Life at home was normal. Wake up, eat breakfast, say goodbye to his mother, father, and sister, then leave for school. Law would happily skip down the street with a group of boys from the same class as him. They would play on the grounds and through class much to the teacher's annoyance. A happy smile constantly covered his face throughout the day. As soon as the bell dismissed the restless kids, Trafalgar would rush home and greet his family with stories of his day. While his mother fixed diner for the family, Law would perch himself on a cushioned chair next to his sister's bed. Tiny arms flung wildly in the air as he told her of the world outside and what he had learned in school that day. Lami would sit on her bed and watch the antics with glittering eyes. Their mother would come in afterwards with plates for all of them so they could eat together as a family. Their father would talk about his day and quiz both children on medical knowledge before it was time to go to sleep. Some nights, Law would sneak into Lami's room to keep his sick sister company in the lonely hours.
It was a simple life, but it was a happy one. Even at a young age, Law knew what he wanted to do in life. His goal was to become a great doctor just like his dad and work together to cure his sister of her mystery illness. Tiny hands wrapped around his sleeping sister as he thought about it. He held her close to him as if to protect her from the disease. All she had to do was stay alive and happy until then. "I promise." He whispered to the top of her head as they laid cuddling in the dark night. No one would bare witness to his promise, but he knew he'd keep it either way.
"There you are!" Law's mother exclaimed as she walked into Lami's room the next morning. "You're going to be late if you don't get up soon." She smiled at the children who were sleepily rubbing at their eyes. "Run and get changed then you can eat with us." His mother said as she set down a few plates onto a table in the center of the room. With that, the tiny kid shifted out of the large pink bed and down the hall.
No more than five minutes went by before a dressed and groomed Law walked through the doorway. The rest of the family had all sat down in their places around Lami's bedside with their plates as they talked. Their father motioned Law to take up the seat next to him. "I have a proposition for you!" He smiled like a toddler who had a secret to share. "Remember that coin collection we started together?"
Law nodded as he situated his tray and grasped at his juice.
"There's a grand celebration tomorrow. It's the town's 100th birthday and they're releasing a new coin at the festival!" Law's face lit up. It had been a while since they last added a coin to their book.
"Can we get it, dad?" He shouted through a mouth of half chewed food.
"Only if both you kids promise to attend the festival with your mom and me!" The older man's face wore a soft and gentle smile on it. Immediately Lami squeaked and bounced in her bed.
"Can I come? Really?" Her eyes grew twice their size and sparkled as if the night sky inhabited them.
"Of course honey! You've been doing well lately and it's no fun being stuck in your bed all day." Their mother reached over and ruffled the girl's hair as she answered. "Your dad and I finally have some time off to spend with you and we decided this was the perfect outing. Not only can we get a coin for these two," She waved a hand towards the two boys who were rambling betwixt one another about their collection, "but we can even look for a new dress for you. I'm sure the stalls will have something cute for winter."
Lami jumped up and down in her bed so much that the plates on their trays started to rattle. Lami didn't calm down until her lungs failed her and she ended up in a coughing fit. Both parents immediately attended to her and gave her a small dose of her medicine.
"Oh Law, what do you think it's going to be like?" Lami asked through labored breathing.
"Hopefully there will be lots of music and fun things to do." Law replied while his mind drifted off.
"You two can dream about the festival later. Law needs to get going now." Their mother gave him a stern but loving smile.
His eyes darted over to the clock on the near by bed stand. The tiny child jumped up in a hurry when he realized he really was running late. The boy stuffed his breakfast down his throat and started running out the door. He then ran back in the door with just as much speed and vigor to give each family member a kiss goodbye. Once again his small legs carried him out the door and down the stairs. Law snatched his hat off the bottom of the banister and scooped up his bag next to the door. Another large smile crossed his face as he sprinted down the street. He could always count on his mom to place his things right where he could grab them on his way out. Granted he never made it easy on her since he'd dump everything as soon as he was home just so he could spend more time with Lami.
Throughout the entire day at school he fidgeted in his chair. His teacher's voice may have well been a fly buzzing in a field far far away from him. He didn't hear her when she reviewed the tests out loud, nor did he hear her call his name multiple times to answer a question. A quick lecture on not paying attention was a small price to pay when it came to thinking about spending a whole day with his family.
Law had decided that if there was music he would dance with his sister. She was too sickly to stand on her own, but he figured he could wheel her around in her chair like she was dancing. Maybe one day when they were older he could holder her up to properly dance with her. Law was certain his sister would enjoy that.
His mind drifted further and further away from the small classroom as tempting illusions of tomorrow clouded his thinking. What would the new coin look like? Would it be silver like all the other coins, or would they tint it gold for such a special occasion? What about the story that would come with the new coin? Law dreamed of his father reading off the history behind the town and what ever image the new coin will bare. That was one of Law's favorite parts about coin collecting. His father always knew the history and fun facts surrounding them.
A soft giggle shook his body as he imagined his mom chastising them for making such a fun event so boring. She didn't collect coins like Law and his father did. She didn't understand how fascinating they were. It was fine though, he knew she was just kidding every time she picked on them about it. His mother would pull them into a hug and ruffle their hair while telling them to enjoy the festival. She was a kind woman who encouraged everyone to live their best life.
After going through a few hundred different scenarios, the iron bells of the school house rung out. The children rushed out the door and down the familiar streets. He said his goodbyes as the group of boys he walked with parted and went their separate ways. They had chatted about the celebration on the way home and one boy swore up and down that an infamous group of musical criminals were going to perform. No one believe him of course, not since the town was far from a safe place for any criminals. The army had a large presence in the town, keeping the people safe from harm.
Tiny feet tapped against the pavement as Law rushed home. His pace slowed just two blocks away. Curious eyes watched as firetrucks and police cars whipped past him in a rush to get somewhere. Maybe going home could wait. He was going to follow them and tell Lami about whatever was causing all this excitement. The small child followed the cars with a different kind of excitement. For now he was still on the same path home as normal. If it was close by he could sneak a peak and be home before his mother noticed he was late. It was the perfect crime.
Law watched as a police car turned down his street. Lights covered the surrounding area in blue and red. Suddenly it wasn't as exciting. The small boy could feel his heart jump into his throat as he ran harder and faster than ever before. It was just a coincidence, right? The old lady across the street must have croaked. Yeah, that's all there was to it. That's why so many emergency vehicles were there. Even while thinking this. Law continued to run at full blast.
His face reddened and eyes dropped as he turned the corner. Only then did he notice the smoke billowing up into the sky. The tall trees along the route had hidden it away from view up until then. Tears prickled up on the sides of his eyes. Tiny feet pounded against the sidewalk as he raced faster and faster still up to his house. The boy ducked under the police tape and past a few surprised men. He stopped short halfway up the drive way. His house was no longer there. It had burned down. All that remained was ashes and a few damaged support beams.
He whipped his head back and forth trying to make sense of the situation and trying to find his family. "L-Lami!?" He shouted through tears. "LAMI!" He screeched again. Water gushed down his face and his entire body shook. "Mamma!?" Without knowing it, Law was taking a few steps back trying to distance himself from the site. "...daddy?" His voice faltered and the word was barely that of a whisper.
A few men in uniform tried to calm him down and talk to him, but Law was too shaken up to hear much. Over the radio hooked on a cop's shoulder, he heard the report come in. There were people found declared dead on site. The tears had clouded his vision after that. The world went dark, cold, and ever so silent. Law crumpled in on himself as he screamed his head off. Somewhere among the nonsensical howling were the names of his family he called out in disbelief.
They were supposed to go to the festival tomorrow. Lami was going to dance with him. His dad was going to get a new coin for their collection. Their mother was going to chastise them while they enjoyed the party.
What had happened to that?
...
Three days had gone by. Law was still a mess. There were dark rings under his eyes from sleepless nights when the terror of reality had forced him awake mid nightmare. His face had gone pale and seemed to be stuck like that. He couldn't fathom that he was really and truly alone.
He had been left mostly alone in a small room in the police office. The small town didn't have any agencies in place to take care of a case such as Law's, so he was the station's problem until someone from a nearby place could take him in. He was fed and treated much like any other person staying in the jail. The only socialization was on the rare occasion that an officer would come in and tell him that the transfer was taking longer than expected, or that the paperwork had to be redone due to some error.
The authorities didn't help him much. They weren't concerned with a small brat when there was so much else going on it seemed. The boy had overheard a lot of what was going down at the station during his stay. Reports of the festival being overtaken by criminals and a riot kept the majority of the police busy.
What really had caught his attention was an outbreak. Day and night reports of people being diagnosed with an odd sickness poured in. Young, old, and everyone in between seemed to be contracting some disease that made them bed ridden. Normally waves of flu and colds were pretty common and kept under control by the hospital, but this one was different. The head doctor was no longer there to control the issue. Outbreaks spread faster than what they were used to. The effects were devastating.
It was late evening on the third day of his stay when he heard it. A report came in to the desk stating the first person to die from this epidemic was an elderly gentleman. He had contracted the disease just a week before. Cases like this were common for a lot of sicknesses, but only a week had killed him. Law had originally chalked it up to the man being ill before hand and this is what got him in the end. He quickly questioned that idea as all through out the night the reports kept coming in. More elderly people from the same care had passed. Towards midnight a blue collar worker had worked himself to death on the job while fighting the sickness. Come 2 am the radio flooded with reports of otherwise healthy individuals dying after less than a week of being diagnosed.
Law sat back on his bed and listened through the door as the desk worker was overwhelmed. He had a small note pad and pen one of the officers had given him and was writing down the reports. The death rate was rather high and from what little he heard of the symptoms it wasn't a run of the mill disease. He cracked his door wider and watched the officer take down more reports.
Another call rattled the phone. This time, he couldn't hear the report. Music sounded from further down the jail. Law was suddenly so mad at the interruption that he threw his note pad down on the ground. Who the hell sings at 4 in the morning!? The boy sat up, watched the night guard pay no attention to the boy or anything behind him, then sneaked out of his room. Unlike the other residents, Law wasn't confined to his room, but the cops didn't seem to want him wandering around unsupervised.
After a quick, angry walk down the hall he came upon the newly occupied cell. It was full of the unruly criminals from the festival. They were all disheveled and singing loudly in a happy tune. Had it not been for interrupting an important report, Law would have probably enjoyed the shanty.
The boy slammed his tiny hands against the bars to get their attention. The shanty died out and what seemed to be a leader of the rag-tag group of singers looked his way. The man stood up, afro almost touching the cement ceiling, before giving an odd laugh and bowing a bit to talk to the angry boy. "Ah, I'm sorry. Did we wake you up?" He had an oddly laid back expression for someone who was being kept against their will.
"No. Your music was too loud. I can't hear the reports." Law said as he stood up as tall as he could. He, however, only came up to the other man's kneecap. This didn't keep him from trying to sound stern while lecturing the criminals.
"You mean those dreadful calls they've been getting all night?" The man looked surprised. "They're so sorrowful. We figured it was best to bring some happiness out by singing."
"That's what the Rumbar Group does best!" One of the other men shouted from the cell.
"Happiness isn't going to come any time soon." Law muttered more to himself than to the criminals. "I need you to be quiet. I can't hear the death rates if you're so loud."
"You WANT to hear that!?" The leader asked in an astonished tone. "What ever does a child like you want with that? You're supposed to be enjoying youth with friends and family."
"Well, I can't. My family just died." Law admitted through clenched teeth. Up until now, he hadn't said those words out loud. He refused to believe them. But it was true and he had to move on. This epidemic was the only thing keeping him sane. It felt like a puzzle he could work on and solve from his little cement room.
"Oh my, it sounds like you need some happiness." The tall leader bent down until his head rested on his knees. He gave a weird, but almost comforting, smile before reaching through the bars. He extended a hand to shake while continuing to speak. "I'm Brook, second in command of the Rumbar group. If you need anything like a happy song, some friends, or an ear to listen, we'll provide it. Though," the man's voice got higher as he pushed his afro back to reveal his over sized ears, "I guess I'm nothing but ears!" He joked.
Law turned away from the hand and ignored the man all together. Brook gasped out in surprise that he was being ignored. Even his joke didn't get a chuckle. "I don't need that. I need to listen. Maybe..." Law trailed off suddenly realizing the futility of his actions. "maybe I can help?"
"If you think you can, I'm sure you will." A third man came up and rested his elbow on Brook's head while leaning against him. "Think of us as extra support though. You're now an honorary part of our group."
"You can't be that helpful if you're all locked up." Law muttered again more to himself. All the men in the cell gave out a loud surprised noise at this attack. It was true, but this kid didn't need to say it.
"At any rate, you may need to pick the brain of someone who's dealt with an epidemic like this before. An older officer, or a doctor who's seen it all." Brook offered.
"Good luck with that, they're all busier than hell because of that." The first man spoke up while leaning even further against Brook.
"I think my dad worked through an epidemic years ago." Law thought out loud. "He's not here, but maybe one of his medical journals is still around!" The boy's face brightened up at this break through. "I can see what happened then. I bet he would know just what to do!" With that, the little boy turned on his heels and ran back down the long hall.
...
Law shuffled his feet against the cobble stone pathways towards his old house. He had gone to the hospital first thing in the morning and easily got into his dad's old office. The hospital staff was indeed flooded with patients. This left him alone to read through the books and journals his dad had left in the small room. There was nothing helpful though. It was mostly procedure books and the odd college text book. Any hand written journals were cases of people coming in for repeat visits.
The tiny boy ran a hand over the soft fuzzy hat on his head as he sat back. The large leather chair swiveled away from the desk and out the large window behind him. It was still likely a journal with the information he needed existed, the only issue is it would be at the house. After hours of reading and ransacking the office he resided himself to this fact.
Even knowing this though, he wasn't ready to confront the burned remains. The long walk from the hospital to the house just wasn't enough time to prepare himself for it. The burned structure was roped off with police tape. That didn't stop the small boy from ducking under it once again and walking to the mess. It was even worse than he had remembered. The house was mostly burned away with a few walls and burnt items. Hesitant feet walked up the stairs and through a door that hung halfway off its hinges.
The stairs that once stood grand and ever steady were burned and mostly gone. A few warped stairs still existed, but they were unsafe to climb. The entire second floor was ashes with only a few burned parts shaking in the light breeze. His small feet carried him through the living room. The large TV stand and the couch were disfigured masses of what they once were. Law could still see how everything should have looked and was growing more and more distressed by the fire. It was as if someone had taken a lighter to all his memories.
Finally he stopped in front of his dad's study. Judging by the rest of the house, the study wasn't going to look much better. Law shut his eyes tight and remembered times when his dad was hunched over his work. The man could easily get lost in his work until Law came running in. Seeing that room ruined felt like Law would have to give up on his dad forever. He'd have to face his father's death and move on. Shaking hands reached for the knob unsure if he really wanted to do that just for a journal that may or may not exist.
He could save lives though. That was the only thing that made him turn the knob. His parents had taught him that if he could save a life, he should. He pushed the door open and watched a burned study reveal itself. The desk was burned and damaged, but somehow still upright. The carpet was singed. The shelves were burned but the books remained mostly untouched. The man in the room, however, didn't look the same.
"Who!" Law's jaw dropped in surprise. "Who are you!?"