One evening, at 18:30 pm, the time where Celine goes back home after work, she exited her store and took the umbrella she had taken in case of rain, headed towards her motorbike parked beside the sidewalk and put on her motorbike helmet. As she was leaving, she heard a peculiar sound coming from the park (yes her store is in front of the park, because people like to eat while walking or eat an ice cream on a banch, business spirit guys), curious, she opened her umbrella and entered the park, she figured she should be fast to look around, because the park was closing at 19:00 o'clock. She could easily climb over the gate, but she wasn't really fond of the thought of having to sneak out of the park at such an hour AND in the rain.
She just hurried and headed towards the sound. The rain had gotten rather violent.
"Damn, (F word) weather. "As the 'sweet' woman she was, she couldn't prevent herself from saying that.
She stopped in front of a tree. The sound was coming from behind it, it was clearly a human (sort of, they are no humans in TAWOG) sound. Sobbing.
She looked behind the tree, only to see a teenager crying. It was some sort of glitched out boy sheltering himself from the rain. Why was he outside when there's such a weather? Celine just got straight to the point, not wanting a cliché emotional scene tragic movies do so well.
"What are you doing outside in the rain kid? Go back home." she forced a reassuring enough tone. The boy stopped sobbing and noticed Celine, his eye was teary.
It took some time for the boy to answer, he looked away and said in a low voice :
"I don't have one..."
"What?" Celine blinked several times to see if she was dreaming or really had discovered a homeless kid. "How... come you don't have one?"
"I don't remember..." seriously? That's all he was going to answer?
"Do you have amnesia?" Celine started being a bit concerned.
"Yeah, a bit..." Here we go, he either doesn't have a house or doesn't remember it. Celine is rude, yes, but she's not heartless.
"Want to sleep at my place so we can try to find your parents tomorrow?" ... Eh, she could have used more tact. Nonetheless, the boy did look at her.
"I don't have a mother, and if I had, she wouldn't remember me." Celine was confused.
"Huh... I'm confused." Yeah she's confused (running gag sorry). "Could explain your situation?"
"You wouldn't believe me." Celine was not at all stopping the conversation here.
"Listen, you're a homeless boy, i'm a responsible adult... sort of. So I will help you whatever you have to say about it." She was intimidating enough.
"Okay... but you won't believe me." he said.
"Right. First of all, what's your name?" If he didn't remember his name, it would be bad.
"I'm Rob." Okay, we're good on this one.
"I'm Celine Anderson. Your last name, please?"
"I, either, don't have one or don't remember it." This is going to be hard.
"Okayyy... Now explain what I'm 'not going to believe'."
Rob then explained everything about how the world considered him as a mistake, about the void, two boys and one adult going in the void to save a girl but forgot about him, and how he hung on the adult's van. Which disfigured him as the void was trying to get him to stay.
Celine was speechless for some seconds. Normally, she wouldn't believe this crap, but...
"Hum... who was the adult with the lost van? And who were the children?" She had some intuitions about this all thing.
"The adult was a dude named , he's my school's conselor," he started.
"You don't say..." she thought.
"And the kids were, Gumball and Darwin waterson and a so-called Molly Collins, I think." Celine twitched at the two brothers' names.
"THE WATERSON BROTHERS, HUH? I should have known!" she thought, yeah, they're the only people that can put someone in extremely problematic situations. Celine actually believed him. Thanks to the fellow buddy who always talks about weird conspiracies, and guess which one he recently talked about with Celine? That's right! The void one! If she hadn't heard anything about it, she did wouldn't have believed Rob. But luck has been on the forgotten boy's side.
"I believe you, actually. Steve Small is your school's conselor, right? Well, I know him personally, and he... believes in some weird conspiracies or stuff like that. And recently, he talked about that void thing. Maybe you are just two freaks making up creepy stories, but if that's not the case, then i'm willing to help you even if i'm not the nicest person in the world."
Rob looked up dumbfounded, she was actually believing what he said.
"But how can you help me? You'll forget about me one day and you'll just leave me!" Rob stood up, pissed off.
"This is always like this, even the two other guys! 'Ross', 'Rich', 'Ralph' and a other names! NO! It's Rob! Three letters! I'm in their school! How can someone forget something AS EASY! How can I be forgotten so easily! Why was I considered a mistake?! What I have I done! Nothing! Then WHY?!" he was yelling, shouting, while Celine was just listening, she was used to shouting and screaming, so loud voices was not a problem to her.
She listened to everything Rob said, clearly, this poor boy has gone through so much. Even Celine was feeling guilty, and trust me, not a lot, almost nothing, makes her feel like this.
"Look," she offered him her hand "I promise I won't forget you. You have gone through a lot, even I can't just let you alone in the rain."
Rob was hesitant. "I don't even know you." He was also kinda alert. Can't blame him.
"And you'll never do if you don't accept my help, you do know that you have to start somewhere with absolutely anything? Friendship, getting a job, and a lot of other things. And I AIN'T letting a homeless kid ALONE in the RAIN." Short-tempered as she was, she started using intimidation. Not a great idea, but seems like it did convince the boy.
"..." Hesitant again, understandable. "How do you want to help me?" He asked while finally reaching out for Celine's hand and stand up.
Celine turned around, still holding Rob's hand (no I don't ship them plz, Rob is under 18 and Celine's an adult ew) and started walking towards the exit of the park.
"You'll stay at my house during one week, if you enjoy my company and that I enjoy yours, then I'll go to the town hall and ask for the papers to be your legal guardian. But if neither of us like eachother, then i'll ask you to be put under the care of an orphanage. Sounds cool to ya, 'Rich'?" Celine chuckled at her last word.
"You said this on purpose, don't you..."
"Of course, Rob."
They exited the park, Celina got on her motorbike and so did Rob. Celine gave him her helmet.
"Huh here, 'cause it would be unconvenient if you accidentaly hurt yourself now, ya know." Rob didn't take the helmet.
"Uhh... It's pink." Oh come on now.
"Dude, there's no people from your school at this hour, they're either eating or playing video games while gossiping with their friends on the phone!" Rob laughed at such a cliché description of what students do after school. Eventually, he put the helmet on.
They got to Celine's place. One week passed, they got the time to know eachother, talk, and they learnt to be good friends now. Plus it was now more convenient for Rob to go to Elmore Junior High on a motorbike than walking (Celine bought another helmet, not a pink one lel).
Celine went to the town hall with Rob, she is now his legal guardian.