From the Dark Comes the Catalyst

[Claire Gallows]

The Pitch

“The living owe it to those who no longer can speak to tell their story for them.”
― Czesław Miłosz, The Issa Valley

“Five hundred, twenty-five days. That is one year, five months, and seven days since Lila Farron’s life ended. Shave a mere thirteen days from that and you’ve the amount of time since we lost Clarice Queen, as we knew her. What do these two young women have in common and how does that relate to why were are here today? Those are both questions I intend to answer very soon. Thank you for meeting with me this afternoon. For those I’ve not met yet, my name is Claire Caelum, Chief Executive Officer for the Dragons Gate Orphanage. With me today, I have our Chief Financial Officer, Noctis Caelum, and our Public Relations Executive, Giovanni Diamante.

“Together we’ve formulated something I think you all will be interested in. Each person in this room has been impacted in some way by the deaths of these two young ladies. To lose them both so close to one another really drove home the fact that Rhy’Din City is lacking in support for our youth. It is a city where people come and go. Some stay a day, others all of their lives. It is a city of flux, of chaos, and it becomes very easy to end up alone in such a place. A solitary existence can work for those who are inclined toward such a thing, don’t get me wrong.

“But it isn’t for everyone. And in a place like Rhy’Din, I don’t want to see another youth lost in the shuffle and I never want another to feel so alone that they are driven to the point that being dead is preferable to life. As such, after much discussion and planning, we wish to extend the charter of the Dragon’s Gate Orphanage Foundation to encompass youth outreach on a community level. We would like to institute an outreach program located in Dockside district. The center that I am proposing would include a class schedule and support programs for those transitioning into adulthood.

“At Dragons Gate Orphanage, we see many children who are ill prepared to enter the world as productive members of society and it is my hope to change this for the better. Not just for those who come from Dragons Gate, but children city wide. Whether it be job placement, vocational training, life skills assistance, psychological counseling, so on and so forth. Life’s tough enough without support. We plan to ease the burden that rests upon the shoulders of our youth in any way we can. I believe it to be a sound investment in the future and we can do it in the names of those we have loved and lost too soon.

“Should we have your blessing, I’d like to name it the Farron-Queen Memorial Outreach Program. And, now that I’ve talked your ears off, I’ll turn the floor over to Mister Diamante with the weather. Or at least the financial details of the project. Thank you again for your time and consideration.”

Unable to face the table full of faces any longer, she bowed out of the board room and into the hallway, the door slowly closing on Gio’s voice as he addressed those gathered.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. Enclosed you’ll find the initial startup cost estimate as well as good faith estimates for annual program costs. Startup is mitigated thanks to a 222,500 silver donation by a Mister Sean Walley, Caelum Enterprises is also offering backing in the amount…” His voice was lost to the click of the door. Each minute ticked by at a snail’s pace, until at last the door opened and produced her husband.

“How’d it?” She asked on a hushed exhale.

“It’s going well, L. You tugged on their heart strings and now Gio can tug on their purse strings as needed,” he said as he stepped over to her, slipping an arm around her shoulders and pressing a chaste kiss to her temple. “I’m proud of you. We’re going to make this a reality.”

[Claire Gallows]

The Execution

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.”
--Laurence Binyon

“One week from today, the Farron-Queen Memorial Outreach Centre will open its doors to the youth of Dockside and beyond. That means we have exactly one week to put the finishing touches on everything and polish it as much as we can. While we’re still lacking in staffing, we believe we can fill in the gaps for now with holdover aides from DGO. To start, the class schedule will be light and we will focus on only the essentials until we have a full roster of both teachers and program attendees. As such, I would like to start extending invitations to the local youth homes and social programs so that they can begin referring their older placements if needed.”

“Very good, Lady Caelum. The building is ahead of schedule and should be done by Thursday rather than this weekend as expected.”

“Excellent. Jericho and his boys know how to get things done.”

“They do. Now this just begs the question. I know you have yet to decide on whether to add transitional housing to the program, but I thought I would inform you that the owner of the Hollyoak Building has elected to put it up for sale rather than trying to renovate after the fire there. It’s only a few blocks away and easily monitored. It would be a fair amount of money to invest, possibly more than the board is willing to give so soon after the centre. Just thought I would put it out there though…”

“I’m… I’m not sure if that building would be suiting to our needs…”

“I know the memories it must carry for you. But think of the good that could come from turning it into a safe haven for children just like Lila, who weren’t quite ready to make it on their own and just needed a little bit of support. This program is for her, right? Her and Miss Queen.”

“Yes… yes, I suppose you’re right. Can you review the budget and see if the acquisition would be possible?”

“I can certainly do that! I’ll have numbers for you by the end of the day.”

“Thank you, Miss Fox. If needed, reach out to Gio and see what he can help with.”

[Pandora Fox]

The Opening--December 8th, 2015

“There are so many unspeakable tragedies - around the globe - everyday. I just hope that we, as humans, don't lose our compassion for others.”
― Brenda Priddy

“The day is upon us, Samson! Today we do all the things and help all of the people and save the world!” Twirling around her room, she put the finishing touches on her outfit. A smartly tailored navy and tan dress paired neatly with glossy nude pumps, making the nineteen year old look at least a few years older than she was.

Samson, the four pound Yorkie that he was, stared at her with his head cocked to one side.

“Okay, maybe not the world. But some of the people, right?” A double check of her curled blonde hair and neutral toned makeup determined that she looked terrific. “Very professional, Pan-pan.”

Samson tilted his head to the other side.

“Exactly. Alright, you be good and don’t eat the kitty’s food or else the roomie is gonna get mad again.” Pandora kissed the dog on the top of his head and hurried out of the Old Temple apartment that she shared with two others, plus Samson and a cat named Midnight. From there, she stopped by RhyBucks for a peppermint mocha latte, venti sized of course, and took it with her into Dockside. The Dragon’s Gate Orphanage board had offered to have a driver pick her up but Pandora knew that a walk in the cool morning air would be good to clear her head before the opening ceremony.

As a graduate of the Dragon’s Gate Orphanage and a former child of the streets of Rhy’Din, the idea that she could have been deemed suitable to run the Farron-Queen Memorial Outreach Centre just blew her mind. She had no degree and only a year of school under her belt, at community college nonetheless. But ”You have the sort of experience that the target demographic can relate to. You’ve beaten the odds and you will help them beat the odds too,” Giovanni Diamante had told her when he announced that she had been picked as the program’s face.

“I beat the odds. I beat the odds and they can too,” she whispered to herself as she closed in on the throng of people standing outside of the two story converted warehouse that would from now on house the program’s headquarters. Sidling along the crowd’s edge, she avoiding diving through it until she was near the front of the building, at which point she shouldered past reporters and stepped carefully up onto the riser that had been placed in front of the doors and handed off her latte and jacket when prompted.

“You ready to do this?” Giovanni leaned down toward her to ask. She looked up at him and smiled. He was so very tall, well over a foot and half taller than Pandora was, and it hurt her neck a little to look up that high. He returned the smile and gestured toward the podium that had been erected on the riser. A little stool behind it allowed Pandora to step up to the microphone. As she did, the murmuring of the crowd died down and all eyes lifted toward her. Oh, this was scary. She took in a deep breath and bestowed upon them a brilliant smile.

“Hello and welcome. Thank you all for joining us this morning. It’s a little chilly so I’m glad you all made it out regardless. My name is Pandora Fox and I am the program director for this big, lovely building standing behind me, a little something called the Farron-Queen Memorial Youth Outreach Centre. I know that’s a bit of a mouthful, but it’s with good reason. Today, December eighth, would have been the twentieth birthday of Lila Kathryn Farron. She, along with Miss Clarice Queen, both passed away in May of twenty-fourteen and it is because of them that we are here today.” Taking a deep breath, she glanced down at her notecard then aside to those who had joined her on the riser. Giovanni gave her an encouraging smile. Beside him, Noctis Caelum and his wife Claire, stood dressed in black and looking out over the crowd. Claire’s eyes were slightly red as if she may have been crying earlier in the morning. Further down the line, delegates from Queen Enterprises took up the tail end.

“The Farron-Queen Memorial Youth Outreach Centre opens today in hopes of helping young adults like Miss Queen and Miss Farron so that no loved one ever has to suffer the loss of someone so young. We are here to support the youth of Dockside and of Rhy’Din City at large and with the support of the community, we look forward to serving and helping them more seamlessly transition to adulthood. Starting tomorrow, we will open enrollment first to the children’s homes of the city and then on Friday, public enrollment for any who wish to take advantage of our services will be available. We will have classes and seminars on a number of topics including personal finance, resume building, health and wellness, and other subjects, beginning on Monday, January fourth. Our mental health and substance abuse counseling center and our job placement service will be available starting on Saturday. And all of this is thanks to the help of our community and of our generous benefactors. So thank you! Thank you to each and every person, business, and organization that helped make this a reality. Without further ado, members of the Dragon’s Gate Orphanage board in conjunction with Queen Enterprises shall do us the honors of finishing this out.” From within the podium, Pandora pulled free an oversized pair of scissors. They were comically large for the sake of those watching from afar but regardless, she handed them to Gio for him to pass to the waiting board members. Crowding the thick red ribbon, the group clumsily managed to snip through it to the sound of cheers from the crowd.

“You were terrific,” Gio murmured down to her, clapping along with the rest of the them. Pandora beamed, the smile sticking to her mouth through the rest of the dedication ceremony and subsequent tour. Sponsors were thanked, tours were given, and when all was said and done, Pandora hadn’t the slightest idea of where the time had gone. Before she knew it, Gio was offering out her jacket to her, holding it as she slipped into the plush peacoat. “Did you need a ride home or would you care to join us for lunch?”

“Oh, I’m not all that hungry. I can walk, don’t wanna pull you away,” Pandora said with a smile, threading buttons through their holes and adjusting the coat until it was perfectly comfortable.

“At the very least I’ll drive you home. It’s cold and I insist, really,” Gio said with a smile. She couldn’t say no to that!