Lightwatch
It was 2050, and Yiniri looked out of place in the crowd, which was dressed for the summer equinox. The festive colors of orange, pale yellow, and green marked the crowd's movement towards the entrance of the huge white Costco. It was almost too late for Yiniri to get what she needed. She looked further out in the crowd, where there was a family. They too were dressed in festive colors, but Yiniri would blend in as always. She was just a part of that family she had seen now, moving toward the entrance. Yiniri heard the girl in the family asking the mother if she could see her friend, Manare. The mother, who was wearing a party hat that said 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALONDRA' told the daughter she could, but to remember to stay with Manare. Hihi, the girl, skipped off with a fake-looking smile, and Alondra presented her Costco card to an employee. Yiniri broke off from her 'family' and headed for the decorations room. Even if she could filch just a few of those items, she'd have a Summer Equinox party fit for a king. As Yiniri passed through the department entrance, she reveled in the colors. The room looked like a fragrant heaven, and it was only diminished by the bored looking employees.
As was her custom, Yiniri began to walk around the room while surveying for items that she could filch. In the corner of the room, an employee sat in his chair. His name tag showed that his name was Ejit Tida, but he looked somehow... off. His eyes, though partially hidden by his dyed-black hair, were completely glazed over. Yiniri concluded that Ejit was high on drugs. An easy target. She slipped a beautiful wreath into her bag. Near Ejit was a young man named Carson Wildbrace who was on his phone. Wait, wasn't that an iPhone 10, with revolutionary holographic technology? An astonished Yiniri stuffed a cake into her bag. Carson seemed to be used to slouching, but he wouldn't be here if he sat around. Not a good target. Yiniri stealthily added a couple of flower crowns into her bag. As Yiniri walked, she spotted another employee whose nametag read Prudien Heriar talking to a person who looked almost exactly like Ejit. As Yiniri drew closer, she saw that Prudien was bossily ordering this Ejit lookalike to stop handing out flyers that said, "Jet Tida: The Kolest Man Aive. Learned 2 be like himself! Wak da wak, tak da talk, be just leik him!1!!"
Yiniri decided that this lookalike had never been to school, and they argued while Yiniri casually added a couple of fox masks to her messenger bag. She turned around to see Hihi and her mother staring at her. Shaking, Yiniri wheeled around and began to fastwalk towards the entrance. She was almost there when she heard a cry. Yiniri whipped around to see Hihi and her mother pointing at her and yelling for security. Yiniri sprinted straight for Ejit and and faced the crowd with a murderous stage knife to his neck. The crowd around her erupted into screams. From where she was, Yiniri could see Jet and Prudien sprinting for their lives while screaming obnoxiously, while the manager, Gaives, was yelling, "Let's all calm down here!"
Gaives made a formidable effort to be heard, but nobody was listening to him. Near the the entrance to the room, there were security guards approaching. Yiniri hissed at Ejit, "Your key card. Now."
Ejit handed her his key card and promptly fainted. The security guards were coming closer. Yiniri grew ever more anxious. Yiniri dropped her fake knife along with Ejit and ran. As she sprinted through the aisles, she pushed over as many items as possible; anything she could put her hands on. Yiniri swiped Ejit's key card through the reader and stepped into the stairwell of the roof entrance. While sprinting up the stairs, Yiniri could hear the guards. She put on an extra burst of energy, and sprinted through the door. Before closing the door, Yiniri took a pipe and hit the scaffolding nearest to the wall. Before long, the stairwell came off. While surveying the roof, she saw someone. Was that the girl Hihi had talked about, Manare? Drawing closer, Yiniri asked Manare, "Why are you here?"
Startled, Manare jumped, then pulled out a laminated paper that had written on it, "Do you know sign language?"
Yiniri signed back that she did. Manare, who was unaware that Yiniri knew who Manare was, signed back that her name was Manare Lightspark. Yiniri told Manare that her name was Yiniri, and she asked what she was doing. With some hesitation, Manare signed, "It's a long story. Would you like to hear it? Nobody cared when I asked them if they wanted to listen."
Yiniri replied that she wanted to listen. Standing at the edge of the roof, Manare signed, "I moved here two months ago, but she follows me everywhere. Hihi Fatger. She torments me while telling people what we are best friends. She tells me that I am stupid, I should kill myself, that I look horrible, that I am fat. Every day, I wonder: Am I fat and ugly? Am I really that stupid? So, Yiniri Goldwatch, am I worth nothing?"
Yiniri was frozen, tears brimming in her eyes. For a minute, she sat and thought. Finally, Yiniri signed, "Nothing will ever be worth as much as you. Hihi tells you that you're fat and stupid? You are beautiful in every way, and you are obviously smarter than Hihi. You don't have to be rich, or thin, or pretty, or smart to be worth it. You are worth everything."
Manare stood at the edge, then took a step in. Then another. Yiniri took Manare's hand when she heard the distinct thump of the police. By throwing her messenger bag into an alley, Yiniri would cause confusion, and she did just that. She jogged back to Manare, and explained her robbery attempt while climbing down a ladder. They reached the ground just when they heard shouts from the police, and Yiniri and Manare and walked away, discussing the legend of Rutatle. |
