so reno mightâve been in a âsulkingâ kind of mood since heâs gotten back from whimsical isle. it felt like a whole new world over there; and returning home, as much as heâs grown used to red the district, had him feeling a little⌠gloomy. oh, how he wished life was just as great as it was on that vacation. no worries, just great company, great food and⌠ugh. reno kicked at the ground, arms resting in his hoodieâs pockets and gaze affirmed onto the ground when he heard laughter nearby. it was kids, of course. but sitting on the bench was kali, who he hadnât seen a while and had genuinely wondered how she was doing. renoâs face lit up and he ran over to his old friend. âhey, kal! whatâre you doing here?â he asked, putting his arms behind his head casually. âiâve been wondering how youâve been. you know you have me worried sick, right? we gotta keep in contact somehow, likeâŚâ reno didnât have a cell phone anymore and he rubbed his cheek. âuhm, you can uh⌠uh⌠write me? do people do that anymore? or is that just old-fashioned?â
Kali looked up and gasped when she saw Reno coming towards her. Itâd been so long since she last spoke to him, and it made her smile seeing his face again. âHey. Long time, no see.â She sat up and motioned for him to sit next to her. âKJ wanted to come to the park,â she said, nodding her head over to where the kids were playing. Does he even remember she had the baby with her, she wondered. âYeah...sorry about leaving without saying anything.â She chuckled softly. âIâm cool with writing, but donât you have a phone? You trying to live off the grid or something?â
It was KJâs idea for them to head to the park after picking him up from the daycare center. Kali wouldâve rather gone back to their small shack of a home, but seeing the pleading look on the little kidâs face changed her mind. âMaybe running around would tire him out.â And after a long day of work, itâd be nice to just relax at one of the few calming places she could find in a giant city. She sat down on one of the benches and looked out as her kid went running around the park, playing with a couple other kids that were there as well. She sighed and leaned against the armrest of the bench, letting her arm swing on the other side. Subconsciously she started using her powers to make small shapes and towers in the ground.
âoh, hello. are you one of the parents?â jiwoo inquired as he approached kali who hadnât been sitting too far away from where he had been watching the children play. the volunteers could handle the kids for now. âmy name is jiwoo moon, iâm one of the sitters of the daycare here.â he pointed to himself, âwell i think the one in charge , i guess?â he tilted his head to the side, with a big grin. âwhatâs your name and which child is yours?â
Kali looked up from her fooling around on the ground to Jiwoo. âUnfortunately,â she replied with a sigh. How did he not know if he was in charge or not? If not even he was sure, maybe she should find another daycare center for KJ. âIâm Kali, and that one,â she says as she points to the little boy who was tackling one of the other kids, âis mine. Donât worry, heâs harmless and had all his shots.â
It was KJâs idea for them to head to the park after picking him up from the daycare center. Kali wouldâve rather gone back to their small shack of a home, but seeing the pleading look on the little kidâs face changed her mind. âMaybe running around would tire him out.â And after a long day of work, itâd be nice to just relax at one of the few calming places she could find in a giant city. She sat down on one of the benches and looked out as her kid went running around the park, playing with a couple other kids that were there as well. She sighed and leaned against the armrest of the bench, letting her arm swing on the other side. Subconsciously she started using her powers to make small shapes and towers in the ground.
Dante enjoyed having the bench to himself⌠Well not completely to himself since his âshadowâ was always with him, but still. Unfortunately some young woman with a child just had to arrive in the same area of the park as him, and he nearly groaned aloud but felt relieved as he watched the toddler run elsewhere. However, the woman predictably sat next to him and now he had to worry about his âshadowâ jumping out and saying something embarrassing. ââŚâ He awkwardly scooted even further into his side of the bench. He started to shut his eyes and doze off until his âshadowâ suddenly materialized. âWhat have we here?â It asked curiously, staring at the shapes Kali was making. âOh noâŚâ Dante mumbled. âOh please, stop whining. Youâre not ever going to make small-talk so at least one of us has to. Plus I have to make sure she isnât crafting a weapon of mass destruction⌠It IS my job to protect you, isnât it?â It finished scolding Dante and looked at Kali again. 'So, what exactly are you creating miss?â
Kali continued to make shapes in the ground when she suddenly felt a presence near her. At first she tuned out the voices near her, but then she noticed a dark shadow out of the corner of her eye. Like hell was she about to get snatched up from her kid. She quickly fashioned a stake out of the dirt, making it extra compact so it can stay together, and turned to point it at the shadowy figure near her. âBack off,â she said, her voice low and cold. She then glared over to Dante, and saw that the shadow was coming off of him. âTry anything and youâll be a dead man...or men. Whatever.â
It was KJâs idea for them to head to the park after picking him up from the daycare center. Kali wouldâve rather gone back to their small shack of a home, but seeing the pleading look on the little kidâs face changed her mind. âMaybe running around would tire him out.â And after a long day of work, itâd be nice to just relax at one of the few calming places she could find in a giant city. She sat down on one of the benches and looked out as her kid went running around the park, playing with a couple other kids that were there as well. She sighed and leaned against the armrest of the bench, letting her arm swing on the other side. Subconsciously she started using her powers to make small shapes and towers in the ground.
As he was standing in the shop across from the Golden District, Anwir looked down at the article on his phone, scanning through the words carefully. He then looked back up at the front of the gated community. Heâd been reading and researching about The Golden District for a while now. It essentially sounded like a paradise. A paradise he wanted participation in. But heâd heard about its exclusivity of what citizens were allowed there, and how his acceptance boils down to a group of elitists. Suddenly, he noticed someone walk out of gate and head into the shop. He glanced over at them as they went over into the other aisle. Maybe they could tell him what they did to get in. Anwir quietly walked to the other side and, seeing that their back was to him, had got an idea. He took a bottle of water from the shelf, poured some into his hands, and threw it into the air, making it splash onto the both of them. He pushed the bottle onto the back of the shelf and looked up at the ceiling (think of this but with water). âWhat the hell was that? Is there a leak or something?â
It was KJâs idea for them to head to the park after picking him up from the daycare center. Kali wouldâve rather gone back to their small shack of a home, but seeing the pleading look on the little kidâs face changed her mind. âMaybe running around would tire him out.â And after a long day of work, itâd be nice to just relax at one of the few calming places she could find in a giant city. She sat down on one of the benches and looked out as her kid went running around the park, playing with a couple other kids that were there as well. She sighed and leaned against the armrest of the bench, letting her arm swing on the other side. Subconsciously she started using her powers to make small shapes and towers in the ground.
âShhh, KJ, be quiet. Youâre gonna wake up the others.â The low whisper could barely be heard in the small apartment as the young woman held the young child in her arms. She sneakily tip-toed around the small bedroom, making sure to watch out for the splayed clothes out on the floor. For almost a year now, sheâd been living with a couple of her former classmates after the attacks in the Blue District occurred. At first, she refused to agree to live with them; the idea of being a charity case was too much for her pride. But she had a then-infant to take care of, and it was either that or continue to struggle on the streets. So she agreed to stay, much to her chagrin.
Things werenât as bad as the young womanâd originally thought once she moved in. In fact, she quite enjoyed living there for a while. Maybe it was because being there made her feelings of loneliness slowly dissipate, or because there was finally some support for little KJ, something that she struggled with on her own. So what made her suddenly decide, in the middle of the night, to quickly and quietly pack the few things she and the child owned?
Fear. The fear of being a burden. It was always stuck in the back of her mind, even during the good times she shared with her roommates. She knew it was okay to ask for help, that the people who sheâd began to see as friends were offering assistance because they wanted to, but she couldnât shake that stubborn pride of hers. Soon enough the thought of being there, of taking up so much time and space, started to bother her to no end. It was finally time to leave.
After the brunette slung her overstuffed bag over her shoulders, she carefully closed the bedroom door, making sure its hinges were as silent as possible. She then stepped quickly up to the apartment door, but stopped herself before she could grab the doorknob.
A large pit started forming in her chest, her breath rattling like the baby toy sheâd stolen for KJ a while ago. âJust do it,â she whispered to herself. âDonât pussy out now.â The last thing she needed was a sudden feeling of resignation. The longer she stayed her, the long sheâd be burdening everyone else. As much as it hurt her to leave, she had to regain some independence.
âM-ma ma,â the little child murmured in her arms. She then looked down at the boy, his wide, wood brown eyes staring up at her.
âI thought I told you to call me Kali, okay? Kah-Lee.â The boy was almost one. She basically was his mother now, ever since she found him in that dumpster less than a year ago. But she kept telling herself one day sheâd find his real parents, or someone more qualified to be a good parent to him. Until then, she wouldnât get attached as much as she could. That included him not calling her âmamaâ.
Kali closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the air fill her lungs until it almost hurt, before releasing it all. She then brought her free hand up and opened the front door. There was no turning back now. The sooner she and KJ left the better. And better to not say goodbye than to have them all try to make her stay. Whatâs worse is she mightâve if they did. She walked through the door and turned around, looking back on the life that sheâd started growing accustomed to, before closing it behind her.
Raiden was about to ask another stupid question but shut his mouth once Kali explained everything. âOh wow⌠Who would leave this adorable lilâ guy high nâ dry like that? đ˘ Some people have no hearts, yo.â He pouted, staring at the baby now. âBut you definitely gotta big one to look after him. What should I call him? Also, is there anything you need to get him right now? I wanna help out.â
âYeah, some people are just fucked up like that.â She looked down at the baby along with Raiden. âHis nameâs KJ.â Kali smirked before looking up. âHe just needs some more diapers. I can take care of it.â
âSo...this is where you guys live, huh.â Kali commented as she looked around the small apartment Melody lived in. It was hard to believe that four people were all living there, but at least they had some shelter after the disaster happened. As she stepped further into the apartment, the baby in her arms started squirming around, and soon a wail came out of his mouth. âShit,â Kali breathed out before turning to Melody. âWhereâs the best place I can check his diaper?â