AN: I'm not dead, I promise.
"Paradise" wasn't quite the perfect word Lincoln would use to describe Fortune.
Actually, he didn't know how to describe it.
He noticed some things while he relaxed in Fortune City for now. First off, there were fewer people on the streets bustling about. It was as if there was a hidden aura that forced everyone indoors. It felt weird seeing empty gaps in this massive city. Even cars felt to be a rarer sight by the passing days.
He took part in a few things, choosing not to stay cooped up in his hotel room the entire time. With Shade and Ray, they visited a small feast that spanned across a street. Not all the food enticed him, but there were some remarkable findings in the mix, like that fruit cake that exploded in his mouth. Quite literally. He swore he could still feel the amazing aftertaste days later.
They went to the largest park in Fortune. Despite being slapped in the middle of the chaotic city, the park was a peaceful time. Trees and hills were scattered about, and a few tiny man-made rivers were present, with small bridges accompanying them. Small critters, high in the trees and hiding between the bushes, were here and there, used to people invading their lands by now. Lincoln was relieved their battle with the Big Bosses didn't get dragged here. It was too pure to be meddled with.
He had even gone to one of the more extensive libraries of the city, curious about the literature they had here. Lincoln wasn't the most diehard fan of books, but he could always respect a good read, especially comics. There were a few that caught his eye. However, the stories he found were either disappointing early or took too long to get going. It was probably his fault. He wasn't in the mood to get into something so significant at this moment in time.
As the days went on, the city people seemed to get quieter. He didn't know if that was just his headache messing with him or if it was true. There were still many voices to be heard, the people who spoke their minds to Atlas, to name a few, but overall, the city seemed less earsplitting.
About three and a half days after Atlas acquired the city's key card, Lincoln sat at a small table of three at a tiny restaurant. The cute little place sat on a quiet street corner, with a few tables outside near the sidewalk. The other two seats were occupied by Shade and Ray as they all ate some delicious fried rice in box containers. They chose to eat during the day, so there were fewer people than usual. All three children grew tired of catching flares from random adults they didn't know.
Shade gave Lincoln a concerned look as the white-haired boy rubbed his head a little. "Are you sure you're alright?"
By now, Shade was aware of the ongoing headache in Lincoln's skull. At first, she thought it was a harmless, one-time thing, but now…
He nodded with a smile. "I'm fine. It'll go away soon."
Looking over at her, the girl wore casual clothing: a red sweater, a black shirt underneath, and a black skirt to her knees. A few days ago, he wasn't used to her wearing anything but professional wear. It was nice to think she was feeling more comfortable around him as something other than a simple business partner.
Ray, who wasn't paying much attention, kicked his legs back and forth happily while he ate his food in his purple t-shirt and light blue sweatpants.
Shade furrowed her brows. "At least visit the spa I recommended last time. It could help."
Lincoln's smile continued. "I just might, thanks."
When he returned to take another spoonful of rice, she stared at him momentarily with concerned eyes. Eventually, she sighed and stood up from her seat. "I need to use the bathroom. I'll be right back."
"Kay!" Ray said, and she walked off.
Lincoln watched her disappear into the restaurant's washroom. After swallowing his spoonful, he turned to Ray, who was still eating his lunch.
"So, Ray, how's everything?"
Ray gulped his food down and replied with a happy nod. "The food's amazing! I can't believe I've missed something so good!"
Lincoln's grin shrunk. "You didn't get anything good while Atlas cared for you?"
Ray shook his head. "No, I think I had good things to eat there, too, but I didn't have any taste while I was sick."
Lincoln's eyebrows raised, and he stared at the boy younger than him. He couldn't believe he lost his sense of taste until now. Thankfully, he got it back. He didn't know what he would do if he had no taste. "Well, at least now you can enjoy some good food."
The other boy nodded. "Yup! There are all kinds of things I want to try. Shade's showing me a bunch of things, too. I can't wait!" He went back to his food but was noticeably a little less enthusiastic. "I'm kinda bored, though."
"How come?" Lincoln asked.
Ray shrugged. "Me and Shade used to go on missions all the time for supplies and stuff. It used to be fun. But we don't have to do that anymore, so…"
"Isn't Shade getting you into school? That could be fun." Lincoln thought back to yesterday when Shade told him about that. She seemed to hold all of the excitement for Ray.
Ray audibly groaned. "I know!" he whined, "But the other kids will be boring."
Lincoln chuckled. "Come on, it's not going to be that bad."
"Easy for you to say. You're not the one going to school."
Lincoln shrugged. "You're not wrong. But I did go to school once."
The younger boy raised a brow. "Really? Is it fun?"
"Well, there might not be strong kids like you, but there are other ways to make school enjoyable."
Ray rolled his eyes and dropped his chin to the table. "Like?"
Lincoln thought for a moment, smiling at the fond memories. "Well, growing up with kids your age is way more fun than hanging out with adults."
Ray's eyes peeled up a little. "I guess so."
"You can find more stuff you enjoy doing at school and kids that enjoy the same things. There's something special about meeting a random person who isn't related to you and deciding they'll be one of your closest friends. And before you know it, you'll create so many memories with those friends that you can't keep track of everything. Just because other kids aren't as strong as you doesn't mean you should count them out."
"I guess…" Ray said before abruptly rising off the table. "But I don't need to learn anything either. I have Shade. She knows everything!"
He couldn't help the smile come to his face. Ray really looked up to her, didn't he? It warmed his heart how much they cherished each other. However, he couldn't help but feel a bit envious.
"Exactly. And she knows you need your education," Lincoln said with a slight smirk.
Ray laughed a little before his smile slowly turned into a frown. He began to pick at his food when Lincoln was moments away from asking what was wrong.
"I don't want to leave her alone."
Lincoln stayed silent, letting the boy continue.
"I… I can tell when she's not feeling well. She'll smile and look happy, but I can tell. I thought it would have lightened her up when I got better, but…" He trailed off, sighing.
"Something else is bothering her now. She's been helping me all this time. I want to help her now."
Lincoln breathed through his nose, looking down at his own food. "I used to be the same as you."
Ray perked up.
"I knew someone once. Many people, actually. I could tell when they felt down even if they tried to hide it." He gave a small smile at the fond memories springing up in his head. Turning to Ray, he issued one lasting statement. "Be there for Shade, but remember that she will need her own space too. Everyone does."
Ray locked his innocent eyes with Lincoln's for a moment before he nodded with a determined look.
Lincoln smiled at him before someone interrupted them.
"I brought freezling!" Shade said, placing three bowls of the dessert on the table. They all had a spoon stuck inside, waiting to be pulled out.
Ray gasped with sparkling eyes.
Shade chuckled, turning to Lincoln. "The last time we had freezling was years ago. It was half melted, and the container was nearly empty, but I remember that day like yesterday."
"Oh my gosh!" Ray yelled. He looked to be struggling to contain himself, moments away from pouncing out of his chair to gobble the dessert greedily.
"Well, now you have all the freezling you could ever want," Lincoln said with a smile. He was moments away from mentioning they called it "ice cream" where he was from, but that could lead to unwanted discoveries.
Shade giggled at Ray's display of impatience. "I got us all berry bomb, meso, and spathe," she said, and Lincoln realized she was talking about the flavors. Each bowl had one scoop of red, brown, and white freezling. Even he couldn't wait to see how it tasted now.
They each took a bowl and dug in. No one was faster than Ray.
As the cold dessert hit their tongues, the three of them moaned out in bliss. Even Lincoln hadn't had ice cream in a long time. He was happy to say it tasted just as incredible from back on Earth.
While they happily ate their freezling, they continued a few minor conversations.
Throughout that time, Shade wore a smile on her face. Ray stared at her with a slight frown, and even Lincoln looked on intently. The girl didn't notice their gazes.
Ray noticed it immediately, but Lincoln wasn't far behind. As he said, he had enough experience in the past to see through Shade's smile.
It troubled the youngest boy. So much, in fact, that he completely forgot to ask Lincoln if he wanted to play with him later that day.
Lincoln gave him a small, encouraging smile, silently telling him it would be fine.
Ray returned the smile, albeit much less strong than he would've liked.
After finishing their dessert, the three walked down the sidewalk, heading to the Central Hospital, which was now Atlas's new base of operations.
Ray was a little ahead of the other two, gleefully skipping as he had a little extra freezling that Shade bought from the store before they left.
Shade and Lincoln followed close behind.
Around them, some buildings were cracked, caved in, or completely missing, all due to the fight with the Big Bosses. The people who lost homes or business buildings were compensated with pay and a hotel. Meanwhile, the construction workers were hard at work repairing everything. This was probably the most they've had on their plate for a long time.
Out of Ray's earshot, Lincoln asked, "So how's Ray? You know, his condition?"
Shade smiled, happy to answer. "Nothing's come up since he's been healed," she said. "I'm so grateful. I still remember when he first got sick. I was so worried, and I couldn't sleep that night. I kept telling myself that it would only be for a day or two, and when I woke up the next night, he'd be fine. But… that never happened."
Lincoln kept his ears open for her.
"Eventually, I started to lose hope." She paused, looking troubled for a moment. "I hated myself for it… Ray deserves better than me."
Lincoln frowned. "Don't say that. He loves you more than anything."
Shade shook her head. "I know, but… I just wish he didn't have to suffer for so long."
"He still has plenty of life ahead of him," Lincoln said. "And he'll definitely want you with him."
Shade gave a small smile. "I guess I should look at the bright side of things."
"I heard you were getting him into school."
She nodded. "I think that's best for him. I'll always be there for him, but I want him to have his education and become self-dependent. He might even find some friends his own age."
Lincoln held back on telling her what Ray mentioned earlier about the kids being "boring." Perhaps it would be better for Ray to see for himself before Shade intervened.
"He's not too thrilled about it," Lincoln said, "But I'm sure he'll thank you down the line."
"I hope he doesn't get too mad at me. I'm not forcing him to go to school, but I must push that notion."
Lincoln shrugged. "Siblings fight all the time. So if a fight starts from this, just don't take it too far. You two will be alright. Nothing should ever take away that love you share for each other."
"O-oh, we're not siblings," Shade said with a shake of her hands.
With a warming smile, Lincoln said, "Have you seen you two? Of course you are! You don't need to be blood-related to be family."
Shade stopped her walk, and so did he seconds after. She stared at him momentarily before gazing at Ray, who was far ahead of them, deep in thought.
"Do you think… he feels like that?" Shade asked.
Lincoln nodded. "I'm sure of it."
Her thoughts were interrupted when Ray shouted at them. "Why are you guys so slow! Come look at this!"
They quickly walked over to Ray and saw what he mentioned. Many construction people were working very fast on a large building.
"Look how fast they are!" Ray said, looking up at them with a bright smile.
Lincoln had to admit, they were fast. It looked like a standard video being fast-forwarded. The building would be completed in mere hours at the rate they were going.
A familiar dark-toned woman stood tall before the incomplete structure as she inspected the progress.
"It's Tamesha," Lincoln said.
Shade nodded. "Atlas gave her the lead to rebuild all the damaged buildings. This was one of the bigger ones. It used to be one of Evan Medy's showrooms."
"Ah."
Ray tossed his finished freezling container aside and jogged up to Tamesha with a smile.
Shade frowned at him. "Ray, don't just throw that on the ground!"
Ray laughed. "Sorry!"
She groaned and walked over to pick it up.
Before Ray got any closer to the building, he was gently pushed back by some unknown force.
"Not too close, kid. You shouldn't interrupt my workers," Tamesha said with a finger pointed at him.
"Woah! Did you just move me with your mind?!" Ray said with a grin. "That's cool!"
Ray's praise didn't affect Tamesha, as the woman returned to her work without a word. But unbeknownst to Ray, it was slightly amusing to her.
Lincoln and Shade walked past Ray; unlike the younger boy, they weren't pushed back. The two stopped next to Tamesha and stared at the workers doing their jobs.
Shade asked, "Is everything going smoothly?"
Tamesha sighed through her nose calmly. "Smoothly, yes. But my men and I didn't exactly ask for this amount of overtime." She rolled her eyes and said, "And now I have double the work I used to since Leopold is gone."
Shade nodded. "Noted. I'll let Atlas know as well."
Tamesha scoffed. "Thanks."
Shade walked off, leaving Lincoln alone with Tamesha momentarily. "Hey, uh, sorry for tasing you the other day. And for all of the workload you've gotten."
"It's fine," Tamesha replied in her dull tone. "It was all business at the end of the day. You were only doing your job. I know it wasn't personal."
"Still, I'm sorry."
Tamesha stared at him for a moment with a bored look. Staring at the kid's eyes, she could tell that he was being sincere. There was not a hint of sneakery fuming from him. Unlike Shade, he showed that he wasn't completely guilt-free.
She turned back to the building.
A new thought came to mind, and Lincoln changed the subject. He vividly remembered when Atlas mentioned Tamesha's mother as a way to "persuade" her.
"How's your mom?" he asked.
Tamesha hesitated for a moment. The boy's question was honest. If it were Shade or daresay Atlas, they would have used the question as a twisted reminder that they could instantly kick both out of the city.
Clearing her throat, she replied, "She's doing fine. I'm visiting her after my shift."
"That's nice," Lincoln said before trailing off awkwardly.
He chuckled, "Maybe I'll go visit her too."
Surprisingly, Tamesha gave off a chuckle. "I'll introduce you two later today, then. At midnight." Her slight grin slowly faded away, and her tone turned heavy. "I'm sure you have her address."
Lincoln frowned, looking down at his feet. "Sorry."
She didn't reply or even spare him a glance.
Silently sighing, he turned away and began to walk.
"I wasn't joking, by the way. It's not like I can stop you." Tamesha wasn't so ignorant. The boy was genuine. Her mother might love the company other than herself.
Lincoln paused, twisting to her. She still didn't look back, but he gave a small smile. "I'll see you at midnight then."
Tamesha gave one last short hum as Lincoln returned to the other two.
The three kids walked together, having some conversations along the way. They immediately went up the main elevator when they arrived at the Central Hospital.
This was the first building that had received repairs following the fight against the Big Bosses. Along with some upgrades from Atlas's tech, the building looked brand new and futuristic.
Immediately after stepping off the elevator, the three kids saw Atlas speaking with one of the head officers down the hallway. The man's suit looked a little more messy than usual, but his eyes were still firm behind the glasses he wore. They barely picked up on what they were saying.
"And how big is this family business?" Atlas asked with a frown.
The officer, who once worked under Dr. Barker, replied, "One of the wealthier ones, sir."
Atlas sighed. "Get some of your men and deal with it."
"Yes, sir!"
The man left Atlas, walking past the three kids and into the elevator.
Lincoln had a good feeling about what was happening from what he heard. Someone was probably planning on trying something to oppose Atlas. "Deal with them" most likely meant to kick them out of the city. Atlas had done so before, but Lincoln never witnessed the go-ahead. Everyone deserved their opinion, but kicking them out of their home was too much.
Looking over to Shade, the girl took the "turning a blind eye" route. She grabbed Ray's confused hand and walked off in a different hallway.
He wouldn't do the same.
Walking up to Atlas, who was grumbling to himself as he checked something on his smart screen, his steps grabbed the older man's attention.
Like there was a switch for it, Atlas's expression turned joyous when looking at the boy. "Lincoln, my friend! How is everything?" he asked.
"It's good," Lincoln replied. He had to force out a smile. "Is everything alright here?"
Atlas sighed. "Well, it is tiring, to say the least. But things are going smoothly for the most part."
Lincoln frowned. "'For the most part?'"
The man sighed again, adjusting his glasses. "Just some people stepping out of line."
The boy's frown held sturdy as he began to scratch his head. "… are you sure you're not being too hard on people?"
Atlas looked at him with his soft brown eyes. His features were delicate, but his tone stayed stern and strong. "Lincoln, I must set an example for everyone. I took the position I now stand in to protect everyone. Slowly, people will begin to realize that and fall in line. And when that line is perfectly straight, we'll finally have order in this city." His expression somehow softened more. "Please, Lincoln. Put some trust in me and give me time. You'll see for yourself my vision of the future. You understand, right?"
Lincoln stared at him briefly. At least he could say he believed the man's words.
"Yeah… I understand," he said with reluctance.
Atlas gave a small smile, getting ready to turn his wheelchair. "Thank you, Lincoln. For now, I need to get going. We can talk another time."
Lincoln nodded with a little smile of his own. "Yeah."
As he watched Atlas roll-off, Lincoln's smile started to drop. He sighed when the headache started to return. Maybe he would go visit that spa Shade told him about.
It was a couple hours before midnight. Luckily, unlike many other places, the spa Shade spoke of was open very early in the city's sleep cycle.
Stepping through the front doors, the lobby was calming, with relaxing music paired with it. Along the golden and white walls were multiple adjacent waterfalls that created a soothing noise. The floors were patterned gray tiles, and the ceiling was far up. The front desk with a single door behind it was at the end of the room. Two other doorways were on both sides of the door, one with a male sign and the other for a female.
His steps were the only other noise that occupied the room as he walked to the front desk, where an older, gentle-looking lady sat.
The kind lady quickly introduced herself, and they had a small conversation. Soon enough, Lincoln paid for the services, and the lady stood up. He was given a towel and bathrobe after a trip to a closet behind her.
Heading into the guy's area, Lincoln already had a planned route forming in his mind.
He changed into the bathrobe; his first stop was the steam room. It wasn't new to him, having visited many spas on Earth. It was nice and quiet. There weren't many other people here either, and the room was grand enough to make him feel like he was the only one in the humid room.
After the steam room, he stayed in the lounging area for a bit before requesting a head-to-toe massage from one of the workers.
A few minutes later, he was taken to a private massage room.
"What adorable white hair," the massage woman said in a cheery tone, making him blush slightly. "Just sit right over there, and we can get started."
The lady was excellent with her work, and he would definitely call her a professional. It felt so good he didn't even notice the main painful reason for coming here vanishing. Not to mention when she moved to his back. He didn't even realize how stiff it was. The boy could feel the woman using her energy to significant effect.
Lincoln's time at the spa was well worth it. He enjoyed it so much that he tipped the workers double as usual, which was already a huge amount to begin with. It didn't take a prodigy to determine that both parties were more than satisfied.
He felt wholly refreshed and raring to go. His irritating headache was just an afterthought now.
Speaking of his head, he really let his hair grow out some. Naturally, his hair grew slower than the average person, and ever since he arrived, his hair seemed to grow even slower. The last time he had a haircut was before he transferred here. He would estimate about a year from now. His hair wasn't all too long. Anyone who saw him now probably wouldn't even notice it, but it was all too noticeable for him. It tickled him slightly lower on his forehead. Just a trim would do.
With enough time to spare, he messaged Shade on his smartband, asking for a recommendation for a hair salon. A few minutes flew by as he stared at the busy streets to pass the time. He got his reply: an address and a grinning emoji. Smiling, he began his way to the hair salon. This time, however, he took to the skies in a burst of white energy.
People from below gazed momentarily to spot Lincoln flying between the tall buildings. Like a flying car, the boy followed the directions on the map and arrived at the hair salon in record time. Landing at the front, his energy dispersed. The sign read: Silver Strand Styles. Just to make sure, he double-checked the map and confirmed it was the correct place.
Heading inside, the front doors jingled a bell.
A couple of women tended to another in one of six styling chairs. Other than that, the salon was empty. The one who worked had long black hair that reached behind her knees with minor violet streaks, while the other had red hair of similar length. Both of them spoke to each other casually.
"Have you seen how Linda's been dressing lately?" the red-haired lady asked. "She's really spicing things up!"
The other one focused on her client but replied nonetheless. "Well, she's been talking about trying new things. Maybe it's her way of embracing change."
"Oh, please, Ellie! What is this, the fourth time she's 'embracing change?'"
Lincoln could hear the eye roll but swore he found her voice familiar.
The red-haired lady scoffed and turned to the newest client. Once the two of them locked eyes, she froze.
Her left eye twitched.
Lincoln's expression turned sheepish towards the woman he defeated at the tournament, Silvey.
"Well, anyway," Ellie said, not noticing the shift in the atmosphere. "I, for one, am not going to waste my time worrying about change." She reached over and picked up a hair dryer. "There's work to do."
"...right." Silvey nodded towards an open seat as her coworker began talking to the client.
Lincoln took the cue and sat on the styling chair. Taking off his hoodie, he revealed the purple shirt underneath. Letting it sit on his lap, the hairdressing gown was tossed over him.
Silvey buttoned it around his neck. Then, putting a hand on her hip, she asked, "So, what'll it be?"
Lincoln cringed at the annoyance in her tone. She was probably moments away from stabbing him in the neck with scissors.
"Just a trim," he replied.
Silvey reached over and grabbed a comb and a pair of scissors.
Maybe he should have gone full-shaven.
Lucky for his neck, Silvey proceeded to do her job and only that. Not a word came out of her.
She pulled his hair up with the comb, a bit too rough for his taste, and slowly started chipping at it. Some hair fell in his face, but he was way past the time it used to irritate him.
Minutes later, Ellie finished up, and the client paid before leaving. When the doors were closed again, she immediately realized something was wrong with Silvey. The woman usually was so talkative. With one look at the client, she opened her mouth in realization as an "O" shape. She could recognize that white hair anywhere, having watched the match that eliminated Silvey.
"U-um…" Lincoln started, catching their attention. "So, how are you doing?" he asked nervously.
Silvey sucked her teeth but didn't reply.
Ellie rolled her eyes, walking up beside her. The taps from her heels cut the intensity in the air. "Come on, Sil. Quit it." She reached out, expecting Silvey to hand her the scissors and comb.
Silvey scoffed and continued working, to which Ellie put her hands up in surrender.
"Don't mind her," Ellie said, coming next to Lincoln. "She's always been a sore loser."
Lincoln saw Silvey roll her eyes through the mirror.
"Shut up."
"Oh, don't give me that!" Ellie frowned. "You're just upset you lost."
Silvey gritted her teeth. She turned to Ellie with a glare, unintentionally pulling at Lincoln's hair with the comb.
"I am not!"
"Clearly. And stop pulling his hair."
Silvey blanked momentarily, looking down at Lincoln and stopping her pull.
"S-sorry."
Lincoln smiled. "It's okay."
Ellie giggled. "Now, how can you be mad at such a patient gentleman?" she asked Silvey, causing the boy to blush. "Anyway, behave yourself. I have to head to fitness."
Silvey gave a quick hum as a response, turning to her.
Ellie kissed her on the lips before leaving with the sound of her footsteps.
The woman continued to trim Lincoln's hair. With the air around the two so tense, none spoke a word for a while.
Looking through the mirror, Lincoln could never tell if the hair stylist was doing a good job or not. He always had to wait until the end. This time was no different, but he was slightly more worried Silvey would mess up on purpose.
"Is it natural?" Silvey asked. "Your hair, I mean."
"Huh? Oh, yeah, it is," Lincoln said.
"Hm…"
Lincoln cleared his throat. "So, Ellie's your girlfriend?"
Silvey rolled her eyes. "No. We just kiss for fun."
After an awkward silence for a few seconds, she sighed in defeat. She was using sarcasm against a kid.
"A friend since we were kids younger than you."
"You guys must be pretty close then."
"Yeah… we go way back." Silvey smiled at the fond memories. "Even back then, we were two girls styling each other's hair."
"Did you guys always want to become hair stylists?"
She shrugged. "I guess we did. Although we didn't know for the longest time. It used to be a fun activity for us, but once school ended and we were stuck on what we wanted to do with our lives, we gave this a shot. Turned out pretty well, I suppose."
Lincoln would have nodded, but he didn't want to mess up the hair job. "I see. So it just came to you then."
Silvey raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I've never been good at anything in my life. I'm still trying to find that out."
The woman gave him a deadpan look through the mirror. "Are you serious? With the kind of power you have? I heard you fought against Dr. Edward Barker."
"That's different!" Lincoln said, "I love fighting and all, but I want to get good at something I can be proud of."
"Why? It's not like you need money after the stunt you pulled."
"It's not about the money."
Silvey stared down at him for a few seconds before continuing to trim his hair. "You're weird, kid."
"Do you cut hair only for the money?"
She paused again. Sighing, she said, "I also style hair, but no. I guess not."
Satisfied with her answer, Lincoln didn't need to say more.
It took another minute of trimming for her to speak up again.
"Speaking about money, whatever you and Mr. Atlas did helped us greatly."
Lincoln looked at her in surprise. "R-really."
Silvey brushed her hair, looking to the ceiling. "Ellie and I were struggling to keep up with the increases in prices everywhere. But since Atlas replaced the other Big Bosses, we've been holding out better than before. But…"
Lincoln stayed silent.
"Even though things are improving for us, I still can't trust just one person in charge of Fortune."
"I… I get what you mean," Lincoln said, "But what if Atlas can make it work?"
"I hope he can. But if it's by controlling everyone, maybe it isn't worth it."
Silvey finished the last touches to Lincoln's hair. Putting the comb and scissors away, she leaned down and put her hands on Lincoln's shoulders as she stared at him through the mirror with an intense look.
"Promise me something."
Lincoln stared back.
"If things stop working out, convince him to step down, please? Either by talking to him or by force. With your power, it shouldn't be an issue."
The boy returned her sharp but pleading look with eyes of steel. He replied, "I will."
Then, for the first time since he got here, Silvey smiled at him. "Good." She took the covers off of him and walked over to the front.
Lincoln inspected his hair. The length was to his liking. It still wasn't noticeable to everyone else, but he felt much more comfortable. Heading to the front desk, he asked how much it was.
"Fifteen Valley," Silvey said, bending down and going through their computer on the low desk.
Digging into his Inventory, he pulled out one hundred and handed it to her, much to her shock.
"Keep the change," he said with a smile.
"Are you sure?" Silvey asked.
He nodded, turning to leave with a wave. "Thank you!"
Silvey waved and smiled back. "See you around, Lincoln."
Now outside the hair salon, he texted Shade, thanking her for the recommendation. He also asked her for the address of Tamesha's mother. It only took her five minutes to get back to him, and now he was on his way.
A quick flight later, and it didn't take long to get to the retirement home. Upon entering the building, Lincoln was immediately spotted by the receptionist.
The brown-haired woman brushed some hair from her face as she returned to her computer.
Lincoln approached the front desk, asking, "I'm here to visit, uh…" He checked his smartband. "...Ms. Suell."
The woman widened her eyes for a brief moment. "Okay, sure, just give me a moment."
Her tone sounded stable, but Lincoln could tell from the slight shaking of her fingers that she was nervous.
She kept at it on her computer, but by the look of things, she wasn't gaining any progress. Still, the boy waited patiently as minutes dragged on.
It was awkward. He didn't want to be rude and ask again. She clearly acknowledged him the first time.
A hand loaded with jewelry was placed on his shoulder, catching his attention.
"Hey, Lincoln," Tamesha said.
"Oh, hey, Tamesha." Lincoln smiled. At least Tamesha most likely knew where her mother's room was.
"Ms. Suell!" The receptionist jolted up. "Here to see your mother?"
"Yes. And you don't need to worry about this boy, Jacklyn," Tamesha said, putting a second hand on his other shoulder. "He wouldn't evict my mother even if Atlas asked him to."
Lincoln widened his eyes in realization.
"I-I see." The receptionist sat back down with a sigh, notably relieved. "Thank goodness."
Tamesha smiled at her before looking down at Lincoln. "Let's go."
A minute later, as the two were walking alone in a hallway, Lincoln asked, "So that lady is covering for your mom in case anything happens to you?"
"She's doing her best for all those living here. This is the largest and most wealthy retirement home, and family is a terrible weakness."
"Even if it means she could get kicked out for it?"
Tamesha nodded. "I can understand strict rules to keep a city organized, but I will never understand Atlas's method to keep people in check. He does it so nonchalantly, too. Even if he believes it's the best course of action."
Lincoln couldn't say anything to that, but he did have a question. "Why do you trust me? I worked for him."
Tamesha looked down at him. "You clearly disagree with his actions after you called him out that day. Am I wrong?"
He forced his eyes away from her because of shame and said, "N-no. You're not."
"Not to mention, you're just a kid. It would be easy to manipulate someone so young and naive."
Lincoln took some offense to that, but she was most likely correct at the end of the day. However, he couldn't stay silent about it. "Hey, I might be eleven, but wouldn't get tricked that easily. Atlas isn't a bad guy."
"Mm, perhaps. But you have to admit he is taking things too far. I know what he's telling you, that he's evicting people to scare the rest. But what if people don't stop protesting? When will he realize he can't control people with fear?"
"If it goes too far, I'll stop him myself," Lincoln said with resolve.
Tamesha stared at him for a moment before giving a small grunt. "I believe you."
They stopped outside a room nearly at the other end of the building. Using her telekinesis, she brought out a bundle of keys. Flicking her finger, she picked one out of the dozen and unlocked the door. She paused. "You might be naive, you might not be. But you do have a good heart, kid."
Lincoln stood stunned for a brief moment, not expecting the compliment from her. He grinned. "Thanks. I try my best."
She smiled in return before opening the door and stepping in.
Lincoln followed close behind. Immediately, the smell of something heavenly entered his nostrils. It was almost pulling him in.
There was a small, tight hallway with a single closet to the right. In front of the cabinet were a pair of footwear: some heels and runners.
Tamesha left her heels there, taking them off swiftly by raising her feet and using her powers. Lincoln followed suit. Past the hallway was the living room, which looked normal, all things considered, with a couch, pictures on the wall, a couple of plants, and a television.
Lincoln recognized some of the pictures containing Tamesha when she was younger. Some were old when she was a child like him, and others were more recent, like her and another older lady, probably her mother, at a concert. Despite everyone around them seeping with excitement, Tamesha still wore her dull expression. It was a little funny, he had to admit.
Tamesha walked over to the other room, which seemed to be the kitchen from the sounds of pots, pans, and a loud vent. "Hey, Mom," she said.
Lincoln peeked into the kitchen, and a skinny person the same height as Tamesha stood at the stove. Her skin was a lighter brown tone. She wore a plain black sweater no longer than her wrists and tight blue jeans. As she turned to face them, Lincoln noticed the wrinkles on her face that showed off her age. She was essentially an older Tamesha with much less jewelry.
"Tammy!" she exclaimed. "Just in time for dinner."
Tamesha took a step inside. "I brought a guest."
Ms. Suell snapped her head to Lincoln, squinting her eyes. After a second, she smiled brightly and said, "Ah, hello there!"
Lincoln walked in. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Suell."
"Glad to see you picked a boyfriend with manners, Tammy."
Tamesha rolled her eyes. "He's just a friend and a child, Mom."
Ms. Suell squinted again. "Then why does he have white- ah, never mind, too lazy to get my glasses. Come! Sit! I just finished my prismhorn noodles."
Lincoln sat at the four-seated kitchen table covered with a red cloth.
Looking over, he saw Tamesha float some plates and forks over with a finger wave. They all landed gently on the tabletop.
Ms. Suell, wearing two large oven mitts, brought a large steaming pot and placed it in the middle of the table. With a pot spoon, she served Lincoln and Tamesha, then herself.
Lincoln took a whiff of the meal as the older adult took a seat. It smelt absolutely divine up close.
Getting comfortable, Ms. Suell looked at Tamasha with a questioning gaze and asked, "Well, are you gonna introduce us?"
Moments away from taking a bite out of her food, Tamesha groaned, stalled her bite for a second, and said. "Mom, this is Lincoln. Lincoln, this is my mother, Kamber."
Kamber's eyes widened. "Oh! I know you! You were on the news the other day." She looked at Tamesha. "He's the one you got your ex fired!"
Lincoln raised his brows.
Kamber leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. "Give me all the juicy details, Tammy. You know I love work drama!"
"Mom!" Tamesha yelled in a berating tone. "This is more serious than just drama!"
Kamber scoffed. "Oh, you spoil all the fun." She turned to Lincoln with a sly grin. "So, Lincoln, got anything spicy?"
But Lincoln's thoughts were somewhere else. "You had an ex?"
"Yeah." Tamesha took a fork full of food and said bluntly, "Kean Standing."
Lincoln, who took a bite right then, nearly choked on his food. He imagined an image of her and Kean in a romantic portrait. Gulping it down, he asked, "He was your ex-husband?!"
"Boyfriend." Tamesha corrected while staring at her food with a cheek resting on her hand. "We had a relationship for about a year but decided work was more important. We promised each other that later down the line, we would date again, but it's been a few years since."
"Decade." Kamber put in.
Tamesha narrowed her eyes toward her mother but said nothing.
Kamber laughed, saying to Lincoln, "I told her many times to not put work over her love life. What about you, Lincoln? Anyone catch your eye?"
As he chewed his food and swallowed, he shrugged. "Not really. What about you, if you don't mind me asking?"
The woman waved a hand in the air. "Bah! Don't get me started on Dion! That man was always such a joke. I'm glad he's not driving me insane anymore."
Lincoln looked at Tamesha questioningly. The woman responded with a shake of her fingers and a look that said, "Ignore it."
The three of them continued to eat peacefully, enjoying each other's company.
As Tamesha told her mother about her work, Lincoln felt something brush his leg as he took a bite. Tuning out the conversation, he peeked underneath the table and saw a strange creature he'd never seen before.
He long accepted that this world had odd-looking animals compared to the creatures he was used to seeing. This one, in particular, was interesting. It had orange fur like that of a house cat or feline predator. Two tiny front legs were paired with its larger hind legs. The cute thing had its large round head twisted as it looked up at Lincoln with giant, curious black eyes. On its back were large iridescent wings almost like a butterfly's, and at the rear was a bushy tail of orange and pale white rings.
Lincoln smiled at the adorable creature. Bending down, he gave it a pet on the head. After he did so, the animal brushed its head on the boy's leg.
Kamber smirked at the animal. "Ringtail, leave Lincoln be."
The pet seemed to listen and waddled off to the next room with a lolled tongue.
Kamber chuckled. "Experts say fluffernooks can sense the gentleness in people. Ringtail usually gets nervous around new people, even if they are gentle in her eyes. Looks like you're something special." She rolled her eyes. "She can be a handful, though, that thing."
The woman turned to her daughter, saying, "Speaking of handfuls, can you return a book for me? It's overdue a good two weeks now."
Tamesha deadpanned. "Really? And you call me lazy?"
She put on a look of offense. "Hey! I'm getting old, you know! These legs don't move like they used to when I had to work my skin off for you."
Her daughter made an audible grumble, resting her chin against her hand.
"Please, Tammy! They won't charge you extra for being late!"
"And there it is. Here we go again. Trying to abuse my position of power."
"I can take it back if you want," Lincoln said, turning them both silent. He promptly took another bite.
"Would you look at that," Kamber said with a smirk towards Tamesha. "A gentleman."
"Great," Tamesha started in an expressionless tone. "You're sending a kid to the library. I hope you feel proud of yourself, Mom."
"Oh, please!" Kamber waved a hand at her. "When you were a child, you loved books more than I did."
"Not everyone's like me."
"Actually," Lincoln said, "I don't mind a good book. I prefer comics, though."
The smirk that reappeared on Kamber's features mocked the other woman at the table.
Tamesha rolled her eyes before saying to Lincoln, "I recommend Reaction Neo. It's about a superhero whose body reacts differently to all types of materials."
"I'll give it a shot then," he said with a grin.
"Ah, now I have two comic book nerds in my home." She shook her head. "Fabulous."
Lincoln laughed, and Tamesha went back to her food.
The three enjoyed the rest of the dinner despite the minor hostility between family members. It gave Lincoln a strange sense of nostalgia. Even he could admit he missed those days, but he could do nothing about it now.
Soon enough, the meals were consumed, and it was about time Lincoln headed out. Kamber handed him the hardcover book and gave him the address to the specific library.
"Thanks for having me, Ms. Suell," Lincoln said at the door.
"Please, honey, just call me by my first name. I have enough of that from the workers here," Kamber said as she handed him a bag. The boy took it with a raised brow. "Some leftovers for the road. Thanks for taking my book back for me."
"No problem." Lincoln smiled. "Maybe I'll find that comic book Tamesha told me about. I've been trying to find more things to do."
Kamber chuckled. "A big city like this, and you're struggling to find things to do? Somehow, that's relatable."
"Yeah." Lincoln laughed before stepping out the front door and giving a wave. "I'll be seeing you guys then."
Tamesha stood behind her mother, leaning against a wall, and lazily waved back.
"Come back soon," Kamber said with a smile.
Lincoln walked off, the sound of the door closing echoing behind him. He couldn't help but carry a stupid grin on his face. When he thought about it, he hardly had any casual interactions with people as of late. While he loved the exciting feeling of fighting and action, he admired the peaceful times where you could bond with others and simply relax. Still, he couldn't wait until there was more action.
Seeing how things turned out for Shade, Silvey, and Tamesha was interesting. If he was honest, he wanted to see the bigger picture. That was when it was decided he would try to visit others to see how they were holding up. Did he make a mistake? He wasn't really sure yet. But he knew how he could find out.
