A giant willow tree thrived in the center of Vanity Square. Despite all the trash and pollution in the slums of New Bangkok, even in a plot of shabby dirt where weeds refused to grow, this tree continued to persist through it all. Most corporations had long since given up on Vanity, and thus, the tree was never taken care of. Many of the unfortunate kids appreciated the latter facet, using the low hanging branches to climb up and sit on, bouncing around until the lucky ones had their parents pull them away.
A malnourished, frail girl who couldn't possibly be older than eighteen sat under the drooping lavender leaves of the willow tree. She kept most of her stringy black hair under a dark brown beanie, the same color of the oversized jacket that she clung to. The day was just slightly too warm to warrant a jacket as thick as it. Her ears housed a pair of wired earbuds that ran down into her pocket. Gunmetal grey eyes pierced through the veil of the canopy as she let out a soft sigh, slumping further down as if her body would sink into the earth right under her.
Moments passed before she pushed off of the tree itself and stood up. She gave the pockets of the jacket a couple taps with each hand, then brushed off her backside. Staring back at the surrounding roots, her breath hid a rather soft farewell, and followed the broken concrete path behind her. Weaving through the labyrinth of alleys and backroads, she found herself at the top of a staircase on the side of Main street. At the bottom, she produced a small dark blue card from her jacket pocket and placed it against the screen, leading her all the way to a landing platform. Gripping on the yellow railings, she stared down the giant tunnel.
"Westbound, three minutes."
A bullet train arrived right in front of her four minutes after the announcement, the doors sliding open to give way to the flood of passengers. Each person seemed to disregard everyone else's personal space, blocking and bumping into others. Silently thanking her abnormally small stature, she squeezed into a barely open standing spot in one of the corners. A sigh of relief was drowned out by the powering up of the rails and the automated recordings of a male announcer.
"Next stop, East Sera Sok."
The commute to the north side of the city was long and uneventful. She would get used to it eventually, she was sure. The station was positioned outside one of the famous designer clothing shops, currently inhabiting an older male yelling loudly into a device. He kept on pacing back and forth, forcing people to adapt their own personal routing around this obstacle. Realizing that she had been staring for far too long, she tried to step past the irate man, catching his gaze instead. Covering one half of the device, he turned his head to glare at the young broke girl, focused more on the holes in her pants than the human inside.
"What are you staring at brat? Fuck off."
Her feet picked up at rapid speed, accelerating down the block and dipping into the alley at the first chance she got. It was expected for somebody of his class to show indifference to some slum rat, but that was pretty over the top. Shaking the average interaction out of her head, she continued down the dark alley.
A metal door near the end of the corridor opened up into a small carpeted locker room, another door opposite of the entrance. Dropping the heavy coat off of her shoulders, she caught the worn fabric and tossed it up onto hooks. Her beanie soon followed suit, landing on top of her jacket.
Stealing a gaze at the clock, Kanashima took one of the black aprons off of the wall and dropped it over her neck. Tying the simple bow knot behind her back, she pushed backwards through the impact doors.
"Good evening Kanashima. Could you get the mop?"
"Yes boss."
Her boss was as calm and collected as ever, contrasting the quaint cafe's bustling atmosphere. The older woman stood tall, easily a head above her own slightly below average stature. Two university-aged kids stood behind a rather expensive-looking espresso machine, chatting away the details of the early shift, what some girl named Mirren wanted for her birthday, and how they failed a test earlier. Dragging a bucket from the back next to them, she dropped the mop onto the tile floors.
Really? Who would want such an opulent paperweight?
The crossover period between shifts was always nice, a perfect opportunity for a short breather in an otherwise busy time. With the teenager still being new, it left a sizable amount of sidework for the others, not that the boss couldn't handle it. What kind of boss wouldn't be able to perform basic processes of their own store?
Thirty minutes passed in a blink of an eye, leaving Kanashima and her boss behind the counter all alone in an awkward silence. The evening tasks were completed with little to no hassle, and customers continued to trickle out of the store. She let out a weighty exhale, taking a moment to breathe as she leaned over the register. They hadn't talked much about outside work events since she started the job, and she had no intention of breaking the pattern.
"Say, You just turned seventeen huh?"
The boss stood on the left of Kanashima, polishing a scratched pint glass with one of the various rags. The scaly tattoos on her arm rotated as she moved the cloth around, appearing to take the form of a snake with the centripetal forces introduced to the system.
So much for that plan…
"Yeah, I suppose it was last week?"
She wasn't one to immediately shut down questions from superiors, no matter how much she wished she could at the moment. Standing up to address her boss out of a practiced notion of respect, her charcoal grey meeting the warm amber iris.
"Are you worried?"
Her left eyebrow rose at the seemingly innocuous question. There were always things to be stressed about, always worrying about one thing or the other. She was barely making enough money to keep the leaking roof over her head, but what did that have to do with her age? Taking her silence as confusion, the boss decided to clarify.
"The virus. The chances pick up the closer you get to eighteen."
Kanashima swallowed a lump built up in her throat she didn't even know she had. Of course she knew that, everyone did. Only she just… tried not to think about it too much. Things were plenty bad as is, after all. The circumstances of her childhood didn't necessarily produce the greatest conditions for somebody like her to combat the virus. She'd surely die in moments.
Just like my big brother…
Before getting a chance to respond, the boss set the glass down on the counter, her right hand finding a new location on the left shoulder of Kanashima. She exerted a firm, comfortable grip on the young woman, wary of the frail state of her bones.
"Your brother contracted it at seventeen too. Not much older than you are now."
If the mood wasn't in hell already, her boss just damned it straight to the ninth circle. Kanashima turned her sullen face away, her gaze eventually ending up on the glass case on her right. The smiley-face decorated cookies rested in a row, the design upside down and staring back at her.
"...Yeah. He did."
A few more moments of silence passed between the two, broken up by the sounds of customers. How could she respond to something like that, especially keeping up decorum? Of course she knew the details of her brother's unfortunate demise, why bring it up?
"He was a good kid, you know. It all happened so fast back then, I wish I… damnit—I can't apologize to him now so I guess I'm apologizing to you for not doing enough. I'm sorry."
Gripping the counter with knuckles turning white, Kanashima let out an audible exhale. It already wasn't easy with the past looming over her head, and being reminded of it could definitely send her over the edge right now. The broken teen couldn't afford the meltdown, she already lost one job like that.
"Excuse me, miss? I'm ready to order."
Damnit.
Business steadily picked up again after the conversation was cut short by a measly cortado and chocolate chip cookie. It never got too busy on weekdays such as this, just enough so that there was always something to be doing. A welcome distraction from the grief Kanashima struggled with so much. Some days were easier than others, and today was turning out better results than most so far. At least, before her boss opened her mouth.
Finally, the last customer exited the establishment, returning their large mug directly to them instead of placing it in the dirty dish bin near the trashcan. Letting her muscles take over the simple dishwashing job, grey eyes wandered around the store, her boss did her checks and once overs, wiping down some of the customer surfaces.
Kanashima continued to watch, drowning the mug in more water than necessary. Gathering her thoughts today seemed to be so much harder than normal, despite the earlier claim. Maybe today wasn't as good as she thought it was, or rather, hoped it would be. What made today so much different from her long nights under the willow tree, old school 2020s music blasting in her wired earbuds?
Morgan's earbuds.
"Thanks for your help today, Kanashima. You can head on out once you're done. I'll finish the rest and lock up."
Ah, that's right, she ruined my rather above average day to-be.
The mug eventually found its way back to the shelving area under the bar. She threw the small dish towel over her shoulder and stood straight next to her. There were so many things on her mind, so many thoughts, ideas, and excruciating details threatened to explode out of her mouth, but somehow she managed to contain her frustrations.
"Hey boss. Just… a quick question before I go, if that's alright?"
The boss took the broom in her hand and stood it up against the nearest table, then sat the dustpan next to it. Turning around to look at Kanashima, she attempted a friendly smile, only serving to fuel the awkward situation instead.
"Of course. What is it? You can ask me anything."
Her hands danced together on the countertop for a little bit, fidgeting with themselves. After a few beats, she shook her head with an elongated exhale, her neck craning back to her boss.
Moment of truth, I suppose.
"My brother. You knew him?"
The young employee saw the normally steadfast and aloof boss adorn a new facial expression. Was it disappointment? If so, it wasn't directed at her, or her brother even.
"Yeah, I knew Morgan. I thought… that's why you were here."
"Why I'm here? I mean, I supposed that's true, he told me to work here once I could. I guess I'm not sure why I'm here after all."
"He… didn't tell you anything?"
"Just that he wanted to protect me. Wanted me to be safe… even if he couldn't protect me himself."
The boss's visage transformed into one of a distant wistfulness, turning away to stare out the window into the night sky. Procuring a small box from her apron pocket, she took out a cigarette with her teeth. A few moments later, she took a long drag, glowing embers flaking off into the swept up pile.
"That was the last thing he said to me. I don't know how working in one of the high class districts is supposed to help me, but I really appreciate the job."
"The kid put more trust in me than I imagined, damnit."
She shook her head, refusing to make eye contact with Kanashima just a few moments longer. Ultimately, and after another drag of her cigarette, she swiveled her head back to her employee, smoke trailing from the corner of her lips like a train engine.
"I tried to help him, Kanashima, I really did. The virus… I didn't prepare him enough. That's what happened. I'll make sure the same thing doesn't happen to you. That's what your brother meant by his last words."
Kanashima fell silent, the latest revelation making its rounds through her mind, latching onto the memories surging to the forefront. She didn't even notice her boss making her way behind the counter before she was right in front of her face, dropping a hand on her shoulder again, careful not to grip too hard.
"It's late, and dark out. About time you head home. We can continue this conversation tomorrow. I'll prepare you better, Kanashima. I promise."
Her brain ran on autopilot, nodding in response, its computing power currently directed to her emotional rollercoaster, failing all other processes. She was barely able to produce a coherent sentence to respond.
"Yes, it is late. Thank you boss. I will see you tomorrow."
Her boss said a farewell of her own, the same friendly customer service smile plastered on her face. Dropping her oversized coat and matching beanie from the wall, she found herself exiting before even realizing what just happened. This time, it was already dark, the moon a third of the way through the sky already. She's only walked this way at this time a couple times before, but the sense of unease and dread this corridor gives her still hasn't gone away. If anything, it only felt more daunting and imposing than ever before.
She gripped both sides of her jacket, pulling them tight and overlapping in the front of her torso, and took a deep breath before embarking on the trek through the trash filled, rat infested concrete hall. Three figures appeared in front of her about halfway through the trek, blocking her way out. Each one was taller than her, bigger than her, and most of all, more terrifying than her. Each one had a circular tattoo on the left side of their necks, a line cutting through it. Their gazes barred down on their prey, smiling at the thrill of the hunt.
"Lookie what we got here… some nice juicy prey… all alone at night?"
"It must be our lucky day."
"Don't worry your sweet little face about a thing, girlie, this won't hurt a bit."
All of Kanashima's instincts screamed at her to run, the tension in her quadriceps trying to get her to explode off the ground and run the opposite way, but no matter how much she tried, her feet would not move from their rooted spot on the ground. Still struggling, she craned her head up to look at her assailants, a frightened expression going unhidden on her face.
"I don't have anything of value! What do you want?"
"What do we want? Oh, it's simple really."
"We want you."
Just as their weakened victim was about to question it, her mind came to an understanding. She wasn't the most knowledgeable about things like this, but a person eventually would pick up what was happening around them, especially in the slums. She opened her mouth to scream, but no air left her lungs, the same paralysis affecting her feet spreading to her diaphragm. Her assailants looked all too pleased with themselves, they've definitely done it so many times before it.
Maybe with the leader's Intrinsic perk, it was effortless. The only explanation the kneeling girl had was the inhibition of her actions at the moment somehow tied back to the crook in front of her. She heard vague descriptions of all the sorts of abilities that the ALFA virus had given its victims, the intrinsic being the most powerful and the source most likely to her problem. She never heard of partial paralysis being one of the many types of intrinsics that could be given, but she also wasn't the most knowledgeable. Nonetheless, she's facing one right now, that's undeniable, and it shook her to the core.
Unfortunately, it wasn't uncommon for victims of the virus to turn to crime like this individual. The despair brought about by the introduction of the virus and the proceeding wars truly messed up the Earth more than anything in the past, leaving humans still reeling, licking their wounds. Some hoped to recover, but everyone accepted that the world never will. The mega corporations in charge wouldn't care enough to help the problem either, it was just too easy to turn a blind eye nowadays. Long ago, she vowed to herself she'd never turn out the same way.
Kanashima attempted to retort physically this time, raising her small fist and swinging on the face closest to her, connecting with nothing but air. A chuckle left the man as he fell backwards, effortlessly dodging her untrained attempts.
"Feisty little one. Looks like we'll go for the full restriction."
Full restriction? What the hell is he talking about?
Despite her will to resist the invaders digging into her functions, Kanashima was overpowered. Foreign electrical signatures flooded her systems, overwhelming her entire body and forcing itself towards her brain. She tried to push back one final time, but to no avail. Her eyelids fluttered, eventually closing shut. Her head dribbled against the cold concrete a few times, leaving her out cold.