Fake It Til You Make It

Chapter 10

Without turning your head, you replied, "I don't remember ordering room service."

"We're coming up on Lottenburg Canyon, you've heard of it haven't you?"

You paused your movements. The name did ring a bell, but you didn't remember this from the episode of Stampede.

Don't tell me...

"It's the turf of the biggest, baddest, most notorious gang... The Bad Lad gang."

You anxiously resumed piecing your gun back together.

"If you can convince him to go on guard duty with you, I'll charge double fare! Say you'll do it!" He sounded desperate. Like he didn't have much confidence in the sand steamer's armor plating or ion cannon.

"Now listen here," you finally turned toward him with your brows furrowed. "We're passengers on this ship. Our lives depend on the defenses of it, so don't let me down."

With your gun finally back together, you stuffed your cleaning supplies back into your bag and holstered your gun. Without another word to the man, you walked away to clean the grease off your hands.

"Hey wait-!"

I had hoped not to be bothered before Livio showed up, you thought with a sigh, flicking water off your fingers into the bathroom sink.

You went to wipe your hands on your jacket (there wasn't anything else to dry them with), but got smacked on the top of your head with a vent grate. You fell back at the force and held your head in your hands.

"Motherfucker!" You whisper shouted. Angrily, you looked up at the vent, locking eyes with the same scraggly kid from before. "You!"

He stared at you owlishly, seemingly surprised that the grate had given out under his weight and he'd hit someone. That someone being you, of all people.

You grabbed his ankle and dangled him upside down, an irritated look taking over your face. The man from before was long forgotten now.

"If you keep causing trouble for people you're supposed to apologize!" The kid struggled against your grip, "Damnit, I'm bleeding now, thanks to you!"

"That's on you for standing under the vent!"

You grit your teeth. The kid managed to twist himself out of your hold, but did so only to wrap his smaller body around your arm.

"That stranglehold is useless in midair, kid," you stared down at him, coming to a realization. "You're a stowaway, right?"

The kid stopped trying to choke out your arm. How you managed to hold it up with him doing that, you honestly didn't care to think about at the moment. He slowly let go, bringing himself down to the floor with a bit of your help.

"Yes, miss..." He turned on the waterworks, trying to tug at your heartstrings. "My parents died when I was little, and some distant relatives took me in, but it was horrible there!"

This conversation was starting to tug at your memory a little better. You made a confused face, trying to figure out why.

"My drunk aunt hit me, and my weird uncle kept trying to get me," the boy continued. "I can escape if I make it to JuLai. If they take me back, who knows what'll happen! Please don't turn me in!"

You ate it up, if only partially so you could figure out why it was such a familiar scene to you. The boy was confused that you bought his phony story, the fake tears stopped streaming down his face the more he thought about it.

"I get it," you said softly, kneeling down to put a hand on his shoulder. "It must have been hard. It's alright, I won't let anything happen to you, promise."