13 September 2021. 6:30 am.
6. Phanda Ave.
Foxville was still half-asleep.
Inside Adriana's flat, the television murmured with the morning news—anchors speaking in calm tones about a city already on edge. Adriana sat perched on a bar stool, one leg hooked around the rung. A mug of coffee steamed in her hand, untouched for moments at a time as her eyes stayed locked on the screen.
The light coming through the window was dull and gray, barely fighting its way past the curtains.
Then Luis entered the living room, loud and unfiltered.
"Aw, man… another day stuck at home." Luis said, forcing a grin. "Luckiest man in the world."
"Quite moaning coño, you were furiously driving fast… for goodness sake, you nearly sent abuela to our maker." Adriana said coldly.
"Yeah, whatever. You wouldn't understand." Luis replied back. "At least you get to breathe fresh air. Wanna know what I have to do?"
"You'll get used to it." she said, rising from her seat.
She took her coat from the rack by the wall and headed for the front door.
"Grab a snack from Johnny's Roti on your way." Luis said more gently. "I could kill for some Indian specials right now."
Adriana paused at the door, one hand resting on the handle. She looked back at Luis, an expression on her face that was almost amused—almost pitying.
"You need to get a job." she said plainly.
"How am I meant to do that when I'm trapped here?" he muttered, gesturing at the ankle monitor like it was a shackle.
"There's a thing called the internet." Adriana shot back. "I don't know if you've heard of it, but it's packed with everything you need to know."
Luis let out a quiet scoff. "Da igual, mana." he muttered, dismissing her with a flick of his hand.
Adriana left without another word. The door closed behind her, sealing Luis inside with the hum of the television and the weight around his ankle, as she headed toward Cloud Nine Inc.
CRYSTAL AVENUE. 7:00 am.
Stephen sat in his office, nursing a cup of coffee. Papers were stacked haphazardly across his desk, crowding the surface and making every movement feel obstructed. Bookshelves lined the walls, sagging under the weight of countless volumes, while a suede carpet softened the center of the room.
The radio hummed in the background, the morning news spilling into the quiet office.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and thanks for tuning in to the seven o'clock news… We've got a lot to cover today. Following the death of famous singer Jerald Drae, who was found dead alongside his family last weekend, authorities say the investigation is ongoing—suspects have yet to be located." the announcer's voice droned.
Stephen turned the knob, lowering the volume, letting the words hum in the room as he took a slow sip of coffee.
"Jesus… help us." Stephen muttered under his breath, eyes fixed on the papers before him.
Stephen straightened in his chair, shoulders squaring as he cracked his knuckles, preparing to dive into the work ahead.
Then—the office door swung open. Tokyo rushed in, Akira held in her arms tightly, urgency written across their faces.
"Dad—I've got to leave for school." she said, nudging Akira forward with an impatient look.
"Here." she added. "I don't have time—my friend's about to pick me up."
"Okay." he said, scooping Akira into his arms with a careful strength. "Shh… Daddy's got you." Stephen whispered, holding her close as the city's hum filtered through the office walls.
Tokyo departed, leaving behind nothing but the faint echo of her presence. Stephen felt a quiet ache in his chest. Slowly, he made his way to the office couch and sank down, cradling Akira gently.
He hummed softly, a steady sound that filled the room, as Akira rested his head on Stephen's chest, sucking on his pacifier. The moment was fragile and still, a brief island of calm.
"Looks like it's going to be a long day." he muttered.
Mellow tunes drifted from the radio, mingling with the faint rush of air flowing in through the open window, filling the office with a soft, lazy hum.
Lavender Hospital. 7:45 am.
Leeu straat.
The parking lot of the private hospital was eerily empty as Katherine pulled her SUV to a stop. She rested her forehead against the steering wheel, a single tear sliding down her cheek.
"It's okay… everything's going to be alright." she whispered to herself.
After a moment, she squared her shoulders, grabbed her backpack, and stepped out of the car. She made her way to the hospital, turning sharply at the staff only door.
Inside, the hospital was already in motion. Co-workers moved briskly, their footsteps echoing off the sterile floors, while a few elderly patients in wheelchairs drifted along the corridors, murmuring softly.
"Mr. Sanchez, you shouldn't be at this terminal." Katherine said, her eyes narrowed as she approached him.
"Ah, young one… once you've lived a full life, words like 'terminal' hold no meaning for us." Sanchez replied.
Katherine stepped closer, eyes fixed on Sanchez as he sat in his wheelchair.
"Well, in this facility, you're expected to obey words like 'terminal'." she said firmly.
"Come on, let's go." she added, leaning forward and beginning to push his wheelchair down the corridor, the wheels squeaking softly against the polished floor.
"Leave me alone! Don't tell me what to do young one." Sanchez snapped.
"Did you take you medication Sir?" she asked.
"What are you? my baby sitter?" Sanchez asked, his voice edged with irritation.
Katherine wheeled Sanchez down the corridor, the faint squeak of the chair punctuating the otherwise sterile silence. They arrived at the elevator, stepped in, and she pressed the button for the third floor, the metal doors sliding shut with a soft thud.
"You know, when I was your age… I was fighting in the National Warfare." Sanchez began. "That day, I lost fifteen of my brothers—God bless their souls."
He paused, then continued. "There was a lot of bloodshed, but their deaths weren't for nothing… these days, we have ungrateful kids like you. You'll never know how rough it really was."
The elevator doors opened, and they moved down the corridor together, the faint hum of the hospital surrounding them. Suddenly, a voice called out for Katherine, cutting through the quiet.
"Katherine!" an almost angelic voice called out.
She glanced back and saw one of her co-workers hurrying toward her, urgency written in every step.
"Oh, hey Caitlin." Katherine greeted.
"Hey girl, where're have you been?" Caitlin asked.
"At home." Katherine replied.
"Ugh… tell me about it." Caitlin groaned, rolling her eyes slightly.
"Mr Sanchez— you can't just run off like that." she snapped… "you'll get me fired." Caitlin said.
"Good, that means you're not doing your job." Sanchez shot back, every word laced with challenge.
"Anyways, Kathrine—Doctor Mikaelmas was looking for you earlier." Caitlin said.
"Damn, am I in trouble?" Katherine muttered.
"I don't know… are you?" Caitlin replied, a sly edge in her voice. "You should probably head to his office and see what he wants—he seemed pretty desperate to know where you were."
Katherine made her way toward Doctor Mikaelmas's office, ascending a flight of stairs and passing the bustling ward along the way. When she reached his door, she knocked lightly.
'Come in.' a voice called from inside.
She stepped in, and the sight before her made her pause slightly—Doctor Mikaelmas was busy, fingers flying over paperwork like he was manning a call center. Then their eyes met, and the room seemed to still for a heartbeat.
"Good morning, Katherine—how's it been darling?" Mikaelmas greeted, his tone charming.
"Mikael…it's been… decent you know, and how about you?" she asked.
"Rough, couldn't seem to get you off my mind." Mikaelmas said.
Katherine scoffed lightly "Aw you're too sweet." she said.
Mikaelmas stepped closer, each movement slow and deliberate. "You know, I admire a girl like you—self-caring, strong, and beautiful." he said, as their bodies drawn nearer.
"It's been a minute since we last spoke like this." he added.
"Mikael…" she said.
"Shh." he whispered, placing a finger gently on her lips. His hand slid softly against her cheek, comforting.
Then he gripped her waist, pulling her closer, and leaned in. Their lips met, locking for a fleeting moment before she broke away, breath quickened.
"I'm sorry." she murmured, retreating a step, a flicker of unease in her eyes. "I'm just not in the right head space right now." she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Mikael… it's just…" she said, then exhaling deeply. "We can't keep doing this anymore." she stated.
"What?" Mikaelmas said, a nervous giggle uttered from him.
"I'm sorry." Katherine said.
"OK, I'm sure you can find your head space when you get back to work." he replied.
"Wha—" she began, but Mikaelmas cut her off sharply. "Get out, Katherine."
Without another word, she turned and left the office. Her day had only just begun, yet already the weight of the morning pressed against her. She made her way down the corridor toward the nursing station, preparing herself to start her shift.
ZUT Campus. 8:58 am.
Science Class.
Lucas sat at his desk as the auditorium slowly filled with noise and indifference. A handful of students hunched over their phones. Others stared forward, locked on the professor, with notebooks already open.
"Good morning, class." the professor said, adjusting his glasses. "We've got a lot to cover from last week."
Lucas leaned back slightly in his chair, waiting for the lecture to begin.
A student raised his hand.
"Yes, Jonathan?" the professor said, pointing toward him.
"Sir— I don't think I attended class last week, if you could, maybe you can give me a mini recap of what we learnt?" Johnathan asked.
"Well, sure." the professor said, "but I'll go into more detail as the class progresses—time isn't on our side today. Ask a few classmates to help fill in the gaps. Because what we're covering now is something special."
"What is it?" a student called out from the back, voice cutting through the room.
"I'm sure y'all are familiar with Newtons Law, and—" the professor started.
But the students erupted.
"Aw man!", "Dang i should've bunked class.", "We bout' to learn from about a man, that never got laid.", "All of this… because of a stupid apple."
"Alright guys lets calm down." the professor commanded.
Lucas stared at the whiteboard, his mind blank—except for Ashley's words, replaying over and over in his head. He pushed the thought aside. He had bigger fish to fry.
Reservoir Bay. 10:00 am.
Sydney Street.
A rich, tranquil neighborhood—one that looked like a dream to most. Mansions stood shoulder to shoulder along the coastline of Drakens Beach, pristine and imposing. The area was oddly quiet, yet an air of royalty still lingered, as if wealth itself demanded silence.
In the backyard of one of the mansions, Jason and Sasha lay sprawled on the grass, drinks in hand, the ocean breeze drifting over them.
Sasha sighed softly "I miss little Ghost, when are we going to meet him?" Sasha asked.
"I don't know." Jason said after a pause.
"Even I couldn't get a hold of him—and that doesn't sit right."
"You think it was a good idea for Sam to tag along?" Sasha asked, watching him like she already knew the answer.
He sipped from his glass "What's up with the interrogation?" Jason asked, his tone light—but guarded.
"Well that's because I—" she began… "You already know all the conflicts." Jason cut in
'Ding ding' she said, a thin smile tugging at her lips.
Jason sighed. "And no—I don't think it's a bad idea." he said. "Or a good one, either. Sam can be a little extra sometimes… but he has his uses."
"Yeah." she agreed… "Couldn't we just pull up to little Ghost's place?" Sasha added. "I know you were there."
"We can't." he said. "There are cameras—and he's not dumb. He probably already saw the footage of me in his house."
Sasha giggled lightly, as she took a slow sip from her wine glass "You were always careless—messy and unaware. You should be grateful for people like me." she said.
"What do you mean?" Jason muttered, swirling his glass.
She pointed at the tattoo on his calf. "You wondering why us Hollows get these tats?" she asked.
"Not really." he replied, shrugging. "I just thought it was some kind of initiation."
"Technically, you're not wrong." Sasha said, her tone smooth but edged. "Though it has other uses… like tracking."
"I knew it." Jason started. "So the reason we still can't find him is because—"
"He removed it." Sasha cut in. "Probably tore the skin off, too." She took another sip. "But it isn't a problem anymore. You paid him a visit… and that gave me access. I hacked into his system."
"Huh? but how?" he asked, leaning back slightly.
"A magician never reveals her secrets." she said, swirling her glass. "Not that you'd understand—you've got muscles for brains."
"I'm not even gonna' complain, because you're right." Jason said as they laughed, the tension easing just a fraction.
Suddenly, a man in a sharp, expensive suit appeared through the sliding door. Stacks of cash spilled from his pockets as he sipped bourbon. He strode toward them, tossing bills carelessly in their direction.
"Sam… I thought you were busy with your 'stocks', or just can't stop feeling yourself?" Sasha asked, a sly smirk playing on her lips.
"You're one to talk." Sam replied…
"Anyways when are we going to pay little ghost a visit?" he asked.
"Sooner or later, for now lets keep our eyes on him." Jason said.
Sam tossed a hefty stack of cash in Jason's face. "Bro… this might be our only chance." he said.
"Like I said, it doesn't matter." Sasha said, pulling out her cellphone. The screen lit up with a live feed—Stephen sprawled on his office couch, Akira draped over him, completely unaware of who was watching.
A slow smile curved Sasha's lips. "The week's only just begun."
Jason and Sam exchanged uneasy glances, the room suddenly charged with a silent.