The old door creaked as Nyx slipped back into the apartment, the air conditioner unit in the house window was humming away, attempting with futile effort to drive off the clinging heat. Judy Strauss, his foster mother, was in the kitchen slathering toast with chocolate paste. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him step inside. Nyx let out a breath, insides knotting a little on seeing a face he had hoped to avoid. So much for his plan on being gone before they woke up.

Nyx didn't try to hide his disgust as he took in the sight of the overweight woman, she attempted to wipe knotted brown hair from her eyes – Finally, she gave up and stood glaring at him with hands on hips. She forced a sappy smile, nowhere near to reaching her eyes. The fat of her cheeks jiggled giving her the appearance of having been molded by putty.

Her shrill voice made him wince, his hands jerked as Nyx fought the urge to cover his ears. “I know you have some money saved, we need it, honey. We are short on rent this month.”

Nyx looked at the counter beside her. An iPhone rested there. His iPhone. He remembered having saved after working for a summer to buy it. She had taken it, claiming he owed it to them in recompense for ‘caring for him.' Without a word he turned his back to her making for his room, he had to pack.

“Don’t you dare ignore me!” screeched Judy, no longer pretending to be the loving mother.

Nyx put up the middle finger without turning around or slowing. He had saved over a thousand dollars from working part-time. It was all in a private savings account his adoptive parents could not access.

He heard shuffling back in the living room, a gruff, angry voice growling.

“Something is different about him…” said Judy to Greg, his foster father. She must have picked up on his bearing. He no longer slouched and there was confidence in his movements that he had lacked before leaving Earth.

Nyx sighed, he had wanted to avoid this. It might turn ugly rapidly. He wished it was possible to have returned to Earth while his birth parents had both been alive, but traveling back in time wasn’t feasible.

At least he was no longer the same boy who had been too timid to stand up to Greg. Nyx narrowed his eyes, he knew what was about to happen, and prepared himself mentally to face it. His body language changed, what before might have been relaxed fluidity became coiled fury, a viper ready to strike. As insignificant as his physique was, the danger he emanated seemed to defy logic.

"Get Back Here Nyx!" His foster father roared. There was a scratchiness to his voice revealing he had been drinking the night before. Nyx had scars on his body from times in the past the drinking had escalated into beatings.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Nyx prepared for the confrontation. He was ancient by Earth standards, this should be a breeze, but old memories stirred a deep anger close to making him lose his cool. Nyx turned around and walked back.

Greg was in the living room, face red as a tomato. He was a big beefy, if out of shape man, gut hanging out from his sleeveless shirt, body heaving with his ire. Judy stood in the kitchen an evil glint in her eye as she waited to see what would happen.

Spittle few out of Greg’s mouth. “When Judy asks for something, you do it!”

Nyx knew what was going through his foster father’s mind; he had run into many people of a similar nature. People like Greg enjoyed stomping on people they saw as weak. Even though ‘angry’ his eyes searched Nyx waiting for a reaction, something he would say or do that could be used to hurt him. Both mentally and physically. Before leaving Earth, Nyx would have cowered with his head down, apologizing to appease him and avoid the conflict and possible beating. But now he knew better, that was a mistake, never show weakness to these types.

Nyx’s voice came out calm and smooth like honey. “Say that one more time. Both you and your fat cow of a wife are nothing but leeches. The world would be better without garbage like you.”

A switch visibly flipped in Greg's head. He would never have expected Nyx to respond in kind. If Greg were paying attention, he would notice the lethality in Nyx movement, his posture - but he was too far gone, his face turned almost purple, lost in the rage, teeth bared, fist clenching.

"You Litt.."

With a long stride, he swiped, opening his fist, aiming for Nyx’s ear. Nyx slipped to the side at the last second, grabbing Greg's palm as it swung past. Perfectly balanced he spun turning his stepdad's hand out, his elbow crunched into Greg’s nose while he lowered his center of gravity leg whipping at the back of Greg's knees.

The effect was instantaneous, Greg was airborne before crashing into the floor.

Delivering an incapacitating shot to the solar plexus Greg's hands moved down to defend, his breath now coming in wheezes. Nyx then kicked him in his unguarded temple, and his body stilled.

This would have to do, as much as he despised these two, they were inconsequential. The best he could do for now was to render his tormentor unconscious and leave in the meantime. Even though he should feel nothing for putting someone so insignificant in their place, Nyx had to admit that it felt good, a regret finally put to rest. A dark part of himself begged to end their lives. It wanted him to someday, come back and collect in full. It was a voice he had locked away, one that scared him.

Judy was frozen in shock mouth wide open. Coming to her senses she ran over sitting down beside her husband pulling his head into her lap, and tears began to run down her face.

"Gg-get out o-or..." she said, forcing the words out through her sobbing.

“Or what? You fat piece of shit.”

Her mouth clamped shut, but her sniffles were still audible. She buried her face in her husband's shirt.

Nyx went to the kitchen and grabbed the cell phone, as far as he was concerned it belonged to him. Fortunately, Judy did not put a password on it. He also went into the living room and took the laptop and charger from the ratty beige couch that Greg frequented, his indent permanently melded into the cushion.

The Strauss's relied too heavily on their monthly foster care check to report him missing. They could not maintain their lazy lifestyle without it. From the closet in the hallway, he grabbed a large duffel bag and packed his clothes, the laptop, and few other belongings. He snorted as he walked past the disgusting couple and out into the sweltering heat. The door slammed shut behind him in a final goodbye.

Eyes adjusting to the light, Nyx slung the duffel bag across his back. He remembered there was a motel a few miles away and made in that direction. Just as he passed from the dilapidated parking lot, onto the main street, he sensed movement behind him. Nyx turned swiftly, lowering, ready to defend himself.

“Whoa!” It was his lanky neighbor with the sharp features. His eyebrows were drawn together as he put up his hands showing he meant no harm, a lit cigarette was between two of his fingers. “I couldn’t help but hear… everything alright?”

Nyx sighed, letting the tension out of his posture.

“Don’t worry about it.” He kept his tone carefully neutral.

"For real, I know all about bad family situations. I can give you a lift at least," he paused, then offered his hand to Nyx, "Dan, by the way, I live across from you with my brother Gabe."

Nyx accepted the handshake. “Alright, just to the nearest motel.”

“Wait here,” he said, then ran back toward his apartment with loping strides. He had coordination that surprised Nyx, considering his awkward build. As Dan rounded the corner, he noticed something he shouldn’t have missed before. Dan had a slight glow. Nyx could see and feel the unrefined Chi that swirled in his neighbors' core. Curiosity sparked, but he decided to keep the knowledge private till he learned more.

Nyx waited, his mind drawn back to the incident with the thugs. He didn’t feel pity or remorse for their deaths; they had brought it on themselves through their actions. What did bother him was the deeply buried excitement the fight had roused inside him. After his wife’s murder in the higher realms, he had given into a primal urge and massacred a gathering of people. He had felt a euphoria, a strength in actions that still haunted his dreams.

A horn honked on the road drawing Nyx's attention. Gabe sat in the driver seat of a silver Honda Civic sedan, his lean arm muscles exposed by the way his green tee-shirts sleeves ruffles up as he gripped the steering wheel. Dan was next to him on the passenger side leaning forward waving to grab Nyx's attention. He was wearing a pair of black sunglasses still puffing at the cigarette.

Nyx tossed the duffel bag in the cars back seat before sliding in himself.

Gabe looked back, pushing the tousled curls of brown hair from his eyes. "Where too?"

“Just to the nearest Motel. Thanks.” Nyx hated to be in another person’s debt.

Gabe winked back at Nyx, “Food, you can’t have food in that bag. Let’s make a stop on the way.”

“He just wants to go get a motel room,” said Dan, his face set in a scowl as he looked at his brother.

Gabe raised his eyebrow, and Nyx watched the brothers communicate with just a look. He noted that both brothers had the same brown eyes, but their facial features were almost complete opposites; Gabe's were soft in comparison to Dan's sharper looks.

“Whatever, food it is,” Dan looked back at Nyx, “you good with that?” then he grumbled under his breath. “Hope Joshua doesn’t mind.”

Nyx tried to decline but Gabe wouldn't listen, "seriously, we don't come from a much different situation than yourself. We know how messed up the foster care system is. Don't mind Dan here, he doesn't much care for people in General, well unless they are girls," He cracked a slightly lopsided grin.

Dan glared at his brother, crossing his arms but didn’t try to dispute the matter. “People tend to let you down. It’s better to rely on yourself.”

Nyx took in Dan’s designer shades and shirt along with a gold chain hanging around his neck, “for someone who doesn’t like people, you seem to keep up appearances.”

“I do it for the babes,” Dan turned back and looked down at Nyx’s oversized shorts and shirt, “Maybe you ought to care about it just a little more.”

Gabe tilted the rearview mirror down so he could see what Dan was talking about, "the mall it is!" he said slapping the steering wheel lightly, then corrected the mirror.

The engine rumbled as the car pulled back out onto the road. They headed in the direction that Nyx had gone for a run that morning. The street was packed with considerably more vehicles. The sounds of sirens grew louder as they drove, heads in the cars around them craned to see what was happening. Nyx had an inkling of what the cause might be. The car rounded a bend and he saw four police cruisers parked in the Seven Eleven parking lot.

Traffic was moving slowly as people tried to catch a glimpse of what was happening. When the car pulled up closer, Nyx noted the cordoned-off section towards the back of the building. A group of police stood near the crime scene, two of them talking into the radios strapped to their chest. Nyx made note of another officer talking to the Indian store clerk. The man seemed more annoyed than anything by the disturbance.

Nyx rolled down his window, listening, but could only catch a few words spoken: "...need the security tapes."

Nyx's eyes narrowed, once the officers saw the tape, even if there weren't incriminating evidence, they would mark him as a person of interest.

Dan sat fiddling with his phone but looked up to see what was going on, "wonder what happened, will probably be on the news later. Seems big." He looked back at Nyx. "Hey weren't you running this way earlier? Did you see anything?"

Nyx shook his head, “nothing worth mentioning.”

Even for a Saturday, the mall parking lot was packed. They were lucky to snag a spot in the middle when another car pulled away. A thumping came from the other vehicles open windows, making Nyx wonder how it could be considered music.

As the brothers led him through the mall, Nyx lost himself in the sounds and smells of Earth. The air felt thick, the smells somehow less fragrant and more pungent, but it was made up for by the bustle of people and the general unorganized, chaotic manner of everything. He found it soothing after the stagnant perfection he was so used to in the higher realm. Nyx remembered distinctly hating crowds before leaving Earth. Something about being surrounded by people had left him antsy, but now he found he quite enjoyed losing himself in the throng.

As they walked through the mall, a baby cried in the play area; it had tripped on the lip of a platform. The toddler's parents rushed over, checking to make sure it was okay. At the other side, a couple ambled through the swarm of people with bags in hand, more focused on each other than the storefronts they passed. A group of teenagers walked past them in the opposite direction all fighting for attention, talking over each other. Dan and Gabe seemed oblivious to the multitude of conversations taking place all around as they ushered Nyx to the food court, treating him to a meal from panda express.

Nyx took his time eating. The food was sweet, sweet in an artificial way. The food lacked the nutrition from the higher realm but worked to satisfy his hunger. When they were done, Dan led them through the various shops. His usual frown was gone as he became excited at the prospect of updating Nyx's wardrobe. Whenever an attractive girl would pass, Dan's eyes followed, although he never made any attempts to talk. When asked about it, he claimed, in the right mood, he could pull any girl he wanted. From Gabe's raised eyebrows, Nyx was skeptical of the claim but nodded along anyways.

At a Gucci store, a belt alone was priced at four-hundred fifty dollars. Nyx was astonished, the quality of the merchandise did not seem high. From then on, when they entered the fancier shops, he declined to purchase anything.

In the end, much to Dan's chagrin, Nyx picked out a couple of dark colored hoodies made from thick fabric and some joggers that he found were quite comfortable and unrestrictive. Dan wanted him to get something more fashionable. Nyx decided it was a good idea to purchase athletic gear and a couple attractive dress shirts and pants, just in case. Dan was more than happy to pick them out for him.

Nyx walked into a new balance shop led by Dan, Gabe trailed behind, not as interested in the shopping as his brother. He picked out a pair of black lightweight flat soled shoes, turning away the clunky looking things Dan tried to push on him.

With shopping bags in hand, Nyx walked shoulder to shoulder with the brothers to the store's exit. Five loud boys gathered at the entrance, all around Nyx's age. They pointed at a girl and loudly made lewd noises as she hurried away. As Nyx neared, they stared at him laughing. Something about them was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. As Nyx tried to edge around the group, their snickers quieted, but he could see a mean glint in their eyes.

“Do I know you from somewhere?” asked Nyx when they didn’t make way for him.

"Ah look at that, he is short of memory as well, I forgot it's not polite to pick on the mentally handicapped," said a blond-haired boy. Nyx supposed most girls would find him attractive with his delicate features. He looked to his friends who chuckled at his joke and fanned out in a semicircle. Nyx noticed Dan and Gabe circle back to his side when he didn’t follow. He was secretly grateful for the support.