Grow

Then

          Akira: Hello, again! Welcome to another practice story! This one here is going to be a bit longer than the previous one (Still) and will have two chapters. Though to be honest, the second chapter is really more of an epilogue for this one, and so you don't need to go out of your way to read it (though it would be much appreciated if you took the time to). Enjoy!

\('•ω•'๑)/

          May 23, 2145

          A gruff man in black sat at the back of the classroom, impatiently waiting for class to begin and staring daggers into the teachers back as she sat down.

          "Come now, children. I have a story to tell you."

          The kids gathered around her, interest all over their faces.

          "What's the story about, Mrs. Madison?" asked a young boy.

          "It's about the old Earth, with trees and plants and all sorts of beautiful animals."

          The man in the suit didn't look happy to hear this topic. He coughed and tried to grab Madison's attention, but it was too late; the children had already made themselves comfortable and Madison was already starting with a 'Once Upon A Time'. But the man, undeterred, tried again, and louder. He was only noticed by a small android boy sitting in the back, Mas - who shushed him.

          Yes, while many would see the action as rude, Mas felt justified to do it. Madison was his favorite teacher after all, and he always loved the stories that she told about the old Earth. While the one that they lived on was more of less a wasteland, he was always amazed by the stories of the old, heaven-like Earth. So much, in fact, that he often wished to go back in time there and live out his life there - it would be such a good life.

          But he became quite annoyed when the gruff man disrespected his shush and instead dragged Madison outside. When she came back, she looked quite worried and scared. She told them all that class was being dismissed early and that they should all go home and relax. Then she disappeared out the door.

He never saw her again.

          July 17, 2157

          Today wasn't Mas' day, to put it bluntly.

          At 6:23 a.m he was rudely awoken by Alex, the orphanage director, who told him that he needed to pack his things and get out. See, today is Mas' 18th birthday, and as such he is no longer the responsibility of the orphanage. And Alex wasn't going to mourn him when he left at all.

          Mas ended up spending the next 15 minutes of his day begging Alex to let him say for just one more week, but was promptly shut down and kicked out... And then Alex tossed a garbage bag filled with belongings on Mas' head. He then spend the next 2 hours going around town and begging for shelter - even if for one night. Neither human nor android let him in to their homes, simply saying that it's his problem and that they don't have the food or water to feed another hungry mouth.

          With nowhere to go, Mas decided to go to the town's government office. It was a scary place to go, but at this point the government was his only option. Out of all of the town, the office was the best looking, only slightly run down. He walked in the building and saw a mat on the floor. It was torn, dirty, and faded - not to mention the fact that the floor around the mat was just as dirty anyway - but that's just what happens when a building doesn't have a door. He decided to be polite, though, and rubbed his shoes on the mat before continuing.