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"Brother, mom and I made some bracelets. Here, I made you one."
The high-pitched voice gradually increased in volume as tiny footsteps rumbled down the hallway until a short, blonde girl stood at the entrance to her brother's room. Her blonde hair draped onto her shoulders in a side braid, and her light blue eyes glowed in the dim light. She just spent the day making bracelets with her mother, a rare occasion for this family on the outskirts of Sokovia.
August was typing away on a computer, located at a desk situated at one of the walls in his room, surrounded by various mechanical contraptions built over the years. Each machine was located on the floor or stacked upon one another; it was not far off to say that August was talented in machinery and did not like to discard anything.
Most of the machines are built out of scrap metal from the dumpsters across the city of Sokovia, August often returning late due to these trips.
If his last name were not Pieróg, everyone would think he was a Stark due to his similar talent in the robotic field. He was a standout student with great marks in all classes related to math, and often delved into the robotic field to pass the time.
It brought joy to his life when he created a fully functioning robot with his hands, feeling like a god for a short period of time. None of his creations disobeying him and fully subservient, ready to serve at a moment's notice.
August tore his eyes away from his current project and looked at his sister who held a colorful bracelet in her hands, standing anxiously at the doorway.
"Hold on one sec Laura, I am finishing up this microcontroller. Wanna see?"
Laura knew her brother loved machinery and often drowned himself with it every day, so she would never make any sudden movements toward him, afraid of him messing up the project because of her. This rare incident occurred once before when he was working on a motherboard and locked her out of his room, furious about his mistake.
That kind of action scared the daylights out of her so she decided to just stand at the doorway and wait for him to come to her. Now, instead of having to wait for her brother, she could actually learn what he was doing.
"Yes! Can I help?"
Laura shouted out her question while sprinting toward her brother and his current work.
August knew the troubles of height, so he pulled out a stool for little Laura to sit on and observe his work, ignoring her question.
"I will tell you what I am doing, but don't disturb me okay?" August said with raised eyebrows and a hint of authority.
"Mhm-" Laura vigorously nodded to her brother's statement and sat attentively by his side, her side braid jostled ever so slightly from the movement.
"What I am currently putting on this piece is called an A/D Converter, think of it like your ears that pick up sound. That allows it to follow voice commands."
~*~
August continued walking Laura through what he was doing and they spent nearly all afternoon intricately building the complicated part. Soon, both of them smelled a strong aroma coming from the hallway, making their stomachs grumble in anticipation.
This always happened when dinnertime approached; their mother could make virtually anything taste good- evident by the overpowering smell. It was not an overstatement to say that she was the best cook to them, all of the food made felt like a five-star meal. Their small home did not help their situation either, only adding to the scent flooding in from the kitchen.
"Dinner!" Laura jumped off her stool and rushed to the table, her braid swinging in complete disorder as she ran out of the room.
August smiled gleefully as he glanced at his sister's small figure exit the room, her smile was contagious to everyone. He loved his mother- mostly her cooking- and could not help but speed walk to the table in excitement.
His mother worked at a diner inside the city of Sokovia, waiting tables and sometimes helping in the kitchen. Most people say that she does a better job than the chef; she just says she puts a little extra love into it.
~*~
Both children devoured their servings in a matter of seconds, searching for another plate full of the good stuff. Sadly, there was not anymore, just enough for all of them.
"Make sure you little gremlins wash up and head to bed straight after. I don't want any of you heading to school tomorrow with all that filth on you like yesterday."
"Got it ma'!"
"Will do!"
Both children yelled back to their mother, each entering their respective rooms to prepare for the next day.
August decided to spend another hour or two building his new creation, a little bit too excited about his current idea. The big picture was to create a robot with A.I. intelligence as a personal butler, however, scrap metal was starting to be scarce with the current homeless population rising. Those people needed materials for a shelter and scrap metal was usually the first option.
August didn't care what he was able to get, but he would make the best of it to lighten the load on his mother. Make a robot to handle all of the necessities like laundry, dishes, cleaning- that stuff.
She worked tirelessly just to put food on their plates, and this was just one way the 14-year-old August decided to repay her kindness. Her sunken eyes are a testament to the long hours of work and little relaxation she gets to experience.
~*~
The rising sun on the horizon sent light through each of the rugged window frames of their house. The light in the house gradually increased as the sun ascended into the light blue sky, forcing the slightly tanned eyelids of August to open.
His hazel eyes looked at the ceiling, almost expecting this day to be the same as the others. Maybe another day of falling down the steps face-first into the dirt, or someone slapping his textbooks onto the hallway floors in school. Nonetheless, it was a new day and that means another day to finish his project.
August sat up from his bed and changed into an outfit all too familiar to him, a loose t-shirt and dark blue jeans. He slipped on his grey socks and entered the small kitchen to prepare himself the usual bowl of cereal.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Laura bumbled into the kitchen like usual and sat at the counter waiting for breakfast to be served.
"One moment, let me get the milk, and then we can start eating." August notified his sister before grabbing the milk, along with the box of cereal, and placing it on the counter.
~*~
"You two better not get into any trouble, and make sure to work hard so you can get good marks," said August's mother before he and his sister left for school, exiting from the small house.
It is a short distance to their school, however, taking the bus is preferable instead of having to walk through the sketchy areas of Sokovia. Taking the bus allowed them to avoid the confrontation with the 'crazed' individuals lining the sidewalks and allowed them to get a bit of sleep before school started.
~*~
Their bus quickly arrived at the school after several stops and turns, students began piling in the middle aisle of the bus to get off.
August smashed his face against the back of the seat during the ride on the school bus, leaving a large red mark on one of his cheeks. Luckily, nobody saw that embarrassing spectacle so August avoided the usual laughter at his expense.
August and his sister, along with every other student, stepped off the bus and made their way into the school. The front of the school had several ivory-colored columns reaching to the ceiling in front of the main entrance. The steps leading to the doors were littered with small groups of individuals who ignored many of the students entering the building- except for August.
One boy stuck his arm out, tripping August and sending his books flying across the entrance platform. August could hear the group next to him laughing loudly, attracting the nearby students to look in his direction, causing his face to get bright red.
"Look at the kid, he is bright red like a tomato!"
"He can barely even pick up his books. Look at his shaky hands!"
...
Many comments were made about his actions and only added to his embarrassment, causing him to frantically pick up his books and head to his first class. Fortunately, Laura was already inside the school with her friends and not getting troubled with his circumstance.
~*~
The day continued like normal, several books were dropped and a carton of milk was spilled on his table during lunch. Nothing new if one considers the events that have already unfolded.
August was already accustomed to these events from the repeated amount of interactions between him and his assailants. His skinny body certainly does not help during the fights and only ends up bruised by the end.
He turned to robotics because they never rebelled against his orders and were the products of his creative ingenuity. August would often get yelled at for working on a small project of his during class, usually with the result of his teacher taking it away.
Unlike her brother, Laura is like a magnet to friends and hardly has any trouble getting distracted in class. While she is very social, Laura is also a very disciplined student, and she finds Augusts' work fascinating. She may only be seven years old, however, her intellect would prove that she is at the level of 9 years old.
When the siblings reunited after the long, stressful day of school, Laura immediately checked the various bruises scattered throughout August's body.
"You got in a fight again today didn't you? You know mom isn't going to be happy about that?" said Laura with her hands on her hips, leaning forward slightly. Her small stature made it look like she was reprimanding a giant- quite the laughable scene.
"I know, but sometimes I can't help these things. Okay?" replied August with his hands raised in the air, his palms facing the blue sky.
"Ugh! Let's just get back home, we probably have a few chores to do before mom gets home."
