MCSM: 31-Day Oneshot Challenge

16: Memories

The words stopped Cassie dead, her green eyes widening. "But- NO! I am! I'll, uhh, I'll prove it to them!"

With that Cassie streaked down the street, her red head hair flying behind her as she left her brother in the dust. It was an important day for her, you only get a cat once in your life.

Cassie rocketed pass the colorful stalls and delicious smells of the festival. She ecstatic to meet her cat, the one creature that she would always have. The one creature that would never leave her.

She had to slow down when she got to the park though, having to squeeze herself in between people to try to get to the front. Cassie just had to get to the man who would give her a cat, her cat.

Panting heavily, the small redhead got to the front. The old man smiled at her when she tried to talk, but simply didn't have the air for it.

"So you want your cat, don't cha little one?"

Cassie nodded furiously, too excited to form the words. The man rub his gray goatee thinking about it. He nodded and smile after a moment, getting up to undo one of the leaches on the fence.

With wide eyes, Cassie watched the stop by a calico cat, mainly orange speckled with black and white. And Cassie knew without a doubt this cat was going to be absolutely perfect and stunning in every way.

The old man placed the cat in Cassie's arm, the calico barely out of the kitten stage. "Now there you go, though now you gotta name it now. It's not yours 'til you name it."

Cassie scratched the calico behind the ears, smiling when it purred. "I'm gonna name you Winslow."

Cassie bolted up in bed, panting heavily. She looked down at her Winslow, lips trembling as she look at the only creature she has from home. The only creature that has been with her through everything.

Tears flowed out like rivers and her trembling lips broke out into a sob. Gently, she picked up Winslow, rocking him against her chest.

The calico, still mostly asleep, purred quietly as his owner pets him. Although another painful sob burst from Cassie. Wishing her brother was here to see how much Winslow has grown.

But her heart thumps broken, when Cassie knew she would only ever see him in her dreams.

~

Otto smiled as he watched the competitors play in the Walls, all of the teams working hard so that they might win. Now that respawning didn't carry such a heavy punishment, players seemed to be playing happier.

There are even other competitors watching from the stands now, cheering on their favorite teams or competitor. They aren't allowed to spoil anything, but things are how they should be.

Otto frowns when he remembered what the games were like, before Jesse came along and turned the tables on his old friends. What they did was cruel and wrong, and Otto has put in rules to make sure that will never happen again.

"Ugh, this is so boring. We should be allowed to explore! Be free!"  

Otto's back straightened as the uninvited memory rose within him. He shouldn't be thinking about that, he should be enjoying the games. Where it looks like the red team has created axes to collect more wood.

"You know the rules Hadrian, no one is permitted to go into mist. Everyone who goes in there never comes back."

Harper looked up from whatever contraption she was working on. "What are the odds that there are even things to explore out there? It could all just be empty space for all we know."