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Fantasy Theft Auto

Chapter I: Welcome to Dissidia City

(1.) Dissidia City…This place has had its own share of troubles. As one of the toughest places to live in; this city’s crime sprees are beginning to become out of control. Gangs are being formed, illegal activities are escalating; yet there is very little the police can do…Especially the crooked ones that get paid off to keep their mouths shut. Nothing seems to phase this city; even with a bunch of turf wars that has divided the entire city into multiple sections. If you want to live in this city, you’ve got to know your boundaries, the rules of the people, avoid the cops, and survive. Soon, a new soul will make their way here to start fresh from their traumatic life…And get into things that not even they won’t understand. Here is his story…The story of Ricardo Artiende’s life in Dissidia City.

--{Taryaka Airport in Lugas City 11:15 A.M}—

(2.) The bustling airport of Lugas City was teeming with travelers from various places. Some came from Cetia City; while others came from Lucaso City to the southwest. Many others waited for their flight to arrive, listening to their music devices as they kept an eye on the TV monitor on the wall near a giant glass window for everyone to watch the planes land for the next trip to god knows where. Sitting on one of the benches was a young man in his early twenties, at least 23 years of age, waiting for his flight to arrive. Guarding his luggage like a security guard; he made sure that no one stole his belongings as he waited for his plane to arrive. As he looked both left and right as he wondered what some of the people were doing; his blood red orange highlighted hair swished to the brush of air and into his vision.

With an upward swipe from his right hand, he moved his hair out of the way. His light sea green eyes peered out through the window, watching each plane land one at a time as he continued to wait. He wore a white muscle shirt with a red coat over it, along with a pair of blue jeans and Nike© shoes that were black and blue with white soles. His belt was connected together like a chain, held together with a golden colored buckle. He looks at his plane ticket, hoping he hadn’t forgotten the time of when the plane was supposed to arrive. His name, the gate number, and even the arrival time were stamped on the paper ticket as he checked with his black, strap-based watch around his wrist. The young man, named ‘Ricardo Artiende’, continued to wait as he looked up towards the monitor. The one city he was looking at particularly was ‘Dissidia City’, which the plane should be arriving in less than ten minutes.

‘I hope I made a good choice of living in another city on my own…What if all the troubles here follow me there?’ Ricardo wondered to himself, ‘I just want a fresh start from all this…To start all over again.’ For most of his life, trouble would always follow him, but it was his ‘I’ll prove to you I can do it’ personality was the main contributor to all the troubles he ended up getting involved into. Knowing that this was for the best; Ricardo made a bold choice of moving to another city to start his life all over again. He sat patiently, watching a few people walk by; till a female voice was heard from the intercom. “Airline 89 has now arrived at Gate 9. All passengers destined for Dissidia City must head to Gate 9 to board your flight. Thank you and enjoy your time with Taryaka Airlines,” the woman on the intercom said. Upon hearing this, Ricardo gets up from the cushioned bench and picked up his gym bag, two suitcases, a large satchel-based bag that was fastened securely across his chest to across his upper back like a backpack, a medium sized school bag around his left shoulder and neck, and a trolley-fashioned carrier to head towards his destination.

He approaches Gate 9 at a hurried pace; hoping not to miss the plane as he carried his luggage to the Gate’s terminal. With time to spare, he loads his cargo onto the conveyor belt; allowing the people to load the luggage onto the plane as he went to the plane. Each of the baggage had an I.D tag on the handles, making sure that it doesn’t get lost among the luggage that were being loaded on board. As he approaches the small line to the metal detector, his rope tied necklace with a wooden ring centerpiece swished and swayed to his every movement. Now, his turn to go through the metal detector had finally arrived. A male security guard cued him to walk through with a wave of his hand, allowing the youth to go through. With careful scanning, the machine didn’t give off an alarm of anything metal. Ricardo was in the clear. With all that taken care of with plenty of time to spare, Ricardo made his way towards the plane as it prepared and refueled for its second trip to Dissidia City.

As Ricardo walks towards the Gate to his flight, he fishes out his plane ticket from the front coat pocket and prepared to give it to the teller as he approached the metal door to the plane’s entrance. He approaches the blonde teller and hands her the ticket to prove that he was one of the passengers destined to board the airline. “Thank you,” the teller said to Ricardo, “Enjoy your flight.” The youth gave a respectful nod and headed on his way. Just as he was about half way there, his cell phone begins to ring to a particular ring tone. Ricardo reaches into his left pants pocket and flips his phone open to answer the call. “Hello?” he spoke into the phone’s mic, revealing his light Italian accent with a mix of Spanish.

“Did you make it to the plane alright?” an older female voice said on the other side of the phone. To Ricardo, he knew who it was almost immediately. “I’m boarding it right now, Gramma Ellie. I’m getting on the plane right now,” Ricardo responded back.

“That’s good. I was wondering if you got there alright. Make sure to call when you get there, alright,” said his grandmother, named ‘Ellena’. “I’ll make sure to do that. I have to let you go for now, these pilots and attendants have to make sure that all devices are off or on standby when they get ready for takeoff,” said Ricardo. As the conversation continued on a bit as Ricardo was well seated onto the well cushioned chair; he began to feel a soft tap on his shoulder.

“Hold on a sec,” said Ricardo. He places his available hand over the mic, turning to face where the tap was coming from. It turns out that his prediction was right. A red haired attendant was standing right next to him as he looked up to face her. “We’re about to take off, sir,” she said in a polite manner, “All devices need to be turned off or on standby.”

“Alright…I’ll be sure to do that,” Ricardo responded courteously. The attendant walks
away as he quickly finishes the conversation. “I got to go…They’re about to take off,” said Ricardo.

“Alrighty. Be careful out there. Bye,” said Ellena. “Bye,” said Ricardo. They both hang up; allowing Ricardo to turn his phone off and place it back into his left pants pocket. The red headed flight attendant makes one more round to make sure that everything was in order; especially to make sure that Ricardo has turned his phone off. She checked and sure enough he was all done with the phone conversation from earlier. With the perpetrations complete; the pilot from the cockpit makes a few announcements through the intercom built within the plane.

(3.) “This is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard Airline 89 and make sure to fasten your seat belts as we prepare for takeoff for Dissidia City in thirty seconds. All electronic devices are to be turned off at this time, or put on standby mode as we prepare for takeoff,” the pilot said to the passengers. As the announcements continued, Ricardo buckled up for the trip as he listened to the rest of the announcements. For most of his life, he has never ridden in a plane before. The main hatch to the plane’s side was securely closed as the rest of the passengers buckled up for their upcoming journey. Now fully prepared, the pilot speaks through the intercom to announce that they are now ready for takeoff; and telling everyone to fasten their seat belts once more to make sure that everyone heard this. Anxiety slowly began to flood Ricardo’s heart, but he knew there was no turning back now. In a slow and steady motion, the plane begins to move towards the runway.

Within a few more minutes; the plane finally rolls onto the flat pavement ground and rides forward with a little more speed. During the course of a minute, its speed begins to pick up as the flying vehicle lifts up from the ground; pulling in the wheels as it flew up into the blue yonder. Ricardo held onto the hand rests as the plane lifts itself up from ground and into the air. The plane’s interior lightly shakes with small force, but not enough to scare the passengers inside as the plane flew upward into the blue sky. Now in flight, the plane settled down as everyone relaxed and enjoyed the flight. Ricardo looked out through the window as he observed the light fluffy clouds around them. This was his first time traveling by plane and he was beginning to enjoy it. During the course of an hour, a few passengers unbuckled themselves as they stretched their legs from sitting down too much. Only a small few needed to use the restroom after sitting around admiring the view.

Ricardo was one of the few that got up to use the restroom, making sure to take care of business for the rest of the flight. He calmly returns back to his seat, preparing to admire the nice blue sky till he arrives at his destination. With the headphones provided by the airline; the passengers also passed the time by listening to flight music. Ricardo continues to peer out of the window as he listened to the music from the big headphones, with the music turned down in case one of the attendants tried to get his attention, or call to him. Two more hours pass as the attendants served food and a choice of water, juice, or soda. The youth closes his eyes for just a few minutes to rest, till the sudden sound of wheels woke him up again. He turns to face his left, spotting a dark blue haired woman heading towards his aisle with a food and drink cart. With the selections explained to Ricardo, he chooses the chicken Alfredo meal with some grape juice.

“Here you go, sir,” the attendant said as she handed Ricardo the meal and drink; giving Ricardo some time to put up the in-flight tray. “Thank you,” said Ricardo. “You’re welcome. Enjoy your meal,” the attendant replied back. With a courteous nod, the youth got his drink and food situated as the attendant went on her way through her rounds.

‘Oh, boy…This is as good as how Mom used to make it. God, I’m starving,’ thought Ricardo, taking a bite of his meal. As he continued to eat; his thoughts soon turn to his late mother, who passed away during surgery after a fatal traffic accident while he was 14 years old. ‘Mom…What happened? If only I was there. I’ll do my very best to be good,’ he thought. To this day, he still believes he should’ve been there when the accident happened, but he was told that there was nothing he could’ve done back then. Throughout the course of the rest of the trip, Ricardo napped through the flight to replenish his energy for what lies ahead. With the aid of the light gusts of the wind outside, the youth was lulled to sleep immediately. Seven more hours pass as the passengers waited to arrive to their destination and Ricardo was getting plenty of rest as the plane continued on its path. By the end of the eighth hour, Ricardo was suddenly awoken from a sudden shake from the plane.

As he straightens himself up in his seat, the pilot in the cockpit spoke once more via intercom, “This is your captain speaking. We have now arrived at Dissidia City. Please remain seated and buckled in till the plane has fully landed and comes to a complete stop. Thank you for flying Airline 89 and we hope you choose us again for your future flight.” After a series of long hours of air flight, Ricardo was finally at his destination. ‘I’m finally here…It’s a good thing that I bought that house over the phone with the realtor. All I need to do now is pay her and get my things in order,’ thought Ricardo. The plane moves towards the gate entrance at a slow pace, attaching itself to the gate so that the passengers could get out and into the airport. With careful precision, the hatches connect and the plane had finally come to a complete halt. One of the attendants on board picks up one of the walkie-talkie like mic and speaks through the intercom, “All passengers need to disembark to prepare for our next flight at this time. We have now arrived at Dissidia City. Thank you for flying Airline 89.”
With that in mind, Ricardo unbuckles himself and gets up from his location; walking out into the aisle and making his way towards the exit.

--{Taryaka Airport in Dissidia City 7:25 P.M}—

The airport in Dissidia City was the same as the previous one in Lugas City, but it was built with finer cement and concrete. It was less bustling than the previous airport, but this seemed to suit Ricardo a bit as he approached the conveyor belt to retrieve his luggage. People from the flight gathered around to retrieve their cargo; each handed to them by the workers who called out their last names. The blood red headed young man waited for only a couple minutes, till he heard a male voice call out his last name. “Artiende? Is there an ‘Artiende’?” the man asked. “Right here, sir,” said Ricardo.

“Here you go,” replied the worker. He carefully hands Ricardo his luggage; from the two suitcases to the trolley carrier, his big backpack-like satchel bag, to his school bag and gym bag. With all his cargo accounted for, he politely gives a ‘Thank you’ and went on his way. This place was all brand new to the young man, but he knew that he’s going to have to adjust quickly if he wants to make it alright in this new city. Unlike the previous airport, the tiled floors were more of a tannish brown granite than a cream color. It took a few minutes for Ricardo to find the entrance, but he quickly finds the entrance with little guidance from the employees and made his way out of the airport to get his first look at the new city he was about to live in. (4.) Dissidia City was much bigger than Lugas City, filled with a bit more steel made skyscrapers and fancier buildings. It appeared like a paradise for the inhabitants, much like Hollywood and Las Vegas put into one…However, Ricardo knew that for each paradise, there was an infernal underbelly to counterbalance everything. It felt like Paradise City on the outside and Sin City on the inside.

Cautious not to attract any thieves; if there was any, Ricardo reaches into his right pant pocket and brought out a few dollars for the cab. The faster he got to his new house, the better he can get out of here. With a wave of his left hand, just right after setting down his suitcase, he calls out for a Taxi. “Taxi!” he called out. He waited a few minutes, till a yellow cab with a black and white checkered bar across the side of its body approached the youth. It came to a stop, allowing Ricardo to load his luggage in the trunk and hop into the backseat of the cab. “Where you heading to?” the Cab driver asked.

“To Gaia Blvd. and 42nd Street,” said Ricardo. “Alrighty,” replied the Cab driver. With that said and done, they were off to their destination. Ricardo looked around through the window of the vast city of Dissidia. It was huge, and it felt like Ricardo had won the lottery. The Cab driver observes this from his rear view mirror and strikes up a conversation with Ricardo as a way to break the ice.

“New here?” the driver asked. “Yeah, I am. I flew in from all the way from Lugas City,” said Ricardo. “Really? I’m originally from there myself. I was a Cab driver there, but then got laid off. Gezz, the workforce these days, but something had to be done,” replied the driver.

“That’s how it is these days,” said Ricardo. “Tell me about it. When I first got here, I couldn’t believe that this City was a lot bigger than back home. I’ve been working here as a cabbie for a few years now and this place is like paradise and sin put together with some crime roaming about. I’d be careful here,” the Cab driver said.

“Some places are like that. I’ll be sure to do that,” replied Ricardo. He knew each city had their own share of crime waves, so Ricardo has to get a few things done as soon as he gets himself situated at his new house. They continued onward as they drove across a porcelain white cemented bridge to the other side.

--{Gaia Blvd. and 42nd Street 8:10 P.M}--

Within a few more minutes as the Cab driver turns to a left into a cul-de-sac, the two finally arrives at their destination. “Here we are…Gaia Blvd. and 42nd Street. Make sure to get all your stuff out of the trunk before you go. That way you don’t lose anything,” said the driver.

“Alright. That’s a good tip,” said Ricardo. Before he got up, the driver then said something else, “Oh! Hang on a sec. That’s going to be fifteen fifty.”

“Oh! I forgot…Here’s a twenty and you can keep the change as a tip,” said Ricardo, handing the driver a twenty dollar bill. “Thanks buddy. Be careful out there,” the driver said back to Ricardo. The young man walks to the back of the Taxi and retrieves his entire luggage; allowing the Cab driver to leave and get back to his job. (5.) The house that they stopped in front of was in a light grey color; an easy fixer upper that was big enough for one person with a couple roommates if possible. Its roof was in a 180 degree triangle shape, pointing upward to the sky. All the other houses were spaced apart a good yard or less, making sure to grant some people a bit of distance and privacy. With Ricardo’s guidance to where the house he plans to purchase was, both he and the Taxi stopped right in front of it. It seems Ricardo got here before the realtor did. With some time to kill, the youth reached into his gym bag and retrieved at least ten thousand dollars for the house to pay to the realtor. How did Ricardo get this much money? It was saved up for him by his late father, hoping to give his only son a chance with a brighter future.

‘Good thing Dad saved up a lot of money for me and my future. It’s definitely going to come in handy,’ thought Ricardo. All of a sudden, his thought turned to his father, who died of a heart attack when he was 18 years old. ‘He was more worried about me and what the future had in store than himself and his heart after Mom passed away…You should’ve token more care of yourself…If only I was there when it happened…Why?’ Ricardo thought. Even though he blamed himself for not being there when it happened, he knew that this move was for the best…To start his life over again. As he continued to ponder his thoughts, a black Cadillac pulls into the cul-de-sac and makes its way towards where Ricardo stood. The young man didn’t know who was driving the vehicle, but when the car stops in front of the house; Ricardo had a feeling it could be the realtor. As it turns out, he was right. A brunette woman in a black dress suit and a white undershirt opens the car door on the driver’s side and steps out with her clipboard fashioned folder.
“You must be Ricardo Artiende, correct?” she asked, making sure that she’s talking to the right person. “Yes, that’s correct,” replied Ricardo. The two shook hands, allowing the realtor to introduce herself.

“My name’s Suzanne. I know you already decided to buy this house, but you might’ve changed your mind during your travels,” the realtor said to Ricardo; revealing her name as ‘Suzanne’, “Let’s go walk through the house.” Ricardo immediately a reply of ‘Okay’ and picked up his luggage, following the realtor inside the dwelling. They walked through the entire house, including the basement and the upstairs rooms. It was just as Ricardo had seen on the internet before he called her. The living room was bare, but with a few days of hard work; it’ll be as good as new. The paint choice of a tranquil blue and white was the perfect combination for Ricardo, who has a fascination for the sea. The dining room was painted with the same colors, but the room was all bare. Just like the living room, it’ll take a lot of dedication and hard work to get it feeling like home. Fortunately, the bathroom and kitchen utilities were all left behind and in perfect condition. All was needed was to buy groceries for the fridge.

The bedroom was completely bare as well, but a bed was left behind from the previous owners; giving whoever was moving in a place to sleep. The basement was also left bare, except for a washer, dryer, and other utilities that were important. The house was just perfect and Ricardo was absolutely sure that this was the one. “The owners fixed up some issues before they moved out. Nothing major, so you don’t have to worry about it. This house has already been inspected for mold and other things. It’s all clean and you don’t have to worry about that,” said Suzanne, just as the two were making their way up from the basement. “Is this house up to code with fire regulations and all in case it catches on fire? I’m not saying I’m a bad cook, but just to be on the safe side,” asked Ricardo.

“It is fully up to code, Mr. Artiende. You don’t need to worry about that,” Suzanne assured Ricardo, chuckling at his comment. With the questions asked and answered; Ricardo was ready to buy it. With the amount paid, the realtor gave the house keys to him as she congratulated him for his purchase. She heads towards the ‘For Sale’ sign and removes the ‘Sale’ panel and puts a ‘Sold’ panel in its place; telling any buyers that this house was officially bought. With the ownership of the house in his hands, Ricardo settled down and began to think of what to do next. However; it was late at night and it did take him till past eight O’ clock to get to this point. “It’s too late now to go get something to eat, plus I don’t have a car, or motor bike to get about. I’m quite sure Gramma Ellie packed me a few things before I left,” said Ricardo, only to himself. He heads to his trolley carrier and opens it up; revealing a thermal made package-based box that held something in it. He opens it up, spotting a large bowl filled with something covered in aluminum foil. It turns out his grandmother did pack him some things to eat before he left on his flight: A large ceramic bowl filled with homemade Mac and Cheese, a well made salad with fruit on top, covered with a plastic wrap. Tuna sandwiches, a couple containers filled with pasta sauce made from scratch, Chicken Alfredo and angel haired pasta, and lastly a few bottles of water.

He decided to go for his favorite for supper: Mac and Cheese. He reaches into the carrier for a plastic big spoon and one of the small bowls to scoop in a bowlful of Mac and Cheese to warm up in the microwave. “First supper in my new house. Since there is some crime in this city, the first thing I’ll do is find myself a cheap vehicle first thing in the morning. Next…I have to buy a couple weapons to protect myself: a gun for far range and a switchblade for close range. The rest will have to wait after that. First, I’m going to eat; then I’m going to bed. It’s going to be a brand new day and I need to get my beauty sleep,” Ricardo said to himself. After a minute passed, the microwave that was left behind by the owner beeped. The meal was warmed up and ready to eat. Ricardo sets the bowl down on the counter to cool for a bit as he covered up the main bowl and placed the leftovers inside the fridge. He also puts the other food items into the fridge as well, making sure that it will stay fresh till later. All the other bowls and plastic utensils were placed in their rightful drawers. The youth puts his luggage in his new bedroom, leaving it there to unpack the next day.

‘I’ll give grandma a text message to tell her that I made it alright. She’s probably in bed right now; so I better not wake her up,’ Ricardo thought as he texts on his phone and sends the message. He arrives back to the kitchen and picks up the bowl and heads back upstairs to the bedroom to eat. He knew that some of the furniture from his childhood home, minus the bed; due to the fact that there was one left behind at the new house, was on their way to the new house. They wouldn’t be there by tomorrow, so Ricardo passed the time and ate his Mac and Cheese. It was going to be his first night in his new house. After he finished his supper, Ricardo heads back to the kitchen to put his hard plastic small bowl and spoon in the dishwasher that was left behind for him. He makes sure to lock up all the windows and both the front door and the back door to make sure that no one broke in while he was sleeping. With all that taken care of, he heads upstairs and prepares to fix up the bed to lie down on. Ricardo reaches for his satchel bag backpack and begins to unzip it, pulling out a pair of pillows that were stuffed in there and a comforter. He places the comforter on the up side of the mattress; then grabs a black colored bed sheet and does the same thing with the comforter.

Ricardo picks up the two pillows and placed them on the upper two sides of the bed to prop his head during the night. He soon heads back to the satchel bag and pulls out a Persian designed heavy blanket to cover up with. With the bed all fixed up, he then turns his attention to his trolley carrier and opens the top part and grabs his toothbrush, soap, and all the necessary things for the bathroom. The towels were packed into the gym bag; which he grabbed as well and putted them to their new rightful place. He returns back to the bedroom, changing into his normal sleeping outfit of a black sleeveless muscle shirt and removing his pants and shoes. As a man of habit, Ricardo always brushes his teeth twice a day in the morning and night before bed; and that’s what he did before he went to bed. It didn’t take very long for him to brush his teeth; then he ran a brush through his hair as he prepared for bed. Ricardo returns to his room and takes out a radio and alarm clock from within his trolley carrier. He places these two items nearby, turning on the radio to lull him to sleep. With his alarm clock reading ’10:15 P.M’ and set to ring at ‘9:15 A.M’ the next day, Ricardo covered up and went straight to bed…Waiting for the new day to arrive.

(6.) The blood red rising sun began to lift itself from the horizon, giving the sky a light bright blue color with a mix of red and orange with tinges of pink. Over time, the sky lightened up to the rising sun, now changing from blood red to its pure fiery colors of yellow and white. Birds began to chirp their songs to the people of Dissidia City; arousing them from their slumber to start their daily routines once more. Ricardo continues to sleep through the chirping songs; till his alarm clock rang at precisely ‘9:15 A.M’. Just as soon as Ricardo shifted to his right side, his alarm clock began to beep in a continuous rhythm. The youth gave out a grunt and opened his eyes. Ricardo wanted to sleep in some more, but the movers would arrive at any hour today. He turns towards the alarm clock and hits the snooze button on top, stopping the alarm for only a few minutes. He turns the alarm off till he turns it back on again, getting up from bed to brush his teeth and brush out his hair. With a quick splash of water on his face to wash up; Ricardo wakes up more as he returns to his bedroom to get dressed.

He tried to find a good outfit to wear, but he soon picks out a short sleeved white shirt and a pair of dark blue khakis. Knowing that the movers will get the dresser and other things in a typical bedroom from Ricardo’s bedroom back home upstairs; Ricardo puts his entire luggage up onto the bed so that they don’t get in the way when the movers arrive. He temporarily unplugs the radio and the alarm clock, also putting them onto the bed. He heads downstairs to the kitchen and fixes himself a bowl of his grandma’s salad. With time to kill, Ricardo ate breakfast to fuel his energy in case the movers needed any help. Just when Ricardo took his last bite of the salad, he hears a knock at his door. Quickly putting the dishes in the dishwasher and the leftover salad in the fridge; Ricardo rushes to the front door and unlocks it. (7.) He opens it, spotting the movers outside waiting for him. “Are you Mr. Ricardo Artiende?” the lead mover asked, holding a clipboard with some papers on it. “Yes, that’s correct,” answered Ricardo.

“It took us a little bit to find this address, but thank god we did. We’re here to move in the furniture for your new home,” replied the lead mover. “Alright. Do I need to sign anything, or not?” asked Ricardo.

“Just one thing. It won’t take that long,” the lead mover assured him. Ricardo steps out of the house and walks towards the mover; wondering what he had to sign for moving all the furniture inside. The man pulls out a pen from his white shirt pocket as the young man approached him; turning towards Ricardo with the pen in hand. “Just sign right here and we’ll take care of the rest,” the mover said, handing the pen to Ricardo. The young man takes the pen into his writing hand and signs on the line his signature and gave the pen back to its owner. With that taken care of, the lead mover signals the others the okay to begin. The movers begin to pull out a dresser from the moving van, while the others pulled out other items; such as lamps and chairs.

“Do you guys need a hand, or want me to stand back and let you guys work?” asked Ricardo. “Actually, we could use an extra pair of hands. You can help out if you want,” replied the lead mover, relieved in some way that Ricardo was offering to help. Ricardo gives a nod of acceptance and heads to the moving van to grab the coffee table that will be placed in the living room in front of the couch…Where ever the couch would go. Everyone did their part as they placed where the furniture should go; till it was time to move the couch off the van and into the living room. Two of the movers managed to get the couch out of the van, but it took three of the movers and Ricardo himself to quickly move the couch inside. The lead mover was impressed with the teamwork; thus cutting the time down for them. He grabs the last two lamps nearby and took them inside.

“Whew!” Ricardo said as he wiped the sweat off of his brow, “At least we saved the couch for last.” With all the hard work done, Ricardo paid the movers forty dollars as the fee. With the payment complete, the movers gave Ricardo a handshake and a ‘Thank you’ for helping out. The movers went on their way and went back to their jobs to the next location; allowing Ricardo some time to himself as he plopped down on the couch and flipped on the TV right in front of him. With all the furniture and other things where they need to be, the young man then began to ponder what he needs to do next while there was daylight. He needed to get a vehicle, so he turns off the TV and heads upstairs to his room to retrieve his laptop from his school bag. Ricardo plugs in the adapter cord into the plug in the wall towards the floor, allowing his laptop to charge up as he uses it to search for a car. (8.) Knowing a few places to get things from the internet like the back of his hand; the youth goes to Craigslist and begins his search. Hoping to find a car nearby from where he lives, Ricardo narrowed down the search and limit of the amount he wants. After thirty minutes of searching, he soon catches sight of a silver Subaru for sale. It seems the owner wants to make room and money by selling the car, willing to pay two thousand dollars or best offer for it.

Ricardo scans the pictures of the Subaru, making sure that he didn’t get buyer’s remorse after an impulsive buy. After scanning the pictures for a few minutes, Ricardo knew that this was the one and sends an email to the owner of the car. With that done, all Ricardo had to do was to wait and see if the owner still had the car or had already sold it. He passed the time by watching TV within his own room. For ten minutes, he continues to watch a basketball game while he waited for a response about the car. ‘It might not be today…It could be tomorrow, or the car might already be sold--’ All of a sudden, the youth’s thoughts were cut off by the phone ringing in the living room. Curious, yet nervous; Ricardo turns off the TV and heads downstairs to answer the phone. He quickly heads towards the stand-up based phone and picks it up, pressing the ‘Talk’ button to speak to whoever was calling him. “Hello?” asked Ricardo, speaking into the phone. Within seconds, a male voice answers.

“Are you Ricardo? The ‘Ricardo’ who sent the E-mail about a silver Subaru?” the voice asked. “Yeah, I did. Do you still have it?” answered Ricardo.

“I still have it. You are the only one that has replied to my ad. If you don’t have a car of your own, don’t worry…I will come to you. All I need is the address and I will take care of the rest,” the man answered. The young man was nervous about giving his address to someone he doesn’t know, but this was the only way possible to purchase the Subaru. After all, Ricardo can’t go over there, even if it was just a good walking distance. He gives the man the address, waiting for the next response. “Alright, I’ll be right there with the car. Make sure to keep an eye out,” the man said. The two finishes their conversation and Ricardo hangs up the phone and begins to keep an eye out for the car and the owner. He was quite shocked; usually it would take a day or two, but this took at least ten minutes or so. It seems good luck was smiling down on Ricardo in his time of need. Ricardo continues to keep his vigil; till the silver Subaru from Craigslist suddenly appeared. However, it didn’t come alone. Right behind it was a yellow black striped Camero with a design of red zigzags across near below the hood to below the trunk. The Subaru was the only one without any designs painted on it, making it plain and silver.

The Subaru drives into the driveway as the Camero waited on the side near the sidewalk, as if acting like a backup car in case the Subaru got sold. Ricardo opens the front door and heads out to the two cars, preparing to meet the owner and his companion face to face. (9.) The Subaru’s driver side door opens up, revealing a slick spiked silver haired man with a few scars shown on his face. He appeared in his late twenties, dressed in a sleeveless muscle shirt with a purple coat decorated with gold lines on the sleeves and a gold design of a skull on the coat’s back. The edges in the front were composed of wavy silver lines in decorations. His bell bottomed pants were the same color as his coat, but in a bit brighter shade and minus the designs. The buckles of his black shoes were in the shape of skulls, made in the shiny steel of silver. He wore a black strap-based belt around his waist, adorning a skull etched on the center of his silver belt buckle. The driver in the Camero begins to get out of the car, revealing to be a long blonde haired woman dressed in a zipped up yellow vest and leather pants of the same color. The center of her vest was in black, like two lines going down to the bottom of the vest.

Her heeled boots were black in color, decorated with swirl designs of yellow and red. She didn’t come alone as a light brown haired man in a black jean materialed vest got out through the passenger side. A bandanna was tied around his right upper forearm, showing the cloth’s edges decorated with golden yellow. He wore a pair of dark navy blue pants with a black strapped belt with a diamond centerpiece as a buckle. A chain necklace dangled from his neck. His black leather shoes shined in the sunlight, well polished and taken care of. Both of his ears were pierced, wearing three silver earrings on each ear. It seems the owner brought a couple friends with him in case he does sell the Subaru. “You must be Ricardo. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself on the phone. My name is Setzer Gabbiani,” the man said to Ricardo, shaking his hand. “Ricardo…Ricardo Artiende,” said Ricardo, introducing himself.

“They are my friends, Locke Cole and Celes Chere. I invited them to come along,” said Setzer, introducing the two to Ricardo. After the introductions, Setzer gets down to business of why he had arrived to Ricardo’s house, “I see you are interested in this Subaru. When I bought a new car, I knew I would have to part with one of the other two in order to make room.”

“So…Does this car run alright? Is there anything wrong with it that I need to know about?” Ricardo asked, inspecting the Subaru. “I’ve had this car for two years. During that time, I’ve made sure that everything was in working order,” replied Setzer, following Ricardo to the front of the car as he lifted up the hood to inspect the inside. Ever since he was young, he was introduced to being a DiY kind of guy from his father. After his mother passed away from the fatal traffic accident; Ricardo spent as much time as he could with his father in case that ‘lightning’ strikes again. While around his father, Ricardo learned a lot about cars and how they worked, learning how to be a self made mechanic in case he gets a car of its own. Ricardo inspects the inside of the Subaru’s hood; concluding that everything was in working order. While he was inspecting within the hood of the car, Setzer observes with quiet eyes in awe.

“You definitely know how a car works, huh?” asked Setzer. “Yeah…I got that from my dad. Everything’s working the way it should be,” replied Ricardo, chuckling a bit. Through a few more minutes of inspecting and asking questions, Ricardo knew that this car was the one. The youth pays Setzer two thousand and five hundred dollars, making it a best offer for the owner. After Ricardo gave his payment to the silver haired man in exchange for the keys, Locke approaches the scene with a question of his own.

“I’ve never seen you before. Are you new here in Dissidia City?” asked Locke. “Yeah, I am. I just flew in from Lugas City yesterday,” answered Ricardo.

“Oh. I’d be careful around here. A lot of crazy stuff happens around here. There’s a website on the internet that’ll let you transfer ownership from cars to boats and all that without leaving your house. It’s that easy,” said Locke. In response, Celes walks towards the group with a piece of paper with the site written on it; handing it to Ricardo. “Here ya go. Setzer always goes there when he gets a new car,” said Celes. The four converse for a few more minutes; till Setzer calls it a day and bids the young man farewell. Locke and Celes soon follow suit, but then Locke turns back around to say one more thing.

“Since you’re new here, I would recommend getting a gun, switchblade, or both in case someone tries to get you. May never know when you’ll need it. The gun store I highly recommend is Enkidu’s Gun Store in the Downtown Plaza area and Ultros’s shop: Blades of Glory for a switchblade. They’ll even fix them up, for a fee that is. Be careful and good luck,” said Locke. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to do that,” said Ricardo. The three hops into the Camero and prepares to leave the cul-de-sac; leaving the Subaru to its brand new owner as they made a U-turn to leave. The sound of the revving motor continues on down the street with the car out of sight. With the car checked off of Ricardo’s ‘To get’ list, he then heads back inside to his laptop to go to this website that Locke recommended. He closes the door behind him and walks up to his bedroom to get on his laptop and transfer ownership to the car. Now in his room, he hops into his computer chair and goes to the website written on the paper. As Ricardo looked at the paper with the site on it, there seems to be a few notes for Ricardo on what to put, including Setzer’s name.

The young man heads to the site on his laptop and begins the process of transferring the ownership from Gabbiani to Ricardo; making sure that if a cop pulls him over, it wouldn’t appear that he stole the car from the owner despite buying it from him. Ricardo continues to fill in the online form, glad that it was as easy as Locke had said it was. Within less than fifteen minutes, he completes the form and emails it back to those that created it. ‘Alright…Now with all that taken care of…I need to get two more things before this day is done. I better bring with me some money to get a gun and a switchblade from those places he mentioned while the form is being processed,’ thought Ricardo. With the decision made, he closes the laptop’s lid and heads out to the car to get ready to leave, but he locked the house up first to make sure that no one broke in while he was gone. ‘Good thing I got my driver’s license a year before Dad died…That way I’ll have some I.D with me,’ thought Ricardo. Revving the car to life, he pulls out of the driveway and moves forward out of the cul-de-sac to the main downtown of the city; known to the inhabitants as ‘The Plaza area’.

Description
Fantasy Theft Auto

Chapter I: Welcome to Dissidia City

(1.) Dissidia City…This place has had its own share of troubles. As one of the toughest places to live in; this city’s crime sprees are beginning to become out of control. Gangs are being formed, illegal activities are escalating; yet there is very little the police can do…Especially the crooked ones that get paid off to keep their mouths shut. Nothing seems to phase this city; even with a bunch of turf wars that has divided the entire city into multiple sections. If you want to live in this city, you’ve got to know your boundaries, the rules of the people, avoid the cops, and survive. Soon, a new soul will make their way here to start fresh from their traumatic life…And get into things that not even they won’t understand. Here is his story…The story of Ricardo Artiende’s life in Dissidia City.

--{Taryaka Airport in Lugas City 11:15 A.M}—

(2.) The bustling airport of Lugas City was teeming with travelers from various places. Some came from Cetia City; while others came from Lucaso City to the southwest. Many others waited for their flight to arrive, listening to their music devices as they kept an eye on the TV monitor on the wall near a giant glass window for everyone to watch the planes land for the next trip to god knows where. Sitting on one of the benches was a young man in his early twenties, at least 23 years of age, waiting for his flight to arrive. Guarding his luggage like a security guard; he made sure that no one stole his belongings as he waited for his plane to arrive. As he looked both left and right as he wondered what some of the people were doing; his blood red orange highlighted hair swished to the brush of air and into his vision.

With an upward swipe from his right hand, he moved his hair out of the way. His light sea green eyes peered out through the window, watching each plane land one at a time as he continued to wait. He wore a white muscle shirt with a red coat over it, along with a pair of blue jeans and Nike© shoes that were black and blue with white soles. His belt was connected together like a chain, held together with a golden colored buckle. He looks at his plane ticket, hoping he hadn’t forgotten the time of when the plane was supposed to arrive. His name, the gate number, and even the arrival time were stamped on the paper ticket as he checked with his black, strap-based watch around his wrist. The young man, named ‘Ricardo Artiende’, continued to wait as he looked up towards the monitor. The one city he was looking at particularly was ‘Dissidia City’, which the plane should be arriving in less than ten minutes.

‘I hope I made a good choice of living in another city on my own…What if all the troubles here follow me there?’ Ricardo wondered to himself, ‘I just want a fresh start from all this…To start all over again.’ For most of his life, trouble would always follow him, but it was his ‘I’ll prove to you I can do it’ personality was the main contributor to all the troubles he ended up getting involved into. Knowing that this was for the best; Ricardo made a bold choice of moving to another city to start his life all over again. He sat patiently, watching a few people walk by; till a female voice was heard from the intercom. “Airline 89 has now arrived at Gate 9. All passengers destined for Dissidia City must head to Gate 9 to board your flight. Thank you and enjoy your time with Taryaka Airlines,” the woman on the intercom said. Upon hearing this, Ricardo gets up from the cushioned bench and picked up his gym bag, two suitcases, a large satchel-based bag that was fastened securely across his chest to across his upper back like a backpack, a medium sized school bag around his left shoulder and neck, and a trolley-fashioned carrier to head towards his destination.

He approaches Gate 9 at a hurried pace; hoping not to miss the plane as he carried his luggage to the Gate’s terminal. With time to spare, he loads his cargo onto the conveyor belt; allowing the people to load the luggage onto the plane as he went to the plane. Each of the baggage had an I.D tag on the handles, making sure that it doesn’t get lost among the luggage that were being loaded on board. As he approaches the small line to the metal detector, his rope tied necklace with a wooden ring centerpiece swished and swayed to his every movement. Now, his turn to go through the metal detector had finally arrived. A male security guard cued him to walk through with a wave of his hand, allowing the youth to go through. With careful scanning, the machine didn’t give off an alarm of anything metal. Ricardo was in the clear. With all that taken care of with plenty of time to spare, Ricardo made his way towards the plane as it prepared and refueled for its second trip to Dissidia City.

As Ricardo walks towards the Gate to his flight, he fishes out his plane ticket from the front coat pocket and prepared to give it to the teller as he approached the metal door to the plane’s entrance. He approaches the blonde teller and hands her the ticket to prove that he was one of the passengers destined to board the airline. “Thank you,” the teller said to Ricardo, “Enjoy your flight.” The youth gave a respectful nod and headed on his way. Just as he was about half way there, his cell phone begins to ring to a particular ring tone. Ricardo reaches into his left pants pocket and flips his phone open to answer the call. “Hello?” he spoke into the phone’s mic, revealing his light Italian accent with a mix of Spanish.

“Did you make it to the plane alright?” an older female voice said on the other side of the phone. To Ricardo, he knew who it was almost immediately. “I’m boarding it right now, Gramma Ellie. I’m getting on the plane right now,” Ricardo responded back.

“That’s good. I was wondering if you got there alright. Make sure to call when you get there, alright,” said his grandmother, named ‘Ellena’. “I’ll make sure to do that. I have to let you go for now, these pilots and attendants have to make sure that all devices are off or on standby when they get ready for takeoff,” said Ricardo. As the conversation continued on a bit as Ricardo was well seated onto the well cushioned chair; he began to feel a soft tap on his shoulder.

“Hold on a sec,” said Ricardo. He places his available hand over the mic, turning to face where the tap was coming from. It turns out that his prediction was right. A red haired attendant was standing right next to him as he looked up to face her. “We’re about to take off, sir,” she said in a polite manner, “All devices need to be turned off or on standby.”

“Alright…I’ll be sure to do that,” Ricardo responded courteously. The attendant walks
away as he quickly finishes the conversation. “I got to go…They’re about to take off,” said Ricardo.

“Alrighty. Be careful out there. Bye,” said Ellena. “Bye,” said Ricardo. They both hang up; allowing Ricardo to turn his phone off and place it back into his left pants pocket. The red headed flight attendant makes one more round to make sure that everything was in order; especially to make sure that Ricardo has turned his phone off. She checked and sure enough he was all done with the phone conversation from earlier. With the perpetrations complete; the pilot from the cockpit makes a few announcements through the intercom built within the plane.

(3.) “This is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard Airline 89 and make sure to fasten your seat belts as we prepare for takeoff for Dissidia City in thirty seconds. All electronic devices are to be turned off at this time, or put on standby mode as we prepare for takeoff,” the pilot said to the passengers. As the announcements continued, Ricardo buckled up for the trip as he listened to the rest of the announcements. For most of his life, he has never ridden in a plane before. The main hatch to the plane’s side was securely closed as the rest of the passengers buckled up for their upcoming journey. Now fully prepared, the pilot speaks through the intercom to announce that they are now ready for takeoff; and telling everyone to fasten their seat belts once more to make sure that everyone heard this. Anxiety slowly began to flood Ricardo’s heart, but he knew there was no turning back now. In a slow and steady motion, the plane begins to move towards the runway.

Within a few more minutes; the plane finally rolls onto the flat pavement ground and rides forward with a little more speed. During the course of a minute, its speed begins to pick up as the flying vehicle lifts up from the ground; pulling in the wheels as it flew up into the blue yonder. Ricardo held onto the hand rests as the plane lifts itself up from ground and into the air. The plane’s interior lightly shakes with small force, but not enough to scare the passengers inside as the plane flew upward into the blue sky. Now in flight, the plane settled down as everyone relaxed and enjoyed the flight. Ricardo looked out through the window as he observed the light fluffy clouds around them. This was his first time traveling by plane and he was beginning to enjoy it. During the course of an hour, a few passengers unbuckled themselves as they stretched their legs from sitting down too much. Only a small few needed to use the restroom after sitting around admiring the view.

Ricardo was one of the few that got up to use the restroom, making sure to take care of business for the rest of the flight. He calmly returns back to his seat, preparing to admire the nice blue sky till he arrives at his destination. With the headphones provided by the airline; the passengers also passed the time by listening to flight music. Ricardo continues to peer out of the window as he listened to the music from the big headphones, with the music turned down in case one of the attendants tried to get his attention, or call to him. Two more hours pass as the attendants served food and a choice of water, juice, or soda. The youth closes his eyes for just a few minutes to rest, till the sudden sound of wheels woke him up again. He turns to face his left, spotting a dark blue haired woman heading towards his aisle with a food and drink cart. With the selections explained to Ricardo, he chooses the chicken Alfredo meal with some grape juice.

“Here you go, sir,” the attendant said as she handed Ricardo the meal and drink; giving Ricardo some time to put up the in-flight tray. “Thank you,” said Ricardo. “You’re welcome. Enjoy your meal,” the attendant replied back. With a courteous nod, the youth got his drink and food situated as the attendant went on her way through her rounds.

‘Oh, boy…This is as good as how Mom used to make it. God, I’m starving,’ thought Ricardo, taking a bite of his meal. As he continued to eat; his thoughts soon turn to his late mother, who passed away during surgery after a fatal traffic accident while he was 14 years old. ‘Mom…What happened? If only I was there. I’ll do my very best to be good,’ he thought. To this day, he still believes he should’ve been there when the accident happened, but he was told that there was nothing he could’ve done back then. Throughout the course of the rest of the trip, Ricardo napped through the flight to replenish his energy for what lies ahead. With the aid of the light gusts of the wind outside, the youth was lulled to sleep immediately. Seven more hours pass as the passengers waited to arrive to their destination and Ricardo was getting plenty of rest as the plane continued on its path. By the end of the eighth hour, Ricardo was suddenly awoken from a sudden shake from the plane.

As he straightens himself up in his seat, the pilot in the cockpit spoke once more via intercom, “This is your captain speaking. We have now arrived at Dissidia City. Please remain seated and buckled in till the plane has fully landed and comes to a complete stop. Thank you for flying Airline 89 and we hope you choose us again for your future flight.” After a series of long hours of air flight, Ricardo was finally at his destination. ‘I’m finally here…It’s a good thing that I bought that house over the phone with the realtor. All I need to do now is pay her and get my things in order,’ thought Ricardo. The plane moves towards the gate entrance at a slow pace, attaching itself to the gate so that the passengers could get out and into the airport. With careful precision, the hatches connect and the plane had finally come to a complete halt. One of the attendants on board picks up one of the walkie-talkie like mic and speaks through the intercom, “All passengers need to disembark to prepare for our next flight at this time. We have now arrived at Dissidia City. Thank you for flying Airline 89.”
With that in mind, Ricardo unbuckles himself and gets up from his location; walking out into the aisle and making his way towards the exit.

--{Taryaka Airport in Dissidia City 7:25 P.M}—

The airport in Dissidia City was the same as the previous one in Lugas City, but it was built with finer cement and concrete. It was less bustling than the previous airport, but this seemed to suit Ricardo a bit as he approached the conveyor belt to retrieve his luggage. People from the flight gathered around to retrieve their cargo; each handed to them by the workers who called out their last names. The blood red headed young man waited for only a couple minutes, till he heard a male voice call out his last name. “Artiende? Is there an ‘Artiende’?” the man asked. “Right here, sir,” said Ricardo.

“Here you go,” replied the worker. He carefully hands Ricardo his luggage; from the two suitcases to the trolley carrier, his big backpack-like satchel bag, to his school bag and gym bag. With all his cargo accounted for, he politely gives a ‘Thank you’ and went on his way. This place was all brand new to the young man, but he knew that he’s going to have to adjust quickly if he wants to make it alright in this new city. Unlike the previous airport, the tiled floors were more of a tannish brown granite than a cream color. It took a few minutes for Ricardo to find the entrance, but he quickly finds the entrance with little guidance from the employees and made his way out of the airport to get his first look at the new city he was about to live in. (4.) Dissidia City was much bigger than Lugas City, filled with a bit more steel made skyscrapers and fancier buildings. It appeared like a paradise for the inhabitants, much like Hollywood and Las Vegas put into one…However, Ricardo knew that for each paradise, there was an infernal underbelly to counterbalance everything. It felt like Paradise City on the outside and Sin City on the inside.

Cautious not to attract any thieves; if there was any, Ricardo reaches into his right pant pocket and brought out a few dollars for the cab. The faster he got to his new house, the better he can get out of here. With a wave of his left hand, just right after setting down his suitcase, he calls out for a Taxi. “Taxi!” he called out. He waited a few minutes, till a yellow cab with a black and white checkered bar across the side of its body approached the youth. It came to a stop, allowing Ricardo to load his luggage in the trunk and hop into the backseat of the cab. “Where you heading to?” the Cab driver asked.

“To Gaia Blvd. and 42nd Street,” said Ricardo. “Alrighty,” replied the Cab driver. With that said and done, they were off to their destination. Ricardo looked around through the window of the vast city of Dissidia. It was huge, and it felt like Ricardo had won the lottery. The Cab driver observes this from his rear view mirror and strikes up a conversation with Ricardo as a way to break the ice.

“New here?” the driver asked. “Yeah, I am. I flew in from all the way from Lugas City,” said Ricardo. “Really? I’m originally from there myself. I was a Cab driver there, but then got laid off. Gezz, the workforce these days, but something had to be done,” replied the driver.

“That’s how it is these days,” said Ricardo. “Tell me about it. When I first got here, I couldn’t believe that this City was a lot bigger than back home. I’ve been working here as a cabbie for a few years now and this place is like paradise and sin put together with some crime roaming about. I’d be careful here,” the Cab driver said.

“Some places are like that. I’ll be sure to do that,” replied Ricardo. He knew each city had their own share of crime waves, so Ricardo has to get a few things done as soon as he gets himself situated at his new house. They continued onward as they drove across a porcelain white cemented bridge to the other side.

--{Gaia Blvd. and 42nd Street 8:10 P.M}--

Within a few more minutes as the Cab driver turns to a left into a cul-de-sac, the two finally arrives at their destination. “Here we are…Gaia Blvd. and 42nd Street. Make sure to get all your stuff out of the trunk before you go. That way you don’t lose anything,” said the driver.

“Alright. That’s a good tip,” said Ricardo. Before he got up, the driver then said something else, “Oh! Hang on a sec. That’s going to be fifteen fifty.”

“Oh! I forgot…Here’s a twenty and you can keep the change as a tip,” said Ricardo, handing the driver a twenty dollar bill. “Thanks buddy. Be careful out there,” the driver said back to Ricardo. The young man walks to the back of the Taxi and retrieves his entire luggage; allowing the Cab driver to leave and get back to his job. (5.) The house that they stopped in front of was in a light grey color; an easy fixer upper that was big enough for one person with a couple roommates if possible. Its roof was in a 180 degree triangle shape, pointing upward to the sky. All the other houses were spaced apart a good yard or less, making sure to grant some people a bit of distance and privacy. With Ricardo’s guidance to where the house he plans to purchase was, both he and the Taxi stopped right in front of it. It seems Ricardo got here before the realtor did. With some time to kill, the youth reached into his gym bag and retrieved at least ten thousand dollars for the house to pay to the realtor. How did Ricardo get this much money? It was saved up for him by his late father, hoping to give his only son a chance with a brighter future.

‘Good thing Dad saved up a lot of money for me and my future. It’s definitely going to come in handy,’ thought Ricardo. All of a sudden, his thought turned to his father, who died of a heart attack when he was 18 years old. ‘He was more worried about me and what the future had in store than himself and his heart after Mom passed away…You should’ve token more care of yourself…If only I was there when it happened…Why?’ Ricardo thought. Even though he blamed himself for not being there when it happened, he knew that this move was for the best…To start his life over again. As he continued to ponder his thoughts, a black Cadillac pulls into the cul-de-sac and makes its way towards where Ricardo stood. The young man didn’t know who was driving the vehicle, but when the car stops in front of the house; Ricardo had a feeling it could be the realtor. As it turns out, he was right. A brunette woman in a black dress suit and a white undershirt opens the car door on the driver’s side and steps out with her clipboard fashioned folder.
“You must be Ricardo Artiende, correct?” she asked, making sure that she’s talking to the right person. “Yes, that’s correct,” replied Ricardo. The two shook hands, allowing the realtor to introduce herself.

“My name’s Suzanne. I know you already decided to buy this house, but you might’ve changed your mind during your travels,” the realtor said to Ricardo; revealing her name as ‘Suzanne’, “Let’s go walk through the house.” Ricardo immediately a reply of ‘Okay’ and picked up his luggage, following the realtor inside the dwelling. They walked through the entire house, including the basement and the upstairs rooms. It was just as Ricardo had seen on the internet before he called her. The living room was bare, but with a few days of hard work; it’ll be as good as new. The paint choice of a tranquil blue and white was the perfect combination for Ricardo, who has a fascination for the sea. The dining room was painted with the same colors, but the room was all bare. Just like the living room, it’ll take a lot of dedication and hard work to get it feeling like home. Fortunately, the bathroom and kitchen utilities were all left behind and in perfect condition. All was needed was to buy groceries for the fridge.

The bedroom was completely bare as well, but a bed was left behind from the previous owners; giving whoever was moving in a place to sleep. The basement was also left bare, except for a washer, dryer, and other utilities that were important. The house was just perfect and Ricardo was absolutely sure that this was the one. “The owners fixed up some issues before they moved out. Nothing major, so you don’t have to worry about it. This house has already been inspected for mold and other things. It’s all clean and you don’t have to worry about that,” said Suzanne, just as the two were making their way up from the basement. “Is this house up to code with fire regulations and all in case it catches on fire? I’m not saying I’m a bad cook, but just to be on the safe side,” asked Ricardo.

“It is fully up to code, Mr. Artiende. You don’t need to worry about that,” Suzanne assured Ricardo, chuckling at his comment. With the questions asked and answered; Ricardo was ready to buy it. With the amount paid, the realtor gave the house keys to him as she congratulated him for his purchase. She heads towards the ‘For Sale’ sign and removes the ‘Sale’ panel and puts a ‘Sold’ panel in its place; telling any buyers that this house was officially bought. With the ownership of the house in his hands, Ricardo settled down and began to think of what to do next. However; it was late at night and it did take him till past eight O’ clock to get to this point. “It’s too late now to go get something to eat, plus I don’t have a car, or motor bike to get about. I’m quite sure Gramma Ellie packed me a few things before I left,” said Ricardo, only to himself. He heads to his trolley carrier and opens it up; revealing a thermal made package-based box that held something in it. He opens it up, spotting a large bowl filled with something covered in aluminum foil. It turns out his grandmother did pack him some things to eat before he left on his flight: A large ceramic bowl filled with homemade Mac and Cheese, a well made salad with fruit on top, covered with a plastic wrap. Tuna sandwiches, a couple containers filled with pasta sauce made from scratch, Chicken Alfredo and angel haired pasta, and lastly a few bottles of water.

He decided to go for his favorite for supper: Mac and Cheese. He reaches into the carrier for a plastic big spoon and one of the small bowls to scoop in a bowlful of Mac and Cheese to warm up in the microwave. “First supper in my new house. Since there is some crime in this city, the first thing I’ll do is find myself a cheap vehicle first thing in the morning. Next…I have to buy a couple weapons to protect myself: a gun for far range and a switchblade for close range. The rest will have to wait after that. First, I’m going to eat; then I’m going to bed. It’s going to be a brand new day and I need to get my beauty sleep,” Ricardo said to himself. After a minute passed, the microwave that was left behind by the owner beeped. The meal was warmed up and ready to eat. Ricardo sets the bowl down on the counter to cool for a bit as he covered up the main bowl and placed the leftovers inside the fridge. He also puts the other food items into the fridge as well, making sure that it will stay fresh till later. All the other bowls and plastic utensils were placed in their rightful drawers. The youth puts his luggage in his new bedroom, leaving it there to unpack the next day.

‘I’ll give grandma a text message to tell her that I made it alright. She’s probably in bed right now; so I better not wake her up,’ Ricardo thought as he texts on his phone and sends the message. He arrives back to the kitchen and picks up the bowl and heads back upstairs to the bedroom to eat. He knew that some of the furniture from his childhood home, minus the bed; due to the fact that there was one left behind at the new house, was on their way to the new house. They wouldn’t be there by tomorrow, so Ricardo passed the time and ate his Mac and Cheese. It was going to be his first night in his new house. After he finished his supper, Ricardo heads back to the kitchen to put his hard plastic small bowl and spoon in the dishwasher that was left behind for him. He makes sure to lock up all the windows and both the front door and the back door to make sure that no one broke in while he was sleeping. With all that taken care of, he heads upstairs and prepares to fix up the bed to lie down on. Ricardo reaches for his satchel bag backpack and begins to unzip it, pulling out a pair of pillows that were stuffed in there and a comforter. He places the comforter on the up side of the mattress; then grabs a black colored bed sheet and does the same thing with the comforter.

Ricardo picks up the two pillows and placed them on the upper two sides of the bed to prop his head during the night. He soon heads back to the satchel bag and pulls out a Persian designed heavy blanket to cover up with. With the bed all fixed up, he then turns his attention to his trolley carrier and opens the top part and grabs his toothbrush, soap, and all the necessary things for the bathroom. The towels were packed into the gym bag; which he grabbed as well and putted them to their new rightful place. He returns back to the bedroom, changing into his normal sleeping outfit of a black sleeveless muscle shirt and removing his pants and shoes. As a man of habit, Ricardo always brushes his teeth twice a day in the morning and night before bed; and that’s what he did before he went to bed. It didn’t take very long for him to brush his teeth; then he ran a brush through his hair as he prepared for bed. Ricardo returns to his room and takes out a radio and alarm clock from within his trolley carrier. He places these two items nearby, turning on the radio to lull him to sleep. With his alarm clock reading ’10:15 P.M’ and set to ring at ‘9:15 A.M’ the next day, Ricardo covered up and went straight to bed…Waiting for the new day to arrive.

(6.) The blood red rising sun began to lift itself from the horizon, giving the sky a light bright blue color with a mix of red and orange with tinges of pink. Over time, the sky lightened up to the rising sun, now changing from blood red to its pure fiery colors of yellow and white. Birds began to chirp their songs to the people of Dissidia City; arousing them from their slumber to start their daily routines once more. Ricardo continues to sleep through the chirping songs; till his alarm clock rang at precisely ‘9:15 A.M’. Just as soon as Ricardo shifted to his right side, his alarm clock began to beep in a continuous rhythm. The youth gave out a grunt and opened his eyes. Ricardo wanted to sleep in some more, but the movers would arrive at any hour today. He turns towards the alarm clock and hits the snooze button on top, stopping the alarm for only a few minutes. He turns the alarm off till he turns it back on again, getting up from bed to brush his teeth and brush out his hair. With a quick splash of water on his face to wash up; Ricardo wakes up more as he returns to his bedroom to get dressed.

He tried to find a good outfit to wear, but he soon picks out a short sleeved white shirt and a pair of dark blue khakis. Knowing that the movers will get the dresser and other things in a typical bedroom from Ricardo’s bedroom back home upstairs; Ricardo puts his entire luggage up onto the bed so that they don’t get in the way when the movers arrive. He temporarily unplugs the radio and the alarm clock, also putting them onto the bed. He heads downstairs to the kitchen and fixes himself a bowl of his grandma’s salad. With time to kill, Ricardo ate breakfast to fuel his energy in case the movers needed any help. Just when Ricardo took his last bite of the salad, he hears a knock at his door. Quickly putting the dishes in the dishwasher and the leftover salad in the fridge; Ricardo rushes to the front door and unlocks it. (7.) He opens it, spotting the movers outside waiting for him. “Are you Mr. Ricardo Artiende?” the lead mover asked, holding a clipboard with some papers on it. “Yes, that’s correct,” answered Ricardo.

“It took us a little bit to find this address, but thank god we did. We’re here to move in the furniture for your new home,” replied the lead mover. “Alright. Do I need to sign anything, or not?” asked Ricardo.

“Just one thing. It won’t take that long,” the lead mover assured him. Ricardo steps out of the house and walks towards the mover; wondering what he had to sign for moving all the furniture inside. The man pulls out a pen from his white shirt pocket as the young man approached him; turning towards Ricardo with the pen in hand. “Just sign right here and we’ll take care of the rest,” the mover said, handing the pen to Ricardo. The young man takes the pen into his writing hand and signs on the line his signature and gave the pen back to its owner. With that taken care of, the lead mover signals the others the okay to begin. The movers begin to pull out a dresser from the moving van, while the others pulled out other items; such as lamps and chairs.

“Do you guys need a hand, or want me to stand back and let you guys work?” asked Ricardo. “Actually, we could use an extra pair of hands. You can help out if you want,” replied the lead mover, relieved in some way that Ricardo was offering to help. Ricardo gives a nod of acceptance and heads to the moving van to grab the coffee table that will be placed in the living room in front of the couch…Where ever the couch would go. Everyone did their part as they placed where the furniture should go; till it was time to move the couch off the van and into the living room. Two of the movers managed to get the couch out of the van, but it took three of the movers and Ricardo himself to quickly move the couch inside. The lead mover was impressed with the teamwork; thus cutting the time down for them. He grabs the last two lamps nearby and took them inside.

“Whew!” Ricardo said as he wiped the sweat off of his brow, “At least we saved the couch for last.” With all the hard work done, Ricardo paid the movers forty dollars as the fee. With the payment complete, the movers gave Ricardo a handshake and a ‘Thank you’ for helping out. The movers went on their way and went back to their jobs to the next location; allowing Ricardo some time to himself as he plopped down on the couch and flipped on the TV right in front of him. With all the furniture and other things where they need to be, the young man then began to ponder what he needs to do next while there was daylight. He needed to get a vehicle, so he turns off the TV and heads upstairs to his room to retrieve his laptop from his school bag. Ricardo plugs in the adapter cord into the plug in the wall towards the floor, allowing his laptop to charge up as he uses it to search for a car. (8.) Knowing a few places to get things from the internet like the back of his hand; the youth goes to Craigslist and begins his search. Hoping to find a car nearby from where he lives, Ricardo narrowed down the search and limit of the amount he wants. After thirty minutes of searching, he soon catches sight of a silver Subaru for sale. It seems the owner wants to make room and money by selling the car, willing to pay two thousand dollars or best offer for it.

Ricardo scans the pictures of the Subaru, making sure that he didn’t get buyer’s remorse after an impulsive buy. After scanning the pictures for a few minutes, Ricardo knew that this was the one and sends an email to the owner of the car. With that done, all Ricardo had to do was to wait and see if the owner still had the car or had already sold it. He passed the time by watching TV within his own room. For ten minutes, he continues to watch a basketball game while he waited for a response about the car. ‘It might not be today…It could be tomorrow, or the car might already be sold--’ All of a sudden, the youth’s thoughts were cut off by the phone ringing in the living room. Curious, yet nervous; Ricardo turns off the TV and heads downstairs to answer the phone. He quickly heads towards the stand-up based phone and picks it up, pressing the ‘Talk’ button to speak to whoever was calling him. “Hello?” asked Ricardo, speaking into the phone. Within seconds, a male voice answers.

“Are you Ricardo? The ‘Ricardo’ who sent the E-mail about a silver Subaru?” the voice asked. “Yeah, I did. Do you still have it?” answered Ricardo.

“I still have it. You are the only one that has replied to my ad. If you don’t have a car of your own, don’t worry…I will come to you. All I need is the address and I will take care of the rest,” the man answered. The young man was nervous about giving his address to someone he doesn’t know, but this was the only way possible to purchase the Subaru. After all, Ricardo can’t go over there, even if it was just a good walking distance. He gives the man the address, waiting for the next response. “Alright, I’ll be right there with the car. Make sure to keep an eye out,” the man said. The two finishes their conversation and Ricardo hangs up the phone and begins to keep an eye out for the car and the owner. He was quite shocked; usually it would take a day or two, but this took at least ten minutes or so. It seems good luck was smiling down on Ricardo in his time of need. Ricardo continues to keep his vigil; till the silver Subaru from Craigslist suddenly appeared. However, it didn’t come alone. Right behind it was a yellow black striped Camero with a design of red zigzags across near below the hood to below the trunk. The Subaru was the only one without any designs painted on it, making it plain and silver.

The Subaru drives into the driveway as the Camero waited on the side near the sidewalk, as if acting like a backup car in case the Subaru got sold. Ricardo opens the front door and heads out to the two cars, preparing to meet the owner and his companion face to face. (9.) The Subaru’s driver side door opens up, revealing a slick spiked silver haired man with a few scars shown on his face. He appeared in his late twenties, dressed in a sleeveless muscle shirt with a purple coat decorated with gold lines on the sleeves and a gold design of a skull on the coat’s back. The edges in the front were composed of wavy silver lines in decorations. His bell bottomed pants were the same color as his coat, but in a bit brighter shade and minus the designs. The buckles of his black shoes were in the shape of skulls, made in the shiny steel of silver. He wore a black strap-based belt around his waist, adorning a skull etched on the center of his silver belt buckle. The driver in the Camero begins to get out of the car, revealing to be a long blonde haired woman dressed in a zipped up yellow vest and leather pants of the same color. The center of her vest was in black, like two lines going down to the bottom of the vest.

Her heeled boots were black in color, decorated with swirl designs of yellow and red. She didn’t come alone as a light brown haired man in a black jean materialed vest got out through the passenger side. A bandanna was tied around his right upper forearm, showing the cloth’s edges decorated with golden yellow. He wore a pair of dark navy blue pants with a black strapped belt with a diamond centerpiece as a buckle. A chain necklace dangled from his neck. His black leather shoes shined in the sunlight, well polished and taken care of. Both of his ears were pierced, wearing three silver earrings on each ear. It seems the owner brought a couple friends with him in case he does sell the Subaru. “You must be Ricardo. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself on the phone. My name is Setzer Gabbiani,” the man said to Ricardo, shaking his hand. “Ricardo…Ricardo Artiende,” said Ricardo, introducing himself.

“They are my friends, Locke Cole and Celes Chere. I invited them to come along,” said Setzer, introducing the two to Ricardo. After the introductions, Setzer gets down to business of why he had arrived to Ricardo’s house, “I see you are interested in this Subaru. When I bought a new car, I knew I would have to part with one of the other two in order to make room.”

“So…Does this car run alright? Is there anything wrong with it that I need to know about?” Ricardo asked, inspecting the Subaru. “I’ve had this car for two years. During that time, I’ve made sure that everything was in working order,” replied Setzer, following Ricardo to the front of the car as he lifted up the hood to inspect the inside. Ever since he was young, he was introduced to being a DiY kind of guy from his father. After his mother passed away from the fatal traffic accident; Ricardo spent as much time as he could with his father in case that ‘lightning’ strikes again. While around his father, Ricardo learned a lot about cars and how they worked, learning how to be a self made mechanic in case he gets a car of its own. Ricardo inspects the inside of the Subaru’s hood; concluding that everything was in working order. While he was inspecting within the hood of the car, Setzer observes with quiet eyes in awe.

“You definitely know how a car works, huh?” asked Setzer. “Yeah…I got that from my dad. Everything’s working the way it should be,” replied Ricardo, chuckling a bit. Through a few more minutes of inspecting and asking questions, Ricardo knew that this car was the one. The youth pays Setzer two thousand and five hundred dollars, making it a best offer for the owner. After Ricardo gave his payment to the silver haired man in exchange for the keys, Locke approaches the scene with a question of his own.

“I’ve never seen you before. Are you new here in Dissidia City?” asked Locke. “Yeah, I am. I just flew in from Lugas City yesterday,” answered Ricardo.

“Oh. I’d be careful around here. A lot of crazy stuff happens around here. There’s a website on the internet that’ll let you transfer ownership from cars to boats and all that without leaving your house. It’s that easy,” said Locke. In response, Celes walks towards the group with a piece of paper with the site written on it; handing it to Ricardo. “Here ya go. Setzer always goes there when he gets a new car,” said Celes. The four converse for a few more minutes; till Setzer calls it a day and bids the young man farewell. Locke and Celes soon follow suit, but then Locke turns back around to say one more thing.

“Since you’re new here, I would recommend getting a gun, switchblade, or both in case someone tries to get you. May never know when you’ll need it. The gun store I highly recommend is Enkidu’s Gun Store in the Downtown Plaza area and Ultros’s shop: Blades of Glory for a switchblade. They’ll even fix them up, for a fee that is. Be careful and good luck,” said Locke. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to do that,” said Ricardo. The three hops into the Camero and prepares to leave the cul-de-sac; leaving the Subaru to its brand new owner as they made a U-turn to leave. The sound of the revving motor continues on down the street with the car out of sight. With the car checked off of Ricardo’s ‘To get’ list, he then heads back inside to his laptop to go to this website that Locke recommended. He closes the door behind him and walks up to his bedroom to get on his laptop and transfer ownership to the car. Now in his room, he hops into his computer chair and goes to the website written on the paper. As Ricardo looked at the paper with the site on it, there seems to be a few notes for Ricardo on what to put, including Setzer’s name.

The young man heads to the site on his laptop and begins the process of transferring the ownership from Gabbiani to Ricardo; making sure that if a cop pulls him over, it wouldn’t appear that he stole the car from the owner despite buying it from him. Ricardo continues to fill in the online form, glad that it was as easy as Locke had said it was. Within less than fifteen minutes, he completes the form and emails it back to those that created it. ‘Alright…Now with all that taken care of…I need to get two more things before this day is done. I better bring with me some money to get a gun and a switchblade from those places he mentioned while the form is being processed,’ thought Ricardo. With the decision made, he closes the laptop’s lid and heads out to the car to get ready to leave, but he locked the house up first to make sure that no one broke in while he was gone. ‘Good thing I got my driver’s license a year before Dad died…That way I’ll have some I.D with me,’ thought Ricardo. Revving the car to life, he pulls out of the driveway and moves forward out of the cul-de-sac to the main downtown of the city; known to the inhabitants as ‘The Plaza area’.