The shrill ringing of the alarm clock stirred Colin from his sleep. Putting on his glasses, he found two sheets of paper on his desk.

Since your sisters are at school and your father and I have to go to work, we figured that you could help us run some errands. I made a list of groceries you'll need to buy and gave you some money.

P.S.: Your father and I are sorry about yesterday. We just want the best for you and your sisters.

Placing his mother's note back on the desk, Colin let out a sigh. Well, I guess I can't be mad at them forever.

He quickly read the list of groceries, which consisted of a family-sized pack of produce, some meat and noodles, a few loaves of bread, a pack of water bottles and some canned foods. The groceries should cost around 40 dollars, and the sales tax should be 5 dollars and 40 cents. Thank God Mom left a fifty-dollar bill for me.

Stuffing the fifty-dollar bill and his allowance in his worn-down leather wallet, he grabbed the key and made his way to the elevator.

"Okay, so I'll spend 45 dollars and 40 cents on groceries, which should leave me with 4 dollars and 60 cents in change. Add that to my 20 dollars and 40 cents in allowance, and I'll have enough to buy a DVD set containing the entirety of Stealing Solidarity."

At the mention of Stealing Solidarity, Colin's face lit up. Leo used to talk about that show all the time. Tracey always talked about her favorite catgirl being Nanami because of her cyberwarfare skills.

Personally, I like Momoko the best. Her cheerful demeanor and appreciation for good food always made her the most enjoyable to watch.

It's a shame they don't broadcast Stealing Solidarity on TV anymore. Maybe it's because the Black Rabbit Company fights against groups like the Federation. Honestly, it's a miracle that there are even DVDs of the show at all. They usually try to erase media with messages like that.

Stepping into the cool morning air, Colin whistled on his way to the town square. Just then, a short girl in a light pink dress waved at him. "Hey, Colin!"

"Stella? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Well, we have a day off! Something to do with the teachers. Anyway, what are you doing out here?" Stella asked, sitting on a bench. Sitting next to her was her best friend, Peri Barrell.

"Um, we have a day off too. Not sure where Hazel and Tracey are at, but I'm here to buy groceries and a DVD set of Stealing Solidarity!" Colin chirped.

"About that…you might want to hurry if you want a copy. There's only a few sets left," Peri whispered. Then she added, "And they might never be restocked. People think it's because of the show's messages."

"Oh…do you guys have enough money to buy a set?" Colin asked.

"Maybe. Lemme check," Stella said before rummaging through her backpack. Peri whispered, "I only have 2 dollars. Also, they'll probably start confiscating anything to do with Stealing Solidarity, so we should hurry if we want a copy." And enjoy watching it for the last time to our fullest.

"Well, I need to buy groceries. Hopefully the change and my allowance should be enough to buy a set," Colin assured her.

"Dangit! I only have two bucks and 25 cents!" Stella groaned.

"Don't worry! I'll try to grab one of the last copies, and then we can enjoy it together!" Colin chirped, waving as he walked into the grocery store.

Colin went through each item on the list, ignoring the looks and questions from the parents in the store. Once he'd gotten everything he needed, he stood between a woman carrying two crying babies in her arms and a man smoking a cigarette.

"Next!"

Colin handed the cashier his 50 dollar bill before she started scanning the items. Once everything was in plastic bags, she handed him some money. "Here's your change. Have a nice day!"

Colin slung the bags over his shoulder and whistled on his way out. He was about to enter the DVD shop when he heard a glass bottle break.

A young boy in threadbare clothing ran from a shouting woman, who was holding up a broken bottle and chasing him away from the grocery store. The boy barreled into Colin, who gripped his bags as he fell.

When he got up, Colin glanced around him, picking up the fallen items. Shit! I lost one of the bags!

The boy in threadbare clothing sprinted down the sidewalk, clutching a stolen bag. "Hey! Get back here!" That little shit!

Colin bolted after the boy, bumping into several pedestrians and nearly dropping his bags. "Oi! Watch it!"

He continued to run until his feet were sore. Stopping to catch his breath, he saw the thief opening the door to a small hut. Colin took a deep breath, picked up his bags and stumbled inside.

"Hey, you! Give that back!" Colin shouted.

The thief turned to glare at Colin. "Piss off, will ya? Unlike you, we actually need this food!"

"Manners, Robin," said a woman in a patchwork dress.

"Manners my ass! I'm sick and fucking tired of being nice to privileged shitstains like him!" Robin snarled, his hands balling into fists.

Colin glanced around the tent, his heart sinking when he saw a young boy in faded denim overalls. The boy's ribcage was showing through his almost-translucent skin, and he was clinging to an older boy with dark skin and dreadlocks.

The boy in the overalls asked, "Excuse me, mister. What's your name?"

"Colin. What's yours?"

"David. And this is Harry," said David, pointing to the dark-skinned boy.

"We're sorry about what Robin did. We haven't had much to eat lately. We'll give your stuff back if you want," Harry sighed.

"No, it's fine. You can keep the bag," Colin blurted out.

"But what about your family?" David asked.

"We'll survive without a few cans of soup. You clearly need it more than us," Colin assured him. Then he added, "Do you wanna come to my apartment? I'm planning to watch a show with my friends."

"I'm afraid we won't have time to watch anything with you. We need permission to leave, or we'll get arrested," Robin groaned.

"Wait. I've been out on my own, and the cops didn't care," Colin mentioned.

"That's because your grandfather didn't try to rebel," Robin snapped.

Before Colin could respond, Harry added solemnly, "It's a secret law of the Federation's. You do something particularly bad, your entire family suffers for three generations. The three of us had rebel grandpas, so we can't go to regular school or even leave this place without permission."

Robin gritted his teeth and muttered, "And before you say it's unfair, try tellin' that to the leaders of this country. Guess what, you and your grandkids will end up like us. You shouldn't even be helping us if you don't want to be arrested."

"But it is unfair! You don't deserve to suffer because of your ancestors' crimes!" Colin cried out.

Harry grabbed him by the shoulders and held a finger to his lips. "Be quiet! Someone outside could hear you!"

"Sorry. But my point still stands! You've never tried to overthrow the Federation or anything like that! So why should you be punished for what your grandfathers did?"

"Oh, believe me, I'd love to see the Federation fall," Robin muttered under his breath, a spiteful grin plastered on his face.

"I think we all feel the same. But the reality is, you can't help us anymore without putting yourself and your descendants at risk. We appreciate the kindness, but we don't want your family to go through this as well," Harry sighed.

David suddenly said, "Wait. What about the other families in the huts?"

"Hold on. Why didn't you tell me there were more people here? And how many others are there?" Colin demanded to know.

"Well, there's 4 other huts. Each one has 4 people, last time I counted. So there's 20 of us in total. You probably have a family to feed, though. I'd say take the rest of your bags back home and forget about us," Harry said, placing a hand on Colin's shoulder.

"Okay. It was nice meeting you. I'll visit when I can," Colin sighed, waving on the way out.


What am I gonna do?! How am I supposed to get enough food to feed 20 people I shouldn't be seeing?!

Colin's mind raced as he walked into his apartment and flopped on the sofa. Well, I definitely shouldn't buy any copies of Stealing Solidarity. I need to start spending everything on food for these people. 25 dollars could buy enough food to feed 8 people for a week.

I think Stella's sister is dating Tony Davenport. Buying a DVD set shouldn't be a problem for him. I mean, his family's practically made of money!

Speaking of Tony, maybe I should get to know him better. He's one of the only kids who doesn't hate my guts, and he probably already knows Stella. Not to mention, I'll need someone as rich as him if I want to keep these people alive.

That being said, I'm not sure if he'd be willing to help. I mean, if there's one thing the Federation is good at, it's brainwashing people. Then again, maybe telling him about those people in the huts should convince him.

I should also become friends with Lazarus Osborne. His experience with charity might come in handy. Not to mention, he's one of the nicest people I've ever met. Unfortunately, his friendship with Warren might put the plan at risk…

"Colin? Are you okay?" Hazel asked, snapping Colin out of his internal monologue.

"H-Hazel? Shouldn't you and Tracey be at school?"

"We had a half day. Don't worry, there wasn't any homework," Tracey chuckled.

"Oh. Anyways, Mom told me to get some groceries. I think one of the bags got stolen. Probably by a thug or something," Colin lied.

"What exactly did they steal?" Hazel asked as she pulled out a pencil and notepad.

"3 cans of soup. One was chicken and rice, the second was Italian wedding and the last one was minestrone. They also stole 3 cans of produce: peaches, olives and beans. Finally, they stole 2 cans of chicken. That should be around 10 dollars and 50 cents," Colin replied.

"Got it. I'll go buy those at the grocery store," Hazel said.

"Wait! Do you have enough money for a four-person meal kit? Or two? Or three?" Colin blurted out, stopping Hazel dead in her tracks.

"I dunno. Those cost 20 bucks each, and I only have 15 dollars," Hazel sighed. Then she was gone.

"Why'd you mention the meal kits?" Tracey asked.

"I'll explain, but only if you promise to not tell anyone else. This information could put our descendants in danger," Colin whispered.

"I'm all ears."

Colin took a deep breath, and began. "I wasn't lying about the cans being stolen. But I didn't tell Hazel that the thief was a starving boy around our age. I chased him all the way to this hut, and I met two other boys and a woman. The thief's name was Robin, and the other two boys are Harry and David. The reason they're living like that? It's because of what their ancestors did. Their grandfathers were rebels, so they can't go to regular school or even leave their homes without permission."

Tracey's eyes widened in horror, but she didn't say a word. Colin continued, "I should also mention that this generational punishment is a secret law. If anyone finds out what we know, our family and descendants will suffer the same fate. Anyway, I let the boys keep the cans. There's 16 other people like them, and they all need help. I'm thinking we could sneak them food, water and other supplies. We'll need to convince some other kids to help, like Tony Davenport and Lazarus Osborne."

"Wait. Why do you need those two specifically?" Tracey murmured.

"Tony's family is rich and Lazarus has done charity work in the past. We could use Lazarus to set up something where people donate clothes and things like that. So, I need you to do me a favor. Invite them to our home, then I'll take them to those 20 people. The sight of starving kids should be more than enough to convince them."

"Okay. I'll talk to them," Tracey said.

"Oh, and one more thing. When you talk to Lazarus, make sure Warren can't hear you. If Warren finds out, we're all in deep shit," Colin added.

"Don't worry. Apparently Warren was suspended for three days," Tracey assured him, and Colin sighed in relief.

"I'm back! And I have great news! Gilbert wants to see a movie with us!" Hazel chirped, carrying a large plastic bag.

Tracey and Colin exchanged worried looks as Hazel prattled on about the movie Gilbert wanted to see. Tracey leaned in and whispered, "Should we tell her about the plan? I mean, we are triplets. It doesn't feel right leaving her out…"

"Alright. Let's tell her the truth."

Colin tapped Hazel on the shoulder. "There's something we wanna tell you. But you cannot tell anyone else."

"Okay. Spill the beans."

Colin filled Hazel in on everything, from Robin and the other people in the huts to the plan he'd formed with Tracey. By the time he was done, Hazel's eyes were filled with tears. "That's horrible! Punishing kids for their ancestors' crimes…it's not right!"

"Exactly. And that's why I want to help them. After all, it's what Leo would have wanted."

"I'll make sure to tell Paige. She never liked how Aberrations were treated, so she'd happy to help. Not sure about Gil, though."

"His twin brother became an Aberration. I'm sure he'd be willing to help."

"Alrighty, then. So far, we have Paige, Tony, Lazarus and Gilbert. Once we tell 'em everything, we'll have a solid team," Tracey declared with a smile on her face.

"Maybe we could even watch Stealing Solidarity at Tony's place once we've helped them out! I mean, they will be trying to erase it from existence soon, so we should enjoy it for the last time!" Hazel added, grinning ear to ear.

Colin went to bed that night with a smile on his face. Don't worry, Leo. We will change this country for the better, one step at a time.