The tension between the two was explosive, and it seemed as if the slightest breath could cause it to blow up. Sitting beside the two, the rest of us held our breaths as we watched the train wreck of a conversation run on in front of us. Angel, especially, was incredibly nervous.
Taking a gulp of air as she watched the atmosphere plummet by the second, she finally couldn't take it anymore and jumped up from her seat, putting herself between the two ticking time bombs as she faced the doctor and tried to reason with him.
"Actually. I brought him here. He said he wanted to meet people who had the same vibe as Dad."
As she spoke, her voice became increasingly softer. However, it was still loud enough for the doctor to hear and give her a helpless smile.
Reaching out a hand, he pulled her onto his left knee and patted her head. He held her by her small waist, ensuring that she wouldn't fall as he carried her.
"Alright. I won't be so hostile towards your guest."
After reassuring Angel, he turned back to Oliver, and his smile disappeared.
"But that doesn't mean I'm going to back off on why he is here."
Hearing these words, Angel seemed to show a panicked face. However, before the situation could escalate like it did before, Oliver shook his head and gave Angel a thankful smile. He then focused his attention on the doctor.
"I didn't come here to threaten you or anything, doctor. I came here to invite your patients on behalf of the MDVA team at Hope Research Center."
He took out another piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it, flipping it so that it faced the doctor and pointed at a certain line.
"If you would read this line here."
With Angel on one knee and the paper on the other, the doctor took hold of the paper again and brought it up to his face. Squinting his eyes on it, he raised his eyebrows as he read what was probably the line Oliver was pointing to, before setting the paper down and narrowing his eyes as Oliver.
"And how will you prove that whatever is written on here is true?"
As if expecting this question, Oliver dug into his other pocket and brought up a small object. From my position, I couldn't see the object very clearly. However, it seemed to be a very important thing, as the moment the doctor laid eyes on it, his eyes widened in surprise before his face softened.
"So it's finally time."
Mummering these words, the doctor sighed, happiness and worry overcoming his wrinkly face as he shook his head.
Keeping the mysterious object in his pocket, Oliver nodded his head as he passed several more papers to the doctor.
"The team will send someone to Bottom street who will be the main contact between you, several others, and the team. Because of some matters happening in High street, the team won't contact you for a while. However, the contact should come here and meet you soon. I'll let them know."
The doctor accepted Oliver's paper, his head nodding slightly as he listened to Oliver's instructions. Finally, once everything that had to be said was said, the two of them shook hands with polite smiles on their faces.
"I look forward to a happy cooperation."
"Same here."
Once they finished shaking hands, the doctor tilted his head down to look at Angel as he kept the papers in his lab coat and used his now-freed hand to comb through Angel's short, well-kept hair.
"Have the two of you made up?"
Covering her mouth, Angel whispered to George in a voice that was just slightly audible. Laughing, George nodded his head as he placed her back on her feet.
"Yes, Angel. You don't have to worry about us."
Standing up straight, George nodded to the rest of us before walking off back towards the nurse. The nurse had been observing us from her desk, her eyes staring cautiously at Oliver as she whispered to the doctor. However, after the doctor whispered back to her, she whipped her head towards him, then back to Oliver, before ruishing through the door behind the desk and disappearing from our view.
"Well, our business here should be done."
Standing up from his chair, Oliver gave us all a confident smile as he gestured for Angel to guide us out of the small clinic. Then, once we were outside, he turned towards her, his mouth open and ready to speak, before a sharp beep interrupted him. Turning my head towards the sound, I saw Max leaning towards a small black device near his shoudler and whispering to it.
Throughout this whole ordeal, Max had been with us. However, I didn't know how, but he had hidden his presence so expertly that I had forgotten he was there with us. In fact, if it weren't for the sharp beep, I might have continued to think that there were only five children traveling alone through Bottom street.
"Yes sir."
In an unconsciously louder voice than his whispers, Max replied to the device on his shoulder before turning to us with a friendly smile.
"It seems that the boss, Joel, and Jade have finished talking. We should probably head back to the mansion."
With that smile, Max walked over to the back of our group and gestured for Angel to lead us back.
Reaching the mansion, Max's partner, who was guarding the double doors alone, gave us a brief nod as he opened the doors for us. Then, after waving goodbye to Max, who returned to his post, the five of us walked into the mansion. Immediately, we saw the three adults gathering around one of the pictures.
"Right, she is beautiful. During my rise to become the territory's leader, she was one of the few who would stare me straight in the eye and lecture me. Even when I rose to power, she never held back her attitude, sharing her thoughts whenever she felt it was necessary. If only she could see how the territory has flourished."
Lucifer muttered as he stretched out his hand to caress the woman in the picture. This picture was the same one Angel had looked at when she was gathering her strength. The woman in the picture had eyes the color of melted ice. The silver mixed with blue swirled in those jewel-like eyes as she looked fondly down at the viewer.
"Dad! Were you looking at Mom?"
Running up to the three adults, Angel extended both arms towards Lucifer as she requested to be held up. Laughing, Lucifer agreed to her request and easily held her next to his hip.
"That's right, we were talking about Mom."
Stepping closer to the picture, I took this time to look at it more closely. Other than those striking eyes of hers, the woman also had a beautiful smile. Her eyebrows were slightly tilted downward, giving us the impression that she was looking at us with kind eyes. However, below that glowing face was the proof that she could not only be kind but cruel as well.
"You were probably too young to remember, but Mom was a very strong woman. Whenever someone tried to challenge her, she would beat them down mercilessly. However, she would never hurt them more than was needed to teach them a lesson."
Turning his head to gesture at the woman's scar-filled hands, he smiled as he seemed to remember some fond memories.
"Then did Mom also beat up Dad?"
With eyes bursting with curiosity, Angel asked as she leaned her body towards Lucifer's.
"That's right. Even though Dad was bigger and larger than her, I could never beat her. She was always smarter and faster than me."
Smiling, Lucifer used his free hand to ruffle Angel's hair as he talked. Then he turned towards the rest of us children and bent his back to bring his face closer to our eye level.
"Did you all have fun?"
Nodding our heads, Lucifer then showed a predatory grin as he straightened his back and turned to Joel and Jade.
"Since our discussion is over, I'll get Max to escort you to the gate. It's getting dark soon, so it would be better if you all hurried home. Bottom street at night is not something that the children would like to see."
In a voice too cheerful for it's contents, Lucifer, with Angel on one hip, walked us back to the double doors and gestured for Max to escort us. He and Angel then waved at us as we walked away from the mansion.
"So where did the five of you go?"
Naturally slotting their hands into ours, Joel asked with a smile as we followed Max.
"The Bottom street clinic."
Holding hands with Joel, Oliver casually answered as he faced the front.
"The clinic."
Freezing for one second, Joel showed a face of confusion. However, that confusion didn't last long as Jade leaned towards her and whispered something into her ears. Then, as enlightenment shone in her eyes, she gave Oliver a weird gaze before covering it up with a smile.
"Then you probably met George, the doctor. Right?"
As we reached the gates to Lucifer's territory, Max greeted Shawn, the man who had led us to Lucifer's mansion when we first arrived, with a casual throw of his dagger. Catching it, Shawn showed a wide smile as he threw it back to Will.
"Then, have a safe trip back to your own streets."
Waving goodbye to us, we left the three guards behind as we continued passing through Bottom street.
Once we were far away from the three of them, we continued our conversation.
"We did meet a George. An old doctor with many wrinkles and a white beard."
Nodding her head to his words, Joel's smile seemed to get brighter.
"Right, him. I hope he wasn't hostile to the four of you when you visited him. Actually, he used to be a doctor for High Middle street. However, just like a lot of doctors who didn't agree with the Anti-MDVA Prevention act, he refused to report anyone who he thought had MDVA to the hospital. In the end, he was caught. Although since he used to be from High street, the law couldn't punish him for the crime, he lost his doctor's certificate and couldn't stay as a doctor anymore. So he came to Bottom street."
We walked out of Bottoms street and into Top Bottom street. At this time of day, when the sun was setting below the horizon and the sky was dyed blood-red, most people had either chosen to go back home or find a secure place to hide. Night in Top Bottom street was an entirely different scene from day. The streets would be filled with a different crowd of people, bloodthirsty and unscrupulous in their ways of living. And being out so late would only be looking for trouble.
"By George, do you mean George Lucus?"
Speaking up for the first time ever since we had stepped foot in Bottom street, Linel asked from beside Jade as he leaned his body to look at Joel.
"His last name used to be Lucus, yes. Do you know him?'
Showing a face of surprise, Joel asked as we quickened our steps in order to enter Middle street before the sun truly set.
"My Dad has mentioned him before. He said that he had once helped a doctor escape from the grasps of his family from High street, and had introduced him to someone else who could help him continue his line of work. He said that the doctor's name was George, and the family was the Lucus family."
Crossing the border between Middle street and Top Bottom street, the six of us finally slowed down as we paused near a street. Going right on this street would immediately lead us back to our apartment, while Frank's house would be on the left side of the street.
"So it was Mr Hank who helped George. That's good to know, since George refused to tell the name of the person who helped him get into Bottom street, 'just in case that person stopped'. But if the person he's referring to is Mr Hank, then his reach is probably further than we thought."
Showing a face of thought at Linel's words, Joel's eyes drifted towards her feet as a genuine smile appeared on her face.
"That means that if we get the cooperation of Gilbert, Elaine's plans will be easier to carry out in the future."
Perking up, Joel thanked Linel before waving at him.
Waving goodbye to Frank, Linel, and Jade, we waited until the three of them disappeared around a corner before turning right towards our apartment.
"What sort of 'plans' were you referring to just now?"
After walking a little distance away from the other three, Oliver asked as our apartment came into view. Titling my head up to catch Joel's expression, I saw her show a cryptic smile as she turned her head to look at Oliver.
"It's a secret. For now."
Arriving at our apartment building, Joel finally let go of our hands.
"Well, it's time for me to go. Say hello to Elaine for me. Oh, and Van too, I guess."
Waving goodbye with a grin on her face, Oliver waited until she had disappeared around a corner before shaking his head with a helpless expression.
"I wonder when Mom will tell us about any of the plans she has."
Sighing, I said as the two of us began our ascent up the stairs.
"Probably not anytime soon. Elaine seems to have some regrets about joining the faction."
From my right, Oliver comforted me with a pat on my shoulder.
Listening to his words, I was reminded of the scene from the warehouse when Joel and Mom were talking.
'But joining the faction isn't such a great thing.'
Her pained smile as she said that, and the regret in her eyes, was something that I had never really seen on her face before. And those words. 'Please, take care of yourself.', sounded a little far away. As if she were not only speaking to Joel but also to someone else.
Someone who was no longer with us.
Reaching the top of the stairs, I shook my head to get rid of those complicated thoughts and prepared to return to our apartment. It was currently after sunset, so the sky was dark and the corridors were shrouded in darkness. The chilly wind blew into the corridor, stealing all the warmth from underneath my clothes.
As I lifted my head up to walk forward, I paused. In front of Ralph's apartment, the door was wide open, spilling light onto the corridor. And within that scope of light were two familiar figures. A child and an adult.
The child was someone I knew well, Ralph. He was wearing thin clothes, his skin slightly pale because of the cold air outside. The man in front of him, in contrast, was decked out with a dull but thick coat, long pants, and covered shoes.
Probably hearing the sound of our approaching footsteps, the two of them turned their bodies to face us. Ralph, upon seeing me, happily skipped forward to stick to my side, a smile blossoming on his face. The man, on the other hand, stayed still where he was. As he turned, I could see a burst of color appear near his waist.
It was a bouquet of flowers.
And looking at his heartbroken face, I couldn't help but mutter his name.
"Aaron..."