The Calling, Part I: Hide and Seek

Setting: Before Chapter 1

 He stared into the fire.

 

It crackled and popped. A safety net. The difference between life and death. And yet, it was risky as well. If a gang saw - or worse, Peacekeepers… The end result would be bloody. He wasn’t sure he could control himself if he saw those helmet whores. Not right now.

 

“Hey.” He looked up at the curly mohawk, his eyes focusing on her face after a moment. “Let’s get you wrapped up.”

 

“No.” His voice was firm, but not raised. He would never raise his voice at her, or any of his friends. He just turned and stared back into the fire.

 

Mirage sighed quietly and slowly sat down next to him, taking his hands softly. “You did everything you could. We all did. Sometimes… It’s not enough.”

 

“I refuse to believe that’s true.” He watched the fire speckle and pop. “Otherwise, what’s the point?”

 

“I can’t answer that,” Mira said, taking his hand. Domino let her wrap the fabric around his knuckles. “But I realized that when your life is on the line, we’ll do whatever it takes to keep it.” She cast her eyes down. “So there has to be a reason.”

 

“If that’s the case then why does the world take the good?” he asked softly.

 

“I don’t know.” Mirage stuck a pin in the bandage to hold it in place and squeezed his hand softly for a second. “It’s not fair. But Trill would want us to keep going anyways.”

 

“They had a right to stand trial. A right to live. Since when do drugs constitute death? You can’t tell me those big-ass Peacekeepers felt threatened by a scraggly kid.”

 

Mirage just pursed her lips at that. “I know,” she said quietly. “But since when have they ever been on the side of the little guy?”

 

Domino just closed his eyes. “Never.” He stared back into the fire. “It’s just…” he closed his eyes and looked away for a moment. “Fuck, why?”

 

“We have to find more kindling or else this fire is going to go out,” Whisper told them, bringing them out of their conversation. But the pain was evident on her face.

 

“Of course,” Mirage said. “How about Mino here goes with you? He could use some enrichment.”

 

Whisper tried to laugh at that, but her eyes were pained. “Sure. But… You’re sure you’re gonna be okay with Inferno?”

 

Mirage just waved her hand, looking at where the boy was sitting by the fire, shirt sitting in a tub of water to try and wash off the blood. The only thing protecting his top from the cold of the night was the fire and the ace bandages wrapped around his chest and the makeshift sling his arm was cast in. “I’ll be fine,” she said with a smile as she squeezed Whisper’s shoulder.

 

Domino finally looked over at the boy who was idly twirling a syringe around his fingers as another pang of guilt hurt his heart. He wished he could have done more. But the little guy had no power here. The little guy was nothing but a spark, snuffed out before a fire could start.

 

“Let’s go, Grizzly Bear,” Whisper said, gently punching his shoulder. As much as he didn’t want to get up, he couldn’t let Whis go out there by herself, so he stood up slowly, balling his fists and flexing them against the bandages a few times. That would do.

 

“I’m coming.” He put his arm protectively around her as the two of them moved towards the front of the buildings their camp was set between. When he heard footsteps, he put an arm in front of Whis protectively and moved to peek out at the street. His heart picked up in pace when he saw the Peacekeepers patrolling the area. Those stupid Helmet Whores. They never gave Mino and his friends a single issue until this new hot shot took over and made the military god. Selfish fucking assholes, that was what they all were. They thought they were hot shit just because they had guns and tasers and shit to make people bend to them. Power didn’t make you hot shit. A good heart did. District Six just loved to pretend that they were so much better than those foolish Careers. But they were just as crooked and power-hungry. It was human nature.

 

But some - a very small few - could see the light. Those were the people he lived for. Those were the ones he wanted to protect. Mino wasn’t brilliant by any stretch of the imagination, but he knew that he wasn’t one of those people that could fully see the light and had a good heart. He still wanted to be in control, just as much as any of those crooked guys in the hot seat. But he at least had the good grace to manifest that want for leadership into a desire to protect the good ones of the world. If he could protect them, maybe they could create a better world. One that wouldn’t create desperate street rats like him. 

 

“Are you okay?” Whisper started leafing through the tall black trash can outside the general store. “I know you take things hard.”

 

“I’m fine,” Mino said, standing behind her and looking around for any signs of movement. “I don’t know why Mira is acting this way.”

 

“You really don’t?” Whisper asked, grabbing a box or two and a few pieces of paper before she leaned against the trash can. “Come on. We can all tell you’re not okay.”

 

“I let them die.” He sighed.

 

“No, you stayed out of a situation to stay alive,” Whisper said. “Trill was a goner either way, we didn’t need to lose you too.”

 

Mino swallowed a hard lump in his throat at that hard reality. “Did you get what you needed?”

 

“I didn’t really need anything. You should know by now I’m the damn queen bitch of fire. It wasn’t going anywhere.” She gave him a smirk and patted his chest a few times. “I just wanted to give you some space from them for a second.”

 

Mino just hung his head. “Sure it’s not the other way around? I know. It’s not easy to see their leader this way.”

 

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean Mira needs to be so overbearing. And Inferno… Well, nobody can reach him right now, so we shouldn’t waste our energy trying right now. He is probably blaming himself too, having dealt the dose out to Trill.”

 

“I know,” Mino said, his brows creasing in frustration. “It’s just… It’s not fair. He shouldn’t blame himself for this.”

 

“And neither should you.” Whisper held out a hand to him. “Come on.”

 

But their conversation was cut off by a crack in the distance. Mino acted out of instinct, pushing Whis behind him and hitting the wall. He heard another crack and a scream, and balled up his fists. Nobody could just… Let them be today. He waited until the figures approached to assess the situation. A small figure was in the front, running in a zig zag pattern away from them. Behind him, an old-ass helmet whore that was shooting away like a motherfucker. But a motherfucker with awful aim.

 

When the kid came closer, Mino reached out, grabbing his arm and pulling him behind the alley. When the Peacekeeper saw that, he let out a yell and kept running.

 

“Get him to safety,” he said to Whis, giving her a wink as he pulled out his trusty steel crowbar and lined it up outside the alley, ready for them to cross over. “I’ll handle this bastard.”

 

Whis’s footsteps were long gone by the time the first Peacekeeper crossed the threshold. As soon as he did, his dick got a whacking with the crowbar and he crashed to his knees with a scream. Mino didn’t waste a second kicking his helmet with his boots until it came off, giving a whack in the face for good measure and wincing a little with a grin at the crack it made. Oh what a glorious sound.

 

With that, he slipped back into the darkness, walking strategically until he found his little gang once more.

 

By the time he got back, the figure had a face. It was young and gaunt, with downcast almond-shaped brown eyes that watched the flames crackling. His hands were busy - shuffling a deck of cards.

 

“Mino!” Mirage jumped up, taking his cheeks in her hands and squeezing them. “Are you okay?!”

 

“Never been better,” he said, throwing the crowbar down and sitting back in his spot with a sigh. Inferno had moved - against the wall in the dark, and he could see him shivering. Mino sighed and took off his shirt, throwing it on his lap. They all got a shit deal, but the least they could do is do good things for each other. Those little acts of kindness were the only thing keeping all of them from becoming monsters, like the people that went into the Arena. And worse, the people that sat up on their balconies and watched with unmatched interest, while they left the little guy to starve and fight for life.

 

“Glad you’re back,” Whis said as she put a cup of soup in the boy’s hands that she had been holding over the fire.

 

“So…” he said, sitting down and giving the boy a long look. “What had you runnin’ from the law then?”

 

The boy put up a hand to decline the soup, but Whis didn’t take it away so he eventually put the cards down to take the bowl. “I-I don’t know,” he said quietly. “Th-They wanted my Dad.”

 

“What did they do to him?” Mira asked quietly, sitting down beside him but far enough away that she wasn’t crowding him in.

 

He just shrugged a little bit. “Shot him dead. Don’t know why. As soon as they pointed a gun at me I ran. Then… Well, I got chased. Thank you Sir, for saving me.”

 

“It’s really no problem,” Mino said, putting up a hand dismissively. “Would have done it for anyone that was in a bind. Those Helmet Whores have no idea what they’re talking about. They’re brainwashed, all of ‘em, and nothing would make me happier than teaching them a lesson.” Why anyone would shoot at a kid this young - couldn’t have been older than 15 - Mino would never understand. He wanted to teach each and every one of them a lesson. If he could have even a little part in taking the bad parts of the world away and making room for more good parts… He would. As long as he had a reality where he was doing more good than bad, it was worth sticking it out.

 

“Well you really did,” the boy said with a smile. “Thank you, upright Magician.”

 

Mino pointed to himself with a small laugh. “What? I know my skills are pretty magical.”

 

“Don’t encourage him,” Inferno piped up, cracking a smile for the first time all day.

 

“I didn’t understand.” He set down the empty bowl of soup and flipped through his cards until he held one up. Inferno came around the fire to see. “Upright Magician. Potential. Though death and bad fortune came… There is potential for greatness to come out of this day.”

 

Mino’s eyes widened and all of them leaned forward to see the cards in his hands. Finally, he came over and held out his hands to Mino.

 

“My name is Tower. I’m not great still, but… Let me give you a reading.” He shuffled the cards in his hands a few times.

 

Mino just looked at the others before he looked back at the young kid. He grinned and shrugged. “Eh, sure. What the fuck?”

 

If Tower saw any sort of potential in Mino, he was going to keep kicking. More specifically, kicking out the teeth of helmet whores. Anything to make a better world for the good ones.

 

Domino was… Potential. Power.

 

He was the upright magician.