The air moist and humid with nothing but thick mist as far as the eye can see. Maze felt confused yet comfortable with her current environment almost as if the mist had lifted all her worries.
[Where am I?] The thought echoed in her head. She couldn't see anything other than the white mist in front of her, her body felt numb, as if there had been a weight holding her down. She couldn't breathe but felt no need to.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" The voice came from next to her, she couldn't turn her head to see who it was, but she could tell with almost complete certainty whose it was.
"Marcus?" She asked.
"I'll be waiting for the day we meet again, sister."
Maze jolted up; her body drenched in sweat that cooled at the breeze of the air around her. She felt a pit form in her stomach as her brother's voice echoed in her mind. Before she could think any further about the matter the door flung open causing her to jump in her skin. Heavy footsteps entered the room she was in and when she lifted her head to see who it was her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the gigantic man before her. His hair was a white silver and his beard the same color. Maze didn't know this man. In fact, she didn't know anything that was going on around her. She had woken up from a bed that was not hers in a room that she didn't recognize. The walls, floor and ceiling were a dark oak, there was no window and other than the bed she lied on, the only piece of furniture was a wooden chair on the furthest corner of the room.
"One bullet." The man's voice sent tremors all over Maze's body as he turned to leave the room. Maze had so many questions, but none made its way out of her mouth as she watched the man exit the room and close the door.
It took a while before Maze could move again. She got off the bed and realized that she was wearing a dress that she didn't recognize. It was more of a cloth than a dress as it had no sleeves or straps on her shoulders it had a rope tied around her waist that acted as her belt. She examined the room again and this time her eyes landed on a silver 9mm pistol that was left at the edge of the bed, where the silver haired man had stood. Out of curiosity she picked up the firearm, surprised that it was heavier than it looked. She noticed silver engravings on the handle of the firearm and her eyes blew open as she recognized the origins of the firearm.
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<10 years ago>
A 7-year-old Mazekien and her Maid were getting ready for the celebration her parents had prepared. Her brother had finally turned 18 and she was expected to be a part of the celebration. Up to that point Maze had never seen her brother face to face. She had only heard stories of his achievements from her parents, but she didn't know what to think of him. Was he kind, she knew he was smart thanks to her mother's stories about him. She barely even knew his name.
"Auntie, what is my big brother like?" Maze asked as her maid had just finished dressing her up.
"Honestly Maze, I've never gotten the chance to meet the young master. I've heard stories about him from the other Maids, but that's about it." The maid answered. Maze didn't know what to think of that. Their house was huge, but she didn't think it was big enough to keep her from seeing her big brother.
The Maid finished her off by styling her silky black hair in to two cute pigtails.
"Let's go and show your dad just how cute you are sweety." The Maid said, picking the 7-year-old up. The two walked hand in hand through the confusing corridors of the gigantic mansion. They approached two giant doors which lead to the dining hall. The maid opened the doors and a large crowd of people stood around waiting for the festivities. It was all of her mom and dad's business colleagues, some of which she didn't recognize.
"Everybody, please take your seats, the man of the hour approaches!" Maze's mom announced. Everybody in the dining hall took their seats and Maze's maid sat her down at her family's table before taking her leave. Maze's excitement ran through the roof as she would finally meet this fabled brother she only knew through stories from her mother. Everybody went silent and had their eyes glued to the stairs where they thought he'd descend from.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the star of the show has arrived." Everyone turned their necks to the doors of the dining hall and saw a young man wearing an all-pink suit with a peach-colored fur coat. His hair dark and curly and his smile, a bright white that lit up the room. The Maids behind him gave flowers to the women he passed and the ones in front of him threw flower petals on his path.
Everyone clapped at the birthday boy's entrance. Many of the young ladies had their eyes glued to him as he exuded charisma. Maze watched in awe as her brother approached her.
"I take it this beautiful little lady is my little sister..." He went down on one knee to be level with her. "The name is Marcus, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." He extended his hand to shake hers, but she ignored it and dove on him with a monstrous hug. He chuckled at his sister's excitement.
"My name is Maze!" She exclaimed after breaking from their hug.
"Such a sweet name, for such a sweet girl." He said while pinching her cheeks. She didn't know what it was, but she felt a happiness she had never felt before. All her worries on who he was had disappeared and were replaced with adoration. It was no wonder why her mother spoke so proudly of him.
"I need to go do a speech for our guests, wanna join me?" He asked as he stood up. She smiled widely and nodded her head and with that he took her hand and walked to the top of the stairs with her. Maze was nervous with all the eyes staring at them but felt a weird rush of confidence when she was with him.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming to this wonderful occasion. As we all know you only turn eighteen once, right?" The crowd laughed.
"It's been a long and difficult road, I sometimes even wondered why I was doing all of this, but after seeing all of you turn up and finally getting to meet my little sister, I am reminded of what I've worked so hard for." The crowd clapped.
He let go of Maze's hand and stepped back as his father came with a paper and a pin.
He stepped up and took the pin and pricked his thumb. A drop of blood leaked out and he pressed his bleeding thumb on the paper. The crowd waited in anticipation, waiting for him to finish his speech.
"I Marcus Schmidt vow to be the successor to the empire known as Amour and offer my life up to the one and only deity Akuma!" The crowd clapped loudly in a standing ovation.
<1 year later>
Maze woke up in the middle of the night after being restless for a few hours. She got out of bed and walked out of her room with the goal to pour herself some water in the kitchen. Usually, she could just ask her Maid who was in the room next to her, but Maze didn't want to disturb her so late.
She walked down the silent corridor with the moons light peeking through the dark clouds. She turned a few corridors and finally made it to the Kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water and drank it, feeling the cold liquid go down her throat she sighed out of satisfaction. As she turned to go back to her room an ear-piercing scream came from the other side of the kitchen. She walked out to investigate the scream. It was so loud it made the scream sound close, but she had to turn a few corridors before finding its source. A maid hunched against the wall cried frantically out of fear. Maze approached to ask what the matter was, but her eyes were drawn to the room she had come out of. She walked in the room as moonlight peered through the windows. Something on the floor reflected the moonlight, grabbing her attention. She picked the item up and examined it. She had never seen such an item; it was small yet heavy and the barrel was warm and there was an initial engraved on it. A.K.
A pool of red came into her peripheral vision taking her attention from the silver item. Her eyes followed the pool to its source. Her eyes exploded in shock as she saw her brothers lifeless body lying on the floor.
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Maze looked at the 9mm pistol in her hand wondering why her brother's gun would be here out of all things.
[I barely knew him. He was always so bright and expressive, I always thought that he had been murdered. People like him just don't die like that. He was supposed to be happy].
A tear had snuck its way down Maze's cheek, and she wiped it away immediately.
[Why is this here?] She wondered until she remembered the words the silver haired man said to her. [One bullet, huh? He wants me to kill myself.] The thought of it sickened her to the stomach as she fell to the floor, letting out her stomach contents onto the wooden floors. She coughed a few times before gaining control of herself.
"This is stupid." She said to herself as she got up, her voice hoarse and dry. She threw the gun on the bed and walked towards the door. As she was about to turn the doorknob a thought occurred to her.
"Where am I going?" The void in her chest returned as the question she asked herself didn't come with an answer. She dropped to her knees as the tears began to well up. She tried to control her breathing and stop the tears from flowing out, but it proved useless. Each time she breathed out her voice would squeak and a lump in her throat would form. She picked herself up after crying for 10 minutes and looked at the 9mm on the bed. The screech of chalk board ringing violently in her ears.
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Maze's alarm clock rang waking her up from her slumber. She sat up, with her hair all messy she brushed it back to look at the time. 4:30 AM. She switched the alarm off and turned to go back to sleep.
"Madam Maze!" Her maid called while knocking on the door. It was unusual for her maid to be calling her so early in the morning. Maze got up and opened the door to see her maid looking at her with a worried expression.
"What is it, Daniele? Isn't it too early for you to be calling me?" Maze asked while scratching the exhaustion out of her eyes.
"We have to be quick madam; your father wants to have an audience with you 1 hour from now." Maid Daniele said. The news blew the tiredness out of her as she began to wonder why her father wanted to see her so early.
"I'll iron your uniform while you take a shower and please be as quick as possible madam, your father was quite serious with my instructions." Maze nodded and went straight to the shower, allowing her maid to come in.
Maze was quick with her shower as instructed by her maid and didn't spend too much time with styling her hair, only tying it in a simple ponytail and allowing her bangs to cover her left eye. Once she was done getting dressed, she went straight to the family dining room and waited for her father on the dining table. At 5:30 her father entered the dining room and walked to his side of the seat. He instructed his maid to bring them breakfast and she walked out shortly after.
"Good morning, Mazekien." He greeted.
"Morning father."
"Do you know why I asked to see you so early in the morning?" He asked.
"No, I do not father." Maze was nervous, but she answered as properly as possible to not anger her father.
"I've talked this over with your mother, and we've come to agree that your term in Rosemary high is over." Maze's eyes shot open.
"Wh-What do you mean father?" She asked.
"After your Mid-terms we will transfer you to St. Mary high. So, I expect you to do your best for your test as to not hinder the transfer process." He said. Maze was still struggling to wrap her head around it, why was she being transferred?
"But father I am still Head girl at Rosemary, won't that hinder the transfer?" She asked trying to find a logical excuse not to leave her school.
"Not anymore. A video has come into the hands of your principal that depicts the actions of the party you held in my household. Once you go to school today you would be stripped from your title." Maze's eyes grew in shock. How could that be possible when she made sure to collect everyone's phones before the event? Who could have taken that video?
These questions spun around in her head as she struggled to make sense of it. She snapped out of her thoughts when her breakfast was brought to her.
"I'd advise you cherish these few months with your friends, because it could be the last you see of them." Her father said, digging into his meal.
Maze stared hopelessly at her food, lost in her own thoughts. After a while the maid collected the uneaten meal and asked her to go to the car to be taken to school.
This didn't do much to take her out of her thoughts as she walked to her transport feeling hollow inside. Her thoughts landed on the events that happened in the party. Her heart felt a stab as the image of Brian and Tiffany kissing played in her mind. She wasn't ready to face him. She wasn't ready to face any of them. A few tears ran down her cheeks as she silently sobbed at the back of the Bentley. They stopped by a stop light that was one street away from her school. Her heart pounded as anxiety began to build up. Her breathing became erratic and uneven as she felt like she could faint at any moment. Until a thought occurred to her.
She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door.
"Uhm, madam Mazekien?" Before the driver knew it, she bolted out of the door. running in between the cars before her. The driver wanted to chase after her, but the stop light turned green. Groaning out of frustration he tried driving after her, but it was already too late. She had disappeared within the crowd and there was no way he could find her.
Maze was never the athletic type, but she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. weaving in between the people in her path. It all felt liberating.
Her anxiety had disappeared, and she was almost jumping for joy. She stopped once she was sure she had lost her driver and began wondering where to go next.
[Hunter.] She thought and began running to his place.
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The image of Hunter that day clouded her thoughts. His worried look and his kind smile after she had explained her situation. He promised to take care of her until she got back on her feet. He was so kind.
[Why? What happened? I stayed in his house for a week. I borrowed his shower. I slept in his room. Why not then? What changed?] She wondered. She sat on the wooden chair staring aimlessly at the gun in her hand.
[It doesn't matter now. He's gone now. Just like everyone else he has left me. I'll never see him again. I'll never...] Her thoughts drifted as she pulled her hair. Tears flowed out with no end to them.
The ache in her chest worsened as the tears kept coming. [Maybe I shouldn't see them again, maybe their lives are better off without me...] She looked at the gun in her hand and that same screeching noise returned to her.
[I'm tired.] She thought.
[Would they be happy if I was never a part of their lives?] Her eyes dried as she stared at the gun. Images of her brother's smile came to mind.
[I wonder how big brother is doing.] She raised the gun to her chin. [Maybe I should give him a visit.] She placed her hand on the trigger, but suddenly started shaking. She began sobbing as she dropped the barrel gun to the floor.
[I can't... I can't do it!] She thought as her body shivered in fear. The shivering stopped seconds later, and she went to go pick it up again.
"I'm going to see Marcus." She told herself. As she sat on the chair again, stepping on the vomit under her.
"Goodbye Brian," She checked the bullets in the gun and saw it was as the man said. One bullet.
"Goodbye Duncan," She loaded the gun and released the safety.
"Goodbye Tiffany," She placed the gun under her chin again, this time there was no shivering as her mind went completely blank. Her finger slid on the trigger.
"Goodbye..."
*Bang*