Arc 1 - We Won
ARC 1 - CHAPTER 1: WE WON
11th January 2002
Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean
Kavnar Mainland, Kavnar Islands
“Sam, come down quick! They’re announcing the new owner!”
“Coming, Mom!”
“The winning campaign for the ownership of the Kavnar Superiority Company is… the Weaver campaign, led by Mr. William!”
My name is Samuel, but people call me Sam for short. My parents, William and Tresha, became quite the celebrities after moving to Kavnar for my birth in 1991.
Dad became famous for his willpower and agility in engineering. Most of his coworkers respected him for his friendly and caring manner. Meanwhile, Mom became renowned for her painting skills. The people of Kavnar refer to her as the female Van Gogh because she loves blending colours to express life.
As for Kavnar, it consists of three small islands that, for some reason, don’t appear on the world map. There is the Kavnar Mainland, where we live; Yogami Island; and Hara-Hachi Island. Of the three, Mom and I prefer Hara-Hachi Island as it’s more beautiful, with all the farms and nature surrounding the villages. Dad, however, favours the Mainland or Yogami Island due to how “economically beneficial” they are. Whatever that means…
Speaking of economic benefits, Dad is also interested in the Kavnar Superiority Company – or KSC for short. The KSC is a huge business in Kavnar that runs the place since the government isn’t doing a great job. I’ve heard stories about how the Kavnar government failed to fix a famine that had happened, and some rich, angry man created the KSC to deal with the issue himself. So now, when an owner resigns or dies, an election is held, and the founder’s family oversees the ownership of the KSC.
The lucky campaign that won this time was my dad’s.
Ring ring… Ring ring…
“Hello, Dad?” I answered, clutching the phone to my ear excitedly.
“I won!” he rejoiced. “Do you have the TV on? I won, Samuel!”
“Yes, I’ve seen it, Dad. Congratulations!”
“I will come home as soon as I can.”
“Mom and I have a feast ready because we knew you’d win, so you better.”
“Ooo, I’m excited now.”
Dad hung up the phone, and I rushed to the kitchen to help Mom prepare dinner. We waited an hour or two for Dad to finally get home, when Mom and I surprised him with a family hug. Dad thanked us for our support, and we led him to the dinner table filled with delicious food.
Dad was surprised. “Woah, this looks like enough food to feed another family.”
Mom smirked and said, “Well, you are worth two families so I don’t feel bad about the possible waste.”
Dad shot her an annoyed look while I giggled to the side. “What are you laughing at?” he asked me.
“Nothing.”
“Alright, alright…” Mom interrupted, “The food’s getting cold, so we better eat up.”
We all sat down at the dinner table and prayed before eating. There was so much food to choose from that I spent a good minute deciding what to start with. Meanwhile, Mom was questioning Dad about his new position.
“So… How does this whole ownership thing work?”
He swallowed his food and answered her curiosity. “There’s a long process to getting the role, which I must wait out.”
“Do you mean that you aren’t the owner yet?”
“Nope. The Clifton family told me that it usually takes two to three days to process the moving of assets under my name.”
“Clifton family?”
“They’re the people who manage the ownership stuff.”
“So what should you be doing until you get the role?”
“I have nothing to do but wait, honestly. The government is slow with their stuff, so I can’t do anything till the legal procedures are done.”
Hearing Mom and Dad talk made me curious as well. “Dad, what does the KSC do exactly?”
“It does plenty of important things. The business is the only provider for public transport, import and export aid, and medical services in Kavnar. Without it, these islands would be abandoned.”
Nothing got into my head, but I agreed with his statement anyway and continued questioning. “What’s the first thing you’d do when you get the ownership?”
Mom praised me for the good question and tilted her body towards Dad.
He looked at our faces and said, “To be frank, I’d either expand the business into the food industry or start researching ways to improve facilities here. I should start with medical services, because I believe robots could be helpful in providing aid at the molecular level.”
Once again, nothing got into my head, but I agreed with his statement anyway. Dad’s phone began to ring just as I was about to ask my next question. He peeked at it and excused himself – it was one of his friends who had competed with him during the campaign. He switched on the speaker and placed his phone down on the table.
“Hello, ####. Could I call you later? I’m having dinner with my family.” Dad said.
“Oh, no,” they replied. “You don’t have to. I just called to congratulate you on the victory.”
“You showed great effort as well. I wasn’t expecting you to rent an entire blimp.”
They chuckled. “It did cost a lot… But anyway, like I said. I just wanted to congratulate you on winning and send you a gift for you and your family.”
“A gift?”
“Check your email.’
“Tickets to Henjo Park?”
“Yup! It would be a great way to celebrate with your family.”
“But these tickets expire today…”
“Well, you wouldn’t want to miss the event tonight.”
“What event?”
“A fireworks show at eleven p.m. It’s supposed to be the biggest show yet.”
“I’ll consider it then. Thank you for the tickets.”
“No, thank you for listening. I’ll take my leave now – good night.”
Hearing about the fireworks show got me excited. Dad noticed my excitement and looked at Mom, who gave her approval. He sighed and told us to be ready by ten, which ended with me profusely thanking him. I gobbled up my food, thanked Mom for dinner, and ran upstairs to pick an outfit.
By ten-thirty, we left home and drove through the quiet, dark and somewhat eerie forest. Dad taught me a lesson about them as we passed the trees. Who knew that all the trees in a forest are connected by their roots?
A little while passed until something didn’t feel right. Though I was a kid, something told me there wasn’t a fireworks show that night. I didn’t know what it was, but I wouldn’t call it a hunch.
I stood up from my seat to reach Dad’s shoulder and ask him to turn back, but it was at that moment that it all happened…
Dad turned the wheel too hard to avoid a speeding car heading our way. I hit my head on the door and fell unconscious as we rolled down the slope.
As I gradually recovered, I could smell gasoline leaking from the car and feel the shards of glass in my left shoulder. I lifted myself and looked over at Mom and Dad…
Their bodies were held by their seatbelts, and their faces were covered in blood.
Lifeless.
But then… why…?
I still don’t get it… why…?
Why were they still smiling at me?
As the world went dark again, I held their hands one last time.
