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The soft rumble of the passing train vibrates under. The pitter-patter of tiny feet echoed throughout the dark expanse tunnel, darkness shrouding every step, rats running along them, squeaking as they matched the pace of their visitor.
Along these dark walls, were two tiny tiny kids walking along its tracks, hand in hand, seeking solace in each other.
The girl, exhausted at their long winding walk, tugged the boy's hand that was leading her. The boy, face covered with paper bag, stopped in his tracks and fixed her a questioning gaze, silently asking.
“Mono, Let’s take some rest.”
The boy in question, paused and considered her, his dark eyes flickered hesitance, worried at their state of affairs. An unmoving kid is a dead kid in his eyes. A buzz of yellow static fleetingly ran through her hand, indicating his state of emotions. But as quickly as it appeared, it also quickly disappeared.
He nodded. “Yeah, lets,”
But before anything else, safety was a priority. So, he desperately scanned the dark tunnel, left and right, looking for danger that might present at any moment and that was when his eyes landed on an orange waiting seat that stood out in the pitch-black subway.
A good cover.
Mono returned his gaze to relay this information but her eyes told him that she already knew what was running on his mind. Without any words, they put themselves into action. Both were in sync, each of their movement mirrored the other. Six ran toward the edge of the tracks, folded her hands together, palms upward, and shoulders firm ready to support. She was ready to lift him and he promptly took her offer. Now in the subway walkway, in the name of their old dance, he instantly offered his hand, a muscle memory, and she she easily accepted it.
They ran underneath the seat and huddled together. Both of them offered warmth.
A comfortable silence blanketed them and they both reveled in their moment of peace.
She let down her hood and huddled closer to him, resting her head on the crook of his shoulders, and his paper bag crumpled slightly, revealing a small skin on his cheeks and he couldn’t help but stiffen at the contact at his skin. A small clump of hair invaded his nose and he took all of his willpower not to sneeze, to avoid disturbing their small tranquility. Mono hugged his knees closer, and the girl was falling asleep.
But their life isn’t that easy as anyone can tell.
Her stomach growled quietly but at their distance, Mono could hear it. She groaned at the disturbance, not wanting to let go of the silence. She tsked, now wide awake, as her stomach told her to do so. Mono, who was hyper-aware of her, snickered at the annoyance she directed at herself. Wordlessly, Mono reached out of the pocket of his coat and provided her with a stale bread that crumbled under his touch. She took the bread, handling it with all the delicacy she could muster, preventing the piece of food from turning into dust.
She ate it heartily and he just observed her eat her heart away. He was full, as he always said.
Then a midge blue electric static covered his entire body.
Mono was calm, she noted.
Despite his face being covered, Six could easily discern his mood. A plethora of colors always statically swirled around him, betraying his true emotions. Six observed that he was an honest boy, whether it was accidental or intentional. And she couldn’t help but feel curious about this phenomenon, as she doubted other kids had this particular… eccentricity.
She always pondered on this characteristic of his the moment she laid her frightened eyes on him. Their first meeting was the first time she saw this. A black static swirled around his imposing form causing a minuscule distortion around him.
At the time, she didn’t have the time to think about it as she ran out of his sight.
The second time it appeared, was when they killed their hunter. In the ringing silence made by the booming sound; red, sharp lines danced around him as he heaved, and his electricity surged with heightened intensity. The gun's handle distorted under its invisible weight, prompting her to take a step back. As he noticed her reaction, he exhaled, and the sharp static gradually softened and rounded until it dissipated into a faint buzz.
That intrigued her. She opened her mouth to ask but before any words spilled her mouth, he cast a stern glance, his body was stiff as he dared her to continue. Without a word, he grabbed her hand and whisked her away, starting their arduous journey.
She didn’t have the heart to inquire.
But that doesn’t mean she can’t seek answers for herself.
The next time it manifested was when he saved her from the bullies who had snatched her. As she opened her blurry eyes, her gaze fell upon Mono, who stood before her, trembling, with yellow, wavy lines oscillating around him. She blinked, clearing her vision but it was futile. The world still spun and the buzzing on her head didn’t help, but when she blinked again, she realized that the buzzing sensation came from him as he knelt and hugged her.
The next instance was when they finally killed the damn spindly hands that tormented them. Red lines slowly turned to black as he struck it with a pipe. His desperation and frustration were evident in her view. And with a final grunt the hand stilled, and Mono once again heaved, the static grew large, distorting everything around him rapidly.
Quickly before he destroyed everything around him, she dashed toward the blanket of static. Headaches and ringing in her ears suddenly assaulted her but she didn’t let this stop her. Slowly she made her way before him, grabbed his shoulders, and shook him awake and in that instant, the black cloud of static disappeared.
There were numerous occasions when his power was on display, sending tingles through her young, curious mind each time it manifested. It offered a sense of contrast in her otherwise bleak and short existence. Her world grew at his existence and in some way, this excites her.
Grabbing her chance in their small calm picnic, she gulped down the remaining food into her mouth, drew a deep breath, and grabbed her opportunity. For her, grabbing her opportunity meant grabbing his buzzing blue hand. Giving it a thoughtful look, she decided to play with it, while she gathered her courage. She traced each line on his palm with her index finger, the slight static gave a gentle vibration.
She saw him tilting his head, curious at what she was doing.
She breathed and began. “So…” Her voice trailed off, yet she still played with his hand, “what is this?”
He understood what her question was.
And she saw his eyes shift under his cover. He looked away from under her inquisitive gaze and with minimal effort, he pulled his hand and hugged himself closer. “It’s… nothing.”
He clamed up, hiding away from the world.
She wasn’t the type to give up that easily and was quite annoyed that he brushed her off, despite gathering her courage to ask, so, she repeatedly poked his revealing cheeks, in a childish attempt to push his boundaries.
“Six!” He wailed, swatting her hand “Stop it!”
“Not unless you tell me what it is.”
“Argh!” Mono grabbed her hand to stop her assault “Just pretend you don’t see it okay?”
“No.”
“Six!”
“Mono!”
They were at an impasse, breaths on their faces as each of them waited who would relent first. Mono didn’t speak, his thoughts seemingly miles away.
Six sighed, breaking the quiet with a question that had been on her mind for a long time. “Are you gonna be an adult someday?”
“WHAT!?” Mono panicked, his voice rising in fear. The static around him grew larger and turned a bright, unsettling yellow, crackling with intensity.
“Whoa, whoa, calm down,” Six said, shaking his shoulder gently.
Mono took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. Slowly, he put his head on his folded knees and curled up into a ball, seeking comfort in the small, enclosed space he created for himself. Six beside him, put her hand resting reassuringly on his back.
“I don't want it. I don’t wanna be an adult.” His muffled voice cracked, filled with fear and uncertainty.
“Why?” Six asked gently. “I think it’s cool.”
Mono shook his head, the paper bag over his face rustling. “It’s not cool being an adult.” Despite the bag, Six could tell he was giving her a serious look.
“No, I mean having powers,” she clarified. “I kinda want something for myself. If I had powers, I could fight adults.” She smiled optimistically, her eyes lighting up with determination.
“You wouldn't want it. It was more of a curse”
“Why?
“I…” He hesitated, his voice turning into a whisper. “...killed someone with this...”
“You already killed adults! So what's the matter?”
“Try killing a kid!” he shouted at her face unwittingly and he couldn’t believe he had done that. He watched every expression on her face and waited for her to be offended but there was none. The only thing on her face was a face of curiosity.
He sighed, collecting himself. “It's not like that’s good even if you managed to get one.” He shook his head in frustration. “Do you see me having headaches around the TV? It's so painful. It feels like my head is cracking open, and I feel like vomiting. And... and... so many people will be angry with you. They’ll think you’re some kind of monster or something.”
He still felt their glares directed at him. It had been two years ago when his power first manifested. It started simply, with him being inexplicably drawn to the TV and suffering splitting headaches afterward. His bullies found a new weapon against him. Before, they only called him names, but as the symptoms escalated, the bullying also escalated. Inevitability turned physical as time went by.
They dragged him to the forest under the guise of running an errand, but this was when his powers fully manifested. In an attempt to defend himself, he held up his hand to stop them. Instead of stopping, their faces instead twisted into unrecognizable distortions.
When he came back alone, questions immediately bombarded him about their whereabouts. He didn’t answer and immediately locked himself in a closet hyperventilating and the other’s didn’t get any answers. The nicer ones hesitantly concluded that they were maybe attacked by roaming adults but others, the more skeptical ones, were closer to the truth. Mono has something to do with it.
At that, the rumors spread like wildfire.
Don’t come near Mono.
He kills other kids.
He’s with other adults.
Whenever he heard their fleeting voices, his stomach curled. The abyss inside his stomach clawed at him dragging him and drowning him in the depths of despair and the terror he felt at this sensation rivals any adults. The urge for him to vomit was stronger than the nausea he felt whenever the TV called.
He clung tighter into a ball at his memories.
“But I’m not angry at you,” Six's voice broke him out of his memories. "You’ve been my friend for as long as I can remember, and I trust you. I know you didn’t mean for any of that to happen. Plus, look around, there aren’t any other kids here. It's just… us.”
“Besides, if those kids died, it's because they’re stupid,” Six continued with a reassuring smile. “I’ve been with you and your powers for a long time, and I haven’t been hurt once.”
“That’s the point, I still haven’t hurt you. What if I hurt you in the future? I can’t exactly control these…” He looked at his trembling palms, fear gripping him. The thought of Six being hurt by him terrified him to the core. He couldn’t bear the image of her having a distorted face because of him.
Six, unaware of his inner turmoil, offered another insight. “I noticed something. I think it happens when you’re really mad or scared.”
He was taken aback by her observation. “You... you really noticed that?” he asked. “And you’re not scared of it?”
“I told you, it's cool! You just need practice!” Six replied with a grin, her enthusiasm undiminished.
He was flabbergasted. He hadn’t considered it from that perspective before.
“It’s red when you’re angry, yellow if you're scared, blue when you’re calm, purple if you're sad,” she listed off, her excitement palpable. “I’m not sure about black though.” she added with a shrug.
“You actually figured that out?”
She nodded.
The blank paper bag hid his expression, but the fluctuating purple static around him told her that he was processing her words.
“So... tell me, where did you get it?” she urged him eagerly. “So I can finally kick some butt of mean adults!”
He snickered at her blunt optimism, her yellow raincoat matching her energy. Frankly, he couldn’t believe it, he spent most of his time avoiding his power then suddenly this girl materialized and told him to practice with it. “You have a funny way of looking at things,” A faint smile playing on his lips.
She moved in front of him and took a peek under his paper bag, meeting his eyes. “It’s orange when you’re happy.”
He blushed under her promising gaze, but he didn’t cower. Instead, he held their eye contact steadily. “What if I hurt you?” he asked once again, his voice tinged with vulnerability as anxiety caged his heart.
She finally removed the bag from his head and promptly gently held his hand, caressing it, feeling the subtle vibrations generated by him.
He’s alive. She’s alive. They’re both alive. They both keep each other alive.
She wasn’t scared. Especially of him. “I trust you. You saved me time and time again. You wouldn’t hurt me.”
And at that confession, his face fully flared. The static around him turned green. They both didn’t know its implications and they didn’t bother about what it meant, that would be an exciting discovery for another day.
“It will not be your curse,” she continued, her words a soothing balm to his unstable heart, as she continued to caress his hand tenderly. “And while I wait for me to have one, promise me you’ll protect me with your powers, okay?” Her voice held a gentle urgency, a plea for reassurance.
He nodded dumbly.
And as if she were reaching the climax of her script to crush his heart, she enveloped him in her arms, hugging him tightly, as if telling him not to worry and not to go. And Mono can now finally breathe, a weight was lifted from his chest. Without any warning, his tears welled in his eyes and he wailed. He wailed without care of the dangers around the subway.
In that embrace, he found solace and strength. He vowed silently to protect her with all his heart, come what may.