The world went silent in the office, the constant sound of pencil scratching away on paper, leaving its mark ever so carelessly. Alone, a woman sat, misery written on her face as she wrote away on a piece of paper, hundreds of papers piled behind her. Her crimson red eyes looked down, dreadfully, at the stack next to her. To fall from such grace is almost embarrassing. She used to be a proud soldier, head of the elite shadow black ops of the militia, feared by all and challenged by none. Now, she's stuck filing people's insurance.
But at least her children wouldn't have to worry about being broke. She still couldn't believe she let them buy her out of her position as general, but over thirty million dollars would do that to someone. She tossed her pen onto the desk as she looked up, wondering how her life took such a shitty turn, yet it wasn't all that bad. Her eyes looked down onto her desk, the singular photo of her, Siren, Celeste, and Sam, all cheerful and happy. It was the good old days when he was around; now her kids hardly talk to her.
It's ironic since she doesn't know what to say to them either. She loves those kids, would die for them any day of the week, but hardly knows what to say, since her husband, Sam, would usually be her voice. Ever since his death, her life has gotten a lot duller, yet she still pushes onward, yet to find the true motive for her perseverance. The black phone began to ring as Charlotte picked it up, resting her elbow on her desk as she put the phone to her ear.
"Goldiggers' Insurance company, how may I help you?" she asked, her voice dull and hollow.
"Charlotte. J Thompson. I recommend you listen very carefully if you love your son," the man said, low and raspy, almost like the person's voice was eerie enough to scratch a chalkboard.
"You have some nerve to think you can threaten me and my fami--"
"425 Calway Street. You might wanna lower your voice before I do something unnecessary."
"What do you want? Money?"
"No, No. I want you to make a choice. A choice that either sends you down the worst rabbit hole of your life, or you redeem yourself for your sins as a child."
". . . Your fucking sick. Acting like you understand what happened in Corizua!"
"I don't need to know, I only need to feel your anger through the phone to know you're guilty. But you can't act on your guilt, you don't have the heart to. Besides. . . You wouldn't want me in a bad mood. I have a pretty destructive pattern when it comes to your son's existence. So, here is what's about to happen. Either you kill your son, or we will kill your entire family, no second choices or none of that soppy ''there is always a second choice'' crap! This is real life, and you have by tomorrow night to choose," the man shouted.
"W-wait!" The sound of the telephone hanging up filled her eardrums as her heart sank slowly. She's never been threatened before, let alone her children. Either they were underestimating her family, or they truly had a method of killing her family. Taking a risk like that would take time to think, to process, to analyze. . . But with only until tomorrow night isn't enough time to get it done. How is she supposed to do anything in this situation?
For a split second, it felt as if her lungs were being stopped, trapped by the weight of the inability to help her kids; however, maybe should could keep them out of the way until the situation dies down. A heavy sigh escaped her breath as she picked up her phone. The sounds of it ringing filled her ears as she tapped her fingers on the desk rapidly, anxiety sinking in.
"Pick up, pick up, pick up," she muttered quietly, her tapping growing more frequent.
"H-hello?" a voice asked.
"Celeste! I need you to listen very carefully, understand?"
"Y-yeah. . . What is it?"
"Look, I need you and your brother to pack your bags and head to the hotel on the outskirts of the town, and stay there for a couple of days."
"W-why? Siren has prom at that time, he's already preparing for it!"
"I'll buy him a prom if I have to, just do as I told you, I'm sending you the money right now," Charlotte hung up the phone as she packed her things, making sure to grab her photo of the family, as she walked towards the exit.
The fifth divine general was on the scene.
"Come on, you have to think one of these at least looks decent!" Ana said as she held up two suits, one was an emerald suit with black dots all around, but the other was a black suit with red glitter scattered on the front, with white glitter on the back.
" I don't know. . . They both look okay, but if I had to choose, it might be the black one."
"What's wrong with the green one?"
"Well, I'm thinking about it using you as the standard." He said, causing Ana to tilt her head in confusion.
"Me? Why me?"
"Well, look at it like this, since you're more, well, more people are going to be looking at you regardless of what you wear; however, to choose the better dress, mine should have a similar color palette to yours but should contrast just enough to stand out. Kind of like me balancing out what you don't cover." Siren explained, rambling away as Ana could only sigh.
"Whatever makes you happy, I guess," she said, setting aside the green one as they walked towards the register, only for Siren to stop in his tracks.
"Hold on, Ana, I see two bastards at 12 o'clock." Ana glanced over to see Chase and his boys hanging out near the tuxedo section, both wearing casual outfits, mostly white tank tops and jogging shorts of various colors. The two hid behind the corner as they both looked at each other, snickering away.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Hell yeah, I'm thinkin what you're thinking!" Siren said confidently. With a slight twirl of his fingers, a small hole slowly appeared I'm front of them as a space opened above Chase and his group. Ana stuck her hands out above the portal as snow quickly fell, dropping on their heads without an end.
Within a matter of moments, they're entire bodies were covered in snow. The duo snickering away at their snow-covered form. Sure, using magic in public without a valid cause was illegal, but where is the fun in that? Suddenly, Chase's head emerged from the snow, his eyes meeting Siren and Ana snickering away.
"SIREN!" His voice erupted as they looked at Chase, his face fueling with anger. Ana and Siren glanced at each other as they quickly began running away, clinging to the suit as they dashed around the store, dodging customers and the enraged quarterback.
"If I had remembered that Chase was a football player, I really wouldn't have thought we could outrun him!"
"I think he's compensating for something with his athleticism," Ana joked, panting away as she was beginning to have trouble keeping up. Siren glanced around as he noticed a changing booth, grabbed Ana's hand, and pulled her inside, closing the door to the changing room. With a heavy sigh, Siren lifted her onto his feet, trying to give the illusion of there only being one person in here.
"Do you have to be so close?" She asked.
"Clothing rooms are only meant for one person, not two teenagers." He said, looking away as he heard footsteps slowly stopping, walking ever carefully as if they were inspecting the rooms from the outside. The squeaking from the shoe's steps grew ever slower as they inspected their door, Siren's heart racing as he took a deep breath, panic setting in. Before he could even begin to panic further, Ana placed her hand over Siren's mouth, staring into his eyes with her own.
"Just look at me," she whispered, as Ana could feel his heartbeat slowing down, his eyes growing mellow. She had never gotten this to Siren before; seeing his eyes this close was almost heavenly. From a distance, his hollow, empty eyes are all one sees. But up close, it was like the insides of obsidian, shiny yet crystallized.
"What, is there a booger on my face?" He asked, as he quietly chuckled, his eyes gleaming under the dim yellowish light. A grasping feeling dwelled within her heart, almost like a wave crashing down on her chest as she slightly leaned back, her breath increasing with each passing second. Her hand slowly left Siren's mouth as she slowly reached into her pockets, desperately searching for something.
"You okay?" Siren asked, that innocent look in his eyes almost melted her heart as her panicked searches came to a halt. Her pills. . . Not a single one was in her pocket, the one thing that kept her mind straight when all reason seemed to fail, and now she ran out. . .
"Siren. . . Is Chase and her group still out there?" She asked softly, her voice almost rattled. He glanced around the curtain, seeing the bullies hang about, lurking, waiting for them to come out of wherever they might've been.
"Nope, still there. Are you doing okay? You look a been drained," he whispered, a hint of worry growing on his face.
". . . If I told you to stay away, would you do it?" Ana asked, her voice lowering into an almost restrained tone.
"You know I wouldn't do that. You're my closest friend, and if you have a problem, I'm here to back you up no matter the consequence." Siren quietly muttered as he grabbed her hand, his worried expression shifting into a hopeful smile.
"I was afraid you might say that." She muttered as she grabbed his wrists, pushing him against the glass behind him, shifting ever closer towards him. Her rapid breathing transformed into pants of restraint, her silver eyes shaking as they were now mere inches away from each other.
"I thought I could hold out as long as I focused and took my medication, but now... All I can think of is being what I hated the most."
"And that is?"
" An Ice elf like everyone expects me to be. Always looking for someone to sleep with like it's some fun game, needing to take medication that does who knows what to our bodies, and knowing everyone will see you only as used up.. It's hell, and I don't think I can last much longer. I tried. . . I did, but I guess I'm not as strong as I thought I was." Her voice cracked under her own words, her body shaking as tears flooded her face. And that's when it clicked. Throughout his entire life, he had never seen Ana act on her advanced hormones ever. Meaning she's been holding back this entire time, fighting off her true self all... for him?
"Ana. . . You know you don't have to hold back around me, you know that, right? Even if you were a murderer, I'd still say you're innocent simply because we're close," he claimed, looking at her with assured confidence. A silent sigh brushed past her lips as she looked at Siren like a wild animal, aching for something long desired. With quick haste, she pushed against him, mere centimeters from his face, as he could feel her breath against his lips, an embarrassed blush appearing on his cheeks.
"Do your words still hold up even now? Even when you know what I am?" She asked, leaning ever slightly closer.
"Even when I know. . . Who you are." He muttered as his body loosened slightly, a gulp of air filling his lungs as he muttered, full of fulfillment.
"Take what you want... You've waited long enough to have your fill."