Sacred Memento: Chapter 1

An Uninvited Visitor

The Milmika star almost sets on the west. The star that simply called “sun” for the sake of the ancestral heritage custom is a giant red star, a star that’s in the end of it’s life cycle. The sky washed in a dark red color, as the star’s reddish ray mixed with the Alabama’s acid cloud. Down in the sector 11D, a little girl in red ponytail is seen standing in the veranda in the 3rd floor of a 30-stories old flat.

“Perry, come here, help me feed your brother,” a middle aged woman’s voice from the inside is heard.

“Coming mom!” she steal another glance of the reddish sunset, and then walk inside. The room inside is very crowded with boxes, furnitures, things, as it is a small flat room divided for one bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and living room.

“Mom, Chris was left his toys behind again,” Perry complained after she steps on one of her little brother’s toy.

“C’mon Perry, don’t complain about your brother. He’s still 5. Now come here get your brother’s food from the table, and feed him.” her mother is seen wearing her scarf and looks like going outside.

“Mom, he’s already can walk and talk. Can’t he eat all by himself? And please stop calling me Perry. It sounds very boyish.”

“Oh blame your dad for giving you that pretty name. Pericia is not a name that means anything in this planet. Besides, you’re only 9 years older than him. You’re also such a bother when you was in his age.” Disgruntled, Perry reach for the dining table, getting his brother’s food that her mom has been prepared.

“Perry, I’m going to the store in the next sector. Take care of your brother while I’m leaving. And if you leaving home, don’t forget to bring your permanent residence ID card. You know what those slave hunter can do if they found you without your ID. Don’t forget to lock the door.” said her mother while closing the door.

“Okay mom.” Perry stand up and quietly reaching for his mother’s tablet.

“Oh, and stop playing with my tablet mainframe!”, her mother suddenly exclaimed from outside the door, which startled Perry. “It’s my working tools. Don’t make me clean up your mess like the last week after you delete all my files!”

“S..sure mom!” she said it with much dissapointment. Perry sit in front of his little brother while he is seated in the floor, playing with a green military spaceship model.

“Okay Perry, now just the two of us,” she brings the plate and start feeding him. But little Chris seems to very absorbed into his toys and didn’t listen her sister at all. “Oh please, don’t makes everything harder! Just eat so mama won’t be mad at me when she going back-” She stopped talking when she hears footsteps at the outside hallway. Suddenly she realized that she didn’t lock the door yet. She rushed into the door, but when she almost reach it, the door suddenly opened, which startled her. She quickly move herself into the back of the now opening door, and watching someone quietly enters. After deciding at a glance that it’s not her mother, she’s grabbing the nearest thing from her hand, and that happens to be a broom.

SMACK! “Get out! Get OUT from my home, I said. Get out!!” She hit with full force that seems can broke any ribs in contact.

“Ow ow ow hey hey take it easy.. Ow it HURTS!”

“And I will double the pain if you don’t get out of here within seconds! Now get out! Out!” Perry still beating with her broom while the strangers covers up against her beating.

“Hey hey, I mean no harm! Ow! I just seek a place to hide! Please!”

“Hide? That means you’re a runaway criminal!” SMACK! “Last time I checked, runaway criminals only ruin our lives!” Perry still yelling, but now she slowly stop the beating. Now she started to get a better look at her uninvited visitor. It happens to be a boy, approximately several years older than her. His brown curly hair pretty much all mess up. His now-not-so-white cloth soaked in sweat and stained all over with dirt. His jeans also full of mud.

“My floor!!” Perry’s eyes widened when witness a track of mud creating a nice footsteps trail behind the boy.

“Ssshhhhh… don’t speak so loud, they will hear you.” the boy put a finger in his mouth while closing the door behind him. “Now where can I hide?”

Perry can’t believe her ears. “What would makes you BELIEVE that I would actually provide a cover for you? What if you’re a robber, or even a serial killer?”

The boy roll his eyes. “So now you want to really believe your own words that a 15 years old boy is a serial killer? Don’t be ridiculous. Please!”

“But I don’t want to be involved in any trouble…” THUMB THUMB THUMB! They jumped at the sound of the loud knock. Seems that someone is in a hurry. “Labor Contract Enforcer here. Open this door!” They see the door, and then see each other’s eyes with freaky fear. The boy nodding softly with looks that say implicitly, ‘please’. Perry hesitate for a moment, but quickly gesture her head to give signal to him to hide inside.

“I’m coming!” Perry said while trying to buy some time. The knocking is continued, even more harsh. She finally opened the door. “Yes, may I.. help you?” Perry suddenly feels like she’s lost her voice when she see two big tall men standing in front of her door. Their black coat and black sunglasses makes their figure even more mysterious.

“Did you see a boy, approximately at your age, with a brown, curly hair, wandering around here?” the left man asks with a deep, gruntled voice.

“No… no sir, why?” Perry shrugged her shoulder hesitantly.

“We believe that he is a runaway slave,” the right man spoken up. “And we also believe that he’s running away around this area, into your flat, apparently. Now let me just take a look around here…” he steps inside the door.

“Do you have a search warrant?” Perry block the right man’s path.

“We what?”

“Search warrant. Those letters that you usually wave in front the person whose home you want to search?”

The right man looks like impatient. “We don’t need plaything like that. Now get out of my way or else,”

“Or else what?” Perry cut his words. “You do know that my mother is the secretary of Department Minister of Milmika Star System, don’t you? Of course I understand stuff like this.”

The right man’s face become furious, but the left man grab his friend’s shoulder. “Let’s not mess around anymore. We got many more important work to do.” The right man smirking, and then follow his friend. Suddenly the left man stopped. “Remember, if you do see the suspect, we do wish to hear from you. You know what we do to people who hides runaway criminals, even if your mother is a president.” he slightly adjusted his black hat. “You surely know the Job Paradise contact, right?”

“Right… Of course, don’t worry.” Then they left. She peek from the door to make sure that they already gone for good.

Suddenly she feels her shoulder grabbed from behind-

“SSSSHHHH…” the boy put his finger in her lips. He then slowly take a peek from the door. “Is they gone?”

“Yes, they ARE gone! Now get away from me!” Perry pushed the boy away. “You know where the door is, so get out, now!”

The boy seems reluctant. What’s the matter with him, Perry thinks within her head, don’t he knows what get out means?

“I… uh… I need more of your help,” he said hesitantly. “I need to release my friend who got captured by those guys…”

“What?” she barely can trust her ears. “You almost had me killed back there! What help can I give you for your friend? Your friend has been captured by those men from Job Paradise, they are the best skilled contract-offender slave hunter here. Just forget about him!”

“I can’t, you know, we don’t really belongs here. We just… lost. Stranded. If it isn’t because of my stubborness..”

There’s a long, uncomfortable pause in the room. Perry just leaning to the table while folding hands, stares vacantly to the floor. Then to the table she’s leaning at. Then to her mom’s tablet. Then she’s got an idea. But, no, that’s too dangerous.

“What?” the boy’s voice break the silence.

“What? What’s what?” she said with a confused looks.

“Your face. It’s telling me that you got an idea, and then you scrapped it again.”

“No, I don’t! And stop reading my mind.. er face.. er.. whatever!”

“I knew it! Yes you were thinking of something. Please, please, pretty please, whatever it is, however slim the chance, I really want to give it a try.”

Perry squints her eyes. “You do know that you’re now talking to a fourteen years old girl, that’s barely finished elementary level education. What makes you think that I can do such a great feat?”

“I don’t know. I just believe. Maybe out of desperation, but whatever. Anything to save my friend!”

She shrugged her shoulder, and let out a deep sigh. “Well, if we are to cooperate, we’ll need to properly introduce to each other. My name is Pericia, but please just call me Perry.” she held out her hands.

“Patrick,” he shakes her hands. “Patrick from New Memphis.”

“Okay Patrick, my mom now still going at the next sector. She won’t be back within 3 hours. If you want to save your friend, then we have to go, now!” she rushes outside after pick up her mom’s tablet, then locks the door. Patrick following her from behind.

Great, this is just great, Perry thinks to herself. If her mom knows, she will literally so dead.

Next: Sacred Memento: Chapter 2