Clown and Sunflower 3

Meimei finally woke up. She stood up and stretched, saying an inaudible good morning to no one in particular. She barely opened her eyes when a loaf of bread sailed through the air and hit her on the forehead.

"Hey!" Meimei exclaimed, "Why did you hit me?"

Leo noticed the sparkle in her eyes, how they momentarily glowed before dying out. She was a beginner in her gift control. An idea sprouted in his head.

"You said you could use fire, right?" Leo asked.

"Yeah." Meimei replied, munching on her bread.

"Can you tell me what a gift is?"

"Yeah. A gift is a special power that we some people have."

"Yeah. I get that." Leo sighed. Gifts were abilities, yes and not everyone had gifts. From what he knew, everyone living thing possessed bright energy. This energy was what was used by gifted individuals. Without a gift, bright energy could not be utilized in any way.

But Meimei's aura was different. It was too much to be classified as bright energy. And too powerful. It made him somewhat insecure. There were people in the Orca who knew about bright energy as much as he did. And there were others who knew more. If they saw her, well, they'd kill him to get to her.

Which was why he needed to find a way to get rid of her. The only place he had in mind was the Orphanage. He really hated that place, but if it meant his safety was assured, then, he'd do anything to get it.

"We need to get you out of here."

"Why?"

"Because, you are too dangerous. In this place, if you have a gift, they take you so that you can use it for bad stuff."

"Why. Can't the Special Officers do anything about?"

"Who?"

"The Special Officers. The help keep the bad guys in check."

"Sorry. The guys who do that are the bad guys.

"But that's not right."

"That's the way things work here."

"And the heroes?"

"No such thing."

"The government?"

"Never heard of it."

"Pulsar?"

"That's just... there. They don't do anything. They just watch."

"But that's just wrong."

Leo looked at her. Wherever she was from must be heaven. But then a thought came to him. Why would they need all of that if they were indeed peaceful? What use would they serve? His curiosity grew all the more.

Leo took a deep breath. Now wasn't the time to think about such things. He needed to get her to Zero Ground, without being caught by the Orca. It wouldn't be easy. If the pillars, or the protégés saw them, that would be the end. He'd be lucky if she saw him but then, she was rarely seen.

"We have to do something about this." Meimei said.

"Are you mad!?" Leo exclaimed, almost laughing. "You want to stop the bad guys."

"Yes. Our gifts should be used to protect others."

"Those people are dangerous. They will kill you, even if you are seven years old. They don't care, Meimei. They are bad, and you can't do anything about it."

"That's why we would do it."

"There's no we." Leo said, "It's you who wants to do this. Not me. I don't even have a gift. I'm just normal."

"You don't need a gift to fight."

Somebody save me. Leo cried in his head. Just what were they teaching them in Utopia that made them this…ugh he felt like throwing up. Just looking at the expression on his face annoyed him. He'd seen those expressions before. Some time ago some gangs had come together to take down the Orca. And the Orca killed them all.

"I'll get you to the Zero Ground. After that, whatever you want to do will not be my problem."

Meimei frowned but said nothing.

White liked the streets quiet as well. He had the peace to wander about. No noise, no sounds, just silence. And with silence came a sound, a sound so unique that it wasn't even given a name.

But that wasn't the case today.

The two Wolf Gang members dragged the man outside. Apparently, he had been harboring some hidden gang. He tried to fight back, hitting one of them in the groin. The Wolf member howled in pain, falling to the ground. The man made a run for it.

No one, save White, saw the boomerang that slashed the man's thigh. The boomerang came back, slashing the man on the back before returning to its rightful owner. The man smiled broadly, showing a set of discolored teeth.

His name was John. John Myers. But what everyone called him was the Karver. And everyone knew the Karver. Who wouldn't, his love of torture and pain was unrivaled in the entire snowy land. He liked to cripple his victims before working his way up the body, avoiding all vital organs to make the 'fun' last longer. If he was a prisoner, then, it was even worse, as he would aim for the thighs and shoulders, stabbing and stabbing and stabbing.

The man screamed in pain, the snow around him turning red. The crowd that had initially gathered had left, for fear of being the Karver's next victim. The Karver stepped down from the stairs, cleaning the blades of the boomerangs with a dirty old rug. He threw the rug away, approaching the man.

"Some people just don't learn, do they?" Karver said with a mad grin on his face. "We know there were three of them. Where are they?"

"Like hell I'd tell you." The man cried. Karver stopped, smiling, then laughing. The laugh was shrill and frightening, like a mad devil who had been let loose. The man cried as the Karver slashed at his ankles. It was followed by a round of stabs to the gabbing wound on the man's back, all while the Karver had a smile on his face.

"I can do this all day, friend," Karver said.

A hand fell on his shoulder, annoying the Karver. Karver groaned, turning to show whoever had tried to interrupt his 'work' who was boss. However, it was only White.

"Enough, John."

"John? Who's John." Karver asked with a smile, "There's no John here." He turned to stab the man again but his hand became immobile.

"Try to move, and you'll be dead." White said. Karver glanced over his shoulder and groaned. His hand became mobile again, walking away with his two goons. White sighed, turning to the man.

"You have two options; either tell me what you know, or the Karver comes back. None is satisfying, but the outcome of one is far more satisfying than the other. Your choice."

The man could only shake with fear.