Akira Short Story: Starvation
"The Mistress", age 50
Romilly, age 46 (Akira's mother)
Akira, age 5
Max, age 17 (Current head of the family, about to age out of the system)
Kennedy, age 15 (Akira's "sister")
Lou, age 10 (Akira's "brother")
*TW for physical, emotional, and mental abuse and neglect, death, gruesome imagery, dehumanization (kind of?), and probably some other stuff*
----
Akira walked silently behind their mother, eyes watching the ground. They were confused and nervous, they'd never been this way before, and their mother's hand was shaking around their wrist, but they knew better than to ask questions. Questions only ever ended badly.
So they counted their steps instead. Well, kind of. They counted up to a hundred and then started over. And sometimes they only made it to about fifty before losing track or getting distracted. All they knew was that they were tired and had been walking for a very long time.
So, when their mother came to a sudden halt, they looked up in mild surprise, stumbling a little and barely managing to avoid running into her. In front of them, a tall gate of iron loomed and Akira nervously glanced up at their mother, tensing when they spotted the tears decorating the kind of her pale cheeks. Her eyes were still covered by the light, white cloth to avoid any direct eye contact, but Kira had learned to read her well enough to know that the slight twitch of her lip accompanied by the liquid that she swiftly wiped away meant she was in pain.
This was odd because Akira only ever saw her in pain when their father was around, and he was nowhere to be seen. Concerned, they started to ask what was wrong when she pressed the button on the little metal box next to the gate and a voice cackled out.
'Greetings, how can we assist you today?'
Romilly's hand tightened around Aki's wrist and she drew in a shaky breath. "I have a delivery."
'Mrs. Tovio?'
"Yes."
'Come in!'
The gate swung open and their mother pulled them forward with such force that Akira nearly fell. She paused for a moment, still looking forward, and waited for them to collect themself again before moving, slightly slower now.
The building that came into view was bigger than anything Akira had ever seen before. Tall, wide, and incredibly bland, made of simple brown bricks and tainted windows. There were a few balconies that they could see, but, for the most part, it looked somehow both very rich and very under budget.
Surrounding the building, however, was what piqued Akira's interest. It was an apple orchard. A huge one. The hidden child inside them begged to run and climb, but they resisted, instead following their mother into the building.
The inside was much nicer than the outside with carpeted floors and olive walls lit by soft yellow lighting. There were couches and chairs within the main room and two hallways, one coming off of either side. Romilly started toward one of the couches but was stopped before she could sit.
"Romilly, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
Akira tensed slightly as they located the one who spoke. She was a tall woman, her face completely obstructed by a mask and hood, leaving only her eyes visible. Her body was cloaked by long black robes, and her skin was a milky white, as shown by her hands. She looked like something out of a horror film.
Their mother dropped their wrist and bowed slightly to the woman.
"Hello, Mistress."
The woman chuckled softly and shook her head, extending a hand.
"No need, darling. Here, come on back to my office, both of you. We'll get you situated."
The skin around her eyes crinkled, hinting at a smile, and Romilly nodded, gesturing for Akira to follow as she and Mistress started walking.
They entered a dimly lit room, furnished with a glossy wooden table that was stacked full of papers and three tall, plush chairs. Mistress gestured for Akira and their mother to sit, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen.
"Alright, friends! We'll make this quick and easy, hm? I don't want to stress anyone more than necessary. Here, Romilly, just sign this paper here. Your husband already took care of everything else. And you, young Akira, can you remember something for me?"
Akira nodded nervously, flinching under the gaze of piercing blue eyes.
"Alright, number 2505. Just remember that, okay?"
Another timid nod. Her eyes crinkled again.
"Good, thank you. Now, I've already got someone in place for you, okay? A nice boy. He'll be here in just a moment."
Akira swallowed, looking over at their mother as she shakily signed the paper in front of her, new tears gleaming on her cheeks. She placed the pen down and the Mistress nodded.
"Thank you, Romilly. You did amazing. No need to worry, alright, your little boy will be just fine here, I promise."
Romilly nodded, taking in a deep breath and turning to Akira for the first time since leaving home.
They sat frozen as their mother's hands pulled them close to her, placing a gentle kiss in their hair and holding them tightly for a moment.
After a minute, they regained their voice, hands wrapping around their mother's sleeves.
"Mama? What does she mean? Am I staying here?"
Their voice shook. They shouldn't be asking questions. They knew they shouldn't, but they couldn't help it. They were scared.
Romilly pulled back, reaching up to pull the cloth from her eyes. She looked at her child directly in their eyes, tears still falling as she spoke gently, one hand reaching out to brush over Kira's face.
"Yes. Yes, you're staying here. I'm so sorry, baby. I really am, but I can't protect you anymore. Not from him. I need you to be good for me, okay? Be strong. I love you. I really, truly do. Please don't ever forget that, alright?"
Akira stared blankly, struggling to process what was happening as their chest tightened and their eyes began to sting.
"Akira? Promise me. Promise me, please. Promise that you won't forget how much I love you."
Their tears started to fall, but they nodded, watching as their mother took another breath and leaned over to press a soft kiss to their forehead before replacing her cloth and standing, accepting a handshake from Mistress before turning to leave.
Akira sat frozen, watching her walk away. Mistress sighed and stood, crossing her arms.
"Right, there we are. Welcome to the home, 2505. Your brother's running a little late, but I wouldn't worry too much. He knows better than not to show."
As if on cue, a tall boy with blonde hair covering one-half of his face and scars littering the whole of his visible body entered, bowing quickly to Mistress before glancing down at Akira and grimacing.
"This one?"
Mistress nodded. "Take him to wherever you little shits are supposed to be right now."
"Right, come on."
The boy waved and Akira stumbled to their feet, breathing rather heavily as the boy started toward the door.
"My name's Max. I'm your leader now, do what I say. And don't bother with telling me your name. You probably won't live past a week anyway."
---
Max brought them back to an overly crowded room full of children, some laughing, some crying, some fighting. The ground was littered with trash, sleeping bags, and blankets (most of which were being closely guarded), and the children all looked like a total mess. Knotted hair, ripped clothes, and dirty skin and nails. Most had scars and many had open wounds.
Max wound his way through the crowd with ease before stopping in a somewhat quiet corner where a young boy and girl sat slouched together. The girl, who had dark skin and pure white hair with black ears atop her head, was crouched over a tin can of some sort of fruit, not even looking up as they approached, and the boy, who was skinny with pale skin and brown hair, pressed himself further into the wall, examining them with soft green eyes.
"This is Kennedy and Pip Squeak. And, you two, this is some kid I was told to watch. Welcome to the family, asshat."
Akira flinched slightly and slowly moved to sit next to the boy, watching nervously as Max plopped down and lightly nudged Kennedy, who looked up at him and smirked, offering a peach from her can.
Beside them, the boy shifted slightly and extended a hand, keeping his eyes down.
"I'm Lou. I'm ten."
His voice was thin and hoarse, obviously not often used.
Akira slowly accepted his hand, watching for any sign of anger or frustration. They didn't know how this place worked yet.
"I'm... Akira. Five."
Lou looked up and smiled weakly.
"Nice to meet you, Aki. I'll take care of you, okay? Don't worry about anything."
----
As it turned out, Akira did last more than a week.
Thanks to Lou.
They quickly learned how the home worked. The strong had the privilege of life and food while the weak were killed off. Either by starvation or by those around them.
Unfortunately, Akira witnessed this very quickly after arriving. It was a nearly daily occurrence.
The first to go after they arrived was a young girl who couldn't have been much older than Kira themself. She was attacked by an older girl when she attempted to steal a small roll. Within seconds, her head was smashed in and half her teeth were missing. Blood pooled around her as a group of three watched with hollow eyes filled with silent acceptance. Akira guessed they must be her family as one stepped forward and silently cut a strand of her hair before gently closing her eyes. Then they all bowed their heads for a moment and the same one who cut her hair kissed their knuckles, touched them to the girl's forehead, and then touched them back to their heart. Everyone else steered clear of the group for the rest of the night.
A ritual Akira would soon become accustomed to.
As they observed everyone's mannerisms over the first week, however, Aki came to a confusing conclusion. Every group, though separated from the main body of children, seemed very tight-knit.
While many people fought, they were never from the same small group. The only exception that they could find was Max.
He was less than kind to Lou and themself, often snatching food directly from their hand and physically shoving them around. He insisted on constantly reminding the two of them that they were nothing but a burden that he and Kennedy had to put up with.
So Akira did their best to stick close to Lou and avoid Max completely. They ate together in the almost-silence of night and talked in lowered voices when Max and Kennedy were away. And, when Max did strike out, Lou was quick to put himself between him and Akira, something they were eternally grateful for.
However, no matter how amazing Lou was, he couldn't protect them from everything. Hunger, in particular, was a battle that even Lou couldn't win for them.
Every day it got worse, turning from a slight punch in the gut to a full gnawing pain. It settled into Akira's bones and buried itself, forever prominent. Any scrap that was in reach was immediately devoured, but it was never enough.
In their first month, Akira lost twenty-five pounds, growing weak and nearly immobile from lack of nutrition.
Everything hurt.
---
Then Max left. He graduated from the system a month after Akira arrived, turning eighteen.
Before leaving, however, he took the time to say his goodbyes.
First, he offered a hug and genuine, heartfelt goodbye to Kennedy.
Then he took the time to kneel in front of Lou and Akira, making direct eye contact as he spoke.
"Alright you little shits, listen up. You know damn well you should be dead by now, but since you're not, let me make something perfectly clear. Kennedy is the leader now, you listen to her. If she doesn't make it out of here and back to me I will track you down and kill you myself. She comes first. Always. You understand?"
The two nodded hastily and Akira quickly looked away, stomach fluttering with a mix of nerves and hunger.
---
The hunger got better and then it got worse.
Akira lived. Lou didn't.
He made it two more years before Akira woke up to find him stiff and unmoving beside them.
That was the first time they performed the ritual. It was the first time they were truly alone in the home, and it was at this point that people began to see them for their strength. It was at this point that people began to fear them.
First because they survived, then because they lived.
Through starvation and loss. Through a promise to be the person to others who Lou had been to them.
It was at this point that they changed. They became a protector.
Summer 
Day Weather: 
Earthquake
