A Valuable Item

The sound of chatter could be heard as a large group of people, of various ages, engaged in business in a disease-filled, open plane. Across the streets, one could see used newspapers and partially eaten food still somewhat packaged, among other things.

A piece of metallic hardware could be seen on everyone on the open road. Some had it on their arm, others, on their leg, others, on their eyes. There were multiple places one would see such a piece of technology.

Still, that wasn't the most interesting part, and as for that, it was the purple glow these devices emitted, which could be seen on their glassy surfaces. The purple glow seemed to be linked to the fact an old man, who seemed to be at least ninety, could beat up a healthy young man in his twenties, with ease.

But, that was just one among a myriad of things these devices offered the people, as one could see a middle-aged man beat up a gang of criminals all on his own. It seemed like the devices offered whoever wore them, a somesort of leverage, which they could use in times of conflict, and there was also a power scaling, which allowed some to perform, well 'inhuman' feet.

In a fairly large building, somewhere in the center of the polluted city, a man in his mid-forties could be seen teaching a classroom filled with little children not older than ten years old. The man had a tender expression on his face, as he patiently taught the little children basic mathematics. Some were able to grasp the concept he was explaining quickly, while others found it difficult just to remember what he was saying. But, in all this, he exercised patience, having the best interest at heart for all the kids in his class.

Leaning against the wall where the exit to the large classroom was, two kids could be seen, but these two looked far older than any of the other kids in the class. One was a boy, who had short black hair, sharp masculine features, and piercing hazel eyes. While the other, a girl who looked younger than the former, had long black hair tied into a ponytail, reaching her lower back.

Her hazel eyes reflected the boredom she was experiencing from just standing there, doing nothing. She turned to look at the boy leaning next to her, who had a newspaper in his grasp.

The latter had his eyes glued on a newspaper, his head slowly moving as he digested the information portrayed by the news article word for word. The older teenager didn't even pay attention to the girl who was tugging at his shirt.

"Hey, Alex, have you heard about what everyone's been talking about?" She asked, tugging harder at his shirt.

Alex didn't reply immediately. After reading through the entirety of the newspaper, Alex folded it and placed it aside, now turning to face his sister.

"I know what you're hinting at, and yes, I'm still taking part in it," Alex replied, not turning back to face his sister.

"What?! But you and I know it's far too dangerous. Y-you could get killed…" the girl stuttered.

"I know, Scarlett, but you know I have to do it, not only for us," Alex's gaze shifted to the students in the classroom, while Stacy followed his line of sight. Seeing the students happily answering the man's question, while others were scratching their heads in frustration, caused a teardrop to escape her eyes.

"I have to do this for them… and don't forget Johnny."

"Oh please, no!"

"What?"

"Johnny? The weapon dealer's son?"

"He's my best friend."

"He's a certified womanizer!"

Alex couldn't help but chuckle as his little sister scrutinized and meticulously defamed his best friend in front of him. Well, it wasn't like Alex wasn't already aware of these traits which his friend possessed. They had known each other since they were little kids, so Alex was very familiar with his behavior.

"Johnny even tried 'wooing' me a few days back. I told that fatty to keep his distance, but god can he not take a hint," Scarlett said, face-palming herself.

"I already told him off about that yesterday, but he's still my best friend, and I care about him very much."

"Hmm? Very much, you say? I hope you're not into guys?" Scarlett asked, her lips curving into a mocking smirk as she hoisted a brow.

"What the f*CK?! Heck no! Where did you learn things like that?!"

Before Scarlett could open her mouth to retort, the man, who was teaching the classroom filled with children, called out to both of them. Turning to face the man, they came to realize that he was through with his lesson, and the children could already be seen packing their things, ready to leave the classroom.

"We'll finish our talk later," Scarlett gave Alex a wink before going over to see why the man called for her.

"This girl will be the death of me…" Alex said as his face darkened, before going over to meet with the teacher, as well.

"Alex, Scarlett, I have a couple of errands to run before getting home. You know the drill: go straight to the apartment. Don't talk to any strangers. And do not, under any circumstances, let anyone into the apartment.

"Don't worry, Uncle Jim, we understand. Just hand us the keys and we'll be on our way," Scarlett said, her hand outstretched to receive the keys to the apartment.

"Here, and also, Alex, I don't want to be in a position where I have to bail you out of trouble, 'cause believe me, next time you land yourself in deep shit, you're on your own. Period." Jim then gave Scarlett a brief nod, before turning back and heading out the door.

"I hate that guy," Alex said, a few seconds after he could no longer hear his Uncle Jim's footsteps.

"You ungrateful brat! He has taken care of us since we were little!" Scarlett's eyes went bloodshot the moment she heard her brother's words. "Remember when we were out on the streets? When no one batted an eye for us? When we were on the brink of losing our lives?!"

Tears began to form in her eyes as her vision became hazy. The memories from when they were very little flooded her mind, causing her heart to beat faster by the second. The loud droplets of rain, the screams, the cackles, everything overlapped, outmatched every form of reasoning she desperately clung onto as her palms held firmly the sides of her head.

Alex reacted on instinct, reaching into her pockets as he searched for her inhaler.

"Here," he handed it over to her, as Scarlett quickly put it over her nose and mouth, taking deep breaths in, and deep breaths out.

Taking off the inhaler, Scarlett tossed it at him, before exiting the classroom, slamming the door behind her.

"Sigh… You won't understand, little sis," Alex picked up the inhaler, inspecting it before placing it into his pocket.

Exiting the classroom as well, Alex went down a long flight of stairs, eventually making it to the exit of the building.

Standing not too far away, folding her arms and looking away, Scarlett muttered angrily to herself. Taking a deep breath, and breathing out slowly, Alex motioned his legs to work as he soon stood beside his sister, facing the polluted streets.

"You know, it's too dangerous to be by yourself like this. What if someone came out of nowhere and hurt you? What if-"

"Stop it!" Scarlett interrupted him. "Urrgh! Stop trying to control my life, you loser! I got my whole life ahead of me, and I intend to enjoy it to the fullest! Don't you dare drag me down whatever pit of depression you're in!!"

Scarlett angrily pushed Alex to the ground, before storming off once again.

Getting off the floor, Alex was just about to run after her, when a flier suddenly fell on his face. Holding the flier in his hands, Alex read its contents carefully, realizing it was a flier advertising the latest tournament that would be taking place in two weeks.

Alex carefully folded the flier, placing it in his pocket as he sprinted in the direction Scarlett stormed off in. In no time at all, he found himself in a crowded area of the city. It was quite strange that Alex found the area near the orphanage desolate, but now, taking a look at what was going on, he could figure out what the reason was behind it.

A crowd of people could be seen heavily chatting as sounds of metal clashing against each other could faintly be heard. Taking careful steps forward, Alex wished to find out who were the people currently fighting were.

'I wonder what's going on over there. Since I can't spot Scarlett anywhere, I better just assume she is back at the apartment. She's fourteen. She can take care of herself. What I'm interested in right now is the fight taking place over there.'

Maneuvering his way around the crowd, Alex found himself standing behind a bunch of people geared with heavy mechanical accessories, their glassy areas blooming with a purple glow. Alex knew well about these kinds of people, what they could do; were capable of. Taking a few steps back, Alex unknowingly bumped into the person behind him.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't see you there," Alex quickly apologized, not wanting to offend someone who could potentially hurt him or his loved ones in the future.

"Oh, it's okay. I'm also leaving as well," the person, whom Alex had bumped into, shrouded in a hooded cloak, said before disappearing into the crowd.

Alex subconsciously let out a sigh of relief at the person's disappearance, pleased that he wouldn't have to deal with any unnecessary trouble, especially now that he had plans of joining the upcoming local tournament.

Taking a step forward, Alex felt his foot stomp on something. Lifting his foot, Alex found a short dagger on the floor. Probably, it was left by the hooded figure he had just bumped into. Or maybe not. Still, eying the dagger meticulously, Alex couldn't help but notice how clean and sharp it looked.

'Perhaps if I sell it, I'll be able to make a hefty sum. 100 Frekins should suffice for such a well-maintained dagger. So long as the buyer doesn't cheat or try to intimidate me, I'm pretty sure of getting rich from this fortunate incident.'

Alex wasted no time in picking up the dagger and placing it in his pocket. Weaving his way through the crowd, Alex took the shortcut to the apartment, happy that no one seemed to notice the dagger lying on the floor as he did.