Trip to the Orphanage

"Why did you bring me here?" said Fredrick when they stopped in front of an orphanage.

"Let's go inside first," said Jason.

They went inside and after seeing Fredrick some of the children rushed to him.

"Kate, Santos, Fanny? You guys were here?" Fredrick broke into tears after seeing the kids.

"Sorry for not telling you earlier," said Jason.

"I don't care. They are fine. That's all that matters," said Fredrick.

While Fredrick was busy talking with the kids, Julia came closer to Jason.

"Ohh, I think you haven't been told about it. When Fred's parents were killed at a shoot-out, he was almost 12. He used to do some small jobs by the day and at night used to take care of those three kids. They also lost their parents the same way," said Jason to Julia.

"I understand but how did you manage to find the kids, Sir?" Julia asked.

"The reason Fred got admitted to high school was so that after learning himself he could teach those kids. It was grandpa Roland who informed uncle Greg. After uncle Greg told Yosef and me about Fred's situation. We wanted to help. Yosef assigned a few of his men to watch over the kids. Back then, the underworld of Nantes wasn't as organized as it is now. You know that too, don't you? One day, a single bar fight led to a huge gang war. The house those kids were living in was nearby where the gangs were fighting. During the fight, one side even used explosives. Yosef's men took the kids away before something could happen to them. Fred was out of town that day. Later at night when he returned he found the house and the whole area in rubble. We intentionally didn't tell him that the kids were rescued."

"Why is that, Sir?"

"We wanted to see whether Fred was worthy or not to walk beside us. You may think what we did was cruel. Well I won't deny that."

"Then what did he do after that?"

"Take a guess."

"He went for revenge?"

"Well, you are not wrong. But he didn't lose his rationality which we wanted to check."

"What did he do then?"

"Remember the incident that happened 5 years ago at the port?"

"That bombing incident in which the head of the Campbell family was killed?"

"You are quite knowledgeable."

"Everyone in Nantes knows that, Sir."

"But do you know who caused it?"

"Don't tell me, it was this guy, Sir."

"Shocking, isn't it? Even we never found out how he did that."

"But what did the Campbell family head have to do with his revenge?"

"Well, your family controls the underworld of the middle east, right? It's the same with any other underworld around the world. There's always someone who is pulling the strings. That gang fight was instigated by the Campbell family head's orders. He wanted to thin out the powers of the small gangs. And you know very well, the power of a gang is mostly its members."

"I wasn't aware of any of these."

"Only a few people know what actually happened."

"But, Sir, you really are such a kind person."

"Kind? What makes you say that?"

"You saved those kids. You could have let things happen the way it was supposed to be and the end results would have been the same. But still you saved those kids."

"That's why you think I am kind?"

"That's not all, Sir. You even saved my father's life. That was the reason why I chose to follow you."

"It has only been 3 months. There are still 9 months left before my condition ends. A word of advice, the way things seem may not actually be what they are."

"I will keep that in mind, Sir."

After a while Fredrick came to Jason after his talk with the kids.

"You are not mad?"

"Didn't I say that I wasn't? By the way, this orphanage.."

"Yes, it's funded by the organization."

"Thank you. Thank you for saving them and taking care of them."

"You were the one who didn't abandon them when they had nowhere to go. I just did what I could."

"There are also other kids here. Are they also?"

"Most of them are here because of the same reason."

"Then, what's your plan with them?"

"If I say I don't have any, would you believe me?"

"I don't think I can."

"Uncle Greg mentioned the global awakening that will happen around a year and a half from now, didn't he?"

"Wait a moment. Don't tell me you are keeping them here in hope for them to awaken and then recruit them."

"Is that a bad thing? After the global awakening, the other organizations and governments will also start doing the same thing."

"You are going to use them as weapons, aren't you?"

"I won't deny that."

"How could you! They are still kids."

"I think you misunderstood what I meant. I can't blame you for mixing things up. You have only seen people being used as meat shields. That's how these kids became orphans just like you. But I am not doing that."

"Then, what will you do?"

"You used to use a knife and a handgun, didn't you? What would have happened if your knife was fragile and broke during a fight or the gun clogged?"

"I would have been dead."

"My point exactly. You need to take better care of your weapons to ensure your own safety. Same here as well."

"I get your analogy. But that still doesn't justify what you are planning to do. What's the guarantee that you won't throw them out at the enemy during a fight to escape with your life."

"A lot of things I do can't be justified. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't do them. Even if I don't, others definitely will. At least, I am doing it better than them."

"Is that what you tell yourself?"

"No, not exactly. At the end of the day, I don't have much time to think about what I have done or what I am doing."

" *sigh* Is this why you brought me here?"

"Now you are starting to get it. If you want to make sure things are done correctly, you have to do it yourself."

"Even without your saying, I would have chosen to look after the kids here."

"I won't be paying you if you are already volunteering."

____

Character Profile : Fredrick

(Information so far)

Name : Fredrick Miller

Current Age : 21

Element : None

Height : 5'8"

Hair Color : Blonde

Eye Color : Green

Affiliation : Previously a member of the Underworld of Nantes,

Relics : None

Abilities : None

Special Traits : Unknown

The person who caused the biggest bombing incident in Nantes. Both his parents used to be part of a gang which was wiped out by a rival gang. Lost his parents at a young age. Used to take care of others like him when he was in the underworld.