eyes. "If it's going to happen, it'll happen."
Lindsay's lips pressed into a line, and she managed a nod. Stein turned to leave, barely taking a step before arms wrapped around him. He hesitated, then sighed, placing a hand over hers. He had made arrangements for his sister in case anything happened to him, but for her sake, he hoped his birthday turned out to be nothing but a brief uneventful scare.
Stein hadn't been lying about walking to school. It'd been months since he had taken the bus. That privilege was for Lindsay. Time seemed to slow down as he walked. He took in missing person poster after missing person poster; they were practically covering the streets.
It was easy not to notice them until your sixteenth birthday drew closer. He was so close to having a poster of himself put up there. Already, three of the students in his class had vanished on their sixteenth birthday. By the end of this day, Stein could be the fourth.
It started nine years ago, a strange phenomenon where some children went missing on their sixteenth birthday, simply vanishing from the earth's surface. They had tried everything, from underground bunkers to tracking implants and even sending them to space. All of it was ineffective. Parents could do nothing but blink in disbelief as their children vanished right in front of their eyes.
The government went crazy trying to find all the missing children, or at least prevent more disappearances, to no avail. The world had no choice but to move on, with children dreading their sixteenth birthday as roughly ten percent of them went missing, never to be found again.