Thirty Days ✔

30 | HIEMPS

hiemps (noun)

The period of cold weather associated with winter. 

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day ten -> part two.

"No way," Chase gasped. "Shit, I mean - go ahead. I'm all ears. You have my attention."

Zero smiled at the boy's eagerness before clearing his throat for a dramatic beginning, "Okay. What do you want to know?"

"Why don't you ever tell anyone your real name?" Chase questioned.

"Er-.. well, it was a name given to me by the orphanage. When my birth parents brought me in, I was technically still an infant and they decided that they didn't want to name me. So the woman there who usually took care of us decided to name me herself. She knew I was a child of two Asian parents so she legit searched up Asian Name Generator on Google," Zero cut himself off with a chuckle at that. 

"So you have an Asian name?" Chase interrogated with a curious grin. 

"No, she said she couldn't pronounce anything she found so she just named me something generic," Zero replied, the amusement evident on his features.

"I don't mind the name she gave me - but.. I kind of came out of the closet when I was barely ten years of age. It was a catholic orphanage, so instantly everyone there was disgusted. Even the woman who was supposed to take care of me - the woman who had named me herself. She, and the rest of the kids and staff there, began treating me like I was untouchable - like I'd committed some heinous sin. They called me the son of Satan and said that I should've been left to die under the burning rays of the sun."

Chase tensed up at that. Zero was struggling to open up about the subject, and Chase noticed - so he placed a comforting hand on Zero's shoulder and spoke, "You don't have to tell me if you aren't ready."

Zero gave Chase a small smile, "I already told you that I'm ready. Just let me continue. There's no point in stopping here anyway."

"I apologise. Then, please proceed," Chase said, returning the smile. 

"When my step-parents first adopted me, they referred to me by the name I'd been given by that woman. I noticed how whenever they called me that, I would get these disturbing flashbacks of my days spent in the orphanage - being treated like a rag doll. The constant teasing. It drove me insane - so I asked my parents to not call me by that name ever again," Zero finished. "That's all. Any more questions?"

Chase nodded, "Why did you choose Zero out of all the names out there?"

"Because," Zero began immediately. "On my first day at school, we were discussing about whole numbers. Someone mentioned the number zero, and another student said that he thought zero was pointless. When the teacher asked him why, he said that zero is of no actual value, and the number not being in the number system wouldn't make any difference at all."

"So.. what are you trying to say by that?"

"I'm saying exactly that. Just like the number zero, I'm of no value either."

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