The year is 3000 A.D and once again society has taken upon itself to distinguish the just from the unjust. In the past it has been those of African decent and then the Jewish, now though it is the Halflings. The Halflings are those of mixed blood. One parent is a human while the other was from another planet, alien if you prefer. Most of them originated after the integration of planet Silmarillon. Seen as the black sheep of society they live in this world under oppression and discrimination. Most of their parents that were not of this world were killed or left shortly after their births.
The Halflings are most closely identified by their eyes, which come in a wide variety of almost florescent colors depending on the area their parent was from. They also have the ability to run faster then normal humans would and their agility is far above those of a normal humans. Now because of these and other small gifts the Halflings are seen as the threat to the way the humans see their way of life.
But now cast into shadows for so many years and looked down upon the Halflings are coming together in almost a sort of an uprising starting in the underground workings of society. What they will do no one knows except their leaders, but all the humans know is that they must be prepared for the worst and because of this a new generation of humans are being raised with hate in their hearts. The only thing the Halflings can do is hide and wait. Wait for the day when justice will come like it came long ago to others like themselves.
AJ lights a cigarette and takes a quick drag off it before looking across the street from behind his dark sunglasses. He leans on the bus stop pole and blows the smoke back out of his mouth. Cars were speeding by him thrown into full ignition leaving trails of smoke from their mufflers. Cars weren’t meant to go 130 miles an hour and he knew it. His uncle had told him before about times in the past where people in cars could actually make out their surroundings and not just see blurbs of green and brown or in the cities case mostly black with streams of lights zipping by. Of course his uncle was always an odd one.
AJ tucks his lighter into his pants pocket and zips the pocket up. Black pants, a black wife beater and a black baseball hat were good enough for him and it didn’t draw too much attention to himself. He looks towards the left of him and steps back as a large white bus pulls up quickly and comes to a halt in front of the sign. He steps onto the steps flicking away his cigarette and waits behind the other passengers as they all check in. He throws his chin up slightly though as he walks up to the driver.
“Card,” the driver says looking at him.
AJ fishes into his pocket and produces a small silver card with a small hologram on it. The driver takes it quickly from his hand and pushes it into a small slot on the steering wheel. A small screen in the middle of the steering wheel flashes red quickly before showing a picture of AJ facing the camera with a somber expression on his face, “You know the deal,” the driver says handing AJ back the card quickly.
AJ rolls his eyes behind his glasses and tucks the card back into his pocket as the bus starts to move quickly down the street. He walks towards the back on the bus and takes a seat next to a young woman dressed in baggy dark green pants, a plain white t-shirt and dark aviator sun glasses on her small face. Her brown hair was pulled up half way in a small ponytail while the rest of it fell to the length of her shoulders. She looks up at AJ as he sits down next to her and he smiles at her as she smiles back.
“Are you with us or against us?” she asks looking forward.
AJ turns and looks at her quickly, “What?”
“Are you with us or against us?” she asks again turning to face him this time and dipping her sunglasses down her nose to reveal bright florescent green eyes staring up at him.
“What’s your cause?” AJ asks.
“How do I know you’re with us?”
“Why else would I be back here?” he says pulling off his sunglasses and staring at her with bright red eyes.
She smiles at him sweetly as he puts back on his sunglasses, “I understand.”
“What do you want? I don’t want to part of any kind of militia ok. I’ve been asked that at least three times already today.”
“Oh no it’s not that,” she says pulling a small card out of her pocket, “Here take it,” she says handing it to him.
“It’s blank,” he says looking down at it.
“No it’s not,” she says, “Just open your eyes and you’ll see.”
“What’s your name?”
“Pilar,” she says as the bus comes to a stop and she stands up.
AJ looks at her tucking in his legs as she climbs across him and into the aisle then finally rushing off the bus, “Better not be another militia,” he mumbles to himself.
There were too many militias out in the world comprised of Halflings who try to get people to join and help them fight. Of course they have and probably will never do any good for the Halflings and AJ knew it. That’s why he avoided them all together. Now what to do about this card? He stares down at the blank card and flips it over. Nothing.
“Nothing,” AJ mumbles as the bus comes to another stop and he gets up stuffing the card into his pocket and walks off the bus onto the street.
There is a whoosh and a gust of wind as the bus takes off again driving down the street at 130 miles an hour. AJ starts walking down the small street and stops in front of a small apartment building. He walks up the few steps to the front door and stops. He places his hand on a small plate on the side of the house as his hand sinks into it up to his wrist. It glows blue lightly and he pulls his hand out as the door opens. He walks into the complex as a light glow lights up the stairwell in front of him from a small light bulb. He makes his way up the stairs and stops outside room 13A on the fifth floor. He pushes his hand onto a similar pad as was near the front door and waits until it glows blue then pulls out his hand and pushes his door open. As he walks in the door shuts itself behind him and locks automatically.
His apartment was small and the lights come on as he steps into the living room. He had a small living room, a kitchen, one bedroom and a bathroom. He throws his hat onto a small table near the door and walk over to the couch throwing himself onto it. He picks up the TV remote and turns it on as the news comes on.
“A robbery at the gas station on 64th and Crescent today at 3 pm is likely to be the works of a Halfling gang that has been prowling these parts for the past two weeks…” the reporter says as AJ sighs and shuts off the TV.
“Always Halflings,” he says taking off his sunglass and looking at the room with his bright red eyes. There never was a day without a crime done by Halflings, “Damned media,” he says stuffing his sunglasses into his pocket and feeling the card. He pulls it out and stares at it, as letters appear on it glowing a bright red color up at him, “We formally invite you to come take part in party of the year only open to Halflings tonight at building 347 on the corner of 78th and Rye. Sincerely, Kevin Scott Richardson,” AJ says reading it out loud as the sincerely and the name glow a bright purple, “Read with your eyes open,” he says and smiles, “Smart little bustards,” he says stuffing the card back into his pocket.
Well now he had something to do tonight at least.
Nick comes to a stop in front a restaurant and hops off his motorcycle pushing a small button on the side of his helmet so it curls back up and goes into two small circular discs hanging on his ears like headphones. He takes the discs off and stuffs them into his jacket pocket. He pushes through a small crowd to get to the front of the restaurant until he reaches the door. He stares at the back of a guy as old as him and just as tall as him as he argues with a man standing at the door. The guys spiked blond hair was almost mirrored to Nick’s as well as his outfit of black pants and a blue shirt minus the jacket. He bumps into Nick as another man in the crowd grabs him by the shoulder and throws him back making him loose his balance. He finally yells some choice words at the man at the door and spins on his heels storming off. The last thing Nick saw of him was of him glaring at them from behind two bright florescent blue eyes.
Nick lets out a breath of air and walks over to the door. The man at the door looks at Nick and nods his head letting Nick pass. Nick stares at a sign outside of the restaurant doors before walking in, “No Halflings Allowed.”
Nick scans the room and finally sees the table he wants and walks up to it. A smaller man was sitting at it staring down at the menu before he looks up and smiles at Nick as he blue eyes sparkle.
“Hey Nick,” he says smiling at Nick.
“Hey Bri,” Nick says sitting down in the seat across from him.
“What took you so long?”
“Traffic and then there was all this commotion outside. Halfling tried to get in.”
“I don’t see why they just don’t let them in,” Brian sighs.
“Are you insane,” Nick says.
“What they’re just like us,” Brian says, “Only different in some ways.”
“Shhhh,” Nick says, “You want to get yourself killed. Leave those debates for the politicians.”
Brian shakes his head and looks back down at the menu before shutting it again, “Whatever you say Nick. I’ll just never understand it personally.”
Nick shakes his head, “It’s just always been that way Brian. They have their life styles and we have ours.”
“I just don’t unders….” Brian says and is interrupted as a young man about Nick’s height walks up with dark jet black hair and big brown eyes walks up to the table and puts Brian in a head lock.
“Hey guys,” he smiles.
“Hey Griffin,” Nick says to him.
Griffin lets go of Brian and stares at Nick with big brown eyes and stands up folding his arms across his chest that is covered in a tan sweater, “Did you see the commotion outside.”
“Yes,” Nick says.
“Did they arrest him?”
“Who?”
“The Halfling who else,” Griffin says.
“No he walked away.”
“They always let them walk.”
“He didn’t do anything wrong,” Brian says.
“When are you gonna open your eyes Brian,” Griffin says, “They’re not like us. They have different blood running through their veins. They’re not even human. We don’t even know what they’re capable of. For all we know they are all getting together waiting for their time to strike.”
“Of course you think this,” Brian says, “Your dad’s in charge of all of those signs up all over.”
“My dad isn’t in charge of that.”
“You’re dad commissioned them,” Brian adds.
“You know what Brian get it through your head. They’re nothing. They will never be anything. They aren’t us. They’re mixed bloods,” he says before turning his back towards them and walking off.
“You always have to open your mouth,” Nick says to Brian.
Brian shrugs, “He’s such an ass why do you hang out with him?”
“He’s my friend.”
“He’s a fucking bigot.”
“Almost everyone is Brian. They aren’t human Brian.”
Brian stares at Nick and shakes his head then stands up.
“Where you going?”
“I’m not hungry. I lost my appetite,” Brian says throwing his jacket on and walking off.
Nick watches at Brian walks through the restaurant and finally out the door.
Nick shakes his head and stands up then walks over to the bar instead. He might as well get a drink if he was here at least. Brian never did understand society like he did. Nick knew the rules about Halflings Brian just never liked to open his eyes to what the world really was and he was gonna end up getting himself hurt or killed because of it. It was crime to hide Halflings and not register them and knowing Brian when he got older he would do that. Nick also knew that there were people out there who hated Halflings even more then Griffin did. Those damned extremist who hunted them down and killed them or burned their homes. And those same people hated people just as much for supporting Halflings as they did Halflings themselves. Knowing Brian he would run straight into a gang of them too.
Nick looks over his shoulder as another argument breaks out in front of the restaurant this time between the doorman and a taller dark man with bright purple eyes. Some people just didn’t know the rules of society.
Brian wraps himself up in his coat trying to shield himself from the wind being blown by the cars that were flying by. He looks to his right as a young man comes up and walks beside him. He was about an inch shorter then Brian with brown hair with an almost elfin appearance. He had on jeans and a plain black t-shirt topped off with a pair of dark sunglasses, a Halfling. You could always tell who they were on cloudy days because even though the sun wasn’t out they would have a pair of sunglasses on concealing their eyes.
He looks over at Brian almost frightened in a way. Brian smiles at him and he smiles back weakly before facing forward again. Times like these made Brian even more strongly believe in the fact that Halflings were harmless at least most of them were. This young man though was a little weary of Brian still keeping his distance from him. Brian yawns and at the same time hears his stomach growl. God he was hungry. He was already upset because Nick was late and Nick had to go and talk about politics, which always made Brian want to forget Nick was his friend. So he did the usual thing and left without eating yet again.
There was a small space in the wall a little bit bigger then Brian that he never noticed before. Above the small opening hung a sign What If Café. He stares at it as it gets closer and watches as the Halfling walks up to it and into the small opening. Brian stops and waits a few minutes before going over and looking into it. There was a small flight of stairs that lead upwards as far as Brian could see. Well he was hungry and wanted anything right now. He walks up the stairs and sees a small sign hanging above a door on his right once he reaches the top, What If Café. He pushes open the door and steps inside. A few heads turn to look at him as he walks in and he notices the different sets of florescent colored eyes that look at him.
“Ok ok let the man be,” a voice says as a tall lanky young man who could be no older then twenty walks up to him. He had normal brown eyes that looked like he was squinting all the time, almost similar to Brian’s own eyes, with a gray t-shirt on and a pair of loose fitting jeans. He had a black skullcap on over his hair and a friendly smile on his face, “Can I help you?”
“Uh do you have lunch still?” Brian says.
“Yeah sure,” he says, “Follow me,” he says and walks over to a small table, “We don’t have much though,” he says handing him a small menu.
“No it’s ok,” Brian says.
“Want anything to drink to start you off?”
“Uh have any lemonade?”
“Pink or regular?”
“Regular.”
“Ok,” he says writing it down and walking off.
Brian looks around the room quickly and catches a few people who glance over at him. Man was he out of place. The café was nice though. It was small and made Brian feel like he didn’t have to worry about the outside world. There were small stained glass lamps hanging from the ceilings lightening the room and a small bar wrapping around the front wall of the café. The thing that caught his eye though were the words written on the wall. Scrawled in perfect calligraphy were lines that all began with what if. What if time stood still? What if you could touch the sky? What if one chance changed everything? What if love was stronger the hate? What if dreams were reality? What if hope came from unexpected places? What if we had it all?
“What would you like to eat,” the boy asks snapping him back to reality placing his lemonade on the table.
“Uh um…”
“Can you wait one minute?”
“Sure,” Brian says as he walks over to the door as a short girl walks in around his age. She had a plain white t-shirt on, green pants, brown hair pulled half way up and a pair of aviator glasses on. He watches as the young waiter walks up to her and hugs her giving her a quick kiss. He lets go of her and tells her something before walking back over to Brian.
“Sorry. Your order?” he says.
“Can I have a burger and fries please?”
“Sure, anything else?”
“No thanks.”
“Ok, it’ll be right out,” he says writing it down and then walking away.
“We move tonight then?” a voice to his right says from a table and Brian sees the young man from the street sitting in a booth with the girl who had just walked in. With their sunglasses off they both had bright green florescent eyes.
“Yeah,” she says, “Kevin wants everyone to be there. I don’t know what he has in mind though.
“God only knows with Kevin,” she says.
“Richardson throwing another one of his parties?” the young waiter asks walking up and looking at the two.
“Excuse me,” Brian says, “Are you talking about Kevin Richardson?”
“Yeah. Why?” the girl asks.
“Well he’s my cousin,” Brian says.
The three of them look at each other before looking at Brian.
“Oh boy,” the waiter says.
