Fallen Star

Chapter 8

"Where've ya been?"

"None of your business," I grumbled back, brushing past Sally. She snatched my collar and held me back, glaring at me with her mean blue eyes.

"Answer the question."

"Out training." I mean, it wasn't entirely a lie. Sally shook her head.

"While you're here I wanna keep an eye on ya, ya hear? Ya ain't allowed ter leave 'till you've gained some weight back. No goin' out on yer own, alright?" I said nothing and Sally smacked me. "Well!?"

"Fine," I snapped. "I'll run around in the backyard with all the other kids like a good boy. Happy?"

Sally huffed and let me go, leaving me to rub the back of my neck. I scowled at her retreating figure as I grumbled curses to myself. In all honesty, I was expecting to get yelled at more. But ever since that incident, Sally has always taken it a little easy on me. She wasn't ordinarily caring to the kids she fostered and despised coddling but I seemed to be the exception. The proof of that was in my bedroom, where Sally had installed a fan to blow cool air straight onto my bed. What, did she predict that I'd be working out or something? Nevertheless, I was grateful for the chilly wind as I flopped onto my mattress and blew wisps of silver hair out of my eyes. There was sweat on my brow and my right arm felt like jello after swinging Argenti so much. But I'd improved and that was always a great feeling.

"Your foster mother seems very protective of you," Empyrean observed, floating above me.

"...She just doesn't want me to die is all," I said with a sigh. I rolled over, breaking my gaze with Empyrean. "I've always been skinny and underweight. That's a disadvantage when you're in the Hunter business. Most Hunters are big and burly with lots of muscle. I'm not."

I wish I could say that that was all there was to it. But it wasn't. When I was foolhardy and thirteen, I actually left Sally's care to strike it out on my own with some... Friends. They were all older than me and they actually invited me to join them in the Hunter business. I could fight. I was tough. I thought it was a good idea. Besides, what idiot teenager wouldn't jump at the opportunity to get away from their nagging mother and go independent?

But less than a year later I came crying back to Sally covered in blood and dirt with a glazed look in my eyes and gripping something that didn't belong to me. Sally probably knew this was coming but took me in anyway, though she grew concerned when I wouldn't leave my room. She heard the story later and the lecture that would have followed my irresponsibility never came. She knew I would have been successful had it not been for Alpha.

"Empyrean... Are you sure there aren't any Memory Keys in Omega?" I asked.

"Not in any of the places we've been to, no." She shook her head.

"Great..."

Omega was too large for us to search every inch of every sector for these little memory trinkets. We had a hit in Alpha City and our best bet was to just go for it now that we had it. Alpha was smaller than Omega by a long shot since it was built on the land that got completely leveled during World's End. Since it was flat, it was good to build on. Omega was covered in ruined junk and the Alphas didn't want to go through the trouble of clearing it.

I began testing my arm. My fingers were still sore but they could hold a grip now. Though my palm was covered in calluses, it wasn't anything a good layer of gauze couldn't fix. I allowed myself a reprieve for another five minutes before sitting up and flexing my fingers.

"Let's go again."

"Already!?" Empyrean seemed appalled.

"We shouldn't waste any time," I snapped back.

"You ought to rest more," Empyrean insisted. "It wasn't that long ago you fought against those three Alphas and you're probably tired from today's training. I won't have you overworking yourself."

"Who are you to know my limits!?" I chided. "I can go another round. I don't care if my hand splits open or I dislocate my arm, I've fought through worse and I can repair myself in any case. Let's go, Empyrean." I swung my legs over the bed but before I could rise, Empyrean stopped me.

"Resting is not a waste of time," she said coolly. "It is a part of the training process. Your body must heal before you can start again. We agreed to go to Alpha when you could run comfortably with Argenti but there is no rush in reaching that stage. I doubt the Memory Key will move in due time and if we are to train together, then we are to train together properly. As your mentor, I will have you rest so that you aren't slacking."

"...God, you sound just like Sally. Fine!" I leaned back onto my bed. "I'll sleep for today! But I want to try and get out of here before the end of the week."

"We'll do our best," Empyrean said with a beam.

Just then, my bedroom door opened and I raised an eyebrow. Empyrean squeaked as Sally phased right through her. The woman had a stern expression and was holding a basket under her arm filled with medical supplies.

"Hand. Now," Sally demanded.

"There's nothing wrong with it," I said innocently. Sally cuffed me upside the chin. "Ow. Okay, fine, here."

"How did she...?" Empyrean murmured, looking at my palm. I couldn't do anything but shrug. I didn't know how Sally did it either but somehow, she just knew when her kids were hurt.

"Whut've ya been doin' ter get calluses this bad, Hiro!?" Sally cried. "Don' tell me ya tried ter climb monkey bars from one side 'o Omega ter the other!"

"How stupid do you think I am, Sally?" I glared at her.

"Ya once tried ter do the same thing goin' from one end 'o the yard ter the other," she reminded me.

"I was three," I protested.

"Exactly my point. Ya can grow outta immaturity but ya can't grow outta stupidity. You have both." Sally gave me a shit-eating grin and I rolled my eyes.

"Alright, Mom, that's enough, I feel so much better now."

Sally cackled but hurried out of the room as quickly as she came.

"Dinner's in eight!" she hollered at the end of the staircase.

I blew more hair out of my eyes. For all the grievances I gave Sally, I was grateful for all her support. I would be long dead if she didn't take me in that fateful day, after I'd gone and done something stupid. Beyond-my-control stupid, but stupid nonetheless. I guess that meant her lesson of the day held some semblance of truth.

Besides, I was about to get myself into a mess that was just as, if not more so, chaotic than the last big hurrah of my life's tale. I had a feeling it wouldn't be much, just a fetch quest, but I was going to Alpha City. There was no telling what might happen to me there.