The old patriarch’s statement brought about a commotion.Boyd West took a step back. He never expected to hear those words. Even the patriarch felt the immensity of his words as they escaped his mouth, but he couldn’t take them back.Amira, who stood at the stage, cringed. “G-Grandfather…”The guests were unsure whether they should carry favor with the young man or keep their distance. After all, the West family wasn’t an entity they could go against.But then again, he had the backing of the Alroy family. Even though they didn’t come out and say it, they wouldn’t dare cross either Overlord. Besides their uncontrollable expressions, they remained silent and watched from the sidelines.Boyd knew something must have happened for his father to act this way. He looked towards Elisa, who became more infatuated with Jackson. He nodded to get her attention, but her focus was elsewhere.The old patriarch voiced in a domineering tone. “Don’t let me repeat myself! Do as I say!”***With the hel
A week went by, and Jackson had arranged jobs and accommodation for most of the people he rescued from the West family.A commoner amongst them was a gardener. During the waiting period, the man created a beautiful garden and even built him a kiosk with a bench and a table.It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was enough for Jackson to offer him a job, which he gladly accepted.Naomi returned to Southfield to help people get accustomed to their new lives.Alicia stayed for a little longer before taking a few people and returning to her family.Bellamy, after a week of getting away from Amira West, could finally get out of bed. He had injuries in most of his body, along with scrapes, bruises, and cuts. Not to mention a few broken bones that hadn’t healed properly because she wouldn’t take him to a doctor.He survived because the rest of the commoners cared for him during their time there. They would patch him up and keep him alive.Both Jackson and Bellamy were grateful.One girl stayed by
They must’ve watched the video from the surveillance room continuously for several hours, searching for clues. The security guards scanned the area surrounding Cloud Manor and even questioned some guests, hoping to find something useful.It was already dark outside, and the poles were the only thing illuminating the streets. As if it was a bad omen, menacing clouds obscured the moon.Although it was late, Elena and Jackson kept at it, going through the surveillance once more. The only time they stopped for a break was when a knock on the door interrupted them.With a slight irritation written all over her face, Elena mumbled. “Come in!”A security guard walked in. With audible dismay in his tone, he uttered. “Miss… W-We found something…”Elena noticed the fright in the man’s eyes. She kept her cool when she asked him. “What is it?”The security guard remained silent as if he was searching for the words, which made Elena even more anxious. “Out with it! What happened?”“Y-Yes… Someone
Their conversation buffed Jackson. In his twenty something years, he never heard of any rebels. He joined them with a question of his own. “What’s going on?”Amber ignored him once more and continued. “Bryce, check for nearby concentrations of the same algae I just uploaded!”“Excuse me…?”“On it, boss!”Irritated, Jackson banged his hand on the door. The thud he produced got the attention of Amber. “What?!”“Will you tell me what’s going on, please?”Amber sighed. “Bryce, fill him in while I continue my research, in case I missed something…”[Oh, man… Do I have to?]“Yes! Otherwise, he’ll just annoy me…”[Fine! Give me some time to finish something and I’ll get back to you.]The holographic projection of Bryce ended, and Amber looked at Jackson with visible irritation in her eyes. “Shoo! Go someplace else!”Jackson walked away from the van after Amber requested him to do so. With the device at hand, he sat at the stairs of Cloud Manor and waited for Bryce to call back.In the meantim
A village burnt to the ground appeared as the antithesis of the surrounding serene canvas of greenery.The chirping of birds came from the distance. Bursts of wind silenced the animals, which made it even more eerie. It would raise ashes, creating a suffocating gray mist.Jackson, dumbfounded with welled crimson eyes, tried his hardest to breathe by covering his nose with a piece of cloth, filtering the stuffed air. He couldn’t believe the sight in front of him.At first, he thought it was an illusion created by the low oxygen in his brain. He couldn’t wrap his head around it, thinking his eyes played tricks. He resisted the urge to rub them, to not worsen the situation. Stunned, Jackson stared at the girl at the door. Several scenarios went through his mind. The last thing he expected to find was the girl he searched for.With a similar expression, Tia blacked out in front of the young man. Her turquoise eyes almost went white from surprise. “Why?”From the corners of his eyes, Jacks
As soon as she heard Jackson’s words, Tia ejected from her seat. Her breathing became heavy, as if she was on the brink of a panic attack. “Who are they? Do they know about me?!”Jackson tried to calm her down. “Relax! Nobody knows about you. I didn’t even know until you opened the door…”The girl paced back and forth. She fidgeted with her fingers and approached the window to peek outside. “Come to think of it, how did you find me?”“You getting taken was like an abduction in Southfield. Whoever it was, they took Aria Brown’s sister. The people I came with suspected the rebels…”Jackson would continue talking until he saw the expression on Tia’s face. He found it strange, but he soon understood that she had nothing to do with that.He pondered for several seconds, lost in thought. Jackson got up from the armchair to stretch his feet. He paced back and forth while thinking. “It makes little sense…!”He then turned to Tia with a somewhat surprised look on his face. “Who were the friends
When the gunshot went off, Jackson with the two women inside the house got roused. Tia approached the window. Before she could look outside, Amber pulled her back. “That’s dangerous! Stay out of sight!”Frightened, the girl uttered. “I want to know what happened…”After a short static in Amber’s intercom, Bryce’s voice came through.[Amber… They shot Gianni!]With eyes widened, Amber stared into nothingness. Her brain was as if it froze, and words refused to leave her mouth. She looked blankly in Jackson’s direction.Although he could take a guess, Jackson asked for nothing. Instead, he flipped the table. Swiftly, he grabbed their hands and dragged them behind the toppled furniture. “Get down…”Meanwhile, Bryce had already returned to the van. Cold sweat drenched his clothes, and his breathing became erratic. The fleeting scene of Gianni getting shot in front of him kept replaying in his mind.Crimson blood splattered on the van’s doors. The painted ground became slippery as the burly
“No way! How?!” Tia stood trembling in front of the group of strangers. Although Jackson supported her, she still felt weak in her knees. With both hands, she covered her mouth and her eyes widened in surprise. Amber didn’t know how to respond, therefore she remained silent, waiting for the event to develop in front of her. “Until recently, I was with the West family…” A young girl in the opposite group made the connection between him and Jackson and gasped. “Oh, he’s the guy who helped you escape?!” “That’s right…” He looked at the girl who had trouble believing in her eyes. He let out a sigh before walking towards Jackson and the others. “… And this is Tia Kraft!” The people in his group gasped. With expressions of shock written all over their faces, they faltered. Jackson tapped Tia’s shoulder, getting her attention. “Do you know this person?” The girl looked at him. The blurry vision made her squint her eyes. She nodded as the words refused to leave her mouth. After a f