As the boy lay on the couch looking up at the ceiling, the house was a quiet little thing. As he rolls over onto one side a certain restlessness sits in his chest he sits up and walks around to the kitchen, before moving to the kitchen island where a fruit bowl sits he reaches out tentatively and picks up an apple, as moon light slowly streams in. As he takes a bite he notices a shadow at the corner of his eye. He turns towards the window outside and he sees it. In the window reflection stood a shadowy entity, the boy's heart rate jumps slightly as the entity moves. It gets close and reaches out but stops at the window before slamming both its hands on the window, making the boy flinch, tilting back on the chair before tipping over and falling down. It slams its head on the as its eyes begin to glow and its jaw opens revealing a glowing maw as its jaw unhinges to unholy lengths. He scampers back, his eyes wide as a guttural static-like down pitched lion's roar escapes it maw, he whimpers as the entity continuously bashes its head against the window, in response the lines, runes and hair faintly glow.
He jolts a wake as Jackie's hand hovers slightly over his shoulder, his brow slick with sweat and his eyes wide and panicked. Concern appears on her face as she hesitantly touches his shoulder
"Hey there kid had a nightmare?.." her voice gentle and tinged with worry
"M…m…monster." he stammers out as his small body is wracked with tiny tremors
"...oh…" Jackie says as her expression softens further.
She moves around the couch to him and kneels before him, his eyes follow her as he sits up as his messy hair, lines and runes slowly lose their glow
His breath is panicked and eyes dart about
"Hey hey kid look at me eyes on me, ok eyes here" she says as she holds his shoulders with practised gentleness. He holds her gaze
"Shhh i got you," she whispers slowly, come on breath after me "in and out slow and steady" he follows her movements slowly calming himself further
"There you go" she says as a warm smile comes to her face calming him even more.
"Come on let's get you ready for the day" she says as she stands up and leads him to the bathroom as Ellie walks out in a towel and her hair wrapped up in a towel
"Morning Ellie, aren't you going to be late?" Jackie asks incredulously
"Huh?" Ellie looks up at a nearby wall mounted clock "Oh shi-" she says as she moves quickly to her room, Jackie sighs and facepalms as Ellie comes out her school outfit was a dress shirt with a black tie and an open black zip up hoodie with black skirt with black stockings, knee high black converse with white laces and soles with fingerless gloves and eye liner. The boy's eyes follow her as she runs past the kitchen island grabbing an apple. Jackie notices this and chuckles slightly
"You like that huh?" she asks him
"Pretty…."
"Huh?" she asks "what was that,"
He slowly looks up to her and back to where Ellie just was
"Sh…she's.. Pretty?"
"I know kid"
She smiles at this as they enter the bathroom and she brushes his hair before giving a fresh set of clothes he looks up at her and back to the clothes and mechanically puts them on while she tweaks how he looks, She takes a step back, her hand coming up to her chin, to look at him. He's in baggy blue denim pants with the left leg rolled up by one, an azure blue shirt underneath a cream baggy wool sweater rolled up by one.
"Damn i'm good" She mumbles as a smirk comes to her she turns him gently to the mirror
"So what do you think?" she says as ever so slightly a light behind his returns gently albeit dull at this she softens further
"Now get out and let me get ready" she says as she gently puts him outside and shuts the door behind him.
As she steps out to the living room, she's in a cream trench coat with a black turtle neck and cream matching grey dress pants coupled with a black leather belt dark and short heel boots, she adjusts her red tinted glasses.
"All done now, come on lets go" she says before leading him to the garage and to a black suv with slightly tinted windows, they both enter. Jackie puts his seat belt then hers before pressing a remote and the garage doors opening, she shifts to reverse and gently pulls out as the close shut before shifting to drive and starting their journey. As they ride in silence the boy can not help but notice Jackie mutter something for a short while, his brow twists slightly with scepticism and she notices this in the rear view mirror
"Is everything ok there ?" she asks, making him quickly look away and out the window this shoots up one of her eyebrows before immediately shaking her head as if taking out a misplaced thought. The boy watches as the scenery changes from being dotted with penthouses to an urban landscape with a forest of skyscrapers and highrises. After a few minutes the car pulls into an underground parking lot and they exit. As they walk out he follows her to an elevator and as they rise up to the top, the elevator slows and the doors part as all the office employees stand looking at her as they walk to her personal office some eyes linger on her then to the boy a little longer. A few murmurs are heard from a few of the employers
"....who's the girl…" "...i don't know.."
"She's… cute though…"
Turning on her heel Jackie levels them with a dead pan look silencing them
"As you were" she says before opening the door and letting the boy pass the walk through the glass doors and walk past a young lady at a curved desk with vertical wooden paneling and a cream top. She east asian in appearance. She moved around the desk and begins matching her pace and they approach another elevator
"Morning ma'am"
"Morning xiao what's today's plan"
"You have a meeting with the board of directors and investors about an acquisition at 10:00 am"
"Ok," a pause "what else is there Xiao?"
"Also you have a meeting with the St james orphanage head regarding their annual funding"
As Xiao continues her eyes drift towards the boy as they get to the elevator and enter
"Ummm ma'am"
The elevator begins to gently rise after the doors shut, Jackie lifts a brow as she turns her face towards Xiao
"Yes?"
"Ummm if I may, who might she be?" she says, nodding to the boy,
"First that is a boy," a pause as Jackie looks at her with her brow raised her voice having dropped half a degree
This causes Xiao's brows to shoot up almost like they are to fuse with her hair
"A boy…" her brow knits into one of confusion a boy ' a boy how so unless he's like them nightlife people' she thinks to herself as she continues eyeing the boy taking mental note of his feminine features. Her own features furrow slightly as her mask of professionalism cracks she tries to make a mental connection of the image of a boy with this boy
"Yes will there be an issue" Jackie asks as she glances at them
"No ma'am absolutely not" she snaps to as the mask slides back in place
The boy looks out the elevator's curved window watching how the city shrinks and looks from that height as Xiao steals glances at him the elevator as they get to her personal office a lavish space with a lounge area and a separate desk and a matching ergonomic chair with shelves curving around the space, the whole room's walls was lined with glass windows the boy looks around the room with wide curious eyes as Xiao comes closer to Jackie
"Ma'am if I may, are you sure that," she gestures towards him as he walks around with his gaze wondering all over "...is a boy…"
"Yes Xiao he is a boy"
"But he… or they…" she stops as if taking back her statement before she made it 'looks wrong' she thought to herself
"But…" Jackie repeats waiting for her to continue
"Never mind…"
Jackie's eyes go over her after narrowing slightly so why did Xiao stammer for the first time in since hiring her
"Look Xiao you've been working as my assistant for one and a half years now"
"Yes ma'am…" she answers apprehensively
"That boy is… special"
"…special…?" she says as her brows furrow
A pause as both watch the boy looking around the room before focusing on a statue before walking up to it and looking at it its a marble statue of a muscular man the a wet cloth over his mid section and man hood they watch him for a bit before Jackie turns to Xiao
"Watch him for me won't you"
"What…"
"I have meetings today, remember?"
"But ma'am…" she protests
Jackie gives her a small but confident smile at this Xiao fidgets with the hem of her blouse. Jackie turns to the boy
"Hey, kid"
The boy turns to her with raised eye brows
"Stay here and ask her for whatever you may need" she says while jerking a thumb towards her. He turns to her then to Xiao and back to her a slight panic creeps in his eyes and his mouth parts but before he can say anything she comes forward and kneels to his eye level.
"Its just some business a few hours ok. And afterwards we can go home ok?"
His eyes dart from her to Jackie and back again as slight worry creeps up in his eyes seeing this Jackie gives him a warm smile and a gentle reassuring hand on his shoulder hand on his, which calms him slightly. She stands up and begins making her way to the exit before turning to him
"If your good we'll go for yogurt afterwards ok"
At this he perks up slightly and this softens her slightly before turning to Xiao and nodding and she nods back. Jackie finally leaves, closing the door behind her leaving the two in her office. As her heel clicks fade into the distance he looks at Xiao and Xiao at him.
There is silence between them, after a few minutes later she breaks silence while looking at him as she has an internal battle with herself
"If you need anything" she says as she approaches a near wall and gestures to the button "press here… ok?" he nods slowly. With that she walk briskly and walk out the office leaving the boy on his own as he walks around looking out the window at the city below before walking around the statue and the shelves of books and pictures of ceremonies and awards be for seeing an abstract painting with a silhouette of a boy with baggy hoodie and and stand there with facing the colors at an angle at the lower left corner a signature with the initials R.B he touches the protective glass containing the painting as he whispers to no one
"i think… i know you"
He pauses and continues to gaze at the painting a name crosses his mind
Before he can continue looking at the painting he hears a whisper
…you know…
Making him jolt as he turns around and sees nothing and he slowly calms down. As he looks back at the painting the silhouette is gone which unnerves him as he looks around. His eyes land on a platinum award and its reflection he sees the silhouette he snaps around to look at it but it's not there but he feels a hand on his shoulder before he spins around while backing away nearly. He looks to see who and Xiao is behind him with a tray with a cup of tea and a pastry he looks up at her and back to the tray . She quirks an eyebrow before her face takes a visage of a worried person as she takes in his startled expression.
"Are you ok?" she asks as she takes a step closer he back away she stops noticing that he stares wide eyed a behind her she turns around to see what is scaring him, but there is nothing there to her it was her own reflection in the window.
The silhouette is behind her facing the boy, she takes another step forward and sees him take a few more steps backward. She looks at him with mild confusion and slight concern, while his eyes remain on the silhouette which after facing him white multiple spirals appear on where its eyes are supposed to be before pointing at a book on the shelf with a red cover titled: 'Expeditiones Alexandri' before fading away
She moves slowly and places the tray down before slowly backing away. Her eyes never leaving the boy her movements slow and deliberate as she moved to the door "if you need anything" she hesitates for a second taking in his distress 'what happened to this child" she thinks to herself closing the door leaving him alone as she leaves and goes to her desk and presses a button.
He remains there as a few moments later Jackie enters, eyes alert darting around before finally landing on the boy. She moves quickly to him, the sudden movement puts him on increased alertness; he moves to shield himself, a pathetic mix of protection and a silent prayer for safety from an attack that didn't come, but Jackie is already there. Her expression a mix of concern and worry as she cups his face and looks him over as Xiao remains in the doorway watching
"Are you ok, are you hurt?" she says as she continues checking on him after a few moments of checking him over she embraces him he stiffens at this his instincts still screaming at him there is danger. She notices the stiffness and pulls away her hands on on his shoulders as she looks at him taking in his still anxious state, her heart breaks a little bit, before pulling him back in while soothingly petting his curly red hair he slightly relaxes but his eyes remain fixed on the book the silhouette pointed to
As soon as she lets go, she cups his face and looks at him intently as if committing his features to her memory. She notes his gazes and follows it to the book before furrowing her brow and looking at him. With out turning to xiao
"Cancel the meeting with the orphanage director and reschedule it for tomorrow Xiao"
"But ma'am…" she sputters
"Tell him an emergency came up" she says as she reaches out for his hands and reaches for the book and takes it and begins heading out her office and to the privet elevator and to the lobby as Xiao protests about this sudden change as they reach the underground parking lot she stops and looks at her and this stops Xiao as she sees in her boss, her mentor, the unflappable CEO of Brigadier industries, Jacqueline Brigadier Aris in her eyes were not the usual confidence but slight concern and worry
"Xiao… please I'm trusting you to tell him that I'll handle it tomorrow this really urgent" she voice cracked and she hated when it happened
At this Xiao nods quickly and goes back to her desk. Jackie turns back to the boy and leads him to the car quickly and get him in before getting in herself and driving away. As she drives she dials numbers on her phone it rings as she holds it up to her ear all the while glancing at the boy who just watches her while his brow furrows noticing the change in her mood
She gives him a smile before focusing on the road the call
"Connect me to the director…"
"Yes…"
"Sir the kid…"
"Affirmative…"
"Yes but….sir"
"The worst that could happen is that they pick up on the frequency as well"
"True but…"
She groans and mumbles to herself before ending the call and grumbling the drive continues in silence be for a her phone rings and she put it on speaker
"Go for Jackie"
Alice's voice is heard through the speaker "hey jack you felt that"
"Yea i did"
"And-"
Jackie cuts her off "and nothing Alice ok"
"Ok and what got you pissed did another tw-"
"Finish that sentence and I swear to all that is holy Alice"
"Ok ok chill come on tell me what's wrong"
"The director want to continue as normal" at this Alice is quiet
"Al you there?"
"Umm yea yea I'm still here"
"Look call Ellie and tell her we meet at the cafe she likes"
"Y… yea roger that"
The call ends. The boy looks at her she seems slightly more stressed she takes in a deep breath and glances at him she softens lightly reaches out and head pats him after a few minutes they arrive at the cafe to find Ellie seated in booth as with a person in streetwear with head phones on their head bobbing with rhythm as they get closer Jackie relaxes slightly
"Finally choose to leave your base Alice?"
The person takes off the head phones and looks at her
"Took you long enough" Alice said while scoffing his voice was delicate
He had a feminine face and eye liner he was wearing an over sized t-shirt and under long sleeve t-shirt and faded baggy blue jeans with sneakers, as well as a head full of white dreadlocks that shone different colors when the light hit them in specific ways while he wore trouser chains with little webs as he had light fare skin he looks at the boy as he sits next to him and Jackie next to Ellie who is scrolling on her phone
"So your the reason i left my burrow" Alice says with an incredulous grin and he stares at him
The boy looks at him clearly slightly unnerved Jackie clears her throat cutting in
"Kid meet Alison Baker" a pause as Jackie eyes them "but we call him Alice"
The boy looks at him as Alison shows a half grin
"Well aren't we going to get along little dude," he says as he drapes a hand over his shoulders