The year 2017. There is one thing that comes to mind when you say 2017: technology. Yes, everything is futuristic in 2017. Computers have taken over all electronics as microchips. Everything is just perfect.
Well, except for the fact that magic exists.
2009 was marked with the proof that magic exists in the modern world.
Now, magic mixes well with technology, in either good or bad.
Yes, magic is used by criminals. But, they chose to be criminals.
Magic can only be used by a group of people that have magical ancestry. In other words, you can't be a magic user if your bloodline hasn't interacted with magic.
Magic criminals are different than their normal counterparts, so back then, 5 years ago, the military had organized a "secret" experiment involving a normal boy getting magical abilities using the power of science, but it was later discontinued due to "reasons".
Think magic users have an easy life? Think again. Why would you think magic users can turn evil? One word: discrimination.
Yes, discrimination. Much like how white treats black, normal people treat magic users with contempt, jealousy, envy, and all those negative feelings you get when you're envious.
Yep, the world's still ain't perfect when it comes to society.
Ugh, let's just get to our story.
Chapter 1: Take My Hand
"Take my hand."
Such precious words. Wonder who said it?
Our story begins with the life of 17-year-old John Hick Travolta, or Hicky. His father is Damien Travolta, 47 but still looks young who has ties with the military because of his past occupation as a sniper, now a renowned author of "The Sniper", a popular book about Harding P. Sta. Maria, US' greatest sniper that ever lived.
Hicky's mother is deceased, due to undisclosed reasons that the Travolta family never talks about.
Oh, he has a brother, Percy Dre Travolta, a 15-year-old shut-in or "hikikomori", as Hicky prefers to call him. Due to undisclosed reasons yet again, his brother turned to the computer for 5 years straight without getting out of the house. The moments where he's out of his room is rare as well.
Hicky is your normal US teenager, living in Dreamdare, Ohio, a new city that sprang up from a growing town. Yes, just normal.
Now, let's start the show, shall we?
- August 7, 2017 -
"Ugh, finally morning..."
That was the voice of an unamused Hicky as he wakes up for the first day of class.
He goes up to the mirror on the wall, and he sees a blonde boy, blue eyes, having a bad bedhair situation.
"Dammit, I hate having bedhair," Hicky declared.
Let me introduce our protagonist again. John Hick Travolta, 17, University student. He's your typical normal American teen.
"Dreamdare still feels so empty. But I can't let that make me down!"
In actuality, Hicky doesn't hate going to school, in fact, he's excited about new friends.
"Hey, Hicky! Percy! Breakfast is ready!"
That was Mr. Damien Travolta, 47 but still young. And the other one that he called out was his younger son, Percy Dre.
"Hey, hikikomori! Let's eat!"
Percy responded, "Nah, leave it at the door. I have an important matter at hand."
"Geez, boy, if you ain't gonna get out of there, I might get you an arranged marriage," Damien jokingly stated.
"Hey, dad, what's my new university like?"
"Dreamian University? Well, it's my alma mater. I have respect for that school. Hey, Hicky, better make a good first impression, ok? You'll be fine," Damien gives Hicky advice.
"Dad, come on. I'm already 17. What could possibly go wrong?"
Hicky shrugged off his nervousness, wore the standard uniform, a simple white long-sleeved polo shirt with tie, with a grey unzipped hoodie atop of it because Hicky likes it, and went on his bike to school.
The wind blows opposite Hicky as he feels the rush. The fact that the possibility of new friends is giving him lots of energy.
Such nice wind can't be felt anywhere but in the comfort of a biker rushing to his destination.
Traffic aside, Hicky knows of a shortcut that'll help him get to the University with ease.
About 10 minutes pass, and Hicky finally arrives at his destination.
Dreamian University. This will be Hicky's great beginning.
Unable to contain his excitement, Hicky rushes to his classroom, with the prospects of new bonds.
But, to his surprise, he sees the school to be completely trashed, like some hurricane passed through.
Injured students, cracked walls, this is the last thing Hicky ever wanted to see in his first day of school.
Hicky ran through the hallway to investigate, seeing more of the thrashed school in the process.
Students weeping in pain echo through Hicky's ears, giving him a vision of a silhouette of a boy, in front of a dead body, a woman, lying on the ground, with people watching.
"No, no, I can't think of that now. I mus-"
At that moment, Hicky sees a familiar face. Brown-haired boy, curly hair, black eyes, a tanned complexion, and worry smothered over his face.
...
"Gerald, is that you?"
"Hicky? Are you a student here?"
As the two of them are reunited, I'll explain to you the details.
The brown-haired boy's name is Gerald Jefferson, a resident of Yanker, Illinois. Hicky and his family lived in Yanker until 5 years ago, when they moved to Dreamdare, Ohio. Gerald is described as a person with a golden heart. When he sees someone in trouble, he would help them the best way he can.
"Nuff with this reunion, what happened here?"
"I dunno. But, it's related to the infamous Weapon Girl."
The infamous Weapon Girl. If you haven't heard of her, she's the one that had been terrorizing a lot of schools in the United States.
It is a given that she is a magic user, but her reasons why she's terrorizing schools are unknown.
"We have to stop her terrorizing the school before more people are hurt!"
Hicky responded, "You're the same as always, Gerald. Always helping people in need. What's the plan?"
"Our plan is, we make her surrender," Gerald thought up.
"Make her surrender? How?"
Gerald then answered, "Did you forget, Hicky, that I'm a magic user as well?"
"No, I didn't forget about you controlling magic. I just thought, you can control fire, she can make weapons pop up out of thin air. How are you on par with that?"
"Uh... Forget about the minor details, let's go, I think she's on the rooftop."
After saying that, Hicky and Gerald quickly run towards the stairs that leads to the rooftop.
It was quite a run, but knowing that he'll help a lot of people makes it worthwhile for the both of them.
Reaching the roof top, they see a brownish red haired girl, brown eyes, wearing a red hoodie, and it looks like she's been waiting for them.
"Stop this! Or face the power of Gerald Jefferson, the Flaming Boy!"
Hicky through to himself, "You should think more about your magic user alias, dude. That name sucks."
But, before Gerald could make a move, the Weapon Girl had already stuffed him into a cannon and fired him off.
BANG!
Hicky can't believe what he just saw.
"Will Gerald even survive that blast?"
After saying that, he (unintentionally) gazed over the Weapon Girl's eyes.
What he saw is sadness, depression, lonesome emotions.
Hicky is then reminded of the vision, which turns out to be a traumatic memory.
"She's... She's all alone in the world. How can... I have to help her," Hicky thought to himself.
But, while thinking, the Weapon Girl had summoned blades and threw it at him.
"Wha- Blades?! You serious!? Stop!"
Hicky is in so much fear over the blades that the Weapon Girl are throwing, but the Weapon Girl seems indifferent about it.
"Stop it, please!"
Hicky still pleaded for mercy while running around the rooftop, but the Weapon Girl does not care that she'll kill him.
"Please! I just want to help!"
Hearing the phrase "I just want to help!", the Weapon Girl stopped throwing blades and tried to listen to what Hicky is trying to say.
In a calm voice, Hicky stated, "I want to help you. I see sadness and loneliness in your eyes. Please let me help you,"
For the first time, the Weapon Girl spoke in a somewhat weeping voice, "How-how are you gonna do that, huh? Y-you don't know anything about what I'm feeling!"
"You're wrong! Even though I don't use magic, I still know the feeling of being the only one to have your own back. No friends, no family. Just yourself against the world. I know that," Hicky said in his calming voice.
Hicky then continued, "Why are you doing this? Why are you terrorizing schools? Is it because you're a discriminated magic user?"
"Why does it care to you?"
"Come on, if you won't open up, I'll have to call the police on you," Hicky threatened. Of course, Hicky wouldn't do that. He knows in his heart that he can help her.
"B-b-because I'm jealous of you normals, alright?! It's because I'm jealous! I also want a normal life, but after my powers appeared 5 years ago, my own family abandoned me! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"
Hicky was surprised at what he heard. "Abandoned by her own family?"
"I have no one to rely on! I have no one! I have no family to share my problems! I wish I was de-"
"Don't. Dare. Say it."
From what Hicky said, it seems he's pissed off at what the Weapon Girl said about wanting to die.
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY YOU WANT TO DIE! Please, don't say such a horrid thing," Hicky stated, with his voice seemingly breaking down.
The Weapon Girl was surprised at what she heard. "He-he cares about m-my well-being? Is he f-for real?"
Then, Hicky took a deep breath, and summoning all of his courage, he said, "Take my hand, it's a start!"
"No! You're tricking me!"
"If you're thinking that I'm deceiving you, please don't be so negative. I'll be with you forever and ever always," Hicky said, smiling genuinely, hitting a spot in the Weapon Girl's heart.
"He-he-I can tell he's for real! But why? Why does he care?" The Weapon Girl thought to herself.
Finally breaking down, she asked Hicky, "Why? Why do you care about this piece of trash like me?!"
"Why?"
Hicky thinks about the traumatic memory, then says, "There's no reason. And man, you are one negative girl. You do know that will affect your cuteness, right?", while having a grin on his face.
The Weapon Girl then blushes for a moment, but then quicky tears up and goes toward Hicky.
But, instead of taking his hand, she embraces him while weeping.
"Thank you! Someone cares! Someone cares about me!" she cried, gripping onto Hicky's hoodie.
Surprised by the situation, Hicky is left speechless. But, instinctively, he embraces her, and says, "Crying can destroy beauty, remember that."
After a while, Gerald, looking pretty much injured, pops out of nowhere and states, "Aha, you thought you had foiled me? Let's se-"
He finally sees Hicky and the Weapon Girl hugging together, and he instinctively says, "What did I just miss that you guys had gotten closer together?"
Realizing what they're doing, Hicky and the Weapon Girl push themselves away from each other, while the both of them blush like crazy.
"Did I interrupt some kind of love confession that helped calm down the Weapon Girl or something?"
They both shout, "THAT'S NOT IT!"
After that moment, Hicky remembers something, he wants to ask her name, "Oh, hey, Weapon Girl, what's your name? Calling you Weapon Girl will be weird for me if we're to become friends."
With a smile, she answers, "Call me Aiko Rivera, alright?", then she winks at him.
Hicky then remembers something again, then he takes something out of his pocket, goes toward Aiko, and ties a red ribbon on her hair.
"There! I'm supposed to give that to the first girl I befriend in this school, but, you look even cuter in it, I thought.
Aiko then blushes and says, "P-please don't toy with m-my feelings!"
"Don't say that, you're making me blush."
"W-WAHH! I'M GOING DOWNSTAIRS FIRST!"
Aiko then rushes over to the stairs, feeling embarrassed.
"Damn, you're already laying down the smooth moves on a girl, and she's the Weapon Girl, even. Are you a chick magnet? Coz if you are, I'm jealous, man," Gerald jokingly told Hicky.
"Shut up man."
"You're not going to tell her?"
Hicky answers, "Tell her what?"
Gerald implies, "That 'thing', you know?"
"She doesn't have to know. It'll break the trust I've built up in her."
Gerald grins, "That's an interesting logic. Hope you don't regret it later, though."
"Hmm. I hope not."
And as the sun sets, Hicky unexpectedly states, "I'm gonna make her stay in my place!"
Gerald backs away and says, "W-what?!"
And Aiko, returning from downstairs, overhears Hicky's statement, and reacts by saying, "W-whaa?!", while blushing.
The sun sets over Dreamdare, and a new romantic comedy story, with a pinch of fantasy, science fiction and social topics, is born.