Chapter 2: SysDi 2: Welcome to the Simulation Zone
Pity.
A mini-hurricane swirling from the horizon that had been brewing for a while before striking suddenly and destroying everything in its wake, kind of pity.
Evan heard his mother’s cry, knowing that his fate had been sealed. His father didn’t say a word as they walked away from the health center, but the disappointment could almost be tasted in the air.
Or maybe it was Evan who is disappointed with himself. It still felt surreal, the stares of pity, the glare of that man... Evan thinks that Sir Maxwell knew of his status before he talked using that microphone earlier when he took stage. That was probably why he was scanning at all of them and made eye contact with Evan specifically.
The moment they got back in their humble home, Evan went straight to his room. No one stopped him, though he did see more worry in his mother’s eyes. He knew that look.
After making sure that the door is locked, Evan slumps on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. He only needed a glance to see the reason why his mother could only apologize.
Category Z. Could Evan have jinxed it?
Is it because fate didn’t want him to get a hold of his dreams? How is he going to pull his family out of poverty?
Evan stood up from the bed and made his way towards his foot-box. It was a small box at the end of his wooden bed. All of his things were there, clean clothes and some toys that his father had made for him.
He rummaged through them, looking for the only thing that he hoped will bring him comfort now like it had always done for him ever since he had gotten it. The wrist watch with his name engraved at the bottom. Evan Rotewed.
There was a moment of pause before Evan found the watch at the side just below some of his wooden toys. He took it gently, almost reverently, as if it was something precious, and it is, to him. The watch was odd enough for how it is. Evan had asked his mom what the weird shaped thing was inside the glass casing and Sylvia had told him it is a thing called hourglass. It was supposedly something that can tell the time too, but in a different way then a wrist watch could on its own.