"… And that´s why I want to become a clown!" Gamzee said with his ear to ear smile. The teacher clapped.
"Well done, Mr. Makara. Though I don't think being a clown includes stuff like ´doing wicked pirouettes with a kangaroo´ or ´swimming in lava rivers´" Mr. Hussie, the human that gives classes to your grade, told him. The essay was pretty good for Gam. He actually manages to make it with almost not a single spelling mistake.
"Now, is anybody up for reading their essay in front of the class?" Mr. Hussie asks and looks at the clock. "We will only have time for one more essay.
Many kids raised their hands. You look at the paper in your hands. It´s almost a full page, more than what the teacher told you to write, your brother Kankri helped you with grammar. The teacher scratches her chin thoughtfully. His eyes meet yours, he smiles slightly.
"What about you Karkat?" You gulp. You take your essay and pass to the front.
You take a deep breath. Everybody is looking at you; you will become the laughing stock when you finish reading it. But you don´t care, you truly want to become this.
"What I Want To Be When I Grow Up Essay." You said in a loud voice trying it to sound like your dad´s, high and intimidating. You realize you sound ridiculous so you just go back to your normal voice. "I want to be a data pirate. Data pirates are suppose to hack everything and they get pay for that! They work in big incorporations that need to prove their Anti-hacking systems. If the data pirates do pass through it, they will get pay more if they program a new system. Data pirates also are suppose to steal data. They get hired by companies to steal data of their rivals. The good thing about data pirates is that they get paid a lot, and they don't have to work so many hours. They usually can work in their house. The only thing they need to work is a computer and Wi-Fi! They also make codes for people who need certain programs. You don´t need to know too much stuff for being a data pirate. You just need to know how to use certain coding programs and informatics languages. I know a bit about programming and stuff. I may not be so good, but as my Granny Rosa says, ´if you practice a lot you will be not so bad at it´. Someday when I grow up, I will be a data pirate!"
You look at your classmates. They seem like if they wanted to burst out laughing.
"Come on, Vantas. Like if anybody would hire a mutant! Data pirates don't even exists, it´s just a nerd fantasy!" the blue blood kid mocks at you. You feel your heart sink.
"Don't be mean to Karkat, Aweanu! I think that if he wants to become a data pirate, then he will. Congratulations, son! Great essay, you get 1 extra point for not using anything profane this time!"
Your name is Karkat Vantas. You were 4 sweeps old when you decided you will become a data pirate. The time has gone by, and you are 100% sure, that will be your career.
"Name?" The drone asks you.
"Karkat Vantas." You said the most politely you can. Frontier drones are well known for being extremely aggressive when somebody wanted to enter to a new territory.
"Papers?" You hang him your passport and Identification, he reads them. "9 sweeps old. Originary of Prospit. Troll. Mutant: candy red blood…" You gulp.
About 1% of the total troll population is a mutant. Most of them hide in Prospit or Derse. Prospit and Derse are two colonies of Skaia. They don't have the same ruler as Skaia, so their rules and society is different, mutants are embraced still of culled. But, even in here it´s peculiar to find somebody with blood color out of the hemospectrum. You sigh. Your blood has given you nothing more than problems. But atleast you can walk by the street without the fear of being culled like in Skaia. That´s why you and your brother decided to stay in the outside colonies and don't go with your dad. You miss dad. It´s has been almost what? 4 sweeps since he left you. You are still mad at him.
"Reason of moving?"
"Work."
"Working as what?"
"Hacker apprentice, just got out of High school."
"Okay…" The takes your passport and stamped your passport. "You will now be allowed staying on Derse with Scholar Visa. When you finish being an apprentice you will have to go immediately with Population Drones to ask for the citizenship if you decide to stay on Derse. Otherwise, you will be taken to Prospit and not allowed return again. If we discover you aren´t here for studies, you will be sent to jail. Go with Population drones to give them this card after the company you are studying with has signed it."He hangs you your papers back. You put them in your backpack, grab your suitcase and continue walking.
When you get out of the ship-port the first thing you do is to call your family on a public phone.
You enter the number and wait them to answer.
"Dolorosa´s Daycare, We take care of your kids with love, who I am speaking with?" Your cousin tells you by the phone.
"Kan, it´s me, Karkat."
"Karkat! Did something happen? Did they allow you to enter to Derse?!" She asks worried.
"Yeah, I entered. Just called to say everything is alright. Heading to Lalonde Inc. in this moment."
"Oh. Well, how is Derse then? Is it true that the streets are dirty and it smells awful?"
For the first time since you arrived, you notice the view. It is amazing. You never had been in such a great city. Many people is passing by, trolls, humans, dersites. The great buildings erect majestically. In the sky, the endless void of space so similar and still different from that at home surrounds Derse. You can see it´s moon from here. It really is amazing.
"It´s nice I guess. Not so different from home just…" You try to describe it.
"Just purple?" Kanaya completes your sentence. "Well, dear, I truly hope you can actually fill your quadrants there." You blush slightly.
"Kanaya!" You snarl at her, she laughs.
"Just kidding, want to speak with the others?"
"No, it must be 10 am for you guys, you must be busy with the fucking kids and all."
"Well, Kankri is mad because one child said his lectures were boring, Porrim is trying to calm down a girl that got a bruise, and Granny Rosa is feeding the babies. I am just at the reception as usual… The place feels kind of empty without you, you know? Granny has been missing her little crab so much."
"I guess I miss you too. Never imagine how empty my life would feel without Kankri´s sermons and Porrim trying dresses on me."
"Porrim has been sad lately, without somebody to use as a mannequin." You smile.
"Oh shit!" You look at your time. "Bye, I have the interview in ten minutes. Tell Rosa I love her and Kankri to fuck himself!"
"Get it. Bye Karkat, call again when the interview finishes, okay?"
"Yeah, bye, take care." The line goes blank, you hang up the phone.
You go to the street and call for a taxi. One car parks in front of you and you enter.
"Where yo´wanna go sir?" The driver asks. You take the paper with the address from your pocket and hang it to him.
"There, how much would it be?"
"´Bout 30 boondollars, the street´s damn far." You look at your wallet, shit.
"Uhh… I only got 25."
"That´s ´kay then." He starts driving.
About fifteen minutes you arrive. You give the money to the guy and hurry the fuck of to the company, the address they gave you must be wrong. This place didn´t looked like a company. It´s dirty. Not a sign or anything. Just a door in a wall.
You look at the taxi, but it has already blast off.
You look at the paper.
Lord of Time AV. # 7 Intersection with Rogue of Life St. Derse
This can´t be. They tricked you. You traveled for five fucking hours in the shittiest stellar ship ever, waited a whole month for getting your passport and begged in your knees to Granny Rosa for this. A joke.
You can feel the rage build up in yourself. You will knock the door of this place, enter, and murder everybody.
You knock the door. Hard. You wait.
A small window on the door opens.
"The fuck are you, and what do you want?" A voice replies.
"My name is Karkat Vantas. I came here for an interview."
"Karkat Vantas, huh? Go away." The window closes. You groan.
You sit down on the place. What will you do now? Find another company to work? If you return your grandma will kill you. How you will explain this to the drones? You should have stayed working at the day care.
The door opens. A human is there. He uses really dark shades. His hair is cut in a bird, it´s blonde, almost white. He uses a shirt with a disc or something like one on it, black jeans and converses.
"Come on dude." He tells you. "This is Lalonde Incorporated."