Family First

As Noa sped down the highway on his motorcycle, the surrounding cars also featured sleek, futuristic designs. The city celebrated the arrival of the New Year with balloons and party supplies adorning the shops, their signs reading "Happy New Year, Gen City!" and "Happy 2100!" As he rode on, the buildings transformed from futuristic designs to older, more modern-looking structures.

Eventually, Noa arrived at the Pile Apartments, a towering building constructed of black bricks with a rust-covered fire escape. Outside the entrance, two skinny, beat-up dogs fought over a bone – a rare sight of real animals in the city. He parked his bike in the numbered parking lot, slot 343, far from the building.

Inside the lobby, the interior revealed a history of numerous repairs. Mismatched tiles and varying wallpaper, ranging from bright, flaky orange to dull beige, adorned the walls. Noa walked up to the elevator and pressed the up button. 

As the elevator hummed, he snapped his fingers, realizing he had almost forgotten to check the mail. He had been staying with his older sister Tamara, and she had been complaining about him not checking the mail enough. She must be expecting something, he thought. He pulled out his keys and headed towards a line of mailboxes.

As he approached the mailboxes, his face twisted in confusion at the sight of a bloody man leaning against them, breathing heavily and dripping in sweat. Noa noticed the trail of blood on the floor.

"Yo!" he called out. "You good?"

The man snapped around and saw Noa. He sprinted past him, shoving Noa out of the way. Noa stared on in confusion.

Cautiously, Noa walked over to his mailbox. Nothing seemed to be wrong with it. He opened mailbox 343. All the envelopes inside were addressed to "Tamara Colt". Then he noticed something else inside – a gold box. He took it out and examined it, confused. He looked back in the direction where the man had run.

***

Noa walked into his sister’s apartment. The apartment was small and extremely modern, a stark contrast to the futuristic-looking city outside the window. Noa placed the mail on the kitchen island and examined the peculiar box. Upon opening it, he discovered a flash drive inside, with a note attached that read: "Deliver to Rose."

Noa muttered to himself, "...Rose?"

He quietly approached Tamara's bedroom and cracked open the door. Inside, a woman with black and green hair lay snoring in her bed. This was his older sister Tamara. Even though the green wasn’t in the same place as his, she produced both colors naturally, a rare genetic trait they picked up from their dad’s side, who had both black and blonde hair. 

Their green hair came from their mother who spent years working in radiated areas around the dome’s edge. Somehow, her DNA changed to produce green hair naturally. Beside Tamara was a child with half black and half white hair who appeared to be asleep. This was her son, Tochi. Although Tamara had refused to tell him the identity of his father, he knew he must have naturally white silver-like hair. Noa carefully closed the door, and as it clicked shut, Tochi opened his eyes and sat up.

Noa pushed open the door to his room, stepping into the chaos within. Junk was scattered across every surface, but amidst the mess were a few treasures: a keyboard and two black boxes, nearly identical to the ones the DJ had used at the club. Time had not been kind to them; scratches marred their surfaces, and chips were missing from their edges.

Noa sank into his chair at the computer. From his pocket, he retrieved a flash drive and placed it on a circular pad beside him. The pad glowed green, and a second later, his computer sprang to life. On the screen, a single file appeared:

SONG OF LIBERATION.

Noa's eyebrow arched in curiosity. Rising from his chair, he slipped on his wireless earbuds. A quick double-tap brought them online, their LEDs flashing green in confirmation.

He clicked on the file, and music erupted from his earbuds. It was fast, high-energy, pulsing with intensity. A grin crept across Noa’s face—it was good. Really good.

He opened his browser and typed “SONG OF LIBERATION” into the search bar. A string of results appeared, but none of them were related to music. His grin faltered into a frown. Shrugging off his disappointment, Noa closed the browser and launched a program on his computer: Max Trail DJ Software.

The screen displayed two large spinning discs, their gauges flickering to life. He dragged the song into the left deck, and the circle spun, pumping out the track. He grabbed another file from his library and added it to the right deck. A new beat layered over the first, and with a few deft adjustments, the two tracks blended into one.

Noa nodded to the beat. It was smooth. Hypnotic. "Now this is some good shit," he muttered.

Then he froze.

Tochi stood in the doorway.

Slightly rubbing his eyes, Tochi’s eyes flitted around the room, darting from object to object, never settling. The air between them was heavy, an unspoken tension pressing down. Noa forced a shaky smile, but his fingers twitched at his sides, betraying his unease.

Noa cleared his throat, his voice quiet but firm. “You’re supposed to be asleep, Tochi.”

Tochi didn’t look at him as he responded. “You’re 33 minutes late. You’re usually home by 2:30 a.m.”

“Did I wake you?” Noa asked.

“No! I can stay up all night if I wanted.”

“Sure you could. Go back to bed.”

“67 days.”

“What?” Noa asked, his brow furrowing.

“You moved in 67 d-days ago. Originally you only said 2 weeks. Why are you still here? Are you a bum? My teacher says that she hates her husband’s brother because he eats up all the food and she calls him a—”

Noa cut him off, alarmed. “Alright, let’s not start that! Get to bed.”

He placed a hand on Tochi’s shoulder, gently but firmly steering him out of the room. Tochi mumbled something under his breath as Noa guided him to his bedroom.

Noa paused outside Tochi’s door as he pushed it closed. From inside, he heard his sister stir. She moaned softly and shifted in her bed, making Noa freeze. Was she awake too? She turned over, pulling the blanket up around her. Noa exhaled, relieved, and quietly shut the door.

Noa’s bedroom was dimly lit by the morning light filtering through the blinds. He was sprawled on his bed, snoring lightly. Beneath his desk, the gold box sat tucked away in the shadows.

The door burst open, and Tamara stormed in, her lab coat flapping behind her. Without hesitation, she grabbed a pillow and hurled it at Noa’s face.

“Get up! I gotta go to work.”

Noa groaned, pulling the pillow over his head. “Why is it that when you go to work, I have to?”

“Because your bum ass doesn’t pay rent,” she shot back. “Now get up and watch your nephew.”

Noa stood in the kitchenette, still in his pajamas. Across the small table, Tochi was hunched over a tablet, his fingers swiping upward in a steady rhythm. His eyes darted back and forth across the screen as he speed-read, completely absorbed.

With one earbud in, Noa paced as he spoke into his phone. “I’m telling you, Jack, this song is going to put me on the map! I—”

Before he could finish, Tamara entered the room. Noa quickly removed the earbud and slipped it into his pocket. Tamara leaned down and kissed Tochi on the forehead as he sat playing with a puzzle on the couch in the living room.

“Bye, baby,” she said softly. Then, turning to Noa, she added, “See ya.”

Noa hesitated before speaking up. “By the way, I’m gonna pay you rent soon. I’ve got something coming up that—”

Tamara waved him off, smirking. “Noa, I was just busting your balls.”

“I’m not a bum,” Noa said firmly. “I’ll get you the money.”

She nodded and headed toward the door, but stopped just as she was about to leave. “You got the mail last night, right?”

“Yeah,” Noa replied casually.

“Was there anything else in it besides bills?”

Noa paused. He could tell her about it. But...

“Not that I saw,” he said, his voice even.

For a moment, Tamara stood there, watching him carefully, her gaze probing for any sign of hesitation. A crack in his armor. Noa met her eyes and held his ground, not flinching.

“...Aight,” she finally said. “Let me know if something comes.”

She left the room, and Noa exhaled, a long, slow sigh of relief.

If only Noa had told the truth. He would be spared the horror that was to come.