"How am I going to spend my last year at school? What the hell kind of question is that? Like all these people running around wasting their time, like their lives are going to end tomorrow if they don't do something today. Man if I thought that way, I'd probably have a heart attack or something. Seriously, it's just too much work, don't you think?" The tirade was spoken in slight monotone, with very little intonation and at a rather low volume. The speaker was a young man, nearing adulthood, leaning his elbow against the window of a car, and tugging at the black long-sleeve button up he was required to wear as a male student at Saxon High School. Aside from the formality of his attire, he looked like any other teenager: his light brown hair was a bit overgrown, yet in his case, it was plain and clearly unattended. His hazel eyes drifted from one object that passed to the next, thinking of one for a second before the next came into view.
"Yet if everyone lived like you Kaz, we'd still be in the dark ages, hell we'd probably all be dead!" Another boy, who was driving the vehicle commented with a laugh, and the other boy's reaction was so unfeeling that it seemed as if he didn't even hear his best friend's comment. "Well Jack, what is your approach then?" He asked after a long pause, leaning back against the comfortable seat, and the driver thought about it for a moment. "Work hard, study hard, and then after you get that feeling of overwhelming accomplishment, sit back and watch the show." He confidently replied.
"What are you going to be a movie star?"
"That'd be cool!" A girl in the back seat added brightly. She was a lot younger than the two high school seniors, and she pressed her head next to them, her short bleach blonde hair fluttering in the wind. "Ha, I don't think I'm much of an actor, I'll probably end up as a lawyer or maybe a politician, what about you Kaz, how are you going to make it in the world?"
The boy yawned and scratched his head, adjusting his position once more. "I'll probably end up as a janitor somewhere, something easy, maybe computers? I heard that's pretty easy too."
"Ah c'mon! That's lame!"
"Ah be quiet!"
"Well she does have a point you know, don't you have any hobbies? Or interests?"
"Sure, I like playing video games, collecting cards, reading short novels, and uh, well I guess that sort of sums up my interests."
"That's pretty one dimensional don't you think?" It was a conversation the three had had many times before, but revisiting the topic of the future had been one of Jack's trademarks, at least Kaz thought so. The car then rolled to a stop, and without even realizing it, Kaz was outside of his workplace. "Ah, this is my stop." Kaz murmured grabbing his bag from underneath his seat. "I'll catch you tomorrow after class. Take care of yourself Kylie!" He said waving to the two siblings, and then as the car drove off, he let out another yawn. <i>'Damn, why am I so tired whenever I start a shift?</i>' He thought slowly walking into the fast food joint, and stepping behind the counter. Almost instantly he felt as if he had stepped into a beehive. Hearing the constant sizzling grill, the bubbling grease vats, the people yelling and all of the beeps and groans of the machines; all the while he kept a tired and uninterested face as he walked past the chaos and into the break room. There one of his fellow coworkers was already relaxing with a drink in his hand.
"It's about damn time!" He said jokingly, and Kaz smiled despite himself. "Trey, you're always complaining about something aren't you?" Kaz asked setting his bag down, and slowly opening it. "Yeah, you know me. It's always work all day, sleep all night, ain't got nothing better to do than complain about the shit I keep stepping in." The dark haired man was expertly twirling a pencil in his hand, and at a rather quick pace. As Kaz put on his hat and exterior outfit, Trey stepped over to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I heard an interesting rumor." He began, and Kaz slapped his arm away. "Don't go around saying stuff like that." He said looking more tired than ever. Trey was known for hearing the most ridiculous of rumors in all of Stadweld, and he had a knack for sharing them with anyone who had two ears to listen. "Something really bad is going down. Did you hear about that kid?" He asked, following Kaz from the break room and into the restaurant proper. "Huh, what kid?" He asked tying the apron behind his back. You’re only making me more tired.
"The one who got kidnapped. The police made a statement about it, but then suddenly it went cold. No word has come since."
"You mean that stupid story that someone at Patterson vanished?" He asked. Sure he had heard. Who hadn't heard about it? Nobody really knew the whole story, but it was still all over the place. Like a classic game of telephone, where it would take only one person with a vivid imagination to fill in the blank with something unnecessary. "It's sad really, but I only care about myself. Things like that happen, they just don't seem to happen to me." Like hell, I’m just waiting for this day to end. If someone bad happens, I just might get to go home for the day. This was something Kaz thought almost every time he left school and went straight to work. It was a surprise he even had friends at school knowing how much time he invested in co curricular activities.
"Well you never know, Kaz. A lot of things are happening. If I wasn't so damn curious, I’d be just as ignorant as the next guy in line.” He said slowly walking back to the break room, and Kaz gave him an irritated glance.
'Whatever. Today is just another day on the calendar. When my shift ends, I'll just walk home, and it will start all over again the next day. Some people might try looking for a brighter future. Others try to ignore it with drugs and alcohol. So what should you do? Fight against the current in till you're so tired you end up drowning, or should you look for a different path and forge ahead? Still, you could look up at the clouds, and drift along, no purpose, no meaning, just there...
I've heard of people who thought so hard, they ended up trapping themselves, going insane, and eventually the philosophies and truths they so desperately coveted became their captors, as faith and uncertainty began to rule them. I know I stopped thinking about the deeper meaning as time went on, and as I complacently drift along this path, uncertainty becomes irrelevant. The truth becomes meaningless when nothing has weight. And so, here I am, a lowly member on the societal ladder, no purpose. No life. But I am alive, aren't I? That's troublesome. What the hell? Isn’t this deeper thought? Like hell it is. Shut up Kaz, get back to work.
"Hi, can I help you?" He pressed the button on the side of the headset, his eyes seemed half closed almost, as he heard the static voice vibrate in his ear. It was natural for him to imagine the person on the other side. What were they like, what did they do, how old were they? A gruff man, probably some kind of construction worker, or maybe a mechanic of sorts? The voice was gravely and hoarse. The vehicle must have been pretty sizable, judging by the racket of the engine, perhaps a truck or an SUV? The driver was probably in his thirties or something, it was hard to tell for those kind of men, they stayed tough late into their forties and fifties.
When the bulky vehicle pulled around, Kaz noticed a rather well built man in the driver seat, and a companion of similar dimensions was sitting next to him. As the vehicle pulled up, he noted that it was of a similar height to his elevated window, and so the man before him wouldn't have to reach up to pay for his cheaply processed meal. Like a sloth awoken from a long slumber he pulled the window back to face the customer.
"That'll be twelve sixty nine." He said turning towards the man. When instead of being confronted with the usual scowling, or demented face of a customer, he was greeted by a ski mask and a weapon that appeared to be a handgun of some sort. Now must people who lived ordinary lives would have had their nerves shocked, but as Kaz stared at the gun, with those same, half interested eyes, it would appear as if he could hardly process what was going on right in front of him. Though behind his glance the gears inside of his mind were turning. His brow furrowed as an understanding of the situation become more and more clear with each passing moment.
"No sir, that'll be everything inside of your register, and don't play fucking dumb with us." The man sneered, and even though there were other workers not too far from him, he knew better than to risk his life for his minimum wage occupation that he often dreaded more than appreciated. The register could be opened, and he could hand these thugs the money. Truthfully, fast food robbery was not very common, especially since the slums were more near the industrial side of town, rather than next to the school, and rich neighborhoods. But these guys didn't sound like normal delinquents; this kind of stunt would only net around two hundred dollars, considering the recent change of cash in the drawer after every shift, as well with the advancement of credit and debit card use, cash became even less common.
Considering the value of his life, his job, and the utter strangeness of this robbery, he simply opened the register, scooped up the individual bills, and handed it to the masked man, and watched as he sped away. It was the strangest thing he had ever seen or even experienced in his short life; an event that would have made a great story, but there wasn't any drama, there wasn't any moment of fear. A strange lucidity quickly overcame him as he turned and ran to the front where the manager was. He was having trouble explaining what had happened. Shouldn't I be more excited? It would sound strange if I kept this bored expression. Ah what the hell?! I could have been shot! The shock of the moment had finally caught up with him.
"Hey Kaz, what the hell are you doing up here?" The snappy manager asked as soon as the boy rushed up. He pointed back at the register. "I--we were robbed!" He exclaimed, and the manager frowned before rushing back to see the empty drawer. "What the hell? When did that happen?" He asked. "It was just now! The guy who ordered those meals, he just drove off without his food! Didn’t he?”
"How the hell should I know? Okay, hold on. Get in the office. Trey! Get your ass out of the break room, and get the back register. Damn it, I gotta change the drawer again." Naturally his boss was fuming, but mainly because –his- boss would be even more upset, and the entire ordeal was simply unheard of. This was more like bad luck than anything else, considering the rarity of it. "I swear to god Kaz, this better not be some kind of joke!"
"Yeah, why the hell would I joke about this? It'd be too much trouble." 'Ha, I do sound pretty scared right? Ah hell, I might be in big trouble here.'
The camera mounted over the drive thru certainly did catch the act of Kaz handing the money out of the window, but the thing in question was whether or not he had anything to do with it. The gun was out of sight, and even though they had the license plate number, it seemed highly controversial as to whether or not the boy had anything to do with the theft. The area manager came, with some policemen no less. With long interview after long interview, followed by accusations, and some slight verbal abuse, the entire ordeal ended when they confirmed that the vehicle was reported stolen, and that the criminals had no real connection to the boy or his family. With that he was free to leave.
The walk home in the dark didn't brighten his quickly fouling mood. 'What the hell. Stupid assholes. Aren't the police supposed to be on 'our' side? Like hell, I'm just a teenager. If anything I'm their biggest nightmare. Anyone under the age of twenty five is suspicious. Like what the hell? Just because of bunch of screw ups from the slum got in your hair, doesn't mean all high schoolers have a problem with authority.’ He kicked a bottle in the street and watched as it rolled off into a sewer grate. He paused underneath the towering lamppost, looking up at the barely visible stars, and wondered what life must have been like a long time ago.
"Inconvenient, probably. My guess is, the air was a lot cleaner back then." He stated out loud. He continued his walk, knowing he was halfway to his home near the outskirts of the city, which rested alongside a busy road. Occasionally lonely cars would zipped by. Eventually the anger faded away, and the cooling autumn air felt nice as it blew through his hair. After a while he stopped again, and slowly turned around. A feeling of unease had arrived in the pit of his stomach.
"Are you following me?" He asked, though it was more of a statement than a question, his eyes focused on the figure that had been trailing him since he had left the restaurant, and after the first couple of blocks he realized that they were particularly fond of stopping whenever he stopped. "Sorry you looked so lost in thought, I couldn't help but watch without disturbing you." A woman said as she walked into the radius of light cast down by the overhanging lamp. She was a blonde woman, with medium length hair, and blue eyes, though it was the formal suit and red tie that stuck out the most to Kaz, who couldn't help but frown at her condescending behavior. "Yeah? So who the hell are you anyway, some kind of stalker?" He asked, and she took a step closer before matching his frown with a smile. 'That's one hell of a glance, makes me want to punch in the face…but she's kinda cute, probably a lot older than me I'm guessing.'
"You conducted yourself rather well today Kaz Reinfold, for a first timer that is." She stated, and though he wasn't sure what she was talking about, Kaz had a pretty good idea about what it was. He was already on edge by the fact that she knew his full name. It wasn't hard to realize the coincidence of the matter. She had to have been a part of the robbery in some way, and now she was telling him that it was some kind of test. "Not everyone who is face to face with a gun can act so calmly. That's why you've piqued by interest." Her words were somehow annoying him, and it didn’t help that he was already bothered by her devious smile. "Yeah so what, you're going to offer me some kind of shady job, and if I refuse you'll threaten me or something? Don't think I don't know, there are all kinds of high class gangs in this rather corrupt city." That information had mainly come from Trey, who had a knack of picking up useful information along with his baseless rumors… but the woman was unwavering in her approach.
"Threaten you? For some reason I don't think that's going to work on you. Even though you live with your father, and your parents are separated, you seem more like the kind of person who would rather pick himself over others." 'Yeah? How the hell do you pick up on that? I like my dad, oh wait, how the hell do you know that my parents are separated? And the way you said that, makes me think you’ve been threatening other people is that it?! What the hell.' He couldn't but look angry, and the woman played into it perfectly with her overly obnoxious smile. "Well if you really were going to offer me job, at least tell me who the hell you are." He replied extending his hand. "Let me see some credentials." She paused for a moment. "Ah, ah, ah! Not so fast Mr. Reinfold. You can't just get a job from me just by passing one test. Why don't you come in for an interview?" She said extending a card. He took it swiftly, as if he was expecting it to be some kind of trap. Trey’s words seemed to reappear inside of his mind. He read over the card quickly. 'The 'A' Dome and 'B' Dome complex?' "Hey, this is just an empty lot." He said, knowing the address, and the instructions that were printed there. He had been all over Stadweld, from the edge of the slums, and the industry district, to the middle class near the lake, and then back around full circle to the rich neighborhood and the two commercial sides.
"It's a new establishment, so you can't miss it! Anyway, the meeting is next week Wednesday, one in the afternoon, so if you're planning on going make sure you get out of school." The woman waved and giggled like some kind of schoolgirl and began to walk off again from wherever she came from. Kaz wanted to question her further about whatever the hell it was she and her shady organization were up to, but he didn't want to talk to her any more, and faced the reality that she probably had some kind of backup waiting for her. So he simply pocketed the card, and shrugged. 'Like hell I'm going to go! Screw you! What the hell kind of organization scares people at their work as a test? Only an absolute moron would fall for some kind of business like that! If calling the police wasn't such a bother...ah hell forget it.' He finished his walk home. Twice in a single day odd things happened to him. It was bad enough that he had to come home, and probably be forced to help his dad with some project in the garage.
He could already see the yellow light flowing from underneath the garage. The home was set not far from the freeway, so the constant sound of cars roaring on by could be heard at all times of the day. It didn't help that Stadweld was in the middle of nowhere, yet it had attracted quite a bit of attention when it suddenly boomed thanks to the Senba organization, which unfortunately brought in the gangs, and even some higher end organized crime to the homely town. It was his misfortune that his grandfather had lived in this town, and so did his father. The only person with common sense to leave, was his mother, who had unfortunately taken off with her two youngest children, his little sister, and his little brother, gone. Though he knew he had to take one for the team. There was nothing he could do about it anyway. His dad wouldn't let him leave anyway, despite being eighteen. But soon, college would come, and he would finally get the chance to leave, if he wanted to.
"Hey son, how was work?" The gruff voice greeted him the moment he stepped through the front door, and he could already smell the cigarette smoke pouring out from his dad's mouth. "Boring, nothing happened." He lied. If he told his dad what happened it would just be bothersome, the old man would probably call the police or the mayor, which would inconvenience him as the mayor’s son was his best friend. "Is that so? Hey why don't you just work for me then? Nothing boring around here!" His father offered for the thousandth time. He was a mechanic at a garage, and often worked a variety of 'manly' occupations and things. Whether it was a car, or a broken sink, or an unfitted door. If it dealt with tools, his dad would be all over it like jelly on toast. 'The best handyman in the city of Stadweld' was poor, and growing old in his years. After his marriage ended he began to sink lower and lower into depression, and his hair turned gray, and his skin began to shrivel. Kaz felt sorry for him, and he knew that as soon as he left, his dad would probably die…that is if he was allowed leave. How would he be treated by his family? "He needed you Kasper! More than ever! And you left him!" and he could see himself replying. "Don't say my name, it's Kaz now, and it always will be." Besides, I’m the one who’s been keeping him company all these years. While you guys all ran off.
You already hear about those guys or girls who swear once their eighteen they'll change their name. But they never do. But I did. Right away, on the very same day I turned eighteen, I signed the papers, jumped through the hoops, and all my friends noted: it was the only thing that I was willing to bother with. He had taken that nickname since the dawn of his schooling. Seeing that his father had picked the name, changing it had only served to worsen his depression. "At least you aren't some thug. Even though you sound like one." He remembered him saying.
"I'll pass, sorry but I'm kind of tired tonight." He said nonchalantly as he dragged his feet over to his room.’ That stupid woman was right. I wouldn't give myself to them if they had threatened anyone I knew. Who? Jack? Kylie? The rest of my family I hardly even know? They're too far away from this place. My dad? He's old, and depressed on the inside and out. He'd probably even respect me if I didn't give in to their demands.' He imagined his father with a cigarrette hanging from his mouth, and being whipped by that girl, and saying. "Do yer worst!" or "Is that all ya got?" yeah, the tough guy act certainly seems to fit him. I feel bad though, being at school all day, while he only works half the time. Inherited some money from his dad when grandpa passed away. Being an only child and all. But hardly working and having to deal with a divorce...it was tough.
Don't you have friends? Why don't you go out to the bar and find some lady...ah forget that! You'll never get over Mom. Thinking she'll come back. I wish. The only thing she'd come back here for is me, but she's so nice she thought she'd leave me here with you. Ha, I can see her getting remarried, probably to someone with a more steady job. She wasn't even from around here. Probably went back East or something. He missed his mom. When he was seven years old, his youngest brother was born. His sister was only three. It was shortly afterward that she left. Sure Kaz was close to his sister. But he never even got to know his brother who would be eleven know.
"Come to think of it, Jessica's fourteen now. Wow, probably just starting high school. Damn, and that other kid. Edward is that his name? I forget. Apparently he's a real handful. Hey wanna trade places with me? So I can at least spend some time with my sister and Mom? Ah hell like that's ever gonna happen. Face the truth man, Ed's probably closer to Jess than you are by now. She did seem pretty excited to see me though...ah Jess if only you were here, dad would be so happy. Right?" He wasn't sure what he was talking about so eventually he just shut himself up, and closed his eyes, falling asleep to the thought of waking up with his sister making breakfast in the kitchen, and his dad reading the newspaper, and yeah, that'd be nice.
The next day came.
"Are you serious?!" Jack voiced his disbelief as the car sped off towards its destination. Kaz was busy buttoning up his uniform, and double checking his shoes. "Yeah, that's right, the guy pointed a gun straight at me and demanded the money." His usual toneless reply came. "I can't believe it! You sure you're okay? That's pretty damn scary." And the other kid shrugged. "I didn't know what else to do at the time. It's not a job worth dying for."
"I'd be so scared!" Kylie commented from the back. The younger girl was all ready for school, and Jack had the privileged of driving them around town whenever necessary. "Hey are you sure you're feeling all right? Normal people don't just take things like that." Jack asked, and Kaz knew it would come. 'Am I alright? I don't know...maybe I'm depressed or something?' He yawned, the morning wasn't the best time for him to be assessing his own state of mind. "Yeah, actually, when I think about it, it happened awfully fast. But what's even more surprising is what happened after." He detailed the accounts of the woman, the card, the shady job offer. The car stopped outside of the middle school, and the girl climbed out and closed the door. "That's pretty damn scary. Didn't you hear about that one boy who disappeared?" He asked as they drove off. "Yeah Trey told me something like that yesterday." Hell, why does everyone bring up this kid?
"He went to Patterson, and was taken right after school." Jack paused, and then he turned the car off and slowly turned towards Kaz. The action was surprising and the other boy turned to look at his friend. “Are you sure you’re okay?” His overly concerned voice was becoming a bit unnerving. “Yeah, I mean it happened to me, it’s not like I can control my reaction.” The other boy leaned back in the driver seat looking up at the ceiling of the vehicle.
"I know that ever since your mother left with your brother and sister, you've been getting awfully close to me and Kylie. Like we're replacements or something." Jack said turning to look at Kaz who was frowning. 'That's probably true.' He admitted to himself. "You like to pretend like you don't give a damn, but that's not you. We've been friends since middle school, and we've been through a lot." “
Yeah, where the hell is this talk going?” he snapped.
"I was wondering if you could use that information you just received to help me out.” Jack placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, and Kaz turned still looking a bit irritable. “You know my father is the mayor of the city...and he just hasn’t been acting the same lately.” 'What the hell?! Am I working underground for some politician now?'
"So what the hell do you want me to do huh? I'm all ears Jack." He said, and his friend removed his hand, and stared out of the window. "The school is planning a field trip to those very same dome structures, the ones you mentioned on the card.” Jack stated, and Kaz frowned. “I know because Kylie’s friend overheard one of the teachers talking about it, apparently it’s been stressing the poor girl out. I didn’t think about it in till you brought it up again today.” If that really is true then…
“I know there might not be much you can do Kaz. But I know that the girl’s sister goes to Saxon. You should talk to her and get the story straight.” The serious conversation was starting to wear on Kaz. “We’ll be late to class.” He stated quietly, and his friend started the car and they began to drive towards the high school. So why the hell can’t you just talk to her huh? He thought darkly as they sped along the road. “I’m afraid of bringing it up directly you know? My father had his suspicions that someone had infiltrated the school board or something. He originally was against the field trip, but later he overturned his objects. I’m afraid that they might be watching me or Kylie, so the only one I can turn to is you. Just talk to this girl, her name is Norie Gladrin…”
Huh…well I’m not good at talking to girls, but this just might be the perfect excuse to…
No comments:
Post a Comment