"What are our orders then headmaster?" White inquired after he noticed the awkward silence radiating from the headmaster.
"Isn't it obvious?" Black, the careless man, sitting back and crossing his arms.
"What makes it so obvious then Cardinal Black?" The headmaster asked him out of curiosity.
"Normally when we hit a dead end, you always order us to standby so that you can search the entire city by yourself. Look, calm down headmaster. These punks may have kidnapped your little girl but we'll retrieve her in good time" Black explained when he leaned forward and smiled crookedly.
"Cardinal Black, why are you so carefree today? Did you forget that I'm your superior?" The headmaster asked him, knowing full-well what feeling too comfortable looks like.
Black immediately sat up straight and cleared his throat after remembering that she's still his boss. "R-Right, sorry commander, I mean headmaster. I just met this really beautiful girl whom I think may be the umm .. the ONE" He awkwardly explained.
"He's been talking about her for the past few days" White complained.
"Hey, I really like this one alright!" Black exclaimed.
"Either way, I'm not leaving the academy. I have too much work to complete and I cannot let last week's disaster affect the morale of my students." The headmaster made clear when she lowered her head in thought. "Work alongside the August Knights but keep your heads low. General Haynes will allow you access to any meetings involving the Cult of Xenovia case"
Suddenly, the door to her office opened up and in stepped Avelin who was slightly distressed. Cardinals Black and White were both gone in time to avoid any acknowledgement from either of the academy's students. The headmaster sighed out of annoyance upon realising that it was one of the most annoying first-years on campus.
"Headmaster Faringray! What is this I hear about you giving those three an executive hall pass?!" Avelin demanded to know when she barged into the room.
"Miss Redwald, what are you talking about" Faringray asked her.
A COUPLE OF MINUTES EARLIER…
OUTSIDE OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING
My shoulders raised distressfully while I gasped in shock when my entire body was soaked in water. Erin took a step back out of surprise when she witnessed all of that water falling onto me from somewhere up in the administrative building. The moisture stuck my clothes onto my skin and the water trickled down my face.
"Woah…" Erin muttered before she looked up and spotted two girls standing by a window on the second floor, carrying an empty bucket.
"Oops! Sorry, we didn't see you there!" One of the girls exclaimed when Erin caught them. I then clenched my fists and tried my best to keep myself from tearing those girls a new one.
"Are you okay?" Another girl asked but despite how worried they might sound, their tones didn't have a single shred of contrition and the insidious smiles on their faces were a major giveaway.
Erin clenched her fists when blazingly hot steam, radiated from her body but I placed my hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Erin. Let's just go"
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'll be fine. It was probably just an accident right?" I suggested while squeezing the water out of my pony tail.
"Is this about those rumours again?" Erin asked me.
"Probably. Just keep it out of your mind .. wait, what's our next class?"
"It's a free period for now. We should check on Tem" Erin suggested when she grabbed my hand and pulled me along with her. I let her pull me to wherever we were going but I couldn't help but notice how all of the passing students, seated students and other students simply enjoying their lunch period, were staring at me and gossiping. I then looked up at the administrative building and those two girls seem to be laughing at me like everyone else. Great .. more attention.
"Oh, where is little miss mermaid doing? Shouldn't you dry yourself up in the washrooms?" Avelin asked us after she started recording us alongside all of her friends. Like the queen bitches of this academy, they all smiled insidiously at how ridiculous I looked now that my hair and uniform was ruined.
"What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be scheming to screw the school over again?" Another girl asked us.
"Hm?" Erin asked her.
"Where are your precious little friends now? I wouldn't be surprised if they hate you as much as everyone else"
"Of course they hate them. Who wouldn't?"
"Girls, girls, come on. Don't be so mean. I know they're cunning little skanks but give them some credit. Certainly they wouldn't do it again" Avelin kindly insisted in front of everyone so as to sound better.
"Wait what are you talking about?" Erin asked her while I looked around at all of the attention we've gathered from the other students. I squeezed the moisture out of my skirt and tried to keep myself from getting angry at any of them.
"Oh come on, don't act all innocent now. Everyone already knows about what you three were scheming. The headmaster may be protecting you but she can't protect you from the truth" One of Avelins entourage stated, probably pretending to act like an accuser under the eyes of social media.
"Look Avelin" I said when I stepped in front of Erin to make sure she doesn't make a fool of either of us. After all, these idiots are looking for a dramatic response and that's something we can't give them.
"Miss Redwald" Avelin corrected me.
"AVELIN .. we aren't scared of you and the only ones scheming here is you. Tell your thots to put their phones away or I'll make them" I warned them without giving them any other option.
"Yeah. Keep your idle threats to yourselves. You can't mess with us now" Erin reminded them which brought me back to what the headmaster told us NOT to do. Don't tell me she's going to break that rule already?! It hasn't even been 10 minutes yet!
"Oh yeah? And why is that?" Avelin asked her.
"Because…" Before Erin could answer her, all of the phones in the area suddenly grew so hot to the point where the circuitry inside exploded, forcing everyone to not only drop their phones by accident but also remove their phones from their pockets and or breasts(apparently some of the more "gifted" girls do that).
All of Avelins friends yelped in pain when they dropped their phones and shook their hands to alleviate themselves of the pain. Avelin and Erin both noticed this which seems to have cut the conversation short for now but to make sure Erin doesn't spill the beans, I nudged her arm.
"Erin, remember what the headmaster said?" I whispered so that none of them could hear me.
"Don't worry, I was only going to show them the hall pass, nothing more" She promised me excitedly. I guess there isn't a problem in showing them to these people but what will Erin tell them?
"What the hell?!" Avelin yelped when she pulled her phone out from her cleavage and dropped it after realising how hot it suddenly got. "Did you do this?" she asked, looking at Erin and I.
"Well since it's already out there that we aren't as stupid as you thought we were then yeah, I did" I answered her with a satisfied smirk. Tiny sparks of emerald electricity flickered around me just to show off my elemental affinity for electricity. This should give these frustrating women a scare considering that Electrokinetics are already a rare but dangerous sight to see.
"So you're Electrokinetic? Should've figured how you were able to see with your narrow eyes" Avelin remarked without any signs of fear in her voice.
"They're not narrow, I just keep it closed so that I don't have to see the amount of bullshit coming from you"
"Then how do you see?" One of the girls inquired.
"She's Electrokinetic your idiot. She doesn't need her eyes to see with those annoying electroreceptors of hers" Avelin crudely explained before she approached me. It's funny. She apparently knows so much about me that she thinks she can try and scare when I could literally shut her brain off with a mere pulse. I wonder what's gotten her so confident. "I'm not scared of your electricity tricks or whatever that fool has up her sleeve. At the end of the day, you both are just peasants in comparison to me"
Now if you're confused by this arrogant statement of hers, let me explain. Erin, Tempest and I are indeed peasants because we aren't from a noble or common background whereas she is from the noble House Redwald. I explained all of this before but the reason why she's always so confident isn't because of her families power or connections, it's because those born in nobility have a stronger connection to the Aether which allows for greater control and magnitude of power. Majority of the students here are born in nobility, even those that aren't in the Chivalric Arts Course but 30% of students here are actually commoners. Obviously that gives us a greater disadvantage in our course but you probably know by now that Erin, Tempest and I aren't your ordinary students. As first years, the students in our course are still learning the basics of knighthood whereas the three of us are leagues ahead of them. That's why the headmaster entrusted the position of shadow members in the disciplinary committee to us. If I had to guess, I'd say that we are already in the league of second year students but that's just a guess. I haven't seen what those second years are actually learning.
"Say that again" Erin dared her when she stepped up to Avelin when that radiant glow illuminated from her body.
"I said that neither of you could ever dream of hurting me" She repeated before that same radiant glow illuminated from her body as well.
Well then. It looks like Avelin already learned how to release and balance her Aether energy. I guess she isn't as basic as the majority of our classmates. Interesting..
In the midst of the argument, I happened to notice that we've created a bit of a commotion and everyone was staring at us. My Scopophobia slowly crept up on me in response to all of the attention and anxiety riddled itself across the fibres of my nerves which was why I backed up and tried to calm my nerves. Erin seems to have noticed this but so did Avelin and her little entourage.
"Oh uhh, nevermind then. Come on Maddy, we should go see Tem" Erin insisted when she took my hand.
The eyes. The eyes of those people were staring at me. Social reverberations of eyes focused on Erin, Avelin and I which brought about the impending anxiety of doom. As if eyes were the only problem, my electroreceptors could feel the unwavering acknowledgement of my Scopophobia, emanating from Avelin, Erin and everyone else that noticed me showing symptoms of social anxiety. Normally, I'd be able to handle this, I've learned to deal with an entire classroom staring at me for the sake of school but for fucks sake, it feels like the entire campus is staring at me, even those inside the administrative building.
"What's wrong Miss no eyes? You look scared" Avelin remarked after she noticed my emotional change.
"I-I'm .. umm"
"Listen Avelin. This isn't over but just so you get the idea in that fat fucking forehead of yours, Maddy, Tem and I have exclusive hall passes. If either of you decide to mess with us, you'll have the disciplinary committee to deal with" Erin warned them all which actually surprised them all. Avelin backed up in shock and tried to figure out whether Erin was lying or not.
"Wait what? Bullshit!" Avelin exclaimed.
"Why would the headmaster give you an executive hall pass?" One of Avelins friends demanded to know.
"Aren't only third years given those passes?"
"Yeah, that and the Miss Chirnum since she's the student council president"
"Here's the proof" Erin said, taking out her executive hall pass from her breast pocket and shoving it in Avelins face. "Smell it. That's the smell of authority bitch"
Avelin quickly slapped her hand out of her face in response to Erin's invasion of personal space. "Let me see that!" she demanded prior to her trying to grab it but Erin was quick enough to back away from her.
"Nope" Erin stated with a smile on her face. "It's real so think before you try and bully us. Come on Maddy, let's get out of here"
"Right" I said before Erin pulled me out of there for my own good. Thank god I was finally leaving. Despite the gnawing feelings of anxiety creeping up on me, Erin's grip on my hand was somehow relaxing. I don't know what it is about her but she's always had this unnatural aura of euphoria that relieves people of their most negative emotions. I know this as a fact because I'm not the only one with experience on being around her so thank god she's here. I probably would've ran off shamefully if I were alone but fuck. Avelin and probably everyone knows that I have social anxiety now.
Ever since I was a kid, I've always had this indescribable sense of dread when people stare at me and I don't even know why. Why are people scared of anything? Is it because they simply don't understand it? I pose that question because it's believe that humans fear what they don't understand but it can't be that simple. Fear is a convoluted string of feelings that manifest in response to a certain situation or subject and you probably already know that but I'm telling you this because fear is a very confusing subject. I don't understand why people are scared of so many different topics that they don't understand. Fear can develop in response to trauma but what trauma have I ever experienced in my childhood that caused this? Nothing so why the fuck am I afraid of people looking at me and why the fuck does my electroreceptors pick up every single person staring at me and me alone? Sometimes I envy Tempest and Erin because of their confidence, charisma and optimism. The way they go about interacting with so many different people at the same time and making friends as easy as breathing. I wouldn't be surprised if some of our classmates don't even believe that Tempest or Erin are scheming against them. They're practically friends with everybody whereas for the past two months, I've only interacted with those that interacted with me.
I hate this. I wish I had Tempests charisma and Erins optimism. Who wouldn't want to have so much friends? Whatever.
I'll just have to deal with it. I've already tried so hard to work around this fear but I suck at progress. The only way I've ever grown was in what Tiriara taught me. She was just as approachable as Erin and Tempest so she could've probably taught me how to make friends. Fuck .. I thought I got over all of this. I know she's gone but I still miss her so much.
PRESENT TIME…
THE ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING, HEADMASTERS OFFICE
"So? Please explain to me why those three have Executive Hall Passes? They're too suspicious!" Avelin explained herself after she shut the door behind her.
"Miss Redwald, I understand that you're of nobility but watch your tone with me. I'm not one of your servants" The headmaster ordered her with a cold expression that reminded Avelin of who she was speaking with.
"Headmaster Faringray, I'm sorry but I don't understand why you trust those three so much. They enrolled in the second semester and ever since they've been here, weird anomalies have been occurring all over campus. Nobody has ever attacked the campus in over 50 years and suddenly, when they're here, us students are suddenly in danger? Isn't it even more suspicious that Miss Heath was already outside when it happened, almost as if she knew when it would start"
"I understand your concerns Miss Redwald but I assure you. We made no mistake during their background investigation and there is absolutely nothing dangerous about them. You can rest assured that they have no connection with the intruders" The headmaster kindly explained.
"Then at least tell me who the intruders were. I deserve to know that much"
"No .. you don't Miss Redwald. I advise that you remember that your family plays no role here on campus. You are as equal as every other student and your authority outside of campus cannot protect you from castigation "
"Fine. I understand Headmaster Faringray" Avelin decided when she bowed down out of respect.
"By the way" The headmaster added.
"Yes Headmaster Faringray?"
"Stop posting false rumours or accusations, else you will be viable for punishment in accordance to anti-bullying policies" The headmaster warned her with a cold expression, one that easily struck fear into the heart of her student.
"I .. I won't headmaster. I apologise for trying to protect my classmates and fellow students" Avelin apologised again before she turned around and finally left the room, giving the headmaster some time to herself so that she could continue the work she has set aside.
The headmaster sighed.
"Why are all of my students so tiring?"
A COUPLE OF TIRING HOURS LATER…
INSIDE THE BETA DORMITORIES, THE STUDENT DORMITORIES
"Oh my god. I hate school so damn much" I bellyached out loud as usual, a common thing I seem do afterschool whenever I arrive at my dorm room. Alongside complaining like an immature child, I would also collapse onto the living room couch and untie my hair due to how tight Erin always ties it in the morning.
"I know. I didn't understand anything at all" Erin agreed when she flopped on top of me, pressing her boobs on my back and giving me the most uncomfortable sensation ever.
I sighed.
"Erin.."
"Yes?"
"Please get off of me. This is weird" I politely asked her without making too much of a fuss about it.
"But why? We're finally alone and Tempest isn't here to interrupt us anymore. You can do whatever you want to me" She promises me with sweet nothings that weren't flattering at all. Why does she always do this to me when we're alone? Does she enjoy teasing me? "I just love it when you touch me and I bet you do too. Don't you know Maddy? I've known you for years. I can tell when you're soaking wet"
she whispered into my ear.
"Uh-huh, are you done now?" I asked her to which she quickly got off of me out of frustration.
"Urg! Come on, you're no fun sometimes. Just you wait, I'll seduce you and in time, I'll have you in bed screaming my name" Erin promised me when she sat back on the couch and got comfortable.
"Why do you always insist on being gay?"
"I'm not being gay. Your reactions are just funny sometimes."
"Well please just stop. I'm tired and I don't have the energy to deal with your nonsense" I said sluggishly while resting my head onto the couch and taking a deep breath. "I just need to read some, hey .. has the new issue I ordered arrived yet?"
"Oh yeah, it got here this morning. It's in my room. Wait, Maddy, I was actually planning on buying this really awesome life-sized Replicate Trooper figurine for Tem's upcoming birthday. She's gonna love it" Erin told me out of excitement which was obviously very stupid. Clearly she wasn't listening to the headmaster about our grounding. "and I know we're technically grounded but I was thinking of sneaking out and I need your help to do that"
"Because my electrokinesis can bypass the back-up shields" I finished her sentence since I saw this coming.
"Exactly and you're really smart too. I'm sure we can figure out how to sneak out and in from there on"
"It doesn't matter if we sneak out or not. The headmaster can track us by our student cards and we can't get back inside without it" I explained to her which only made her rethink her entire plan.
"Hmm … maybe you were right. If I didn't have Avelins student card with me" she excitedly revealed when she pulled the student card out from within her bra. The bright innocent smile on the face really does conceal how cunning and sneaky she can be sometimes.
"How the hell did you get that?!"
"I borrowed it from her during our little altercation earlier today. If we leave our student cards here, the headmaster would never know we were gone. Now come on, get dressed. We're going shopping" She tempestuously ordered before she stood up and ran to her bedroom.
I then sighed since I had nothing better to do. Wait who am I kidding, I could be reading manga, watching anime, watching anything else on Netflux or just playing videogames. If I was anywhere near productive, I'd be studying but come on, why would I ever do that? I might as well tag along with whatever Erin is planning since it could be fun and I haven't been out in a while.
LATER THAT AFTERNOON
THE PRIMROSE ENTRANCE GATES, THE RAINBOW BRIDGE
The Rainbow Bridge. The Rainbow Strait, a one-mile-wide (1.6-kilometer) strait linking Primrose State Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, is crossed by a suspension bridge. The Primrose Academy Island is connected to the Galearian city of Primrose, which is located at the northern tip of the Primrose Peninsula. The bridge is one of the most widely recognized icons of Primrose, having been named one of the Modern World's Wonders by the Galearian Organisation of Civil Engineers.
"See? We made it. Told you this plan was full-proof" Erin reminded me after we managed to sneak out of the island and make it to the bridge.
"Can we just finish this. It's really cold out for some reason" I said when I rubbed my gloved hands together and hugged myself.
"Really? I don't feel it" Erin claimed when she advanced ahead of me, down the empty bridge which seemed so quiet despite how massive it was in comparison to an ordinary road. From here however, I could see the remarkable Primrose Skyline, A magnificent horizon of imagination and creativity that goes beyond what one considers order and dull. The millions of bountiful lights gleaming from the skyline created a massive collection of illumination that filled me with wonder, just like the first time Erin, Tempest and I arrived. "Hey, you coming?"
"Right, yeah" I said, exhaling into my hands and following behind her while keeping an eye out.
"Oh and heads up, we need to decide on a background story if shit manages to hit the fan"
"Can't we decide on that after we finish we came out here for?"
"We can do that but what if one of us gets lost ya know. I think it would be a really great idea if we held hands" She suggested when she offered her hand to me.
"I'm not holding hands with you Erin" I answered her in an apathetic inflection.
"Ahh, it was a nice try though right?" She responded without much despondency before she created a small flame within her hands to warm herself up. "Wow, you're right. It is really cold out here. Why is that?"
"I think the island can simulate its own atmospheric conditions" I answered her before I looked behind me at the locked entrance gates of the academy while following behind Erin.
A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER…
WITHIN NOVATARIUS, SERPANT CITY, PRIMROSE METROPOLIS
So this is apparently Novatarius. The area around Nova Station in Galeari's Serpent City of Primrose is known as Novatarius. Many regard it as the epicentre of current Galearian popular culture, as well as a significant shopping district for video games, anime, manga, electronics, and computer-related items. Numerous maid cafés and arcades can be found throughout the district, and icons from popular anime and manga are widely displayed on the storefronts.
Novatarius strives to create an environment that is as near to the game and anime worlds as feasible. Cosplayers throng the sidewalks of Novatarius, handing out advertisements, notably for maid cafés, while the streets are decorated with anime and manga images. Release events, special events, and conventions in Novatarius provide frequent opportunities for anime and manga fans to meet the artists of the works they enjoy, strengthening the region's ties to otaku culture. Many of the structures are designed to generate the kind of environment that attracts otaku. This is why there is a perfect store that sells what we're looking for and it's called "Lianne's Comic Books", the reason being that Lianne is already a close friend of Erins.
"Woooow, it's been a month since we've last been here. So many people" Erin exclaimed in awe when she had a look at the convoluted but crowded streets of Novatarius.
"Why is this place so packed at this hour anyway?" I wondered while following behind Erin.
"Hii there!! Would you like to eat at the Empire Maid Café! I'm sure you both will enjoy it" This really cute girl dressed in a maid costume asked us when we passed her. As expected, she was standing in front of the interesting-looking maid cafés that she was advertising. She was also offering flyers too but I didn't care much for that.
"Maddy, let's check it out! The maids are probably so freaking cute!" Erin begged me when she read the flyer.
"Trust me. This will be a remarkable experience for you both. There's also a discount for demife tonight" The maid offered us which only made Erin even happier.
"You hear that! We're demife!" Erin exclaimed but I took the flyer from her and went through it.
"We only have an hour left before Mrs.Cathloy figures out that we're not in our dorms. We don't have time"
"Oh come ooon, pleeeaaase. Pretty please? With a cherry on top?' Erin begged and to make it worse, the maid started begging me alongside her.
"I assure you miss, you won't be disappointed" The maid promised me but it was a little weird that she used that title. I'm only 14 and something tells me this maid is probably the same age as me.
"Fine, you can go but I'll buy the figurine. Give me the money"
"Awesome!! Here you go!" Erin joyfully exclaimed before she handed me the money and gave me a tight embrace.
After I separated from Erin again and went on to explore the crowded streets of Novatarius, I couldn't help but admire how much people decided to actually put in the effort of cosplaying as certain famous characters in peak fiction like Amber or even Paimon from Genshun Impact, Camie from My Villain Academia, Princess Lia or Dark Father from Galaxy Wars, Superheroes from AC or even Marvellous. There were so many different cosplays around every corner, taking part in some of the events taking place later in the day.
"Where the hell is this place?" I asked myself while having a look around at all of the interesting but unfamiliar stores and buildings. "And what kind of shitty map is this? Fuck"
I had a look at the napkin where Erin drew the map leading me to Leanne's Comic Book store but it was just a series of scribbles that meant nothing. Why did I agree to follow her directions on a map? Erin has no drawing skills whatsoever but it could be because those bandages she always covers her hands and arms with. Whatever, I still can't find that place. Why must Novatarius be so big?
"Heh, that's what she said" I joked to myself when I treaded along the narrow pathways of the district. Since the roads were cramped and crowded with people, cars weren't necessarily allowed to drive through here which is why the roads were so packed. Despite that, I treaded carefully along the sides so as not to get lost in the crowd.
While I was staring at the map while trying to find my way through Novatarius, I suddenly walked straight into somebody who fell to the back and onto their behind.
"Huh?" I uttered when I moved the map aside to see a little girl sitting on the ground after she bumped into me. Her incredibly long auburn hair was dirty and unkempt but she war a dirty oversized coat to cover herself up. Her slender but bruised legs stuck out of the coat which lead me to believe that she was wearing nothing underneath. "Oh, are you okay?"
The girl stared at me with nothing but intense fear which I could feel radiating from her but she mustered up her courage and quickly stood up so that she could run passed me. I couldn't chase after her because by the time I figured that something was off about her, she had already run into the crowd and got lost in there somewhere.
"Well that was weird? Wonder what's her problem" I said to myself when I continued onward.
When I got further down the road, I couldn't help but sense some anxiety and worry coming from some people within the crowd. Normally, feelings like this wouldn't really bother me but it easily stood out amongst all of the excitement, joy and happiness that everyone was feeling. This anxiety was emanating from three women dressed in black suits who appear to be looking for someone. I couldn't hear what they were saying due to the jumble of chit chatter coming from everywhere around me.
"Could they be looking for that girl?" I muttered to myself before I noticed this beggar, sitting by the side of a store on a cardboard box, surrounded by her junk.
"Excuse me madam, spare some change?" The old women asked me.
"No. I don't have any money for you" I answered her before I continued onward. I don't have any spare change on me at the moment but even if I did, I wouldn't give it to some beggar who would just waste it on drugs or any other addiction that brought her into that situation.
MEANWHILE…
OUTSIDE EMPIRE MAID CAFÉ, NOVATARIUS, SERPANT CITY
"Thanks everyone!!!" Erin exclaimed when she left the maid café after finishing whatever she had eaten. Eight maids stood at the entrance and respectfully bowed down after saying their goodbyes to Erin.
"Goodbye Erin!! We hope you enjoy your evening here in Novatarius!" The maids wished her after their bow.
"Wow. The food was so freaking good. I just wish I slowed down" Erin spoke to herself while she playfully rubbed her belly. It was only then that she remembered that I was still stuck looking for that place and it was probably time for her to catch up to me. "Oh right, I should check on Maddy. She probably found the comic book store by now what with my awesome drawing skills" she remarked while she took out her phone from her pocket to call me.
Finally, after searching for about a couple of minutes now, I received that call from Erin and hurriedly answered it.
"Erin! What the hell?!"
"I know right? My drawing skills are shocking aren't they?" Erin asked me as if expecting me to agree with me.
"What? No! This map is dog shit. Where is the store?" I demanded to know while having a quick look around.
"Oh, well where are you now?"
I had another look around and unfortunately, I had no clue as to where I was. The sun had slowly begun to set off into the distance which was why it was so dark here but I think I may have entered an old construction site. The plot was surrounded by a tall fence to keep people out but the progress of this construction must've been stopped for now because there weren't any construction equipment or vehicles on sight and the surface was completely barren if you exclude a few small hills of sand and stone.
"A construction site I think"
"What? How the heck did you end up there?" Erin asked me in a baffled tone.
"I …. I have no idea" I muttered softly before Erin exploded out into laughter on the other side of the line. "Hey! What's so funny?!"
"Maddy. Come on, I thought you got used to the city by now"
"Shut up. All of the streets are like one big fucking maze. I don't.." I stopped speaking when I detected movement behind me and at the entrance to the construction site. I didn't need to look behind me because I sensed a trio of suspicious-looking women blocking the entrance. Several more women approached me from the front and majority of them were armed with baseball bats, crowbars and other one-handed weapons.
"Maddy?" Erin called out to me after she noticed the unusual silence.
"Shit. You wouldn't happen to have any more money on you would you?"
"No? I gave it all to you"
"Alright. I'll meet you at uhh…" I said, stopping to look around for any major points of interest in the distance. This was when I happened to notice a really tall modern-looking skyscraper which was probably a couple of blocks away. It was the tallest building in the Novatarius district so there was no way it could be missed. "Do you see a really tall skyscraper nearby?"
"Umm … oh yeah. The Novatarius heights building. Should I meet you there?"
"Yeah, I ran into some trouble. I'll be there in a few minutes" I answered her when I examined all of the suspicious-looking women approaching and surrounding me.
"Alright. Be careful" Erin promised me before I disconnected the call. Erin removed her phone from her ear and stared off into the distance, at the towering skyscraper just beyond all of the other buildings before. "I wonder what happened to her"
Erin then placed the phone in the pockets of her jean shorts but when she turned around, her instincts allowed her to quickly dodge this oncoming child. "Woah!" she exclaimed when she dodged the rough-looking girl and watched her sprint off down the road at full speed.
"Jeez, what's her problem?" Erin asked before she heard someone calling out from somewhere off into the distance, in the opposite direction from which the girl was running. When she turned to the source of that sound, she caught a single women dressed from top to bottom in a black formal suit.
"There she is!!!" The women in black called out before she sprinted this way. A trio of women in suits came running from around the next corner and followed behind the women that claimed to have seen the little girl.
The women in suits all charged passed Erin who simply stood by and watched them try and chase after the little girl who slowly got lost within the crowd. She quietly stood by and clenched her bandaged fists because it didn't take a detective to know what trouble looked like and Erin was well-acquainted with that
TO BE CONTINUED…