*** 

Chapter 3 : The City of the Nights

***

I’ve heard of Soera city, from few of my subordinates that like to traveling their way around the islands of nation, and a bit peeked at the internet. This town, is the second most crowded and  advanced  after the Heart throb of nation, THE Central city. My Grandma, and my long distanced Great Grandfamily lived in the old part of the city, not in the center area that claimed as silver ring area.

As much as I wanted to wandering and seek it at my own, but I need to reporting at grandma’s first. God help me if that woman, or all of my family is way too overprotectives  and such a worrywarts. Looks like my move to this place already planned.

As much as I know that before me, my older cousins Tia (And yes, we have the same name, except she is Tiara Dowati that’s why I insist to call my self  Ren,  is our family doctorate legacy) and Ryan (our family shy technician), already lived in with her three years recently. Sis Tia had a plan to court her college at Mal City that located  around the nearby  Mount Arjun, and Bro Ryan had an apprenticeship at  another province.

That’s might be also why I’m choosed to be  ‘baby sitter’ for grandma this upcoming three years.

when I just come down from  the terminals, I calling for Ojek.  A motorcycle traveling service to taking path to the ‘old city’ like area, that was my grandma’s neighbourhood.

When we finally come to our destination, I  pay for the services, and entering the small street to the side that the only way to reach grandma’s house. The building that located in the end of narrow street is looking so ‘pure’ compared to another side building that covered in grafity and the like. The building itself  coloring in pale pastel, with a little hanging garden in the front and black metal fence. 

‘The house of grandma is not changing that much I see…except maybe now a little bit higher?’ I raised my eyebrow to the entrance that was non-existing the last time of my visit. Looking for the gates bell, I ringing it few times.

An eyes with wrinkly face peeked at  a little hole on the gates, before the gates opened with a creaking sound. And there stand my Grandma in all of glory in her golden age. Wearing modification of ‘Traditional’ styled  of kebaya, and a neat bun that hanging in with graying hair, the older women narrowing her eyes at me.

“You’re late, were you playing around first, ren?” she snapped before murmuring about ‘silly Grandchildren of mine up to mischievous thing’ or something. Ups, I just scratching the back of my neck, and giving her apologetic smile.

“Nah, it was just some traffic jam, grandma”

***

After letting me in the house, Grandma lead me to the bedroom that was Sis Tia’s room a weeks before she departed to Mal City. The room is colouring soft baby sky blue, with a little bed beside the window, with a drawer and a study desk. The room is a bit narrow than my room in my home, but still is not to bad. It’s like a rent room for a single faculty student, sis Tia talking about right?

With a fragrance room parfume that hanging in the air conditioner, I could tell that sis Tia maybe one of those people that was a neat freak with love for flowery scent.

Not that much different from what I know about her family.  Like My own family that favour scent of fresh orange, lemon, or apple for our room’s parfume.

After finished Unpacking my travel bags, and placing them on the wardrobe, I’m starting to plotting destination spot that I like to visit before Initiation day at my future Highschool. Like the local park, Resto and Café, Mall’s,  Amusement park, maybe seeking selfie spot’s too.

 As I already get a green lamp from Ryan to use his motor as I could use it wisely and could avoided being caught by police while I don’t have driving license yet.  Come out of my room, i saw my grandma sit at the sofa in the family room looking at talent show with dignified look.

“Grandma?” I called out. She tilted her head before gazing up to me.

“going out?” she said with frosty tone, I can feel the glare that directed to me.

Welp, why Grandma in the pissed off –mood?  Is she still mad at me for coming late? Did I really screw up that BAD?

“Err,..i want to strolling around  the city with Bro Ryan’s motorbike? Do you want me to pick up something grandma? Or you wanna going out too?” I  looked at her now who somehow summoned a little bag out of nowhere.

“You have problem with that?!” she snapped at me, I got sweatdrop at my grandma’s antic. This Grandma The Great is really  do have sharp-tongue. Raising both my hand in surrendering manner, I tilted my head a bit.

“Nah, none of that grandma,… “ I said. “Oh, do you want me to escort you to y-..”

Before I finished my sentence, Grandma already took a hold at my extending limb, with a sparkling smile at her face.

“Oh! Why don’t you say so before? Wah, such a sensible grand daughter you’re! okay, chop – chop! let’s move!” my grandma then process at dragging me toward the garage where  Bro ryan leaving his motorbike. I feeling blank for a moment before realizing that..

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

‘I’VE BEEN SCAMMED?!’

*** 

One hour has passed since a drop my grandma at the Red Bridge Plaza at an ‘Elderly Appreciation Association’ event that occurred there. I myself just sit at the park near the plaza. This city has few beautiful city park, this one is part of it. Located in east city between the river that parting the ‘old city’ area and ‘silver ring’ area, and before this park is the famous red bridge of soera city.

The value of the bridge is not at its beautiful design like the soera rainbow park, or  special event attributes, like car free day event at soera . Rather than that, it was the historic value. Or rather a very Overenthuastic fools war that ended with a miracle…unbelievable…

No, rather than that it was the most anticlimactic wars I’ve been hear about, where the Invaders army's general strucked down by anonymous's gunner, then kicked out of country,  but still….

With the local army armed with  only Bamboo Spear, Guerilla tactics, Stolen weapons, and limited person that mostly civilians that not a real army, against  the Invader that armed with air plane, firearms, and Heavy tanks and ships. It should be one sided massacre, but the aftermath is ..

“What a stubborn fellow…I love them…They’re so badassess” i said with a grin in my face while capturing the Red Bridge scenery with my phone camera. “ its that what people called a master in the masses, I wonder…”

It’s impossible to win THAT without trick afterall…

{I want to be like that, too… But there’s no war this time around though…Except that last accursed Gang war, Geesh, I still feel guilty to kick ass their but, if later they work for me instead}

In the world that I know of, it’s good that the Bigger Group of Mafia is not aware of my face, since child I’ve always make my hair to covering half of my face, and wearing thick glasses so I still can see just fine at daily life, and wearing wig also black glasses that I buy from online shopping with excuse as a birthday gift or something using my parents  Credit card when go out to beat someone up.

The idea for covering my face started after I see an espionage movies that using orphan to make a good at acting spy with multi-fake identities And the famous sailor m**n anime, and yes I did only looked at the masked guy for the reference,  at my early year at elementary school. In my childish thought that time is,..

‘Oh, like that, the bad guys would be troubled if they doesn’t know the REAL me~! They face is funny like that, haha’

And that was the start why I making a false persona that is the shy helpful and perfect pet student ‘Tia’ that I used since then whenever  go to normal occurence then to this time.

And  ‘That unidentified Guy’ while fighting around, except that know me that come from the same school or class, and the both of it All had declare themselves as my loyal subordinates.

Feeling bored from Tia styled (that I build based my cousin Tia).

So, decided to transform my appearance Before coming in this park I visited a barber and got my haircut, instead of it’s usual bowl style, I asked for a short Pixie-like style, snap a picture of it an send it to my brother so he could comment at it, as  that  he  have more good taste at fashion than me.

And he said that I really do upgraded my taste level to EMO, now.

A Meat Buns EMO, he said with laughing emoticon beside it, and a thumbs up.

‘that cheeky little…’ my hand twitched. Tried to restrain to smashed the phone out of spite.

Back to the day dream topic, since they didn’t know the real ‘face’ of the famous Erme’s  Witchy She-Devil, they’ve been snooping around the neighbourhood, and seeking trace of my existence.

Good for my adorable and useful subordinates that got a wind for these  ‘strangers’ loitering around. I  could avoided being caught, and lead the stupid goons  to a wild goose case around the vilages to Another villages.

That was quite an amusing scenery.

But, I’m also not one of those blindly optimistic person.

As experience that I gained being beat those thrash around here and there, I know that the actual larger group of mafia, wouldn’t allowed a new group formed andthey're all  quite a prideful and Vengeful kind of group.

It’s only time will passed before they truly caught of my position, and might bring harm to our family or subordinates.

I already said to my little bro that it’ll only take two way to finish this kind of conflict, either to vanishing and truly stop being involved with this shady business and look the other way, or wiped out all of competitors and taking claim at Erme’s as our territory   and being strong and invicible  enough to protect it from Outer Influence, and keeping Erme the cleanest and safest Territory ever.

The Original Plan is for me as the ‘Pioneer’ will placing the foundation at our future group, either its from Gathering loyality, economic base, Welfare, and Combat Ability of our would be subordinates, as I’m the more cool headed and more a indulgent smartbook between two of us, and laying low from the enemies radar.

while my brother who was more gifted  in Ruthless Fighting and Field Tactical ability will keep cultivating his ability as he was still too young and too emotionally unstable to actually ‘lead’ for now.

That was to wait for him to matured a little bit before I passed the position as Erme’s Protector to him.

But sadly, THIS kind of thing happening. And I’m shipped out of Erme with a big smile from either Mom or Little bro. and I’m stuck in a strange city, with how much many mafia group that I don’t have knowledge of. That maybe in the near or long future could be threat to us.

 I do hope that someday I could life a normal, be a random staff at some random company, having my own family, to have only worry about small scale things like what discount from what market today, my parents life without worries then last till they could nurture their own grandchild and my little brother still as brave, vibrant, and brilliant as he was now, but pure from all of dirty reality, successing his life as a young talented CEO or something.

But, that kind of mundane thing wasn’t suited me who get in to trouble either consciousness nor by accident. Nor  was for my brother that way more bloodthirsty character  than your average villagers.

 Even keeping my brother from accidently kill someone or burn down buildings or something, is already troublesome as it is.

{and with me out of the town, I hope that second-in-command of his, Basil or something that also one of my subordinate, to keep him from causing a more deep chaos, and could distract my little bro attention when he lost his temper,…again….}

Looking at the Red Bridge one again, one of an evidence of the Soera’s city  overwhelming fighting spirit. i sighing a bit.

While if the city look so peaceful,  look like so Admirable, and look like brimming with happiness here and with its sky craper buildings, and beautiful parks, also meaningful landmarks. But I know this city also more troublesome and trickier than Erme’s.  This also mean the way for Me as a newcomer  to ‘exist’ in this town will be a quite harsh  if their ancestor already  was like that.

I hope I could still enjoyed a bit semblance of normality a long as it last, while find, learn, and keep eyes at all knowledge and all experience I could gather that might be useful for me from this city of the nights.

 I need to be a capable all rounder  to be my brother’s shadow afterall.

***