Chapter 2
"What do I want?" It's a simple question, but one many people don't truly know the answer to. Sometimes, what you think you want isn't what you truly desire; it's just a fleeting interest, something you won't hold dear for long. Then, there is something else entirely—something people are willing to die for, kill for, or go against the entire world for.
That is the most dangerous thing of all: a person or a goal so consuming that one would rather lose everyone to gain it than live with anything less, even if it seems like a distant reality.
[Think about that another time. For now, we should prepare. We need to find ways to make sure that when we drive this car, it shows no signs that it doesn't belong to us,] Alter Elijah said with a thoughtful tone.
Elijah looked at the car and said, "Now I remember. It's from that guy who almost hit me, cursed me out, and then drove off."
[Yeah, we saw his car in a parking lot when we were planning to go get some drinks,] Alter Elijah replied.
"Maybe you're right. I wanted Lisa, so you went for her. I wanted to fight back against Frank, so you fought back. I wanted this guy to pay, so I stole his car to teach him a lesson. I bet with those guys because I wanted to shove my luck in their faces after they made the game so easy. I didn't do all those things because I was afraid of what would happen or of failing. Before, I would just do nothing, stare, and look away." Elijah sighed.
"So I thought there was something so wrong with me that I just wanted it all to end, on top of everything else," Elijah continued, sighing as he looked at the car. "Thanks. I don't know what I really want at the moment, but at the very least, I want to become the man I was yesterday and even more—to not have regrets and to live under my own rule."
[HAHAHAHA! That's the spirit! So, let's get to work so we can remove the license plate from the car and also deal with those papers,] Alter Elijah said, thinking.
"We'll repaint it with the money we won, and maybe fix up the seats inside," Elijah added. He didn't really care much about the car he stole; his main goal was to remove anything that connected him to it and just use it for himself. Besides, the police in this city were more like gangsters than the gangsters themselves.
The worst-case scenario was just paying them off, and they would leave you alone. This was a Tier-4 city called Blackridge, so the NCEA wasn't active here. For the most part, Elijah had just gotten a new car. To keep it, he needed to make sure the owner wouldn't recognize it if they ever met.
[Call Kai,] Alter Elijah said.
"And you said depending on my friends was a bad thing," Elijah said with a smirk.
[It is, because if that person is no longer there, what will you do? But for the moment, he is here. Kai has many connections in the city's underworld, and he has the skills we lack for this. We need his help,] Alter Elijah answered with a lazy voice.
Elijah called Kai and heard that he was already on his way to the location. After Elijah cleaned his room and took a bath, Kai arrived with three guys who started removing everything that could connect the car to its original owner.
Kai was a slightly taller young man of 22, with a muscular body and a handsome face. His brown hair and blue eyes were alluring, complemented by the mysterious vibe he always gave off and his charming smile.
Elijah and Kai had known each other since childhood, and Elijah owed this guy everything for all he had done for him. "How much did this cost?" Elijah asked.
"Huh, don't worry about it. I'll be using the car too, so it's expected," Kai replied, smiling.
The two guys sat outside the house, looking at the community before them as Elijah said, "You know I don't like owing you favors like this, so just tell me."
"Hmmmm, it doesn't matter anyway. You promised me something yesterday, so you're already repaying me," Kai answered with a chuckle.
'What did I promise?' Elijah questioned Alter Elijah.
[…] Alter Elijah stayed silent, as if he were asleep or something.
"What did I promise?" Elijah questioned Kai.
"Oh yeah, you don't remember a thing about last night… Well, in the greatest times of your life—" Kai was about to tell him, but Elijah cut him off.
"Really, bro?" Elijah said.
"But seriously, those were the best times of your life," Kai chuckled and added, "Anyway, we were drunk, and I started telling you about my plans. You said you wanted in because you needed more money; working at that factory wasn't cutting it for you. The amount you were making wasn't enough to help your mom and your sister. So, we decided to create a partnership for what I have in store."
"You didn't really tell me what 'it' is," Elijah countered after hearing Kai's words.
Kai smiled. "I'm not going to tell you anything until you're ready to take the first step, and also until I've used all our money for what we need."
"All our money?" Elijah remembered something and stood up. "Yes, wait! I saw something." He took his phone and looked at a message he had been ignoring because of the amount of stress he was under. "Where the heck is my $11,000 ?! You just left me with 20 bucks! How does that make sense?" Elijah shouted.
Kai chuckled at his reaction. "Bro, I was saving that amount for a year now!"
"But you were the one who transferred the money to me. Damn, I don't know what was up with you yesterday; you were like a different person, I told you! The stingy idiot was suddenly ready to risk his $5,000 on betting, turned it into $11,000, and then just gave me the money. It was something else," Kai laughed.
'Alter Elijah!' Elijah shouted in his mind.
[Chill. This is a step toward getting what we want,] Alter Elijah answered coolly.
'What's that?' Elijah questioned.
[Power.]