Game of Survival~Arcane Fanfiction(ON HOLD UNTIL SEASON 2)

Outcast/Friend

     
        I winced hard, as something collided with my skull painfully, and felt hot tears sting my eyes, as a group of other kids laughed nearby, the tall boy in front of them smirking at me, as I rubbed my head. "Go back to your rich life, you filthy Pilty! We don't want your kind around here!" I glared at him, and didn't really think about the possible consequences, as I hopped off the stack of boxes I had been sitting on, and scooped up a pile of tiny pebbles from the ground, hurling them at him and his stupid friends. "Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!" As the pebbles collided with his head and face, a look of pure disgust and rage crossed his features, and I felt the color drain out of my face. "Shit-" I took off running, mere seconds before I could hear their footsteps racing after me.

          I raced around the darkened alleyways as fast as my seven year old legs could take me, already breathing heavily, my whole body aching and weak from not having eaten in days, and used what little strength and agility I did have to hop over obstacles and clamber up the sides of buildings and across rooftops, hoping that that would make them stop chasing me, but no such luck. I could hear them shouting insults after me, their voices getting closer and closer, as I started slowing down, barely able to keep running. I eventually hopped down from a roof, hitting the ground hard, and rolled, wincing as the rocks on the ground sliced into my bare arms and legs, but ignored the hot blood trickling down my skin, rounding a corner, and slammed face flat into someone standing there, hearing a frustrated groan, as the person stumbled, my body hitting the ground hard.

             I laid there for what felt like hours, but it was probably only a few seconds, and slowly sat up, rubbing my neck, my body throbbing with pain, then slowly looked up, my blood running cold as I saw who I had run into. "V-Vi? I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to-" She hoisted me up by the front of my shirt, her blue eyes glaring into mine. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the group of kids finally catching up to me, stumbling to a halt as they saw Vi holding onto me, fear crossing their faces. Anyone with half a brain in the Lanes knew better than to mess with her, her sister Powder, or Mylo and Claggor. Vander's kids were off-limits, mostly because they could all kick ass, and Vi could knock a grown man out with one punch if she wanted.

            Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the bright blue hair of Powder, as the other girl looked at her big sister with wide eyes. Vi looked at the kids, and asked, "Is this what you're looking for?" The leader looked at his friends, and swallowed hard, before stuttering out, "W=We don't want any trouble. You can have her, Vi." Vi snorted in amusement at how scared they looked, before tossing me over to them. "We have a job to do. We don't have time to mess around with her right now." Hurt flooded my body, and I felt tears slide down my face. I had tried my best ever since arriving in the Lanes to get on Vi's good side, but she treated me like everyone else did; I was an outcast, even in a place full of outcasts, and it was a struggle for me to even find food, because no one wanted to sell me anything, and everyone glared at me with cruel eyes.

               I heard Vi and the others walking away, as the leader of the group of kids kicked me harshly in the ribs, causing me to cower in fear and pain. "Awe, why don't you run to Mommy and Daddy? Oh, yeah.. They didn't want you, either, did they?" I heard his friends snickering at his insult, and the pain and hurt inside me dulled, replaced by white hot fury at his words, and I sprang to my feet, before charging at him. A look of shock passed across his face, as my fist slammed into his mouth ferociously, hard enough that I felt my bones crack under the pressure, and hot blood spurted from his lips, along with a few teeth. His friends rushed to help him, but I wasn't finished, the rage inside of me taking control, making me see red, and I kicked one of them in the chest hard, hearing their ribs break, another one winding up with my fist in their throat, satisfaction filling me as they choked on the ground, and the others stopped in their tracks, looking unsure about what to do.

                 I glared at them, and they swallowed hard, before dragging off their injured friends and leader, leaving me all alone. I leaned against a wall, exhaustion hitting me as the rage drained away, replaced by sadness, and I looked at my fists, which were bleeding badly, black and blue bruises starting to form on my knuckles, and I slowly slid down the wall, curling into a fetal position, before crying hard, that boy's words digging deep into my heart. I had been sent to the Lanes when I was five years old, escorted by Enforcers, and stripped of my rights as a member of a respected House above in Piltover. My parents had sent me there, all because of an accident caused during a sparring match I had with my best friend. I had accidentally killed her, but the Council didn't care if it was an accident, or if I was only a kid; Whatever sentence they passed, it would be carried out.

                   Ever since then, I had had to use all the skills I learned as the child of a swordsmith and an Enforcer, both of who were next in line to be on the Council, to survive the Shimmer ridden streets, the bar fights, the thieves, and the murderers all around the city. I had my fair share of battle scars under my clothes from it, too, some worse than others. If I got injured, I had to fix myself up, because no doctor would see me, either. Ever since my parents sent me there, I had grown to hate them with a passion, because it had occurred to me, even as a child, that they had sent me there to die, not caring in the slightest what would happen to their only child. After I managed to stop crying, I slowly stood, my whole body in agony, as I started noticing the various bruises and cuts on my skin, and started stumbling through the streets, heading for the abandoned and crumbling building I called home.

                    I stopped dead in my tracks, as I saw familiar bright blue hair duck around the corner, a flash of blue eyes disappearing with it, and I sighed. "You shouldn't be here, Powder. Vi is gonna be mad if she catches you near me. I told you last time that it wasn't safe to come back here. Besides, I-I don't have anything nice in there. And it's cold, and wet, and dark." Powder slowly came out of hiding, frowning as she looked me up and down, and then, without any warning, grabbed my hand, and tugged me into my house. "That's okay. It's not that nice in the basement of The Last Drop, either. We have more stuff, but it's kinda dark and cold." She forced me to sit on the dirty pile of blankets I used as a bed, and grabbed the first aid supplies I had managed to steal over the course of a few months. I sighed, and lifted my shirt above my ribs, flinching away as she dabbed my various cuts and bruises. "That hurts!" She giggled a bit, causing me to blush in embarrassment. "You're funny, Max. I like you.."

                     My blush grew hotter on my cheeks, and I muttered, "You shouldn't, you know. Vi won't like it, and she'll kick my ass." Powder finished bandaging my injuries, and shrugged, scooting closer to me. "She and the others are kinda mad at me right now, though she won't say it. I messed up our job- Mylo called me a jinx." I saw tears shine in her eyes, and frowned. "Well, he's stupid. You're really smart, and funny, and I think you're really brave. And I know that those bombs of yours are gonna work someday, and no one will make fun of you then." I sighed, as she stayed quiet, and grabbed a dented can of food off the tiny shelf on the wall, and used my small knife to pry the lid open, grabbing two dusty spoons, and handed one to her. "I was saving this for a special day, because it's all I have, but I'm hungry now, and I can hear your stomach growling."

                        Powder's eyes widened a bit, then began eating the food hungrily. I smiled a bit, as she smiled at me, her face stuffed full, and didn't eat until she was finished, scooping up the tiny last remains, and swallowing it, then tossed it out the window. "You know, if you wanna, you can stay here with me tonight. If Vi comes looking for you, we can hide." An uncomfortable look crossed her face, and she looked down. "I can't. She would be so scared if I was gone all night. I don't wanna leave her alone. We're all we have left.." I flinched a bit at that, a bit hurt, and looked away. "Oh- Okay.. But- You know, you have me, too. If you ever need me, I'll come find you, okay? We're friends, right?"
     
           She nodded, before pulling me into a hug. "Best friends." I melted into the hug, not letting her see my tears, and forced a smile. "You should go home now.. I don't wanna get you into more trouble." She nodded, and got up, saying, "I'll come back tomorrow. Bye, Max!" I whispered, "Bye, Powder", as she ran off, and curled up under my blankets, which did nothing to keep out the cold, or the dusty air of the Lanes, which was laced with Shimmer and other things I didn't know. I closed my eyes, and sighed, wishing that I didn't have to sneak around, just to have one friend. But that one friend meant more to me than anything in the world, and I would protect her if I needed to..Powder was the only one who knew me at all..