the next thing she remembered was staring into the ceiling, only one color was made out from that specific structure, bland, grey, dead. celine thought back to yesterday, what had happened that day..? she knew the basic facts, but besides that, was she at fault here in the first place? not everything revolved around her... that's what she said to herself at the end of their little camping trip to some grassy plain field. what had caused august to get so mad?
eli... had she been so blind to ignore the obvious clues? with a sigh of sadness, she sat up from her bed and rubbed her eyes with her index and thumb. august was clingy, he was kind, and he was nice. but, on the other hand, eli was too. or maybe they were both putting up some sort of front in order to manipulate her into some sort of way to like her. but, that couldn't be right, august wouldn't burst out so quickly in anger, the way he did. especially not when she knew him. well, knew him enough to get a basic read on his personality, that was for sure. he must've egged him on, and she fed right into his manipulation.
that charming smile, those bright blue eyes that shone in the bright sun, it all meant nothing. she had been tricked into this, into... liking him. not for who he was, but for what he looked like. celine knew what she had to do, but in the end... she knew what august would want. was she ready to even accept the possibility that she had to reject him, again?
she felt a coming pain in her stomach, aching like a headache that wouldn't go away no matter how hard you'd try to make it disappear. her eyes widened, snatching the sleeve concealing her arm, the truth was there from the beginning. understanding her mission now, she remembered the address given to her by eli. unfortunately for her, he was nowhere to be found, her mother had informed her that he'd, 'gone missing.' a guy like him, she seemed like the type to just disappear for a while ad reappear later.
sure of his safety, she could spot august sitting back against the tree she'd hid behind when they played hide and seek together. her figure was shadowed by the star levitating in the abyss of space to the rear of her frame, the emerald-eyed rivera took a firm bite out of his crimson apple. no words needed to be shared between the duo, as her platinum locks were slapped behind her by the mild chilly winds, she became to speak. her spouts of breath visible as they exited her lips. "i'm sorry. i acted out of character, i didn't mean for it to seem like i was trying to hurt you or anything. like, i meant to avoid you, i guess. i was being unfair to you, after all, you helped me... eli didn't. i was only distracted by his charms, i wish to be friends with you again,"
the sentiment had caused his heart to swell, had she meant those words?or was she just perpetuating a fake apologetic persona so he can open up to her, only so he could get hurt in the end. his head-spinning to see her eyes, he witnessed the shine of tears forming in the lids of her eyeballs. taking his hand in her own, he shared the fruit with her, so she could grip it gently in her right palm. reluctant to take his limb in hers, her fingers slowly crawled against him, her attention drawn to him as the petite 'blonde' listened to his inquiry. "do you remember what you told me when you were staying at my house?"
he wasn't being specific, they shared a plethora of words amongst one another in her short-lived home. though knowing him, she searched her memories for the sweetest thing he meant, and she was met with the following retelling of her quote, "'you're worth so much just by being here..' and then, suddenly, i meant nothing. as if i were some sort of expendable mess when all i did was try to help you. i can't help my feelings, so i understand the latter sentiment of rejecting me. but, you barely knew that guy a day. and you already kissed him, i just don't get why," her pupils extended out to see the tears streaming down his cheeks, hearing him scream out to the world, the snow flying back to hit the building in front of them, "WHY CAN'T I DO ANYTHING RIGHT?!"
attempting to speak out and deny that feeling, he continued to speak, so her hand reached down. extremities continuing to rest in his palm, witnessing the back of his head return to the wooden bark, he admitted the truth to her, "but, then, you came back. you apologized, you proved you cared. and those feelings returned to me again... i'm not forcing you to feel the same way i do, i'm just going to ask a question. do you like me too?" this was what she'd been afraid of, she had no idea what to choose, but, the answer was simple. the days they'd spent together, they didn't symbolize just anything. they laughed, they cried, they ate, and walked together. most of all, they cared for one another. she was strong enough to realize... that it wasn't all about her. now knowing the truth, the rest of her fingers crawled into his palm, interlocking their extremities together, celine emma rose pierce nodded.
"i do. i do feel the same way," their love together illuminated the path ahead, brightened the future, shining as if the setting sun was meant for them alone. august couldn't help himself, lips pressed against her own, they shared a tender kiss in december. after the end, he teased her with a cheeky comment,
"no more killing snowmen," she scoffed, playfully rolling her eyes to the side, yet the full smile stood. "the daughter called me yesterday, they're gonna be arresting you real soon..." the new-made couple shared a collective chuckle amongst themselves, for once in her life, though her face practically the color of a beet, felt happy. with someone who loved her dearly, the apple had another bite taken out of it. as a man with black hair and blue eyes passed the tree, his suitcase swaying from side to side with his arm, celine and august parted ways for the night. making plans after school to hang out together, and defy their parents, simply by not telling them. she was sure august would keep her safe, so she wasn't worried, she likely get reprimanded... but it was worth it.
december 17th, 2:02 p.m., august had planned to simply head to his room, take off all of his stuff, and then... simply, head to celine's. unfortunately for him, he would be registered as late by his lover.
A voice entered his ears, soft, pleasant, friendly. inviting him without even saying so, that voice rang out asking,
"Excuse me?" His head turned to meet the eyes of the human who was speaking to him. This man's posture was incredibly well, no hunch in his back, which was arched. Black hair, blue vibrant eyes while wearing a black suit vest to match the color of his hair. Glasses over his pupils, the same as the boy he was standing in front of. White tie, the pants he wore were even fancier, as the older man held a gentle inviting smile.
"I'm Detective Azazel Karlo. You must be that CEO's Son, August, right? It's nice to meet you," Ironic, which one was the popular one here again? The son of a rich CEO and an Ace Detective, August took the now extended hand of Azazel. The Justice is what he represented, his Justice as a Detective.
"Yes, I've heard of you, Mr. Detective. Thought you aren't just 'Detective Azazel Karlo', the kids at my school call you, 'The Ace Detective Prince of Justice.' It isn't that bad of a name,"
"Ahaha, I suppose my reputation precedes me then. Currently, I am about to head home, but since you're here, maybe you'd like to get to know one another? I am extremely intrigued by how you're able to cope. Considering you're the son of the CEO of a major corporation, how do you so easily exist without being bothered?" Whispers and mutters of newly forming crowds entered the duo's ears, if they lingered around such a space for an elongated period they'd be entrapped by people and eventually paparazzi. So, Azazel gently stepped closer so he would be able to whisper in the younger teen's ear,
"I know a secluded place,"
The Detective and the Student walked toward a new destination that the Prince had known. In a quiet part of Paris, there was an American-themed jazz club/cafe near the Eiffel Tower. It was as calm and peaceful as ever, August entered after, glancing around slowly shedding himself of his bag. This looked like such an adult place, how old even was this guy?
"Don't worry, they don't only serve alcohol. I, myself, aren't even old enough to drink beer, wine, or whatever the sort. Ahah, in actuality, I'm only 17 years old," At this point they were sitting side to side at a lone table, the female server, setting the menus down in front of their bodies.
"Thank you, Hannah," The server's name was Hannah, it seemed, Azazel also looked to have frequented this place for quite some time now. From the way he addressed the girl, it seemed obvious. Noticing the bright green eyes of his new friend watching him and bouncing back and forth between her and Karlo, he chuckled.
"It's not how you think, trust me, she's just one of my friends. After our shifts at work, we usually hang out here," A nice charming grin came off of the young Detective's lips, digging into his shoe he placed his firearm on the table. That is how it works, being a member of the Paris Police Force and all.
"I didn't mean to frighten you, taking out my gun so suddenly, I'm just used to doing it in front of other people, I didn't think about how'd you react. I apologize," Karlo's arm twitched for but a second, it was so quick and so masterfully hidden that August hadn't noticed it at all. He reached over to examine the pistol, reassuring his new friend,
"You don't gotta be so formal, I'm literally younger than you,"
"Ah, I suppose that is true. But either way, what will you be getting? They don't have anything heavy, just the basics for simple people," 20 minutes passed, chicken tenders with fries on the side and Coke were placed in front of August. Meanwhile, for Azazel, it was something very... not so simple. Quiche au Saumon et Crevettes, which is just Salmon and Shrimp Quiche.
"Merci, chérie," The Detective Prince used his extensive knowledge of the French language to thank the French girl, Hannah, for serving them. The Prodigy used a combination of the two,
"Merci, Miss," Before August could dig into his dish, he noticed the blue eyes of the Ace Detective examining him. Like he was some rare thought-to-be endangered species, before he could get more awkward, he drew attention to it rather smoothly,
"Would you like a tender?" Azazel Karlo laughed off the offer shaking his head and cutting a piece of the quiche.
"Don't be absurd, personally, I don't like the way that tastes-"
"Too bad, we can't all be Ace Detectives that are spoonfed fancy shit like what you're eating," A gulp was heard echoing from the inside of Azazel's throat, though he had just been insulted, he managed to keep his composure. Though his left arm was twitching like crazy, his right hand scratched his eye using it to cover his face for a moment. The conversation had gotten awkward now because of the tension building and the way they were speaking to one another. How could he save this conversation? Then, he did it, by asking a simple rhetorical question,
"How do you like the idea of free will?" This question caused the head of August to stare deep into the blue eyes of the Detective beside him. With just a simple question such as that one, he was able to capture his attention. Detective Karlo continued his hypothesis,
"Free will is the idea that everyone should be able to live on their own with no one controlling them. It is a simple idea that has left multiple countries baffled by its existence, China has people arrested for daring to have their own opinion, America has the idea of free will yet the second someone goes out of whatever the police or the President says, they're found quickly, intended to be arrested or killed. Though I have my own personal beliefs about free will, I often get misconstrued as one of those corrupt officers on the Force. However, my idea of Justice doesn't apply with such pathetic meaningless methods such as bribery, planting false evidence on innocent people for the sake of my own popularity. If that was your end goal in the first place, why become a cop? Hmm... though we can think some people are rude or mean in our point of view, I believe that maybe we should think about how they feel instead. Though they may seem free, they could be, in actuality, blackmailer or controlled by a bigger force from behind the curtains. I became a Detective to make sure people could be themselves and not have to be subject to the strings of someone who's more 'powerful' than them. You may not agree with me on the matter but I believe it does warrant some sort of thought. What do you think?" August had his eyes almost attached to the face of the Prince beside him, he was a Detective, to be so intelligent as to speak the way he did. So admirable. His hand reached out to grab a napkin, the duo stood up together, with no words, they had left. £40 was left on their table, their bodies facing one another. A new contact had been added to Rivera's phone, the same as Azazel's.
"I hope to see you again sometime, Detective Karlo. I'd bet we'd make great friends if we hung out more, goodbye for now," August let out his right hand, his primary hand for his new Detective Prince friend to shake. Baffled by how comfortable he had gotten in such little time, the Justice examined the palm before his gloved fingers wrapped around the Prodigy's.
"And you as well, August,"
as the two parted ways, the middle rivera child fiddled with his fingers, as if something was tying himself to that guy. he'd felt he'd seen him before, but how, he couldn't tell. nevertheless, he needed to get to celine. luckily enough, she only gave him a fake slap on the cheek, and then they were off. the week was full of fun adventures, the beach, though it was extremely cold, going to the supermarket together, and even seeing the sunrise on saturday. but, unfortunately, it all changed. on sunday, he woke up to no texts from her, no note after she left his bed, instead... nothing. the next thing he planned to do was go to her home, where, yes, she was there. barging through the door, his grass-tinted pupils shone like a field of pasture in the spring.
in her bedroom, she was sleeping, covered with blankets, resting on the back of her hand. he went to feel her pulse, and there... there was nothing. her parents were nowhere to be found, instead, her decrepit dead body laid lifeless on that mattress. "babe, get up!" he cried out, unable to face the truth of the matter in front of him, tears welling up in his eyes. there was no way she had been gone, not this suddenly... august ripped the blanket off of her figure, she was still fully clothed. there were no cuts on her arm, but instead, her veins were fully visible. lightning cracking through the interior of her arm, he realized it now... she had been manifesting powers. with no idea how to control them, they turned against her, and whatever power she had, destroyed her heart.
he had been ignoring her all of this time, ignoring the coughs she had in the supermarket, the sudden sleepiness. this was HIS fault, and nothing could bring her back. nothing in his arsenal of abilities, could return the one he loved into his arms. never. never. NEVER. so, he was left, crying with his lover in his arms, and as the police entered the apartment, they found a lonely boy holding his girlfriend in his arms... who would forever be changed by the events that would later take place.
however, this wasn't the only location the police had planned to investigate. examining the blood on the floor, detective karlo heard the door open, to see none other than famous CEO ben rivera enter. covering his palms with gloves, the emperor whistled out at the sight, the blood still leaking from his corpse. "jesus christ..." uttered the ceo, to which the detective nodded, whispering to the funder for the police department a quick,
"yeah..." the body was none other than eli's, ropes tied around his ankles and wrists, attached to the ceiling. with his gut sliced open, entrails leaking from the wound in his stomach, eyes rolled to the back of his head.
and while all of this was happening, the Aether cackled maniacally, with Is goal accomplished this easily, now there was nothing that would stop the inevitable. in january of 2037, the first day, august rivera stepped into a new year, hopeful that his life would go back to normal after a month of hell...
unfortunately for you, the revelation of his life without Celine won't be revealed until chapter one of book 3. stay tuned for 'how profoundly beautiful', a new chapter in this series...