That night, "click," Dennis opened his apartnt door and helped Daisy, who seed drunk, inside. At the restaurant, after they finished eating, Ivan had ordered drinks for everyone, including the girls from Willow. Eventually, everyone was drinking, including Dennis and Daisy, who were caught in the middle and couldn’t get out of it; as a result, after a few rounds, almost everyone got drunk and the atmosphere beca lively as they all let loose and chatted away. What was supposed to be just a dinner together turned into a party, until finally Steve, Kamala, and Vanessa arrived to put a stop to it, then sat back down and ate with them.
Dennis carried Daisy like a princess and kicked the door shut, then he brought her to the bedroom, laid her on the bed, and changed her into her pajamas. Afterward, Dennis tucked in Daisy, who was sleep-talking all sorts of things with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. After staying with Daisy until she cald down and finally fell asleep, Dennis stood up, changed his clothes, and walked out of the room; his head was also a bit dizzy from the effects of the alcohol. He grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and drank, then sat on the sofa to relax, staring blankly ahead.
"Huf... my head is spinning... I’m not used to drinking... but Daisy and I really drank a lot earlier; those Willow girls just kept refilling our glasses," Dennis muttered while holding his forehead.
Dennis leaned his head back against the sofa while looking up at the ceiling; his eyes began to dim and, sure enough, they eventually closed with his mouth hanging open. He just endured his head throbbing as if there were a drum inside pounding against his skull, until he finally drifted off to sleep.
***
"Bzzzzzzzz"
"Click,"
"Ugh," a young Dennis woke up to the sound of a cell door opening; emaciated and frail, he opened his eyes and was imdiately startled to see a hand reaching for his face, quickly shoving a dark black sack over his head. Then, the man in front of him forced him to stand, even though his legs were trembling and weak since he hadn’t eaten in days. When Dennis collapsed, he was imdiately kicked to make him get back up as his arms were yanked.
"Hurry up... don’t be lazy, you’re being sold now,"
He heard the voice of a man he had known for a long ti saying that he was going to be sold to soone; he imdiately felt an overwhelming fear and confusion, yet he didn’t dare to scream at all and could only cry behind the sack covering his face. After walking through a door, Dennis could feel a gentle breeze greeting his skin, and the glint of sunlight was visible through the sack. He was already outside the building and, faintly, he could sll the scent of the sea mixing with the musty odor of the sack trapping his head.
He could hear several people nearby talking excitedly about slaves, illegal workers, and gourt dishes only eaten by the rich—things Dennis didn’t understand. After that, they also discussed price negotiations for a fairly high amount, interspersed with laughter even though the air felt heavy with the business of the deal. Dennis could only surrender; his body trembled, he had no idea at all what was going to happen to him after this, and he realized it was impossible for him to ever go back ho again.
But, not long after, "Hands up, you’re under arrest," a shout rang out followed by gunfire. Dennis flinched and beca even more terrified, but he couldn’t move at all and stood frozen, his body trembling. Suddenly, soone crashed into him, knocking him flat on the ground, and the person who hit him continued to fire right next to him, deafening Dennis with the roar of the shots. Dennis could do nothing but cover his ears, his lips quivering and his mind going totally blank.
Eventually, the gunfire stopped. Dennis, still lying prone on the ground, uncovered his ears, which were still ringing so loudly that he couldn’t hear anything around him or tell what was happening. He heard the voice of a man beside him, and then the man pulled the sack off his head. Dennis lifted his head to see a man wearing black military gear with the Ruby City emblem on his uniform, a mask, and a tactical helt, holding a carbine rifle and standing right in front of him.
Then the man knelt on one knee and said sothing to Dennis, but since Dennis’s ears were still ringing, he couldn’t hear it clearly. When the man reached out to touch him, Dennis imdiately panicked and covered his face while still lying face down. Seeing how scared and trembling Dennis was, the man pulled his hand back and imdiately removed his helt and mask. Dennis could see the man’s face; he was a Black man with a bald head, and he smiled at Dennis, saying, "Relax, you’re safe now."
The man helped Dennis stand up, then picked him up and ran. Dennis only then realized he was on an artificial island in the Ruby City marine conservation area; the place where he’d been locked up was an underground room, which was strange because there wasn’t supposed to be anything on that island—it was strictly for conservation by the massive Ruby City.
Dennis looked at the man carrying him, a soldier from the Ruby City security forces. He also saw the scary-looking people who had tortured him lying on the ground, while several soldiers moved them, gathering them in one spot. Finally, Dennis, still stunned, turned to look at the man holding him.
"Um... mister... who are you?" Dennis asked softly.
The man, hearing Dennis speak, looked over and imdiately smiled. He stopped and set Dennis down, then crouched in front of him and placed a hand on his head with a warm expression.
"I’m a city security soldier. My na is Lieutenant William Larson. Do you rember where your ho is?" William asked.
Dennis shook his head, then looked down at the ground with his hands clenched into fists. William seed to think for a mont, then looked at Dennis once more.
"What’s your na?" William asked slowly and gently.
"Dennis," he answered shortly.
"Alright, Dennis. For now, you’re coming ho with until we can track down where your real parents are," William said, patting his head.
Dennis didn’t say anything, but he nodded. William looked pleased and imdiately picked Dennis up again. Then they ran toward the Ruby City security forces’ ship.
"Bzzzzzzzz"
***
"Whoaaaah!"
Dennis woke up on the sofa, his body drenched in sweat and his breath hitching. He looked around and only cald down when he realized he was in his apartnt. He grabbed the water bottle on the coffee table and took a long drink.
"Phuaah... what... what was that? Another dream... wait a second... in that vivid dream... the one who saved ... was that Dad?" Dennis asked himself, his face looking utterly confused.
Dennis leaned back against the sofa again, still holding his water bottle. He sat there stunned, trying to replay what he had just experienced in that dream. It had felt so real, like a long-buried mory surfacing, allowing him to feel the sensations and every emotion from that mont all over again.
After reflecting for a while, he finally realized that since he was a kid, people had told him he didn’t look like his father or mother because his father was Black while his mother was White. Back then, he didn’t understand and didn’t take it seriously because he loved his parents.
Then, when Bella moved in next door and t him, he was already chubby—because when he first arrived at his ho in a skeletal state, his parents wouldn’t let him go hungry until it eventually beca excessive—and he was still cross-eyed; his conscious mories only really started from that point. Dennis rubbed his face and leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling light.
"Am I... an adopted child too? Who are... my real parents?" Dennis asked.
[Finally, you rember, master.]
"Huh... you knew?" Dennis asked.
[Yes, but it was better for you to rember on your own, so I chose to stay silent.]
"So, in this world, I’m not Mom and Dad’s biological son," Dennis muttered in his head, closing his eyes in sadness.
[Not just in this world, master. In your previous world, you weren’t your parents’ biological child either, and what you experienced was exactly the sa as in this world. Surely you rember, don’t you, what your father’s job was in the previous world?]
"Yeah... he’s a forr Marine who worked in electrical construction after that until he owned his own company; Dad once said he left the service because he wanted to help Mom take care of and go back to being a regular citizen," Dennis said.
[That is exactly right, master, isn’t it the sa as your father in this world?]
"If that’s the case, who are my real parents?" Dennis asked himself. Even though he wanted to know his true origins, he still considered his Mom and Dad to be his real parents.
[One day, you will know, master.]
"I see... whatever... my dad is my dad and my mom is my mom. If it’s true that I was kidnapped and never ransod until they finally tried to sell , it’s pretty clear my birth parents didn’t care to look for , right? So I don’t need to know who they are," Dennis muttered.
[True, master, but you will need to know one day.]
"Why do I even need to know?" Dennis asked.
[You will know the reason soon enough. This all has sothing to do with your wife, and you will find out when the ti is right.]
Dennis fell silent; there was nothing left to say. He closed his eyes again, covering them with his arm.
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