Victor burst into his apartment, irritation evident in his stride. He went directly to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. A view of a swollen nose, still bruised from Stephen's punch, accommodated his building anger even more. He slapped a fresh bandage over it, grimacing as he did so. The doctor had said his nose bone was shifted, and Victor was already fantasizing about the day when he would get revenge on Stephen and double over in pain for this.As he finished with the bandage, Charles rolled in; his wheelchair let out a slight squeak on the tiled floor. "What happened to you?" Charles asked casual yet with a hint of curiosity.Victor shot him a hard glance through the mirror. "None of your business."Charles's brow furrowed slightly. "I take it you didn't catch Stephen then?""No," Victor snapped, frustration evident in his tone. "He managed to get away."Charles leaned back in his chair, a false look of surprise crossing his face. "Stephen escaped? Surprising. I'd ha
Victor and Charles stared at each other a moment longer, the air heavy with menace. With his eyes narrowing, Charles wheeled closer, darting from Victor unto the cell phone held in his hand. He noticed Victor stood rigidly and the slight facial twitch.Charles reached out and calmly took the phone from Victor's hand, never breaking eye contact. He glanced down at the screen to see it was a message from Clarke, attached to which was a picture of a battered Stephen."See anything?" Charles asked, his voice low and casual, deceptively so.Victor hesitated, then slowly stood up, slipping his hands into his pockets to mask any anxiety. "I didn’t see anything important," he lied smoothly. "Just needed some air. I’ll be back later."Charles nodded, his suspicion never quite leaving his eyes. "Al歲ght," he said, watching Victor closely as he walked out of the room.The moment Victor was out of the room, Charles had his face on the phone again; thoughts ran riot in his head. Stupid of Clarke to
Back to the dining room, Enoch was getting more and more uneasy. "What is taking Marriane so long?" he thought and said to himself, looking across at Ariane, who was looking as uninterested as before.Suddenly Ariane spoke. "I heard my mom used to date your younger brother." Her voice showed no apparent interest, while her eyes did tell a different story altogether.Enoch stiffened in surprise. He reached hastily for his goblet of wine, draining a small amount into his mouth for time. This child knew too much already, and directness in her questions unsettled him."Well." Enoch fumbled for words, until Ariane cut him short."Are you trying to avoid saying anything about it?" her voice issued sharply.Enoch forced a smile, his gut starting to feel the edge of the knife inside. This kid was unstoppable. "I think I've had enough wine," he said, putting the glass down. "Where's the toilet?"Ariane pointed down the hall, her face unreadable. Enoch nodded, getting up a little too quickly, u
Stephen's body ached, chains eating into his wrists as he just basically swung in mid-air, helpless. It was all the more worse with the chill of cold, damp air from the underground chamber, sending chills down to his bones. He looked up weakly; his vision was blurred, but he could make out the silhouette of Clarke in the poor light. Clarke was sharpening a knife; the scratching sound of metal against stone echoed in the room."Do you know why they didn't just make him a prison warden?" Clarke asked, the tone low, sinister. He continued sharpening the blade while speaking. Stephen said nothing. He was too weak and too weary. He knew that Clarke wasn't really expecting an answer.Clarke paused, eyeing the edge of the knife before continuing. "He had everything, Stephen. Money, power. But he gave it all to Charles, who the world sees as some bigshot billionaire. And what did he choose for himself? This." Clarke gestured around the dank, dark space. "A warden, someone who oversees the scu
Victor lay under his old, beat-up car and tightened the oil pan screws. The air was thick with grease and gasoline; the garage was only half-lit, which stretched the shadows across its walls. He wiped off his brow with his hand's back and grunted as he reached for the next tool.Before he could get to it, a hand reached it over to him. Victor slid out from under the car in surprise to see Charles seated in his wheelchair and holding the wrench. "You're back," Victor stated neutrally as he accepted the tool.Charles nodded and watched as Victor slipped under the vehicle to continue with his work. Through the silence, metal scraped against metal before Charles wheeled himself closer."I know you know about Stephen," Charles said, his voice low.Victor hesitated for a fraction of a second, then went back to tightening the bolt. "Is that so?"Charles' eyes narrowed. "Don't try to fool me. I'm not an idiot.Victor rolled out from under the car again, this time with his hands smeared with
Marriane sat in her car, drumming her fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. Afternoon sun filtered through the windshield, casting a warm glow over the dashboard. Other kids were spilling out of the school; their laughter echoed across the parking lot, but there was no sign of Ariane. Marriane checked the time again, a flicker of irritation crossing her face. *Why is she late?*She let out a deep breath and finally decided to step out of the car. The heat hit her as she walked briskly towards the school building, the sound of her heels clicking against the pavement. She pushed open the door to Ariane's classroom, and immediately it was empty-the rows of desks neatly in a row, the class teacher tidying up, stacking books into a neat pile."Good afternoon, Mrs. Marriane," the teacher greeted, adjusting herself to greet her."I'm here to pick up Ariane. Where is she?" Marriane asked sharply.The teacher looked embarrassed as her eyes dropped to Ariane's desk now empty. "Actually, so
The sun was setting over the beach, casting an orange glow over the shore as the waves lapped gently at it. Enoch stood alone, staring at the ocean, but his mind wasn't on the present. Instead, he saw the ghosts of his past: two young boys running and laughing while their father chased them. He remembered the memory well enough that it put a small, soft smile on his lips-a rare situation when compared with his otherwise hardened demeanor."It's been a long time since I've seen you smile," a voice cut into his thoughts.Enoch turned to see the figure of Victor approaching. He hadn't changed much, and being here was a harsh reminder of the life that they'd both abandoned. "I thought I'd find you here," he said, coming to a stop a few feet away.Enoch said nothing, and his eyes drifted back to the horizon. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody, let alone Victor.But Victor, undeterred by Enoch's coldness, pressed on. "Did you know Father regretted banishing you?"A bitter scoff escape
Stephen sat in this cold, poorly lit room. His heart was racing while he tried once more to bring the system into action. He concentrated, closing his eyes, and focused on the familiar command that usually sprang the system to life. But nothing happened. There was no response, no flicker of the interface, no comforting voice guiding him through. Only silence, broken by the constant tapping of rain against the small window high above.Frustration gnawed at him. What was blocking the system? It was there, just out of reach, yet something-or someone-was blocking it from activating. He clenched his fists, trying to push past the barrier in his mind, but it was like hitting a brick wall.It was the sound of footsteps that pulled Stephen from his musings. He looked up to see Clarke entering the room. Looking dark, Clarke muttered under his breath, seeming irritated. He wiped the rain off his face, wet from the rain outside.Getting soft, Clarke muttered under his breath. He gave a quick sha