ă€Šrebornă€‹


 Prologue : runaway

    "Momma, I wanna ride that! Pwease, pwease! I was a verrry good girl, wasn''t I?" She begged her mother while on her knees with her tiny hands clamped together. Doing so caused her boots to get covered in mud, while her clothes were already covered in dirt.

    The blonde woman in a coat stood there with a solid face that spoke the word ''NO''.

    Her emerald eyes in adoration of her baby dressed in the cute outfit she borrowed from the neighbours were the only indication that she was her mother. The outfit consisted of a knotted double loop scarf, saffron coloured with white stripes, representing optimistic beginnings for the newly joined members of the ''Sophie Scholl and White Roses Scout for Girls''. Just as the name suggests, the emblem was of a white rose with its famous thorny stem and leaves crawling over the border. With the correct measurement,it managed to fit her with great perfection.

    The problem?

    The Scout fit was years old and not updated to the official one; suffice to say, it did not bear any similarities to the official Scout fit.

    Despite not having the necessary funds, the newly acquitted ''Rosie Red''s Buds'' Scout group made it impossible to forget their newly designed emblem. The picture of a blonde lady with a red rose adorned in her hair was everywhere. From the stalls to the bathrooms, you name it.

    Little girls in their ruby tutu with the emblems twirled around while the others tore all the roses from the plants and placed them in their pockets.

    Regardless, nobody cared.

    That''s why her mother was able to confuse the guards into thinking she was the ambassador, which allowed the enthusiastic daughter to walk in her fit. They thought that this was a way to symbolize the quote ''out of the old, into the new''.

    Currently, they found themselves in the middle of the crowd, her mother scrolling through the pictures on her phone while her daughter stood there with her camcorder to document the field trip for a summer holiday assessment.

    Mind you, she''s just six years old.

    "Really? Then I wonder who broke the vase that Aunty Vanessa gifted us?" She wondered, even though she knew who did it.

    "Well... that was an accident. Come on Mum! It was ugly and did NOT suit your taste.", she pointed out.

    The sweet girl, inherently shy, knew she was guilty. The boat ride was such a cruel desire of hers for so long, that she settled on putting her cute blue eyes to her advantage in getting Mrs. Willows'' permission. The mother two steps ahead of her charming daughter saw right through her eyes but couldn''t help but give in.

    "Alright, you can have a ride but you-"

    "Shouldn''t lie to gain what you desire the most. I know I am a big girl. Guess what? I knew you would say yes because I am a smart girl. You never know when you will lose your memories."

    She tried to wink at her mother but failed to do so.

    After putting her items away in her backpack,her mother knelt down andclamped her hands around the gremlin''s face, messing her face up and down. Before they knew it, bubbles of giggles arose, making the mother-daughter duo topple down to the ground in heaps of laughter.

    People around them giggled along, while others were concerned whether to call the guards or not.

    Her mother reassured them while pulling her into an embrace, which meant something maddening was about to happen.

    Before she could take her chances to escape the embarrassment, her mother turned her around to set some ground rules.

    "I know my baby is growing so fast that I can''t record it, but I don''t want my baby to leave me. Okay? Promise me that you will be near me the whole time." Her mother held out her pinky finger to promise.

    Something about her mother''s eyes told her something else.

    Having the sixth sense, she looked into her mother''s eyes before covering her ear to ask her the question that struck a chord.

    "Fine, I promise. But mum... is it because of Papa?" She whispered into her mum''s ear.

    She flinched but masked it with her calm demeanour.

    "Honey, it''s nothing, your dad is fi-" Then a man pulled her towards himself. Within a blink of an eye, the person kissed the shocked girl''s cheek.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    The man was tall with sleek raven hair, and dark navy blue eyes that scanned all over the area to keep his queen and pawn together and safe. With a scoop, he cuddled both the mother and her daughter.

    The gremlin started to glow red and fought against the kidnapper with all her strength.

    Unfortunately, the man managed to avoid all her special moves just like yesterday, the day before yesterday, the week before this week, the month before this month.....you get the picture.

    "DAD! Stop it! You''re embarrassing me!" She remarked in a hushed tone and crossed her arms while facing the so-called "kidnapper". She blew up her cheeks and squinted her eyes to glare at her father''s innocent eyes. Everyone would be unable to restrain themselves from oozing with glee at this degree of adorableness. They all wondered how her parents coped with her.

    "Come on! It''s a campsite, not your school." He answered with his right arm, pointing around.

    The lush greenery blended in with the multicoloured tents, whose main purpose was to lure you into this wonderland. The campsite was thoughtfully designed to preserve the natural beauty of the surroundings. Tall trees provide shade, and sparkling streams wind their way through the area, reflecting the sunlight. Colourful bunting made from recycled materials flutters in the gentle breeze, leading you to different sections of the campsite. In the heart of the campsite lies the carnival area. Imagine traditional wooden carnival booths nestled among the trees, offering games and activities for all ages. There were ring tosses, bean bag throws, and a beautifully restored Ferris wheel that gave you a bird''s eye view of the entire campsite. A merry-go-round, with hand-carved animal figures, spins gently under a canopy of fairy lights. There were stalls filled with weapons which you could use to gain prizes for your loved ones. At the same time, some sold food to end your hunger.

    The family stood near multiple counters with the title ''BOATING FOR LIFE''. Behind them, the helpers assigned the kids to their respective boats to board their journey. They paired four of them with a helper in each boat. From there they rowed into the wilderness.

    It was like a carnival if it was a campsite.

    " I know, but can we go on that boat trip, please? " The cunning girl tried her tactic 704 on her parents, which was an over the top melodramatic puffy eyes with eyelashes trying to stop the tears from dropping.

    Her father immediately took the bait and tried to console her.....which had no effect whatsoever.

    "Sure-no, I mean what your mother told you?" He stammered while looking for his wife''s approval.

    "Which is yes, so let me down already, will you?" She gave dad an are-you-done look, after wiping her tears off and swinging her legs out to accidentally kick her dad''s rock solid tummy.

    It was his turn to be shocked by how her mood had changed.

    Just like her mother, he thought.

    "The older she gets, the more restless she gets." He remarked while putting his energetic girl down gracefully.

    "Now, where is our mother, dearest?" She asked while fixing her Scout outfit.

    "Over here. As it turns out, our BIG girl has to board the boat ride with helpers only. I am sure she will be alright." Her mother informed them while putting a ticket band on her daughter''s delicate hand.

    "Of course, I will be. Right, papa?" she demanded from her father but received no reply.

    Annoyed, she turned around to see the changed scenario in front of her as a ghastly look crossed her face.

    She turned to see her father who was now on the ground with his sleeves ripped, exposing his arm with blood dripping over it. The heavy greenery of the evergreen forest was replaced with smoke and a blaze of fire spread around the whole campsite. Screams of terror and sorrowful whimpers filled the air. The fun-filled atmosphere changed drastically to a deadly scenario where the only hope of survival lingered at its dead-end.

    The tents were tattered and collapsed next to them, covering the dead body of a beheaded person. The Ferris Wheel had half of its cabins open, with dead people dangling from the door hinges. The worst part was that the alive ones were trapped and within seconds became a feast for the ferocious and hungry predators.

    Within a few feet from them, a guard tried to fight his way out with the guns and its bullets but to no avail, he fell prey to the new apex predator.

    It would mess up one''s mind to the point where they had to be sent to a mental asylum.

    The frightened girl, shaken up by the sudden change of surroundings, stood still on the ground, her hands in fists. She crouched, tears flowing down her face, with her head in her hands. She was lost in her thoughts until her father''s voice snapped her back into reality.

    "RUN ASHLEY! RUN LOVE! LEAVE YOUR DAMN FATHER RIGHT HERE, RUN PLEASE HONEY. EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE-" A strange figure came with its mouth open towards him. It twisted her father''s head to the opposite side to silence his last words. His loud voice seemed to have disturbed it. It devoured his dead flesh while ripping his chest open with its sharp fingers. She stood in horror as the creature turned to face her. Would it have been human if it was? Was it a human? But what made her think it was once a human was its eyes. Despite having a disfigured body with dead muscles everywhere but the fingers, where the skeleton was exposed. Its eyes were humanoid brown eyes.

    She then realized it was a helper.

    The helper who helped the kids get on the boat.

    THE HELPER who scanned her ticket.

    THE HELPER WHO WAS IN THE SAME BOAT AS IT''S SUPERVISOR.

    She had no time to cry or shout as it came towards her running while exposing its razor-sharp teeth.

    She had only one option: RUN.

    She turned to run as fast as she could, but she tripped over, causing her to fall and get her hazel brown hair and her Scout dress covered in mud. When she found out the source of the problem, she was mortified.

    She fell over Aunty Vanessa''s dead body with her eyes glued to her and her mouth ripped open.

    Ashley turned and twisted her way out around the nooks and sharp thorns of the bushes in the forest she was stuck in. She could still smell the decaying human flesh and hear the terrifying shrieks of the unknown world they were entering. Her lovely Scout outfit was now tattered up and covered with dirt and the redness of her father''s blood that splattered on her. Observing fresh wounds and cuts increased her adrenaline but did not yield any solution to get out of the nightmare.

    Suddenly, a cliff came into view.

    She knew if she stayed there, she would end up like them.

    Without further hesitating, Ashley jumped off.

    Only if she knew she had broken her mother''s last promise.

    This Ashley would be the protagonist of this very world.

 ASHLEYS LAST BIRTHDAY

    "Breathe in, breathe out." she whispered to herself.

    There she stood in front of a cracked-up sink which looked like it would break apart any moment. Even the cyanide-tiled floor had cracks. Even the semi-opaque indigo window had cracks. Everything had cracks!

    As she splashed dark water over her face, the water droplets formed a strained river following from her nose, and mouth downwards towards her throat and onto her shirt, which was already drenched in her sweat.

    Even though it''s been years, she can still feel the fear.

    Her hands trembled while she shivered in the freezing breeze that blew through the cracks. Something bushy came in touch with her pinky toe that almost made her trip and fall.

    It was her toothbrush.

    Realizing how much of a fool she was, she squatted down to pick it up only to fumble up and fall on the toilet seat right on the seat.

    The broken mirror reflected a cracked image of her face, which did a good job in horrifying her.

    A dark circle lies underneath her right eye, symbolizing that she has been working from dawn to dusk.

    But not today

    Her right hand went towards her left eye.

    "Come on" she mumbled under her breath as she tried to pour a few drops of medicine from the eye drop. Despite having a scarred eye for so many years, she still can''t get over the daily dose of medicine that is required to hydrate her left eye and prevent any further infection.

    "Freaking hell", at last, she secured the bag which took almost all of her energy.

    She gazed at her trembling hands, which were next to her favorite hazel cargo pants ˇŞ one of the few new clothes she had. She was exhausted for sure. She needs to take a break from her life.

    As she sat down on the lid of the latrine, she tried to remember the nightmare she had faced when she was-

    "Open the damn door already! You know you are not the only one who needs-"

    "Yes, Prince Charming, I know your daily skincare routine needs more than like 15 mins. So would you mind shutting up for just a few minutes? I am kinda busy here", she might have said that in a polite tone but her face said otherwise.

    There stood in front of her a 5''10 (1.78 m)feet tall tanned man in preppy style shorts and a pale pastel color gray t-shirt with food stains here and there. From his accent, you could guess that he is an American-Indian. His hair was a messy mess just like his dating life.

    "Look, I got a date-" Before he could complete it, he got a with-who-look from his young foster sister.

    "But still, who on earth will go on a date with you? You look like an um... What was that word...", her mind then disappeared to its realm.

    "You mean handsome? Or hot? Maybe sexy? Oh, I know! ...muscular?", He ended that statement with his arms flexing, making it look like his veins would pop out any second.

    "A Jacksy!", She exclaimed with a huge grin on her face.

    "A what now?", he gave her a confused look.

    "It means all of the above words you just said." she spoke with enthusiasm, knowing that her muddle-headed brother would again fall for this trap.

    "So does this apply to you know... both genders?", he inquired her.

    "Absolutely!", she was smiling like a kid after they answered correctly. With that, she slammed the bathroom door on his face. It could be well heard that he swore in his mother tongue while he waited in line.

    She took a breath in and out.

    She took the eye-patch and placed it over her white, eyelid-less, left eye.

    She wondered if she was the only person who ever felt uncomfortable covering her disability from others.

    Stop it, today is the day. You shouldn''t let your mood get ruined.

    She tried her best to make a fresh braid, but it looked like a messed up lasagna with the cheese and tomato coming out.

    At last, she decided just to let her hair be the way it wanted.

    If it wasn''t for the trauma, she might have been able to be a normal teenager without a scarred left eye.

    That''s when the light went off.

    She swore on Dan so that he might have an awful date.

    After she left the bathroom, She looked around for the culprit but even without her five senses she could feel that obnoxious and caring aura coming from the living room. The second-floor stairs faced the bathroom, while the kitchen was on the left and the living room on the right. The fireplace was still burning with just 1 wood plank.

    It was probably high on the fuel.

    Even with such limited fuel, it was able to produce enough light to illuminate the living room, showcasing its interior. With semi-concrete and wooden floors that disappeared under the rug with beautiful Inuit embroidery of a family of owls flying around in circles over their chicks. Around it lay three leather couches that were already withering if it wasn''t for the elegant embroidery (a part of the set, brought on a discount) that had covered it up from top to bottom, hiding its ugliness in disguise. Near the walls, cabinet''s full of souvenirs, cup-plate sets and other typical stuff were stored. With newly painted walls, it made it look half decent then it did when they first found the house whom they call ''home'' now.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    The house was big enough to fit over 20 people at a party, but sadly housed for 4 people for the past 3 years.

    As Ashley turned around to capture the criminal red-handed, she stopped in her tracks as she witnessed the scene in front of her.

    Her foster parents, Raju and Reno, were in a quiet, hushed discussion. She couldn''t see what was causing their agitation as their backs were turned towards her. Next to them lay the ugly prince checking himself out in a small pocket mirror.

    He looked happy.

    She hadn''t seen that in a long time, until today.

    But, how could a simple date make him smile like that?

    She wondered.

    Date or not, it''s good to see him like this, she nodded to herself.

    That''s when she remembered what he had done to her 5 minutes ago.

    She told herself, It would be better if we settled this in private.

    Then I wouldn''t need to hold back and beat him for his stupidity.

    Now, they both had something to look forward to.

    Despite her best efforts at tip-toeing her way to the kitchen, the planks still created noise, making her jump and land on her toes onto the smooth tiles.

    She swiftly entered the kitchen.

    ------x--------x--------x--------x--------x--------x--------x--------x--------x--------x--------x--------x--------x--------

    When the bathroom door closed, Ashley could sense a distinct ''finally'' in the hallway.

    Taking her seat at the dinner table in the kitchen, she started the inspection of the mysterious three packages.

    Each of them was encased in vintage newspapers and adorned with ribbons in the following colours ˇŞ yellow, red and green. All of them were in different forms and were quite easy to guess what they were except for the third one. Beside them was a handwritten note saying ˇŞ ''to the prettiest girl.''

    She wondered if they were for Dan''s brand-new girlfriend.

    ''Quite the effort he is making.'' she mumbled while grabbing two thin slices of bread and dropping it into the toaster next to the counter.

    After the timer ended, the battery operated toaster toasted out the toasts into the air.

    Slipping out of her seat, she quickly grabbed a plate and managed to place both the toast on the ground.

    Giving out a big sigh, she picked them and started to spread the jam onto it after blowing it, though, it wouldn''t make much of a difference.

    Then out of ''nowhere'', her foster parents brought out a cake with 15 candles on it. It was quite surprising that she hadn''t realized that it was her birthday until they started singing the ''happy birthday'' song to her.

    "What are you waiting for? Blow the candles away!", her foster dad exclaimed in his thick Indian accent. You could see how much he loved her by just taking a glance from his face and, of course, his smile, which could make the sun blind if it was possible.

    "Thank you so much. It''s just that I don''t have much time, Raju." Just by looking at them, you could see how hard they had worked to make her birthday come true.

    " Alright, then I will open the gifts first. " She declared.

    "Oh, that''s a nice choice.", Reno supported her decision by glaring at her jobless son who had just come out of the bathroom, nicely shaved. He responded with an I-know-mom-look. He had covered his shirt with the hazel cargo jacket he got from work. Fortunately, he was smart enough to change his shorts to jeans. She was relieved to see that he was at least clean to look at.

    The first gift was given by Raju. It was a long black leather coat with lots of pockets. Inside, it had three layer of insulating wooden-cotton, which would help maintain the body heat. No wonder, this coat was the limited edition from the newly made teen fashion brand ''Pusslay Inc.''. Since the CEOs were Gen Z, it would make some sense that the name of the fashion brand is so.... disgusting.

    Reno gave a hand-knitted scarf. It was made from emerald green coloured wool and had little strips of silver cotton wool along with it. She said that it had to do with her birthday and would bring good luck since her destiny was not easy, and she would face numerous challenges in the future. So it was made based on superstition.

    The last one was none other than Danish''s. It seemed quite small for an average birthday gift, as his mother was shooting glares all the away from the poles.

    " I, Danish Sehkar, swear on god that you will not like this gift but love it.", he bowed towards her in the most clich¨¦ manners which you see in the movies.

    "Thanks? I guess..." she mumbled while opening the gift.

    For the first time in her life, ever since she was taken in by the family, he was right.

    She wouldn''t like it but love it.

    It was none other than an MP3 player with headphones.

    "Doesn''t it cost like 100 gold, roughly?" Raju questioned his son because it was impossible for an adult like him to get that much money.

    "Chill out ma-pa, I got it from the black market. For a favour, the boss gave me a second-used MP for free." He replied before his mom could do anything else other than beat his arse.

    "Still, it''s in perfect condition...", she reported while finding some shady songs.

    " Why don''t you wear all this to work?" Reno suggested, cooling her mind. She then took the wrappings off the clothes and started to clean them by wiping her hands over them.

    "Sure," she nonchalantly replied. Happily, Reno wrapped her neck with the scarf and helped her get the coat on her.

    "Then it settles it. We are going to work now. So bye ma-pa." he took her by the shoulder just after she finished wearing her new clothes. He dragged her in one hand and carried her bag in the other through the front door. In a hurry to get to his date, he almost dropped his bike to the floor while taking it out of the garage.

    " Hey! I haven''t finished my breakfast yet! " She exclaimed while getting on her brother''s broke-arsed bike. Dan then flipped 2 gold coins towards her. Even with one eye, Ashley managed to catch it in one hand.

    "There you go, breakfast." he ended with a dazzling smile which made Ashley gag. After setting up the bike, Ashley got on the bike along with her bag stashed over her shoulder. With Dan as the driver, Ashley was a bit concerned, to say the least. With the engine roaring back to life, they drifted from the garage and onto the muddy driveway, As Ashley turned her left she could see the sunrise up beautifully with its orange shades spread across the blue sky.

    "BYE DANU, BYE ASHLEY. BOTH OF YOU, TAKE OF EACH OTHER!" Their angry yet kind mother shouted as they zoomed out of the view.

    While Dan made faces, Ashley clung to her older brother''s shoulders, she shouted back, "YES, MOM, THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!".

    With that, she sat back down with a huge grin on her face, with her curly hair flying here and there.

    If I were to say, that day might be the last time when she truly happily grinned in her life.

    As the future unfolds, the darkness is closing in their way, faster than it should have.

 Companionship

    <u>6 years ago</u>

    Stressed Ashley woke up to the darkness waiting for her presence.

    She felt the softness of the mattress with a cover and... a blanket?

    As a response, she started to touch her clothes. She wasn''t wearing her usual uniform with synthetic nylon, which was uncomfortable to wear. She was wearing an old orange-coloured shirt with a torn-out styled short jeans. While she was inspecting, she found her left eye to be covered up with bandages. She then sat at the side with her bruised legs dangling above the floor. She was quite relieved but confused to find her BranX missing from the right wrist. The live-GPS- gadget inbedded in her skin or so she thought. It was suppose to be unbreakable.

    Despite sensing the room to be safe, she decided to just leave before anything happened to her.

    As Weak Ashley tried to stand up, her legs gave up.

    She fell to the floor with a thud. Loud enough for the people outside to hear it.

    Before she knew it, the door opened with light overflowed over her. Its luminous almost blinded her eye as she bent her head over with her hand covering her face. It took her a matter of seconds to realize the person went on their knees and started to call out.

    "Hey, it''s going to be fine, just stay down. They are coming right away. Wait for a few seconds, Ash." A stern yet calm voice spoke out. As her eyes got adjusted to the light, she looked up and saw a strong-looking girl who could be perfect enough to be your bodyguard.

    Well, if it wasn''t for the greyish-blue eyes and a small portion of the brown freckles around her nose, Young Willow might''ve had her hands covered in blood.

    "Hey, you... I.....", she said with a weak voice indicating that she needed some time to regain her energy to speak with her regarding that incident. Since she couldn''t complete her sentence, she used her hand to point out to the girl, and back at herself as if to say : do you remember me?

    She nodded.

    Then it hit her.

    Screams in agony

    Bloodshed every corner

    Dead bodies here and there

    "Run Ashie! Run! " she screamed

    Rocks falling around

    She then fell, just to see her get-

    "DAYA! WHAT HAPPENED TO HER? Is she even all...", she bombarded her with questions while holding back her tears.

    Her bunker buddy, her caretaker, her friend...

    "... I don''t... even know how to break the news to you, but I got this from her just before that...", she broke off while she took the thing out of her left pocket. It was an eye-patch. Made out of black leather. Until she flipped it over and saw the initial ''E.T.B''.

    As always, an obedient and a ruthless rule-follower.

    She continued, "Since we were in the same training session she thought... that I ...um mm... Could give it to you.... While she....", even though she looked so strong with her palm roughed out through rigorous practice, she couldn''t help but let tears drop in her green torn pants. She clashed her hand over her face, trying to prevent cautious Willow from seeing her vulnerable side.

    "I am so sorry, I should''ve just taken the... job...", she sobbed out.

    Pity Ashley looked down with tears streaming down her face. She knew where her friend was.

    She doesn''t need to worry about her fragile friend any more. Daya finally found the peace with honour she wanted.

    Regretfull Willow could''ve just lashed out her anger at that girl but...

    "Aren''t you are mad... at me?" She gave her a confused look as Considerable Ashley hugged her and shed tears with her head on her shoulder.

    "I know I can ... but we don''t have time for that, do we? Also, Daya would be pissed if we still are like this.", she chuckled at the last line she spoke out.

    "You''re quite mature for your age, and you''re right. Daya DEFINITELY will be mad if we cry over her sacrifice like this.", she broke out in laughter as she wiped her tears off her face.

    Both the girls sat down in tears, laughing about the good old days they spent with their dear friend and then they had to grow up the next day without her on their side. They both agreed that she wasn''t the ideal friend with whom you could do mischief, but she was the one that no one would forget.

    After a while, her eyes got adjusted to her room and.... She was amazed. Just a single bed in ONE room! Unbelievable! She thought. Then she saw a small table barely passing by her waist height with a mirror attached. On it, she saw a pale-coloured dress folded neatly. She pointed it out, to which the older girl replied that it was for her.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Little Ashley couldn''t believe her ears.

    A gift?

    The last time she got a gift, it was...

    "Should I help you with that dress....?" the older girl voiced out.

    Thoughtfull Ashley nodded.

    It took a while to dress her up as her bandages got in the way. Luckily they found the Med kit right next to the dresser, Ashley found out that it was a piece of furniture, not a portal. They continued their chit-chat without any pauses in between. The room was filled with giggles, scolding, and rants at times.

    After dressing her up and changing her bandages, Beautiful Ashley looked better than before. Though her bruises were visible, the dress was round enough to block a viewer''s eye from it.

    "Screw this! I mean, yeah..... I get it. People are dying every day by those monsters but someone gotta keep doing research that is safe for the people but not to be used as experiments on them!", Furious Ashley fierce-fully exclaimed.

    "We can''t just let her hold us back. We have to move forward." she ended the statement with her hand going through her blond dyed hair with the left side of her touching her shoulder. It was a habit of hers as Punctillious Ashley had noticed so far by now.

    "Anyway.... When are they gonna come up?", Curious Ashley asked the long-awaited question.

    "Oh yeah, I forgot about them. It seems that they may not have heard my call, but I do hear some noise down there, thou.", she answered back.

    "Should we go to them? Probably we could get some aid over there." Annoyed Ashley suggested as the girl tried to carry her on her back. She had no problem carrying her as she was fairly lightweight.

    "Did you just actually read my mind? Damn.", she joked with her just to get her laughed out and to get her comfortable with her after that.

    "It''s just common sense...umm", it then hit her that she has not-

    "Felicity, at your service.", she replied to the Blushed Ashley.

    As she was carried out of the room, the girl closed the door and carried Light Ashley from the end of the hall. Meticulous Ashley had already guessed that it was an abandoned house. With cobwebs and specks of dust around the corners of the halls and the 3 other door-frames, the floor creaked with each step taken on its wooden pieces. It was quite evident that it was getting renewed and cleaned as buckets of water with a cloth hanging on its handle were kept between the two doorways on her left side. On her right side lay a collected pile of mosses. She continued observeing the whitewashed walls with cracks and a few mosses, she looked back at the end of the hall to see two dark velvet curtains drawn back by white ropes allowing the moonlight to illuminate the whole hall. They started to descend the stairs when the noise they both were curious about started to sound.....like instruments?

    Nevertheless, the staircase was lighted up by the fluorescent light that was attached to the ceiling. It was then that Shocked Ashley realized her dress wasn''t pale, it was yellow..... her favorite color.

    By the time they had reached the ground, they were quite surprised to witness what they had never imagined in their wildest dream.

    "Can''t we return?

    This is the chance,

    Tonight is the might.

    We''ll stay till it''s over,

    So we put ourselves up!

    Like this party can''t hold us!"

    People were singing and dancing as if there was no monster lurking around and taking lives.

    As if life was back to what it used to be. Peaceful, joyful and lively as it was.

    Their entrance did not go unheard as upon the arrival, the lead singer''s eyes lit up in their way.

    "Look who''s here! We got some special guests folks! What are you standing there over, come over here!" The lead singer was addressing the girls through the microphone to bring the special attention towards them.

    The crowd then eloped around them and welcomed them warmly as they should. As the confused duo went towards the center, they finally got the picture perfectly.

    There were so many people playing instruments like piano, drum, trumpet, what-was- that-big-circle-instrument, etc. The trumpets hitted those high brassy notes while the pianist played the piano with accurate speed and energy, on the other hand the drummer synchronized with the lead singer''s foot beats, the music the band produced was so vibrant that even a deaf man could dance to the beat.  You could feel the music deep within your bones as they played it so rhythmically that you couldn''t resist yourself to get up and get down on the dance floor.

    Well, you could say that happened to Ashley and Felicity. They danced as if it was their last day on earth!

    All of the emotions that they both experienced the last 24 hours were washed away by the beats the drums hit. The sharp note the pianist hit did make them jump at times but the crowds cheered on for them thinking it was a new dance move. If it wasn''t for the snacks that lay around, Ashley would have fainted to the ground causing commotion around her. While Felicity made excuses for Ashley''s drool-mess over food, it didn''t seem to hinder their liking for the young girl at all.

    ''Poor kid must be starving '' was the only sentence that came out of their mouths.

    The crowd went on dancing for hours until all the people got exhausted and decided to clap for the young girls to dance on. They then got into a competition as to who would stay standing at the last. As the crowd''s cheers started to get louder per minute, the duo started to speed up their dance. Some even started to bet and gamble on the girls. At last, the duo got tired by dancing in circles, gradually toppling down onto the floor as exhaustion took over their bodies. Giggles and laughter filled the air. All the misery that loitered around their face disappeared to show dimples and wide smiles on their face. As they lay down on the floor with their backs, sleep overtook their mind. Both curled up against each other and embraced in a hug in their sleep.

    "It is so obvious that they are sisters. I mean...look at those cuties!", the host announced ironically, "and as sisters, they shall be the winners!"

    The crowd went wild but was shushed quickly by the band so as not to disturb the sleeping beauties. Eventually, a tall, muscular woman got up from the couch near the wall. She was wearing a full black leather uniform with the mutiny symbol of two spears crossed with a sun in the back. With an undercut dyed in white, she had a smooth jawline and a sharp gaze that dominated the whole living room. But she had the same delicate greyish-blue eyes as Felicity. Hinting that she is the guardian of the duo, she scooped up both girls with each of her hands and disappeared from the crowd.While the crowd called them cute and lucky kids, they had no clue how much they had endured for the past 24 hours.

    If only destiny had shown some mercy, the trio could''ve been together.... forever?

 OLD TOWN ROAD

    "Finally! The Gods have come to our savior, the sleeping beauty has been woken at last!" Dan shrilled in an angelic voice as Ashley woke up from his shoulders with drool covering the corners of her face.

    She straightened up her back and looked around her surroundings.

    "Um.... where are we?" She mumbled while rubbing her eyes.

    "Excuse me, can''t you see where we are? Oh, wait I forgot you just have on-", it was at this moment that he realized, he screwed it up pretty badly.

    As predicted, Willow looked at him with glares that could shoot bullets.

    Literally.

    Without any hesitation, she forcefully made sure that her punch had a lasting effect on his ego.

    Fortunately, it did worked well for her.

    He fell on his face, landing on the sharp gravel road.

    Was it painful? Indeed it was.

    "The hell? I have a date-" Before he could finish his sentence, he stopped in horror as he watched her get down from the bike and cat-walk towards him.

    "THAT''S WHAT YOU GET FOR MOCKING ME!" She screamed as much as she could do before nausea kicked in.

    She stopped to hear giggles around her.

    As she looked around, all she saw was pine trees.

    Left, pines

    Right, pines

    Back, pines

    Except for the front which was a police checkpoint. There stood three metallic barrier gates in front of them preventing them from going any farther.

    All the officers were snickering and making comments about the problematic duo.

    As she moved around, the small little gravel rocks started to move along her feet. She went over to the checkpoint, just to confront the officers about what was so funny.

    People in their custom uniform with their guns hanging around their waist. There were even grenades lying on the table near their vehicles. That didn''t even make her flinch. As she was about to speak her mind out-

    "WOAH! Hold your horses, kid." Officer Harold chuckled, a brave red head man in his late-40ies, in his official work outfit which was just a jacket with torn sleeves revealing his grey-white sweater underneath and a grey trousers with colourful patches adored with it. As he entered the scene with his big black boots paving his way, he took a firm grip on Willow''s shoulders with caution to come down the young lady.

    He moved her cautiously to the side in order for the other guards to inspect their ride and bag.

    At once she slipped a ticket from the bag and into the pocket without alerting anyone on site.

    "Harold! Didn''t see you there.... well, I am sorry for the commotion......um have we reached the inspection center yet?" she awkwardly apologized to the officer who keeps on putting his life on the line by taking shifts to guard all the gates 24/7.

    "Nah, its fine kiddo. I mean everyone is at edge in these time. Either ways, nice coat annnnnnnd your scarfs on the ground." He pointed at the scarf while Ashley uttered a quick thanks and pulled her scarf around her neck.

    It''s ironic how this normal-looking man managed to go through the hardest time and still be normal. The same goes for his attitude. Even with the rudest travelers, he speaks in a soft tone without losing his anger.

    It would indeed be a sad thing if he was to be sent back to heaven.

    "Harold would mind......please...help...me..." Dan said in a weak voice as he tried to get up to his feet with his left arm and the other holding tightly around his nose. Fortunately, his back was facing the others so no one would know his unimaginable pain.

    "We will get back to you .... but I must say you do deserve it," Harold nagged as he proceeded to give a lecture on how simple words can be a sharp as knife and to be considerate of the disabled people.

    He looked back at Ashley to answer her question eagerly.

    "Nah kiddo, you will reach in about....20 mins. Y''all are at the gates of the Old Town road." Harold answered while looking at his pocket watch. He took the clipboard from the nearest table and gave her the inspection list to sign. She gave him a confused look but managed to sign the list without any hitch. He thanked her and motioned her to continue her journey.

    "ALRIGHT! THEY ARE IN THE CLEAR, SO LET THEM PASS THROUGH!" he shouted for clarification for the guards to push the barriers.

    "Could you guys give a damn about someone who is dying right now? Come on, I got a date! This is the first time someone has asked me out!" He spoke out the truth even though he had a fair share of disastrous dates and relationships.

    Ashley rolled her eyes as she and Harold went over to pick the man-child up for his epic date. She wondered who would even ask him, out of all the people, out. It had to be a joke.

    "Hey, Harold? Would you mind... if you could you tell me why the security is so tight these days?" she asked him while helping her brother get on the bike.

    For the past few weeks, new checkpoints and as well as gates started to pop up. New roads had to be navigated and explored to find the closest and the safest path across the marked regions from the unknown dangers of the new world that no one ever dared to seek out except for Ashley.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    If it wasn''t bad enough, she and Dan had to spent another hour in revising their maps again.

    For the fifth time this week.

    Harold at once murmured something to a dark women with dutch braids next to him. On command she swung her rifle over her head, swinging it to her back, for her to whistle her co-workers to help the so-called victim onto his bike making Ashley and Harold to let go of him.

    In the meantime, Harold motioned her to come closer.

    After making sure they were a bit far from the others, he gave Ashley a new map with the updates and future gates locations as well. Ashley stood there in shock and amazed to have such a fantastic informant. At once, she gave him a ticket to the medicine parlor so he could get his medicine on time.

    Along with it,  he gave her a bag of homemade honey-caramel candies as a birthday gift.

    "Look, kid...I am not supposed to say this but remember the protest that took place a few months back?" he asked in a faint voice. It seemed that he wasn''t quite comfortable speaking of the past trauma. He also wanted to say in simple words without discussing any gore details.

    A tragic protest of a squadron of people marched and stood in protest. They were probably protesting over the inequality of treatment of people in sector of food supplies, healthy water, sanitary equipment etc. What made this protest even more tragic was that children were in the participation list made by the guards. Thus, the guards had to proceed the crowd with extra care but....

    "Where 24 people died? Yes! Of course, I would remember." she harshly whispered back, wondering how on earth this is related to security tightness these days.

    Even if one''s suppose to be a lad, they ought to know the changes in their atmosphere.

    "Bless those poor souls, but the rest who remained ...alive... well, have been looking at the incident in a different light. As a result, they have taken a different approach to the situation.... so, there have been a lot of gun purchases here and there......" He stopped himself before spilling the whole bitter truth.

    "Are you telling me.... woah, even I need to get a lot of gunpowder too. You know? Birthday celebrations." She looked amused and excited to buy protection for the future. At once as predicted, Harold lifted his hand up to speak and give her another twenty minutes lecture on how despite being in American soil, one mustn''t use violence as a means of protection. Only when the situation is extreme, you can proceed.

    "...so please keep yourself safe and don''t wander around here and there. Got it?" He cautiously looked at her in the eyes wondering if she got the message or not.

    As well as being an pure minded and moral based person, he didn''t want his honesty to get the best out of him and spook the young child.

    "Yes, ... I got it" she nodded at him with her head hanged low and arms at the side fiddling with her new coat. This meant

    No fishing,

    No urban expedition,

    No sunset sighting,

    No morning walks,

    For the time being.... at least.

    Dan squeaked out a painful moan as he moved up his bike to make room for Ashley. Just before she took her seat, she scoped out her bag from the guards before dusting it off in Dan''s direction.

    It was quite evident what the hidden intent was.

    As they passed by the police guards and their vehicles, Ashley heard something that made her heart leap from her chest.

    "OH, YEA KIDDO! ONE MORE THING. FELICITY''S CREW IS BACK IN THE TOWN"

    ----------------------x----------x----------x----------x----------x----------x----------x----------------------

    Felicity''s crew is back in town

    That thought kept lingering in her mind. It wouldn''t just go away.

    if Felicity is back then I can finally go-

    "Was it necessary to swing at my face? That to my nose? You made me look like a mess! Do you know how bad I look?" Dan said it all in one breath.

    "What I feel bad is for the girl..." she mumbled loud enough for Dan to turn his head back just to give his terrifying death glares.

    "WHAT? ITS YOUR FAU-"

    A cold breeze blew at them, which was enough to startle them.  It lasted for a second before they felt coldness around themselves.

    There was a pile of snow here and there. The leaves of the fir were dripping with dew. As the birds flew way away from the icy essence, they knew where they were. As soon as they stood near the path, they spotted the good old dock with the lively people carrying out work and barrels, cargo, etc here and there while the dockers fixed nearby boats and made new adjustments and upgrades to the surveillence yachts. The scene played out below down the shore, beyond the dreadfull point filled with officers and Inchargers who take notes of who and when enters it, they were right in front of the inspection center. They would pass if the inspector they thought wouldn''t be there.

    The duo kept their silence as they knew there would be consequences for noisemakers. They made their way to the shack holding their breath untill they saw the Marshalls. The mysterious brother and sister in their mid-fifties. Neither of them had family or that''s what everyone''s assumptions. But there was this one assumption that came true about them, they served in the army.

    They saved people''s lives by putting their lives first just like a soldier.

    Mr. Marshall fought without any hesitation and shot down all those dangers like a soldier.

    Ms Marshall taught everyone how to operate the ship function like a mariner.

    That is the scenario, as per the rumors that may be true.

    Nobody knows what their first names are.

    People assumes that they were twins just by taking a glance. Both had brown eyes and raven hair. But with age, you do have to lose your beauty marks one by one.They have white strikes in their hair and their eyes have the good old eye bags. Ms. Marshall got her sight corrected with reading glasses. As for Mr Marshall, he just needs to take his inhaler sometimes.

    This all happened after that.

    The thing is, only their doctors know about their personal history because nobody has made the move to ask them yet.

    The duo went inside the shack with the officer right behind them. They saw the inside of the shacks to be filled with huge stacks of papers here and there. But at the center lies the luxury for everyone, the sofa. After that, there was the desk of the Incharger. They both stood in front of the desk while the officer went to his her side. As Ashley and Dan approached Incharger, they handed out their id.

    "Ah, we have a mutineer here." The officer peaked at the ID and then looked at Ashley with a head nod showing ounces of respect.

    "And a troublemaker", the Incharger replied as she took one good look at Dan and knew the rest of the work to do.

    "Look it wasn''t my fault! I was drunk!" He gave an excuse which was not suitable to give his way out.

    "Uh huh," as the Incharger stood from the desk, as she did so, her pencils and pens rolled on top of the letters and papers scattered on the desk. She walked over to Dan hitting his chest with a small rectangular notice.

    "RESTRICTED FOR 6 MONTHS TO GO TO ANY B-" Dan read it aloud with shock before the Incharger glared at him.

    "You should be grateful that you''re still allowed to come back to Umbridge. This should be a lesson for you. Now stick that notice to your ID!" She ordered him to which he fumbled with the notice.

    Fortunately, Ashley snatched the notice and his ID, and within a minute there was a sticker on Dan''s ID. As she gave him back his card back to him, she couldn''t help but hold back her laugh from him.

    While looking around the shack, her eyes got blinded by the light bulb sticking from the ceiling. She turned to excuse herself. Right after she rubbed her eye, her blurry eyesight showed some blurry black figure. After a few blinks or so, a hooded figure came into view.

    "Oh well, it''s time to go. We''ll see you around...?", Ashley stopped speaking as she turned to see a frightened look on Dan''s face as well Mr. Marshall. The only person to have kept a straight face, aside from the stranger whose face was covered by their hood and Willow with her confused look, was Ms. Marshall though while speaking her voice cracked and came out as a whispering voice.

    "What brings you here, Walker?"

 INSPECTION

    At that, it started to fit into pieces.

    The scared looks,

    intense atmosphere,

    shaky hand.

    "You''re a Walker?! Woah! This is legit the first time I have ever met an aside for the one pass-"  Willow took a step in front with her hands outstretched for a handshake from the stranger before her brother came in front of her. Blocking her path and pushing her backwards with his arms outstretched and a serious look on his face.

    This must be the first time I have seen his face! Willow took note of this interaction.

    A scared Mr. Marshall whispered sharply, "Kid! Are you stupid? Do not go near him!"

    As he walked past the duo, he went up to the front of the walker and whipped out a strange-looking device with a screen and some buttons decorated upon it.

    "Remove your hood walker or else-!"

    "I, by the oath taken up on my soul to the good Lord that I haven''t changed.... yet." a sarcastic reply came out in a thick accent.

    As the hood was lifted, Ashley''s eyes widened in astonishment.

    Now there stood the face of a young lad, around Dan''s age, with dark luxurious locks of raven hair which became dark indigo upon getting luminous with light. It was pulled into a small bun with the hair still hanging down and bangs flowing down his forehead.

    As he swiped his hair upwards, his sharp eyes glided over the room''s itsy-bitsy spots: the withering wallpaper, the cracked rooks with distinct types of wood planks attached and at last, landed on Ashley''s face. Mesmerized by the ocean blue colour of Ashley''s right eye, curiosity peaked his eyes and stared right back into that right eye, searching for any hidden agenda or any remembrance. He did not miss the jet-black leather eye patch. He made a note to ask her about it if they meet in a more comfortable setting in the future.

    At that exact time, Ashley was starstruck by his gorgeous eyes with the inner ring being bright yellow while the outer ring surrounded it in its greyness. When he closed his eyes for a moment, Ashley could make a thin silvery line across his left eye, that continued across his lips and ended over a little by the sharp V-shaped jawline. She was captured by his deadly stare, which she quickly pulled away and went to look down at the floor making it seem that the floor was much more interesting than the godly-looking human in front of her.

    "I will the judge of that." Mr. Marshall spoke, breaking the intense atmosphere surrounding the two. He jumped into motion, on one hand with the device and with the other he motioned to give the stranger''s hand. Ashley''s eyes gulped down the intersection as it was the first time to see such a process.

    But not the last to hear about how terrifying the experiences are.

    With an annoyed look, the stranger rolled up the selves and removed his finger-less gloves, gracefully putting his hand on the Incharger''s hand as if saying yes to a ball dance.

    "Mister, I don''t need to check your temperature or whatever. I need your blood." Mr. Marshall chuckled waiting for his reaction. As if on cue, he turned on the device to demonstrate the inspection he had to go through. The device roared to wake with motor sound spiking up and at the speed of light, a needle poked out. It was safe to say that even Danny felt sorry and traumatized for the new person as Mr Marshall went on to explain how it would detect the level of acidity in his blood and declare whether he was healthy.

    "...and don''t worry, this needle here is replaceable so you don''t have to worry about contracting any disease.'''' He tried to reassure the horrified looks the visitors gave him to lessen the worried look the newcomer had given him while he slipped down the couch and laid his arm on the armrest.

    In the end, it did not help.

    "Alright, now this might sting a little..." Mrs. Marshall said while pulling out a safety med-kit, and a strange suitcase. She then pulled out a blood tube from the case and a clipboard of papers to be filled on the desk. She nodded to let the inspection continue.

    Ashley whipped back to a painful whimper coming from the handsome stranger, there Mr. Marshall had pressed and pushed the device onto the poor fellow''s finger and a few drops of blood leaked out after removing it. Mrs. Marshall quickly gave him safety aids and gave him the clipboard to make his ID.

    "What a way to welcome people to Umbridge..." the stranger mumbled under his breath as he rolled down his sleeves to cover his arm. Mrs. Marshall heard it but if she did, she did not show any signs.

    "Oooo! Even you''re going to Umbridge?" At that the exhausted stranger jerked his head towards Dan, who appeared  right behind him.

    The stranger nodded his head at a Dan-point.

    "So, what''s your name, buddy?" Dan decided to break the ice and make a new friend. It was evident that Ashley had a crush on the person as she avoided eye contact at all cost and looked elsewhere. Danny smirked at Ashley''s blushed face and sat next to his new buddy.

    "Eiran," He repiled delightfully as Dan took his clipboard and started to write down his information.

    "Name''s Danish but you can call me Dan or Danny. Your choice." He introduced himself while extending his hand out for a handshake.

    "Pleased to make your acquaintance." Eiran shook his hand strongly.

    "More like Danny the drunkard." Ashley scoffed at their weird manly handshake and folded her arms while looking at Mr Marshall as he transferred the blood from the device to the tube.

    She looked at the brand name and regretted it.

    X-tech.

    The company she had been long associated with.

    It brings back the grief and the long-lost painful memories.

    At least I made it out alive, but it wasn''t my fault Daya didn''t...

    "May I know the name of this pretty girl?" a smooth voice called her out from her behind

    "My...name...?"Ashley stuttered at the question.

    Ashley jumped as she realized the voice seemed closer than before. She slowly turned and there he was in front of her with his hand out. She was speechless at his gorgeous curls, and look at those veiny hands and those bice-

    "Her name''s Ashley Will- OH MY GOD ASHY ARE YOU BLUSHING?" Dan gasped loudly with his hand over his mouth to tease his little sister over the couch.

    "Ashley... what a wonderful name?" He said in a soft tone and streched his hand out.

    Without waiting a beat, she shook his strong rough palms and quickly backed her hand before turning to scream at Dan''s false assumption.

    "DAN! SHUT UP FOR ONCE AND YOU-"Ashley stopped to remember the stranger''s name.

    "Eiran." he answered taking a step backward.

    "-EIRAN, GO BACK TO YOUR SEAT AND STOP INVADING MY PERSONAL SPACE!" She spewed out nonsense at once just to realise what a dumb mistake she made.

    "He was just stating a claim here. Nothing personal. So, why are you so angry?"He shrugged while handing the clipboard to the Incharger.

    "You could had just properly introduced yourself, right? So,instead of feeling gratitude towards your friend, aren''t you being a bit mean to him?" He spoke calmly while waving his right hand between them.

    "Oh my god! Eiran, you''re the only person who can understand my suffering. You, my friend, will be my new soul-buddy. For the record we are siblings so... I think you would understand the anger issue this little tray of Ash has..against me." Dan pointed out, restraining his smile. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Within a moment, he was at his knees kissing Einar''s feet.

    Literally, kissing his feet.

    To which, Eiran gave a confused look.

    Ashley sighed with her fingers at the bridge between her brows.

    "One, I am not angry. I just got spooked because I was observing the..." Ashley looked around for something far more interesting than that dashing man.

    "The results?"Mr Marshall suggested helping the teen girl out of the awkward situation.

    "YES! The results. So, is he a walker or not?" Ashley replied a bit too optimistic.

    "Sadly, nope." Mr. Incharger chuckled at the interaction.

    Oh boy! This is much better than a soap opera, He thought

    "Ok. Good for you, Eiran." Ashley humped back down on her heels.

    "Thanks, and were you dissapointed that I am NOT a Walker?" He shot glances at her while adjusting his selve.

    "And two, I am in foster care." She counted by holding up her two fingers, ignoring the question asked.

    It went unnoticed as Einar rolled his eyes and waited for her answer.

    Silence echoed louder than before.

    "Oh, that makes sense by a LOT." he finally snapped and emphasised on the ''lot'' with a smirk.

    "What''s that suppose to mean, wimp?" Willow fired back.

    "It''s quite fasinating that Danish over here seems very enthusiam to my existence than you and quite well mannered and, not to mention, has excellent speaking skills ." He coldy explained to her while proceeding to smile at his pal.

    To which, Dan gave him a flying kiss.

    Yet again, Eiran gave a confused look.

    "And? It''s not like that''s his whole personality and you guys have just met. Surely, you have a great idea about his drinking habits." Ashley encountered while closing her ears at their obnoxious handclaps.

    Eiran whispered something in Dan''s ear which perked up his eyes.

    Uh oh. Something is about to go down, Mr Incharger exclaimed himself.

    "For the record, despite growing up in the same household for years, you guys have....so different and diverse personalities." Eiran lazily looked over at Ashley''s furious eyes.

    "Your point?" Impaient Willow called out at this persona.

    "Then, why is his''s personality better than yours?" He happily triphumt at his victory.

    "OH MY GOD! EIRAN ARE YOU ASKING ME TO MAR-" Before he could complete his question, his suppose-to-be-bride clamped his hand over his mouth.

    Ashley stood there in bewilderment until Mrs Marshall pushed in her way.

    "Alright, you folks can leave now. Fortunately, the boat arrived on time, so grab your packs and get lost!" Mrs. Marshall announced loudly at the commotion.

    Pheww ! I got saved by that scary lady; she thought while walking out of the shed embrassed at her defeat.

    The cold wind splashed her face with icy snow covering her brows with snow. Her boots were covered in the muddy soil that went on forever till the docks where it melted into the unrefined sands. Despite it''s mulky lanscape, the main landmark was right after it.

    In front of her laided the breathtaking crystal clear strait with its unique biodiversity residing at the bottom. The cold weather couldn''t stop the penetration of the sun creating the shimmering effect on the waters that cleared it till the seabed. Salmons could be seen swimming in clusters with''s dark fins and steamlined body through the water currents. It prevailed the water force due to its unreachable depths. Rumour has it that there is an undiscovered marine animal that lurks in those dark waters. The length is so long that it strectes till the orange horizon. It would take fours and half to reach Umbridge by a boat. Luckily, it was the ferry "Arabella" by the shore down hill. The time taken then would be two hours.

    She was pulled away by the loud horn blown down the shore. She stood near to the edge of the steep to get a better view of the navy blue ferry coming close to park in the dock.

    "-Don''t worry man I will give you a fantastic tour of UMBRIDGE. You can trust me, you know, we are best friends, right?" Danny spoke while putting an arm around the newcomer.

    "Sure? I guess...I mean I just got here, so I could use the help getting around here and there." He answered while shoving his hands into his pockets.

    Ashley quickly dusted the snow off before Dan could make that grandma joke again before letting all her anger out.

    "Hey! Who''s going to get the bike? HUH, get it quickly or else we will miss the ferry." Ashley scolded Dan moving towards him.

    "Goodness, can you stop embarrassing me in front of my new friend?" He threw his arms up in the air before he went back to retrieve the bike.

    When the coast was clear, Ashley apologized for the inconvenience.

    "It''s alright, just that you...can you go easy on your brother and why are you so angry with him?" he asked her while they walked down the steep.

    "It''s just that well you heard it he''s a drunkard and....he almost died," she said in a low tone voice at the last part.

    "Oh...I see...no wonder you''re upset with him." He gave a pat down her back.

    To which she straightened her back and laughed an awkward laugh.

    "YEA! I mean I would be so upset and won''t be comfortable enough to celebrate my birthday..." She looked down elsewhere while her hand went up and down her open hair.

    "True...Wait for today''s your birthday? well, then happy birthday, Ashy!" He gave her a smile that melted her heart.

    "Thanks! I am fifteen years old now. How about you?" she asked curiously, still avoiding his gaze.

    "I am sixteen and going to turn seventeen this winter."  He replied while trying to make eye contact with her.

    "Oh, I thought you were as old as Dan," she said without thinking again.

    "Oh really? I look that old......

    darkness engulfed her surroundings

    ''She is still asleep. No responses.''

    The black hooded figure hovered with a flashing light-

    "-Ashy, whenever you are talking to someone; you better look into their eyes and speak without breaking their gaze. It would come off rude, but you are lovely girl... so is it because I am hideous that you won''t look at me?" He stepped onto her path to bring her back to reality.

    Before she could stop, she bumped into his chest and mumbled an apology again.

    "Or is it because your hair is blocking your view? If so, can I move it?" he asked.

    Ashley nodded.

    With one swift move, he moved her hair back to the ear and placed his hand on her face.

    "You''re hot as hell Eiran that''s why I can''t hold your gaze, and truth be told you''re the first to make me feel this way," she confessed with a her face turning red quick as lighting.

    Now it was his turn to be in shock.

    "Darn, Ashley you''re way too straightforward and well.... Honestly, I like that. Would you love to go on a date with me?" he whispered in her ear while trying to maintain distance between his body and hers.

    As she wondered why things were moving so fast, no wait, the correct question was, ˇŞWhat the hell is even going on?

    Within a snap of an eye, Ashley slapped her face.

    "....come on, do I actually look that old? I LITERALLY do skincare every week. That too organic." He was pounding his cheeks as he turned to her to give the are-you-ok look.

    Seems like someone was having the best daydream ever.

    They were still walking on the steep from when Ashley had the daydream attack.

    "By  the way, why did you just randomly decide to slap your face?" He was quite concern about the mental state of the familiar stranger next to  him.

    "Mosquitoes." She answered confidently, knowing that would suffice his doubts.

    "Hmm..... alright, back to what I was saying-" He shrugged at Ashley''s eye rolls.

    "ˇŞ to which I was joking-." she spoke in a hushed tone to end the discussion about his luxurious skincare routine.

    And he responded with his hand plumed straight in the air to continue his point.

    "ˇŞ I know that the ointments that I use are not made from superb qu-" He stopped in mid-sentence before slamming his head on to his hand.

    "What  is it?" Ashley looked at his dashing face and was questioning  why was he so sensitive about his face, doesn''t he himself realise how  much his  face card would worth up to?

    "I FORGOT ABOUT LOU! I AM THE MOST, STUPIDEST MAN ALIVE! LIKE, HOW COULD I JUST LEAVE MY BABYGIRL OUT IN THE WILD?  SHE MUST BE SCARED AND LONELY!" He frantically went through his hair. He turned and sprinted towards the muddy, sloppy steep.

    As Einar approached the shed, Ashley took a deep breath, pinched her cheeks, and then tried to process what had just happened.

    "You just had a daydream of a guy you JUST MET! JUST MET! How could you stoop so low?" she frustately scolded herself at the incident and started to blame her hormones for it.

    "And plus he got a girlfriend....." and that brought a pang of jeaousy to her heart.

    Stopping for a minute Ashley couldn''t comprehend that the guy who had just roasted her made her like him. Frustrated Ashley mentally scolded and decided to seek asylum for this pathetic disease. Before she could continue, she heard raised voices along with some noise accompanied with it.

    She had to wrap it up quickly.

    "Boys are NOT worth your time, they are a wastage of your energy and time. " she concluded her statement with quick breath in and outs before turning to hear the sound of a familiar motorbike and ...neighning?

    She felt her eyes betray her brain from the scene that unfolded in front of her.

    A giant horse with thick fur and sturdy legs was walking along side Einar. Its hooves were  covered from the knee to the bottom with long snowy hair that looked like silk in the partial sunlight that blosomed at it''s arrival. While Einar was whispering in the horse ears and guiding it on the path, Dan slowly rode on his bike with his jaw on the floor.

    "EINAR! MY MAN YOU GOT A HORSIE?" Dan squealed with delight at marvellous horse who towered over him.

    "Aah...yea, a Shire horse. Isn''t it obvious?" Einar looked at his dumbfounded friend who started to defend his iq level.

    The horse responded with a loud neigh, kicking the dirt at Einar''s feets.

    Before he could start nagging his horse, Ashley butted in.

    "Wait, so that''s LOU?" Ashley shockingly covered her mouth at her own stupidity.

    Foolishness don''t always transfer from genes, it transfer from the world they live in.

    "Umm.. yea, what about it?" He asked while brushing Lou''s hair and rebraiding her hair.

    Upon further gawking, Ashley found mutiple tiny braids with colorfull ribbons ranging from pink to indigo. She couldn''t beilve that there were glitters in the horse''s hair and its saddle was so polished that it reflected the small sun beams back at her.

    "YOU LITERALLY MADE IT SOUND LIKE IT WAS A KID! And look how MONSTEROUSLY BIG it IS!" Ashley furiously threw her anger at him.

    "First of all, Lou''s pronouns are her slash she; and second of all, yes, she is my kid and always be my babygirl, won''t you be?" Einar''s deep and proud turned to a sweet and caring baby voice that got an ''aww'' from Dan.

    Ashley swored that she saw the horse snort at his question.

    "OKAY! Now that we ARE clear on WHO Lou is, can we get going on to the ferry?" Dan interrupted the dead silence that followed afterwards.

    "Sure." He said while mounting onto Lou''s saddle. He well adjusted his seat while Ashley-annoyed with the sudden realization that everyone was waiting for her-followed the cue and hopped on the bike behind him clutching his shoulders in her razor sharp nails. Dan hissed in pain but didn''t complain when he saw Einar eyeing him.

    After everyone got to their sits, Dan felt obliged to be the new head of his new gang.

    "Follow me," Dan''s bike started with a booming noise and horse''s hooves beating in response.

    Both darted out in trencheous speed, with adnerline rush, competing on who would come out as victor.

    While, Ashley fell off her seat.

 A FISHY BUSINESS

    "So, yeah, so... How much does your fish cost?" Ashley shot her glazing death glare across a whimpering Dan, who continuously held a frozen fish behind her head.

    When the fisherman held up five fingers, he gulped and gulped.

    After the disastrous fall, Ashley landed on her back causing her head to take a hit. Thankfully, aside for the small bump that arose at the back of her head, no major injuries were sustained. It would take a while for them to reach their destination, since they were still queuing to board the ferry.

    "Oh! Silly me, I forgot my pouch at home..." Dan looked down at Ashley, blinking down the morse code: HELP ME.

    Ashley ignored the help request and pinched her nose to prevent salty dead fish odor from entering her nostrils.

    "If you could allow me, I have some money." Einar politely gestured to the so-called some money bag.

    It was a potato bag.

    Dan was flabbergasted, dropping the fish onto Ashley''s shoulder, while she frowned at the exchange.

    "Einar, I know you are well financed, and would like to share your money." Ashley was hushed by him with his two fingers and proceeded to pay the amount.

    "And you were saying?" Dan smirked at his friend''s action and gave each other a fist bump after a friendly exchange with the fisherman.

    "I was about to say that he should know better than to let the whole world know about your wallet." Ashley hissed at the dumbfounded looks they both gave.

    "Einar, we are travelling by a ferry with dozens of poor farmers and traders," Ashley whispered beckoningly, "who would do anything for that pile of gold in your bag sack."

    "Even murder?" Einar slyly suggested.

    "Even murder because unlike the places you have been to before, here the laws are non-existent." At that, Einar''s smile dropped in an instant.

    "Since we are in a very cold region where survival is really low, these people would stab you, slaughter you, kidnap you, murder you, etc to get their family a hot meal." Ashley smiled at the realization sinking in Einar''s eyes, and Dan sympathetically patted his shoulders.

    "What a splendid way to welcome a newcomer..." Einar muttered under his breath as he opened the saddlebag, placing the money bag inside carefully. Once everything was secure, he tightened the bag and fastened it with a knot.

    Lou snorted at her owner''s stupidity.

    "Yea, yea, laugh all you want, but at the end of the day whose feeding you?" Einar ranted while placing his head against her.

    "Don''t worry, pal! You have me and Ash here to guide you to Umbridge, and we will protect you and Lou. And speaking of food, carrots must be your favourite. Ain''t it right, Lou?" With that, Dan pulled out a carrot from behind and pouted at her nose.

    Lou snatched it from his hand and gobbled it down. She thanked him while moving forward and whining at him.

    "No problems, girl! You deserve it." Dan nudges her with his nose and brushes her braids.

    "And, there''s more from where that came from." He magically pulled a bundle of carrots from his jacket and presented it in front of her.

    Lou happily galloped towards him.

    "LOU! HOW COULD YOU BETRAY YOUR FATHER?" Einar gasped at the scene that unfolded in front of him and grasped his chest in need of air.

    "COME ON EINAR! WE CAN BE CO-PARENT, RIGHT? YOU KNOW? LOU CAN HAVE TWO DADS?" Dan grabbed him by the shoulders and wiped his crocodile tears off.

    "You''re pretending, right?" Dan whispered in Einar''s ear in their bromantic hug.

    "Of course, I am, sweetie." Einar bedazzled Dan with his eyes and was twirled by him. In unison they performed a dance.

    Ashley shook her head at the gross bromance her crush and her brother were having-

    cRusH?

    Astonished by the realization, Ashley arose from the bike before tossing the fish onto the ground. She quickly recovered before asking the question of the hour.

    "No offence, but where did you get those carrots from?" Ashley asked, while her gut knew the correct answer right away.

    "HEY! SOMEONE STOLE MY CARROTS!" Loud thunder struck in the crowd, paving the way for the source to pass through thought to strike the ground.

    A buff dark man of 7''1 ft (215.9 cm) with medium-sized dreads marched around with blood-shot brown eyes. He wore a patched up sleeveless shirt with a cape following him behind. He got a bloody red scarf around his neck and a bandana wrapped around his forehead making sure his dreads didn''t get in his way of sight. Lastly, a pair of cargo pants accompanied by huge leather boots...

    The cargo pants had the same texture as Ashley''s and Dan''s uniforms.

    "OUT OF ALL THE PEOPLE YOU COULD HAVE ROBBED, YOU CHOSE CRANKY FRANKY!" Ashley harshly pulled her brother''s ear and quickly wrapped her scarf around his entire face, leaving only space around his nostrils.

    "Come on! He cheated on our deal and got bigger pay check! If we let his crankiness get to us, what will be there for us in the end?" He, for once, stood his ground to give his peace of mind after the countless encounters where Frank got away with his entices due to his size and his...attitude.

    "I, for one, am for action. I truly believe that, sometimes, you have to put people back in their places, even if you don''t get the best out of the bargain." Einar removed the scarf around him and nodded in Frank''s direction to teach him a lesson.

    Ashley sighed while clasping her head in her hands and preparing for her brother''s and future boyfriend''s funeral-FUtURe BoYFriND SINCE WHEN?

    Ashley fumbled with the thought but soon regained her composure, shedding a different light on the current trouble.

    "Oh, did I forget to mention that he is our boss?" at which the thunder turned his back towards them, "and he used to be in the army," revealing a machete covering his back, "- and he is a very well KNOWN MERCENARY?" and swiftly showcasing the wounds covered up with dozens of tattoos.

    Well, at least one got the message.

    "OH WOW! GREAT IDEA DAN TO LET A NEWCOMER DIE ON THEIR FIRST DAY! LET''S GET MARRIED IN HELL AND HAVE A HONEYMOON IN LUCIFER''S MANOR, AIN''T IT A MARVELLOUS IDEA? OH, WAIT, MAYBE-" Einar''s mouth shut closed when Dan placed his finger at his lips and pointed in front of them.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Standing in the dead silence, stood the phenomenal sensation that created ruckus in the ''Merchant Union'', allowing all coloured people to have the rights to exportation and trade.

    And also the troublesome drunkard that is currently trying to out-drink Dan in the race to claim the Vodka King title.

    The title should give away the competition they were competing in.

    "I''ll handle this." Dan spoke for the first time and walked towards the giant with his head high, soaring through the clouds.

    "Greetings, boss-" Dan started confidently.

    "I want to know who stole my carrots, why they stole them and how they would like to take the punishment under my wraith, soldier." Frank words cut out any misunderstanding from the group.

    "Sir, with all due respect," Dan resumed the conversation from where they left off before the sudden confession.

    "I stole your carrots." Ashley claimed her statement, raising an eyebrow from Frank, a ''NO'' from Dan and a loud gasp from Eiran.

    "WHAT? NO-" Those were his final words before his ultimate doom: getting a smack in the face with the hilt.

    "SILENCE!" His voice boomed down the entire dock, making passers-by stop in their tracks.

    "Either one of you shall speak or you will taste the wraith of my blade..." He struck down his machete onto the floorboard, making the trio leap backwards.

    "Before I start, I REQUEST that none of you will say a word while I give my statement." Ashley paused for any disagreement. After three head nods, she proceeded with her statement.

    "You see, Einar here is a distant relative of ours who ran out of food for his dear horse. Einar had been riding on Lou for a long time, and now she is exhausted from the ride. If you don''t believe it, look at her eyes. Look how black it is!" Ashley grinned at the result of her hard-earned white lie.

    One thing you should know about an opponent who is way out of your league is that you have only one opening.

    So, make it count.

    "And then, I assume that you took the missing bundle to this horse." Frank waved to the white horse, who admired her own reflection in the water waves that crashed onto the dock. He turned to admire the young girl, who couldn''t spare a glance at the others'' suffering.

    He might not be an animal lover, but he sure is gullible.

    "Yes, indeed sir. My heart couldn''t stop but leak out a screeching acne at the poor animal. But, kind sir, the owner is well-compensated." Einar whipped his head back at Ashley for mentioning his net-worth.

    "She is right! I am well-constipated! WELL-COMPENSATED! So, what''s the bill?" He fumbled through his saddlebag making his stuff fall out which consisted of a map, comb, watch etc.

    Out of all the other things that stood out was his sketchbook.

    Ashley kneeled down at the open sketchbook while her surroundings disappeared into thin air. Loud screams and rash talks were blown away by the waves'' uproar. Hushed winds blew over her brows as she sat down and picked up the book on her lap.

    She was lured by the beauty of the coloured pencil sketches of gigantic trees, the dreary grey outlines of tiny shrubs, and the in-depth detailing of flowers in gauche paint. Page after page, the art became more realistic and marvellous with each flip. Her fingers felt the bumps of the warps amidst the water-coloured painting of the ocean''s depth: baby blue, turquoise indigo, and finally, navy blue at the bottom. The merging of the colours was impeccable that it was difficult to separate the line from where the next colour started.

    The last drawing was an unfinished sketch of a person in white clothes with no face. Though the outlines were not drawn so clearly, Ashley could make out a portrait of a young boy. His short hair was painted brown in many shades, and so was his white long sleeves shirt. With each layer being more intricate than the previous layer with the lighting and shading, it would be an understatement to call it a photograph. The insane accuracy of sewing stitches over the sparkling buttons with ribbons all over the puffed up cuffs made it feel like you were staring at the real person itself. All that was left for the artist was to draw her face.

    Before she could analyse what other paints were used, the sketchbook was snatched from her.

    "Ashley, I understand that you might not have grown outside your circle, but please understand the word ''PRIVACY''! ESPECIALLY STRANGER''S! COME ON, YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS WORD!" Dan screeched at her while picking up everything that fell into Einar''s saddlebag.

    After filling up the saddlebag, he patted Lou before furrowing his brows.

    "Hey... Are you good?" Dan walked up to Einar before moving three steps backwards.

    She rolled her eyes and was about to give Dan a piece of her mind when she noticed Einar''s posture.

    His eyes intensely scanned each nook and crook of the sketchbook, making sure that each page was carefully placed. His fingers quickly but cautiously traced, flipping the pages all over the art while gently flipping the pages and pressing them together to stick to the curls of the metal spine. Once the analysis was over, he closed it shut while hugging it dearly.

    After heaving a sigh, he turned, with a cold stare, to face Ashley, who was still sitting down on the ground. Before she could stand up, the volcano Einar erupted.

    "Do you have any idea how impossible it is to find a new book that hasn''t been destroyed or rotten in the wild? NO! To everyone, it''s just a waste of time!" His disapproval of Ashley was so evident that even Frank walked away with his money.

    Realizing how sensitive he had become, he clasped his hands together and took a breath before continuing.

    "You know what? Thanks for saving me, Ashley. But please don''t touch my book. It means a lot to me, and I would prefer it if you would respect my wishes. Sorry for losing my cool to you." He tightened his lips and walked past her.

    After stashing his book away, he rushed to grab Lou''s bridle and then marched along with the shepherds and the other animal herders to board the ferry.

    Ashley stood up and turned to answer him, but Dan stopped her by the shoulder, hinting that he should have some time alone. For one last time, she watched him with Lou walking up the ramp before slipping into the lower deck''s darkness.

    She wished that this wouldn''t be the last time she saw him.

    ----------------------x----------x----------x----------x----------x----------x----------x----------------------

    "So you''re saying that during your conversation with Blueberry," Dan eyed Einar who stood at the end of the rails before letting out a sigh.

    This is more complicated than any quadratic equation Dan has faced.

    "You had a flashback AND a daydream, and you think that out of the one billion people alive on this planet at this very moment, you have a crush at first sight on Blueberry." Dan quietly ended the last line and turned left to confirm with Ash for any further correction.

    With a frozen fish attached to her head, she painfully nodded.

    "Now, not only do you have a beef with him but also ticked him off very badly by TOUCHING and LOOKING at his artwork WITHOUT HIS PERMISSION, mind you, WITHOUT HIS CONSENT." Dan closed his eyes momentarily, meanwhile getting his own flashbacks of getting hit for the very same reason.

    Usually, Ashley would apologize and go on with her daily business.

    Give her a day, and she might be embarrassed for a while.

    Give her a week, and she will forget what happened.

    Give her a month, she''s likely to repeat the same mistake.

    In short, she never takes such mishaps seriously.

    Until today, as Dan noticed, Ashley appeared to be quite disappointed in herself.

    The lazy gaze wandered over the slow yet vicious waves that pushed the ferry forward towards its destination. Her heavy arms attached themselves to the railing for support against the incoming puke.Dan felt bad for her but he tried to reason.

    At least she didn''t die, he thought to himself, hoping it would reduce the weight on his chest.

    It didn''t disappear at all, just like all those years with her. Because of him, their union will be awkward as it can get if he''s sober. If he isn''t, then it would be best for him not to remember it at all. For the sake of his sanity and heart, it would be the most appropriate choice. But after that incident, he promised Ash to be sober for the entire month while she promised not to eat candy.

    The promise they made isn''t just any promise, it''s an ''Ode to death'' promise that should be carried on even if one of the promisers is dead.

    Sadly, it had to be her birthday month and the promise would be broken soon because both of them would break it. But the question is: who will do it first?

    As long as he is clever enough and still alive in the game, he has chances to win (he''s banned from the bar while Ashley isn''t from the candy trolley).

    After the gravity of the situation tackled him, he finally feels responsible for his actions, but it''s already too late.

    And now, Ashley''s paying the price for it.

    "Jeez..nevermind...how are you feeling? Kinda feels like this one must be the worst of all the others," He rushed to grab a bottle of homemade lemonade from the bag.

    After a few sips, Ashley stared at Dan.

    "It''s the fish." Dan suggested the reason.

    "It''s the fish." Ashley agreed in unison.

    Ashley slipped the dead fish into Dan arms before he dramatically swung the fish into the ocean before hearing the waves crash confirming its funeral.

    "It''s been a long day, my friend. It was a pleasure to meet you, and now you can rest in the depths of your home." Dan bid his goodbye to the fish, sinking down in the darkness. At that, Ashley saluted it for accomplishing its sacred duty: healing her head bump. As usual, they both played their imaginary trumpets to the theme from the "22nd Century Wolve."

    "Tooo-to-too-to-to! Tooo-to-too-to-to!"

    They didn''t stop laughing even when they fell and their stomach started to hurt a lot.

    They only stopped in unison after hearing his <i>laugh</i>.

    <i>He</i> was here.

 HIM

    "BUWHAHAHAHAHAHA!! DID YA HEAR THAT, RAZZIE?" the short red-head in a black jumper vest leaned against the pale, slender man in a black coat, who rolled his eyes.

    "Caleb, it sounded like an asthma person trying to breathe air." He dryly spoke while pushing the man-child away from him. He took a step forward to breathe before getting pounced on by the man-child. All the hours he spent on his hair were ruined in a split second.

    "WELL, IF IT ISN''T THE INFAMOUS DUO THEMSELVES! ASHLEY WILLOWS AND DANISH SEHKAR ARE ON THE DECK! WHAT STORM WILL THEY BRING IN TODAY? A CONSPIRACY? AN OUTBREAK? OR.... A MUR-" He paused and looked around before pulling the white hair strands from the miserable man in the ''Remy'' way. Sadly, the poor fellow couldn''t afford to disobey his boss''s order, even if he''s a freaking obnoxious piece of haywire.

    If pensions existed, Raze would have retired at a young age. So, until that day arrived, he walked forward, falling deeper and deeper into embarrassment. Till then, he waited for his moment.

    "ˇŞ DER." He finished the sentence in a very secret manner.

    "Inspector Joker and Slenderman have arrived," Ashley said, covering her mouth. She whispered to Dan to hatch an escape plan from him because whichever god you pray to, they will be as clueless as you are about Caleb Crimson and his arbitrary mind.

    Giggly Caleb slipped past Raze to put a finger on his lips.

    "Wowie! You can''t go around saying that! We''re undercover," He demonstrated by pulling his white shirt up to his mouth and donning a rainbow beanie.

    "Oh No! Where did Caleb go?" Dan went along with the silly goofball before one burst out laughing while the other laughed just for his life''s sake.

    "Right, back to the matter, where were you both in the dead of last night? Were you both near the Lapp Lagoon? Or better, where are you both coming from?" The duo felt the chill wind wrap around them in layers as the silly man-child was nowhere to be found whilst the inspector came to life.

    The light in his grey eyes hid in the shadows of his red-dyed wavy hair. The quick change in his high-pitched voice to a low baritone said enough of what he assumed. Dan wasn''t even deemed worthy of being the main culprit. He''s too busy getting wasted.

    Whereas, Ashley... He scoffed.

    Beneath all that laughter and giggles lies the taunting question that stood at the tip of his tongue: Was it you?

    This was the man who, at every inspection, would bring Ashley in every way possible as the sole suspect of his hidden agenda and deem her as black ban-worthy. No matter what case was assigned, she was always there or near. Sure, he found all the evidence pointing towards the culprits he arrested, but he couldn''t stop feeling a tingly sense of a thin single line.

    This thin single line that Ashley always left behind.

    No matter where he attached it to, it didn''t match up. The evidence would always line up once he removed it, but deep down, he knew she had to be there. The number of warrants and interrogations he requested to search her house is astonishing.

    Her crooked smile further infuriated and ignited the rapid-fire, and then... came the smoke.

    He lit his cigarette in patience, but for how long will it last? The cigarette or the patience?

    Ashley proceeded forward while reversing her hands.

    Only Dan knew why her hands were trembling.

    Fear of isolation, fear of being alone, fear of banishment and being alone in the wilds.

    That''s the black ban.

    One single move would cost a lifetime of torture and silence.

    Only problem?

    She doesn''t fear him; she fears the power this man bestows.

    "We both slept in the dead of night. No, we were not near the Lapp Lagoon. We were coming from my foster house in Pin City." Ashley answered word by word.

    "By ''Pin City'', do you mean the east or west side? You could have been next to the lagoon?" He countered back at her.

    "My dear Cabel, I know we are not on the best of terms but haven''t you done enough by stalking me back home? Hell! You even pried open my files to find them yourself! " She ground her teeth back and forth to calm herself down. If Cabel could read her mind, he would be careful about what he would do next.

    Thankfully, he knew what was coming up for himself.

    He excused himself and hopped towards his partner, who happened to interrogate Blueberry.

    "Well, that went...okay?" Ashley turned to Dan, who was deep in his thoughts.

    "Hello? Freaky genius mathematician? You, there?" Ashley snapped her fingers so much that it jolted Dan awake from his world.

    "Yea! I can hear... it''s just that you know...him," Dan looked like he was about to puke.

    There was a constant shaking of his left leg, and he kept moving his hands up and down his neck. Moreover, Ashley noticed that he was sweating a lot. In addition, he appeared to be on the verge of passing out.

    "Why do YOU look so nervous? Shouldn''t I be the nervous one?" Ashley frowned at her brother, who shook his head.

    "Bro, you just giggled with him like besties from.... what? Like childhood? Not only that, but you had a hangout with him last month. Even though you knew Caleb stalked me!" Ashley looked so close to bursting in seconds as Dan picked his ear.

    "Listen, I couldn''t care less about your fan situation. Caleb has a weird fixation on you. It will go away-"

    "It''s been two years."

    "..."

    Dan knew it was useless to speak.

    So, he turned Ashley''s head towards-

    "Raze?" Her curiosity was piqued at the sudden revelation while Dan counted from seven backwards.

    3...2...1... Here we go... Dan pulled in his breath.

    At exactly ''1'', a twinkle appeared in Ashley''s eye as she began to understand how dire Dan''s situation was.

    "So, the unlucky person you''re going on a date is ... Raze''s sister?" Ashley concluded.

    "Cousin sister," Dan corrected her.

    "How clo-" Ashley started the interrogation.

    "Her father was the one who took in Raze and Ramona." Dan knew that it would suffice the future-twenty-ish questions she had made in that 1 second.

    "Must have been a hell of a house," Ashley noted.

    "It truly was," Dan stated it.

    "What do you mean by ''was''?" Ashley fired back at him.

    "Dunno heard that they reconnected last month ago or so." Dan shrugged, which meant that was all he knew. Ashley rolled her eyes, knowing he was keeping some stuff away from her.

    Ashley knew that Dan would use ''You''re too young for this crap'' excuse on her again. Instantly, she changed the topic (which was the cause of his sudden cold feet).

    "What do you think that Raze thinks of you?" Ashley turned him to face her.

    At that, he shuddered at the thought.

    "No ideas?" Ashley suggested.

    "I..." Dan paused.

    "I...?" Ashley followed up.

    "I...have no words for that." It meant he knew what sort of an idea he had of him but couldn''t find the exact words to describe it.

    Ashley frowned.

    Raze may seem docile at first, but his sheer dominance through the backstreets speaks enough of what he is capable of. His sharp intuition was what led to the multiple confessions of the criminals that Caleb arrested.

    Caleb was the brain, while Raze was the brawn.

    Together, they had possessed the absolute right to become the heads of the council.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    It would be a dark age for their enemies, including the two morons.

    Though many falsehoods encircle him, one fact stands solid.

    Never break Raze''s little sister''s heart.

    Her last ex ended up at the butcher''s shop last Halloween.

    The same can be applied to Dan as per the traditional sibling rule.

    Great! Now, two of the best inspectors are right on our backs and won''t leave us without getting what they want: one for my confession and the other for Dan''s balls.

    The new info dump got Ashley so tired that she had to sit down and process it. She started to rack her wits to figure out a way to destroy this puzzle and not let it leave a spot of ash behind until she heard footsteps coming in her direction.

    Ashley snapped her head towards Dan, who at once mouthed: Blueberry.

    They mentally prepared themselves for the upcoming talk, but it never came.

    "Oh de-" Dan sweeps the sweat off his face before being pulled away.

    They dashed across the deck( technically, it was only Ash because Dan was getting dragged, but oh well! anyway...) until they were no longer seen or heard. The deafening sounds of the bells echoed around, making them plunge their fingers into their ears. The loud shrills of the Lackeys, a mutated annoying bird that the locals were used to hearing in the morning, whipped them in their direction. Think of them as roosters but with wings that can fly.

    Sadly, they had no time to rest because the floor became wobbly and did not help them retain their balance.

    She yelled, "What should I do?"

    "I can''t hear you!" Dan yelled back.

    "WHAT SHOULD I DO, Mr. LOVER?" Ashley grunted, landing a punch in the stomach.

    "WOAH! TORAH SA CALM DOWN HO JAYE!" Danny repeated his ''famous'' mantra.

    He chuckled at his little sissy''s antics while rubbing his stomach. He smiled at her frustration, rampaging with her hands in her pockets, kicking any unlucky pebbles or stones in her way.

    Finally, she could enjoy every teenage girl''s dilemma:- crush.

    The wind blew through his curly brown hair as he relaxed, straightening his jacket, leaning against the rails with his back, he continued, "Or I might have tripped over the bridge, you know, and fallen to my death-"

    "Bridge? What are you on about? We haven''t reached ye-" Ashley exclaimed but was soon proven wrong.

    A sudden shake went down the bridge when the ferry moved forward, making the bridge slip up to the port, leaving both shaky.

    Upon further observation, Dan was right again.

    They were at Umbridge port, one of the main trade ports available after the Wipe-Out.

    Countries, like Japan, had taken precautions before the Wipe-Out of humanity and had taken future precautions which made them one of the few countries that had a 0% infection level. Thus, the citizens in those countries have no fear and continue their lives as if there were no apocalypses. These countries have shown support throughout the years in helping the further development of countries with slim chances of revival. They have accepted and sent people to build infrastructure like ports, in exchange for resources.

    Ashley stood there with her head hung low while her eyes were zoning in and out at the wooden bridge that connected the ferry to the port. The shaky feeling of vomiting over the salty water brought her to reality.

    "ˇŞ LLO! EARTH TO ASH TRAY!", Dan shouted over the shrills of the stupid birds.

    At first, he thought she would punch him, but she stood there dazed as if she was dead. He started wondering what was the reason behind the delayed punch.

    Ashley whipped to the so-called reality and turned around to her brother with shivering lips.

    "Something isn''t right..." she mumbled as she gripped the wooden rails and steadied herself to walk forward.

    "HEY! Calm down..... Ash...What''s happening?" Ashley last heard as he lifted her hands effortlessly, without even trying, to reveal the splinters she gave herself.

    "I don''t know..." She looked at her hands, realising that much of her work would be delayed.

    Dan turned around his sister, a sweat was built up on her forehead.

    Pressing his hand onto her head as well as his, he concluded from the family-based myth that she had a fever.

    "I don''t have a fever." Stubborn, Ashley spoke while wrapping her coat and scarf closer.

    Her quick pace alerted his senses, making him go faster and try to convince her that taking a day off isn''t as bad as it sounds. Knowing how well he knew Ashley, he needed to stop her before something bad happened to ruin her mood.

    "Ashley...it''s fine if you don''t work and, also you could take a break on the occasion of your BDAY!!", he dramatically added sound effects with his hands blown away from his mind.

    Ashley turned her head and gave an idle look towards her man-child brother, in return gave a smile and a thumbs up while carrying her bag over the shoulder.

    He must have taken it while I dozed off, Ashley smiled while thinking how at times he can be the best brother in the world.

    The best hug giver.

    The best storyteller.

    The best play-date pal.

    The best person to turn to cry when the nightmares come back.

    Ashley couldn''t still fathom that the same person would try to hurt, or even worse, make himself disappear, pondering what would have happened if she hadn''t knocked that night.

    Masking her joy in being in his company, she turned in front with her arms dangling around, taking a huge leap and then landing near the end of the bridge.

    She turned to give her iconic look-her-tongue stuck-out look.

    Her brother nonchalantly clapped at his sister''s stunt.

    "Yeah, right when we are in so deep in deb-" Ashley scoffed, which soon became a scream.

    The wooden floor under her feet fell apart, creating a big hole, revealing the cold, dark waters that awaited her downfall.

    "AHHHHHHHHHHH-" Ashley gunged her eyes out at the horrifying scene.

    As her hope started to vanish, a sturdy hand grabbed her and pulled her out of the hole.

    With a jerk, Ashley flew into the air onto the person''s arms.

    The sudden accident made her shiver uncontrollably and unable to breathe with a painful burn in her throat.

    At that moment, her surroundings became a blur.

    Feeling afraid of the new environment, she took the necessary precautions to find her brother.

    With her remaining strength, she pulled herself from the person, muttering a small ''thank you''.

    She didn''t need to waste any further time because the warm arms she was trying to find twisted her back and pulled her into a tight hug.

    Echoes of apologies could be heard throughout the port, making all the workers stop dead in their tracks.

    They all followed the lead towards the source to witness a scene of a young man breaking down hysterically while combing the girl''s hair and trying to calm her down.

    Whispers were born within the mist of the confusion.

    "Lords! That POOR girl fell through that hole!"

    "Isn''t that Brook''s Bridge?"

    "I swear I walked on that bridge yesterday without ANY issues."

    "Now we know from whom not to buy materials, AIN''T I RIGHT?"

    And such whispers could turn into ugly rumours.

    "I bet it was THE GIRL''S fault! Didn''t you see how she jumped?"

    "YEA! I reckon it''s a show to get some PITY MONEY."

    "With the high cost and taxes, it''s NO WONDER THEY WOULD DO SUCH DIRTY ACTIONS."

    "Wait, fellas, what if it''s that man who''s FORCING her to do this..."

    With these rumours spiralling out of truth, falsehood takes the swift chase aft-

    "WHAT IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU?" a rough voice boomed silence over the crowd.

    Ashley at once knew who it was.

    "A young girl is injured, and here you are spewing gossip! Is this the reputation of the Umbridgers? I may have been disappointed by the lack of maintenance, but this is beneath human integrity. Why are you standing there? Go mind your own business if you don''t want to help!"

    Raze''s authoritative voice moved the crowd to hysterical, but they cleared out right away.

    His red eyes darted out disgusting shots at the passers-by, who quickly turned away from his sight. He frowned while searching through the many hidden pockets of his black woollen pants.

    Dan thought he would whip out a belt rather than a handkerchief.

    "Here, for you and your sister. Must''ve been a rough day, huh? " He stated while Dan took the tissues.

    "Yea... thanks... man, I think we are enough. Sorry, I can''t give you any further answers right now..." He told him while pulling weak Ashley closer, whipping down her sweat.

    "Yeah, I understand... she''s gonna be alright, Danny." Raze patted down his back and pulled her bag. Dan looked so worn out from the immense shock that Ashley went through.

    "Yeah, she''s burning by a lot. Gotta take her down the down lane. What a pathetic brother, ain''t I?" Dan chuckled at his foolish action before getting interrupted by the inspector''s cough.

    "I don''t know about you much, other than the fact that you''re Miss Ashley Willow''s foster brother and a drunkard. But, from an outsider''s view, I can tell that you genuinely care for her. It''s just that... you''re not in the right state of mind." Raze helped Danny to get up while carrying her bag.

    "I...appreciate it. Didn''t know... you were an easygoing person." Danny remarked while carrying Ashley in his arms.

    "Of course not!" Raze laughed. Ashley''s head springs out. Dan looked shocked nonetheless.

    "I am right now... just for...momentarily...." He clarified while his eyes went wary of the surroundings. Even Dan and Ashley became observant of the crowds'' cry.

    "Well? What it is?"

    "A bloody mess...."

    "MY! WHO ON EARTH WOULD DO THIS?"

    After bidding goodbyes'', Raze hurried into the sea of people crowding around the edge of the docks before getting humped by his subordinate. Ashley stood still, still recovering from the sudden twist of the scenario that triggered something familiar. The same scent she dreamed about.

    Something haunting, itching to burst open within her.

    She toppled over and fell from Dan''s arm. Her heartbeat increased as the seconds passed by. Her nausea threatened her to erupt. Even her lungs became weaker with each breath, asking her to stop breathing at all. Her eyes zoomed out from the-

    Ashie! Where are youuuuuuuuuuuuu? Come out already!

    Amidst the crowd, a familiar black silhouette of a boy called out to her. Its smile spoke:

    Ashie.....Where are you? Come out. it''s-

    ASHIE! ASHIE! WHERE ARE YOU? COME OUT! ITS ME-

    "Yne?"

    "THANK GOD YOU''RE BACK ON EARTH! I MISSED YOU SO MU-" Dan choked on his tears while Einar, who made Ashley roll to her side, stopped pouring water in her mouth.

    "Wh-what...happ-pened t-to me?" Her brain was so sure to rupture apart any second.

    Dan hugged her without skipping a beat and covered her hair with his drool, tears and saliva.

    Ashley didn''t mind it as she was too dizzy to give two sh-

    "Come in here! Einar, you saved her!" Regardless of his protests, he still got dragged into the hug.

    "So....Are we good now?" Einar indirectly asked about the past feud.

    "Totally! Plus, you can''t blame her. She got very excited to meet another fellow artist-" Einar gasped out loud while Ashley tried to stand up to walk away from them.

    "Wow, Ashie! Woah Wait! You gotta stop standing up. You''re still not okay. You need to go the clinic because I think you had a seizure, you know with that foam all over your mouth."

    Einar quickly explained while signaling Dan to grab her other arm and her waist, providing support for her to walk. Ashley wondered when she permitted him to call her and how did he even knew that was one of her nicknam-

    You''re overthinking! He''s a teenager like you. He''s bound to make a weird name to call you just like the other boys... in the trash bin.

    "HOly-" Einar stopped himself before throwing a concerned look at Dan.

    "You''re light! Are you eating three meals per day?" Dan looked away while Ashley shook her head.

    "Goodness...No wond-" He abruptly stopped before looking into the horizon, down the railings.

    Dan quickly covered Ashley''s eye, but he was too late.

    A strawberry-pink-haired girl wailed in Raze''s arms while he embraced her in a tight hug.

    Caleb was seen clutching his beanie by his chest along with the other inspectors, who stood still and mourned. The ladies had teardrops all over their faces, while the men''s faces were blank with no thoughts. Together, they mourned and grieved as the team they represented.

    <u>Inspectors'' Institute of Investigations and Inspections.</u>

    In the centre lived the subject of today''s gossip.

    A pale blue-grey-skinned girl with dark indigo hair was lying on the muddy sand with a white blanket covering her body. Towards the end, her bloody legs poked out. Her mouth had stretched marks around it as if she screamed all the air out of her lungs, but the cold, hard water blocked her cry for help. The eyes...had the sweetest shade of baby blue.

    "That''s the girl they asked me about....." Einar quietly remarked about the incident at the ferry.

    "No wonder they interrogated us..." Ashley''s dizziness paced up and slouched back in her stance.

    Dan let go of her hand while Einar grabbed her arms and held her tightly.

    "Dan! Hold on her tight...Hey, pal? You good?" Einar softly asked Dan, who looked so dead.

    "Livia....Olivia was her name. I was suppos-sed to go o-o-on a-a da-te-te with her." Dan blinked away from them before latching onto the railings for his dear life.

    Einar mumbled a prayer while Dan broke down.

    Before Ashley could process what had just happened, she collapsed.

 SWEEP SWEEP

    "I know you''re awake, honey." Ashley flinched.

    "No need to worry, drink this." She felt the sofa sink as she lifted her arm up. Sadly, she couldn''t prevent the damage inflicted by the light bulb that swung along with the fan. She often wondered how it was still possible for it to happen again and again.

    "It''s ORS. How are you feeling after vomiting for three hours straight?" Ashley''s eyes were still recovering from the colourful Aurora Borealis in her eye. Even then, she knew who was sitting next to her.

    "Would you mind if you turn off the light?" She barely spoke, but Bonnie understood her hand gestures.

    "Sure, sweetie!ˇ­.. A terrible birthday, huh?" After a click, she turned to reveal her fit for today.

    She wasn''t your typical grandma. Not only that, but she was and is still a drag queen for gals. In honour of Ashley''s birthday, she wore a -

    "What? I am dressed up as you." The thick Transatlantic accent echoed towards her, bringing back her mind to the matter of utmost importance.

    "I am not a goth." She scrutinized the huge pushed up bun hair with maximum volume that no one could come up with.

    Except for Tiffany Davis aka Misty Diamonds. The owner of ''Beauties Hair Salon''.

    For sure, Ashley made a terrible mistake of seeping the drink when Misty opened her floor touching coat.

    Her outfit consisted of a white leopard skin leotard that extended until the black short pants covered her curvy hips. Furthermore, she wore fishnets over her legs, with shiny yet spiky leg bracelets adorned around her thighs. Her face was a work of art that should have been on the front cover of <u>''The </u><u>Advocatess''</u>. What made the look stand out was how the sharpness of her eyeliner matched her mouth. With each provocative stroke, she left a trail of diverse gemstones, ranging from edge cut sapphires to glittery rainbow stones. As usual, the queen always starts the day by eating a misogynist for breakfast with her dark red-cherry lip gloss. Not a single patch of skin was left naked. Each had their own rings, bracelets with many tiny skulls of different sizes swinging while the owner twirled for Ashley to see the one of a kind view. Finally, she finished the look with a raven black fur coat with spikes on both shoulder pads.

    "OF COURSE YOU''RE NOT GOTH! YOU''RE DEPRESSED! JUST LET A GAL TAKE ONE LOOK AT YOU AND SEE HER WORK, MAKE FUN OF YOU!" Misty''s laughter roared, making Ashley jump.

    "So which is?" Unamused, Ashley settled the mug down on the coffee table in front of her.

    "NAKED! CAUSE YOU DON''T HAVE A FASHION SENSE-LIKE IOTA. GET IT?" As she sat down beside Ashley, she elbowed her in the side.

    After her laughter died, Tiffy spoke first.

    "With all that joke aside, I am really worried about you."

    "Tell me about it."

    "You don''t have to take care of Dan''s business, it''s his. Let him take care of it."

    "You know?"

    "I saw. That boy was a wrecked typhoon with hair perm on a hair blower!"

    "Hmmˇ­"

    "It was supposed to make you laugh. Cheer up a bit, would ya?"

    "Depends."

    "Well, thenˇ­ Back in the 90s, I used to do cr@ck when I was your age."

    Ashley nodded slowly while thinking about how this was related to her situation.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "My boyfriend at the time got me into it. ''For the hype'' he would say. Only to realize later that he had made plans to commit suicide."

    Ashley kept quiet.

    "After his body went through an autopsy, we found lots of stuff. Not only had he been doing crack, he was smoking w3ed and {marij} to the point that it led to...his death. I saw... his naked body before the funeral. That idiot...he...he used to get inked every month. I wasn''t surprised to see any brand-new tats, butˇ­ I was indeed surprised to see what the tats were." She paused, looking at the flowery wallpaper with cats'' paw prints, and she continued.

    "Goˇ­ live your life, Taffy." She quoted, while removing her coat.

    "Be the diva you always wanted to be." She pointed to her forearm.

    "In the end, he knew he was pulling me into his mess. So, he let go of me in the most horrible way possible. I helped him get money for rehab. I tried words, love, letters, songsˇ­everything, and yet he chose death over me." She slowly pulled back her coat.

    The sound of the fans filled the room while Ashley looked around. In front of them, the fireplace was covered in ashes while on the top the portrait of Tiffy and her staffs of 10 years was hanged. Along with a few newspaper snippets, it was followed by some plastic models of hairstyles tools in their miniature forms. A table with sacks of paper near its legs was right at the back of a multicoloured glass window. Coloured sun rays fell onto the screen of the desktop reflecting its blue light on the nearby messy desk. The ceiling, however, was so close to cracking apart. The sky painting was clearly fainting and each crack was more dominant to the other.  It felt like the sky would fall down on them.

    "How could he do that to you?" Ashley finally broke the cold, hard icebreaker.

    "He did itˇ­because I reminded himˇ­of his old self. I used to split my wrist every morning becauseˇ­ I missed my perverted teachers, who wouldn''t stop drooling over my chest. Likewise, I missed my parents too. They used to love me by smashing beer bottles over my head. I was pathetic toˇ­him. Iˇ­ Iˇ­placed all my insecurities on him." Frustration and uncomfortableness creeped in before Ashley dropped a bomb on her.

    "Is that how you feel about his death?" Ashley boldly asked her.

    "Young lady, be mindful of your mouth." Tiffy scolded her.

    She looked away and gave her a silent treatment for a minute or two.

    Ashley carelessly continued, "It wasn''t your fault. You just didn''t know how to console him in the required way. You were in a different boat on another ocean. I guess? While he was in the Pacific, you were in the Atlantic. Both of your problems were as significant as the other. It''s just that one wasˇ­saltier than the other."

    She waited...waited...waited.... before apologizing her absurd and rude question.

    "Look who''s talking." She finally met her eyes with Ashley, pulling her deeper into the hug.

    Accepting her foolishness and consideration.

    "I should have given ya a warning." She scowled at herself.

    "You should have." Ashley agreed, which gained her an eye roll.

    "So, how did you guys meet?" Ashley asked, directing away from the topic.

    "We both were runaway high schoolers with the same background. It''s no wonder why we fell in love with our own imperfections." She pushed Ashley''s hair back.

    "Huh, I didn''t know dead men could tell the best tales." She remarked.

    Tiffy smiled at the poor janitor in her arms.

    "Look...... I know it''s difficult for you to do it, butˇ­. He may have a lot on his plate, but so do you. Pleaseˇ­put yourself firstˇ­before putting others first. You gotta take care of your plate first, then let others share theirs with yours."

    Ashley remained silent. She urged her to continue.

    "It might not be easy, but you shouldn''t speak to him for a while. That man needs some time to reflect on why he did itˇ­ No need to be harsh on yourself. Give yourself a break. Think about it, okay? Tell me later. Got it? Gotta make some room for the new tenant." She winked at Ashley, who smiled in return.

    "You know, you could take a day off-" Tiffy suggested.

    "Stanley?" Ashley inquired.

    "He doesn''t know. We could cover for you while you sort yourself." She calmly cleared her doubts. Except for one.

    "I guessˇ­but what about the mo-" Ashley got cut off by surprising news.

    "You got a promotion. Cherry came today to deliver you the letter with the big fat letters ''P-R-O-M-O-T-I-'' "Thrilled Tiffy clamped her hands together, gleeing at the happy girl.

    "OKAY! I GET IT! NOW, WHERE IS IT?" Thrilled as excitement boosted her system.

    "In the lounge, along with your other gifts." She winked at the startled birthday girl.

    Ashley abruptly got up before muttering thanks to her.

    Tiffany chuckled while getting up from the soft leather sofa. Taking a step towards the adjacent table, she rebooted the desktop that sat there with an open window of email.

    "I hope today is the happy birthday you wished forˇ­" Tiffany read the contents while grabbing a napkin from her pocket.

    "Can''t get my makeup ruined, butˇ­" She contemplated whether to play along with the plan to keep the birthday girl happy, or make her face the icy promise that got broken. Regardless of the choice, she will hear about it one way or another.

    In addition to spewing some curses here and there, she lit a cigar after opening up the window. A puff of smoke sent her eyes widening at the sight below her salon''s entrance, making her believe that fate would do anything to ruin a 15-year-old''s birthday.