Chapter 2

The coldness from the ground sent a chill up his body as they ran. They were always running. Always running. Everything was spiraling, going out of control. Then there was a man. That masked man. His sister stepped up, but it wasn't supposed to be her. He stepped up then... it wasn't supposed to be HER!

Bang!

"NO! Juke, wait-"

"Eclipse!"

BOOM

Bang bang bang

"Amani!" Juke shouted as his sweaty body jerked upright, his fingers tightly clutched onto his blanket. His heart was thumping against his chest, with his breath coming and going in ragged gasps as the nightmare remnants lingered. Palming his eyelids until he saw stars, he couldn't rid the images of his sisters last moments from his head. The chilled air started to blow against his hot skin. Still disoriented, he blinked blurry wet eyes, squinting as that annoying banging continued.

The sound of metal on metal kept going strong and loud as he looked over and noticed the owner of the foster home walking into the room beating two pots together. She was a woman around her early fifties but looked extremely good for her age as she walked in wearing a dress that clung to her thick figure. Her saggy breast bounced with each she took. She dressed in more fitting clothes than women her age did, which made her kind of a badass. Her freckled, brown skin glistened under the dusty hanging ceiling lightbulbs. Her orange eyes, which were contacts, roamed around the space with her curly hair pulled up into a messy bun.

"Wakey, wakey you gremlins." Ms. Hana shouted with a gruff voice from years of smoking.

Groans thundered out as the other children started to stir from their slumber.

The room the kids were sleeping in was wide like a small gymnasium with cots lined around. Right now, there was around 15 kids, boys and girls in the foster home. Some of them were orphans and some had the potential to be reunited with their families.

Hana growled at the grumbling bodies, "Get up and stop the whining. Geez, you kids act like this is a mystic ritual every morning. Breakfast will be done in 5 and I need everybody cleaned up, dressed and sitting in 10. We cannot keep getting late reports from the school."

In Ezico Village, anybody under the age of 18 went to school. There were two buildings, the primary school, Luluni primary, which went up to age 12 and the secondary school called Salun high. The schools were pretty strict when it came to the rules, and they made sure that they were followed.

A couple of young children walked up to Ms. Hana with bright smiles on their small faces.

"Can we help set the tables?" One of them asked her.

Ms. Hana peered down them with a grimace, however it was gentle. "Go get washed up first, then you can help me."

The two squealed with glee as they ran to the washroom.

Children ranging between the ages 5-17 got up from their cots and made their way to the back of the room where the washrooms were situated. It was separated into two sides, one for the boys and the other for the girls.

Just take deep breaths. Juke rubbed the sweat from his face as he tried to calm his breathing. His hands trembled heavily as he tried to gather his bearings. It's been four years since that night, yet the grieving never grew painless. He was constantly haunted by the ghost of his clan. He can still feel the intense heat from the flames. He looked at his shaking hands on his lap, flashing images of red blood stains covered his arms. Their blood was forever marred on his hands. Just keep breathing.

He glanced around sheepishly. Hopefully nobody heard me, he thought as he looked around at everyone waking up. Throwing his feet over the bed, the cold wood flooring greeted him quite rudely. This routine was becoming so dull, but it was always a distraction from his mental.

On the cot beside him, Dre threw his blanket from over his head, rolled over and then started to get up all groggy-like. "Does she always have to be so loud." He groaned, blinking his eyes to wake up.

Juke could only manage a stiff chuckle.

Dre gave him a soft look. "You doing alright?"

Juke gave him a glance, still thinking of his nightmare. "Yeah, I'll manage."

Dre pushed himself up and clapped a comforting hand on Juke's shoulder. "One step at a time." He said then headed to the washroom.

Juke blinked at him, One step a time.

Before he could stand, his body jerked as his cot bounced from a sudden weight falling on it. Juke looked over, seeing a younger girl with caramel skin posed.

'Morning, Juke.' Penelope signed, with her delicate fingers forming her words and greeting him with a smile. Her shiny, lavender hair was laid in pretty finger-waves, with big hazel eyes.

Penelope was the last member of their little troupe. The girl was partly deaf, only having a little hearing in her right ear. Though she could speak some, she felt comfortable signing most of the time. Being the youngest of the five, she didn't hang around them too much, mainly because of their endeavors. However, the 11-year-old was clever and sneaky.

'How you doing, Nele?' Juke signed back, asking with a smile.

'I'm good. You weren't here when I went to sleep. You must have been really late?' She asked, flipping onto her back and giving him with a cheeky look.

Juke chuckled, then signed, 'I don't believe in time.'

Penelope's face puffed up, 'I'm upset you all left me.'

'Hey, we didn't leave you. We got caught.' Juke responded, playfully rubbing her in the face as he stood up.

Getting up, he went along with the other children and started their daily ritual of getting ready for the day. Stepping into the washroom wide enough to fit 10 at once, Juke was greeted by the normal shebang. Many of the smaller children played around as the older ones tended to wash up, grooming and freshening up.

Money was short these days, so the children had to dress in clothes that Ms. Hana could scrap up. Many wore mix-match and some wore rags. That also meant that food came in scarce amounts. The smell of buttery bread lingered around. A piece of toast and a scoop of mashed potatoes were laid on the plates at the tables.

The dining room was small and cramped as the children started filling in, bustling with so much energy.

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"Utara miishi." The children gave their thanks then delved in.

The juvies sat huddled at a table in the corner enjoying their meal. Juke bit into his toast as he watched everyone eat. For the last two years, this foster home was his home. After losing his family, Juke spent two years bouncing around from place to place, from orphanages to homes to the streets, before Ms. Hana found him. Those times were dark, filled with total numbness and anger. After the grandma found him, he could honestly say that Everly almost gave him a little hope. Though she was mean on the outside, Hana had a soft spot for kids.

Then there were the juvies, his crew. Since his first day at Everly, he just clicked with his friends. Being the only older teens at the home, they only had each other to rely on.

Dre is the oldest in the home, having a few months' time before his 18th birthday. When that happen, he will leave the home. Don't want to think about that. He come from a family known as the Kano tribe. Years ago, the tribe fell to their own hands. Like Juke, Dre is almost the last to his people, which makes their bond even more deep.

Out of all the teenage girls he's met, Swazzy was different. She spent the early part of her life living on the streets with her mom, who had a strong addiction to drugs. Her life was subjected to the drug world until Ms. Hana saved her. Growing up on the streets made Swazzy an adept fighter, being able to keep up with the boys. It was kind of hot.

Jade was a complicated fellow. He was born the fourth son to The Grandite family, a wealthy family across the crater. Though on the outside the family might seem normal, those people were sick. The Grandites desperately wanted a daughter, so when Jade was born a boy, they took measures into their own hands. Raising Jade as a girl, one could only imagine the horrors the young boy went through. Now, he's just a gender-confused kid.

Penelope was sent here for her safety. She tended to get sick sometimes.

Despite their past, these teens had created a deep bond.

Once the kids were finished, they all contributed to cleaning up the dining room and they prepared for school. Grabbing their satchels, Ms. Hana guided them all of out of the door.

"Be on your best behavior today and actually learn. I'm serious about no bad reports." Hana howled out as the kids marched through. When the teens reached the threshold, Hana's arm shot out blocking their exit. She gave the five of them a pointed glare. "I want you all to come straight here after school. No extra stops, or I will personally be picking you up myself from now on." She growled, then signed to Penelope.

Awe. Somebody just needs a man. Juke waved her off dismissive, "We got it."

Hana gritted her teeth hard, "And for you Juke-"

"I know, I know." Juke interrupted the fussing woman, then dipped under her arm. "Sheesh, we won't get in trouble, grandma."

Hana smacked Juke's head. "I'm not your damn grandma."

The rest walked out of the home with Ms. Hana slamming the door shut behind them. Bam!

The group started to head on. The villagers were up sweeping and proactive as they tended to put up festive decorations. The annual festival of the lights was nearly days away. It was when the colorful lights touched the mountains marking for a change for Nas, a phenomenon they called the Tuzlani. They believed that when this happens, this signified the great spirits return and a change was coming to the lands.

Before they could get too far, Dre stopped, using a hand to stop Juke as well. "You all go on ahead. Me and Juke need to talk about something." He spoke to Swazzy, Jade, Penelope.

Swazzy gave him a knowing look as she settled with a "Fine. Come on guys."

The three walked on ahead.

Juke gave Dre a questioning look, "What are we talking about?"

"We need to take the edge off. Just follow me." Dre said.

Confusion crossed Juke's face before it dawned on him. The drug bag. A wobbly smile formed on Juke's face. He totally gets me.

Dre and Juke watched everyone walk on then ran around the side of the building. Dre knelt behind the bushes and pulled out the bag they took from those thugs. What sins could they find to get into?

"I hope they have something good to smoke and nothing crappy." Juke muttered as he unzipped the bag. He was hoping for something to take his mind off of life for a while.

"Just hurry up. We can't be late and risk Hana coming up to the school." Dre urged with a cringe, a chill going up his spine just thinking of the embarrassment.

Once Juke got it opened, he stilled. What is this? Filling the bag was small tubes with blue liquid inside of them. Juke's face creased in confusion and curiosity. He had no idea what that substance could be, but it wasn't what he was expecting.

"Check this out." Juke said, lifting a tube for Dre to see. The glass was cold against his palm as he swished the substance around.

The older boy frowned, grabbing the item. "What the hell is it?" He asked, shaking the tube lightly.

"Hell if I know," Juke grumbled.

As Dre went to smell the tube, a deep growl rumbled from his chest growing louder. The boy eyes grew brighter as his sharp canines bared dangerous with a growl vibrating in his throat. He unconsciously snapped out in a bite.

Juke jerked aside giving the older teen a startled look. His frowned eyes stared at Dre concerned, "Hey, man. You good?" He asked.

Dre, startled as well, just shook his head, dropping the tube back in the bag. "I.. I don't know. Whatever that is, my wolf don't like it, at all."

A perplexed look overtook Juke's face as he slowly turned back to the bag and started digging around looking for some drugs or hooch. I know they have something other than that stuff. What is that anyway and why would they have it. Why is it making Dre react like that? His mind was in a frenzy before his body froze as something shiny grabbed his attention. "Dre, you gotta see this." The boy whispered out opening the bag wider.

Inside, under the tubes were two weapons. Whatever it was looked like they were made with good techs. When Dre looked down, his eyes bulged as he gave Juke a look.

Dre muttered, "Zip that bag up. We'll ask around later. Let's head on to school."

Juke pouted. I really needed something to take the edge off. He zipped the bag up and pushed it back under the bushes. Those thugs said they worked for someone new, didn't it? What kind of dangers do they bring? What is going on?

The two got up and made their way to school.

...

Inside of a wide dark warehouse, three people sat up on a platform. One of them sat further back, shrouded in the darkness, with only his piercing blue eyes glaring through. On the ground, a room full of men adorning purple, black, and red clothing watched in quiet anticipation.

Standing before the three men were the two thugs from earlier with a bright spotlight shining over them.

The man in the center spoke up, silencing the room completely. "So, where are my items?"

The two thugs glanced at each other nervously, before one answered, "These two punks took it."

The man on the right let out a laugh, "You mean to tell us that you let two people take something from you?"

The man in the center lifted his hand to quiet his companion, his eyes never wavering from the thugs. "Where, are my items?"

"I'm sorry boss, but those punks took them, but we can them back." The thug yelled out, his voice rattled with nervousness.

The other one nodded his head quickly, "Yeah. It was that Okoyeshi survivor. We can make them pay."

The woman to the left on the platform squinted her eyes. "The Okoyeshi clan survivor? He's a kid."

The man on the right chuckled, this time it came out a little dark. "You got robbed by a kid?"

The thugs shook their heads in defense, with sweat dripping down their faces. "No, boss, ya'll don't understand. There was another boy with him. He wore the flag of the late Kano tribe, so I'm pretty sure that means that he's the wolf." The thug tried to explain. At the mention of the Kano tribe, the man in the center eye's subtlety twitched in seeming recognition. The thug continued, "And that Okoyeshi boy, honestly, that boy is truly scary."

The room grew silent as the other gang members listened intently. The thug's voice trembled as he recounted the encounter. "His eyes, they were like flames. And the way he moved, it was like he wasn't even human. They both were... terrifying."

The two people on the platform looked to the man in the center.

The man in the center slowly raised a hand, then pinched his fingertips together, except for the index finger. A light aura glowed around him as he manifesting his kana. The two thug's bodies instantly went rigid as their posture became straight and stiff.

"So, you stand before me telling me that two kids overpowered you and stole something that belonged to me from you?" The man growled, his calm demeanor making him seem even more dangerous.

The one on the left cringed her nose as she gave the men a disgusted look, "I heard that they instead ran, boss."

"Do you fear him more than me?" The man asked out, his heavy voice echoed throughout the floor.

The floor grew intense as everyone stared at the sniveling thugs unable to move. The thugs cried, "No boss!"

The center man started fiddling with his fingers, tapping them against his thumb like he was playing music. As each fingertip touched, the men limbs started to bend and break, contorting at each ligament. The sounds of the bones crunching and the men's painful cries flowed throughout the warehouse. The boss continued to fiddle with his fingers before he clamped his hand shut, killing the thugs instantly.

The mangled bodies crashed to the ground. The boss relaxed back into his seat as some of the gang members went to grab the carcasses and dispose of the bodies.

"Roc, Killa." The man in the center, the boss, called to the two people seating by him. "It's time for the next phase."

They nodded. The leader raised his hand to dismiss the meeting, and then the main light shut off.