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Ida’s parents weren’t rich by any means but worked hard at multiple jobs to make ends meet. Growing up as a Beastling on the stalk was a difficult experience and worse so if you were impoverished. When Ida was six her father was prescribed very expensive medicine after an accident at work. So expensive that they could no longer afford to live in the ‘nicer’ parts of Megashine City and were forced to move to the slums of Sweet Street.
Times grew tough as less work became available for Ida’s mother to support the family with. This eventually led to being unable to even afford her father’s medicine. When this happened Ida’s father needed something for the pain, badly. He eventually turned to Glintshard, the multicolored rock that brought an epidemic to the already dilapidated Sweet Street. Shortly after Ida’s mother was hooked as well. Each fresh chewing of the rock would cause full body relaxation, as if floating aimlessly through the clouds. But the feeling only lasted a few moments so the user would continue to chew and chew but with diminishing returns each time.
The after effects could be seen all over Sweet Street. People standing around like groaning statues, mumbling to themselves. Chasing that feeling of pure bliss was all their brain could register. They wouldn’t eat, they wouldn’t sleep and they didn’t even think. They would be stuck, overloaded from the happiness pumped through their body and forced to recover. Eventually the after effects wear off but this leads to withdrawal. A hammering against their brains that won’t stop until they can grind more Glintshard.
Being Avianite Class Beastlings, humans with bird-like features, Ida and her parents didn’t have teeth so instead of crooked, cracked teeth their beaks were jagged like broken glass. They no longer worked to make ends meet, the fridge and cupboard were often bare leaving Ida to fend for herself. Everything else in both of her parents' lives was deemed unimportant. Ida still loved her parents deeply and prayed to Leopold morning and night to get them through these tribulations. She believed that if she kept the faith she and her family would be rewarded ten fold.
It was Ida’s 10th birthday and she came home without a single expectation. When she was younger her parents would make an effort to do some type of celebration, even if it was nothing more than a small cupcake but as their addiction deepened she grew used to it being just another day. When she returned from school her parents were both sitting at the kitchen table, smiling at her with their cracked beaks,
“Ida! Ida! Happy Birthday!” her mother spoke, pointing towards a corn muffin covered in a crude frosting with one candle.
Ida’s eyes widened and she ran to the table and scarfed down the treat, almost swallowing the candle as well. The corn meal was dry and the frosting was overly sweet but she didn’t care. It wasn’t about the cupcake itself but a return to a sense of normalcy that she had been praying for. As she took her last bite her father patted her on the shoulder and asked her to begin packing all her things because they had one more surprise for her.
Without question she ran into her room and began taking her few belongings and stuffing them into a knapsack. She returned to the kitchen to find her parents waiting at the door. Curiously neither of them were packed but she let the thought pass as she walked with them hand in hand out of their home.
They walked from Sweet Street and back to the city proper, arriving at a home in a row of brownstone buildings. They walked up the stairs and her father knocked on the heavy oak door. It swung open, revealing a well dressed couple who smiled down at Ida.
“Well, aren’t you just precious?” The woman smiled, ruffling Ida’s blue hair.
Ida and her family entered the house and she immediately noticed a room filled with more toys than she’s ever seen. She looked up at her parents and the couple who owned the house motioned for her to go play with the toys. While she played she didn’t notice the conversation between the adults but after a few minutes her mother walked over and tapped her shoulder.
“Okay Ida.” Her mother spoke. “This is your birthday present. You’ll be staying here with these nice people while Mommy and Daddy work on getting things better.”
“Better? What do you mean mommy?”
Ida’s mother once again smiled with her jagged beak. “It’s only temporary but in a few months we’ll come back and we’ll have a big house, with a yard you can play in and all the toys you want, ok?”
Ida was very confused and she noticed, looking past her mother, that the couple was handing her father a large bag which seemed to be filled with Leopold coins. Before she could ask another question her parents quickly shuffled out of the home, without so much as a final goodbye. The couple turned to Ida, grabbing her by her hand and asking if she was ready to meet the others.
Ida was taken to a room in a basement and a light flickered on and she found multiple other children, humans and beastlings of all shapes and sizes sitting at tables working on little trinkets.
“This is where you’ll be staying.” The man spoke sternly. “If you want to eat, you have to produce. One of the others will get you up to speed.”
Ida felt uneasy but the woman grabbed her arm tighter, dragging her to a table, sitting her down and chaining one of her ankles to it. She looked up at the woman and asked how long until her parents would be back for her? The woman, who once had a warm and inviting disposition looked at Ida as if she were merely cattle before turning to follow her husband out of the basement, locking the door behind them.
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For the first few months Ida cried, begging the couple to be let go any time they came down with food or supplies but they would curse and hit her. Eventually she learned that her tears meant nothing and she got with the program. Months became years and she watched as many of her ‘siblings’ would be dragged away, bodies limp and near lifeless from malnourishment. She knew if she ever had any chance of escape she would need to produce enough to eat and stay strong.
By the time Ida was fifteen years old she was one of the top producers and soon she was trusted by the couple. She was allowed to go on errands while chaperoned and even got larger portion sizes when it came to food rationing. Of course the couple hated her beastling features and forced her to wear heavy clothes that covered most of her body and a mask to hide her beak.
She only tried escaping once. They were heading to sell things at a market near Sweet Street and she took full advantage of the opportunity when the couple left the booth to get lunch. She ran to her old home and found it in even worse condition than before. Graffiti was plastered on nearly every surface and the windows were boarded up. She walked to the door and when she knocked it slowly crept open. She walked inside and the foul stench in the darkness invaded her nostrils, even with the mask. She heard coughing and mumbling and when she followed the source she found her parents in a room, sitting in opposite corners.
The memory of her parents had faded but they looked nothing like what she remembered. They were sickly looking and their beaks had become too worn down to even chew. Their feathers were mostly gone and the ones that remained were gray and filthy. She called out to them but when they noticed her they began screeching and clawing at her. They didn’t recognize her and the glintshard had rotted them to a point of zombification. She ran out in tears back to the market and decided to never think about her parents ever again.
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When Ida was 16 years old she was sitting upstairs in the home. She was making meals for the other beastling children as both parents had left for a very important meeting. The door was locked from the outside which made no difference to Ida as she no longer had anything worth escaping for. Eventually they came back and they were all smiles and laughter. Ida hadn’t seen anything like it and even she was shocked to find them offering her a glass of wine in celebration.
“We got the Tezuka Park deal!” The woman exclaimed, pouring her 3rd glass. “We won’t have to do those disgusting street markets ever again!”
Ida went to feed her siblings while the couple continued to celebrate loudly above them throughout the night, keeping the children awake until the early hours. When morning broke the basement door swung open and the father stumbled down, grabbing Ida by the arm.
“Listen blue bird,” the man slurred. They used nicknames like this for all the children to avoid any level of attachment. “Your mother and I are tired from all the negotiating but we need you to bring these samples to the park. Don’t you run away or we’ll crack that ugly beak of yours.”
Ida didn’t argue, taking the box of trinkets and walking to the theme park. She could have run away. Far away from Megashine City, Sweet Street or any of this but what was the point. She had nothing and no one to run to. So she made her journey, presented her name at the gate and was let in the park.
She never got a chance to visit Tezuka Park even though it was only right outside the city. It was a luxury only for those who could afford it and her parents couldn’t, nor would her current ‘parents’ care to bring her. Regardless she wanted to make the most of this trip and did not plan on just dropping off the goods.
She walked through and gazed upon everything surrounding her. The smells of freshly baked foods and delectable sweets. The rides and amusements that she wanted nothing more than to go on and the colors that assaulted her from every direction. For the first time in years she felt like a kid again and didn’t want this feeling to go away.
Ida’s ears perked up to the sound of singing and she followed it down a winding trail leading to a stage. There was a line of women dressed to the nines waiting for their turn. On the stage was a woman belting into a microphone in front of a small crowd. Sitting at a table in front of the crowd and facing the stage were two individuals. One was a young man in a yellow shirt, coffee brown sweater vest with slicked black hair. The other was a woman with blinding white hair, and a frilled dress covered in enchanting crystals.
“Thank you, but that’s not what we’re looking for, next!” the woman spoke up, lowering her glasses and waving for the singer to exit.
Ida looked over at the pair of the judges and recognized them immediately. The gentleman was Wataru Tezuka the 3rd, current owner of Tezuka park and its subsidiaries. Next to him was a popular radio personality Leslie Night. Ida’s foster mother was obsessed with her show and listened to it without fail every afternoon.
“Excuse me.” Ida asked meekly to one of the people in line. “What’s this for?”
The woman looked down at Ida, clearly annoyed. “It’s the singing competition, they’re looking for a songstress for one of Tezuka’s projects. Now hush, I need to focus.”
Ida looked at the line and down at her box of trinkets she was supposed to deliver. She knew they needed to be dropped off and that her foster parents were expecting her but when would she have another chance like this. She found a spot behind the stage to hide the box and waited in line for her chance.
By time her turn came around she watched dozens upon dozens of women be turned away. Some with impressive singing skills but none of them seemed to be what Leslie and Tezuka were looking for. Her nerves were turning in her stomach and words of self doubt bounced around her head but now was the point of no return as she slowly walked up the stairs and to the microphone.
“And what’s your name?” Tezuka asked, not looking up from his papers.
“Ida…Ida Lee.”
Both Tezuka and Leslie smirked, scribbling something on their clipboards before Leslie waved her hand signaling Ida to begin.
All that time Ida waited in line she forgot the most important thing, what she was going to sing. Her heart raced and her eyes darted across the crowd, which was now filled with contestants who already had their dreams dashed. At this point both Tezuka and Leslie were staring at Ida ready to ask her to step down. Ida shut her eyes and in the darkness a memory played. It was of her mother, her actual mother. Before the drugs, before her father’s accident. She thought back to a time where her mother would sing to her as a child and as the memory played she opened her beak and sang.
She went through the entire song, eyes shut lost in her memories and when she finished she realized she hadn’t been called off stage. She slowly opened her eyes and the entire crowd stared in awe of her, including Leslie and Tezuka. The two judges leaned in, whispering to each other before Leslie stood and spoke to the audience and the remaining contestants in line.
“Ladies, thank you for your time today but I believe our search is complete. Miss Lee, please come with us.”
Ida stood flabbergasted before hurriedly shuffling off the stage and following Tezuka and Leslie to a different part of the park.
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Ida was in a daze the entire time she followed them until she found herself in a room with high ceilings and elegantly painted walls. She was sitting in a very comfortable red chair and across from her was an impressive oak desk covered in photos of Tezuka with people, including one with Leslie. Tezuka sat behind the desk while Leslie sat next to Ida in a chair.
“Ida, do you understand?” Tezuka asked.
Ida snapped from her daze, unaware she was even being talked to. “I’m sorry, could you repeat the question?”
“What I was saying is that we’d love to sign you on as one of our singers. Leslie and I have a plan and you’re exactly what we’re looking for. Just one question before we get into all the specifics, what’s under that mask.”
Ida’s blood ran cold. She specifically wore baggy clothes to hide her feathered arms and other Beastling features. Most of her face seemed human except for the very clear beak where her mouth would be. She slowly brought up her hand, pulling away the mask to reveal it and the room fell silent.
“You’re a beastling?” Leslie asked.
Ida nodded and Leslie looked at Tezuka. They both spoke in silent glances before Tezuka smiled.
“That won’t be a problem. Now how about we have you sign this paperwork and seal the deal?”
Ida heard the word deal and cursed in her head. With all the excitement she forgot about the actual reason she was sent to the park. She panicked even more when she realized she had left the box of trinkets at the stage and they were most likely gone by now. She explained the situation to Leslie and Tezuka who once again spoke through glances.
“Well, I think we might have a way to fix this.” Leslie smiled.
Ida’s foster parents swung the door open and were furious when they found Ida standing there.
“You little freak! Where have you been?” The woman sneered. “After we’re finished with you, you’ll wish you just ran away. Did you even deliver the samples or did you sell them for Glintshard like your junkie pare-”
“I believe we might be able to shed light on this.” Leslie spoke up, adjusting her sparkling glasses.
Ida’s foster parents were so mad that they hadn’t even noticed the two people she brought with them. Once they recognized them their attitude changed and their harsh frowns were flipped to forced smiles.
“Oh! What esteemed guests to have in our little abode, please come in!”
“I don’t think there will be any need.” Tezuka replied, holding a folder filled with papers and a pen. “I spoke to people in my merchandise department about your deal with us and after looking it over I think there might be room for negotiation.”
Ida stepped down a few steps as Leslie and Tezuka spoke to her foster parents. After a few minutes there were handshakes and signatures and then Tezuka turned to Ida with his signature smile and ‘OK’ hand gesture.
“Go inside and grab your things Ida, you’ll be heading back with us.”
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Ida’s entire life changed overnight. No longer did she have to toil away in a dank basement making trinkets and toys, instead she spent her days singing in front of crowds. Tezuka created the character ‘Princess Songbird’, a beautiful bluebird beastling who appeared throughout the park serenading guests. She quickly became one of the most popular attractions with guests crowding around to get a chance to hear her voice. Her dreams finally came true.
Peg and Connie reached the giant building which was the Banquet Hall.The outside of the building was adorned with Blue and Silver ribbons and balloons commemorating the official colors of Tezuka Park. Balloons making the numbers ‘80’ ’were also all over along with balloons in the shape of Kaptain Kat, the Park’s mascot. The two waited their turn in line as everyone shuffled in. Connie chatted up every other Platinum member she could, slipping into conversation how she was clearly the highest donor this year. Peg was lost in thought, anxious to find Josie.
The Hall itself was even more impressive than the decorations outside. The Blue and Silver theme continued with the place settings and wall decor. There was a live band playing familiar tunes from Tezuka’s films, unfamiliar to Peg but nice music all the same. Connie was no longer in tour guide mode but instead was bouncing around and making sure her presence was known. Briefly remembering Peg she grabbed her by the arm, sitting her down at one of the tables in the back.
“When they call me up for Donor of the Year, I want to be able to walk past the entire crowd.” Connie giggled.
Peg was still lost in thought, once again remembering what Ida had told her.
“Once you’re in the Banquet Hall you’re going to want to find a way to slip to the bathroom, preferably before the event itself begins.” Ida explained, while pointing to the spot marked “Banquet Hall” on her map. “Once you’ve slipped away you’re going to want to find a corridor leading to where the workers come from, if you take that you’ll be able to get to where they're keeping Josie.”
“And you’re sure about this?” Peg asked.
Ida nodded. “Positive. Now I don’t have anything that can help with freeing her, you’ll need to figure that part out on your own.”
Peg gave one last glance to Connie who was still busy rubbing elbows with other Platinum Banders before shuffling off to find the bathroom. She asked one of the attendants who directed her and once she arrived she immediately found the hallway Ida spoke of. All of the workers from waiters with hors d'oeuvres to actors in costumes came from this hall. With her head down, Peg quickly sped past the workers in the opposite direction and found herself in a large room filled with people zipping busily in all different directions. She didn’t want to waste time making decisions at risk of getting caught so she chose a door and walked through.
When she entered she found herself in an eerily quiet pitch black room. She turned back and realized that the door she came from was no longer there. Peg’s heart sank and realized that maybe she made some type of wrong turn but before she could realize it, she felt hands grip at her neck and she fell unconscious in the darkness.
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Peg’s eyes opened slowly and she found herself sitting in a chair. She glanced out the window and saw the light shine in from the moonlit sky. There was soothing Piano music playing from a source she couldn’t see. Interestingly enough she was not tied up or bound in any way, just sitting in a chair with a bit of a headache.
“Finally awake are we?” A male’s voice called out.
Peg turned and saw a gray haired man in a sweater vest and glasses walking towards her with a smile. Her eyes widened when she focused on his face and recognized him.
“You’re…”
“Wataru Tezuka the 3rd.” The man interjected with a smile. “Now let’s have a chat about who exactly you are.”
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Back at the Banquet Hall the lights had gone dim and on stage a screen flickered to life with a montage of Tezuka’s cartoons and films. The guests were seated and applauded as the movie reel ended and some people with suits began coming out to talk with many of Tezuka’s characters around the stage smiling and waving. As the discussion began on the legacy of Tezuka the 1st and the accomplishments made by him and his family over the last 60 years, the lights once again dimmed and a drum roll was heard. “Ladies and gentlemen, the man who has kept the magic alive. The world’s forefront in magical entertainment. Please give a warm welcome to Wataru Tezuka the 3rd!”The Banquet Hall erupted in applause and every guest stood to their feet. A Spot light shown to a door in the back as a man with parted gray hair, glasses and a sweater vest made his way to the stage. His lightly wrinkled face curved with a smile as he waved to his adoring audience. Making his way to the stage he stood at the podium, raising his hands to quiet the crowd.“Folks, thank you so much for being part of this incredible milestone celebration.” He spoke in a calm tone. “This year mark’s the 80th anniversary and I have many great announcements for the year to come. But first let’s start with the people who help make this magic possible, our platinum donors-"As Tezuka spoke a rumbling was heard and through the doors burst a swarm of Beastlings. They stormed the hall and the crowd shrieked in unison. They were wearing green jumpsuits and one of them, a beastling with fluffy black ears, a human face with a dog’s snout led the pack carrying an unconscious Josie on her back.“My name is Gretty!” The Beastling yelled. “I am a member of Get Back! Do you see all of us!? We are the many prisoners of Tezuka Park forced into labor and demand justice against Wataru Tezuka the 3rd!”
To be Continued