Before Iott

Namesake

Rain poured down and pounded against the tarp roofing. When it rained, it really rained around here. You'd be wise to stay indoors during rain showers. Consequently, almost all shops were closed, because no customer wanted to trudge through the slosh for a product. So, as per any rain day, Jay and I stayed at The Dump. We lounged on our beds, attempting to pass the time with chatter. "Hey Jay?" "Hm?"

"Tell me the story on how you found me again."

"Again? I think you'd know it better than me by now." Jay laughed.

"It's not the same if I tell it. Please?"

"Fine, you got me. How can I say no to that." Jay took a deep breath and began. "It was a week after I'd ran away from the Oracle Orphanage. I'd been tired of their poor treatment of it's own kind, and I escaped the first chance I got." I had heard about that orphanage many times in his stories of his past. The workers loathed being there, and they weren't afraid to take it out on the kids through hoarding food or unfair punishment. One story about that place that stood out in particular was a snow day. Snow almost never fell, and all the children wanted to see it. The authorities told them that if they dare set foot outside, they'd be punished. Jay, being the curious kid he was, ignored their warnings, and snuck out into the snow. When he was discovered, their punishment was locking him outside in it for hours. Being completely under dressed for cold weather, he easily got frost bite, and even so the workers refused to treat him, leaving Jay to treat himself. I shuddered at the thought. No wonder he ran away. Jay continued, "I was wandering down Aster Street when I looked to my right, into an alley. At first I thought I was looking at a little red yeti, with that messy hair of yours-" he ruffled my hair. "You're messing up my hair!" I giggled. "Right, right. Anyways, I saw a little boy, probably eight or nine years old, hugging his legs and shivering. I thought, 'What bastard ditched this kid out here?'"

"And you thought 'I bet he's like me' instead of pitying him, right?"

"You're stealing my lines, you dork."

"Sorry, continue please?"

"Sheesh," he joked, "Fine. I got closer, and said 'You lost there?' And he said 'I don't know.' So I asked who he was, and he still replied 'I don't know.' It was at that point I knew something was wrong, and I offered him my hand and said 'Well, let's go find out then Little Red. Won't get much anywhere on the floor there.' And we set up our little base right then and there."

"And you called 'em Xane, 'cause you always wanted to be named Xane instead of Jayden." I added.

"Yep, and your eyes shone yellow like an Iott Reactor- strong and unpredictable." He said. I smiled and giggled. Jay looked up at the tarp and cloudy sky. "Well would ya look at that," he said, "the rain has finally stopped. Guess that concludes story-time, hm?" He stood and stretched his back. "Time to catch up on today's quota."