Chapter 1

Rain.

 It was always raining these days. The man in the large grey hoodie kept walking down the dark streets lit by the light from the gaudy neon signs advertising the latest in technology or food products. People still swarmed the streets even in this weather. The man pulled his large hood further down over his face. Here he was in perfect view of everyone around yet perfectly invisible to them at the same time. No one paid any attention to the likes of him. He was the type that would amount to nothing in this city apart from adding to the city’s crime rate. He was the type that would probably be in to petty thievery, nothing for people to be overly worried about in this city after all, this city apparently didn't know poverty.

Aerox was a playground for the rich, with its large towering industrial skyscrapers with millions of tiny windows that were illuminated from the inside once night fell. Penthouses were common, as were state of the art vehicles that would travel via magnetic force and advanced technology through the city’s skyline itself, calling them hover cars did not do them justice. Flashy restaurants, large shopping complexes, leisure complexes that were members only. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Aerox was intended for the well off.

But where there is extreme wealth you will always find extreme poverty and Aerox was no exception to this. While one half of the population lead lives of luxury the other fought to stay alive. This man was few of the lucky ones; while he may be considered poor and rejected at least he had some sort of security, a roof over his head and a fair indication where his next meal would be coming from. In the hierarchy of the poor in Aerox this man was rather high up. At the top were the gang leaders, each gang had territories and in these territories there was a headquarters, this was where the gang leaders would live and dictate from. Under them in the hierarchy were the gang members, now there were different levels of gang members but the fact still remained that no matter if you were at the top end of the gang’s rankings or at the bottom you still were much better off than the people at the very bottom of the poverty hierarchy. The Unfortunates.

This man was part of a gang. A gang was like a family, you watched out for each other and had each other’s backs. You did business together, you lived together, and you ate and slept together. All new members of gangs and lower ranking members lived somewhere on the grounds of the gang HQ. In return anything they got from their business was given entirely to the leader who would split it to cover the cost of their meals and board. Higher up members still had to make a contribution to the gang but had permission to live wherever they may choose on the territory. This man had taken residence in a local abandoned theatre as he had recently been promoted up in the ranks. He was on his way home now and it was on his way that he discovered the one thing that would change his life drastically.

There bundled up in the eve of the doorway of the theatre, his theatre was a small child. On closer inspection the man discovered the gaunt, hollow face of a young boy wracked with fever. An Unfortunate.

Unfortunates were common to say the least, they were the lowest of the low, extremely vulnerable and generally very weak due to lack of food and to the face that they were susceptible to all manners of illnesses. This young boy was no exception to this. Taking pity on the little kid the man went over to the sleeping child and prepared to pick him up to take him home when an empty beer can hit him in the head. Bewildered the man turned to see where exactly the beer can came out of when he came face to face with the scrawny, frail figure that stood before him. 

“Stay away from him” The figure commanded.

So much for being frail, he thought Looks sure can be deceiving.

The man stood up and steppes away from the boy after seeing the broken bottle in the figure’s hand.

“I mean no harm”

He stated while slowly making his way towards the figure with his hands in clear view,

“Your friend, he’s ill, I can help”

“I said stay away!”

Now that he was closer he could tell that this person was indeed female. 

Brave. Female Unfortunates didn't last long; due to their desperation and vulnerability they were often snatched off the streets and sold into prostitution no matter what the age. Of the few female Unfortunates that the man had encountered in his life, none were as bold as this one. They had all been meek and quiet desperately trying to avoid attention and to carry on with their pitiful lives, girls as young as thirteen looking after their siblings as best they could whilst trying to keep themselves and their unborn child alive. Most died in childbirth with their children just after them. 

That was the reality of female Unfortunates.

 

But this girl, she couldn't be more than seven and here she was blatantly drawing attention to herself armed with just a broken bottle, determined to protect her family. The man crept ever closer to the girl now intrigued by this anomaly. Inky black bangs obscured her eyes completely from view, disabling the man from being able to read her expression. 

Another step forward. 

When a wild cry ripped from the girl’s mouth as she suddenly sprang to life hurtling towards the man with frightening speed that wasn't associated with one of her physical condition. Caught unawares the girl managed to catch him across the side with her make shift weapon. A small struggle ensued, but the girl was fighting a losing battle. It wasn't long before the man had the girl subdued and pinned against the wall. She flicked her head indignantly and her bangs cleared from her eyes. The man couldn't help but admire the young creature’s courage to look her opponent in the eye in the face of defeat and look well undefeated, the girl had a bit of fire in her to say the least as well as a surprising amount of pride for one so young. 

But all those thoughts went out the window when he saw her eyes. They were blood red. And no not just the irises the whole eyeball was blood red. It took the man a moment to realise that their red colour was actually due to blood and not their natural colour. This girl had been attacked viciously straight to the eyes, judging by the blood it must have been quite recently even as recent as….. The man let the girl down and stepped away to give her some room to breathe.

“Your eyes, when?”

The young girl shifted her gaze to the ground almost as if she was embarrassed, for one so vocal before she was being awfully quiet now. The man noticed something in her hand, a syringe.

“Is that for your friend?”

He said as he indicated towards her hand, the girl nodded. He then understood what must have happened.

“You went to the old medical facility to get this didn't you?”

The girl’s bloody eyes widened and then she slowly nodded her head. The man sighed; the territory that the old medical facility was included in was considered “no man’s land” in the on-going gang land wars. Every gang wanted possession of the facility due to there still being the equipment to manufacture drugs. It was a potential gold mine that everyone wanted in on. There were no rules, no protection, no morals in “no man’s land”. And so it was no wonder the girl had been so brutally attacked, especially if they had known she was stealing.

“Is this all they did to you?”

The man asked the girl, she flinched at the word all.

“Isn’t this enough?”

She replied meekly. He stares her bewildered to hear her voice again.

“They didn't touch me if that’s what you’re getting at….I didn't give them time to do that”

Tears threatened to fall from her crimson eyes, and fall they did but in their wake left rivers of blood running down the girls face. The man looked from her to the boy. Here were a pair of Unfortunates trying to fulfill some sense of family for each other, protecting and looking out for each other against the odds. He looked at them again; he would be taking a risk with this a big risk. He sighed and looked the young girl right into her bloodied eyes. Even if the boy doesn't make it the girl has spirit, a lot of spirit maybe even enough for the two of them. Maybe just maybe they can survive this.

“Hey kid! Does your friend here have a name?”

The girl looked at him before answering

“No, but I call him Rem.”

The man made his way to the shivering boy and picked him up, much to the girl’s alarm.

“Wha-“

She started before she was interrupted by the man, he turns his head over his shoulder and called to her

“You got a name yourself kid?”

The girl shook her head.

“Well you’re gonna need one, if you’re going to live with me!”

The girl’s eyes widened.

“How about Jane? No, to plain. Alice? You don’t seem like an Alice. Kaylynn? Again it just doesn't fit. Raine? It is raining, but I think you need something a little more, what’s the word I’m looking for, oh yes badass! So hmmmm let me think!”

The girl just stared at the thinking man with the shivering boy in his arms.

“Raika! That will be your new name! So are you coming or not Raika?”

Raika smiled her black bangs framing her face; she looked like something out of a nightmare but that smile held hope for the future and that was all the reassurance the man needed to know he was doing the right thing.

“Hey and what’s your name mister?”

Raika called from behind the man. He smiled and turned his face towards the oncoming rain.

“Grey, You can call me Grey.”

Author's Note

Please review! All comments welcome!