"So? What's the plan for today?"
At the ring of the last bell, Linel jumped out of his chair and turned to me. With his bag in one hand, he flung it over his shoulders and pushed his chair in.
"We're meeting Zack and Flint. But first, I need to go collect my newspaper."
Closing my textbook, I stuffed it into my bag and slowly packed my things.
This morning, Camellia wasn't home.
When I left my house, my curiosity got the better of me and I sneaked over to the Justice household to eavesdrop on them. However, pressing my ear against their metal doors, I couldn't hear anything apart from my gradually quickening heartbeat. Camellia had mentioned that she wouldn't be able to pass me the newspaper on some days, however, listening to her say it was different from experiencing it.
Their household sounded empty. Dead.
Ever since Eren had left, Camellia rarely stepped out of her house, so I had always managed to see or talk to her before school. Daniel would occasionally join her as well. Although as a police officer, he was usually at work in the mornings.
This was the first time I couldn't hear anyone beyond their doors. And it felt ominous and wrong to think that these sorts of days would increase in the future.
"Collect your newspaper?"
Standing in front of my desk with a slightly cocked head, Frank asked as he waited for me to be done packing.
"Yeah. Camellia is involved in another project with Daniel, so she got me a contact from Bottom Street to pass me newspapers from there instead."
Walking out of the classroom after the main crowd had left, the three of us left school and I led the way to the police station below Middle Middle Market.
"A contact?"
"A man named Cedy."
I briefly explained who Cedy was, and the two of them shared a clueless gaze.
"Black Market Circle? I've never heard of them before."
"Same."
"I guess to be fair, High Street doesn't really know much about Bottom Street, since they don't care about the lower Streets."
Linel shook his head as the three of us spotted the police station. Pausing our conversation, we went up to Cedy, who was sitting on his chair, and greeted him.
"Good afternoon Cedy!"
"Good afternoon Dan."
He raised an eyebrow as he gave Linel and Frank a quick look, before shrugging his shoulders and passing me the newspaper.
"Do the two of you want a copy too?"
Holding up two copies of the newspaper to them, Cedy asked with unreadable eyes. The two boys nodded their heads, arms outstretched to take them, as they thanked Cedy and stuffed the newspapers into their bags.
Finally, with a couple of parting words, we left Cedy's newspaper area and headed back up towards the school, and High Street.
"He feels dangerous."
Once we were far enough such that Cedy wouldn't be able to hear us, Linel said as he shot a quick glance in Cedy's direction. Following his line of sight, I softly nodded my head as I remembered the void I had seen in Cedy's eyes yesterday. That void was so much more intense than any of the other voids I had seen. It was blacker than all the others, and the red tint it had sent shivers down my spine whenever I thought of it.
"Can we trust him?"
Frank questioned as we walked past the rows of warehouses until we were at the area where Middle Middle Street gave way to High Middle Street, and turned left. Walking on the path above the warehouses, the three of us kept our voices down as we talked. Occasionally, we would glance at the busy market store workers loading or unloading their goods from the warehouses, the sweat on their bodies gleaming under the hot sun.
"I don't know. He said that he would help us for free if we consider allowing him to speak to a scientist from High Street."
"Raven?"
"He said any scientist would do."
Reaching the end of the row of warehouses, we made a sharp turn right. As if an invisible line was drawn on the sand, everything past that line was filled with ruins and artifacts left over from the war. Reclaimed by the forest, they served as a reminder of the dangerous creatures that lived past the borders of our small nation.
"Any scientist? For what reason would someone from Bottom Street want scientists?"
Mummering to himself, Linel furrowed his eyebrows as he slowed his steps, all his attention focused on his brain and not on his feet. Sharing a glance with Frank, we silently took to either side of Linel and hooked our hands around his arms, pulling him forward.
Finally, the three of us reached the long crossroad that separated High Street from Middle Street. Right after the crossroad was a tall white wall that looked younger than the buildings it towered over. Standing near the newly built wall was Oliver.
"Oliver!"
I waved to him, leaning my body forward as I hurried us over to the boy. Hearing and seeing us, he pushed his back off the wall and kept the notebook in his hands. Beside him, Ava smiled at me as she fidgeted with energy, like a small child excited for an excursion. Except she was the tallest out of all of us present.
"Jonathan hasn't come yet?"
Linel asked, having returned to reality after being pulled forward by me. To this, Oliver shook his head and gestured to the top of a building extremely far away from us
"He said that he'll wait for us at the back entrance to Love Research Center."
Vaguely gesturing for Ava to lead the way, Oliver signaled for us to move, and immediately fell into step beside me. In his hands was a blank envelope holding Raven's research paper.
"Are there any updates about Hope Research Center?"
The two of us separated from Linel and Frank, putting a small distance between our pairs as we hastened our steps a little.
"Not much. Researchers are being ambushed as soon as they step into the center and then interrogated in a nearby room. After that, they are placed into empty laboratories to wait for the whole thing to be over. A lot of families in High Street are protesting about this, but since the government is the one behind this lockdown, going as far as to have papers justifying their actions, nothing will probably be done."
Oliver shook his head and sighed, his grip on the paper in his arms tightening.
"Did anyone get caught?"
"So far, no."
Following Ava, our small group left the wall and turned left, dipping into a small road right above Bottom High Market as we made our way towards the center of High Street.
Bottom High Market, unlike its cheaper brother Middle Middle Market, was a large rectangular market with high walls peppered with windows surrounding it. Luckily for us, the side we were walking by, the long rectangular side facing the higher streets, had no windows. Probably due to the dim alleyway walls making up most of its 'scenery'.
Trekking through half the outer wall of the market, Ava led us into a small alleyway that had another system waiting for us. This system was the total opposite of Ava. Short, with a chubby face that screamed of wealth and privilege. When this system saw us, she gave us a strained smile before gesturing for us to follow her.
"Who is this?"
Being led through the maze of alleyways that made up a large percentage of High Street, I couldn't help but give this system several looks due to her familiarity with the place.
"This is Sazzy. She used to be my sister's system."
Upon mentioning his sister, Oliver's obsidian eyes shone with sadness. Closing his eyes and shaking those feelings off, he then quietly introduced the two of us to each other.
"Sazzy used to live in High Street, so she knows the place really well. She's also really good friends with Ava, and occasionally helps us out."
Glancing at her, those tired eyes met mine, and I nodded my head in thanks. Nodding hers, Sazzy confidently guided us through the alleyways as she whispered to Ava, the two systems smiling as they spoke to each other, hands intertwined.
Just by looking at her, you could tell that Sazzy was going through rough times. Her hair was slightly messy, her eyes puffy with large bags under them, and every muscle on her face seemed strained. Frowning, I tore my gaze away from her and held my tongue.
The two of us had just met. It wasn't very appropriate for me to ask her whether she was feeling alright, or provide a listening ear for her troubles. Besides, Ava was beside her right now. Surely if there was someone she would turn to, it would be her friend Ava instead of a random stranger like me.
"Dan?"
Biting my lip, useless thoughts raced through my head until a warm hand stopped them. Lifting my chin, I met eyes with Oliver and gave him a small smile.
"Yes?"
"You alright?"
"Yeah. I was just thinking."
I let my eyes wander, unconsciously searching for something to cover up these pathetic feelings of mine. Thankfully, even though my thoughts had blanked out, I didn't have to come up with an excuse as before I could say anything else, Sazzy's voice cut through our conversation.
[We've arrived.]
Jerking my head towards the front, I heard Oliver repeat her words and we stopped.
From where I stood, the place around us resembled all the other alleyways we had walked through. In front of us was a bend, which presumably, based on Sazzy's words, was the exit towards the back entrance of Love Research Center. Tilting my head, I peeked beyond the curve.
[The cost seems clear.]
Sazzy turned the corner and announced, before poking her head back and signaling for us to follow her again. Echoing her words, we exited out from the alleyways into a small cleaning around a giant building.
Similar to the main cemetery and Hope Research Center, there was some empty space between these large buildings and the shorter buildings surrounding them. Love Research Center, however, was incomparably huge. It was taller and wider than the other two buildings, the glossy black walls absorbing the sunlight that poured down from the heavens. It was like a giant tombstone.
"Come here."
Suddenly, as the four of us swung our heads to search for any sign of Jonathan, his cold voice called out to us from the research center. Snapping our gazes toward the voice, we finally spotted a chilly face peeking at us from a small gap behind the Love Research Center's back door.
Gathering towards him, Jonathan gave the four of us a quick once-over before hurrying us in. Once we were all safely inside, we heard the door shut behind us and turned around to meet the tall man.
"Where's Flint and Zack? They didn't come with you?"
Crossing his arms, Jonathan looked down at us as he leaned lightly against the wall.
"They're supposed to meet us at the back entrance. They probably haven't arrived yet."
Oliver explained as he gave a secret glance towards the back door. Popping her head from beyond the door, Ava shook her head before continuing to look out for the two men.
Palming his pocket at Oliver's words, Jonathan slowly slipped out a small little device and held it in his hands.
"How detailed were your instructions to them?"
"I just told them to meet us at the back door entrance to Love Research Center."
Gaze shifting to the device in his hand, Oliver answered with a light tone before moving his attention to Jonathan's face. The man's expression was as frozen as ice. However, there were still traces of hesitation in those cold eyes as he looked at the device in his hand.
Moving his thumb, he flipped the top of the device open, revealing a small black screen on the top half, and a set of buttons on the bottom. He pressed the buttons, his thumb skimming over them lightly before he seemed to pause.
"You really only told them that?"
"Yes"
"..."
Finally, with an almost unnoticeable sign, the thumb pressed down on the last button and a familiar beeping ringtone echoed throughout the small corridor leading to the back door.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The beeping stopped, and the sharp sound of the call connecting sparked out from the device for a split second before Zack's voice followed.
"...Why are you calling"
"Where are you at now?"
"What does that have to do with you."
Immediately, tension built in the air as the two men snapped at each other with frowns and sneers.
"Love Research Center."
"...Oliver's evidence was you?!"
"Partially."
"..."
Silence stretched out from the phone as the two of them refused to speak first. Then, after what seemed like a long time, Zack sighed.
"We're close to Love Research Center. Heading towards the Bottom High Market."
"You know how to head to the back door without anyone seeing you?"
"Don't get too arrogant. Even though we live in Bottom High Street, we're still residents of High Street. It's a given that we know the way."
"...."
"..."
"Just call when you reach."
"...Fine."
Beep.
The call ended with a particularly angry sound and Jonathan snapped the device in his hand close.
Dropping the hand with the device to his side, Jonathan gave another soundless sigh as he gestured for us to follow him.
"Since it'll take the two of them a while to reach, I'll just guide the four of you to the laboratory. I've booked it for today so there shouldn't be anyone there right now."
Pushing his back off the wall, Jonathan led the way as we walked down the white-walled corridor to an intersection. Turning left, we immediately stopped at the nearest laboratory double door and Jonathan fished out a card from his pocket and tapped it on the small black box next to the door.
Hearing a small sound, he then pushed open the door and gestured for us to sit at the closest laboratory bench.
"I'll head back to the door to wait for those two. Until then, just sit down. Don't touch anything."
With a sound, Jonathan closed the door behind us and we obediently went to sit down.
"Do you know why the relationship between Jonathan and Zack is so bad?"
I heaved myself up onto one of the chairs present at the laboratory bench, sitting beside Oliver. Next to Oliver was Linel, followed by Frank. Turning towards us, Linel asked with a raised eyebrow, his expression a no-nonsense one implying that he knew we were hiding some information from him but didn't want to audibly call us out on it.
Sharing a glance with Oliver, I saw him furrow his brows as his eyes flashed through all the information we had, thinking about which ones we could safely tell them. In the end, Oliver looked toward me, closed his eyes, then breathed out a puff of air. His shoulders dropped slightly as he opened his eyes to face the other two members of our team.
"They both know Emily."