Chapter One
Normal

Chiro's room could only be described as very "lived in." Clothes draped across every possible surface. Some plush toys from when he was a child were given prime positions on high up shelves. His plain brown curtains were ripped. Model airplanes and books were abandoned at their stations. The boy, himself, was lying on his bed, chest bare, wearing only his boxers. It was way to hot for him to slip underneath the comforting checkered quilt made by his mother. As he lay there, reluctant to get up and get dressed, he outlined one of the squares with a finger. Absently. He was thinking about Grandpapa.

A picture of the old man was presented on a book shelf visible right across from his bed. He was staring at it. Kyou's father bore a remarkable resemblance to both son and grandson. Baby blue eyes, with a square-shaped face, with midnight black hair that had the same cowlick. This picture had been taken about two weeks before his death. He was sitting on the porch at the old folk's home two blocks away from their house. A pipe hung loosely from between his libs, an extension of his tongue. A wisp of grey smoke escaped into the air. He certainly looked relaxed; quite healthy for his age. Such a shame he had to keel over like that. But it was a part of life. Chiro had learned this before.

'CHIRO! GET YOUR LAZY BUTT OUT OF BED, YA DARN TEENAGER!'

He bolted upright. 'It's summer, Mam!'

'The hell it is!' Ren Nieli shouted up the stairs. 'And guess who has chores?! So either ya get up or I'm coming up there!'

'Okay, okay, I'm getting up!' Chiro replied, hoping on one leg and pulling on a pair of jeans. He fell over and nearly knocked himself silly.

Chiro hurriedly got dressed, not even bothering to comb his hair. He swung open the door, briefly glancing at the poster of the Sun Riders he'd posted on the back. The floorboards creaked under his weight as he stormed down the stairs – precisely thirteen – and onto the main level.

The combined living room-kitchen was ablaze with excitement. The twins were playing a first-person shooter video game. Ren was at the kitchen sink. She'd already placed a traditional tuna fish sandwich on the kitchen table. Chiro charged at it, only now remembering how hungry he was. Sandwich halfway into his mouth, he glimpsed the headline on the nearby newspaper. A picture a bikini-clad blonde lounging on one of Shuggazoom's many beaches. Bold, black letters read: TEMPERATURES AT RECORD HIGH.

'NO!' Sunni screamed. He was flat on the floor, viciously jerking the controls back and forth. 'NO! NO, NO, NO! You can't win again!'

Nahara yawned, her eyes completely vacant of any joy. The video game drawled as Nahara's character shot down Sunni's.

'I can't believe it!' Sunni said. He threw down the control. 'I can't believe it! I can beat my older brother, but I can't beat my own sister! Ugh! The humiliation! I demand a rematch, you maniac!'

'I'm sick of playing against you,' sighed Nahara. 'And don't be so prejudiced. Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean I can't beat my brothers at video games.'

'Of course it means that! OW! Mam, she hit me!'

'Good girl,' said Ren. 'Chiro, eat your lunch, you're already behind in your chores.'

'...Lunch?'

'Yeah. Eat it.'

Chiro scarfed it down in one bite. Ren scowled at him, apparently unimpressed. But she made no issue of it and produced a list out of thin air. Sunni and Nahara joined their older brother, their scuffle forgotten to be replaced with looks of reluctance and (to some extent) fear.

'Okay, kids, it's time for some good old-fashioned character building,' said Ren. 'From now on, nobody's sleeping in past ten! Do I make myself clear? Good. Nahara, you get to tend to household chores. Bathrooms need to be de-molded, laundry needs to be washed and hung up to dry, and it's your turn to help me make supper. Sunni, you're weeding the garden, mowing the lawn, arrange a peace treaty with the neighbour's dog which keeps doing its business in our yard, and making the beds. Ya, you heard me! Even Chiro's! Chiro, you're doing the shopping.'

'What?!' exclaimed Nahara. 'How come he gets only one thing to do?!'

Ren summoned the grocery list; at first a mere scroll. Then it unraveled. The paper traveled all the way to the front door.

'What is this, a military base or a house?' asked Nahara.

'A military base. Now get to it or you're all grounded!'

Chiro began to pick up the list. As she past, Nahara smacked him.

'This is all your fault,' she muttered. 'It's the summer! I could be at camp! But no! You convince me that this time, we're all gonna have some "good ol' family fun!" Now, let's define "family fun," shall we? Dad's still working, Mam's busy running the base, I never see my friends, and it's hotter then a pool of lava and we don't have air conditioning! I hope you're happy!'

She smacked him a second time and stormed up the stairs. Chiro glanced over at Sunni. His younger brother was pulling on a pair of heavy boots several sizes too big for him. Sunni shrugged.

'GET TO WORK!' Ren shouted.

Chiro pulled on his sneakers and flew out the front door. From the end of the path – where he was faced with a wall of traffic – he glimpsed his mother through the kitchen window. Her expression was contorted in rage. But she was too busy pouring runny ice cream down the kitchen sink to notice him staring.

He sighed and bolted across the street at a break in the traffic.

Despite his mother's wishes for him to get the shopping done in under an hour, Chiro decided to take the long way around. The way that twisted threw the heart of Shuggazoom; past Mr. Gakslapper's hoverburger stand and Sheenko's Arcade. The activity of these parts quickly faded away into a poorer area. Here, an enormous courtyard was decorated with dying plants and a highway a little ways overhead. He hardly ever saw anybody this way. It was like the place was haunted, and the civilians avoided it by instinct.

He stopped by the bakery, located just outside of this desolate area. Two jelly doughnuts were packed neatly into paper backs with the store's logo on it. Chiro tucked them underneath his arm and scurried onwards. But all in all, It took him twenty minutes to reach the grocery store, panting heavily and yet relishing in the exercise. From the front entrance, you could see his house. Just down the street. Ren might be irritated. But it was worth it. This summer had been particularly slow. Chiro didn't leave the property much and he was thankful for any chance to break free of his parent's confines.

Chiro paused as he prepared to enter. The courtyard it was situated it was busy. But when the crowd dispersed for a minute, he could spot the mechanic's shop just across the street. Nah, it was a bad idea. That's what Chiro was thinking when he was approaching it it. The open garage was its formal entrance. He could escape at any time.

Chiro squeezed in between two banged up cars to reach the back of the shop. Here, a man wearing a stained blue jumpsuit was dancing to some heavy metal. The words were unintelligible, but oddly hypnotic. Chiro couldn't say he blamed the man for air guitaring and imitating the noises the instrument made.

'Dad?' Chiro said.

He continued, his back to him. The guitar was having a solo.

'Dad?!' Chiro shouted. 'HEY, DAD!'

The man stopped, and slowly turned his head, his body locked in an awkward position. Grinning, he uprighted himself and switched off the radio.

'My boss is gonna kill me if he sees you here, again!' Kyou Nieli grinned. 'Kinda weird...He tolerates metal music and me rockin' out to some tunes. But he hates kids. Funny world, eh? Anyways, what's eating you, Chiro? Mam got you doing grocery shopping again?'

'With a list,' smirked Chiro. 'It's five inches shorter then last time. I know I'm not complaining. At least I'm not home like Nahara and Sunni. Nahara thinks I'm to blame, as usual. She'll be sorry next time I tell Mam I'll need Sunni's help, but not her's.'

'Enjoy being the eldest!' said Kyou. 'Some of us can't even imagine what it's like! Anyways, you just stopping by or did you buy me something?'

He pulled out the package of jelly doughnuts. Kyou gasped.

'Gimme, gimmie, gimmie!' Kyou sank his teeth into one of them, the creamy red innards spilling out of the other end. He held it in a position that reminded Chiro of an animal protecting its young, as Kyou's eyes skirted to the door that led to his boss's office. Smiling at the thought, Chiro sat beside his father and began chewing on the second doughnut.

'Been a while since we sat down and talked,' remarked Kyou, mouth full. 'Have you seen...Have you talked to BT or Glenny lately? Word on the street is that they got stuck in summer school.'

'Yeah, and they aren't happy about it,' said Chiro. 'But we still have lots of time to hang out. 'Sides, it serves them right. They failed most of their classes. Don't get me wrong, they're my friends, but I just wish they weren't so lazy all the time. And then they keeping picking on the freshmen. The only reason we became friends is because I did all their homework for them for the rest of the school year.'

'Right,' laughed Kyou. 'I forgot about that.'

'Speaking of which, I better head out,' Chiro stood. He licked his fingers clean of the jelly.

'What?! You just got here! C'mon, let's at least break a few things –'

'I told BT and Glenny I'd meet them at the arch.'

'Oh, hey, you ain't goin' into the Zone, are you?' Kyou suddenly became serious. 'Same rules as always, Chiro. No one goes into the Zone. Even I support it.'

'We're allowed to be on the bridge, Dad...'

'I know. Can't be too careful. That BT and Glenny...Nice kids, but I don't really trust them. No offense.'

'None taken.'

'Anyways, you watch yourself,' said Kyou. He leaned over one of the exposed engines, jelly-covered hands quickly mixing with grease and oil. 'Now, if were up to me, I'd let you hang on the bridge and trust you to stay outta the Zone. But your mum? She hates it when she hears you've been hanging around there. And there's still a lot of Formless there. Just 'cause SK's gone, doesn't mean they ain't 'round. You hear?'

Chiro rolled his eyes. 'Yes, Dad. I get it. See you at dinner!'

'Shouldn't you do the groceries?'

He briefly checked his watch. He was already fifteen minutes late. 'I got time!'

'See you!'

Just like that, Kyou was waving and returning to his heavy metal. Chiro burst into the courtyard. He took a few steps towards the grocery, store, glancing over his shoulder to see if his father was sneaking a peek. Ten yards cleared. Twenty. Chiro was in front of the store. He grinned and slipped around the corner. From here, it was a half-hour walk to the arch. Boy, when he got home, Ren would be ticked! But Chiro didn't care.

Grinning broadly, he stuffed his hands into his sweatshirt pockets and strode down the street at a casual pace. One amongst million other pedestrians. As he walked, the list that had escaped his hands flew into the air, did complex loops, and landed in the ocean's water. It was soon taken away by the tide.

-

They were barely noticeable. Perhaps insignificant. To a bird, they might have regarded as the three figures on the bridge as nothings. Not at all curious. To the citizens of Shuggazoom, they might have considered the actions of BT, Glenny, and Chiro as taboo. Nobody crossed the bridge. It should to avoided altogether, for they feared what might cross it. And yet why had it not been torn down? Perhaps they considered it bad luck.

But to Chiro, the bridge was a place to relax. He sat on the ledge, feet dangling over the glassy surface of the water below. BT and Glenny leaned against the beams a few yards away, multicoloured graffiti spoiling the view.

And beyond them, wasteland.

The concrete that had been paved long ago gave away into a jungle. There were traces of an ancient road running into where the city would've expanded. Only the street was overgrown with weeds, vines, and an assortment of unknown plants that Chiro never really paid attention to. They could hear some birds. But no other sign of animals. Generally considered a bad omen, in these parts.

'Well, we made it to the other side,' announced BT, unnecessarily. 'Now what?'

'We see who can go furthest into the Zone, duh!' said Glenny. He prepared to step off the concrete.

'Hey, c'mon guys, we shouldn't,' said Chiro.

'What?! Just last week you –'

'I know what I did,' shrugged Chiro. 'But...I mean, what if our parents are right?'

'Aw, geez,' sighed Glenny.

'Here he goes, again.'

'No really, just think about it,' Chiro jumped onto solid ground. 'I mean, all these stories about the war...What if they're true? There's a lot of proof that it happened. And then there's Skeleton King. From what we've heard of Formless, I don't think I'd like to meet any of them.'

'Hey, SK left the planet over sixty years ago,' said BT. 'He ain't about to pop out of the jungle and start vaporizing stuff.'

'LOOK OUT! SKELETON KING!' Glenny pointed towards the jungle.

BT let out a girlish scream and scrambled away. Glenny started laughing.

'Got you!' said Glenny.

'Better safe then sorry, right?' Chiro continued. 'Why don't we hit the arcade or something?'

'You're scared!'

'No, I'm not!'

'Yes you are!' said Glenny. He ran a fair distance away from the concrete, shrouded by jungle and wildlife. 'Look at me! I'm in the Zone and I haven't been attacked my Formless! Big surprise. C'mon, I dare's ya to beat this!'

BT joined him, smirking. 'C'mon, Chiro. Let's go exploring.'

Chiro hesitated.

'Let's just forget about him, BT,' said Glenny. 'I bet there's lots of valuable stuff still around here. If Chiro's too scared to come into the Zone, we can tell everybody else at school not to try and get him to rebel a little. It's his problem he's a mama's boy.'

They turned and began their epic trek, deeper into the forest.

'Yeah, we'll just tell everyone that he's a mama's boy.'

'GUYS!' Chiro shouted. 'I'm serious!'

'"I'm serious!"' Glenny's now fading voice called back. The two of them started laughing. But even that faded away. Faded away, like their bodies were swallowed by the gaping (and intimidating) forest. Chiro stood at the edge of the concrete bridge, too afraid to step off, not afraid enough to turn back.

'BT! GLENNY!' he called.

When there was no answer, Chiro glanced at his skateboard propped up against BT's and Glenny's. He could ride back now and tell their parents. But he'd get in trouble for hanging out this far away from the city. The option in plain sight was to jump in there and drag them back by force, because this time, he wasn't going to sit by. Observing their antics had been amusing the first time around. Watching them taunt younger students, making him glad that he was on their good side.

Chiro checked his watch. He was two hours late.

'I got time,' he muttered.

With a lone bird as witness, Chiro determinedly marched into the forest. He couldn't help but feel a sense of power, exploring unknown territory. But he had to focus. Get BT and Glenny. Get out. Shouldn't be too hard. They were probably right; the forest was probably vacant of any Formless.

He spun around. Some bushes rustled. He could've sworn it. What was worse was that the bridge had suddenly disappeared. Chiro twirled in a circle. No success. He supposed that the problem here wasn't getting ambushed. It was finding his way back.