Odyssey of the City of Lights

Odyssey of the City of Lights - Book 1 - Chapter 5

I didn't have a rooster to wake me up that morning.

Instead, I heard a noise. I mean, just normal noise from another room or something, but it wasn't enough to rouse me from my sleep all the way.

What did the trick was Aaron turning on the screen again; the volume was loud, and the screen bright. Squinting, I looked around the room, trying to get my bearings. Glancing at my watch, I realized it was late—by my standards, at least.

"Sorry," Aaron said, making the screen quieter. I waved a hand in dismissal.

"Is it morning?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Unfortunately," he snorted and winced, reaching for his temple.

I got up and got ready for the day, and Aaron made me breakfast. It looked like pancakes, but he called them protein pancakes. The coffee from the coffee machine was on point, though. Aaron gave me a list of options before selecting something for me, placing a cup, and the machine made a pretty cup of coffee.

"What are your plans for the day?" he asked as I took a bite of the pancakes.

I shrugged, chewing. "Not sure yet."

"Want to do a daily run with me? I have a local delivery run for work. Then we can grab you some 'normal clothing' and go to my parents for family dinner?"

I choked on my pancakes. "Your family? Why?"

"Relax, if you don't want to, you can explore. But I'm a bit worried about you going out on your own," Aaron said, smirking slightly.

I agreed with his worry—Dad's scary stories had left their mark. And the city was way bigger than my village. I wouldn't be able to find my way back to Aaron's apartment if I got lost. "Sure, I'll go with you," I nodded.

"I'll pay you out of pocket for helping me. I'm sure my boss will go stingy," Aaron added.

I didn't know how to respond to that. I looked around the apartment and asked, "Hey man, I thought you were an orphan, and that's why you live alone," I said, glancing around the small apartment as I tried to piece together Aaron's life. The place was cozy but sparse and far too small for a family.

Aaron laughed, shaking his head. "Nah, man. I'm one of a set of twins, and I have a younger sister. Both my parents are alive and well and live in this city."

"Okay," I nodded, still puzzled. "But why are you living here?"

He frowned, his face turning serious as he touched his prosthetic arm with his other hand. "Well, there are tons of reasons. But I wanted to figure out how to live on my own as soon as I could...wanted to feel alive." I didn't quite understand his motivations, but I wasn't going to pry further.

While we continued to eat in silence, I watched the screen Aaron was flipping through on the wall. It showed stuff about the weather, local news, and announcements. I read that the weather was going to be seasonally mild, with a high of 80, a low of 45, and medium to high humidity. There was an alert for high pollen counts, too. Aaron cussed when he read the traffic report of congestion and blushed at the announcement of the art competition scheduled for the next day. The community board was full of various announcements of birthdays, events, requests, and invitations, but Aaron didn't seem to pay any attention to that space.

I decided to leave my bag at Aaron's place, figuring it would be safer there than carried around. Aaron seemed secure enough to have nice things in his apartment anyway. He drove us to the garage, where we switched from his car to the truck. We stopped by the office, and Aaron explained to his boss that I was going to be his ride-along for the day. His boss grumbled something about not paying me anything, but Aaron assured him he knew that already.