“What do you mean none of them can be found?” the man shouted into the phone, his hand trembling. He was trying hard not to drop the device.
“We can’t be sure of everything,” the voice on the line explained. “But for now, none of them have been located. It’s unlikely that they’ve gotten far, considering that they escaped only escaped fourteen hours ago. However, it’s still possible that a few have escaped our search limits.”
“You don’t understand! Those people are criminals, they could easily kill off most of the people in this city without even trying. You don’t know how much experience they’ve had, what they’re capable of.”
“Look, I know who we’re talking about here. I know that they’re dangerous. But I just don’t think that we can really do anything about it, other than warn the people and have them be on the look out for the criminals. Maybe, we’ll capture a few. However, I doubt that that’s likely. It’s dangerous, but there’s nothing else we can do.” the voice reasoned. The man groaned, slamming the phone down. He couldn’t believe that the government was being so stupid. This situation was serious; people could die if they didn’t capture everyone.
The man sat down in the chair, putting his head in his hands. He couldn’t believe that this was happening. There was a crisis, and no one cared about it. He worried about how it all would turn out; would everyone die? Or would the authorities have enough time to capture all the criminals? The man picked up the phone, and dialed the number of the local newspaper.
“Hello?”
“Hi, I’d like to put in a suggestion for an article?” the man spoke.
“Very well. What is it?”
“It’s about the prisoners of Carcerem, tell people that if they spot anyone new in the town, have them immediately sent to the jail. Once they’re there, they will be checked to make sure that they aren’t anyone who’s escaped. They’ll be let out afterwards.”
“Okay. We’ll make sure to put that in.” the person from the newspaper confirmed, and hung up. The man sighed and leaned back in his chair. He hoped that everything would solve its self, but he couldn’t be sure. Maybe; just maybe it would. However the chances of that happening would be very unlikely. It was impossible for more than three hundred criminals to return themselves to their rightful places. No one would give themselves up.
The man sighed heavily and closed his eyes, hoping that nothing bad would happen. He hoped that everyone would be safe, he hoped that in the end they would be found. He hoped that he would still be alive by the end of the month. The man stood, pushing in his chair. He walked up to the computer that appeared to be a hologram and he scrolled through the files of all the prisoners. This one did this, that one did that. All their stories were different, each and everyone disturbed the man even more. By the time that he had gotten to the tenth, he was ready to never sleep again for fear that the criminal would come in the night for him. He could only imagine that the crimes got worse and worse as the files progressed.
The man pushed a button and the faces of the convicted disappeared. He walked out of the office, turning off the lights in the hallway as he progressed. He walked over to his locker and grabbed his jacket, tapped it down to make sure there were no hidden bombs, and draped it over his shoulders. It was the end of fall, and it had gotten freezing. He wouldn’t be surprised if the temperatures this winter got into the far negatives.
He walked to his car, pulling open the door against the fierce wind. He shivered fiercely, stepping into the warm interior. The man sighed gratefully and closed the door, dropping his head back and enjoying the heat. After a few minutes of blanking out, he sat back up, gripping the steering wheel in his hands. He put the key in the engine, and waited for the hunk of metal to start up.
The machine came to life, roaring under him. He smiled, content that it was working. Lately his car had been stopping when it was out in the cold for a long time; he was worried that it wouldn’t start considering that he had been at work for more than ten hours. He didn’t feel like waiting for an hour until the car repairmen came, so he was relieved.
The man started driving down the road, occasionally looking out his side window to make sure that he wasn’t dangerously close to the sidewalk. He saw a dark shape flash in front of him and his eyes went back on the road. Before he could register what was happening he swirled the car around, nearly crashing into a tree. He closed his eyes, and was jolted out of his seat.
The man exhaled loudly, closing off his mind. He didn’t feel like thinking. He tried to ignore the shooting pain that ran up and down his arms and legs, and just let himself fall into the darkness. He heard sirens coming; he knew that they meant something, but he couldn’t recall what it was. White and red lights shone through his eyelids, and though he tried to block out the flashing lights he couldn’t manage.
He heard footsteps approaching the car, the feet crunching on the gravel. The man turned his head to the side and moaned, now fully aware of all the pain that ran through his body.
“Are you okay, sir?” a man’s voice called from outside the car. The man inside mumbled some indistinguishable words, and the car door was opened. He shivered, trying to ask the car door to be closed. His voice came out jumbled, and it frustrated him how he couldn’t get his message out. “We need a stretcher here immediately!” he commanded, yelling to the people outside.
In less than a minute, the man felt himself being lifted into a stretch of coarse fabric. He moaned, and he was rushed into a dark, chemical scented car. He closed his eyes, and allowed himself to black out.

* * *
Aiden stumbled down the path, pressing his hand to his head. He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut but then reopening them so that he wouldn’t trip and fall down the long stairwell. His bag was heavy on his shoulders, pressing down and making his trip even more difficult. He was on his way to the library to be able to write in peace- his older sister and mom weren’t being very helpful in the process. Every five minutes one of them barged into his room, screaming whether or not he had seen the curling iron/ hairbrush/ nail polish. He didn’t know where any of it was, so they kicked him out of the house. He didn’t really mind, considering that it was difficult to concentrate in the destruction that he called home.
Aiden rubbed his raw shoulders, wishing that he didn’t have so many books in his bag. He had just stormed out of the house, not even bothering to take his textbooks out of the bag which he used for school. He stepped out onto the street and ran across, attempting not to get run over by any cars. He sighed with relief when he arrived on the other side completely intact. Aiden walked into the library, breathing in the scent of old paper that lay thick in the air.
No one used libraries any more, ever since e-books were created. Electronic book systems had a program where you could get a book for a few days, then take it off. No one bothered having heavy books with them, it was easier to have a paper thin device with hundreds of texts on it instead of thousands of pages. It was more compact and easier- just the way that people wanted their lives to be. He went and sat down at one of the long, dark wooden tables, pulling out his thin computer. He opened it up, glanced through his emails, and opened up a new document.
In the last ninety years or so, technology didn’t change that much. Other than a few small new products, no one had the time to think of ideas that made life easier. Fifty years previously, there had been a huge epidemic. The world was still recovering. Aiden started typing, his hands flying across the square shaped keys. He loved writing. Just recently he had discovered the joys of it, and he couldn’t think of a better way to spend his time. His mom and his sister found it a waste of time, but to them anything that didn’t include shopping was counted as a waste.
He recently started writing a book about a girl, haunted by her past. She had spent her entire youth worrying, hurting others. In the end, it came back to her. She tried to run away from the thoughts that followed her, but in the end she was consumed by guilt and fear. He hadn’t thought about what would happen to her at the end of the book, but he was certain that it wouldn’t be a joyful ending. He felt that books that ended happily were unrealistic- life rarely gave you what you wanted.
Aiden looked at the clock- half an hour had already gone by since he had entered the library. He wondered whether or not his mom and sister would be gone by now, and he decided to stay for another hour or so. It wasn’t like he had anything important to do, so he could spend his time just relaxing. His hands returned to the computer, but nothing came to him. His head had gone entirely blank, and it seemed like he couldn’t think of anything. Aiden draped his sweater over his shoulders, realizing how cold it had gotten inside of the room.
He stood, closing his computer and putting it back into his bag. He decided to write later- if he couldn’t think of anything there was no point in just sitting around, waiting for something to come to mind. He wandered between the aisles of books, glancing at the spines. Nothing interesting- just old literature that no one bothered to read. People didn’t want to read fictitious stories that talked about how life once was, they didn’t want to read the incorrect predictions of the future. No one could’ve predicted the horrible illness, no one thought about how many people would’ve died. Sometimes Aiden blamed the people of before for what had happened, and what hadn’t been prevented, but he realized that he wouldn’t have done much back then either. No one couldn’t guessed that it had been coming. He didn’t blame their ignorance.
Aiden heaved his back onto his shoulder, deciding that it was time to go. He didn’t have anything to do, so there was no point in just sitting and waiting for nothing. He walked out, shaking in the frigid air like a leaf in a breeze. He wandered slowly, hoping that his mom and sister were gone. Maybe for once, he would be able to sit in peace and quiet in his small apartment.

* * *
Angelle glanced in the mirror one more time and ran her fingers through her thick white-blond curls. She smiled at herself; people called her a narcissist, but in her opinion only those that were unhappy with the way that they looked said that. They didn’t want to see their ugliness in the mirror, and it made them feel jealous when others saw their own reflections and were happy with them.
She looked outside- it wasn’t dark enough yet. She had planned to meet someone when it was night time, and clearly there was at least half an hour left to wait. She breathed out heavily through her nose, tapping on the screen of her computer. She glanced through several websites, trying to find new ways to do her makeup.
Angelle hated her name. She knew that she wasn’t an angel, so her name was very unfitting. It was like giving a dog the name ‘Cat’. In her eyes, it was completely ridiculous. She didn’t think that she was a devil, but far from anything considered angelic. She stood up, looking around her small room. She was alone in the house- as usual. She didn’t really mind the loneliness, but sometimes she felt like she really needed company.
Angelle had several friends, but none of them were too close. To her, they were just people. People that didn’t need to be acknowledged, at least by her. Everyone wanted praise, even she did. Maybe because she never did get what she yearned, she turned to what she did. She didn’t know why she did it, but it just helped her relax. She could just turn her mind off, at least for a few minutes. It was better to suffer with guilt than with sadness, and it was better to have half an hour where she was released from life than none at all.
She stood, checking her makeup once more in the small, oval mirror. Angelle took out a tube of mascara and brushed it over her eyelashes for what seemed like the fiftieth time that day. The cheap stuff just never did it- she needed the actual product. Even though it was much more expensive, at least she was content with it. Angelle sighed and walked out of her bedroom door, closing it gently behind her.
She couldn’t believe that just a few months ago, she had been like any other fifteen year old girl. She didn’t remember how she had gotten to where she was now, a few small events happened, altering her life slightly. She just went along with all of it, thinking that it was normal. Angelle had never expected for it to go to this level; she thought it was just something fun that she could do as a past time.
She exited her house, wrapping her arms around her bare shoulders. She hadn’t expected it to be this cold. In the morning it was pretty warm; she wished that it stayed like that. Considering that it was fall, it would’ve been very unlikely if it had stayed that warm at seven thirty in the evening. Angelle looked up at the sky, observing the white orb in the almost black night. The dark silk was scattered with bright white diamonds- the stars. She wished that she could be a star. Just float above everyone, no worries, no fears. Specks of light didn’t have to decide whether or not what they were doing was right- they just shone as bright as they could through the unhappiness of others.
Angelle walked down the familiar alleyway, running her long lacquered nails over the chipped red brick walls. She sighed and looked up, noticing the silhouette of him. He, who introduced her to her new life. He, who broke her heart. But he, who took her in where she had no other place to go. He, who taught a new way to see life. He, who was the only one that she trusted. So for now, his positives outnumbered the negatives, and that was all that mattered to her.
“Hey Ang.” his raspy voice greeted. He turned to face her, his eyes glinting in the yellow light of the streetlamp.
“Hi Asher. You have it today, yes?” she asked, impatient. Right now, she wanted it more than anything. She wanted to fall into the abyss that she got into whenever she did it, and just forget about everything.
“Yeah, I do.”
“Thanks so much... I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she laughed gently. He smiled at her, taking out a bottle of liquid and a syringe. Angelle reached out her arm, getting ready. Asher opened the bottle and carefully inserted the needle into the the glass-like water. Angelle could feel her mouth watering- she wanted it now. He saw her impatience and hurried, turning the needle to the sky and tapping it several times. The air bubbles escaped to the top. He squeezed the plunger. Angelle looked longingly at the few drops of the liquid that had fallen on the floor- she wanted it so much.
“Okay, all ready. You prepared?” he asked. She nodded eagerly, stretching out her arm. He attempted to find a vein in the dim alleyway, and finally located one. He gently inserted the needle into her pockmarked arm, squeezing all the liquid into her veins. Angelle screamed out loud as fire coursed through her veins, she always hated the first minute because of the pain. Soon the flames inside of her died down, and she sighed in relief. The good part was now to come.
She felt herself being dipped into joy, her entire life became sugar- coated.
“Hey Asher.” she grinned, turning to him. She giggled, she felt as though she were floating on a cloud.
“Yes, Angelle. Hi. We’ve already met, there’s no need for introductions.”
“Aw, you’re so funny,” she laughed, bringing her arm down onto his shoulder. He pushed it off, lashing out his hand and striking her across her face. “Ow... that hurt...” she sniffed, rubbing the raw area.
“I didn’t want to do that. But you have to learn to control yourself. I won’t give you anymore Noir if you act like that.” he spat.
“No...” she murmured, her eyes getting huge. “Don’t take that away from me. It’s the only thing that I have in my life!” she cried. Angelle collapsed onto the floor, rolling up into a small ball.
“I won’t, but only if you act like a decent person. Stop that!” he yelled as she hugged onto his leg. “That’s it. No more Noir for an entire month.”
“Please, I’ll do anything to make it up to you. Just don’t take it away.” she begged.
“Fine. But you’ll have to do a lot to make up your behavior, you realize?” Asher asked. She vigorously nodded, grey tears sliding down her pale cheeks. “Good. Now; there are too many people trying to find out what happened to the prisoners of Carcerem. That worries me, I don’t want anyone to know. We can’t have anyone know. Do you understand me, Angelle?” he asked, placing his hand on her face. He didn’t really like her, but sometimes the only thing that someone needed when they were on the Noir was reassurance from someone they trusted.
“I see. What do you suggest I do about that?”
“You certainly can’t stop people from investigating, I know that. But maybe if we get rid of enough people, someone will realize that their curiosity is killing them.”
“If more people die, won’t it just evoke their thoughts?” Angelle reasoned.
“I don’t know. But they’ll see that we’re dangerous, see that we mean trouble.”
“If you say so.”
“Good. Now, there are several people that I need you to take care of; if you know what I mean.” he explained. She nodded.
“I’ll do it as quick as I can. Just tell me who, and I’ll go.” Asher handed her a piece of paper with names and addresses written down, and she took it into her grasp. She turned around, and the white wings tattooed on her back shone in the light of the moon as she walked away into the night.

I unlocked my front door, allowing Alyss to walk in after me. She groaned loudly and let her heavy bag slide off of her shoulder.
“Today was so exhausting!” she complained.
“It wasn’t that bad.” I shrugged.
“Think about it. Two tests. Basketball practice. You had to stay after school to practice for your German final, and I had to come before school to practice my Russian with the teacher. If that’s not a tiring day, I don’t know what is.” Alyss explained, leaning against the wall and sliding down it until she was sitting on the floor.
“Well yeah, it was kind of exhausting. But hey, it was better than the day when we had to go to our track meet and it was like, a hundred degrees outside.” I helpfully added.
“I guess.” she sighed. I helped her get up and we walked over to my room, sitting down on the small couch that I had in the corner. Alyss stroked the soft suede-like material, closing her eyes and leaning back onto the pillow.
“Come on, life isn’t that bad. It could be worse.”
“Easy for you to say. You don’t have something going on everyday this week. I have basketball three days out of the week, chorus practice on Saturday, the recital on Sunday, violin lessons on Tuesday and Thursday. I have no free days!” she shouted.
“Shhh, calm down. You’ll be fine. And anyways, you enjoy doing all of those things. If you don’t want to do them, or if they’re an overload on you, just quit something. Stop violin, you’ve been growing tired of that lately.” I suggested.
“But my parents will be so disappointed if I stop; anyways it isn’t that bad.”
“Then stop going to chorus.”
“I love singing!”
“Basketball?”
“The entire team is relying on me.”
“Alyss, you aren’t that good. Don’t be so self centered.” I teased.
“Well, I’m better than most people.”
“Not really...”
“At least I made a basket in during our last game.” she defended.
“I guess. Then, if you like doing everything, don’t complain. And if you care about all of them that much, you should be happy. If something tires you, drop it.”
“Still... I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”
“No one will care if you stop playing violin, other than your parents. And even if you do stop taking lessons, you can always just practice at home by yourself a few times a week. I’m sure that you wouldn’t do badly.”
“I just don’t want to upset anyone.” I sighed. Alyss always tried to make people happy, she tried so hard that she just forgot that she had to take care of herself first. It upset me to see her like this- running around this way and that for the praise of people that she didn’t care about. In the end, it just came down to the fact that she was hurting herself. A few weeks ago I tried telling her this, and she just got annoyed and said that I just was unhappy with the fact that she had more friends than I did- which wasn’t really true. Most people just talked to her because of the sacrifices that she was willing to make for them.
“Whatever, Alice,” I shrugged. “It’s your choice. But just remember that you don’t always have to please people.” She pressed her lips together in an expression of annoyance, but soon it was gone.
“Fine.” she spat. She looked at her watch, trying to calculate how much longer she was designated to be at much house. How much she had to wait before leaving wouldn’t be considered rude. “By the way, I have to leave in like, half an hour. Sorry. We have a lot of homework, and I still want to relax today.” she apologized. I nodded, hurt by her brusqueness. But then again, I couldn’t do anything about it. Alyss would still be Alyss, and I couldn’t change that no matter how hard I tried.
“So how are you?” I asked. My voice sounded a lot tired than it had a few moments ago, I noticed.
“I’m fine. What about you?” she responded, sounding indifferent.
“Fine. Just kind of, tired. I don’t like Mondays too much.”
“Same.” We sat for a while on the couch, not saying anything to each other. I looked out my window, observing the almost white sky. It would probably snow, I realized. I always noticed that whenever it was going to rain heavily, the sky was much darker. Sometimes, it even seemed like it was night, though it was only about three in the afternoon, in reality. I wished that it would snow. Whenever the snow fell, everything seemed to freeze. It was deathly quiet, and almost no one was outside. When the white ash fell from the sky, it was like no one wanted to be outside. They were all inside, warm with their families, drinking hot chocolate out of dull mugs. I liked to take walks in the white powder- no one around, nothing around other than the white shroud that covered everything.
“Alyss?” I cautiously questioned.
“What?” she hissed. I sunk down. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. What did you want to say?” she apologized in a gentler voice.
“Does it seem to you like we’re kind of... growing apart?”
“What do you mean by that? I think that we’re fine...” she mumbled, looking down. I could tell that she sensed it too.
“It’s just that, we never have anything to talk about anymore. It seems like we always argue, or have something to say that will just insult each other. Don’t you feel it?”
“I... I don’t know.” Alyss looked down at her watch, and her face lit up when she realized that it was time to go. “Sorry Sakura. I have to leave- you know. I need to... take care of my brother.” I nodded, not mentioning that her excuse was different the last time.
“Bye then.” We both stood and I walked her to the door, waiting for her to pull on her shoes. She heaved her bag onto her shoulder.
“Bye. See you tomorrow.” she muttered, distracted. She opened the door and stepped out, shivering momentarily in the cold.
“Bye.” I whispered, closing the door behind her. I locked the doorknob, sighing and sliding down the wall. It seemed that lately, I’ve had to say goodbye to everything. Everyone. Nothing stayed, it seemed. Everyone was going somewhere, doing something. And I was just left alone, surrounded by the emptiness of people that once were there. I wrapped my arms around myself, noticing how much I trembled. Why was everything changing? Why was everything disappearing, leaving? Why was I being abandoned by everything that I had known?
I used to fight the change, but soon it became too much to handle. I learned to just go with the flow, give up. There was no point in struggling. It was always easier to forget your principles than fight for them. I was too exhausted of fighting. I shook heavily, and I felt wet tears sliding down my face. I wanted to stop, but it was too much now. They poured freely- I momentarily thought that my mascara might smudge, but that didn’t really matter right now. I had to get everything out, and hope that it was the last.
After what seemed like forever, I got up, wiping the tears from my face. I looked in the mirror, at my red puffy eyes, the black lines going down my face. I didn’t really care now. I got a tissue and tried to wipe away, but then gave up when I found it useless. I wished that Alyss and I had a better relationship as friends. It seemed like it was always at the extremes, either it was at the top, or we hated each other with no end. I hated that we could never just stay in the middle, like most girls were with their friends.
I walked over to the phone- the thing that I needed the most right now was Aidan. People thought that we dated; though I didn’t think that we were dating. A date usually had a guy ask a girl “Do you want to go on a date?”. He never said anything like that. We had a very old fashioned phone, from more than a century ago. It was the kind with the wheel that you spun. I dialed his number, waiting for it to ring. After several tones, it went to the voicemail.
I sighed and dejectedly put down the phone, sitting down on my bed. A few seconds later I joyfully stood when it rang.
“Hello?” I asked, picking up the phone.
“Hey, Sakura. It’s Aidan.” he responded, his voice fuzzy over the phone static. There was music in the background noise, beautiful music. I smiled.
“Hi. How are you?”
“I’m fine. You?”
“I’m good. What’s that music in the background?” I asked.
“Oh, I’m just playing the keyboard.” he explained. I nodded, letting myself sink into the melody. “So why did you call?” he questioned.
“I don’t know. Just felt like talking to someone, I guess. Alyss and I just kind of fought... I was feeling sort of lonely. If you have to go, it’s fine.” I answered. I nervously wrapped the telephone cord around my finger, looking out my window once more. It had already started snowing, as I had predicted it would.
“No, I can talk. It’s fine. Why didn’t you pick up the phone before? I called you.” he worried.
“Really? I’m sorry, I probably didn’t hear it.”
“Oh, that’s fine. So, what did you and Alyss fight about?”
“It’s just that, it seems like she’s always trying to please people. I worry about her, but in the end she just says that I’m jealous and that’s why I’m opposing her plan. Do you think I sound ridiculous? Caring about things like that.”
“No, I don’t think it’s ridiculous. She’s the one being unmanageable. You’re her friend- you’re supposed to be concerned about her. If she doesn’t understand that, you should just try to new find new friends. I’d suggest that you talk to her, explain what’s happening, but I have a feeling that you’ve tried that before. Am I right?”
“You actually are.” I marveled. It was amazing how it sometimes seemed like he could almost read my mind.
“See? You always should listen to me.” he chuckled. I noticed that the music he was playing before had stopped, sadly. I loved that music.
“Yeah. Ugh, I don’t want to go to school tomorrow. I’m too tired.” I groaned.
“Eh, it shouldn’t be that bad. And I doubt that anyone wants to go to school. If they do, they must be very strange.” he dismissed.
“I guess. That still doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want to go.”
“Yeah. How do you think you did on the German final, by the way?”
“I actually think that I did pretty well. I didn’t study at all, but I felt like I knew everything.”
“Really? I probably like, completely failed it. It was so confusing! Especially when we had to write a short story using our recent vocabulary. At first I couldn’t think of a plot, but then I realized that I didn’t have the language for it.” I laughed.
“You probably weren’t that bad. You’re pretty good in German, you usually get all the answers right.” I reassured.
“I doubt it. You for sure got a good grade, you’re really good at it. You’re like, the best person in the class.” I blushed over the line, people rarely complimented me. Then again, people rarely noticed me. I wasn’t a particularly visible person.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. He was silent.
“If you want, do you want to go somewhere after school tomorrow? For coffee or something like that?” he asked out of the blue.
“Oh, um. Sure.” I smiled. That had been unexpected. We sometimes talked after school, but we had never actually gone anywhere.
“See, now you have something to look forward to. So come to school tomorrow.”
“I will.”
“Well then... goodbye?”
“Yeah. Bye. See you tomorrow.” I replied.
“Bye, Sakura.” I waited for him to hang up the phone, but I still heard the sound of his breathing over the line.
“Are you still there?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I’m waiting for you to hang up.” I laughed after his reason.
“I’m doing the same thing.”
“Okay then. I guess I’ll hang up first. See you tomorrow.” he finished. After a few more seconds, the line went dead. I reluctantly put down the phone, wanting to converse some more with him. Talking with Aidan was always so relaxing, I didn’t have to worry about what I said, or about whether or not I accidentally insulted him. He didn’t care about that. All that he wanted was conversation, and that was the only thing that I wanted. It was nice having a person around that didn’t care about who you were, or who you acted like.
I walked over and sat down on my bed, drawing my knees up to my chest. I breathed in deeply, closing my eyes and smiling. Tomorrow should be a good day. I’d never been anywhere with a guy, so I wasn’t sure how it’d go. I decided to go and decide on my outfit right now, since I would spend probably an hour deciding and I didn’t have that kind of time in the mornings.
I went over to my closet and pushed aside mounds of clothes, trying to find the perfect combination. Not my white tutu- too, just too much. I considered a vintage t-shirt that I had, but then decided against it. In the end I figured that I’d wear my cobalt blue woven shirt with a black tank top underneath and black skinny jeans. It wasn’t too fancy, but not too simple. Perfect. I chose a pair of blue feather earrings, and was all set for tomorrow. It was only six, so I still had two hours before my mom came home and I had to do all the random tasks that she set for me. I was happy that I had a lot of time alone each day, it was relaxing to have so much freedom. A lot of other people that I knew could barely do anything. They had to be home before it was dark, but it wasn’t like my mom would know when I came home. I had complete control over my life, unlike many other people in the grade.
I opened my bag and pulled out my homework- I still had to do it, unfortunately. High school was a lot harder than eighth grade was, but it wasn’t that difficult. I eventually got used to it. After doing a packet of trigonometry from my advanced math class, I decided to take a break. It was too annoying, and I needed to relax for a while. Whenever I was too stressed I got really sick, strangely. Because of my strange habit, I decided not to overload today. I didn’t want to miss tomorrow, what with the upcoming trip.
I wandered aimlessly around my room, waiting for an idea to come to mind. I had absolutely no clue of what to do. Boredom was one of the things that I hated most in life. You could rarely get over it, and it struck at the most random of times. However, what I hated the most was when people tried to impress other people that in the end, would never even care about them. I’d had a lot of experience with that, and unfortunately it was mainly with Alyss. I wished that she could just be happy with what she had, not try to struggle to please people that she didn’t care about, and never would.
I went over to my couch once more, sitting down and staring out the window. It was so beautiful out there, it made me want to go and walk around. I decided to do just that- I needed a break from people. I pulled on my shoes and jacket, walking out the door and then locking it behind me. I gasped when the cold hit me, it had never been that bad. I considered going back inside, but then I decided to just walk around for a little while longer. It was so beautiful, after all.
I started wandering around, the newly fallen snow crushing where I stepped. There wasn’t that much of it around, but at least it was sticking to the ground. The first snow of the year, I realized. I smiled. Maybe, things would get better for once. Because for me, after the first snow, everything became insane. Uncontrollable. I hoped that maybe, for once this year, I would be able to live a calm life.

Josie walked down the streets, clutching her books tightly to her chest. She hated the dark, and hated the fact that her brother had made her go to the library to get books for him because he was too lazy. He had also threatened her with a gun- which was the main reason why she hadn’t objected. She hated him. She hated the way that he treated her, the way that he acted when she was around. If she could, she would live alone. But Josie was only fifteen, and according to the law, that was a luxury not meant for her. Yet, at least.
Her feet crunched on dead leaves as she ran through the alleyway behind the coffee shop that used to be just an abandoned old building. Dim lights shone down on her, and she lowered her head as though the lamps were people, staring down at her with disappointment. That had happened to her several times before- she hated it. People always thought that she was supposed to be the good girl, the one that everyone looked up to. The somewhat annoying one, but nevertheless the one that knew everything. She had been that girl, but that was back in middle school. When no one saw her, no one noticed her. She was just the smart girl, and nothing more.
Once Josie had gotten into high school, she decided to change her life. She spoke with other people, dressed differently. But in the end, she went right back to where she was before. Just another girl, who tried to hard to be someone and in the end sunk somewhere even lower than before. People passed by her in the hallway, glaring in her general direction but never making eye contact. Josie hated them, all of them. She was so lonely, so sad whenever she went to her school. And her brother didn’t really help with her problems- in the end she had no one.
Josie looked at the sides of the alleyway, trying to spot anything interesting to look at while she walked. In the end she gave up, and looked up at the sky. She wished that the stars were still visible- after the epidemic the air was so polluted that it was almost impossible to see anything other than a faint, yellowish grey fog over the entire world. She wished that she could see anything up there- the moon, or maybe even the stars. Two nights ago there had been a really clear night, and she could see everything- even a shooting star.
Josie tripped over something hard on the ground, knocking her out of her trance.
“Ah!” she cried out in surprise as she fell to the ground. She landed on her arms, scraping her elbows. Josie picked herself up, groaning and brushing the slightly damp leaves off of her hands. She lifted the books off of the ground, and turned around to see what she had tripped over.
Josie’s brows scrunched together as she realized what she was looking at. A human foot- shoeless. Her mouth widened, but still she was drawn to the body. She wiped off the leaves from the body, and stared at it. It was a man, his face colorless. His wrists and his ankles had deep red marks on them, encircling them like a bracelet. The man had on worn out clothing, and his hair and skin were dirty. Just then she noticed the metal collar around his neck. She recognized it from when she had gone to bail her brother out of jail. Prison guards chained it around the necks around the captives- it could explode if the prisoner escaped. However, she doubted that an explosion was the cause of his death.
Josie crouched down next to the limp form, looking at the collar to see what prison it came from. Most likely it was one of the nearby ones, the county jail, or something like that. She didn’t expect the words “Carcerem” to be etched onto the metal in a cryptic font. Josie stepped away from the body, trembling. This couldn’t be. She had found a prisoner of Carcerem. The first one. She knew about the escape. She knew how deadly everyone in there was. But she didn’t know that it was possible for someone like her to be able to find the first of the mysteriously missing escapees.
Josie jumped up, grabbing her phone out of her purse. She immediately called the police, waiting for the line to ring.
“Hello?” a gruff male voice asked.
“Hi. I’m here behind Cafe Moonlight. I think I’ve found a prisoner of Carcerem.” she explained. The voice was silent.
“Are you serious? Is he alive- or dead?” the man interrogated, sounding more interested than he had when he first answered.
“I’m pretty sure that he’s dead. Yes, I’m serious. The metal collar.. thing, is around his neck.”
“We’ll be right there.” the man barked into the phone, then hung up. Josie walked over to the man, sitting down on a tree stump next to him. She didn’t see why he was so dangerous. He looked so young, so harmless. If his hair was clean, he would’ve looked a bit like an angel. She wondered what crime he had committed that was so bad that it had gotten him into Carcerem.
Josie looked sadly at the fallen man, feeling sorry for him even though she knew that she shouldn’t. He was a criminal, after all. He might’ve been the leader of the big homicide that had happened a year ago. She told herself that that was unlikely, considering that he looked maybe a year older than her. Someone who was fifteen was very insusceptible for something like that.
After a few minutes of sitting next to the man, Josie heard sirens and she lifted her head. Bright lights accompanied the loud sounds, and soon several people ran up to her.
“Are you alright, miss?” one of the men asked her, helping her to her feet though she needed no assistance.
“I’m fine. After all, when I cam he was dead.” she shrugged.
“Are you sure you’re fine?”
“Yes!” she shouted, stepping away.
“Youth...” the man grumbled. He and several others cautiously approached the body, and he prodded it with his gun to make sure that he was in fact not living. “Dead.” he proclaimed, a certain tone of pride in his voice. As though it was very difficult to figure out whether or not someone was dead, Josie thought to herself.
“Now what?” she asked. The man shook his head back and forth, as though he couldn’t believe that he had actually found one of the lost prisoners.
“I don’t know. They never taught us what to do in a situation like this,” the man laughed nervously. “So I don’t know. Sorry.” he apologized.
“What- will you just leave him here to rot!” Josie shouted, stunned by his lack of knowledge. He shouldn’t have become a police man if he didn’t know what to do in serious situations like this.
“I won’t. I’ll probably call the boss...” he mumbled.
“What will your boss do!?” she yelled at him, stepping closer. “I’m betting that he’s just as helpless as you are- maybe even worse! Why should I trust you- or him for that matter?”
“Calm down! God!” the man exclaimed. “And anyways, why do you care about him so much?” the man leaned in closer to Josie, staring her in the eyes. “Do you have some sort of association with this criminal? Maybe you two committed crimes together- maybe you’re his girlfriend.” he accused.
“No. I just think that it’s stupid how you won’t do anything about it.”
“I’ll do plenty about it. It would be best if you left- little girl. This isn’t business for someone like you.” he scorned.
“Fine.” Josie spat. She turned around and picked up her books from the ground, brushing off the fine dust that had settled on them. She walked away huffily, thinking how idiotic some people could be. She wondered if any other criminals would be found- it was so mysterious. The coffee that he was behind was pretty far away from Carcerem- Josie tried to think of a way that he could’ve ended up there. Began thinking that it might’ve been a conspiracy of some sort- someone let out the criminals and then killed all of them. However, she found that idea unlikely and put it back in the recesses of her mind.
Josie walked slowly- she wasn’t too eager about going home. She knew that when she arrived, her brother would once again treat her like she didn’t exist. Once again, she would just return to her room, and not come out again until the morning shone its bright lights through the window. She wished that she could have a better life. She knew that there were people who had it worse of than her; but that didn’t keep her wishing for something more, something better. For a family who loved her, friends that were actually there for her when she needed them. She wanted to be seen; not as the freak of nature that she was now, but as someone more deep, more compassionate.
Because Josie tried. She really did. She tried and tried to be accepted by the crowd, be seen as one of them. But each and every time, she was rejected, just like the times past. Nothing would ever change- and she knew that. The fact didn’t stop her from trying to be seen, but it lessened her effort each and every time. Recently, her cries for help had just been small pleas, as though she knew that the answer would be rejection. She sometimes felt that there was no point left in her life, that in the end it would just end with unsatisfaction. Josie didn’t want to think that, so she often ignored the dark thoughts that lingered in her mind. Every so often, they reappeared; but she just pushed them away even harder. She didn’t like those thoughts, and she didn’t want to know what she would do if she was under the influence of those haunting words. Worthless. Freak. Idiot.
Josie broke into a jog, shutting her eyes. Maybe, she thought, if she couldn’t see the world, the thoughts would no longer follow her. She found that blocking out the world was completely unhelpful, so she reopened her eyes. She slowed down, taking in a deep breath of the cool night air. She had arrived at her house, she realized, as she glanced over the building in front of her. From the inside she heard loud yells and bangs, and she wished that she didn’t have to go inside. The side door slammed open, the one leading to the kitchen, and her enraged brother stepped outside. He looked around neurotically, and turned to face her.
“Get the hell in here! Why did you take so long?” he screamed, stomping towards her. Josie held out the books, hoping that the gesture would cease his anger. He grabbed the books out of her outstretched arms and slapped them against the side of her head. Josie stumbled backward, her hand pressed against her now wet forehead. Her brother lifted the books once more and she stepped away from him, her eyes wide in fear.
“Please, stop.” she begged. He was full of anger, full of rage, so he didn’t bother listening to her.
“You came late. Where were you? Out with your so called ‘friends’? No one cares about you. You’re just a worthless piece of junk. Get it? You’re nothing. No one wants you, and no one needs you. You should’ve been left to die after you were born- then maybe life would be better than it is now. You just cause trouble, and you’re nothing but a plague on the people.” he spat.
“Don’t say that... please. I’m sorry. But I’m not worthless, I’m not junk. Why are you saying those things?” Josie whispered, looking up at him. She had a feeling that he wasn’t so bitter deep on the inside, but it still hurt her when he said that.
“I’m saying them because they’re true. If you don’t like the truth, just end your life. Do a favor to the world.” he hissed. He looked down at his sad sister, and nodded. The tormenting for the day was done. Josie watched him go back into the house from the corner of her eye, and once the door was firmly shut behind him, she collapsed onto the ground, sobbing. She couldn’t stand it, any of it. She didn’t understand why the world had to be so cruel to her- why everyone despised her so much.
Josie crossed her legs and sighed, pressing her arms to her chest. She felt so small sometimes, like she didn’t matter. She was certain that it was true, but she didn’t want to feel that way. She wanted to live a life like other girls- however that was probably impossible for someone like her. Josie stood, slowly wandering around her house. She didn’t feel like going inside, since her brother would probably just continue killing her spirit.
She wondered about the criminal. She felt so sorry for him- dead and so young. He looked just like an angel, in her opinion. His hair looked so soft underneath the many layers of dirt that coated it. Josie wished that he could’ve been her brother. However then she remembered that he was a criminal, but either way he was probably better than her brother. She furrowed her brow; she had to go back and see him again. Him. She knew that there was no reason for it, but it seemed necessary.
Josie started running towards the alleyway, panting. She had never been much of a runner, and it made her legs burn. Her head pounded as she ran, and her vision became blurry. But she didn’t care. She had to get away from everyone, everything. Company was overrated. She felt perfectly fine being alone; maybe because she had gotten used to it but maybe because it was true. She decided that people should just live alone, not bother with socializing. In the end, everyone would just leave.
Josie arrived at the dark entrance, and she started walking down the lane. The dark scared her, but not so much that she was hesitant to go. The flashing lights of the police cars were already gone, and she knew that the man would no longer be there. She hoped that she would, but it was unlikely considering that the authorities, no matter how stupid, wouldn’t leave a dead body of a convicted lying on the road behind a popular coffee shop.
She approached the place where the man had been lying- and there was nothing, just as she had predicted. Josie looked around, hoping to find something, anything to prove that he still existed. She saw a glint of silver underneath a layer of leaves and she brushed back the damp sheets, staring intently at the metal. It was the collar from before, she realized. Just the same as before, except for a small drop of blood that may or may not have been there. She didn’t really care about that, but the fact that she had found something that belonged to him was what pleased her the most.
Josie looked closely at the piece of metal, scrutinizing everything. The messy way that ‘Carcerem’ had been scratched onto the surface, as though each of the inmates had been forced to do it themselves. It didn’t look at all machine-made, she noticed. She didn’t know why she was so obsessed with something that used to belong to a criminal, it seemed crazy, weird. Psycho, she would even dare to call it. But she felt an attraction between the collar and herself. Josie hugged the metal to her chest, and started walking back home. It would be proof of what she saw, proof of what had happened. Even though she never planned on showing it to anyone, at least she herself would know that it wasn’t just a dream. Sometimes she confused reality and her dreams, it was helpful to know which was which.
Josie quietly entered her house through the back door, hoping that her brother was asleep. He was on the couch, staring with empty eyes at the flashing t.v screen. She passed by unnoticed, thankfully. She ran up the stairs to her room, closing the door behind her. Her dingy room was unspectacular; she didn’t want to have something so dull, but it was the only place where she could be alone. She put down the metal for a moment, and went over to her closet and changed into her black nightgown.
She breathed out heavily, wishing that she could be somewhere else. Anywhere else. The problem was, she didn’t really have anywhere to go. Josie knew that she would have to settle on that, even though she despised the fact that she would have to. She went over to her bed, picking up the collar on the way. She looked at it longingly, wishing that the person that it belonged to could be with her. Then she would have someone who could protect her from her brother, the harshness of the world. He could probably just kill them all- if he was alive.
Josie slipped underneath the covers, pulling up the lightweight down blanket to her chin. She attached the collar around her neck; now she could feel the way that he did all the time. Before he died. Before he escaped. Josie knew that it was ridiculous, what she was doing, but she didn’t mind. She decided that she would try to find out more about Carcerem and the escape. After all, she had been the first to discover one of them. She found it strange how he was dead in such and unexplainable way; and so far from the prison too. It seemed almost suspicious, but she knew that no one would want to kill a bunch of prisoners. No one would be brave enough.
Josie closed her eyes, pressing the cold metal to her neck. It never heated up, she noticed. Probably so that the prisoners would be even more uncomfortable. But she didn’t mind. As long as she was protected, at least in her thoughts, she was happy.

Angelle closed her eyes and leaned back onto the bench, letting the rays of the rising sun warm her. Her head was still heavy from the night before, and her vision was blurred as though someone had put a pane of frosted glass between her and the world. She rubbed her eyes, not caring if her makeup got smudged. She would go home soon anyway. She just had to get over the drug...
Angelle glanced over at the dead man next to her- her own doing. She wanted to stop doing it, to stop killing; but she needed the drug too much. Whenever she was on it, it seemed like she couldn’t control herself. She would do anything that anyone told her, no matter how crazy or dangerous. Angelle hated herself for doing it; but it seemed like she couldn’t survive without the drug. It was a part of her life, and always would be. She would keep taking it, keep killing, and it would go on like that forever.
She looked over at the man; he was just like all the others that he had been with. Hollow, empty eyes. Dirty hair. Ankles and wrists that looked like they had seen better days; everyone was the same. Small details like background and social status didn’t matter when you were a prisoner. Once you were behind bars, you became just like everyone else around you. It was like they made you be just like everyone else, so that you wouldn’t be trouble. Angelle was happy that she had never gone to a prison- not that there was a reason why she would be put in one. She didn’t want to become like everyone else, fit into the crowd.
Angelle hugged herself and shivered- she was still cold. That wasn’t much of a surprise, considering that she was still wearing what she had on the night before. She wished that she lived somewhere warmer. Somewhere in the S.S.C, the separated states of California. About fifty years before, before the epidemic, it had just been California. But then there had been a small war, and it was split up into several smaller sections. Every so often on the news she heard about a small conflict between the western and eastern sides. She didn’t really pay attention to that- the people of the S.S.C were always fighting. However she still wanted to live there. It seemed so nice, so beautiful. Right next to the ocean, that’s where she would live.
Angelle smiled- she loved dreaming about her future. Though it wasn’t very promising for someone like her, it was better to hope than give up on everything. She stood up, stretching and yawning. She covered the body with the black sand that was nearby the small reservoir and walked away when she was satisfied. Someone would find him soon enough. The body of water wasn’t very popular- but every so often a few teenagers came to splash each other with the cold water and fool around.
Angelle started walking at the edge of the reservoir, the water lapping at her feet. She smiled- it was wonderful. After several minutes of walking on the edge, she went back to the empty highway that passed by. Every so often a car came shooting by- but otherwise there was no one there. Angelle wandered barefoot in the direction of the city, she could already see the tall buildings in the distance. It was pretty far away, but she didn’t mind walking. It was relaxing; just having the world to yourself. A sleek yellow sports car slowed down next to her, and a feeling of paranoia came over Angelle.
The dark window rolled down, revealing a boy about her age wearing dark, reflective sunglasses. His hair was a dark chocolate brown color, and it was tousled around his head. He looked like the kind of person that was spoiled by their parents, that got everything that they wanted, Angelle noticed.
“Hey,” he purred. “Need a ride? I’ve got plenty of room.” he suggested. Angelle hesitated- it was probably a bad idea. Then again, she had nothing to loose.
“Uh, sure.” she shrugged coolly.
“‘kay. Climb in the front.” Angelle walked around to the other side, and pulled open the car door was some difficulty. She was very weak, and sometimes actions such as opening doors or closing them was hard. She admired the interior- the car seats were made of black leather, and it was surprisingly clean for a sixteen year old boy’s car. “You also going to the city?”
“Yeah.”
“Cool. Need me to drop you off anywhere?” he asked, as the car started moving.
“Maybe somewhere in downtown. I’m not really going anywhere in particular.”
“Okay. That’s where I’m going too, so, that’s good.”
“I’m Angelle.” she introduced.
“Jasper. Cool name. Were you born with it or did you change it once you got the tattoo?” he questioned.
“Well, I was born as Angel. But I hated that name, so I changed it to Angelle. Sounds more foreign, more interesting.”
“I think Angel is nice. But yeah, Angelle is cooler. Sounds French-y.”
“Thanks,” she laughed. “So, where are you from? Do you live here?” she questioned, not trying to sound like a stalker.
“I actually just moved here. We arrived at the house and I instantly took off for the city. I’ve wanted to see what it’s like. Back where I lived, it was very relaxed. There weren’t that many people.”
“That sounds nice. I’ve always wanted to live somewhere like that.”
“Really? I always hated it. Of course, my parents wanted to move somewhere similar. But my dad got a job here, so we couldn’t live somewhere similar without going somewhere two hours away from his work.”
“Where were you before?”
“The S.S.C.”
“Are you serious? I’ve always wanted to go there!” she exclaimed. Jasper laughed, his head tilting back.
“It’s not as great as it seems. I mean, it’s nice when you want to be alone, but if you want company, it’s rarely there.”
“Ah. Did you swim there? The ocean is really nice in the S.S.C, right?”
“It’s fine. I swam sometimes, but it wasn’t too great. The water was always full of all sorts of oil and stuff, so it’s never really nice.”
“That’s horrible! Why does no one do anything about it?” Jasper shrugged.
“They’re probably just too lazy. People don’t usually want to do anything unless it benefits themselves.”
“That’s so true.” Angelle agreed.
“Yeah.” The car wove between the tall buildings; glassy and reaching the clouds. “It’s so amazing here. Look at all this- back in S.S.C this would’ve been seen as impossible. I mean, people knew that buildings like these existed, but it seemed realistic.”
“In a way I think that you were lucky. You were unaffected by society, you grew up how you wanted.”
“Not really... my parents were really strict.” he contradicted.
“Oh.”
“So, where do you want to be dropped off?” Jasper asked, changing the subject.
“Just anywhere. I can get off here, if you want.”
“Well, I was just wondering, do you want to go get a soda or something like that? Coffee?” he questioned, looking at the road.
“Sure. I’d love to.” Angelle smiled.
“Do you know any good places? Since you’ve been here...”
“Okay. Stop here.” she commanded. Jasper put on the brakes and the car screeched to a stop. “I meant park nearby... here’s a nice cafe. I always go here with friends.” Jasper nodded and started backing up, looking for a parking spot.
After several frustrated attempts, he managed to park without doing any significant damage to the cars ahead and behind of him. The two stepped out of the car, and Angelle noticed how much warmer it had gotten. It was really nice, she noticed. She imagined that it was how the weather would be like in the S.S.C.
“Let’s go.” she said, leading Jasper in the direction of a small building shining with a thousand small lights. They stepped into the interior, and he admired it. Thousands of tiny lights lit up the somewhat dim room- they hung in strands at the edges of tables and on the walls.
“It’s nice in here.”
“It is.” she repeated. Angelle noticed how awkwardly he was standing in the middle of everything, not knowing what to do, so she led him to a small table in the corner. They sat down, and instantly a waitress rushed over, grateful to have a reason to leave the screaming couple in the middle of the room.
“Hello,” she panted. “What can I get you two today?”
“Nothing for me,” Jasper replied.
“Same. We’ll think a bit.” Angelle lied. She never got anything. It was all ridiculously overpriced, but it was such a nice room.
“Fine.” the waitress spat, and walked away warily.
“So...” Jasper stalled.
“So.”
“Why’s that guy glaring at you?” he asked, looking over at a table behind her.
“Who...?” Angelle turned around, and saw Asher glaring at her. “Asher!” she exclaimed. “I’ll be right back,” she said to Jasper. He nodded, and she stood. “What are you doing here, Asher?” she asked.
“What are you doing here? With that weird surfer guy... what’s he giving to you, huh? Something better than the Noir?” he hissed. Angelle’s face crinkled in confusion.
“What do you mean? We’re just hanging out. Why would you assume such a thing?”
“Yeah, you’re definitely hanging out. I’m betting that he just wants you to have sex with him or something like that.”
“Don’t say that, Ash. I trust him.” Angelle quietly asked, looking down.
“For how long have you known that jerk?”
“An hour or so. I was walking down the freeway and he came by, asked if I wanted a ride into the city.”
“And you agreed!? You could’ve gotten raped! You could’ve been killed!” he shouted, standing up from his seat. Several of the people in the cafe glanced over, but then quickly looked away when Asher glared at them.
“Jasper wouldn’t have done such a thing. He’s my friend.”
“Oh, your special friend. I see. Fine. If you don’t need me anymore, I don’t need you. I’ll find someone to replace you, plenty of people want to be taken in by the Noir. If you don’t care enough, fine.”
“No, Ash. Don’t take it away from me. How is the Noir at all related to this? Can’t I have friends?”
“No! You can’t!” Asher shouted, stepping closer to her. “We’re a special group of people- others won’t understand us. They won’t want to. We’re different, and that’s what makes us separate.”
“You don’t understand. I want to be with someone that doesn’t know about everything, that doesn’t know about the Noir. He’s from the S.S.C, Ash.”
“So?” he scoffed.
“What do you mean so? I’ve always wanted to live in the S.S.C, you didn’t know? I always talk about it.”
“Really? Since when?” Asher asked, genuinely confused. He didn’t remember her saying anything about S.S.C- she never seemed really interested in anything. Then again, she was always talking to him, but he blocked out her words so that he could concentrate on something more important.
“I can not believe you.” Angelle spat.
“Uh, what’s going on? Should I go...?” Jasper broke in, looking nervously at Angelle.
“No. Stay,” Asher barked. “Clearly, I’m not needed any more. But you won’t be able to provide what she needs the most, so soon she’ll come crawling back to me. It always ends that way. But be careful, Angelle,” he warmed. “I won’t always be there for you. Think about what you’re sacrificing. Is it really worth it? All for some random guy from the S.S.C. Are you willing to give up the very source that runs your life?” Angelle looked down, thinking about what to say.
“You can’t blackmail me, Ash,” she whispered, still looking down. “You might have power, but I have other ways to get the Noir. You have to get it from someone, and eventually I’ll find them. I’ll find them, and I’ll get back what I deserve for all those months in service to you. Go, Ash. Please.”
“Fine. Bye Angelle. Bye, Jasper,” he sneered. “I hope both of you die a bloody death, and rot eternally in the depths of hell. Have a good day.” he sarcastically finished, walking away.
“I’m so sorry about that. I don’t know what got into him...” Angelle apologized once Asher was gone.
“What the hell was that? Why do you let him treat you like that? You can’t let him control you- it’s wrong.”
“Well...”
“And what’s the Noir? Why do you depend on it so badly? What does it do to you? Is it some sort of drug...?” Jasper questioned in an attacking tone.
“To put it simply... it’s a type of drug.”
“So you’re addicted?! God... I can’t believe that I let a druggie into my car. How stupid am I?!” he yelled, standing up.
“Calm down, Jasper. It’s different. It’s not like those other drugs- it doesn’t make me crazy. No, I won’t try to get you hooked on it. Just, calm down. Please.” Angelle begged, and he reluctantly sat down. “Anyways. I first did it because I needed an escape. Life was going really badly for me, and I just wanted to forget everything, at least for a little while. Haven’t you ever wanted that? Be able to live life without guilt, without any negative emotions. Just escape what you had before, restart?”
“Not really...”
“Well, I have. And that’s why I started the Noir. It’s different from other drugs- it makes you forget what you did that night, what happened. It’s a momentary escape, for a few hours. I’ve gotten dependent on it- I wish I wasn’t. I wake up from it, and I see myself in a place that I’ve never been, next to people I never knew. I do things that I would never try if I weren’t under the influence of it. But I just can’t help myself. You don’t know how difficult it is to control yourself, not succumb to the sorrow. It was the only way I could get away.”
“Stop saying that you needed an escape. From what I know, you have a normal life. You’re pretty, and other than that jerk you seem like the kind of person that everyone would be nice to. And anyways- when you say escape it makes you seem like a prisoner. Whatever was going on in your life that was so horrible, it must’ve been a thousand times better than what other people go through every day. Stop acting like you’re the only one with problems, the only one with crap going on in their lives. Because you aren’t.” Jasper lectured. Angelle looked away, trying to keep in the tears that were gathering in her eyes. She didn’t want to cry. She didn’t want to... so why were the tears pouring down her face? Jasper softened, and reached out his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you- but what I said is true. You can’t have release unless something really bad is going on.”
“You... you don’t know what’s happened to me. You just don’t know. You don’t. You can’t even come close to guessing.”
“I probably can’t. But I’m sure that I’ve gone through things almost as bad as you. Anyway, I should be getting home. I don’t want my parents worried.”
“Oh, okay. Do you need help driving back? You know, so that you won’t get lost.”
“I think I’ll be fine, thanks anyway.”
“Your welcome.”
“So, come visit me sometime. Just go down the highway, and it’s the first house that you see. The one that’s next to the flowers.”
“Oh I love that house! I can’t believe that it’s finally been sold... my dream was to live there if I didn’t get to the S.S.C.”
“Ha, that’s funny. So, visit whenever you want. I should be in. So, see you soon?”
“Yeah, definitely. Bye.” Angelle said. Jasper stood up and went out the door, waving goodbye before it shut behind him. She ordered a cup of chai tea, and once she had finished that she started walking back to Asher’s apartment. She had lived there ever since her parents had kicked her out- she wasn’t too eager about returning, but she had no where else to go. Angelle rolled her shoulders; wishing that the painted wings would spread out so that she could fly away from everyone, and everything.

Asher ran back to his home in a rage, his hands balled up into fists. He couldn’t believe that Angelle was with that Jasper boy. He trusted her, thought that she would be there for him. He didn’t expect her to have found someone else. He liked being the only one that she was dependent on, the only one that she trusted. He didn’t want to have to share her with some other guy, someone who she barely knew. He wanted to be her everything.
He arrived at his broken down apartment building out of breath, and he stood there for a few seconds with his hands on his knees, gasping. Considering that he had just ran over three miles, he had a reason to have difficulty inhaling. He walked through the glass door, then took his keys out and unlocked the one that followed. The warm air of the lobby hit him, and he ran up a flight of stairs to his apartment.
Next door a dog was barking loudly- Asher felt sorry for it. It seemed like it was always barking. It must’ve had cruel owners. He unlocked his front door, pulling it open. His plainly decorated apartment greeted him as it usually did, and he stepped in, slamming the door closed behind him. He threw his jacket to the ground and went and lay down on the couch. He put his arm over his eyes, and exhaled deeply. Angelle should arrive soon, he realized. Then he would scold her even more. He couldn’t believe that she was with Jasper.
When he had first met her, he wasn’t sure what it was that he felt for her. Sometimes it was deep hatred, but at other times he was certain that he was in love. Asher ground his teeth together, shutting his eyes and slamming his fist against the wall. A low growl escaped through his throat, and he was surprised by how inhuman the sound was. He didn’t think that a regular person would be able to make something like that.
Asher sighed and opened his eyes back up, and he stared at the photo of Angelle that hung on the wall. It was of her and some other person, however the picture was ripped in half at some point, so it was unclear who it was. He loved that photo, so he insisted that she hung it up over the couch. He stood up and walked back and forth across the length of the dark blue carpet. It was yet another object that he found unnecessary that Angelle insisted that he get.
Asher heard a knock coming from the door, and he slowly went over and opened it. Behind it stood Angelle, her brow creased in worry.
“What’s wrong Ash? Tell me, please. I know that you’re mad; but why? What did I do wrong?”
“It’s nothing, and it doesn’t matter.”
“Come on, I know that something is wrong. Just tell me, I might be able to fix it. Is it because of Jasper?” she questioned. Asher didn’t reply. “Okay. I’m going to guess that he is the reason that you’re mad at me. But Ash, I can’t be just yours. I need friends, other people in my life. It’s not fair if I only have you.”
“So I’m nothing to you? No one?” he bitterly questioned. Angelle’s eyes widened.
“Of course you matter to me; you’re the most important person in my life.
“How can I be sure of that?”
“You can’t. But you’ll just have to trust me. I can’t make you- it’s your choice.” she finished, pushing past him. She walked down the short hallway leading up to the kitchen and the other room, and she went inside her bedroom. “I’m going to sleep for a bit, okay?” she asked, and without a reply, shut the door behind her.
“Fine...” Asher mumbled, his answer unheard. He went to his bed and lay down on top of the covers, shutting his eyes. Maybe sleep wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

* * *
I walked on the empty beach, my feet kicking up clouds of black dust. It was a beautiful day, so I had decided to visit the reservoir with Alyss and Aidan. They were on the other side of the beach, playing volleyball. It was almost dusk, and the sky had turned a deep, fiery red. I turned around and looked at the group of the people; they all looked so happy, so carefree. Different from their usual selves. I found that people were changed when they were nearby water, released from the monotony of everyday life. I like people more that way; when they didn’t have to worry about impressing such and such, or not making a fool out of themselves when they were around someone they cared about. They could just let loose, and live.
I smiled and turned back to the reservoir, and started walking into the chilly water. It was really cold, but still I felt like dipping my feet into the crystal clear water. Though it was winter, on some days it was warm enough to do things that you could normally just manage in the spring. However, I preferred actual winter weather. I loved the snow, and everything else about the winter.
“Hey! Sakura! Come here!” Aidan shouted. I turned around towards him, and he was waving his arm crazily. I smiled, and started jogging towards them.
“What?” I asked, laughing.
“You’re such a loner. You should play volleyball with us- be on my team, I’m loosing horribly.” he pouted playfully.
“Of course you’re bad Aidan. You’re bad at everything.” Alyss teased.
“And you’re even worse.” he retorted. Alyss turned away from him angrily. The two of them always fought, and that really annoyed me.
“Stop fighting guys... it’s really annoying. Anyways, sorry Aidan, I don’t really feel like it. I hate volleyball.” I apologized, sitting down on a flat next to the net.
“Fine. Leave me alone.” Aidan dramatically cried, a smile creeping onto his face.
“Aw, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“Hey you two, stop flirting.” Alyss joked. “It’s your turn to serve.” she commanded, throwing the ball over the net to Aidan.
“One sec,” he stalled, and ran over to his black backpack that lay on the sand. He pulled out a light blue water bottle and took a sip, wiping some of the water off of his upper lip. “Want some?” he offered to Alyss and I.
“No thanks...” I answered.
“I’ll have some. What is it?” she replied.
“It’s a surprise- you’ll have to drink it to find out.” he taunted.
“Fine.” she walked over to him and grabbed the bottle out of his hand and took a long drink. Her eyes widened and her face contorted as she gulped down the liquid and handed the bottle back to him. “What is that???” she coughed, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand.
“What? It’s just lemonade...”
“Come on, this is not lemonade. I don’t know what it is, but it’s not lemonade.”
“It is! It just has some other stuff in it...”
“What?”
“Some vodka...”
“Are you serious?!” Alyss shouted. “Are you like, trying to drug us or something like that?”
“No! Why would I do that?” he defended.
“I don’t know... you like other guys probably just want to rape us.” she huffed. Aidan’s mouth fell open in shock.
“Alyss, no one wants to rape you. Get over it.” I explained to her, turning away. She seemed to be under the impression that every guy wanted to take advantage of her.
“Aw, thanks, I hate you too,” she mumbled.
“Any time.” I laughed. “So Aidan... how’s life?” I asked, staring at him. He shrugged, his dark brown hair flipping to the side.
“Fine. No different than usual. You?”
“I’m okay.”
“Cool.”
“Serve Aidan!” Alyss shouted impatiently, tapping her foot. Black flecks of sand flew from where her foot landed, and she sighed dramatically.
“Okay, okay. Calm down.” Aidan rolled his eyes and threw the ball into the air, striking it with his open palm. It soared over Alyss’ head and into the ocean.
“Hey!” she shouted.
“Go on. Get it.”
“Hell no! I’m not getting it; you’re the one that threw it in! You get it!” she commanded.
“No. Either you get it, or it stays there forever. Your choice.”
“Ugh...” she complained, and started trudging towards the sea. She stepped into the cold water and shivered, grasping the volleyball and running back to shore. “I hope that you’ll be happy when I get hypothermia...” she bitterly mumbled, throwing the ball against his head.
“Hey, stop.” he commanded. “You’re so annoying, Alyss.”
“Oh, I’m the annoying one?!” she shouted.
“Guys! Stop fighting! Please!” I asked.
“Not my fault. He’s the one who started it.”
“No, he didn’t. I’m pretty sure that you were the one that did it.” I retorted.
“You always go on his side, Sakura. Can’t for once you agree with me?” she cried. I turned to Aidan- he shrugged. Guess he also didn’t know what to do. How to respond to her annoyance.
“Alyss, I’m not against you.” I softly spoke. “I just hate it when you and Aidan fight. Please, stop. And I’ll stop siding with him.”
“No you won’t. You’ll always be on his side; I know that. You always go against me...” she sniffed, staring down at the ground.
“Alyss, that’s not true.” I contradicted. “You always seem to think that I’m against you, that the entire world is against you; but that’s not true. You just can’t always get your way, and that upsets you. You can’t always have a good life, and you can’t always have a bad life. Nothing ever stays the same- things change. Just when you think that life is perfect, something horrible and unexpected could happen. People just don’t think that bad things will happen to them, they think that they’ve been unaffected by the unfortunate aspects of life. But it’s not true.” I explained. Alyss rolled her eyes and turned away.
“You don’t have to make everything into a random psychological rant... some people prefer to stay normal.” she sneered, turning away.
“Ugh... you’re such a horrible person Alyss...” Aidan insulted.
“Oh, I’m the horrible one?!”
“Yes, yes you are.” he answered, shrugging. Her mouth fell open in awe. “What? It’s the truth... What? Would you rather have me lie to you? Fine. You’re perfect. Wonderful. A lovely person to be around.” he sarcastically stated. Alyss’ lip quivered, and she looked down at the ground as the black sand was darkened by little drops of water.
“You two don’t have to be so mean to me... I never did anything wrong.” she whispered. I turned to Aidan and shrugged; it was true that she could be over emotional at times, but I could see why she was so hurt right now. I went over to her and draped my arm over her shoulder. Aidan glared at me as though to say ‘how could you? This was fun’. I shrugged, and turned back to Alyss.
“Shhh... it’s okay.” I cooed. She nodded limply, staring down at the sand. I moved my head and looked at the sky; it faded from a dusty blue to a deep red sangria at the horizon- beautiful. With the black sand, the beach looked like some other worldly planet. I was amazed. Alyss moved away from me, dragging her bare toes across the sand. I went over to Aidan, who was looking intensely at the volleyball net. “Hey,” I greeted again, breaking the silence that had settled over us.
“Hi,” he replied, turning to face me. He smiled, his eyes turning soft. “Do you want to go somewhere?” he asked.
“With Alyss?” I questioned, hoping that he would say no. The two of them never got along, and I didn’t want to have to stop their arguing once more. It was horrible, having two of your friends fighting.
“Well... truthfully I was hoping it would be just me and you, but if you want her to come along, that’s fine too.”
“No no no, I hate it when the two of you are in the same place,” I answered, grinning. “And sure; I’d love to go somewhere.”
“Great. Where?”
“I don’t know- you suggested it.”
“It’s getting dark, so, there aren’t too many places we can go...” he looked up at the sky, thinking. “Not too sure. We can just wander around the beach; send Alyss away.”
“Okay. I’ll go tell her.”
“Okay.”
“Alyss!” I called, jogging over to her.
“Yeah?” she asked morosely.
“I was hoping to walk around the beach with Aidan for a bit... would you mind leaving? I’d like some... privacy with him, you understand?” I questioned in a hushed tone.
“What, are you two dating or something like that?”
“No, not really...” I mumbled.
“Fine. But don’t come crying to me if he rapes you...”
“Alyss! He won’t rape me, I’m sure. Just stop worrying.”
“Fine. I’ll just go.” she hissed, and ran away. Her long hair swayed in the wind, falling into her eyes. She stumbled as she ran in the sand, and she fell to the ground. I rushed to her side, but she coughed out “Get away from me!” and I retreated. I watched her anxiously as she stood up, and eventually she so far away I couldn’t see her anymore.
“Anything bad happen?” Aidan questioned, approaching.
“No, not really. I’m just worried about her, that’s all.” I explained.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. So, you want to walk on the beach?”
“Yes, definitely.” he replied. I started walking down the sandy shores, shivering in the gentle, ocean breeze. “You and Alyss haven’t been on the best terms lately, have you?” he asked.
“No, we haven’t.”
“I thought so.”
“Is it that obvious?” I laughed.
“Well, kind of. You two are such good friends, somethings bound to be wrong when you aren’t glued at the hip or talking about something.” he shrugged. I nodded, and kept walking. The sun had already fallen over the horizon, and I was left staring at a dark grey ocean. “Sakura?” he asked hesitantly.
“Yeah?”
“Would you-”
“Ah!” I cried out, cutting him off. “What is that!?” I shouted, pointing over at a distant corner. Aidan squinted, trying to figure out exactly what I was showing him.
“What’s what? I don’t see anything...” he mumbled.
“Over there, it’s like, a hand or something...” Aidan went closer to the shape, leaning in close. “Definitely a hand...” he whispered. I approached Aidan, unintentionally getting closer to him as though he were a shield that would protect me from the world’s monstrosities. “This is so creepy...”
“Well, obviously,” I sighed.
“What should we do?” he questioned. “Leave it here? Call the police?”
“I think that first we should see who it is... you know, maybe it’s someone that we know.” I suggested. I didn’t care whether or not it was someone that we knew, but I wanted to see who the mystery person was, what had caused them to die so suddenly on the beach.
“Okay. Here, help me dig it up.” Aidan crouched down, and started pushing back sand to make the head visible. I noticed the clothes first- tattered rags, barely holding together. The hands were worn and heavily lined, as though they were forced to work for a very long time. Scars were crisscrossed across their arm; I shivered. This was too creepy, too unusual. But still my hands kept digging, I kept wondering who it was. “Look,” he announced, pointing at something metal clamped around the person’s neck.
“Ca... it says Carcerem.” I spoke, reading the small engraved text.
“Isn’t that the name of that prison where all the prisoners escaped from?” he asked. I froze. The prison. Of course. But if it was someone from Carcerem... what were they doing here? I brushed away the thin layer of sand that covered the person’s head, and screamed when I realized that I recognized the face still covered by a few grains of black sand.

Alyss cautiously opened the door, hoping that her parents were somewhere in the house where they wouldn’t hear her walking in after dark. She shut the heavy door behind her, pulled off her shoes, and started creeping up the stairs. She swore under her breath with each creak of the wood, and sighed with relief once she had reached the top. Alyss ran to her room, sliding the door closed behind her. She collapsed onto the bed and hugged a large pillow to her chest, burying her face in it.
“Alyss?” she heard a voice coming from outside the entrance to her room. Alyss was silent; she’d be in so much trouble if her parents found out that she hadn’t been at home the entire time. “I know you’re in there- open this door up immediately! Or I’ll have your father come and open it for you.” she threatened. Alyss still didn’t reply, instead she closed her eyes. Maybe if her mom came in she would think she had been sleeping. She heard the door click open, and squeezed her eyes shut. “Get up!” her mom shouted, grabbing on her arm and pulling her off of the bed.
“Mom! What the hell?!” Alyss exclaimed, jumping up to her feet.
“When did you come home today?!”
“A long time ago! Stop freaking out!”
“I know that you didn’t come home a while ago!”
“How can you prove it?”
“Oh believe me, I can prove it.” her mom threatened, pulling out a small device from her pocket. “Here- says exactly when our door was opened. Three minutes ago it was last opened; the only time before that was when you left, at two. Where have you been? What have you been going?!”
“I was out with friends, I told you already!”
“And you expect me to believe that you were hanging out with friends for six hours? Who was it? What, are you sleeping around with boys? Is that what you were doing?”
“Mom! I wouldn’t do that!”
“Or would you? You’ve obviously stupid enough to make mistakes like that.” Alyss felt her eyes getting itchy, and a wet droplet slid down her cheek.
“Don’t say that. You know that I’d never do things like that.” she whispered, looking down. She was defeated.
“How can I even trust you any more, Alyss? You’re never at home, you’re always with your friends, doing who knows what instead of spending time with family. Family matters most, don’t you know by now???” she scolded.
“Maybe family isn’t everything. You treat me like I’m not even a person, you treat everyone that isn’t like you inhumanely. You think everyone is worthless, and you think I’m worthless. So don’t even expect me to respect ‘family’. You’ve made me forget about things like that a long, long time ago. So just stop.” Alyss commanded. She felt a small fire building up in her chest, a deep feeling of hatred making a home in her heart.
“Don’t you even dare talk to me like that! What’s gotten into you? I’m betting it’s that Sakura, she’s the one that’s influencing you. Where’s my Alyss gone? Who’s she been replaced by?”
“It’s not Sakura’s fault. You turn the blame on everyone, you’re just too blind to see that maybe it’s your fault, that you’re the one that made me like this. You’re the one who raised me, it’s your fault.”
“That’s it. You’re grounded for the next three months. Now stay in your room, and don’t even think about sneaking out. I’m done with you. I tried, but clearly you can’t be broken that easily. I’ll have to resort to more serious measures. Believe me, your father will hear about this.”
“Fine. Tell him everything. I don’t care.” Alyss spat, turning around. She saw her mom walk out the door from the view in the mirror. The door was closed, and she heard the sound of it locking- a quiet electronic beep. A red light was lit up in the top right corner. Alyss went over and tried to open it, but it was useless.
Slowly the rage faded away from her view, and she just felt weak, defeated. But no, she thought, she wouldn’t let her mom win. She’d do everything to try and get away, anything to retaliate. She couldn’t loose the fight. Alyss jogged over to her desk, taking her laptop in her hands and sitting down on her bed. She logged into her account and checked her email, scrolling and deleting the ads for different stores that she would probably never shop in. She scanned over an email talking about the new club that recently opened. Come to think of it, she hadn’t been out in a while. She loved going to clubs and places like that, she just hadn’t had the time recently.
Alyss began thinking; was it worth it?

* * *
Three hours had gone by moping and feeling sorry for herself, and in the end, Alyss decided that it was worth it to go. She had to get out of the house, had to get away from everyone and everything that there was. None of them were worth it, and she had to leave them behind. She knew that it wouldn’t be forever, but she just needed a break from reality. A break from the harsh people of the world that seemed to be out to get her.
Alyss went over to her closet, trying to find the perfect outfit for clubbing. Not too simple, not too out there... In the end she settled on a skin tight black tube top, distressed grey jeans and knee high red lace-up shoes. She brushed her hair so that it would be more voluminous, and in the end, she was happy with her look.
Alyss jogged over to her window, and desperately hoped that there wouldn’t be a sensor on it that could tell when it had been opened. She slid open the glass panel and brought one leg to the other side, balancing it on the heavy oak tree branch. She gasped as her foot slipped, and she desperately scrambled to get it back up. Alyss sighed in relief, and proceeded to move her other foot onto the branch as well. She held onto the windowsill and looked around, trying to find another branch nearby.
Soon she located a branch about two feet below her, and she closed the window, crouching down and extending her leg down. Alyss was relieved that she had decided to wear sneakers instead of the four inch heel boots that she was planning on putting on. She looked down nervously; she wasn’t that far from the ground, but that didn’t stop her anxiety. She figured that she was fifteen feet above ground; once she was only five feet above, she would drop down and run away as stealthily as she could manage.
After many nerve-wracking jumps from branch to branch, she ran out of branches. Alyss was still too high above ground, but there was no where else to go. She looked around desperately, trying to find some way to get even lower to the ground. However, there was nothing else in sight. She took a deep breath and held onto the branch, letting her feet drop down. She bit her lip, and let go. She shrieked in surprised and pain as she feel to her feet and then to her side, pain reverberating up through her legs. Alyss hoped that her parents didn’t hear her scream, and slowly, she picked herself up.
Alyss exited through the gate, and broke into a run down the deserted street. Once she was a block away, she grabbed a small mirror out of her bag and adjusted her hair. She didn’t want it to be messy when she arrived at the club. She waited at the bus stop, wondering if it actually came at such a late time. She looked up at the night sky, admiring how beautiful it looked. There weren’t that many stars, but the moon shone brightly. The only light was that coming from the moon, and an old fashioned street lamp next to the stop. Soon a bus arrived, and Alyss climbed on, paying her fare with the change in her pocket.
There was no one else except for a teenage boy on the train, and he was asleep. Out of curiosity, Alyss sat opposite him, trying to see his face. His head hung on his chest, which moved up and down rhythmically as he breathed. She stared at him longingly; he looked so calm, so relaxed. She turned away and stared out the window, watching the scenery pass by. Soon the suburban graduated to urban, and large buildings came into view. Cars flashed by, and the red and green traffic lights shone barbarically. Everything always was moving, nothing ever stopped, no one ever paused and considered the people around them. Alyss hated that aspect of the city; no one noticed anything or anyone, they had fallen too deep into their own world.
From the corner of her eye she noticed the boy waking up- his eyes slowly opened and he stretched, yawning comically. Alyss looked away, trying to make herself seem discreet. She didn’t want him to think that she was a stalker or anything else of that sort. She saw him staring at her, and she turned towards the window uncomfortably. She hated being watched.
“Stop 66!” the bus driver shouted. Alyss jumped up from her seat, rushing out the door. According to her computer, the club should be nearby. She looked around anxiously, and from the reflection of the window of a nearby shop, she saw the boy staring right at her. She stiffened, and quickened her walk, closing her eyes and praying that he wouldn’t follow her. He was attractive, she had to admit, but that wasn’t an excuse for following her.
Alyss soon the shady entrance to the club, and she slipped through the doorway, showing her fake I.D to the guard. He squinted at the photograph in the dim light, and eventually let her go by. Alyss looked over her shoulder, and grew terrified when she saw that the boy was still behind her. He walked into the club after her, and she whirled around, landing face to face to him.
“Why are you following me?!” she shouted.
“What?” he asked, his forehead wrinkling.
“I know that you’re following me! Please, just stop!”
“I’m not doing anything! Did you even consider that I might just be going to this club too?” he questioned. “Why would I be following you?”
“I don’t know... you’re probably just like all the other guys out there, the kind that think girls are just... objects.”
“Okay, well, I’m not. Sorry to get in the way of your feminist views... I think I’ll be going now.” he scoffed.
“Hey, I’m sorry.” Alyss apologized. She hated being called a feminist.
“Whatever.” the boy sighed, flipping his hair to the side of his head.
“I’m Alyss, anyways.” she introduced.
“Lex,” he responded, looking her deep in the eyes. His were a light turquoise color, and they seemed to move like the ocean its self. He wore a black and grey striped hoodie, and his hair stood up in short blond peaks. Despite the edginess of his outer appearance, his face seemed very soft and gentle.
“So, what’s Lex come from? You know, what’s it a nickname for”
“I’m not sure about that, but I was named Lex and that’s it.” he responded, shrugging.
“Oh, I see.” Alyss nodded. “Cool name either way.”
“Thanks,” he smiled, his eyes shining.
“So, how’s this club? I’ve never been here before.”
“It’s pretty good. I came here for the opening of it, it was pretty amazing. There were so many bands playing, so many people. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen so many people in one place. Anyways, recently it’s fame has died down a little bit, ever since it was robbed and they haven’t been able to afford all that they could before.”
“They were robbed? That’s horrible.” Alyss exclaimed.
“Well, what do you expect? A new, popular bar, in the middle of downtown, the middle of city life. Something like this was bound to happen sometime soon.” Lex explained, unmoved.
“Either way.”
“So, what did you come here for? Truthfully, you don’t seem like the kind of person to come to clubs too often.”
“I got into a fight with my parents- this was the only place I could think of going to. How did you guess that I never came here?” she laughed.
“Well, you aren’t really dressed in club-like attire.” he chuckled.
“Too much?” she worried.
“More like too little. This is a pretty fancy club, you look like you’re going out on a date somewhere informal.”
“Well, sorry for not being super fancy, like you are.” she scoffed, smiling.
“Hey, just trying to be refined.” he smirked.
“I don’t think you’re really succeeding.” Alyss laughed. “So Lex... what are you planning on doing here?”
“Eh, meeting up with friends, hanging out. Why are you here? Haven’t you never been here?”
“True, I hadn’t gone here, but I just had to get out of the house. My parents were driving me absolutely insane.” she emphasized.
“What happened?” Lex asked, concerned.
“My mom thinks that I go around each and every day having sex with guys that I barely know, my parents never let me go anywhere, and... they’re just so unfair!” she shouted.
“Aw, I’m sorry.” he cooed.
“Thanks. But it’s not your fault, you have nothing to be sorry for.”
“Well, still. It sucks that your parents are jerks.”
“Thanks.”
“Although I’m not surprised about the guy part... you do kind of look like that type of girl.” he chuckled.
“Well, what else am I supposed to wear to a club?!” she shouted.
“Hey, I’m just kidding...” he mumbled.
“I know,” she smiled charmingly. From the corner of her eye, Alyss saw the door open, but she took no notice of it.
“Alyss Rebecca Jole! Just what do you think you’re doing!” a shrill voice shrieked, drawing Alyss out of her world.
“Shit!” she loudly swore, trying to find a way out of the club. But the only way to get out that she could see was through the main door, which her parents were guarding like a pack of savage dogs. “Sorry, Lex, I’ll have to go.” Alyss tearfully cried. He grabbed her hand, and her fingers slowly grazed his arm as she was dragged away by her screaming parents.
Once Alyss was out of the club, she felt like doing nothing. She ignored the insults and accusations of her parents; the only thing that she could think about was how she didn’t even get Lex’s phone number. She had a feeling that she would probably never see him again. What was the chance of them meeting? Big city, many people. There was no way that they would ever encounter each other somewhere ever again.
Alyss climbed into her parents’ car, sitting down dejectedly. Her parents continued scolding her while they drove in the car, saying how she was worthless and would get nowhere in life. But she didn’t care. When they arrived at the home, Alyss walked sadly up the stairs to her room, leaving behind the arguing. She locked the door to her room and went to her bathroom, carelessly taking of the caked on makeup. She stared deeply into the reflection’s eyes, trying to find something there, anything, that she didn’t see before. But her eyes were the same as they always were. Bored, blank. Nothing except for the emptiness that always resided there. She found no difference.
Alyss changed into her cherry tree pajamas, and climbed underneath the covers of her bed. The small light dimly lit the room, and she could barely see around. Not that that really mattered- considering that there was nothing much to look for. She hugged herself, trying to warm her frozen skin. Alyss closed her eyes, trying to remember Lex. How many stripes were on his shirt? How did the colors of his eyes manage to blend together in a way that she had never seen before? But without him there, she couldn’t figure out anything. It was too difficult; she had just seen him in the fluorescent and flashing lights before. Her memory was clouded over, hidden by things like his voice and other aspects of him.
Slowly Alyss felt herself slipping off into a land of dreams, but she didn’t want to leave reality. Whenever she dreamed, she dreamt of something so much better than what she actually had in life. In the end, when she woke up, she became very sad because in reality, she had nothing of that sort. It seemed unfair to her that so many people had bad lives, so many people had perfect lives- why couldn’t they just split up the happiness and have everyone live in peace? Why did people have to be different, unequal, just because of social status or beauty? The world was a complicated place; it was something that Alyss didn’t understand, and she didn’t want to even try to get it.
Alyss’ breathing slowed, and soon, she was in a deep, heavy sleep.

“No... no!” I mumbled, staring with disbelief at my dad. I hadn’t seen him in years. I never thought that I would meet him again after what had happened; and I thought even less that he might be dead when I saw him. I wasn’t sure whether or not he was actually dead, but I had a feeling that what I dreaded most was actually true. Life turned out to cruel that way- whatever you felt most nervous about usually ended up being the reality. Whether you wanted it or not, it happened. I noticed nothing around me- not Aidan, not the cold reservoir water covering my feet, not even the feeling that I was sinking through the sand. Everything had disappeared, except for my fathers face.
“Sakura! Sakura! Are you okay?” I could vaguely hear Aidan speaking, but it was like he was talking to me through a very thick wall. I could barely hear him, so I decided not to try to decipher his mysterious code-like talk. I felt him shaking me, and I realized that I was flat on the ground. One side of my face was pressed against the cool black sand, the other side felt warm as the evening sun shone on it.
I felt myself being lifted up in Aidan’s arms, and unconsciously I began worrying whether I was too heavy for him. I tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. No. Don’t take me away from my dad. No. I thought, but I doubted that Aidan could read minds. “We need to do something... find someone...” Aidan spoke to himself. I closed my eyes, trying to block everything out. But nothing changed and I still heard the noises around me; the gentle waves of the reservoir, the sirens in the distance, Aidan’s arms beneath me. Had he called the police? Not that it mattered, it wasn’t like they could do much about the problem. No one could bring a dead man to life, not even the most advanced scientists could manage that.
“No...” I begged incoherently.
“What, Sakura?” Aidan asked softly.
“Stay...” I tried to pronounce as well as I could.
“You want to stay? We can’t, we have to go get the police. Why do you want to stay?”
“Car- carcere,” I mumbled.
“What? Carcerem?” he questioned. I nodded fiercely, and he looked at me curiously. “What do you mean Carcerem?” I pointed to my neck, feeling really stupid at the moment. Aidan put me down on the ground, and went over to the dead body. He looked at the neck, and removed a metal collar that was tied around the neck. He inspected it curiously, and his eyes widened when he read the dreaded word. “You’re right... Carcerem...” he said, amazed. “Oh my God. We have to go to the police immediately.” he lifted me into his arms and started running slowly, trying to manage with the weight of me as well.
“Leave me... here.” I commanded. “Too heavy.” I felt so dizzy; everything seemed unreal, impossible. I thought that I would’ve been on a nice walk with Aidan, and it had to end up so horribly. I didn’t think that I could manage to be taken far away at the same time.
“I can’t leave you here. Look what just happened! He was obviously killed by someone... why would he be buried here? I don’t want you to be killed as well, Sakura. And why’s he so important to you?”

“He is... please...”

“No.” Aidan started walking slowly, then he glanced back at the person. “I’ll run, okay? I’ll be back soon. I really don’t want to leave you here, but that’s the only way.” he explained. “Okay?” I nodded, and he gently put me on the ground. I watched him run away, and hoped that he would return. It was getting darker and darker- the sun had already set over the horizon. I got up to my knees, staring out at the water. It was all so lonely, so late in the evening. The moon was already in the sky, illuminating the white rocks scattered around the beach. I hoped that Aidan would get back soon; it was scary sitting all alone in the dark. I tried not to look at my dad, but my eyes kept wandering over to where he lay. I didn’t know how much time had gone by, but soon bright blue lights illuminated the beach. I glanced over and saw Aidan rushing to my side.

“Sorry that it took so long... I got here as quick as I could.” he panted.

“It’s okay.” I shrugged.

“You’re feeling better?”

“Not much.” I turned away from him, and pulled my knees up to my chest. He crouched down and wrapped his arms around me. I stiffened in surprise- no one had done that before. I had never even considered Aidan to be the type that would go around hugging people. Even during tragic times like these, he was never too compassionate.

“Do you know who that man is?” he asked. Before I had time to answer, one of the policemen came over, and asked the same question.

“He’s my dad.” I answered, and felt a lone tear crawl down my face.

* * *

“Ash?” Angelle cautiously spoke, entering the apartment. Asher was lying facedown on the grey couch, twitching every so often. “Are you okay?” she asked nervously, sitting down next to him. He didn’t reply, and Angelle looked down sadly. “I’m sorry for being with Jasper. It’s just that, I need someone new, someone different. I can’t always be with you Ash, I want to meet new people, see new things. I don’t want to spend my entire life confined to you and only you. It’s not my fault.” she explained.

“Not your fault?” Asher hissed, sitting upright. Angelle drew back from him; he looked nothing like himself. His eyes were red, and they bore right into her, making her look away. “How can this not be your fault? I’ve given you so much, and how’ve you repaid me? By leaving. I won’t always be there for you Ange, I won’t give you the Noir, I just won’t stick around if you’re being like this.” he answered.

“It’s not my fault!” she shouted. “I just want to have a normal life, okay?! How would you like it if I never let you do anything, never let you go anywhere? Would you want to be restricted to a life to this stupid apartment and me!?”

“I wouldn’t mind, because I thought that I enjoyed being with you. I thought that you thought the same thing about me. Clearly, I was wrong.”

“I love being with you! It’s just that I don’t want to dedicate my life to you, don’t you get it yet? I’ve explained it to you a hundred times!” Angelle flinched as she saw Asher draw his fist back. She shut her eyes in anticipation of the hit, which never came.

“See? I’d never hurt you, unlike all those other people out there. Stay with me, and you’ll be safe. I want you to trust me, Ange.” he spoke softly, lowering his arm to her face. He gently stroked her cheek, which she turned away from him.

“Just stop, Ash. Stop trying to deceive me. One minute you’re kind, the next you don’t care at all about me. I can’t stand it... I don’t want to be treated like this by you.”

“Fine. Leave me. Who’ll give you what you need then?!”

“I’ll find my way without it.” she spat, glaring angrily up at him.

“Leave then! I don’t care. Get out of my house. But I know that eventually, you’ll just come crawling back, even needier than before. Believe me, with the Noir you can never get away. Never.” Angelle stood up, enraged. She couldn’t believe that Asher was threatening her, threatening to take away what she needed most. Why? She had never done anything bad to him, never hurt him. She didn’t see why he was always so upset with her.

“I will go! And I swear, I’ll never come back to you. I’m done.” she screamed. She jumped up from the couch, turning from the door.

“Angelle! I’m sorry! Don’t leave!” he exclaimed, grabbing onto her shoulders.

“Oh, so now you want to talk? Now you want to be with me? Now I’m important enough to have around?” she said defiantly. Asher shook his head in disgust, and went over to a nearby shelf. He took a glass bottle from a drawer, along with a syringe. Angelle backed away, her eyes wide. “No... I don’t want it... Ash... no...” she whispered as he opened the bottle. The needle was placed inside, just like them any times it had before.

“I’m sorry. But I just have to do this, since you won’t cooperate. I need you, we all need you. And you know that you want it...” he breathed.

“No...” she weakly moaned as the needle found its place underneath her skin. Asher nodded in satisfaction, and waited for the change to happen. She grimaced, her face contorting with pain. She grabbed onto her arm, collapsing onto the floor and rolling around. Her teeth clenched- once, twice. And it was over. Angelle stood up, brushing the hair back from her face. She stared cooly at him, noticing his presence but not making it seem like she really cared that he was there. Now, he was just another person in a drug induced confusion that was the result of the Noir.

“Feeling better?” Asher questioned her, hoping that her answer would be yes.

“Amazingly better.”
“Perfect. Now, to get down to business.” he instructed. She sat down nonchalantly on the couch, crossing her legs delicately. She placed her head in her arm, and stared blankly at him.
“You need me again? How many times must I assist you in this little game of yours?” she spoke harshly. Asher enjoyed her obedience, her seriousness when she was under the Noir, but at times she was too controlling. She acted as though she knew everything, when in fact she was the only one that knew nothing about what was going on.
“Angelle, you know that you’re the only one that can do this. Come on, you know what you’ll get in return.” he coaxed, pulling out a sparkling necklace from his pocket. Her eyes widened, and she stared greedily at the jewelry. Her greatest weakness was anything that glittered- Asher found it very easy to satisfy her thirst for ‘bling’ as she called it.
“All right, all right. Now, what do you need me to do?”

* * *
“How is this possible!” the man angrily shouted, standing up roughly. His chair fell backwards, clanging loudly on the ugly concrete floor.
“I’m sorry sir... I don’t know. I just report the news.” the secretary meekly explained.
“Why are all the prisoners being found... why are they all dead? We’ve been looking for so long, and already ten of the prisoners have been located in different places around the city. Why were they so far from Carcerem? Why no closer?” he ranted to himself. The woman stepped from foot to foot, trying to ease her feet of the pain that they were subjected to because of her four-inch heels. “Would you stop that!” the man shouted at her. She woefully looked at him, but stopped the tottering.
“Why... why... this makes no sense.” he mumbled. He glanced over the report on the computer once again, trying to comprehend it. Ten men, from the ages of fifteen to thirty. Each imprisoned for a horrible crime. What was the connection? What was the reason of their disappearance in the first place, along with the other hundred and ninety people? Was there an actual reason for them missing, or was it simply coincidental? Ten men; one for each day since the break.
The man paced around the room, trying to think of something, anything that he could report. He couldn’t go to his boss and say that he had spent the last nine hours reading and rereading the information, wasting time. He was supposed to be the most advanced investigator in the city- what would they say when they found out that he had done nothing for the ridiculous amount of money that they were paying him?
He had tried to contact the families, but the results of his investigation proved meaningless. Small facts like the convicted one’s favorite color, or name of childhood pet didn’t matter. What scared him the most was that so many of the prisoners that had escaped were so young. He didn’t understand why the youth was so different from his. Back when he was young, teenaged boys didn’t go around killing people. They didn’t bring a gun to school in fear that they might be assaulted at any given moment.
“Do you need some help, sir?” the secretary asked, wobbling over to the desk. She fanned herself with a loose sheet of paper, stray pieces of hair flying away from her face with each wave.
“No thanks Linda, I don’t think you can help with it. Why don’t you go take your lunch break now?” he suggested. Linda nodded, and walked off to the door in small steps. The man sighed gratefully when she was gone- he couldn’t concentrate with the sound of her high heeled shoes clicking in the background. He didn’t understand the reason for the vanity that most women were plagued with. Makeup, plastic surgery. It just didn’t do it for him.
He sat down in front of the computer once more, staring blankly at the data that he had located. Location of the crime which landed them in Carcerem, location of where they had been found dead- nothing had matched up. He had even tried finding a pattern in the names of the prisoners; hired a mathematician to find something, anything. All that that gave him was a long string of numbers, and an empty pocket. He didn’t know that mathematicians were so costly.
“Think... think...” he mumbled to himself, repeatedly banging his head on the cold marble of his desk. That was unhelpful however, and he was getting a headache, so he stopped. There was no use in making himself unable to think- that wouldn’t be too useful. You couldn’t figure out a mass problem like this with a broken head.
According to the data, a body would be found each day. In a hundred and ninety one days, all of them would have been found. He wasn’t sure if this calculation was completely accurate, but so far, it seemed as though it would be so. The door creaked open, and the sound that the man hated the most returned.
“Sir, are you sure that you don’t need any assistance?” Linda’s high voice asked. “I’d be glad to help... you know, if there’s anything I can do. I don’t want to see you struggle.” she explained.
“Really Linda, you’ve done more than enough.” he lied. “Go on, go home early. You deserve a break, after all that you’ve done. Really.” he sarcastically said. She didn’t seem to not the falseness of his tone however, and walked off.
“Bye, then. See you tomorrow, sir.”
“Mhm.” he hummed. The door shut, and he waited for several seconds before screaming out in frustration. When he was stopped screaming, he could hear the high heels returning. He swore, and once again leaned his arm casually against the tabl.e
“Are you alright, sir? I could’ve sworn that I heard you screaming, sir.” she asked.
“Really? I’m fine, however. I don’t know what you heard.” he lied. The secretary’s brow furrowed in confusion, but she shrugged.
“Okay, then. see you tomorrow.”
“Yes, tomorrow.” he repeated. He waited for the door to close once again, and he breathed out in relief. Finally, he could be alone. At times Linda could be really slow- that was the only thing that he didn’t like about her. She was too obedient, she couldn’t really think for herself. It saddened him when people were like that- just emotionless robots, incapable of doing anything without instruction from others.
The man stared at the computer, but nothing came to his head. Nothing at all. He found it strange how there were several investigators before him, but they all disappeared. One got into a car accident, and now he was in a coma. It was weird; almost as though someone was conspiring against him... But he was pretty sure that wasn’t the case. Why would someone want to go against the government, after all?
He was getting very frustrated- he had been shut in the room for almost the entire day now, and nothing had been accomplished. He was hungry, bored, and wanted some actual human contact. He’d go on the internet and browse websites, but it wasn’t the kind of computer which connected to the internet. The man scrolled aimlessly through the data, not looking for anything in particular. He had tried everything already, so there was no point in tiring himself by looking for something.
He heard the door open, and quickly turned around.
“Linda?” he asked; but no one replied. The doorway was empty, no Linda, no one. “That’s weird...” he mumbled to himself. A nervous feeling started growing in the pit of his stomach- a feeling which he didn’t enjoy. He didn’t like to feel as though he were being watched by someone. “Hello?” he questioned once again, in case the person that opened the door was hiding behind it. No answer, as he had expected. The man shrugged, and turned back to the computer. He gasped when he saw the slim figure, hidden in the corner. “Who- who are you?”
“That’s none of your concern. Now tell me, why must you investigate? Do you really want to? Are they forcing you?” the person asked, stepping out of the shadows. It was a girl, most likely in her teen years. Her near blond hair shone in the fluorescent light of the office, blinding the man.
“Why does it matter to you why I’m investigating?” the man backed up, feeling around his desk for something to defend himself with. He grasped the closest object in his reach- and empty stapler.
“What are you hiding?” the girl asked, her voice rumbling.
“You tell me what you’re hiding, and I’ll show you what I have.” he bartered, noticing that her arm was also covered by her back.
“Fine.” she smiled toothily. She pulled out a long knife, it’s edge gleaming in the bright light. The man’s mouth gaped open in a silent scream, and he dropped the stapler. He wouldn’t have normally be afraid; but under circumstances like there, she could’ve been anyone. He didn’t want to risk his life. “Now,” she spoke, stepping closer and closer to him. “Will you stop searching for the answer? Because you’re just being part of the problem. You don’t want to be trouble, do you?” she asked, approaching him with the blade pointed in his direction.
“Who are you...?” he gasped as he was pushed back onto the table by the girl. She held the knife to where his heart was, and he felt his pulse speed up. He didn’t think that these would be his final moments. Alone in his office, killed by some some strange girl. He tried closing his eyes, but they wouldn’t allow themselves to be torn away from her eyes.
“Time to say goodnight,” she whispered in his ear. She placed the tip of the knife on his chest; he tried to fight back but she held him tight underneath her gaze. “Goodbye.” she sneered. A loud gunshot sounded, and the girl watched enchanted as the man’s eyes rolled back into his head. Everything had worked out perfectly. After all- guns were more effective than knives when it came to getting rid of people.

Josie stepped through the large doors, entering the musty school. Several people were already wandering around the halls, still half- asleep. She didn’t understand why school had to start so early; in the mornings both the teachers and the students were in a dazed state because of their lack of sleep. She jogged to her locked, dropping off her jacket. She reached out to grab her science books, and noticed the small piece of white paper littering the clean surface. She despised messes- so she knew that it couldn’t have been hers.
Josie unfolded it carefully, as though it were something valuable. She read the scrawled words on the paper, and a tear gathered in her eye. She looked around herself, wondering who put it in. However, the hallways was empty. The words jumped out at her; ‘weird’, ‘go back’, ‘never belong’. She couldn’t believe that people could be so cruel. She knew that she wasn’t completely accepted- but why did people have to rub that in her face?
She stood, balling up the note with the hateful writing, and throwing it in the trash. Josie pressed her palms to her eyes, trying to wipe off the tears. Soon they stopped, and she relaxed, slumping against her locker. A few people wandered past her, barely glancing in her direction. She had gotten used to that, so she didn’t really mind too much.
Josie got up and heaved her bag up onto her shoulder, stumbling slightly as the weight unbalanced her. More people gathered in the halls, going to their respective lockers and getting out their belongings. She sighed, walking to homeroom. At times she wished that she would actually be seen, that she wouldn’t be just a moving wallflower. She didn’t want to be necessarily popular- just noticed.
Several people bumped into her, not saying anything. No yelling, no swearing, nothing. Josie didn’t really care what kind of attention she got, be it negative or positive. She desperately wanted to be seen. But what could she do? She had been with most of the people for a big part of her childhood, she couldn’t change so suddenly. They’d be surprised, and wouldn’t accept her. If she dyed her hair bright magenta, people would see, but they’d be scared by her. They’d start to wonder what had happened to her; maybe she was concealing something. That was how rumors started.
Josie entered the biology room, putting her bag down on the sleek silver bench.
“Hi,” she greeted. The teacher, who was sitting at the desk, looked up and nodded in her direction. Josie put her bag down at a desk, and made sure that she hadn’t forgotten anything at her house. She noticed that she was missing her science homework, but she didn’t dare go back home. Back at her house, there was her brother. And where there was her brother, there was fear.
Josie sat down at the bench, and crossed her legs. She looked around the room, trying to find something interesting to look at. But the room was empty, and there was nothing for her to see. Everything was the same as it always was, no change. She looked down and started sketching on her notebook, waiting for it to be time for her first class. She didn’t know why she always arrived so early to school; maybe it was because of her brother, maybe because she just liked the way that in the school everything was so organized.
People slowly walked into the room, and soon it was filled up. Josie stood with all of them, and departed to her first period class. The beginning to a long day, no different from any others.

* * *
Angelle gasped, waking up from her deep sleep. She rubbed her head; it ached for some reason. She could barely recall what had happened the day before, much less what had made her head hurt. She was lying in a bed, which she vaguely recognized as Asher’s. Yes; it was most likely Asher’s house. The dark grey couch-bed, the maroon, velvety blanket that he never used for himself. It was all the same.
Angelle turned on her side and curled up into a small ball, closing her eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to warm up. She didn’t know why, but whenever she was recovering from the Noir she felt really cold. Maybe it was just a side effect. Usually everything good came with something negative. That was just how life was. You couldn’t always have sweetness without the bitter.
“You awake?” she heard Asher’s soothing voice ask her. Angelle looked up and saw him standing in the doorway, a smirk on his face.
“Hey Ash. It’s really weird... I feel like I’ve forgotten so much...” she sighed.
“Really?” he asked, walking over to her. He sat down next to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. “That’s strange. I don’t think that that’s ever happened.” he shrugged. Angelle had a feeling that his words were insincere, that he didn’t really mean what he was saying, but she said nothing. There was no point in causing trouble when there was no reason for a disturbance.
“Did you carry me here? I don’t remember walking.”
“Yes, and no. I carried you to a cab after you passed out, and we rode here.”
“Oh. I see.” she nodded. Angelle hated how the Noir made you pass out after several hours; but she couldn’t part from the drug. There was no chance of her ever separating from it. After all, losing consciousness wasn’t that big of a problem when there was absolute bliss involved. “Ash? Do you think that I’m addicted to it?” she worried.
“Why would you say that?” he questioned, running his hand over her shoulder with unnecessary force.
“I don’t know. It just seems like the Noir is all that I can think about lately. I’m scared that it’s controlling me. How do you manage with it?” she wondered. She was fairly certain that Asher also used the Noir, he just injected himself after Angelle so that he would be able to give it to her first. After all, he was the one with the experience.
“I just don’t use it that often.” he lied. In reality, he never used it. He didn’t want to be controlled by someone.
“Okay. Hey Ash, would you mind if I went out for a little bit?”
“Out where?”
“I don’t know, somewhere. Downtown, maybe.”
“Are you sure? Are you really feeling that great? You look really tired, you know.”
“Yeah, I know. I think that I just need some fresh air and I’ll be better.”
“Maybe I should go with you.” Asher suggested.
“Really, it’s fine. I can go myself.”
“Come on, it’ll be no trouble for me. I’ll go with you.”
“I’ll go myself.” she insisted.
“Why don’t you want me there with you?” he interrogated.
“It isn’t you; I just kind of want to be alone. And anyways, I want to go shopping. You’ll be bored.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Well, I do mind.” she contradicted, sitting up. Angelle pushed him away and tried to get up all the way, but he held her down.
He stared at her intently and asked, “Where are you actually going?”
“I’m doing downtown, I told you already!”
“Fine. Go. I know that you’re hiding something from me, but I just don’t care anymore.” Angelle stood up angrily, and headed out the door. When she was already outside, she realized that she had forgotten her shoes. She wondered whether or not she should go back inside, but eventually she changed her mind. She didn’t want to have to see Asher once again.
Angelle pulled out her phone and dialed the number of the only person that she thought could help her.
“Hey,” Jasper purred.
“Hi Jasper. Are you busy right now?”
“No, not really. Why?”
“I was wondering if you could pick me up from somewhere... I’m kind of scared and I want to get away.”
“What happened?” he questioned nervously.
“Nothing bad, it’s just that I got into a fight with someone and well, I have nowhere else to go.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. What’s the address?” Angelle gave him the street name and house number, and hung up. She couldn’t wait until he got there. She looked up and vaguely saw Asher glaring at her from the window. She turned away and sat down on the curb, waiting for the familiar car to pull up. Hopefully, he would find the address. Angelle didn’t really want Asher to change his mind about her leaving.
Soon the bright yellow car drove up to the side of the house.
“Jasper!” she shouted in excitement.
“Angelle! What happened?” he worried.
“Nothing important.” she shrugged, climbing into the car beside him. “Please, just leave as fast as you can.” She slammed back into her seat as the car abruptly moved forward.
“Are you sure? Why’d you need me to come so soon?” he asked. “Not that I mind.” he hastily added.
“My roommate kicked me out... I just had to get away from him.”
“Your roommate is a he?” Jasper asked. She nodded. “Is he the guy that was being a jerk to you?”
“Yes, that’s him.” Angelle sighed.
“I’m sorry that you had to put up with him.” he apologized, putting his hand on her shoulder and turning in her direction.
“Watch the road!” she shrieked, grabbing onto the wheel of the car. Jasper quickly turned back and the car swerved back and forth, narrowly missing a big truck full of crates. “Be careful when you drive... I don’t want to get in an accident.” she worried.
“It’s okay- other than today I’ve been a great driver. I know that this probably doesn’t really show you how I am, but, oh well. Trust me.” he smiled. “Where do you want to go?”
“Wherever you take me. I just want to get away from him.” she sighed. Jasper glanced over at her despite the previous warnings, and tried to figure out what exactly drove her away from him.
“Did he hurt you in any way?” he wondered, noticing the way that her arms were covered in small, dark dots. Maybe they were burns, he wasn’t sure. Angelle noticed him staring at her arms, and twisted them so that he could only see the top side of them.
“Not really. He helped me a lot, in fact. He was just so protective all that time that it drove me insane. He wouldn’t let me go anywhere with anyone other than him.”
“Was this my fault?”
“Of course not Jasper. What would make you say that?”
“I don’t know. He really seemed to hate me when he saw me.” he shrugged.
“Well, I doubt that he would like any of the guys that I’d be with. He’s just like that. I didn’t mind, up until today.”
“Oh.” Jasper acknowledged, and that was the end of the conversation. Angelle stared out the window, trying to find something interesting to look out. As the car moved along the highway, the scenery began to change. The houses were smaller, more compact. Trees flourished, and the clouds that usually hung above the city cleared out. Angelle pressed her face to the glass, eagerly taking in the view.
“It’s so beautiful!” she exclaimed. Jasper laughed.
“You really think so? I think that it’s boring. I wish I were in the city, the lights, the galore.”
“Wow, it sounds like we should switch lives.” Angelle joked.
“Believe me, if we could I would completely change with you. Unfortunately, we can’t.” he sadly smiled.
“Why do you hate the country?”
“It’s just so dull; nothing interesting ever happens.”
“Too much happens in the city! People getting killed, banks getting robbed. It’s horrible there. Why would you want such a busy, miserable life?” Jasper shrugged.
“I just want life to be interesting. There’s no point in life if it’s not full of adventure; you know what I mean?”
“Not really.” Angelle sighed. She had too much adventure in her life; too much for a girl in high school. “I’ve never really been attracted to things like that. I kind of prefer when everything’s calm and predictable.”
“Well, that’s your choice.” he said, driving the car up a driveway. Angelle recognized her house as the one that she always adored, and the one that he told her was his. He pulled the keys out of the engine, and sat for a moment before opening to door. “Is it okay that we came here? I really couldn’t think of anywhere else to go. And hey, there’s free food here.” he grinned.
“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”
“Great.” Jasper jumped out of the car and rushed to the other side, unlocking Angelle’s door before she could do it herself.
“You didn’t have to do that.” she smiled. Not that she minded.
“Eh, doesn’t matter.” he waited for her to climb out, and went over to the house. He opened the tall mahogany door, and Angelle went in. She stepped back in amazement at the house. There was a double set of stairs at the end of the corridor, leading to opposite sides of the building. The decoration was very ornate; it reminded her of the Asian artifacts which she saw in art museums. A long scroll hung on the wall, painted with different colored flowers. A blue and white porcelain vase stood on top of an intricately carved coffee table.
“Wow...” she whispered.
“You really like it?” he asked, amused.
“Of course I do! And I just adore the decoration,” she marveled, examining a dark red tapestry. Jasper shrugged.
“You think? I’ve never really noticed it much. Let’s go to the kitchen, get something to drink.” he suggested, standing uncomfortably. Angelle noticed that it must’ve been awkward with her standing there, examining every detail of his house.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to be a stalker.” she blushed.
“Ha, I don’t mind. I get where your fascination is coming from.” he led her to the kitchen, which amazed Angelle as well. “What do you want to drink?”
“I don’t really care. What do you have?”
“Lemonade, sodas, water, juice; or if you want something warm we have coffee and tea.”
“I’ll just have lemonade.” she responded.
“So will I.” he stated, and pulled out two tall bottles of the drink. He set them down on the table and opened each, handing her the bottle. “Cheers.” he smiled, and lifted his glass. Angelle mimicked the gesture, and they sipped down the drinks. “One second, I’ll be back.” he announced, standing up.
“Okay.” Jasper left the room, and returned a minute later.
“Here,” he said, putting a few pamphlets on the table. Angelle read the title on the top one, “Get rid of your addiction in 10 pain free days!”. She stared at him in disbelief, and looked at the other ones. “Have a drug problem? It’s okay! We can help!” “Don’t turn to pills when it’s time to pay the bills!” With each one she shook her head back and forth.
“You think I need help!” she exclaimed.
“You’re on drugs, Angelle. Of course I think that you need help. People like you shouldn’t be doing that kind of shit, no one should. I just want to help you.”
“I don’t need your help! I have everything under control, I don’t need you ‘helping’ me. I can take care of myself.” she angrily defied.
“Fine, say what you want. But if you ever need help, tell me. I’ll be there.” he sighed, gathering up the papers.
“I think I should go home.” she explained, getting up.
“Let me drive you.”
“I can go home myself.” she spat, exiting the kitchen. She heard him following her, but said nothing. As Angelle walked out the door, she realized that it was ten miles back to the city. She wouldn’t be able walk that far- especially without shoes. She started going down the road, and heard a car start up behind her.
“Get in the car, Angelle.” Jasper sighed, exasperated.
“No. I can walk myself.”
“You don’t even have shoes!”
“I can do it myself.” she repeated. After half and hour Jasper was still following her.
“Please, just get in the car.” Angelle groaned but stepped into the car, grateful. They sat in silence, until they reached her apartment building.
“Thanks,” she mumbled to him.
“Anytime. See you later?” he asked.
“Yes, later.”
“Okay. Bye.”
“Bye.” Angelle stood outside the apartment, dreading going back inside.

“You can go in now,” the secretary announced to me, checking her makeup with a hand-held mirror. I went over to the partially closed door and opened it, going inside. There, a tall man in a black tuxedo stood, staring blankly ahead.
“Follow me,” he instructed. I could do nothing but follow. After taking many turns in the brightly lit metal hallway, we entered a small room. In that room was another metal door, which the man opened using a card that he withdrew from his pocket. “I’m not allowed to go any further.” he spoke, motioning for me to enter. The room was large, and several people were seated around a big, steel table. I pulled up a chair and also sat down.
Next to me, I noticed Josie. She was a girl in my grade; I never really paid attention to her. She was just another person in the wide hallways of the school, never drawing enough attention onto herself to leave an impression on anyone. She glanced up and waved gently; I returned the gesture.
Yesterday I had received a call telling me that I had to be brought in for questioning about my dad. All of the people which found prisoners were called in, which meant that Josie had also found someone, since she was here. I hadn’t really wanted to go, it would’ve made me relieve the pain of finding him lying there dead, but I couldn’t defy the government. When they say that they’d like you to come in for questioning, they don’t mean that you have a choice. They’re making you go in for questioning.
“Now, is everyone here?” a thin woman asked from the head of the table. Her thin blond hair hung limply, cut into an angular bob. She was wearing a pinstripe suit, and a thin silver necklace with a sparkling gem on it. She looked down at a small stack of papers on the desk, and made sure that everyone who was supposed to attend was there. “Good. Now, we can begin.”
She stood up and turned to the first person next to her. “Come with me,” she instructed, and led them through a door.
“Hey,” a voice came from beside me. I turned around and came face to face with Josie.
“Hi,” I returned uncomfortably. Something about the way that she was staring at me bothered me...
“So, what’re you here for?” she eagerly asked.
“I’m here for the same reason that you are...” I mumbled, staring down. Something just seemed wrong about her. I couldn’t say exactly what, but something was very, very wrong.
“Oh?” she questioned, cocking her head to the side. I saw a glint of silver beneath her cobalt blue turtleneck; but I didn’t think that it would be a necklace, since it was too thick. And even if it were, who wore necklaces underneath collars? Josie caught me staring and adjusted the fabric so that her neck was covered. I turned away, embarrassed. She rolled her eyes, and propped her cheek on her hand. “You shouldn’t be so interested in other people’s lives. People that pry have bad things happen to them.” Josie warned, her light grey eyes penetrating me.
“Are you threatening me?” I questioned, fear creeping up my spine. I didn’t know why. Before she could reply, the woman returned and dragged off Josie to the room. I sat back, relieved. I didn’t know if I could stand being in the same place as her for much longer. The people at the table made casual small talk. I doubted that any of them had seen each other before, but when you were gathered in a remote office with little to do, talking was the only interesting thing that most people could think of. I sat back nervously, hunching down in my chair. Every so often I glanced over at the door, waiting for Josie to exit. I would most likely be after her, since it seemed that the woman was interviewing us in the order of how we were seated.
After several long and painful minutes spent waiting, the door opened. The woman motioned towards me and I rose. Josie went past me, and left the room without so much as glancing at me. Good; that meant that we were allowed to leave as soon as we were questioned. I didn’t think that I would be able to sit in the room for much longer. I entered the secluded room. The woman sat down behind a small wooden desk, and pointed at the chair. I sat down and looked around the room.
“Sakura Lai?” she asked, though it was clear that she already knew who I was.
“Yes?”
“You found one of the Carcerem prisoners, right?”
“Yes.”
“Did you recognize him?” I felt a lump growing in my throat. I wouldn’t cry. Not here.
“Yes. He was my father.” I answered coldly.
“When was the last time that you saw the man?” I paused, as I realized that I didn’t even remember the last time I saw my own dad.
“I, I don’t remember.” I sighed.
“Try and remember. Your help is greatly appreciated.” she persuaded, looking down at her paper. It seemed as though she had a script laid out before her; maybe there actually was.
“Sorry,” I apologized. “I can’t.” The woman sighed, but continued questioning.
“Where did you find him?”
“At the reservoir.”
“When?” Questions like these bombarded me for the next fifteen minutes. By the time that the woman let me go, I was dizzy. Memories rushed back to me, and I was surrounded my them. “Thank you for your help.” she nodded towards me, and shooed me from the room. I exited to the hallway, and the same man from before led me back where I started. From there, I found my way outside.
I slumped against a wall outside, deeply breathing in the air. I had to get rid of the feeling of being in that place.
“Sakura, what are you doing here?” I heard someone ask from behind me. I turned around and saw Aidan, looking worried.
“Oh, hey Aidan. I’m not really doing anything... why are you here?” I lied. It was strange how he was in one of the most high-class places in the city.
“I’m just going around, finding things to draw for my art class.” he explained, holding up a thick pad of paper. I glanced at the drawing of the city skyline, and was surprised by how good it was.
“That’s really good,” I complimented, getting more and more drawn into the sketch with each passing second.
“Uh, thanks?” he mumbled, hugging the drawing to his chest. “While we’re here, want to go somewhere?”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. The park? Something like that?”
“Sure. The park sounds good, unless you have any better ideas.” I shrugged.
“Okay, let’s go. It shouldn’t be too far from here...” he said to himself. He zipped up his sweatshirt, and started going down the road. “Let’s go?”
“Yeah, let’s.” we went along the street quietly, heading towards the only bit of green in the entire city. The park was about three square miles big, and full of luscious green grass. People always went there because it was pretty much the only place with actual grass. Anything else green or leafy was either fake or imagination. I glanced over at Aidan, who was walking smoothly down the road, staring straight ahead. “So, what do you have to draw for your art class?” I asked.
“Some type of building, scenery, and a portrait of someone.”
“Interesting,” I nodded.
“Yeah. Anyways, what do you like to do Sakura? I feel like I don’t know you that well.” I shrugged.
“I don’t know really; I do lots of things. I like drawing also, I play piano. Nothing too interesting.”
“I never knew that you played piano!” he exclaimed. I blushed.
“It’s not like I’m really good...”
“Come on, you’re just being modest.” he complimented. I smiled.
“Thanks. Well, you’re really good at drawing, so it evens out.”
“Eh, I’m not really great. I’m by far not the best person in my class.”
“Even if you are the worst, it’s better to be the worst of the best than the best of the worst.”
“You think?” he asked, staring at me. I shrugged.
“Kind of.”
“Well, it’s not bad reasoning, I have to say.” Soon we arrived at dark iron gates which surrounded the park. It was rarely locked, so the gates were mainly there for decoration. we walked along the stone path, and Aidan searched for the perfect place to draw. Clearly, he wouldn’t settle for any ordinary place. No, for him it had to be... special. After wandering around for twenty minutes, I began to get frustrated.
“Are you done choosing a place yet?” I asked, annoyed.
“Don’t worry, we’re almost there. I know where I’m going.” he confidently stated.
“Fine,” I groaned.
“Okay, we’re here.” he announced, gesturing towards the wide landscape. I observed the scenery; a large fountain was in the center of the place, surrounded by benches.
“How’s this different than the first place?” I questioned, noticing how similar it was to the entrance of the park.
“Trust me, this is way different.” he convinced. “Now... can I draw you?” he asked.
“What?!” I exclaimed.
“You know. For the drawing class.” he explained, holding up the drawing pad for emphasis. “Just your face.”
“Why would you want to draw me?”
“Well, you’re here, first off, and I think that you have a face that would be nice to draw.” he shrugged.
“Thanks,” I smiled. It was probably the first time that someone had said something like that to me.
“Now just face that direction... that’s right.” he guided, turning my head. I looked straight ahead, and waited as he started drawing. I knew that it would probably be awhile before he finished, but I didn’t really mind. It was calming in the park. In a way he was right; this section was different from the entrance. “So Sakura. How’ve you been?”
“Okay. No different than usual.”
“I see.”
“What about you?”
“Eh, I’ve been really busy, that’s all.”
“With...?”
“Well, I go to the drawing class three times a week. I don’t know why I’m so interesting, but I just am.” he shrugged, his cheeks reddening. “Then we have school, and homework. I don’t usually have that much time.” he sighed, erasing a big part of the drawing.
“Why’d you erase it? It was good.”
“Not good enough... hey, turn your head back the way it was.”
“Sorry.” I apologized.
“It’s okay. Just... I really want to finish this.”
“Okay. I won’t move.”
“We can still talk, if you want. Just don’t move.” he smiled, returning to the sketch. I
started to nod, then realized that he asked me not to move. He drew for fifteen more minutes, as I gazed off at the people in the park. A few kids were swinging on the rusty old swing sets off in the distance, a couple was sitting at a bench. “Okay, done. What do you think?” he asked, revealing the paper.
“Oh wow! It’s amazing!” I exclaimed. Amazing it was. I never knew that he could draw so well. Truthfully, I had never seen any guys which could draw more than a few stick figures.
“It’s not as great as it could’ve been, I really should’ve spent more time on it,” he shrugged. “But thanks anyways.”
“What do you mean it could’ve been better? It’s really good!”
“Eh. If you say so.” he smiled. Aidan glanced at his watch, and his eyes widened. “Ah, shoot. I have to go. See you soon?” he asked, rising.
“Yeah, definitely. See you.” We exited the park, and I began my walk home. It was getting dark, though it wasn’t too dark. There were still crowds on the streets, lights in the stores. I got home quickly, just in time for dinner. Despite the interview, it had been an amazing day.

Alyss lay in her bed, her eyes shut tightly. She hadn’t counted how many days had gone by since the whole club fiasco, and she didn’t want to know. It was night outside, and it was dark in her room. She pressed her pillow to her chest, and buried her face in it. Her parents lectured her the past few days, and naturally, grounded her. Why wouldn’t they? She knew that they disliked her. They always told her how a son would be much less of a bother. Parents rarely had to worry about their son getting into trouble.
Suddenly, Alyss heard a tapping coming from her window. If there were a tree right outside, she wouldn’t have been suspicious. But the ground was bare; not a trace of life lay in the alleyway behind the building. She turned in the direction of the window, and was surprised by what she saw. What appeared to be a human silhouette was crouching outside. But why would someone be on the fire escape by her window, in the pouring rain, at one in the morning?
The tapping sound came again, and she rose.
“Hello?” Alyss whispered.
“Open the window!” a muffled voice answered. She apprehensively went and stared through the glass, and saw the familiar, yet soaking wet face of Lex.
“Lex!” she shouted as quietly as she could without waking her parents up. She quickly opened the glass, and he fell through, shivering. “What are you doing here!?”
“It’s so cold out there... ugh. Anyways, I had to see you again. I know nothing about you; I wish that I had asked earlier.”
“How did you find my house? Why are you here so late at night? What if my parents find out!” she panicked.
“Shhh... it’ll be fine. Just don’t worry. And I have what you could call... connections. Yes, connections. That’s how I found you.” When Alyss looked at him questioningly, he explained further. “I know a lot of people.”
“Oh. Makes sense. Go on, answer the other questions.” Lex sighed, but continued.
“I’m here late at night because knowing your parents, they wouldn’t let me see you, ever. And I don’t think they’ll find out if it’s this late. From what I heard, they go to sleep really early, right? And they’re deep sleepers?”
“Yes. How do you know all this?!” she asked once again, though she knew the answer.
“Like I told you,” he shrugged. “Connections.” Alyss shook her head in disbelief, but still grinned. She had never been visited by a guy that she barely knew in the night. In fact, no one had ever visited her at night. He stared at her intently, and just then she remembered that she was wearing very short black shorts and a low cut pink tank top. She always wore shorts and a tank top to bed; it wasn’t like she knew that he was coming. “Nice... outfit.” he laughed.
“Well, it’s not like you’re dressed any better.” she giggled, motioning towards his sopping wet clothes. Lex opened his mouth to contradict, but sighed.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“So... what do you want to do?” she asked, hugging her knees to her chest.
“I dunno. What’s your phone number? Just so that I know...” Alyss gave him her number, which he entered in his sleek red phone. He went over and leaned on her desk, dripping water as he went.
“Is the weather bad outside?”
“Yeah. Yeah it is.” Lex replied, pointing to the open screen. It was thundering outside, and Alyss could hear the rain as it poured.
“Ugh I’d feel bad if I made you leave... but it’s not like we have anything else to talk about. And if you stay, my parents will find out, like they always do. But then again... you really shouldn’t go back out there. It might be... dangerous.”
“Whatever you want, Alyss. I can leave if you don’t want me to stay...” he said, walking towards the window.
“No!” she shouted. “Don’t go. I want you to... stay.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Here, climb into the bed.” she offered, getting to the other side of the mattress.”
“But... it’ll be wet.” he worried.
“Ah, it’s okay. I don’t really care.” Alyss shrugged. Lex smiled.
“Thanks, Alyss. You’re really nice.” he smiled, and got into the bed. He took off his sopping wet sweatshirt, and lay there. She moved closer to him and placed her hand on his arm. Despite the fact that it was really cold outside, his arm seemed to be unusually warm. “This is awkward.” he said, breaking the silence. Alyss laughed.
“You’re right, it kind of is.” He turned to face her, and she could feel him looking at her in the darkness. His eyes seemed to glow in the yellow light of the streetlamp outside. A few moments passed as they lay in silence, her hand still on his. Alyss stiffened as she heard her parents walking around. Their room was only on the other side of the hall. “What’s wrong?” Lex worried.
“Shhh!” she hushed. “They might hear you.” He was silent. The footsteps approached the room, and Alyss panicked. She threw her body over his so that it couldn’t have been seen from the entrance. The door opened, and light from the hallways flooded the room. The shadow of Alyss’ mom partially covered the bed.
“Alyss?” she asked, quiet. No reply came other than the hushed breathing. Her mom stood there for a few more moments, deciding whether or not her daughter was actually asleep. If she knew that she was faking, she didn’t really seem to notice. She sighed. “I love you.” said she, and with that, shut the door. The room was submerged in darkness once again.
“Oh my God that was so close.” Alyss sighed, relieved. She was now mostly wet, because of Lex. Unfortunate, but then again she could always change. Not that she minded.
“I think I should go... I don’t want to be any more trouble. After the way that your mom reacted after she saw you at the dance, I don’t even want to know how she’ll be if she finds me here.” he shivered.
“Are you sure? It’s cold outside... and windy and rainy.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I really don’t want to cause trouble, and I also should be going.” Lex stood, and made his way over to the window. “Bye, Alyss. Thanks for letting me stay. It was fun while it lasted. I’ll call you sometime soon, maybe we’ll see each other then?” he suggested.
“Yes, definitely.” He left through the window, just the way that he came. She listened until the metal clanging faded away to nothingness, and returned to her bed. In a way she was relieved that he had left; she couldn’t even begin to imagine what would’ve happened if her parents had found out that he was there. All that she knew was that it would be horrible.
As she began to drift off into sleep, her phone played it’s familiar melody. Alyss clambered out of the bed, tripping on a shoe box on her way to the dark cabinet. She slid open the phone, and read the message.

missing u. want 2 hang when ur ungrounded?
She smiled, and wrote back a message. He was so charming. She couldn’t really believe that she was already so friendly with him after so little time, it was unusual. Despite her parent’s beliefs, she didn’t always go around with guys. Most of the time, she was actually really shy. Alyss curled up on the drier side of the bed, and smiling, fell asleep.

* * *
Asher walked quickly, trying to get to the location as soon as he could. The wind bit at his face, making him shiver. He didn’t have any warm jackets, so he ended up wearing a really thin windbreaker. It wasn’t the best outfit for November. He vigorously rubbed his arms, trying to cause enough friction to heat them up. However, that didn’t help, so he began to run.
Soon the dingy building was in view. Asher opened the distressed metal door, and entered. A few bare light bulbs hung from the ceiling, encasing the room in their harsh, cold light. He nodded briefly at the two well-built men that stood guard at the entrance, making sure that no one who wasn’t allowed to be there entered. He rushed to the stairwell, running up the many flights of stairs. He was panting after about a minute of running, but he didn’t want to stop. He was already late for the meeting.
Asher burst through the door, and quickly found a seat at the long, rectangular table.
“Ah, Asher; I see that you’ve decided to arrive.” a shady looking man sneered from the head of the table.
“Sorry that I’m late again,” he apologized. “I lost track of time.”
“I see. Well, lucky for you, we were just about to begin the meeting.” Turning away from Asher, the man faced the rest of the group. He was either seventeen or nineteen; Asher doubted that anyone knew his actual age. He had dark brown hair that fell in his eyes, the light green eyes that were so intense they seemed unnatural. But people never dared to ask him whether they were actually real. Anyone could get eye color changing surgery; however guys rarely got it. Most men didn’t feel too insecure about their eye color. “Now. At the end of our discussion, I’ll pass out more of the Noir. First however, we need to discuss.”
“Mr. Symon, I must contradict. What’s there to discuss? We’ve been doing everything as you’ve told us.” a girl with jet black hair curly hair asked. Most of the time whenever Symon asked them to ‘discuss’ something, it ended with him yelling at everyone about their horrible performance.
“Miette, why must you always assume the worst?” Symon asked with a smile, tapping the table with his neatly trimmed nails. “I simply wanted to congratulate all of you. So far, we’ve gone unnoticed. No one suspects that it could be us; it’s still a complete mystery as to how they disappeared and why they were found dead. I never thought that we would get this far.” he shrugged.
“Oh. Sorry, sir.” Miette apologized, hanging down her head. Asher glanced over at her. She had never been one to talk; he was surprised that she even bothered to say anything. He didn’t even know why she was a part of the organization if she rarely spoke.
“Anyways... back to the discussion. I think that we should speed up- too few are being found each day. And hiding them is being too much of a bother. I’m thinking two a day, maybe even three. Everyone agree?” Symon didn’t want for a reply, and continued. “Now, for what you’ve been waiting for.” He drew out about fifty vials of the clear liquid that everyone was familiar with. With that gesture, the room was absolutely silent. No one knew how he managed to acquire so much Noir.
“How did you get so much?” a voice cried out. Symon smirked.
“It’s none of your concern. By the way, Asher,” he mentioned, turning to face him. “How’s it going with Angelle? I heard that she’s been causing you some trouble lately. Is it hard keeping her under your roof? We don’t want her to go and tell anyone, do we?”
“It’s been really hard with her. She’s met this new... guy. Truthfully, I don’t even know how they met. She always wants to go out with him.” Symon narrowed his eyes.
“And you let her go?” he hissed. Asher didn’t have time to say otherwise. “I can’t believe it!” he roared. “What if she tells? What if we get found out? Do you know what’ll happen?!” he screamed, standing up. The chair fell backwards, and the hollow metal clang that it emitted rang out through the room. Slowly he calmed down, and coolly picked up the chair. “Everyone, I think it’s time for you to leave.” he carried around the bottles of Noir, giving two to each person. They each exited the room, not making eye contact with Symon.
“Be careful, Asher.” Symon warned. “If I find out that that the bitch of yours tell anyone, anyone about the whole operation, you’re finished.” he snarled, handing him the last two vials. Asher nodded and exited the room as quickly as he could. He slipped the containers into his jacket pocket, and ran outside. It seemed to be even colder than it was before, so he ran as quickly as he could back to his house. He hoped that Angelle would come back soon. He didn’t want to know what would happen if she told Jasper about the whole operation.

In a way, Symon was more than just their their dealer. He led them, instructed them, and many of the people in the operation saw him as an older brother. He hated that of course, but that didn’t prevent him from acting the way that he usually did. Asher was sure that he enjoyed the attention, enjoyed the fact that not everyone loathed him. Not that people disliked him; they were too terrified to feel any negative emotions towards him. They didn’t want to imagine what he could, and would do if he knew. So even if they completely despised Symon, no one other than themselves knew.
Rain started viciously pouring from the sky, and because of the wind it felt like needles were jabbing into his skin. Asher cringed; it was really uncomfortable. He felt his pocket to make sure that the bottles were still they, and they were. A car honked loudly, and he realized that he had almost gotten run over. He apologized, but doubted the he could’ve been heard over the roar of the weather. The apartment building was already in view, so he started sprinting, making sure that he wouldn’t crash into any more cars. The storm was really getting bad. The previous evening it had also been storming, but not like this.

Asher swung open the door to his apartment building, grateful to be out of the rain. He went to the elevator and waited for it to arrive. Just then, the power went out. He sighed, and went to the stairwell. A few minutes later he was at his floor. The hallway there was also dark. He glanced through the window, and wondered how long it would take for the light to return. It shouldn’t be that long, but then again the weather was absolutely furious. Who knew when it would calm down enough for someone to go and fix the power lines?

Usually buildings had a built in generator that powered the buildings if something happened; but all the built up energy had been used the previous night during the rain. Asher took his key from his jacket pocket, and instantly felt a sharp jab of pain. He swore in surprised, and pulled out a bleeding hand. He swore once more, and took out a handful of broken glass. That wasn’t good. One of the bottles had broken. At least the other was still intact. He sighed, and unlocked the door. It was dark inside, of course. He didn’t know why he expected it to be any lighter than the hall. After all; when the power went out, it was out everywhere.

Asher closed the door behind him, and took out the intact bottle and placed it on the cabinet. He threw the rest of the broken glass in the trash bin, disappointed at the loss. Symon wouldn’t be too happy if he returned earlier than usual for more Noir. He’d have to ur half as much if he wanted to have enough. He turned around, and came face to face with Angelle.

“When did you get here?” he asked, hanging up his jacket on the chair. She shrugged.

“I’ve been here for a while. When you left I came in. I didn’t know that you would take so long to get back.” she shrugged.

“It’s okay. I’m just happy that your back,” he sighed, wrapping his arms around her. Truthfully, he was still completely enraged with her. But he didn’t want her to leave again, didn’t want to get in trouble with Symon. No one wanted to be subjected to his anger, and even the bravest feared him.

“Thanks for not being mad, Ash. I was worried.” Angelle stepped away from him, and he noticed how pale she looked. She was normally glowing, but now even the white tattoo on her back seemed to be the same color as her skin.

“Are you okay?” he worried. “You look sick.” Angelle shrugged.

“I don’t really know,” she sighed. “I just haven’t been feeling the best lately...”

“Is there anything that I can do?” he asked, genuinely concerned. Angelle was always so lively, it seemed weird that she looked so weak.
“No, it’s not your fault.” She turned away from him and went over to the couch. “It just seems like I need more and more of the Noir each day. I’m scared, Ash.” she whispered, and looked up at him. He could see the tears beginning to pool in her eyes. “I don’t want to be addicted. I don’t want this to happen.” Asher crouched down next to her and hugged her tightly to himself, stroking her hair.
“Shhh...” he whispered, pressing her head to his. “It’ll be okay.” Asher felt unbelievably guilty. He didn’t know how much pain the Noir was causing her, and he couldn’t have even imagined it. He didn’t want her to be afraid, or hurt. “Everything will be okay.” he whispered, and hoped that he was telling the truth. She looked up at him, and even though her makeup was smudged, he thought that she was beautiful.
“Are you sure? I’m so scared. I don’t want anything bad to happen.” she cried.
“Everything will be okay. I promise.” he reassured, though he was enraged at himself for lying to her.
“Promise?” she begged. Asher was silent. “I think I’m going to go to sleep... I’m really tired.” she sighed.
“You sure? Do you want to do something? Talk?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I just... don’t really want to do anything. I’m too tired.” she shrugged, at got up.
“Well... have a nice sleep, then.” he sighed.
“Thanks.” Angelle exited the room, and Asher quickly changed into dry clothes. He hung the wet ones up, and lay down on the couch, staring up at the dark ceiling. He hoped that the lights would go back on soon.