TW.: Pain. (I don't know how to do trigger warnings)
Issac scanned the profiles once again as he observed the cities the people are from. Everyone is from a different part of the world.
Then he remembered how some of the people in that room he was in with Chester spoke a different language but he thought they were only exchange students or something like that.
"Why are people coming in from other parts of the world?" He asked, frowning at Chester.
"I don't know," Chester said, leaning back against his chair as he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. "The moment we got back and the people started disappearing, I knew something was up."
"So you did some digging?" Zadie asked, holding up the profile of a high school girl. "Some of them are so young."
"I did." He said, releasing a puff of smoke. "That girl, I got in touch with her. She said that she knew nothing of what happened.
"I connected some of the other people and, most said the same thing. They thought that it was a dream because they opened their eyes on their beds."
Issac turned to Zadie who looked at him from the corner of her eyes but the two did not say a word.
"Did they freak out when you called them?"
"One man had a complete breakdown," Chester said, holding the smoke between his index and middle finger as one of the servers brought him an ashtray. "Some of their time zones are completely different from ours so maybe that is why they woke up on their beds.
"But that would not explain the reason why they were all dressed like they were out. Got anything from this?"
"This raises two possibilities for me," Issac said, handing the papers to Zadie who began putting them in the folder again. "Either other parts of the world are not going through this, or they are the people that have never felt this before.
"If that is the case, why are only the people who have not gone through this before here and, why in our city? What is it about our city that caused this?"
"Many more questions, huh?" Chester said, looking at the smoke from his cigarette rise. "I guess that is expected. The more we know, the more it gets confusing."
"This is just annoying to me at this point," Issac said, standing up and then leaning to Chester and taking the cigarette packet from him. "I need a smoke."
The bodyguards tried to attack Issac but Chester stopped them lazily looking at Issac.
"Light," Issac said, cigarette hanging out of his mouth while pointing to it.
Chester chuckled and stood up as well, taking the same zippo from his pocket, he lit Issac's cigarette for him.
"Bring a lighter for yourself next time," he said, as Zadie stood up as well, folder in her arms.
Issac sucked in the smoke as they heard an announcement from a very enthusiastic woman, "The two hours are over! Everyone, please follow the bellboys out of the building! Thank you for coming!"
"Maybe one day." He said, letting the cigarette hand from his mouth as they made their way out. "Oh, your number?"
He took out his phone and handed it to Chester who took it and wrote the number down.
"You certainly have a way of expressing yourself." He mused, giving his phone back.
"Thank you. I pride myself in that." Issac said, looking at the number and then saved it as 'Boss Man'. "Catch you later."
Without a glance back, the two walked out of the room.
_________________
"There you two are." Haiti greeted Issac and Zadie as soon as they reached the car. "Everyone is here already. Come on."
She stepped into the limo and Issac was about to follow her but Zadie stopped him.
"What's wrong?" he asked, looking at her hand on his arm.
"Are you ok?" She asked, scanning his face intently.
"I am ok." He said, taking in a deep breath before freezing when pain shot up his body. "Ow. I forgot about that."
"The serum would have worn off by now." She said, furrowing her brows. "It was able to keep the pain at bay for an hour or two only. You should have remembered."
"Nothing happened." He insisted, hand over his waist.
"What about when you almost fainted in there?" She asked, growing angry. "You looked weak."
"I was just a little dizzy." He said dismissively. "Don't worry about me, Zadie. I am stronger than I was that time."
"How did you know that I was thinking about that?" She asked, looking away from him.
"You are always thinking about that time, especially when you become worried about my wellbeing." He shrugged. "Come on. They are waiting for us."
Issac held the door open for her, and she, with a sigh, entered the car.
While watching her enter, Issac's right eye began to twitch slightly as it grew numb. He looked at the watch on his wrist and sucked in a breath.
Time already?
"Issac!" Haiti called from inside, startling the boy as his right eye began to twitch.
"Coming." He said, turning to the driver standing beside him. "Get us home. Fast."
"Yes, sir." The man said, noticing Issac's twitching eye but he did not say anything about it as he entered the car.
______________
The entire ride, Araya and Soren were talking to each other about all the people they met and the conversations they had.
Araya has been meaning to open up a brand of her own and she did, though it is still small at the moment. Some of the people she met agreed to wear her brand as a sort of promotion and she will be making them custom outfits.
She already has a ton of clients just from that two-hour party and Issac could not be happier for her but at the moment, he just wanted to get home.
His eye is throbbing at this point and he wanted to remove the glass eye as quickly as possible.
Why doesn't he just remove it in the car you ask? Because there will be too many things to clean up in a car that is not his. That is why.
"Did you get it?" Orion whispered to Issac and Zadie, getting the attention of everyone in the room.
Great.
"How are you still awake?" Zadie asked, looking at Orion having another shot of whisky. "How … how good is your alcohol tolerance?"
"Issac's sweet tolerance?" Haiti answered. "That is the same with Orion's alcohol tolerance."
"Ohhhh~," Everyone said simultaneously.
"Well, answer the question," Soren said, grinning at Issac. "Did you get what you went there for?"
Zadie looked at Issac who nodded at her. She held up the folder and, smiling, said, "Right here."
"Yeaaaahhhhhh!" Orion shouted, raising his whisky cup in the air. "We all got what we went there for."
He turned to Issac, pointed to the man and said, "You owe everyone here a treat."
"I remember," Issac said, calmly. "I will tell you when, alright?"
"What is he talking about?" Araya asked, eyes widening in horror as she looked at Issac's face. "Is-"
She made eye contact with her and shook his head, making her shut her mouth instantly but not before Soren noticed how his eye twitched.
Frowning, he turned to the others, "So! Who are we dropping off first?"
"Just drop me off at Saint Augustus Street," Haiti said, looking at the profiles with Zadie. "Oh and Orion too. Issac?"
"Yes?" He asked, turning to her enough that she did not see his right eye beginning to swell. It helped that she sat on his left.
"Can I take this with me? I want to make some … investigation." She held up the papers. "Zadie briefed me on everything already."
"Ok." He said, searching the papers for the boy's one and took it once he found it. "I will keep this though. Ok?"
"Ok." Haiti smiled brightly at him. "Good job you two. I knew you would be able to solve the riddles. How did you even solve the riddles anyway?"
Issac was about to answer when he felt something liquid run down his face. The look on Araya's face told him everything he needed to know and he quickly pressed his hand over his right face to hide it.
"Are y-"
Soren looked at Issac then at Orion slowly falling asleep and knocked the whisky from his hands, making it spill on Haiti.
Sorry.
"Orion." She gasped, turning to the man slumped over and snoring. "I can't believe … Issac got me this dress. I swear if you ruin it, I will make sure you can never have children."
She took out a handkerchief while trying to wipe away the liquid on the dress.
"Issac, I am so sorry."
"It's ok," Issac said, as Araya turned the lights in the limo off with the flick of a switch.
"Oh sorry. I didn't know that did that." She said, pretending to panic as she looked out the window. "Oh wait, isn't that St. Augustus street?"
"I think it is." She said, as the limo pulled to a stop and she opened the door from Orion's side. "I and Orion will get off here. The rest of you be safe."
"Should I help-"
"I will deal with him." There was something about the tone of her voice that made everyone agree immediately.
She there Orion's arms over her shoulders and began to walk with him away from the car. Once they were sure the two were gone, Araya turned on the light immediately and jumped to Issac.
"Oh my -." She covered her hand over her mouth. "Driver! Our house fast. Please."
"I don't think it is that bad," Issac said, looking at the three staring at him worriedly.
Soren rolled his eyes and took a pocket mirror from his pocket and showed him his eye.
It was all swollen a tears mixed with deep red, almost brown, blood ran down his eye. The skin around it is swollen and red as parts of his eyelid were torn.
"Ok," he said, looking at his reflection. "It is bad."
"You think?" Zadie spat. "I swear, you will die because of your own stupidity one day."
"Yeah, I don't doubt that," Issac said as Araya held a handkerchief to his eye.
"Stupid. Stupid brother of mine." She said, furrowing her brows at him before turning to Soren. "We need to hurry before the eye melds with his skin."
"That sounds painful," Soren said, almost laughing but he stopped when he saw Issac's expression.
"It is," Zadie said.
"Well ... you are in trouble."
"You don't have to tell me twice." Issac sighed, staring at his watch. "Five minutes."
"Driver!" Araya shouted when the car pulled to a stop and the driver opened the door with a flourish. "Everyone out! Soren, you carry Issac! Let's hope it hasn't reached the point that I will have to cut it."
"What??"