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 spoke in a calm tone 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, the light shone through the window, it barely fought its way past the curtains. Then Luis entered the living room, he was loud and unfiltered. "Aw, man… another day stuck at home." Luis said, "Luckiest man in the world."
"Quite moaning coño, you were furiously driving fast… for goodness' sake, you nearly sent abuela to our maker." Adriana stated. "Yeah, whatever. You wouldn't understand." Luis replied "At least you get to breathe fresh air. Wanna know what I have to do?"
"You'll get used to it." she said as she rose from her seat. She took her coat from the wall rack and headed to the front door. "Grab a snack from Johnny's Roti on your way home?" Luis said gently. "I could kill for some Indian specials right now." Adriana paused at the door; her hand held on the handle. She looked back at Luis, pity expressed on her face. "You need to get a job." she replied plainly. "How am I meant to do that when I'm trapped here?" he gestured 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 flicked his hand. Adriana left without another word. The door closed behind her, Luis sealed 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; he nursed a cup of coffee. Papers were stacked haphazardly across his desk; it crowded the surface and made every movement feel obstructed. Bookshelves lined the walls—sagged under the weight of countless volumes, while a suede carpet softened the center of the room. The radio hummed in the background. "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 and suspects have yet to be located." the host's voice droned. Stephen turned the knob on the radio, "Jesus… help us." Stephen muttered under his breath; he straightened in his chair, shoulders squared as he cracked his knuckles. Then—the office door swung open. Tokyo rushed in, Akira held in her arms tightly, urgency written across her face. "Dad—I've got to leave for school." Tokyo said as she nudged Akira forward with an impatient look. "Here." she added. "I don't have time—my friend's about to pick me up." he scooped Akira into his arms carefully "Okay." he said, "Shh… Daddy's got you." Stephen whispered, he held him closely as the city's hum filtered through the office window. Tokyo departed, she left 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 with Akira gently. He hummed softly, a steady lullaby—as Akira rested on Stephen's chest, he sucked on his pacifier. "Looks like it's going to be a long day." he muttered. Mellow tunes drifted from the radio; it mingled with the faint rush of air that flowed in through the open window.
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 slid down her cheek. "It's okay… everything's going to be alright." she whispered to herself. After a moment, she grabbed her backpack and stepped out of the car. She made her way to the hospital, inside the hospital, the place was already in motion. Co-workers moved briskly, their footsteps echoed off the sterile floors, while a few elderly patients in wheelchairs drifted along the corridors. "Mr. Sanchez, you shouldn't be at this terminal." Katherine said, her eyes narrowed as she approached him. "Ah, it's you again young one… once you've lived a full life like us old people that hopped on the train at a young age, words like 'terminal' hold no meaning for us. You'd live a better life if you catch on it now." Sanchez replied. Katherine stepped closer "Well, in this facility, you're expected to obey words like 'terminal'." she said firmly. "Come on, let's go." she leaned forward and began to push his wheelchair down the corridor, the wheels squeaked softly against the polished floor. "Leave me alone! Let me die in peace! And don't tell me what to do young one." Sanchez snapped. "Did you take you medication Sir?" she asked. "What are you? my babysitter?" Sanchez asked, his voice edged with irritation. "Well, technically—I am." Katherine wheeled Sanchez down the corridor, the faint squeak of the chair punctuated the otherwise sterile silence.
They arrived at the elevator, stepped in, then she pressed the button for the third floor, the metal doors slid shut with a soft thud. "You know, when I was your age… I was fighting in the National Warfare, all the way in the Soviet Region." Sanchez began. "That day, I lost fifteen of my brothers—God bless their souls." He paused, "There was a lot of bloodshed, but their deaths weren't in vain… 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. Suddenly, "Katherine!" an almost angelic voice called out. Katherine glanced back and saw one of her co-workers, she rushed—urgency traced in every step. "Oh, hey Caitlin." Katherine greeted. "Hey girl, where're have you been?" Caitlin asked. "At home." she replied. "Ugh… tell me about it." Caitlin groaned as she rolled her eyes. "Mr Sanchez— you can't just run off like that." she snapped… "you'll get us fired." Caitlin said. "Good, that means you're not doing your job." Sanchez shot back, "Anyways, Kathrine—Doctor Michaelmas was looking for you earlier." Caitlin said. "Shit, 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 Michaelmas's office; she ascended a flight of stairs and passed the bustling ward along the way.
Once 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—Doctor Michaelmas was busy, his fingers flew over paperwork like he was manning a call center. Then their eyes met, and the room seemed to still for a heartbeat. "Good morning, Kathy—how's it been my darling?" Michaelmas greeted, his tone was charming. "Michael… it's been… decent you know, and how about you?" she asked. "Uh—Rough, couldn't seem to get you off my mind." he replied. Katherine scoffed lightly "Aw you're too sweet." she said. Michaelmas moved closer, each movement slow and deliberate. "You know, I admire a girl like you—self-caring, strong, and beautiful." he said, as their bodies drew nearer. "It's been a minute since we last spoke like this." he added. "Michael… I'm flattered…" she said. he placed a finger gently on her lips "Shh." he whispered, his hand slid softly against her cheek. Then he softly gripped her waist and pulled her closer—he leaned in. Their lips met, locked for a fleeting moment before she broke away, her breath quickened. Katherine retreated a step "I'm sorry." she murmured, a flicker of unease in her eyes. "I'm just not in the right head space right now." she admitted. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Michael… it's just…" she exhaled deeply. "We can't keep doing this anymore." she said. Michaelmas giggled nervously "What?" hesaid, "I'm sorry." Katherine replied. "OK, I'm sure you can find your head space when you get back to work." he stated coldly. "Wha—" she began, but Mikaelmas cut her off sharply. "Get out, Ms. Katherine." Without another word, she 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 and prepared 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 as he adjusted his glasses. "We've got a lot to cover from last week, so let's get started." Lucas leaned back slightly in his chair; a student raised his hand. "Yes, Jonathan?" the professor said. "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—all questions will be answered after class." 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, "I'm sure y'all already 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 let's all calm down." the professor commanded. Lucas stared at the whiteboard, his mind blank—except for Ashley's words, it replayed over and over in his head. He pushed the thought aside, because 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 Draken's Beach, pristine and imposed. The area was oddly quiet, yet an air of royalty still lingered. In the backyard of one of the mansions, Jason and Sasha lay sprawled on the grass upon a mat, drinks in their hand while the ocean breeze drifted over them. Sasha sighed softly "I miss little Ghost, when are we going to meet him?" Sasha asked. "I don't know." Jason said, "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, He sipped from his glass "What's up with the interrogation?" Jason asked. "Well, that's because I—" she began… "You already know all the conflicts." Jason cut in 'Ding; ding; ding' she said, a thin smile tugged 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 understands us, plus he is useful."
"Yeah." she agreed… "Couldn't we just pull up too 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 a sister like me." she said. "What do you mean?" Jason muttered as he swirled his glass. She pointed at the tattoo on his calf… a gun tattoo with a brain, star and smile symbol inked deep into his skin.
"You wonder 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—both of them." Sasha cut in. "Probably tore through his skin 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, "A magician never reveals her secrets." she swirled her glass. "Not that you'd understand—you've got muscles for brains."
"I'm not even going to' complain, because you're right." Jason said as they laughed. Suddenly, a man in an expensive suit appeared through the sliding door. Stacks of cash spilled from his pockets as he sipped bourbon. He strode toward them and tossed bills carelessly in their direction. "Sam… I thought you were busy with your 'stocks', or just can't stop feeling yourself?" Sasha asked, "You're one to talk." Sam replied, "Anyways when are we going to pay little ghost a visit?" he asked. "Sooner or later—probably later, for now let's keep our eyes on him." Jason said. Suddenly Sam tossed a hefty stack of cash in Jason's face. "Bro… this might be our only chance." he said. Sasha pulled out her cellphone "Like I said, it doesn't matter." she said, the screen lit up with a live feed—Stephen sprawled on his office couch and Akira draped over him. A slow smile curved Sasha's lip. "The week's only just begun." Jason and Sam exchanged uneasy glances.