Memory and Money

"So, I heard that Mike wants to convince you to join the Duel team." a soft voice boy asked as he struggled to pick up a few bottles of hair spray from the floor.

"Yes, can you tell your boyfriend to lay off? I already told him no.

If he lost money, cuz he bet on the wrong team to not blame it on me," I answered while sweeping the floor around a small dresser.

"You tell him, he's your best friend. You know he doesn't listen to me on things like these. To be honest, it's gotten on my nerves as well, I mean, I agree with him, but he really wants you to be on the team for some reason." The boy said, moving a strand of his hair behind his right ear.

If I didn't already know that the person standing in front of me was a boy, I'd never be able to tell. Bryce was 14 years old, 5-foot-4, with blond hair and deep emerald green eyes. His hair reached his shoulders, while his face was not even androgynous but straight-up feminine, while his body was naturally feminine as well. But the confusion would come in his style, for he usually always wore girls' clothing, and although he never wore make-up outside of work, no one would be able to tell.

"He's your boyfriend. If he gets upset, you can just make out with him; I don't have that option, yet," I sarcastically responded.

"Oh ho ho, don't you dare. If you try it, I'll bite," Bryce said back jokingly.

"Bite what?" Mike's voice popped out from behind a wheeled dresser.

"Oh, Michael! Nothing I was merely telling Jason, how I'd love to bite him all over," Bryce seductively said, as he made an exaggerated biting motion.

"And I was gonna say, if it was him, I'd let him," I added, trying to copy Bryce's tone as best as I could.

Mike looked deadpan at us and sighed, "So you weren't able to convince him either?"

"You don't give me enough time!" Bryce pouted in return. "I could have! If you had waited a damn minute."

"No, you couldn't," Mike and I said simultaneously.

"You two are mean," Bryce sulked even harder in response. Nonetheless, took Mike's arm and rested his head on his shoulder.

'Seriously, how can you people look like these two? They look like they just came out of a ubermodel model catalog.'

"Are you done with the shoot?" I asked, noticing he was wearing his uniform again.

"Yeah, but I'll stay behind with Bri for a little while. I'll catch you back at the O?" Mike talked as he caressed Bryce's hair. (Bri as Mike calls him)

"Alright, I'll catch ya there," I said as I placed the broom back and put my hoodie back on.

----

After Canada, Mexico, and the USA merged and unified under the United Republic of North America (established in 2070 ), a unified currency was made. While the old money became interchangeable between the nation, a new coin was made for the sake of simplification. The Aquila was introduced in October 2076. While the dollar and the peso are still used, the Aquila is slowly becoming more popular, especially with the younger generation. The old currency is now referred to simply as the bill, while Aquila is called the coin. And the simplest way to differentiate the two is mana. The Bills are made of the materials money once used to be made of, relatively unchanged. While The Coin is made of primarily magical or mana-rich materials. Exchange 1 Aquila=1.70 Dollars.

----

I had forgotten that I used to help out at Mike's work whenever I had the chance for extra coin. While it's not a tremendous amount, Mike's bosses seem to treat him as their own; since I'm his friend, they always give me a little extra. Back then, I used to save every last dime, but thankfully this time I have better plans for it.

Thankfully it was still early, only 6:30. I rented an electric bicycle and rode it to a card house not far from the studio.

A card house is essentially a pop-up casino and betting house that can be put up and taken down in minutes. They are continuously moving around, so unless you were invited, chances of finding them are impossible. Unless you had the bookie's record book from the future memorized, thanks to that, I know where each card house will appear for the next 5 years.

After a few minutes of riding, I eventually ended up in an old-style arcade, where hundreds of old VR headsets were lined up, letting kids play a few classic games for a few coins. I simply ignored them and walked straight to the back. There, a man stood guard, who was constantly radiating a large amount of mana.

'Poor guy looks constipated. Constantly releasing so much mana puts quite the stress on the body. But I get it's part of the job.'

I lifted my left pant leg and showed my socks. The guard nodded, knocked on the door, and let me pass. I didn't go to Mike's jobs only for a little extra cash; every card house works by invitation only, with your invitation comes a phrase, article of clothing, action, etc... Only then can you enter. If you stop to ask questions or show any uncertainty of what you're supposed to do, they won't let you in, and if they find you suspicious, they'll disappear in minutes.

'I can't believe I had to find panda socks in such a hurry,'

Inside was nothing luxurious; it was a room packed with game tables, on the walls portable holographic screens, showing dozens of sports not all legal, and people clad in scantily clad clothes going around with food, drinks, and other miscellaneous items.

I again ignored all happening around me and walked straight towards the bookies. There are a dozen bookies, each specializing in one sport, the most popular being the Black Cage bookie, underground no bars, no rules fighting. It isn't a Black cage fight if at least one person doesn't die. I headed to the second most popular one, The Arena, the legal modern-day gladiatorial battle. While betting was allowed in the arena, it was filled with restrictions, commissions, and taxes that some people just didn't want to deal with. Here the bookie takes only a commission, aside from that one can bet anything they want, even their lives if one is desperate enough.

It took a few minutes, but I finally made it to the bookie. Today's plan was simple: bet as much as I can, win as much as I can, repeat tomorrow, and then enjoy my winnings as I watch Helen Knight kick some ass on Wednesday night. I initially thought I had to wait for Helen's fight to determine if the future was correct, but this gambling works as a great alternative. Tonight, I'll test my memory and luck while gaining some capital to aid me in my training.

'Long ago, I swore I would never step foot in the underworld for all it did to my sister and me while growing up, but that doesn't mean I can't use it to my advantage in the meantime. I will bring the underworld to its knees, I will tear everything they build, and this time around, I'll do it by my own two hands. Today that won't matter if all I know of the future turns out to be incorrect. I need to know how much is correct. In addition, I need to determine the accuracy of my information.'

The night went unexpectedly smooth, aside from the occasional maid and server attempting to start a 'private' business transaction, some no older than myself, others younger. The betting continued until 10, as the curfew at the Orphanage is 10:30 at the latest. I took my earnings and left the card house.

'I was able to confirm two things this night. First, the information I have of the future is genuine. Of the 10 games I betted on today, all 10 went the way I knew. Second, while the information is correct, it is not 100% accurate. While the teams or individuals I betted on did win, they did not always win, how I remembered. One soccer team should have won with a last-second goal, but now, instead, they tied and had to go to sudden-death overtime. If there is a discrepancy one day after my return, what will happen if I actually start interfering with history?'

'Most people could not tell the difference between one random game decades in their past, but then again, not many people have an eidetic memory. While my memory is not perfect recall, it's damn close. There is a chance, as always, that my memory is faulty, but I can't start questioning my memory; without it, how could I change the future?'

Not long after, I reached home and walked back up to my room. When I got to my room, it looked like only Angie and Rose were there. Rose was once again at her desk, doing homework, while Angie looked to be showering. I could tell it was her due to the trail of gym wear from her room to the bathroom.

"The girl never changes." I said out loud unconsciously while picking up the dirty clothes and putting them in the hamper.

"It's not like you are any different," a voice sang from the corner of the room.

"I pick up my mess!" I responded, pushing the mountain of clothes down into the hamper.

"Not your sock; you leave them all over the place," Rose said, pointing at a pile of socks on top of my desk chair.

Right, I had to rush back here after school to change out of my uniform; I couldn't go to a card house in uniform. "I was looking for something, okay? They're clean. I swear," I tried to clarify.

"Sure, if you say so," Rosa mocked as she went back to her homework.

I picked up my socks and headed back to my room, closing the door behind me, and started to put the pairs of socks in my drawer.

"Mox, check the current balance account," I said while folding a pair of socks into a little square.

"Current Balance: Bills: 15,546.55, Coins: 4,332.00" Moxby responded.

The accumulation of all the wealth my sister and I have obtained. To some, it might seem like an unimaginable wealth for a 13-year-old to have, but this money is the only backup I have until adulthood. It's supposed to cover all my expenses, from now until I graduate school, of course, it's not a lot. This is all that's left of my sister's effort; if it wasn't for the medical bills after the surgery, this would be 4 times larger.

"Add today's earnings, convert bills past 10,000 to coins, and update," I commanded.

"Update: Bills: 10,000, Coins: 11,151.95" Moxby answered.

For an average person, this is enough to live comfortably until adulthood, but I'm not planning to be ordinary. My current goal is to become a 7th class warrior before the Red Gate appears in Autumn Prep. In order to reach 7th class in two years, I'll need a ton of resources and equipment, which are gonna be incredibly expensive.

After I finish with my socks, I sat on top of my bed and began to meditate, circulating the mana within me, cumulating every last bit of it, and then I expelled it all. I repeated the cycle 4 times before there was no mana left inside.

*Knock*Knock* "Hey Jay, can you not do that while I just got out of the shower. You nearly gave me pneumonia," A muffled voice shouted from behind the door.

My concentration was broken and, only now had I realized the temperature drop. Within the room, condensation and ice crystals began forming on the window. I stood up and opened the door as quickly as I could.

"Sorry, Sorry. I really am. I didn't think it would be such a noticeable change." I apologize, as I moved quickly to open the bedroom window. Since it's late April, the climate has begun getting warmer.

"It's okay, but next time give us a warning, You and Rosa might be able to handle it, but Shard and I are regular people." Angie said cuddle inside her bed cover.

"It's been some time since you've done that here. It's gotten much colder, are you feeling alright?" Rose asked in concern.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm good. I honestly didn't think it was gonna be like this," I said, waving my hand through the steam emanating from my mouth.

"The curse of the mark transplant, huh? Being forced to live and circulate mana, that's not yours." Angie added unnecessary exposition.

"It's my sister's mana, so thankfully, the effects are minimal since we were 100% compatible with each other. I only have to expel the buildup of mana occasionally," I added.

"It's almost like, she's still protecting you, even after..." Rose began saying, only to stop abruptly covering her mouth, as fear began rising on her face.

"It's okay, Rose. It's been over 2 years now since the surgery," I said, placing my hand across my chest. "She gave me her heart after all. Of course, she'll always be a part of me.