A World With/Out Home

Chapter 8: A Midnight Escape before the Dawn. (Part 6)

"Is it just me or are people looking at Kyle a lot?" Lillia noticed the strange stares quite quickly. The people in the streets that passed by couldn't help but notice the two young men due to their outright curiosity but they especially lingered on Kyle.

"Maybe he looks familiar," Valandus replied knowing full well the reason.

"Hmmm," Lillia thought for a moment but couldn't think why. "Ah whatever, as long as nothing bad happens it'll be fine."

Eventually the four reached the theatre. Within Central City there were several theatres but Valandus guided them to the most prestigious of the lot and one that was used to celebrate the opening of new movies and performances. The grand building had wide and tall welcoming doors and quite the line leading up to it. With a flash of a pass however, Valandus easily skipped the line over, the man himself quite satisfied. It wasn't every day that he was given use of the Hero's pass usually reserved for Military guests and he was sure to make use of it.

Kyle's eyes were wide with wonder the entire time. He had watched a single film before but that was with his father a long time ago and in a place far unlike where he was now. He understood the concept and what they were but experiencing it like this was another matter as following Valandus they were taken to a private lounge above the normal seating with a perfect view of the screen. It was like they were celebrities.

Snacks in hand, the group sat down, Tai particularly excited as he described the movies premise to Kyle and the notable actors that stared in it. Much of the information went straight over his head but made him smile.

"You really like this kind of thing don't you?" Kyle said.

Tai nodded enthusiastically, "I think it's amazing. Not even 20 years ago movies like this didn't even exist but with current day technology we can witness so many cool stories that books just can't match!"

"Maybe one day you'll get to help make one yourself."

Tai blinked surprised at his words, "You think so?"

For a moment Kyle regretted his choice of words as the younger boy's eyes lit up reminding him of his age. He couldn't back down, "Yeah I do. Even if you're a Hero Candidate you should have a dream of something else."

"I'd really like that," the innocent boy's smile filled Kyle with a strange mix of apprehension and joy. On one hand it felt good to help him find something he wanted to do but on the other, was it alright for Kyle to say anything? He was far from making any dream reality.

"You two shush. The movie is starting," Lillia picked at the bucket of popped corn in Kyle's lap snapping him from his thoughts.

The lights dimmed and the curtains covering the screen of the theatre pulled back wide. Beams of light sprang alive from the back of the room where a projector began to roll. There was silence as they shifted in their seats in wait. The movie, as Tai had told them, was directed by the son of a famous director who many people had high hopes for. Titled, A Midnight Dawn, it was the story of love between the fictitious vampire and an equally fictitious elf who were torn apart by human hands. It was quite the provocative concept considering that all the watchers were human but in the end it didn't matter as there were only humans to begin with.

Kyle sunk back into the comfortable seat excited to see the movie play out. What he was not prepared for however was to see something else, his own face. What had started with upbeat patriotic music turned into a campaign for the Hero's Guard as the Guard's symbol revealed itself in front of a vivid backdrop. Then he appeared, dressed in the uniform of a Petty Officer with a matching cap, the most surprised person to see himself was himself. Lillia who was sitting on one side of him chocked on her drink as she suddenly gagged.