July 24th

PinkShell Village

Kai jolted as he awoke in his bed at the inn. He grimaced as he rolled over and began to remove the cheap bandages from around his torso.

“That dream again. Same time every year.” He mumbled to himself.

The floorboards creaked as he stepped out of his bed and trudged over to his desk. He opened a large cardboard box placed neatly on the edge and shuffled around the items. He removed an old picture of him and his mother. A smile crept across his face as he moved his finger along the broken glass locked in the frame. Kai, at five years old, proudly showed his mom a sapling he had grown as she ruffled his hair.

“Mom,” he said quietly as he rested the frame back into the box. He removed another item. This time it was a black book. The book had no title or markings anywhere on any of its covers except for a simple white circle at its front center. He dared not open it, though. Not since that day. Not ever again.

“You’re up later than usual…” 

Kai jumped as Sacclin’s voice grumbled behind him. He quickly stuffed the book into his backpack, which rested on the chair.

“Well, you know how it is…” Kai responded, walking over to his closet to retrieve a shirt.

He continued to get dressed as Sacclin stood quietly in the doorway, trying to organize his thoughts before speaking. Kai grabbed his backpack, and Sacclin moved aside to allow him through the doorway.

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep to myself today. Especially today…” He told him as he walked past. Sacclin watched him descend the stairs, his face reflecting his discomfort.

“Hey kid,” he started, freezing Kai in his tracks,

“...Happy Birthday.”

Kai turned his head slightly and nodded, before making his way into the lobby and out the door. 

Outside, he noticed the Cy-Bike was missing. He figured the police must have collected it earlier that morning. Typically, he would feel bad for the trouble he caused Sacclin…but not today. He could only think about one thing. He could only think of her.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

He pedalled hard through the bustling streets. Perhaps even harder than other days. The old man’s bike he borrowed was in better condition than his one ever was, so he could zip through the town as quickly as the busy streets allowed. He ignored the hails and wails from the people of the village as he zoned in on his thoughts.

His mother's words echoed in his head, “Amber Skies…Cobalt Ground.” His head pounded and his teeth clenched as memories from that night raced back to his mind. He almost didn’t notice the electronic humming increasing in volume towards him. He looked up in time to see a Cy-Bike cutting across from a branching road to clip him. Kai jumped off Sacclin’s bike, and it rolled forward a bit further before being slammed by the Cy-Bike, sending it flying into the park. The bike slammed into a tree and folded around the trunk, one of its wheels shooting off the ends. Kai fell hard and rolled sharply away in the street’s gravel. The Cy-Bike had swerved to a halt near the curb as the driver and the passenger at the back removed their helmets.

He slowly regained his bearings as he began to hear a familiar but unpleasant snicker.

“Heh heh… barely avoided that one huh Smit’ ?” 

Tom hawked saliva from the back of his throat and spat out on the other side.

“Dude! That landed on my shoe!” Dilly said from behind him.

“Shut up!”

The boys approached Kai as he stumbled to his feet.

“ You street rats…do you know who gave me that bike?!”

“Aw, the bike thief is made about his bike? How the turns have tabled…”

“Actually, it’s how the tables…” Dilly started.

“I told you to shut up!”

Kai glanced across his beloved bike, crushed around a tree, as these two dung flies argued with each other. He felt an anger rise within him that was unusual, but he promised Mr. Kim that he’d keep to himself today.

“Look, usually I don’t mind dealing with you movie extras, but today is a really bad day... “

Kai stood up and narrowed his eyes, “So how about we just stop this right now and all get out safe, yeah?”

The two boys watched him, stunned, before Tom burst out laughing.

“You hear that Dilly? Cripple boy *chuckle* is threatening us!”

“ Yeah, he’s pretty stupid. Guess it runs in the family!” Dilly chuckled.

Kai felt all the warmth from his body drop at once.

“What are you yapping about?” Tom asked, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“Don’t you know? Some years ago, that idiot’s mom blew up in a house explosion. Which retard doesn’t notice a gas leak before the house goes up in flames?”

The two boys burst out in another fit of laughter. 

But Dilly’s laughs were short-lived, as he soon opened his eyes to see a black blur approaching him. Before he could react, the object slammed into his face, crushing his nose and knocking his head backwards.

Tom jumped back as Dilly fell over and hit the ground. He watched as a bike tire rolled off his friend’s unconscious face before falling over. He looked back at Kai, who stood across from him with an expression he had never expected. His eyes shot daggers at him, and his teeth were locked into place so hard they looked like they might crack. His whole body shook with rage. His hands were black with the tire’s carbon as he clenched them into a fist.

“Take. It. Back.” He growled.

Tom’s expression slowly reverted from shock to cocky.

“No.”

He ran towards Kai with his arm pulled back.

“You’re not so scary without that psycho scholar, are you?”

He threw a punch at his face, but Kai stepped to the side and kicked him in the ribs.

Tom grimaced. The kick didn’t have much force, but it hit an uncomfortable spot and made him stumble. He steadied himself and swung his arm around to hit him in the face. Kai ducked the blow and punched him in the same spot between his ribs. 

Tom coughed violently and backed up.

“Huh? I thought this kid didn’t fight back. And how’s he moving so…weirdly?”

He dashed at him and threw a left, then a right. He repeated his attack again and again, but not a single blow landed. Each miss made him more and more winded.

“Why…are…you…just…dodging?!” 

He dodged because that was the only way he knew to fight. Sacclin had forbidden him from getting into fights, but on the off chance he needed to defend himself, he taught him this technique. He called it FlinchFighting, a style that focused only on counters. It might seem risky letting your opponent attack you freely, but on the contrary, it forces you to be always alert. Constantly observing, assessing, waiting for an opening, until…

Kai struck Tom in the temple, causing him to topple over. The boy attempted to get up quickly, but kept falling back over with every attempt. He reached down and grabbed his collar.

“Years of physical therapy and being trained half to death by Sacclin, just to use this on some junkies with inflated egos.”

Tom panted as Kai leaned in closer.

“Still, it’s worth it. You laughed at my mother.”

He pulled his fist back slowly as his grip tightened.

“So, be sure to tell her Hi for me.”

The junkie boy closed his eyes and shivered as he awaited Kai’s wrath.

But it never came.

Tom felt something warm drip onto his face. Then he felt it again,

He slowly opened his eyes to see Kai’s face contorted in frustration above him, tears streaming down his face relentlessly. The boy was unsure of how to react. Kai kept his gaze fixed on him, and his body jerked from holding back wails.

“IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED? YOU WANTED TO SEE ME LIKE THIS?” He bellowed.

“N-Nah man…It ain’t like that for real,” Tom pleaded.

Kai stared at him for a few more seconds before sucking his teeth and dropping him. He looked down at his palms, blackened from the tired. He let out a loud groan as he clenched his fists together. He hated it, that disgusting desire to want to destroy a living thing. He cursed his hands for harming another … he cursed his heart for finding relief.  He breathed slowly to collect himself before eventually opening his eyes and taking a step towards the cowering rat on the ground.

“Listen…”

GRIP!

Tom snickered as he looked up at him. A large, obese, pig of a boy stood behind Kai, both arms gripping him in a chokehold. The bald beast sneered as he tightened his grip around his windpipe, attempting to snuff the life from him. Kai struggled to breathe as he tried to pull his arms away from his throat. 

“Whaaa?! They got Hammy in on this, too!” Kai thought as he punched the boy above him. But Hammy just firmed the blows, smiling more with each punch. Each blow got weaker the more time that passed, and soon several dark spots began to appear in his eyes. But even as his vision wavered and the world began to go black, he could only think of her. Her face, her voice, her warmth. The house, the accident, the fire. The stories, the book, and of course the…

BAM! 

Kai dropped to his knees and gasped for air as he was released from Hammy’s grip. He held his throbbing throat and coughed for several seconds before opening his eyes. He saw the large boy drop unconscious next to him on the street. He then watched his large head be obscured by a red and white high-top sneaker that stepped forth.

“Not bad a bout, but when dealing with movie extras, you always expect three.”

He looked up and saw a boy standing beside him. A caucasian lad with blonde hair that almost looked golden and bright blue eyes that felt like two teal oceans resting in his face. He smiled with such contagious confidence, but his stance remained carefree. He also wore a PinkShell uniform, but he had never seen his face around the campus before. Kai whipped his head around to see Hammy on the ground, out cold, rear end pressed into the air.

“ARRRRGH!”

Tom charged at the strange boy shakily. He threw a punch, just for it to be caught in his palm while he continued to talk to Kai.

“Your moves were pretty smooth. I approve.” Tom tried to pull his hand away, but he couldn’t. It felt like his fist had gotten caught in the jaws of a lion, forever entrapped in its gnash. The blonde boy jerked him toward Kai with a single pull. 

“Here! Catch!”

Kai reacted quickly and punched the terrified Tom across the jaw, sending him spinning to the ground. The boy groaned softly as his consciousness began to fade on the asphalt. Kai immediately turned and glared at the boy, still holding his throat. The boy shrugged smugly.

“I thought you might want to end it…” he chuckled.

“Who are you?” Kai wheezed.

The boy just shook his head. 

Kai sucked his teeth and walked over to Tom’s Cy-Bike.

“Anyways, you look a little shaky there. You sure you’re good to drive?” The boy asked him.

“Shut up. I’m fine. I didn’t need your help and still don’t.”

“Right…”

The blonde boy dragged the three unconscious boys to the edge of the curb while Kai put on the helmet and started the ignition.

“Oh that fighting style was pretty neat…”

Kai didn’t respond and began to wheel backwards.

“I guess, Sacclin really taught you well.”

His eyes widened and his head whipped around. 

“How do-”

The boy was gone.

The wind screeched loudly as if to serenade his exit.

“W-what?”

Kai’s head spun. Was he not just talking to a boy? Was he hallucinating? Was he finally losing it?

Before he could think about it further a sharp pain pierced in his head. The oxygen deprivation had only made his migraine worse. He couldn’t afford to think too hard about anything else and decided just to make his way to school. Tom’s bike hummed loudly as Kai took off around the hill to the school’s rear.  

The blonde boy stood on top of the hill leaning against a tree. A female figure sits near him, their face enshrouded by the shade of the leaves.

“He’s a bit rough around the edges, and definitely impulsive.” 

He scratched his head for a bit before smiling.

“So he’ll fit right in.”

The figure under the tree smiled.