The Quirked, page 1
CHAPTER 1
“Look at that,” Daniel said as he saw the two women walk by. One looked about his age, maybe she was a few years older but Daniel thought she was one of the most beautiful people he had ever seen. The woman walking next to her was probably her mother or her older sister. Both had long dark hair and figures that really caught Daniel's eye in the tight outfits they were wearing.
“You better turn your eyes away from that,” Dan said. “I know they are nice to look at and so do they. No reason for women like that to be down here in the outer city. You can bet both of them live inside the walls, probably not nobility so I doubt Inner City but they could be Mid City. Either way, no women like them should be walking around here. They are looking for something or someone, either way I want nothing to do with it and neither should you.”
“Still nice to look at,” Daniel said. “I am not the only one looking either. Even some girls are staring at them.”
“Well you have looked long enough,” Dan said. “Now stop being lazy and help me dig up all of these potatoes. We might get some good coin for them at the market.”
“We both know I am not lazy Da,” Daniel said. “It’s just that digging for potatoes and other vegetables gets old quick.”
“I know you are not lazy boy,” Dan said. “I wish your brother was more like you. Forget I said anything. Do not bring up Devin around your mother. Maxine has enough to deal with instead of thinking about him.”
“I have tried to avoid bringing him up, but has anyone heard from him?” Daniel asked.
“No,” Dan replied. “He found out he has a Quirk and I haven't seen or heard from him or your sister.”
“Quirks,” Daniel said and rolled his eyes.
“Don't be that way,” Dan said. “Your Ma has a Quirk and many people wish they had one.”
“Ma is different,” Daniel said. “And she isn't living inside the wall thinking she is better than everyone out here.”
“She was,” Dan said. “She just fell in love. Maybe I should just move the family to another town. Life isn't like this in other places, hardly anyone has a quirk and we could live nicely. Well better than what we are now.”
“Then why do we stay here?” Daniel asked.
“For one, life here isn't so bad,” Dan said. “Your home is clean and well built and you now have your own room. You are just comparing where we live to what you know is on the other side of that wall. The twins always wanted to move inside the wall to Work City, they just wanted a nicer life. You have a nice life here and the money we make out here we can’t make inside the wall. For Elmland, we are working class, far better than our neighbors surrounding us. If we move we would at least be middle class but how long would that last?”
“I see,” Daniel said. “I still think they are knobbers for just leaving and never coming back. They are probably living it up and haven't thought about us. No letters, no meat, no nothing.”
“Don’t let it bother you son,” Dan said. “They always wanted more and now they got it. I know why they haven't come back.”
“You do?” Daniel said. “Well out with it Da. I know they always complained about living out here and wanting fine clothes but abandoning your family?”
“It is because of me,” Dan said.
“You?” Daniel asked. “You are the hardest working man I know.”
“Liar,” Dan asked. “You are the hardest working man you know. You have picked up their workload as well.”
“Stop getting off the subject Da,” Daniel said.
“I don’t have a Quirk,” Dan said. “We are in Elmland Daniel, one of the big four cities in the Kingdom. People with Quirks earn more money here, they marry other people with Quirks and make even more. Devin and Maya will probably want to marry someone with money who also has a Quirk. To you we are separated between people with a Quirk compared to people without a Quirk. There are other levels, you could even call them Castes.”
“What does this have to do with the twins?” Daniel asked.
“Well at the top of the ladder are nobles,” Dan said. “Nobles normally have multiple Quirks and only deal with other nobles when it comes to romance. Nobles like having commoners with Quirks around them, many Quirked come here because only in the big four cities can they live without paying taxes. There are also employers here who do not hire anyone without a Quirk, no matter how meaningless that Quirk may be. Like I know of a Quirked who has the ability to turn wood black. It doesn’t make it tougher or anything, just turns it a different color. He is considered of a higher caste than either you or me but that may not be among the Quirked who are not noble.”
“How is that?” Daniel asked.
“Well most Quirked, not including nobles, have only one quirk,” Dan said. “Sometimes there are rare people born who are not nobles with two or more Quirks. Rumor has it that these Quirked are probably the result of an illicit affair but it doesn’t matter for my point. People who have Quirks normally only want other people with Quirks. It is not unheard of for two people with Quirks to have a child without any gift. It is rare but it does happen. In nearly all of these cases, it normally involves a Quirked who doesn’t have any Quirked parents or only has one Quirked parent. So in the Quirked world, the standings are Noble, commoners with two or more quirks, commoners with one Quirk from two Quirked parents, Quirked with one Quirked parent and Quirked with no Quirked parents. There has never been a commoner with two Quirks that didn’t come from a two Quirked parent home.”
“You know a lot about this stuff,” Daniel said.
“I had to,” Dan replied. “I had your mother and I knew if our children received any Quirks I had to learn what I can to put them in a better position. If anyone knew that only their Ma had a Quirk they wouldn’t make as much money doing the same job as someone from two Quirked parents. I am assuming that is why they don’t write, come to see us or bring us anything from the inside. They are trying to blend into that society and I am sure they are popular.”
“Well I think they are knobbers,” Daniel said. “How could anyone want them staring in their faces.”
“Many people would,” Daniel said. “Your sister’s Quirk is that her body can produce any smell. People are nicer to pleasant smelling people and if she sweats, she could mix it with oil, bottle it and sell it as perfume. Your brother can grow and change the color of his hair. I know he was thinking about going into business selling wigs. Even if he doesn’t, having a nice head of hair makes people like you because he is handsome. Now add to it that both have only known hard work and have the bodies to show for it. We don’t eat meat so both of them have lean muscle on their bodies. Trust me, if it wasn’t for my looks I doubt I could have gotten your Ma to go out with me.”
“I like meat though, Da,” Daniel said. “I know it bothers Ma’s Quirk and she can't be around it. The twins always complained about it. I thought they would have at least taken me inside the city and fed me once or twice.”
“You have enough food here,” Dan said. “Which is a lot more than most in the outer city. If it wasn’t for your mother’s Quirk it would be hard to do that.”
“I know Da,” Daniel said. “I am just angry they left and never looked back.”
“Don't think about it,” Dan said. “It’ll just get you angry. Now let’s get the rest of these up so your mother can come out here and do her thing.”
“How in the pit did she even find out she had this Quirk?” Daniel asked. “With the twins it was easy, one bad haircut and Devin found out. Maya smelled horrible one day and wished she didn’t is how she found out. How do you find out that you can rapidly grow potatoes? Most nobles consider it poor people's food and don’t have it on their plate that often. I thought those in Mid City would as well. Only those in Work City wouldn’t be opposed because they don’t have the money to constantly eat something else.”
“There are people inside who have a Quirk that lets them see other Quirked,” Dan said. “It is not that rare. Some of them sometimes develop the Quirk where they can see what others Quirka are.”
“Da,” Daniel said.
“What is it boy?” Dan said.
“Well if I come from a one Quirked or no Quirked parents and my skill is something really useful like being able to generate fire,” Daniel began. “Wouldn't that make me more useful than even a noble whose Quirks turn their hair green and grow out the nail on the left big toe?”
“Maybe I simplified things for you too much,” Dan said. “The quick answer is no. Maybe I should have gone into the reason Nobles have more than one Quirk. Even if you were able to generate fire it still relies on energy. Two different topics that I don’t mind sharing as long as we are working and talking.”
“We are almost done Da,” Daniel said. “And you know I don’t mind doing this in the dark just like you know Ma doesn’t mind working in the dark. She is still ticked at you for forbidding her to come out here and dig for potatoes like the rest of us.”
“She can stay ticked,” Dan snapped. “She can win every other argument we have but she aint winning this one. She does enough work around here and without her Quirk we wouldn’t be making the money we are now or having full bellies. She does enough on the business side of things like figuring out the right price or what to spend our money on for our business to grow. She is not going to be doing all of that and be out here digging in the dirt. I will hire another hand before I do all of that. Pit knows there are enough of them around out here that need the work.”
“Well what are the two topics?” Dani el said.
“Everyone with a Quirk has energy inside of them,” Dan said. “That energy determines how long they can use their Quirk. So two people with the ability to start fire may be way different from each other. If you only have a little Quirk energy and I have a lot, I will be more useful than you are. Nobles generally have a lot more Quirked energy than the rest of the Quirked. Nobles are all born with the same Quirk, different amounts of energy determines how much of that Quirk they can use.”
“Well don’t keep me in suspense,” Daniel said as he started rapidly digging through the rocky dirt to grab more potatoes.
“Nobles have the Quirk that they can clone other Quirks,” Dan said. “Your Ma told me all about it when we first got married and I wondered why didn’t she go work for a noble and make the big money. The Quirked energy nobles have are partitioned, think of Quirked energy as a bucket. Normally Quirked have just one bucket. Nobles are born with different sized cups instead, all with the ability to clone another ability. So a noble could pick and choose what ability they want to clone, all they need is a willing participant with a Quirk they want. Nobles can't just clone any ability they see on the street and walk away. They need a willing Quirked and the laws are written that the Quirked who has an ability taken has to be paid so much money for it and usually over a period of time. Back to the cups, once an ability is cloned, that Quirked energy goes into one of the cups. A noble can overall have eight times the energy your Ma has and have cloned her ability as well. If they put it in a small cup though, then your mother would be stronger than they are at her ability since only a small amount of their energy went into potato growing. Once that energy is dedicated to a Quirk, it can never be changed or poured into a different cup. Nobles also cannot clone, cloned Quirks. They can’t just clone a Quirk from another noble, they need the original Quirked. Some Quirks run in families and pop up every couple of generations, that is why nobles like to be surrounded by Quirked. If a bunch of them are gathered around, then it is likely they will marry other Quirked and stay in one of the big four cities and their children or grandchildren are likely to have a Quirk the nobles want.”
“What is the best Quirk you ever heard of?” Daniel asked.
“Well there are a few Quirks out there that mimic immortality,” Dan said. “I have heard of some that prevent aging once your body starts to deteriorate. They can still be killed by normal means, like injury, poison or disease. Others like possession, the ability to jump from one body and into another. That has its drawbacks, the new body will only get the Quirk possession, at least so I am told. Then of course there are Quirks that mimic the natural abilities of vampires.”
“You don't believe in vampires,” Daniel said.
“I do and you should too,” Dan said. “There are not many of them around, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Like those women you were oogling earlier and trying to get me into trouble with your mother.”
“Those weren’t vampires,” Daniel laughed as he grabbed the last potato. It is still light out.”
“Those weren’t Vampires,” Dan said. “Those were wolves.”
“Those women were werewolves?” Daniel laughed.
“Other races aren't really accepted in the Big Four Cities,” Dan said. “Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Wolves also have very good ears, mentioning what they were would have only drawn attention and that is the opposite of what I want, a wolf’s attention.”
“Why would a werewolf be way out here if they aren't welcomed?” Daniel asked.
“They are looking for the poorest of the poor,” Dan said. “Boys or men they could take with them.”
“And why not women?” Daniel asked.
“They can’t turn women,” Dan said. “They could turn you or any other man that isn't a Quirked or another race.”
“They could?” Daniel asked interested.
“They could,” Dan replied. “All of the packs fall under a female called a Matriarch. Matriarchs are born, not bitten. Normally from the dominant female and whoever she believes the dominant male is. Normally there is only one female a pack and she can only get pregnant once and the child is always a girl. The pair you saw was likely a mother and daughter, the mother was getting things together so her daughter can have her own pack. Once you are bitten, you become a wolf but not like the women. They can change anytime they want to or choose not to change. Men are slaves to the full moon and to the pack. They do anything to raise up the pack and since the pack is only led by one person, they are really giving all of their time to the matriarch. Doesn’t sound too bad until you realize that only one of the men in the pack is ever going to become a father and you are going to spend the rest of your days working and will never have a normal family. Back when I was a dumb young man I thought about seeking one of their kind out. Maybe I should get you out a bit more or have your mother go buy you a couple of books about the other races. I never thought about you learning about them too much because there is always work to be done here.”
“I would like that,” Daniel said. “Back to the Quirked. I guess being immortal is okay, but I was talking about something cool. Like the ability to fly or teleport somewhere. I don’t even know if those are real Quirks.”
“They are,” Dan said. “There are large thick books that can be bought that goes into Quirks and what families they run in. I am not sure about everyone else but your mother can get you a book and tell you what runs in her family.”
“That would be great,” Daniel said.
“Growing runs in her family,” Dan said. “She does potatoes, your brother does hair. I know she had a great grandfather that could grow any plant, not just potatoes. Might take her a bit to get the book. She has family inside that have it but she was disowned for loving me. You never met them because of it.”
“Which is why I roll my eyes at the Quirked,” Daniel said. “Can you hand me a knife? I might as well start slicing some of these potatoes in half and bury them so Ma can come out and do her thing. And Da, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I can look around this place and see that we are some of the only people who make it on our own. I know people look at our little yard and wonder how we grow all of these potatoes. With this nasty soil most grow rice, chard or snap beans.”
“Your Ma don’t let everyone know she is Quirked,” Dan said. “Some people may think it but we never tell anyone. They probably really think so now with the twins running off and telling everyone they could before they left. That is another big reason they will never be out here, can’t risk one of us in the outer city telling what they know. Many would do it just to bring them down a notch and if they knew where the twins were, they would tell everyone around them what they know.”
“I still don’t get why don’t we just move and sell potatoes anywhere else Da,” Daniel said. “We might get better and can grow other things.”
“Well, how many people do you see out here growing potatoes?” Dan asked.
“Just us,” Daniel replied.
“And why do you think that is?” Dan asked.
“Because the soil is horrible,” Daniel said. “That is why those that plant, plant mostly Chard or snap peas. I mean there are two that plant rice but that takes a lot of water and they hire people just to keep everything watered. Most people work for Quirked inside the wall in Work City. We aren't even good enough to be in Mid City, let alone Inner City. They need servants too.”
“They do but they would rather hire people with useless Quirks to fulfill those roles,” Dan said. “Most of their servants have homes in Work City and have their own servants from out here. It is like I say whenever you ask, Elmland is really four different cities. You have us outer city folk who live outside the wall in everything from dirt huts to wooden homes like ours. Then you have the wall, just inside of it is Work City where the poorer Quirked are. Mid City are where the well to do live at, your Quirked tradesmen and some merchants are there. Then you have inner city, that is where you will find nobles and rich Quirked who are either the result of old money or has a Quirk that makes money. Now back to your question of why we don’t move. If we did, then we wouldn’t be the only ones selling potatoes and our price would go way down. There are many people growing potatoes all over. Here we just need a little yard that costs us nothing and we don’t pay taxes.”
