How It Begins

Chapter 42

Apologies for how long this chapter took!

Enjoy!

^_^

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I heard screams and cries for help as I opened my eyes. I don't know how long I been there, but I had fallen asleep. I somehow had already gotten used to the feeling of despair in the atmosphere.

Boss still hadn't been back, and neither had any of his minions.

"Ah. You're awake."

Well, so much for the Boss not coming back. I watched him stand in front of me, studying me.

"You have questions. I can see in your eyes."

"Would I be allowed to ask them?"

He chuckled. "Of course. And I'll answer as truthfully as I can."

"What are you doing with all these people?"

He nodded. "Good question. Yes, alright. I'll tell you." He waited, obviously expecting me to question why he'd tell me.

I stayed silent.

"The authorities are assuming I'm trafficking my guests. This is false. We not conducting trafficking of any kind. This is including the selling of body parts or quirks. I don't sell my guests."

I frowned. "Then what do you do with your 'guests'?"

Boss grinned at me, his sharp teeth showing and his pond-green eyes sparkling. "I help them."

"Help them? How?"

He nodded and gestured. The girl who turned into a boat, stepped into view. "Would you like to explain, River?"

River nodded and turned her clear eyes on me. "When I was a kid, I could bend myself into the shape of a boat. All the kids wanted be friends with me, so I was popular. My parents praised me every-time I practiced, getting better and better. Transforming quicker, easier. You're probably wondering with a childhood like that, how did I end up here? Well, it's simple. I found out later on that they were all using me. My friends were only my friends when it suited them. My parents never believed I could be more than just a tool to use."

River stepped a little closer, tapping her fingers on her arms. "I told my parents I wanted to be a hero. You'd think they'd be supportive, right? Their daughter having a quirk that could easily be used to help people, save people, transport people."

She shook her head. "I knew I could do a lot with my quirk, so I was expecting them to be happy for me and help me. No. Instead they become sullen and angry towards me. Later that night, I overheard them talking about it. 'How dare she think is able?', 'What is she thinking?', 'What ever possessed her to think...'. That kind of thing. I realized then and there why everyone was around me so much. I was just a tool to them. I left that night and ran far away. I spent three years doing whatever I could to survive, no matter my dreams of becoming a hero. That was over the night I told my parents about it. One night, I was hiding from a really bad man when I ran into the Boss here. We talked and he asked about my quirk. I talked to him and eventually I got up the courage to show him. He told me he could help me and while I didn't trust him fully, what choice did I have at that point? He brought me here and he explained what was going to happen. About a month later, I was stronger, faster, more in tune with my quirk. He had enhanced it; made it better. Not only can I shift my body into a better boat, I can now also feel the water. Feel the disturbances and gauge where they're coming from, what they are. I'm a better version of myself for it; and it's amazing!" This woman spoke so intensely, it was hard to look away. "Boss helps people. He's not a bad man. He-"