NOVEL NEXT B1.CH5: A New Beginning
Nero
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…
I’d found that saying total bullshit until today. Here I was, a meta-less reg on the verge of giving up on all of my dreams, until a strange incident nearly killed me. That same incident turned around and gave me a gift, enabling me to enlist as a hunter.
Crap, I was so excited that my hands couldn’t quit shaking throughout the entire bus ride back home.
When I reached my apartment, I sat at the edge of my bed trying to process everything. Honestly, it was so much to take in all at once from start to finish. I was still so overwhelmed that I didn’t tell Sophie about getting into the corp. This was the kind of news that couldn’t be transmitted through text. And while I made preparations to leave, like quitting my job and packing my bags… and checking my school email every thirty seconds, I went through all of the possibilities of breaking the news to Mom.
But even Mom’s impending reaction wasn’t enough to ruin my good mood.
‘Hey, we still up for COD tonight?’ I read Chen’s text as I was scrolling through my email, and I told him I wasn’t sure yet. Instead, I mentioned having a big surprise to tell him, in which he insisted on telling him right now. Chen was never good with secrets, so I didn’t say shit. I planned on telling everyone I cared about at the same time, that way we could all be on the same page together.
“Hey, I finally got something,” I whispered to myself, noticing it was a boarding pass. “Gate 32, Utoro, Japan. The flight leaves tomorrow morning. Wow, that was quick. I wonder what flight Naomi was in.” Another email chased that one, and according to this note, my mentor was already selected—and so were my living arrangements. I was given directions to claim my care package and a map of Utoro with how to get to my new house. “A new place to live, a new area to get used to, and some new roommates to make friends with,” I mused aloud, the reality sinking in.
It was a mind-boggling concept. Just last week I was stuck in a never-ending cycle of going to classes I didn’t care about and working at a job that hardly paid the bills. Now, I was preparing for an adventure of a lifetime.
“With Reina, the school icon, and Naomi, the school loner. The popular diva, the loner chick, and the nerd—hmm, didn’t see that mash-up coming….” Cozying up to both of them sounded like a challenge. Reina was just annoying, and Naomi was… quiet. A real keep to herself type of girl. Which was why it confused the hell out of me that she’d offer to be in my team. She didn’t care that Reina was tagging along at all. In fact, the girl barely glanced at her the entire time she was there. It was clear that she enlisted for me, or I don’t know… maybe that was my ego talking?
“Doesn’t matter. As long as I have a team, I’m a step ahead. Two girls with two opposite personalities.” I chuckled. “Should be fun.”
My last few months of senior year would be at a local and regular international high school with my team. Hunter Corp insured families that they would not sacrifice education for their careers. That was a good gateway for breaking the news to Mom as I heard her walk in, my heart instantly dropping two floors into my stomach. I was nervous to confront her with my new appearance and the news, my hands getting sweaty at the fact that she’d be here any moment to check up on me. But strangely enough, she didn’t. In fact, it was pretty quiet on the other side of my wall, and her delay gave me time to stock up on some courage to go out there and tell her everything.
After an hour, I had to face the music….
Luckily by that time, Sophie had already come back from work. That shift was stupid short, so either she gave them an excuse to come home early, or she finally caved in and punched the head chef in the face and quit.
“Nero?” Sophie called out, and Mom quickly stopped her, saying that I was probably sleeping for my late shift today. Sophie mentioned me never being in bed this late, then rushed to my bedroom to fish me out. The bubbly girl insisted I stop being a chump and share the good news with Mom, and when she finally saw me, she was speechless.
“Nero, why did you dye your beautiful brown hair?”
“Erm-eh, I didn’t?”
“What do you mean, I—” Her eyes went fish-wide, Mom putting the pieces together. “No….” She gasped, taking a step back. “That’s not possible….”
“It is!” Sophie tweeted, jumping in to give me a tight hug. “Nero has a gift!”
Mom flung her shaking hand over her lips, tears streaming down her face. I rushed over to console her sadness, but when she reeled me in and held me close, I realized that it wasn’t tears of pain she was shedding….
“Nero, you finally have your wish…” she whispered. “I’m so happy for you!”
“Mom?”
She inched back and cupped my face proudly, that big smile on her lips followed by a very, VERY confusing question, “So, you signed up to become a hunter, didn’t you? Well, tell me, how did it go?”
“He made it to signing at the very last minute, right, Nero?” Sophie asked, the both of them looking at me for good news.
“Uhhh, yeah, I did, actually. Well, no, scratch that. I didn’t. But that doesn’t matter because PD confirmed that I was officially drafted. I’m part of the Hunter Corp.”
“Wait, what?! You got in?” Sophie gasped. “I thought you have to pass preliminaries first? How did they get to your application so fast?”
“Well, Reina was the reason I was late, and she had a ticket to the corp. Goes without saying, I guess. I took that ride to the finish line with her, and the PD was there to verify it.”
“Nero, that’s wonderful news!” My mom… cheered? “What is your special ability?”
“Super strength,” Sophie said for me with confidence, while I continued to stand there completely bamboozled from my mother’s unexpected reaction.
“Hold on, pause, time out, rewind,” I said, ready to demand answers. “Mom, aren’t you supposed to be freaking out about this?” I asked, my voice filled with disbelief and shock spanning several wavelengths. “I mean, this wasn’t how you reacted all the times I mentioned wanting to be a hunter. And now, you’re rooting for me?” I managed to stutter. My mother’s support in being a hunter hadn’t even been a rare commodity in the past, so this new attitude was out of place for her.
“Well, why wouldn’t I be? You’re living your dream now, aren’t you? And truthfully, that’s all that matters, Nero. I’m sorry I’ve been selfish. All I want is to see you happy, nugget. I don’t care about anything else.”
“Yeah, Nero,” chimed Sophie, nudging me slightly as she shot our mom an encouraging look, “Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted? Full support from your family? We are here for you, backing you up 100%!”
“Yeah, but...” I stuttered, the confusion still seeping deep, and I mean way deep. The sudden rush of support from her felt outlandishly unfamiliar, like a pair of shoes that didn’t fit quite right.
My brain was doing somersaults, trying to understand everything, while my heart was swelling with sheer bliss. After accepting it all, a smile finally found me, followed by a nod and a “Thank you.” It was a simple response but it carried all of the feelings I was going through right now. Their support meant more to me than they would ever know.
“You’re welcome, Nero,” my mother replied gently, her eyes welling up with tears of happiness. “You’re going to do great things. I can feel it.”
Sophie looked at me with a broad smile and added, “Yeah, you’re gonna kick ass out there! This is only the beginning!”
“Nero,” Mom said in a voice warm with love and understanding, “being your mother has been an adventure filled with risks and worries from the very beginning. This is just another chapter in that journey. One where you branch off and face challenges that define your character, your will, and all of your blooming strengths. While you are leaving the nest, you are taking with you your knowledge, your passion, and the unwavering love of your family. You’ll be fine out there. I just know it.”
She reached out and gently squeezed my hand, her touch radiating a sense of reassurance that I hadn’t felt since I’d been made a hunter.
“You’re not alone,” she added, sounding so certain that it almost made me forget my own doubts. “You’ve got us. I will be with you here,” she said, putting her hand over my chest. “Forever and always.”
I looked at the people who were the foundation of my existence; Sophie, with her sharp eyes that missed nothing, always ready with a witty comment or sarcastic quip. She had been my best friend since childhood, always standing by my side, in all of our childish misadventures. Ever since I’d saved her from those shitfaced, category E monsters who killed her parents, she’d been unwaveringly loyal. They’d knocked on her door for her, having a sweet tooth for children's blood. At that time, child trafficking was at an all-time high for both shadow walkers and assholes who wanted to breed metas with Compound 7, and I happened to be there to fight off those shitheads from getting to her. Ever since that day, she saw me as her guardian, and she paid me back with the best friendship I could ask for.
And then, there was my mom. I had no words for her. She was a steady and comforting presence in my life. Her quiet strength and unyielding determination were something I could always depend on. Those qualities made me who I was today, and I had her to thank for everything.
To both of them I made a promise. I was going to try my damn hardest to make it to the top of the leaderboard. They’d never have to worry about money again…