A Most Unlikely Hero, Vol. 1

by Brandon Varnell

  “You’re just saying that because you don’t like putting effort into anything,” Alex said. “Don’t listen to her, Gabrielle. Alice is just really lazy when it comes to her education.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Of course, if she tried harder, I might be more inclined to buy her a strawberry cheesecake parfait from Metronome’s, but…”

  “Really?!” Alice’s normally bland expression shifted into an intense stare.

  Too easy.

  “Sure, but only if you do well in all of your classes.”

  “Deal!” Alice clapped Alex’s hand. “Anyway, I’m gonna get ready for school. You should eat before your food burns.”

  GGRRGGLLLEEE!

  At that exact moment, Gabrielle’s stomach rumbled like a shuttle engine. Rubbing her head and laughing, she said, “Wow! I guess I was so caught up in what we were talking about that I forgot all about breakfast!”

  Alex and Gabrielle were forced to eat breakfast very quickly, lest they be left behind by Alice, who was eager to get to school.

  Strawberry cheesecake parfaits really were one of the best motivators for lazy children.

  1

  They were walking down the sidewalk, on their way to Atreyu Academy, the top primary school in Mars City.

  Other students walked along the pavement as well. The younger students were accompanied by their parents, but many of the older students walked on their own or with friends. Alice, being fourteen years of age, could’ve gone alone, but Alex felt it was his duty as her older brother to walk her to school.

  “Hey, Alex?” Gabrielle grabbed his attention.

  “Yes?”

  “I was wondering: what’s a strawberry cheesecake parfait?” she asked.

  Alice looked at Gabrielle like the alien girl had just told them that she was a robot. “Are you telling me that you don’t know what a strawberry cheesecake parfait is?”

  Gabrielle shook her head. “Uh-uh. What is it?”

  “It’s only the most delicious dessert in the history of deserts everywhere. It’s a perfect blend of yogurt with strawberries and cheesecake bites! It’s sweet and thick and creamy and perfect…” Alice stared off into the distance, as if she was imagining her favorite dessert right now. She also began drooling.

  “I don’t know what any of that is, but it sounds really good!” Gabrielle cheered as she turned to Alex. “Can I have one, too?”

  “Uh, I don’t see why not…”

  “Yay!” Gabrielle threw a fist in the air.

  Alice didn’t appear to enjoy that idea. “Hey! Why is it that I can only get one if I do well in school, but she gets one just because? That’s not fair!”

  “Gabrielle isn’t a student. You are. Ergo, if you want a strawberry cheesecake parfait, you’ll do well in school.”

  In response to his words, Alice pulled down her eyelid, stuck her tongue out, and blew Alex a raspberry.

  Atreyu Academy was a massive building with a streamlined design. While it was shaped like a rectangle, there were numerous moving walkways trailing around the outer walls, along with elevators and jump points. Since the academy was so large, nearly 200 square acres, these transportation methods were necessary for students to reach their classes on time.

  If one were to look at the academy from a bird’s eye view, they would’ve also noticed the many gardens that dotted the interior. Alex had done just that once while testing out an anti-gravity invention. He’d almost been expelled, which might have been because he’d destroyed part of the roof when his invention malfunctioned.

  A girl was waiting by the gate. Her blond hair was tied into twin pony-tails, and her blue eyes carried the slight arrogance of a rich young lady. Like Alice, she wore a knee-length, dark blue skirt, a white-collared shirt, and a dark blue vest—the Atreyu Academy female uniform.

  “Oh ho ho ho! It is good to see you, Alice.” She waved at them as they walked up.

  “Jasmine,” Alice greeted in a bland voice.

  “Morning, Jasmine,” Alex also greeted.

  Jasmine gasped as her cheeks turned red. “O-oh ho ho ho! A-Alexander! Good morning!”

  Jasmine de Truante was a member of the nobility—the elite members of society, who lived primarily in the upper city. All nobles sent their children to Atreyu Academy, though nobles weren’t the only group who went there. Her brother also attended the academy, along with Selene and her two friends, Serah and Ryoko. Alex would have been with them, but he’d graduated two years early.

  “It’s been awhile since we’ve seen each other. How have you been?” Alex asked, curious.

  Blushing, Jasmine planted one hand on her hip and raised the other to her mouth. “Oh ho ho ho! I’ve been good. And how are you? Has your training at the cadet academy been going well?”

  Alex winced. Alice spoke before he could say anything. “Bro was kicked out of the academy for destruction of public property.”

  “W-what?” Jasmine looked aghast. “That’s horrible!”

  “I’m just surprised it took them so long to expel him,” Alice admitted.

  “That is not something that you should be saying, Alice!” Jasmine’s expression became even more horrified. Her eyes were like saucers and her mouth had become a gaping maw. “Don’t they know that joining the police force has been Alexander’s lifelong dream? For them to expel him is a travesty!”

  His little sister shrugged. “If you say so.”

  “Oh ho ho ho! Do not worry, Alexander. I shall speak with my mother and convince her to force the police into letting you rejoin the academy. We might not talk much these days, but I’m sure that if I just appeal to her, then—”

  Before the girl could go any farther, Alex placed a hand on her shoulder. Because she was shorter than him by at least a head, it was easy. “Thank you for caring so much, but I can’t have you do that.”

  Jasmine and her family were somewhat estranged. They lived together, but her parents were almost never home. Even her older brother rarely spent time with her anymore. Only Madison, her android maid, was there to keep her company at home.

  Despite the redness staining her cheeks, Jasmine tried to argue. “But, Alexander—”

  “I’ll figure something out on my own. Have a little more confidence in me, okay?”

  That silenced any argument she might have given. “O-okay, I’ll believe in you.” She squirmed and looked up at him with earnest eyes. “Um, but if you need some help, then please, do not hesitate to call upon my services. I, the Queen of Compassion, would be more than happy to help you.”

  Alex gave the girl a grin. “Thanks!”

  Jasmine smiled back—until her eyes strayed and she looked behind him. Then she frowned. “Alexander, who is this?”

  Upon finally being addressed, Gabrielle gave the girl her brightest smile. “I’m Gabrielle! It’s very nice to meet you!”

  “Oh, my. It is nice to meet you as well. Are you a student here?” Jasmine asked with a polite expression.

  Alex’s danger senses, which usually only acted up when he was in combat, suddenly went haywire.

  “Oh, no. I’m not a student,” Gabrielle corrected. “I’m living with Alex.”

  Jasmine nodded. “I see. So, you’re living—wait. What? I am sorry, but, could you repeat that?”

  “I said that I’m living with Alex,” Gabrielle repeated.

  “T-this cannot be…” Jasmine mumbled, stumbling backwards. “Alexander, are you really living with this… strange girl?”

  “Strange?” Gabrielle tilted her head.

  Alex nodded. “Yeah, I am.”

  “U-ugh…” Jasmine dropped to her hands and knees. “W-what kind of cruel fate has befallen me, the Queen of Love, that someone else has become a part of Alexander’s home before I? Has the universe tilted on its axis? Have the stars aligned against me? Oh, cruel world! Why would you betray me so?”

  Appearing uncertain, Gabrielle leaned over to Alex and cupped a hand to her mouth. “What’s wrong with her?”


  “I have no idea,” Alex replied succinctly.

  2

  Gabrielle and Alex left Alice and Jasmine. Jasmine seemed to have mentally shut down, as she’d kept muttering gibberish under her breath. The last he’d seen of his sister and her friend, Alice had been dragging a semi-lucid Jasmine through the gate.

  “That girl was funny,” Gabrielle said.

  “Who? Jasmine?”

  “Hm!” Nodding, Gabrielle adopted a quizzical expression. “How do you know her?”

  Alex rubbed his chin. “I met Jasmine through her brother, James—an arrogant jerk who thinks that sunshine shoots from his ass because he’s rich. Anyway, Jasmine didn’t really like me at first, but we became friends over time. She’s actually really nice once you get to know her.”

  “She sounds really nice,” Gabrielle said. “I hope we can become friends.”

  “I’m sure you can. We’ll invite her over for dinner sometime.”

  “Really? Yay! I’m gonna make a new friend!”

  “You sound like you don’t have many friends back home,” Alex joked.

  “I don’t have many friends back home,” Gabrielle admitted easily. “The only friends I have are my two sisters and my robots.”

  Alex winced. He’d meant that in jest, but it was true? He felt like a jerk for bringing it up.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “Why would you be sorry?”

  As Gabrielle gazed at him with a genuinely curious expression, Alex turned away. “N-no reason, I guess.”

  She stared at him for another moment longer, and then shrugged. “All right, then.”

  So, Gabrielle doesn’t have any friends back home…

  It shocked Alex to learn this. While he’d only just met her today, Gabrielle was easily the most cheerful and friendly person he knew. She had a bright and bubbly personality. Her smile was infectious. She was like a bright particle ray blasting through one of Mars’ ion storms. The very idea that she didn’t have any friends was unfathomable.

  Unless she can’t make friends for other reasons.

  Hadn’t Gabrielle told him that she was being chased? That meant that she was on the run. While he didn’t know how long she’d been running, perhaps it had been such a long time that she no longer had any friends.

  But who’s chasing her?

  There were an infinite number of possibilities, from slave traders to debt collectors and everything in-between. There was no way for him to know until he met one of those people and asked them directly. It was unlikely that Gabrielle would know, given her innocent personality.

  “Are we not going home?” Gabrielle’s question knocked Alex out of his thoughts.

  Grinning, Alex said, “Not yet. Since you’re new here, I thought I would show you around Mars City.”

  3

  Alex wore the largest grin ever as Gabrielle, her eyes shining like a pair of twilight beacons, rushed to and fro across the walkway. She looked like a child being taken to her first candy store.

  True to his words, he’d decided to show her around Mars City. He’d first thought about going to the Metronome’s Sweet Shop, but there wasn’t a whole lot to see there. That was why Alex had taken her to the western shopping district instead.

  Mars City’s middle level was roughly divided into four districts: North, south, east, and west.

  The north district was where over 75% of the middle level residents worked. Filled to the brim with offices that ascended into the sky, anyone who went there would see nothing but people in business suits. While there were a few places to eat, there wasn’t anything truly entertaining.

  If the north district was for business, then the south district was for law enforcement and public aid. The police station was there, along with the fire department, and the health department’s main branch. Naturally, those departments didn’t fill up the north district, but the only thing there were a few smaller malls and several schools that people who didn’t meet Atreyu’s stringent academic standards attended.

  To the east lay the universities. Students who advanced from primary usually went to one of several hundred universities, which specialized in teaching a specific skillset; mechanics, mathematics, advanced quantum physics, etc.

  Alexander had once been offered a scholarship at several universities, but he’d turned them down. He couldn’t become a hero like his dad if he spent all of his time stuck in a classroom.

  The west district, known as the entertainment district, was where Alexander had decided to take Gabrielle. While all the other districts looked industrious, truly what people from ancient times must have imagined an advanced civilization might look like, the west district looked almost like it had been transplanted from Earth. Rather than multiple walkways, it was made up of several large plates, which could be accessed via escalators and warp points. Shops, restaurants, arcades, theaters… everything that a person could imagine to entertain themselves was available.

  “Alex! Alex look! There’s musicians playing in the street!” Gabrielle excitedly exclaimed as she dragged him over to them.

  Alex didn’t recognize the song they were playing, but they were using relatively recent digitized instruments—gloves that allowed them to simulate sounds. The music didn’t interest him as much, but the devices had a complex OS that relied on pressure-sensitive vibration technology. They were fascinating.

  “Whoa!” Alex nearly crashed into Gabrielle as she yanked him toward her. “What are you—”

  Gabrielle’s laughter cut him off. “Come on, Alex! Let’s dance!”

  Alex did not know how to dance. It wasn’t something that he’d ever studied, since it wouldn’t help him become a hero. Unfortunately, Gabrielle wasn’t giving him a choice in the matter.

  She held his hand, twirling them around, moving to the rhythm of the music. Alex tried to keep pace. He might not have known how to dance, but for that smile, he’d at least make an attempt.

  “What are you doing, Alex?!” Gabrielle laughed as she grabbed his hands and led him along. “Like this! Come on! Like this!”

  Gabrielle spun, and Alex spun with her. Laughing like a child, she moved without rhyme or reason, but Alex was beginning to grow accustomed to it. He picked up on how she moved by pretending that she was an opponent. Dancing… it was a lot like fighting, it seemed. So long as he could predict what she would do next, he could match her movements.

  As the dance became more chaotic, as sweat appeared along their foreheads, Alex became bolder. He lifted Gabrielle by the waist and twirled her around. Gabrielle’s joyous laughter accompanied him as he set her down. Still holding each other, they continued to dance until the song ended, and they were holding onto each other.

  “G-Gabrielle…” Alex was breathing heavily.

  Despite also having lost her breath, Gabrielle’s was wearing a large beaming smile. “Wasn’t that fun?”

  “Yeah…” he chuckled. “It was.”

  It wasn’t until after Alex had caught his breath that he realized how close he and Gabrielle were. Their noses were practically touching!

  Jerking away from the girl, Alex tried to play it off—but then he noticed the ring of people that had formed around them. There must have been dozens of people. Many were clapping, but just as many were taking holophotos. He even thought he saw a few holocorders. He hoped to Mars that they didn’t plan on posting them to the holonet. That would be embarrassing.

  Grabbing Gabrielle by the hand, he pulled her through the crowd. Several guys tried to touch her. Alex promptly broke their fingers. As pained screams were drowned out by cheering, they burst out of the crowd and ran down the street.

  “Ha… ha… okay. I did not anticipate that happening when I woke up this morning,” he admitted.

  “What were you expecting?” Gabrielle asked. Unlike him, she seemed to have already gained her second wind.

  “I’m not sure.” Straightening up, Alex offered the girl a grin. “Come on. Let’s continue the tour.”

 
; “Okay!” Gabrielle cheered. “Tour! Here we come!”

  Alex snorted to hide his laughter.

  Truly, this girl was a riot.

  4

  James de Truante was beginning to rethink traveling home with his sister. He’d done it on a whim, because they were going to the same place. She was normally quiet, too, so he often wasn’t bothered. So, then…

  Why won’t she shut up?

  “… And she’s living with him! Can you believe it?! I’m sure that tramp is trying to steal Alexander away from me! Oh ho! Oh ho ho ho, it makes me so mad!”

  His sister had been ranting about Alexander S. Ryker’s new roommate, a supposedly really pretty girl, according to Jasmine. He didn’t know what female would ever live with the likes of Ryker. However, if she had decided to live with him, she couldn’t have been very pretty.

  “If you’re so against allowing her to stay with him, then why don’t you do something about it?” James finally suggested, hoping that she would shut up.

  Jasmine huffed. “What can I do about it? Alexander has already given her permission to live with him.”

  “Then find some dirt on her that you can use as blackmail to force her out of his house. That’s what I’d do.”

  Jasmine opened her mouth to snap at him… and then she paused. James could see the precision lasers firing off in her head. Eventually, slowly, her lips twitched into a smile.

  “That’s a great idea, Brother. Oh ho ho ho! Just you wait, Gabrielle Angelise! I, the Queen of Extortion, shall expose you for what you really are—a money-grabbing tramp! Then I’ll force you out of Alexander’s house! Oh ho ho ho ho!”

  James sighed as his sister raised a hand to her mouth and laughed. She’d been hung up on Ryker for nearly two years now, though he couldn’t fathom why. One day, she’d been a good little girl who hated everyone that James did. The next, all she could talk about was “Alexander this” and “Alexander that” or “Alexander is so cool!” It was annoying.

  I suppose I should just be glad that Ryker rarely ever shows his face anymore.

  It wasn’t much of a consolation.