Monster

Akiza knew she wasn't supposed to be out and about by herself, especially this late at night, but she couldn't go home, not tonight.

Quickly, she moved through the empty streets, dodging the light from the street lamps and the occasional headlights of passing cars. She couldn't help but notice how much quieter it'd gotten. Her father's angry words and her mother's panicked cries had long since disappeared. Noting this, Akiza allowed herself to slow from a run to a jog, then to a walk and finally to a stop.

Leaning over, the small nine-year old breathed heavily, catching her breath. New Domino was practically empty at this time of night save the occasional late-night jogger or drunken bastard stumbling out from the latest bar. She'd always been unnerved by the quiet, always choosing to listen to her mother sing or play light music to help her fall asleep.

But tonight was different, tonight she savored the silence and the empty streets. For once, it was nice to be by herself, to stand in a quiet space and just think.

Once she regained her breath, Akiza assessed her situation. Her mother had always told her she was rather smart for her age. Perhaps it'd been the pressure to learn to control her emotions at such a young age that had lead to her logical thinking of situations? She learned through some tough trial and error that giving in to strong, negative emotions was not the way to keep her psychic powers at bay.

Sighing, she glanced to her left and noted the park her father had taken her to just last weekend. She could just catch a glimpse of her favorite swing in the lamplight. She watched for a moment, mesmerized as it swayed gently in the light wind.

Okay, so I'm near the park, she thought with a small sigh of relief. I think I know where I am.

The momentary pleasure of being alone had begun to fade. Even as she stood looking at the familiar scene of her childhood park, Akiza's mind began to race as she remembered her mother's constant warning of stranger danger and the type of people that prowled around in the dark.

"But Mama's always worried about something," she whispered, hoping to calm her quickening heartbeat, "Everything makes Mama worry, even little things like nighttime."

I just need to get moving again. That'll make me feel better, she thought as she began her light trot again. If it gets too scary I can always go home. Papa can't be mad forever.

Though that was what she told herself, the thought of going home frightened her more than staying out alone in the dark.

She tried to picture what her father was doing now. Was he pacing his office? Calling the police? Gather a search team to go out and look for her?

She shook her head doubting that. In fact, it seemed her mother and father were happier when she was gone. Akiza couldn't help but wonder if they'd only called after her to play along. If someone asked where she had gone, they could've always said they'd tried to stop her but it hadn't worked.

Akiza wandered a little further, slowing as she gently walked down that steep hill that led to the waterside. Akiza knew that path very well. When she'd been younger she'd used to race her father down the large hill. Sometimes they'd even sled after it snowed. But every time they'd reach the bottom she'd remember her father picking her up again (sometimes sled and all), and quickly heading back up the hill. He never answered any of her questions about the island-like place in the middle of the water. He'd changed the subject every time.

But now she understood his apprehension as she stood at the railing. From class she'd finally learned that the strange little island was called the Satellite.

According to her teacher and a few of her louder classmates, it was home to bad people like thieves and burglars. Her teacher had said that they sent the bad people there and marked them so that Sector Security could protect the people of New Domino from them. Sector Security put the bad people to work making them collect scrap and fuel New Domino's electricity. She'd said that sometimes, if the people were nice enough they would be allowed to stay in New Domino.

Akiza couldn't recall much after that. She remembered a few classmates arguing that their parents said that the bad people shouldn't be let back in. Even her teacher had agreed that she felt that once someone was a Satellite, they were always a Satellite. Akiza hadn't liked that.

People had always called Akiza scary, even when she was little. She'd changed schools so many times that she couldn't remember where one schoolyard memory began and another ended. Some kids had even gone as far as to call Akiza bad, but Akiza didn't think she was bad. They could say she was bad all they wanted, but Akiza knew she didn't do bad things.

Thinking on that, she had to believe that Satellite must have some people that others thought were scary and bad, but weren't.

Leaning over the railing, Akiza took in the site of the Satellite. It was a small island, covered in what looked like metal and other sorts of junk. She couldn't even begin to wonder how people managed to live over there. She wondered if any of them dueled like they did over in New Domino.

Reaching into the pocket of her jumper, she pulled out her deck. She gotten the deck from Papa earlier in the week for his birthday. They'd finally gotten around to dueling that night after Papa had finished all his paperwork. Akiza had accidentally started a fire with her psychic powers. She'd hadn't meant to, but she'd scared both Papa and Mama. Papa had even called her a monster.

Akzia absentmindedly wiped away a tear from her eye as she thumbed through her cards.

"I wish duel monsters were real," she whispered softly as she turned over each card and took in it's image, "Then maybe they could be my friends."

She couldn't help but think that duel monsters of all things would understand the trials of having unusual powers.

With a small yawn, she rubbed her eyes. The night grew dark as the streetlights began to dim one-by-one. She'd forgotten they were now on conserved-power. Apparently some people in Satellite had gone on strike.

"I bet there's someone in Satellite who would play with me," she thought aloud, "I bet there's someone in Satelitte who wouldn't be afraid of me and could be my friend."

With that thought in mind, she fell asleep with her head on the railing, the scene of Satellite disappearing before her into the dark of night.