-Chapter I-

-Chapter I-

Crash!

My morning abruptly starts with the harsh feeling of falling out of bed and finding myself on the cold floor, along with the sound of books and other items being sent flying off my messy bed in all directions. I must have been holding onto my sheets too tightly when I unconsciously slipped off.

“Ugh...good morning…”

I get up and quickly put my things back where they belong. I then do a half-assed job at making my bed. Still dazed and feeling groggy, I sit down on the floor. If I were to sit on my bed, I’d just fall back to sleep. I stare at the ceiling for a bit, before my eyes meet my own in the mirror. I stare at my body, still bruised from my last battle in the disarray.

“...why me?”

My fingers trace along my neck as I ponder the marking that were made around it. The markings look like the kind of design you would see on some fancy lingerie. They aren’t bruises though, these are permanent. Almost like a tattoo of a collar...

I close my eyes and let out a loud sigh. Standing up, I take a few steps and look out my window.

“Still grey as ever…”

I mumble to myself, staring out at the city called New Eris, the capital of the 13th Kingdom of Libertas, Vesta. This place almost never sees a sunny day…not that I mind it or anything.

Knock, knock.

I hear a quiet knock at my door, before I can even answer, they let themselves in.
“Hey, thought I heard you wake up.” A middle aged man with cigarette hanging from his mouth says, while entering my room without waiting for permission.

He immediately starts correcting the errors in the way that I made my bed. He’s a tall man and has always had a muscular build. He has unkempt hair, scruff, and a serious expression… No one would ever expect this man to have been the one who braided my hair or baked sweets with me. Hell, he enjoyed doing all that more than I did. I don’t even like sweets.

“So, you’re standing… I take that to mean your feeling better?”

“...”

I call him my father, but I’m just a stray he picked up. I’m not is daughter by blood, or even on paper. Despite that, he truly see’s me as his own.

“I’m doing better, yeah.”

“That’s great. I just made some coffee. Take a shower, put some pants on, and then come have some. Okay?”

“...’kay”

After washing up and putting on some comfortable clothes, I head into the kitchen for my usual morning ritual beverage. August, my father, has already poured it into a cup with a black cat on it. I think he purposely gives me this cup whenever he can…

He cleans the coffee press while I sip my hot drink.

“...so, how long was I out?”

“Four months.”

I rub my eyes with frustration.

“...fuck…”

“Language. Besides, you were the one who refused proper treatment at DisSec’s facilities. You would have been up and at it in weeks, not months.”

DisSec. It’s short for Disarray Sector. It’s a poorly funded government branch responsible for investigating all matters related to astral activity. More importantly, it’s one of the few steady employers we strangers can rely on.

“Whatever, I needed a vacation anyway.”

“…” August looks over his shoulder and takes a glimpse at my neck. I shyly cover what I can with one hand. “You still got that bruise…”

“It’s not a bruise. You figured as much by now too, right?”

“Delilah...listen…”

Before he can finish saying whatever it is he was going to say, a very unpleasant voice belonging to an equally unpleasant woman cuts him off.

“Auuuggyy. Coffeee.”

Hussy.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s right on the table.”

Great sleep, I hate her.

“Morning Dee…”

“...Your roots are showing…”

“Eh!?”

The person sitting across from me is my father’s romantic partner. Brooklyn Break.

Don’t get me wrong, my father took me in before they got together. So, I don’t see her as a mother figure in the slightest. I mean, I’m twenty eight years old and she’s around thirty seven-- Nevermind, I’d rather not think about it.

Anyway, I don’t really know why my father likes her. She’s very bubbly and ditzy, she dyes her hair that ridiculous pink color, she… I don’t know, it’s really none of my business.

“Dee? How are you feeling?”

Without warning she leans over the table and puts her hand over my forehead. Without thinking, I swipe it away.

“...I’m fine…”

“Oh. Well, your fever’s gone away. That’s good at least. Does anything hurt?”

“Yeah, there’s a huge pain in my a—”

“Delilah.” August makes me bite my tongue.

I finish my coffee and decide it’s best to not waste even one more second, after four months of laying about, my body feels significantly weaker. I go back to my room to put on something more appropriate for the day than sweats.

“So, what are your plans for the day?” August asks me from outside the doorway.

“Does it matter?”

“No. I just think you need to rest more and take things slow for now—“

“Not my style.” I briskly say, as I open the door and walk past him.

I sit down at entrance way and start putting on my boots ignoring my fathers protests.

“Delilah, come on. At least stay away from the disarray for a while longer. I don’t need you making your injuries worse.”

“She’s a girl, Auggy. You aren’t going to win this one…” Miss Break mumbles that last part with a doughnut in her mouth.

“Like hell. I just ring Darius and have him make sure she doesn’t get herself killed.”

As I stand up and stretch, I decide to make one more wise ass comment before heading out.

“Why are you so sure I’m going to work? I might being going to see my guy.” I taunt with a grin.

“Yeah, right. Nice try… I know when you’re lying. You’re lying. ….she’s lying right?” I can already see the vein in his head about to burst.

I don’t even really like men that way...much…

Just as I walk out entrance to the complex, I see some familiar faces.

“...the hell are you doing here, Noel?”

“You’re kidding right? How about answering your phone?”

The thin yet well built guy in front of me is Noel Baskerville. He always has dark circles under his eyes, which almost complement’s his uncombed, messy, black hair… I wonder if the ‘ungroomed and unrested’ look is on purpose?

I pull my phone out of my pocket and flip it open to check, but…

“Oh. It’s dead. Guess four months of hiding in a pocket will do that.”

“Four months—!? What were you doing that whole time?!”

“Sleeping… I guess…”

“Sleeping, she says.” He says, shaking his head.

“Hey, I answered your question. So, answer mine.”

“Right. That guy you picked up finally woke up. He’s been in and out of it since yesterday. Sellrose wanted you to come in, thinks you could help with figuring things out.”

“Huh? What ‘guy’? You mean that girl I found in the disarray?”

“Medical report says the sex is male… Maybe get your eyes checked—”

I could have sworn…

“Wait, nevermind that. Why didn’t you or Sellrose call me?!”

“Hey, I tried. Besides, don’t you have Sellrose’s number blocked?”

“Ugh, right… Why not just contact my father? He could have relayed the message.”

“Hm? I don’t have his number, but Sellrose said he did call August. Twice, in fact.”

What!? That old…

He must not told me on purpose. Seriously, sometimes his worry drives me crazy.

“Okay. Fine. I’ll head to DisSec when I can.”

I walk over to wear I keep my bike. However, all that greets me in an empty section of asphalt. Shock and unease begins wash over me until they combine and form rage,

“What!? What the hell!? Where’s my bike!? Did someone steal my bike!?”

“...don’t tell me you left it in the disarray again…”

“Huh!? Wait! I think I did! Did you guys go get it?!”

“You have got to be joking.”

Accepting reality, I collapse on all four and mourn my bike.

“Delilah. Do you want a ride or not?”

“…”
Noel looks at me in his rear view mirror.

“What?”

“Why do I have to sit in the back!?”

“Because you put your feet up on the dash all the time.”

“Ugh, yeah right. You’re just giving your girlfriend special treatment.”

In the front passenger seat is Rebecca Grieves, Noel’s girlfriend. She has shining blond hair, pomegranate eyes, and a perfect figure...at least, in my opinion. Plus, she’s a sweetheart to boot. Why she’s with this grunge case is beyond me.

“Hey. So, Becca… He made a move yet? Huh!? You can tell me…” I press myself against the back of her seat and whisper that in her ear.

“Huh!? Well...no! But—!” The normally quiet girl quickly loses her composure.

“No!? Noel, it’s been a like two years—!”

Without warning, I’m forced back into my seat by the vehicle coming to sudden halt.

“Ah! Dammit! That hurt!! What the hell, Noel!?”

“Seatbelt.”

“That’s why you stopped like a maniac!?”

“No. That’s why it hurt. I hit the brakes because you can’t mind your own business.”

“Douche…” I curse, rubbing my neck.

Just then, Rebecca notices the bandages around my neck in the rear view.

“Huh!? Oh my god, Lilah! Are you okay!?”

She undoes her seatbelt and nimbly find herself a place next to me in the back.

“H-hey! Becky! Don’t move around a moving car like that!” Noel shouts.

“Oh, this? Don’t worry. I uh… I got a tattoo, I guess.”

“O-oh. Ah! I can’t wait to see it then!”

I fall silent and hide the side of my neck that she’s facing with my hand.

“…yeah...”

Exiting Noel’s car, I stare up at the incredibly tall building. This one is actually actually DisSec’s medical research building. There are two more DisSec buildings in New Eris, one is for military purposes and the other is for public affairs. Honestly, the country of Libertas is going to hell. So, it sucks putting sweat into work for the higher class when they could give less than a shit about the rest of us. Rather, I hate doing anything that might benefit the current ruling king, Malik Odesa. Luka and his grandfather -Duke Eosphorus- along with Darius Sellrose -the Director of DisSec- feel the same as me, but there’s really nothing that can be done.

No use bitching to myself

Approaching the doors, I realize Noel is following me. We dropped Rebecca off at her job on the way and I figured he was doing the same with me. Did he get himself involved with all this?

“If you keep following me, I might just start screaming.”

“Excuse me?”

We enter the building, show security our clearance, and get inside an elevator. Once inside, I reach to select a floor, but quickly realize I don’t know which I’m even heading to. Noel notices and holds down a button that resembles a flower, then selects floor two. The doors shut and the typically blue accent lights change to a red.

“A red floor? They’re keeping that kid way up there?”

“Guess so. Rose seems pretty spooked by them…”

“Ugh, these elevator’s move like ass as it is.”

I lean against the side of the black elevator, while Noel remains at the front. The elevator moves upward for about two minutes, during that time I stare at the back of Noel’s head.

“What?” He asks, probably sensing me.

“So, what’s the deal? You just escorting me or…?”

“Please. You can handle yourself just fine. …but yeah”

I try to maintain my composure, though his confirmation is flustering.

“Wh-!? How come!? I don’t need a damn handler! And even if I did, I’d get one better than you!”

“Sellrose and your dad ain’t risking you getting yourself killed since you barely just recovered. So, they both wanted me to keep an eye on you. At least until Sellrose could speak with you, and you actually got checked out by one of the staff here.”

“Darius too!? Why does he even care what I do!?”

“He doesn’t. Just cares about the information you have yet to give him on this whole affair. Last time, you were so out of it, you vomited blood all over him when he tried talking to you.”

“I...don’t remember that…”

“That’s just how bad a shape you were in.” He pauses before speaking again. “Delilah, you almost died. Honestly, you only survived because of all the shit they pumped into you. Are you sure you’re okay?”

The small enclosed space falls silent. The quietness is awkward and unbearable, all I can do is avoid looking at him. Just in time to break the tension, the elevator looks out a playful chime. I walk past Noel and our arms bump slightly.

“Do me a favor...don’t do me any favors…”