Silence stretched between the two of us, like a damp blanket that sucked out all the air in the space. We stood there, eyes trained on the entrance, the tension taut between us. After what Oliver had said, the two of us stopped talking in favor of waiting for the locket store owner.
My heart was chilled by our talk. However, it wasn't because of what he said, but how he said it. The confidence in which Oliver had deemed that there was no other path to take made it seem like he had some extra information that he didn't tell me. That wasn't the main issue though. I knew that Oliver had a lot of secrets. With his system and his eye for spotting people with MDVA, I wouldn't be surprised if he was keeping even more from me.
Being in such a faction where people dropped like flies, a couple of secrets here and there was expected. The problem was...what kind of secret would make Oliver so confident that there was no other option?
Sneaking a look at Oliver, who was staring out at the sunset, I shot down the curiosity in my heart and buried it under dirt. Whatever it was, if Oliver decided that it was better to keep it to himself, then it was probably better not to ask about it.
Refocusing my gaze back to the warehouse entrance, I held back a yawn as the temperature dropped and the light withered away. Finally, after what seemed like half a lifetime, a silhouette appeared.
"Sorry for being late."
Smiling, the locket store owner apologized as she walked up to us with an innocent-looking face. However, it was a little different from the face she showed us when we were her customers. I couldn't put my entire finger on it, but her features seemed a little looser, more sincere, and even slightly solemn.
Reaching us, her eyes immediately shot to the tower that Hank, Jasmine, and Cale were hiding in. As I took in a sharp breath, freezing to observe what she would do, I saw a satisfied smile hang on her lips as she silently retrieved her gaze from then and redirected it to us.
"I'm glad that even children know how to ensure their own safety. Now I can be more confident in entrusting things to you two."
Squatting down to our eye level, she purposely kept herself within Hank's line of sight as she lowered her voice such that only the two of us could hear her.
"Thank you for meeting me on such short notice. My name is Chloe, the Assistant Leader of the Pro-MDVA Act Faction. I'm the backup just in case Ivan is caught."
At the last sentence, her face twitched and a tinge of resistance leaked through her mask. Quickly covering it up, she looked directly at Oliver. Her voice and gaze softened as she whispered to him.
"Thank you for helping Jack. We've used to work together before, so I know a bit of his circumstance."
The smile turned sad, and her eyes broke sight with Oliver to wander down to the floor.
"Things don't seem very good for Marianne. So he's been on edge for quite a while."
"You don't have to thank me. He needs it more than I do."
Something akin to resentment flashed across her eyes as Chloe stared at the floor. However, Oliver's words seem to pull her back to reality, and she hid those emotions before lifting her head.
"Still, thank you."
Standing up, she reached into her pocket to pull out a pair of folded papers and passed them to us.
"This is the reason why I wanted to meet the two of you desperately today."
The papers were folded to intentionally hide their contents, but it was still obviously a newspaper. Just by looking at it, I could see the date for today printed on the corner of the paper. Opening it to the article inside, my attention was drawn to the bold and flashy title.
'Scandal! Anti-MDVA Act Faction Leader and Vice Leader Suspected of Conspiracy!'
Narrowing my eyes, I skimmed through the newspaper and couldn't help but frown. It was detailing what Oliver had told me just now. Mark and James, in order to attract the attention of High Street, 'leaked' their plans to rile up 'the lower streets' and suspend the MDVA Prevention Act.
"Because the two of them are currently on the run, they can't conveniently contact us. However, they said that their plans are still incomplete, and asked us to request for your help."
Digging her hands in her pocket again, this time she pulled out a small note and handed it to Oliver.
"If I could, I would do it for them instead..."
Chloe fell silent again, that streak of resentment tinged with guilt bolting across her eyes as a sneer appeared on her face. Her fist dropped to her side, and I could see them tighten as they left small crescent marks on her palm.
"We accept."
Receiving the note, Oliver lightly commented as he read it and pocketed it.
"The main reason why he asked for us anyway is because we're still children, and High Street can't do much to us. By doing it like this, the two of you can keep your identities hidden, and Mark and James will be able to see their plan finish before their caught. Two birds with one stone."
Folding up the newspaper, he kept it as well before lightly gesturing for me to do the same. In response to his words, I saw the strength leave her fists, and Chloe gave us a thankful look.
"Then, I'll leave now so the two of you can head home. Stay safe."
Biding farewell to Chloe, we watched her turn her slender back on us and exit the warehouse.
"It's alright to come out now."
As soon as her silhouette disappeared into the dark orange sky, we walked over to the tower where the three were. After Oliver's words rang out in the warehouse, a column of the boxes slowly moved forward, and Jasmine and Cale popped out from the small space produced.
"Are the two of you alright?"
Pushing the column further away, Hank slowly maneuvered his large body out of the hiding spot and squatted beside us. Placing both his hands on our shoulders, he looked us up and down before heaving a sigh of relief.
"Did your conversation go well?"
Cale casually asked as he patted the dust off Jasmine. Standing obediently in front of him, Jasmine smiled as she did the same to him. Then once they were both clean, she latched onto his arm and grinned at the two of us.
"Yes. It turns out that she was a friend of Mark and James, and just called us to pass a message for them."
Shooting a look at Cale and Hank, the two of them seemed to understand what we were implying instantly, and nodded their heads. In between them, Jasmine remained silent as she observed her family member's faces. Noticing I was looking at her, she smiled at me and made a 'zipping' motion on her lips. I replied to her with a nod.
Moving the columns back to their original place, the five of us left the warehouse and headed straight back to the market. Joining the evening crowd, we made small talk until we popped out at the other end. There, we thanked Hank and split off from them to make a beeline back home to the apartment.
"Oliver."
Entering a dark road sparsely illuminated with weak lamps, the two of us walked next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, and I called out to him. Beside me, Oliver had planted both hands deep in his pants, whispering to the air next to him with a solemn expression.
"Yes?"
Turning his face to me, I saw him gesture something to his system. He then looked me in the eye.
"What did Chloe pass to you?"
Digging into his pocket, Oliver passed me the note with an expressionless face.
"Since Mark and James used the spread of the 'Defence Theory' as bait, High Street will definitely use this chance to try and disprove it by labeling it as a conspiracy and lie."
I received the note with a nod. Looking down at it, there was only one shakily written sentence.
'Raven has finished the paper.'
"We'll have to meet up with Raven and Richard to collect several copies of the paper and spread it across Middle Street and Bottom Street."
Oliver gestured for me to destroy the note, so I shredded it and placed the rolled-up pieces deep in my pocket.
"But can't we communicate with Raven using the system? Why does he need to spare so much trouble to pass us this paper?"
After passing countless dim lights, the intensity of the lights got brighter and the apartment building came into view.
"Mark and James don't know about the systems, but he did know that we had a way to communicate with each other. He probably thought it was faster to pass the message to us directly. And he probably wanted to send the same message to Ivan as well, since he has better contacts within High Street."
Reaching the bottom of the stairway of the apartment building, we lowered our voices as we climbed up.
"So did Raven inform you about the paper being complete?
"No. Not yet. Ava left just now to check with them, so hopefully it's just because they missed the communication timing and not because something happened."
Clearing the last step, we dropped the topic. Turning right, I was about to jump into a less confidential conversation, when a familiar figure standing in front of an apartment door caught my eye.
"Ralph."
Motioning for Oliver to go ahead without me, I walked over to the older boy and grabbed his freezing hands.
"Why are you waiting here? It's cold outside."
Attempting to pull him back to his apartment, I felt resistance and turned back to see him staring at me with empty eyes.
"Ralph?"
"Dan."
His hand shot out, clinging to the corner of my shirt, and he tightened his grip on my hand.
"Are you involved in something?"
Although the sentence was phrased as a question, the suffocating tension in the air and the concern in Ralph's eyes told me that he already knew the answer. And he wouldn't accept 'no' as an answer.
"Yes."
Shifting my body to face him, I smiled at the worried boy and moved closer to him. Hugging him, I transferred my heat onto him for a while before slowly dragging us to a warmer spot.
"Do you have to be involved? Can you not?"
Tugging at my arm, Ralph pleaded as he obediently followed me to the space in front of his apartment. Warm air leaked out from the space below the door, brushing over our feet as we stood outside and talked.
I took a closer look at Ralph. His eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes tinged red and his lips cracked and flakey. His usual ruddy skin had turned pale because of the temperature. His feet were exposed in his handwoven slippers, and I could even see the tips of his toes changing color. At least he was wearing a thick sweater and long pants.
"I want to be involved in this project. It's my chance to help myself and others."
Moving my hands out of his grasp, I cupped his cheeks and pulled him into another hug. Pressing my warm cheek against his, I whispered my words into his ear.
"But it's dangerous!"
The weak boy struggled against my hold, his body too cold to generate enough strength to properly resist.
"Even High Street doesn't act on children, so we'll be fine for now. You don't have to worry so much about us. Instead, you should worry about yourself more."
Grabbing his shoulders, I held Ralph's body at arm's length and looked directly into his eyes. He blinked at me, the cold wind passing through the space between our bodies cooling us as he hesitated before giving a small nod.
"Then, I need to go back to the apartment. We have a call to make today."
I patted him on the shoulder, preparing to turn around, when I felt two hands grabbing onto my arm.
"At least promise to stay out of danger as much as possible."
From close behind me, a small voice rang out. Looking back, I saw Ralph holding back the tears in his eyes as he forced his frozen facial muscles to tighten into a soft glare.
"I will."
He let go, his two near-white hands falling to his side as he lowered his head, teeth chewing on his lip as he willed himself to let me go.
"Thank you for worrying about me."
Giving him one last hug, I coerced him back into his apartment before returning to my own. Taking one last look at the closed apartment door, I couldn't help but sigh as a small worm of guilt burrowed its way into my resolve. Then, gripping the metal doorknob, I forced it to turn and left the dim corridor behind.