Before Iott《Revised》

Chapter 1- Capella

Rough concrete bricks dug into my back, probably wearing away at the fabric of my shirt. The air was cold and dense. Winter must be coming. Busy people strutted about, carrying out their monotonous days. Everyone seemed to have a destination in mind. Everyone except me.

I wasn't even entirely sure where I was. It looked like I was in some kind of alleyway, but I didn't remember coming here. Glancing around, the buildings looked pretty bland- and unkempt. The freezing air was bad enough already, but when I looked down and saw I was only wearing a thin t-shirt and equally awful quality pants, I realized why I was so cold. And the fabric itched. Terribly. Scratching my arm, my fingers brushed up against something attached. It was some kind of medical equipment, clear with a thin needle piercing my skin- I couldn't recall the name. I immediately tugged the thing out of my arm and threw it across the alley, where it hit the wall and broke into pieces.

What was going on?

Standing up, I called out to anyone on the streets for help. But no one was interested in talking to a kid like me. I probably looked like some insane person. And now it was starting to rain. Fantastic.

The alley was at least covered enough to keep myself from getting totally soaked, so that was good at least. Though my ratted red hair was beyond saving- It was already dripping wet, as if I'd walked through a waterfall. I sat back down and moped, ready to wait the storm out. Then someone cleared their throat. “Ahem...”

I looked up at its source. A teenager with short, black hair and light caramel skin was standing in front of me, one hand in his pocket and the other rubbing the bottom corner of his flannel shirt. “Are you ok there?” he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

I took the opportunity of this friendly stranger to finally get some answers. “Um... where am I?”

“You don't know? You're on Capella. Specifically, Garner Street. What's your name?”

I wracked my brain for a name, any name that could be mine. But I found nothing. “I... don't know.”

“Hm... well- let's go find out then, shall we?” He offered a hand to me, to help me up. When I clearly hesitated, he smiled warmly. “Don't worry, I don't bite. I just want to help.”

Maybe it wasn't the best plan to trust a random stranger, but I didn't have any better ideas, so I accepted his hand. I later learned his name was Jay. He was probably just as lost as I was- maybe not literally, but you get the idea.

Ever since then, we were practically inseparable. He taught me how to survive, by taking without questions, and keeping out of the public eye as often as possible. It's not the most noble profession, but stealing is all we knew. I don't even think we were old enough to hold a real job anyways. And orphanages were out of the picture. Jay told me of his past experiences with places like that, and I'd rather not relive them first hand.

We made a base in the very same alley he found me in, and dubbed it The Dump. Great name, I know. It was actually pretty nice there. We salvaged a few mattresses, made our own tables, and even got a soft rug for the floor. It always had this weird blue stain on it that looked like a little cat face. So life wasn't all bad. Plus, Jay was always there to make me laugh and cheer me on.

We never really found out my real name. But that didn't matter. Jay gave me a new one.

Xane Iott.