A knock at the cell door, while Blazz sat on the bed, staring at the burning lighter. She blinked, and shut the flame out.
“Yo? Who is it?”
“It’s Don, Blazz. You’ve got a very special visitor.”
“I do? Am I that much of a big shot around here?”
“Hah, well, this is more of a familial visit.”
“...It is?”
“Yes. Come on out, it’s safe.”
She rose from the bed and strolled over to the door. Don stood there, waiting for her.
“Come on, they’re in the visiting room. I think you’ll be happy to see them.”
The two headed off to the visiting room, where patients and visitors could safely converse if the patient was healthy enough. Waiting at one table, sat a boy. Ever slightly younger than Blazz. Ever so slightly similar to her in appearance. She blinked.
“...Zoen?”
Her brother glanced over at her and blinked, then rose from the table and immediately made his way to his sister. He stopped, however, just a few feet away, and glanced over to Don.
“..I-is it okay if I…?”
Don only nodded, and he immediately leaned in and hugged his sister tightly. His sister still seemed somewhat shocked to see him.
“..You’re okay? Hold on- how old are you?”
“Y-yeah, I’m okay. I’m… uh… 18.”
“...You’re 18.”
“Yes…?”
“..I’m 20? What?”
“You… didn’t know?”
“I never cared. I lost track. But- what are you doing here?”
“I came to visit you.”
She blinked again.
“You did?”
“..Yes? Is that okay?”
“That’s- it’s more than okay. I- thank you.”
Don cleared his throat and motioned to a table, gesturing for them to sit and talk a while. Blazz and her brother both noticed and nodded, moving to a nearby table to sit. Blazz sighed, looking her brother over head to toe.
“...I can’t believe how much you’ve changed.”
“Me-? I can’t believe how much YOU changed!”
“Well, I know I’ve certainly gotten so much better. How’ve you been getting by, Zoen? You have a new family, right?”
“Yeah- also, uh… they changed my name. Way long ago, when I first got adopted.”
“You got adopted? What did they change your name to?”
“...Well, they asked how I ended up in foster, and I told them what I thought I was supposed to tell them: my sister got our parents arrested for abuse. They asked me what your name was, I told them, and… they seemed to think it was weird and cool. So.. they said, if I wanted, they’d change mine. I said yes, and they changed my name to ‘Blizz’.
“...’Blizz’?”
“Y-yeah. I like it, actually-!”
“..Huh. Yeah, so do I. Blizz, Blazz. Y’know, our names really are cool.”
“..Yeah. Anyway, uh… how’ve you been doing?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean.. what’s growing up here like?”
“Not too bad. I actually like it, here. I think I’m pretty popular, even.”
“..Popular? In the asylum?”
“Yeah, isn’t that cool?”
“...Y’know, kids back home would probably think that’s really cool too.”
“Heh, well. They’d be right. It’s not every day someone like me comes around.”
“Y-yeah. I’ve.. kinda been getting by. I got a job, been going to school.”
“Oh! Are you holding up well with that?”
“..Honestly, I feel kind of lost, still. I missed having you around to help all the time, like way back when we were kids.”
“Hm.”
“..Have you… missed me?”
“Can I be honest for a bit?”
“Yeah…?”
Blazz stared her brother in the eye with a lackluster expression.
“I kind of forgot about you until you showed up here today.”
“...Oh.. really?”
“Yeah. Sorry- it’s not any personal reason. I just… I forgot about a lot of things.”
“...Right, right. I understand…”
Blizz almost visibly seemed to deflate, which Blazz picked up quickly on.
“..I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way- I just- look around at where you’re at? I.. I shouldn’t have left you alone like that anyway.”
“..N-no, it’s okay. I understand.”
—
Time went by. They caught each other up. Blazz explained her life in the asylum, and how she had grown comfortable with her past. Blizz explained his troubles out in the world, and how different his life was with his new family. They talked about interests, favorite things, and future desires. Eventually, Blazz finally mentioned something.
“You know what I want? I mean, what I really want.”
“What?”
“I want to be a hero.”
“...Like, a superhero?”
“Yeah. Like a superhero. I wanna be able to save the day, save people’s lives. I wanna be unstoppable, indestructible. Heros can’t be knocked down like that. You know. Like we were.”
“..Yeah.”
“So, if I become a hero, they can’t ever hurt me again. Not like that, anyway. I can save people from being hurt like that, too.”
“That’s.. really cool.”
“I know, right? I promise you one thing, Blizz. In the future, when I’m outta here, I’m gonna become a hero one day. Even if it takes me forever.”
“It won’t take forever. I know you can do it.”
“I sure can. And I know exactly where to start.”
“Where….?”
A confident grin cracked on her face as she looked her brother in the eye.
“Taliskar State University. I’m going back school.”
“Yo? Who is it?”
“It’s Don, Blazz. You’ve got a very special visitor.”
“I do? Am I that much of a big shot around here?”
“Hah, well, this is more of a familial visit.”
“...It is?”
“Yes. Come on out, it’s safe.”
She rose from the bed and strolled over to the door. Don stood there, waiting for her.
“Come on, they’re in the visiting room. I think you’ll be happy to see them.”
The two headed off to the visiting room, where patients and visitors could safely converse if the patient was healthy enough. Waiting at one table, sat a boy. Ever slightly younger than Blazz. Ever so slightly similar to her in appearance. She blinked.
“...Zoen?”
Her brother glanced over at her and blinked, then rose from the table and immediately made his way to his sister. He stopped, however, just a few feet away, and glanced over to Don.
“..I-is it okay if I…?”
Don only nodded, and he immediately leaned in and hugged his sister tightly. His sister still seemed somewhat shocked to see him.
“..You’re okay? Hold on- how old are you?”
“Y-yeah, I’m okay. I’m… uh… 18.”
“...You’re 18.”
“Yes…?”
“..I’m 20? What?”
“You… didn’t know?”
“I never cared. I lost track. But- what are you doing here?”
“I came to visit you.”
She blinked again.
“You did?”
“..Yes? Is that okay?”
“That’s- it’s more than okay. I- thank you.”
Don cleared his throat and motioned to a table, gesturing for them to sit and talk a while. Blazz and her brother both noticed and nodded, moving to a nearby table to sit. Blazz sighed, looking her brother over head to toe.
“...I can’t believe how much you’ve changed.”
“Me-? I can’t believe how much YOU changed!”
“Well, I know I’ve certainly gotten so much better. How’ve you been getting by, Zoen? You have a new family, right?”
“Yeah- also, uh… they changed my name. Way long ago, when I first got adopted.”
“You got adopted? What did they change your name to?”
“...Well, they asked how I ended up in foster, and I told them what I thought I was supposed to tell them: my sister got our parents arrested for abuse. They asked me what your name was, I told them, and… they seemed to think it was weird and cool. So.. they said, if I wanted, they’d change mine. I said yes, and they changed my name to ‘Blizz’.
“...’Blizz’?”
“Y-yeah. I like it, actually-!”
“..Huh. Yeah, so do I. Blizz, Blazz. Y’know, our names really are cool.”
“..Yeah. Anyway, uh… how’ve you been doing?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean.. what’s growing up here like?”
“Not too bad. I actually like it, here. I think I’m pretty popular, even.”
“..Popular? In the asylum?”
“Yeah, isn’t that cool?”
“...Y’know, kids back home would probably think that’s really cool too.”
“Heh, well. They’d be right. It’s not every day someone like me comes around.”
“Y-yeah. I’ve.. kinda been getting by. I got a job, been going to school.”
“Oh! Are you holding up well with that?”
“..Honestly, I feel kind of lost, still. I missed having you around to help all the time, like way back when we were kids.”
“Hm.”
“..Have you… missed me?”
“Can I be honest for a bit?”
“Yeah…?”
Blazz stared her brother in the eye with a lackluster expression.
“I kind of forgot about you until you showed up here today.”
“...Oh.. really?”
“Yeah. Sorry- it’s not any personal reason. I just… I forgot about a lot of things.”
“...Right, right. I understand…”
Blizz almost visibly seemed to deflate, which Blazz picked up quickly on.
“..I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way- I just- look around at where you’re at? I.. I shouldn’t have left you alone like that anyway.”
“..N-no, it’s okay. I understand.”
—
Time went by. They caught each other up. Blazz explained her life in the asylum, and how she had grown comfortable with her past. Blizz explained his troubles out in the world, and how different his life was with his new family. They talked about interests, favorite things, and future desires. Eventually, Blazz finally mentioned something.
“You know what I want? I mean, what I really want.”
“What?”
“I want to be a hero.”
“...Like, a superhero?”
“Yeah. Like a superhero. I wanna be able to save the day, save people’s lives. I wanna be unstoppable, indestructible. Heros can’t be knocked down like that. You know. Like we were.”
“..Yeah.”
“So, if I become a hero, they can’t ever hurt me again. Not like that, anyway. I can save people from being hurt like that, too.”
“That’s.. really cool.”
“I know, right? I promise you one thing, Blizz. In the future, when I’m outta here, I’m gonna become a hero one day. Even if it takes me forever.”
“It won’t take forever. I know you can do it.”
“I sure can. And I know exactly where to start.”
“Where….?”
A confident grin cracked on her face as she looked her brother in the eye.
“Taliskar State University. I’m going back school.”
