Generation X 021496

Chapter one-The Beginning

Daphne was a run away. She use to love the town for it's nice people but after she ran away, she learned how people could turn on you.  People in the town of Noel, called her many different names, like rat and scum.Her being one of the only people in town who took pride in her dark skin and her naturally curly hair, didnt help with the name calling either. She tried her best not have those names get the best of her but, she couldnt always be as strong as she presented herself.

Today was like every other day. She would look for work at the Gondler. It was some sort of secret hideout for people like her who were rejected and outcasted in public. Daphne never liked going to the Gondler, her dad always reminded her to stay out of that place, but she didnt have any more options. Her stomach always dropped when she stood outside. The Gondler could have been a good place, she realized. Whoever bought the building was setting it up to be the perfect hangout. The polished stone seemed to go perfect with the long, skinny windows. The multi-colored windows lined up and down the building, so sunshine could light up the place with ease. It would have looked decent if it werent for the musty smell and dark aura that surrounded it. The once beautiful windows were now draining of color and boarded up. Thinking she had seen enough of it, she pushed the rusty doors while holding her cold and rusty left arm. 

The inside of the Gondler was even more hideous than the outside. Yellow stained wallpaper with many rips and tears adorned the wall. It drooped and sagged for time wasnt the kindest. It seemed like it was there for decades, not touched or removed in any shape or form. The same musty smell from outside seemed to intensify in here, the humid and sticky temperature not helping. It smelled like sweat and blood, probably from the fights that always happened here. Daphne stomached everything she hated about the place and sat down at a booth, setting the bag she always carried on the floor. She quickly adjusted the blaster attached to her side before sighing in content. 

It wasnt long before she realized she sat with a woman with a hoodie on and her uneasiness grew. The only thing she could make out of her face was bright green eyes and a toothy grin. "What is a little girl, like yourself, doing here?" She asked, which immediately made Daphne glare at her in defensiveness. 

"I'm not a little girl," She started, turning her attention toward her. "I'm 17. I may be a bit short but I'm not a child." Daphne crossed her arms, staring the mysterious woman down. She rolled her eyes at how defenisve she was being. 

"Just answer the question would ya?"

"I'm a runaway" She answered plainly. "Why is it important to you?" 

Her eyes brightened, her hood slipping to reveal more of her face. A big, jagged scar ran along her left eye. The more Daphne looked into her eyes, the more robotic-like they looked. She must have been a solider, she thought. A solider who had to be very obedient. For some unknown reason, it made her uneasy. 

"I help runaways, well...er...run away." Her toothy grin stayed fixed on her face.  "It's a simple job, really." 

"Why are you doing this?" Daphne asked with a puzzled expression. "You dont get any kind of reward." She seemed to remind her. Nice people use to  be common to her so in the past, she would have not argued it.  But her recent experiences of old friends trying to steal from her and kill her, made her skeptical of things. 

She shrugged, adjusting her hood to cover her face more. "It's fun being a nice person sometimes. It makes me happy, even if that sounds cheesy." She removed her gloved hands from her hoodie pocket. "So, do you want me to help you?"