5 WEEKS LATER
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Cleo hadn’t come out of her room often in the weeks after her mother died. She hadn’t even left the house since then. Her father was on paid leave from work, and he seemed to be the reason Cleo could keep going. He would visit her in her room, bringing food, drinks, and her favorite card game, Shaiya. Sometimes he would ask if Cleo wanted to talk about things, but she would always shake her head and bury it in her arms. Her father wouldn’t press any further, not wanting to bring forth a violent outburst. He’d dealt with them before, and they weren’t pretty.
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Finn knocked on the Cooper family’s front door. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, a daunting lady with platinum blonde hair hanging over her navy dress opened the door. She towered over the puny Finn. Finn looked up, and blew some air out of his mouth, staring at the woman’s cherry red lips.
Woo, she’s hot.
“Hi, Mrs. Cooper. I was wondering if Ezra was home?”
“Yes he is, Mr. Osbourne. Come on inside, he’s in his room.” She gestured towards the black spiral staircase standing in front of Finn. “And don’t forget to take off your shoes!”
Finn smiled up at her, nodding. He hastily removed them before darting up the staircase as fast as his little legs could carry him. He knocked on Ezra’s door before calling out to him.
“Hey, Ez! It’s Finn.”
He heard light shuffling from behind the door before it jolted towards Finn with a resounding bump. Ezra pulled the door open.
“Hey, Ez. How are you-“
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Ezra looked nothing like the well-groomed boy that Finn had last seen 5 weeks ago. This Ezra’s platinum hair was disheveled, like a short mop on top of his head. He looked even paler than before, which Finn could hardly believe, seeing as he was quite pale in the first place. His navy shirt was dusty, like it hadn’t been washed in days. Finn took a breath, and was taken aback by the musty smell of Ezra’s room.
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“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just trying to figure some things out.”
“Like what?”
“Like why I reacted the way I did.”
Fuzzy images of the fateful afternoon 5 weeks ago pierced Finn’s mind, like a TV screen filled with static.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. I don’t understand myself.”
“Oh.”
“Like why I’m not normal.
“Oh.”
What should I say?
“Well… you’re really mature for someone our age. Maybe the other kids are just jealous of you.”
“But why would someone be jealous of me?”
“I just told you.”
“Well, you’re wrong.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Finn started twiddling his thumbs.
“Well… what have you been doing for the past few weeks?
“Not much. My mom wants me to go to a therapist tomorrow, though.”
“What’s a therapist?”
“It’s someone who’s supposed to help me with my problems. That’s what my mom told me.”
“Oh, okay.”
“What have you been up to?”
“Not much either. I went to see Cleo last week, but her dad said she wasn’t interested.”
“Oh. I’m sure she’ll want to see you soon.” Ezra offered a small smile.
Finn returned the favor.
“Thanks, Ez. Are you going to see her anytime soon?”
“No. I don’t think she’ll want to see me.”
“Are you sure? I’m sure she’ll appreciate it-”
“Stop.” Ezra put his hand on Finn’s shoulder. “She won’t want to see me.” Ezra ran his fingers around the two tiger stripes on his right cheek.
“Oh.”
Finn sighed. “Well, I think I’ll be going now. I’ll see you later, Ez.”
“Cya,” Ezra responded with a blank stare.
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Finn trudged down the stairs with his head down. As he turned the door handle, Finn’s mother came around the corner.
“Leaving already, Finn?”
“Yeah, I’ve got someplace to be. Thanks for having me, Mrs. Cooper.”
“Of course, Finn. You’re welcome anytime.”
Finn flashed a smile before stepping outside. He gently closed the door, and waited for a couple seconds before slumping down and bracing his hands on his knees.
“Jeez… what’s up with him?”
Finn recollected himself and stood up, embarking on his journey back home.
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Mrs. Cooper walked up her fancy spiral staircase and knocked on Ezra’s door.
“Hey, Ezra. Is everything okay between you and Finn?
“Yeah, everything’s fine Mom.”
“Alright.”
Mrs. Cooper hesitated.
“Can I come in?”
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Finn looked around Amphess: the city he was born in, the city he grew up in. The only city he’s ever seen. Dimly lit street lamps provided the only source of light outside of buildings, and bags of trash littered the sidewalks, hence the nickname “The Dumps.” He crossed the River, a murky brown stream that ran through the center of Amphess. According to his grandpa, it was the only source of water in the city. Finn didn’t know how they were able to drink it. He thought that the government must have a high-tech water purification system. He passed a tall, brick building.
There’s the playhouse.
He saw a large, robotic-looking bear wearing a small top hat standing with its back to the wall.
Mm. Must be a new prop.
He craned his neck to peek around the corner. “Huh. There’s new graffiti.” What lay before him was something that Finn had never seen before. A landscape painting, filled with huge, green trees, dotted around vibrant blue water. There was a mysterious yellow circle in the corner, giving light to the life below.
Someone has a big imagination.
Life other than humans simply didn’t exist down in The Dumps, save for the few dogs and cats that roamed the streets. Other than that, nothing. No meat, no plants, nothing.
Finn didn’t even know where they got their food from, he just assumed that the government had a secret storage facility somewhere that kept the goods necessary to sustain the population. He’d been warned not to ask anybody about it, and he listened. He’d heard stories of people disappearing after asking one too many questions about the government, and he didn’t want to become one.
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He turned the corner on his street and saw his house with the porch lights on.
Huh. I thought they would be gone by now. Maybe they’re just running behind.
However, he couldn’t shake the nausea rising through his stomach and into his throat.
What if there was a robber? What if they’ve been… killed?
“No, no, no. Shut up.”
He jiggled the door handle. Unlocked.
That’s not good.
He slowly pushed the door open, creeping in the small entrance. He was greeted by a loud crashing upstairs.
“He-hello?”
“Is that you, Finnie?”
Finn sighed with relief.
“Yeah Mom, it’s me. I thought you wanted to leave by now?”
“I wanted to, but someone went and made a mess with your brother downstairs. I told them no football in the house!”
Finn heard loud footsteps coming from the basement. He hurried over to the door.
“Grandpa!”
“Hey hey, buddy. How did it go with Finn?”
“It was okay, Grandpa. I think he’s still trying to process things.”
“That’s alright, bud. Just make sure you support him, alright? And Cleo. Especially Cleo.”
“I promise, Grandpa.” Finn gave the elderly man a tight hug.
The old man wrapped his arms around his grandson, pulling him into a tight bearhug. Grandpa’s wispy silver hair was waning, but his impressive mustache was still going strong. Finn’s mother called downstairs.
“Blaze! Have you finished cleaning up?!”
“Just did, Mom!”
The young boy reached the top of the stairs. He looked very similar to Finn, just a few years younger and a few inches shorter.
“Alright, Finnie, we’ll be going now. Make sure you get some meat from the market while we’re gone, okay?”
“Yep.”
With that, Finn’s mother, grandfather, and younger brother filed out the door.
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Finn opened the basement door, not having to turn on the light as Blaze forgot to turn it off. He walked down the steps, looking at the walls he grew up in. He made it to the bottom, and wandered into his room, planting himself on his bed. He reached over to his nightstand and grabbed a picture of him and his grandpa, taken at one of their many failed fishing trips in the River.
“Why did you take me on these trips, Grandpa? You knew we wouldn’t catch any fish.” Finn smiled, looking around the empty room. He had countless mementos from his grandpa - an old telephone, a ring, and some playing cards of people he didn’t recognize being just a few of them. He placed the picture on his nightstand and flopped back in his bed, yawning.
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Cleo jolted awake, sitting up in bed with a cold sweat.
“Ughhh…”
She slammed back onto her bed, arms hanging off of the sides. Cleo had, understandably, not been feeling great for the past few weeks. It seemed like nothing she did managed to cheer her up. Not eating her favorite foods, not drinking her favorite drinks, and not playing her favorite card game with her father. She felt awful about ignoring Finn when he tried to talk with her, but she just wasn’t feeling up to it. And Ezra… she felt even worse. She knew he didn’t feel emotion like normal people. She knew that it wasn’t his fault. But… she blew up. She attacked him. She hadn’t forgiven herself for that. She wanted to visit him, but she didn’t think Ezra would want to see her. Not after what she did to him.
I can’t sulk. I have to get better.
Cleo put on a smile. Clearly fake, but it was all she could muster.
Her dad knocked on the door.
“Come in, Dad.”
The burly man walked in, a smile on his face.
“How are you doing today, honey?”
“Better, I think. I had a nightmare, though.”
“That’s okay. I’m really proud of you, you know that?”
Her dad beckoned her in for a hug. The young girl smiled, accepting the offer.
“I was thinking - do you want to go to Aunt Mary’s house? She has a punching bag, and I thought it might be a good way to blow off steam.”
“Sure! When?”
“Right now, if you’re ready.”
With that, the pair set off to Mary’s house.
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“Thanks, Mary.”
“Yeah, thank you Mary! That was fun!”
Cleo and her dad stepped outside into the lukewarm air, gently closing the wooden door behind them.
“So, what did you think of it?” her dad asked her.
“I loved it!” Cleo surprised herself by the genuinity of her response. Just earlier that morning, she was faking happiness. But now, she was actually feeling energized for the first time in weeks. “Can we go back tomorrow?”
Her dad laughed.
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