Heart couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned in her bed, throwing her sheets around in discomfort. She had glimmer of sunlight peeking through her blinds and thought it would help her sleep, it didn’t contribute. Going as far as to make the room colder but, it didn’t help either.

  There was a strong, disgusting presence that was bothering her. Heart recently moved near the slums and was able to smell monsters all the time. But this scent was different. It was the purest evil.

  “I wonder if they’re okay...” Heart spoke her thoughts aloud since she was by herself.

  Ever since Luluwa’s party where she met those two little boys who weren’t supposed to be there, she has been taking care of them. Her parents hated her but, still proved her with allowance since it’s part of Minohwa’s law. And since the two little boys, Logan Davilla and Eden Duarte, had practically no one taken care of them, she decided to.

  Moving away from the suburbs, they lived together in this apartment near the slums. She took care of them like a guardian. Being the family, she wished she had for them.

  “Ugh, I should go look for them,” It was a school day for the boys, she had only morning classes and been home for some time. Putting on her coat and heading outside, she looked for them.

  And worse to her fear, they were cornered by the same individuals that made them run away from the suburbs.

  “Why the fuck are you two still alive?” Martin Davilla, Logan’s older brother, barked at the two boys. Behind him were other Detectives-In-Training, as Heart marched up to them, she wondered what they are doing here. “You guys disappeared, I was hoping that you finally kicked the bucket.”

  “We were being taken care of by actual good people! Unlike the model big brother I have!” Logan barked back at Martin. That boy was too fearless, Heart taught him to avoid altercations, he didn’t have that talent.

  “Logan… We should go… Remember what Heart said…” Eden hid behind Logan but tugged on his shoulder. Urging them to get out of there. Heart sighed, at least Eden was listening to her.

  “Lay off them, he’s your brother and they’re just kids,” Bryant stepped in-between the boys and Martin. The mission began and already his teammates’ psychotic tendencies were getting in the way.

  “I don’t care if he’s my brother… And they aren’t just kids,” Martin glared at the boys that stood behind Bryant. Eden cowering away while Logan taunted his big brother. Martin spoke, “They are selfish bastards that deserve to die.”

  Long ago, something happened in the Davilla Mansion of Minohwa that was covered up by the Confederation. Ever since then, the Davilla siblings have never been the same.

  “You don’t have to worry about them anymore,” Heart reached. For some reasons, at times she couldn’t risk moving too quickly. She held Eden and Logan’s hands and they cheered for her arrival, “I am taking care of them.”

  Bryant sighed. At first, he thought they were a good distraction from Jason. But since he knew Able, seeing that Heart was involved would cause problems.

  “What?” A vein popped up in Martin’s head, he released his bloodthirsty pressure.

  “So that explains why you ran away, after mom and dad was so pleased with your disappearance,” Ryan stepped forward. Heart hated seeing his face, her younger brother. There was a glint in his round lensed glasses, “They were hoping that you died far, far away from here.”

  “I am no longer in your lives, that’s enough,” Heart wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself. No matter how much she enjoyed the quiet life. “I am done trying to impress you all.”

  “So what? Are you trying to be a better sibling for these boys?” Ryan sneered at her. He had a sick tendency of jumping to conclusion, “When your jealousy got in the way of being one for me!?”

  “I was never jealous of you, don’t you remember the hundreds of times I tried to help, play or buy something for you? You took it as an insult,” Heart recalled her many attempts, feeling so na?ve that she even tried. “I wanted you to be the only family that could accept me, since not even Mr. Reed and Mrs. Reed could.”

  “Do you think you’re so righteous? You’re not fucking better than me, Heart! I don’t need your sympathy or your company!” Ryan yelled harshly at his sister. Heart rolled her eyes, not expecting better from him. His inferiority complex affected every part of him, “There’s a reason why mom and dad wanted you dead and why I was the favorite! Because, I am superior!”

  “I never liked her really, she thinks she’s so pretty and smart,” Abigail spoke up, she hung onto Brooklyn and watched the interaction happen. “Especially since Kayne was more comfortable talking to her than with me…”

  “Ha! Kayne?” Heart couldn’t help but giggle. That’s the reason Abigail didn’t like her? Heart’s best-friend is Emilia, there was no way she’d go after Kayne.

  “What’s so funny? Bitch? You’re so full of yourself,” Brooklyn denoted Heart, disliking her too. Bryant thought it was a decent distraction so, he stayed out of it. “What are you even doing here in the slums? Are you working with Jason?”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “Who is that? I live around here with Eden and Logan,” Heart answered the question honestly. She kept Eden and Logan behind her at all times, Logan stubbornly stuck out his middle finger at them.

  “You’ve fallen so low for our parent’s attention,” Ryan taunted her, his quick assumptions were undisputed. “Do you think the Cult of Jason will take you up to my level?”

  “Are you deaf?” Bryant almost choked; how could Heart be so blunt with Detectives-In-Training? Especially with the most insane ones. “I said I live around here, not working with this Jason person you keep talking about.”

  “You watch your mouth…” Ryan threatened her lowly, they couldn’t see the black scales forming on his hand.

  “Who would believe that? How comes you three just happened to live around the slums. I am surprised you guys know each other,” Martin knew they weren’t involved with Jason. He just wanted a reason to kill the boys, this was it, “Jason is around these parents, it makes too much sense.”

  Heart knew that it wasn’t going to be so easy. Detectives can be selfish at times, especially ones in selfish. She knew they wanted a reason to kill.

  “Be more professional,” Bryant decided to step between them, seeing that the Detectives-In-Training were preparing to kill. Controlling them was difficult. At least the other two were still quiet and didn’t care about their grudge. “All three of them are involved with one of us, of course they’d be monsters. Obviously, they aren’t involved with Jason or the mission details would have said so.”

  Bryant looked down at all of them and they hesitated. In Diane’s Excellency, Bryant was the third strongest, “Grow the fuck up.”

  “Since when were you the de facto leader? Are you saying I am incapable of leading?” That didn’t matter to Ryan’s ego, trouble his inferiority complex and you will receive his wrath.

  “Reed, our mission is to kill Jason,” Bryant decided he could distract them some other way. He couldn’t let Heart and the boys be involved.

  “And they will lead us to him! Step out of our way, Bradley!” Ryan yelled at him. Martin, Brooklyn and Abigail also directed their hostility towards Bryant. “Do you think you’re better than me because you’re the Representative’s son!? Cause I will kill you too!”

  “I am definitely gonna need a bunch of girls after this stress,” Bryant prepared to beat them all down if necessary. He warned them as his demonic stimulus rattled, “Don’t make any rash actions.”

  “Enough!” Xavier yelled, finally speaking up out of his boredom. He flashed his hands and three large, claw marks dug into the ground. Xavier Barcia was the second strongest of Diane’s Excellency, he was a problem! Bryant knew it would be difficult if he got involved. Xavier spoke, “Look, I don’t care about your grudges... I just really want some blood on my hands.”

  “So, are we killing them or not?” Xavier pointed at Heart and the boys. Hearing that, Carolyn drew her rifle off her back.

  Bryant turned his head to them so the Detectives-In-Training couldn’t see and whispered, “Run.”

  They didn’t hesitate. Logan had superhuman strength, so he leaped from building to building. Eden released four pairs of wings from his back and soared off, carrying Heart in his hands.

  “After them!” Ryan yelled Detectives-In-Training chased after them. Bryant unwilling chased along.

  Bryant took out his special phone and placed his finger on a button. The button had the ability to read his thoughts and send it as a message to who he wants. So as he chased with his hand clutched around the phone, it didn’t draw suspicion to him.

  He messaged his actual teammates, Zebra Effect,

  “Listen… we have a problem.”

  ~//~

  The rest of Zebra Effect was on the roof of Able’s apartment building, which was in the same slums. Waiting for Bryant’s call, they passed time on the roof doing as they pleased.

  With the new addition of Evelyn and Lauri, they waited.

  Able sat by the edge of the roof and gazed off. Tristan sat under an umbrella and as per usual read a book. Evelyn sat in Peaches lap and played with his hair, rambling off about a new manga she was reading. Emilia came suspiciously late, and Lauri was suspecting of what happened. Lauri planned to tease Kayne later, after he dealt with his problem first.

  Suddenly, their phone chimed.

  “Finally! Some action!” Evelyn floated up in delight. Reading what Bryant sent, she frowned, “This is bad…”

  “You think!?” Emilia got up and stood at the edge of the building, preparing to jump. “We need to go! Now!”

  “I am going to kill every single one of them,” Able muttered, he couldn’t contain his anger. His sclera turned black, and his red eyes shone. He prepared to jump too,

  “But is that really a good idea? Able?” Peaches spoke up, ignoring Evelyn dragging him to get up.

  “What the hell do you mean?” Able turned to Peaches as if he asked the dumbest question ever.

  “It’s a good distraction for them. This way they won’t cross paths with Jason if Bryant helps those three to escape,” Peaches suggested. Unlike Able, he was a cold leader. His emotions don’t get in the way of the mission. “Bryant could handle it by himself if they keep chasing.”

  “How could you even suggest that?” Able marched up to Peaches. They were best-friends so Able was willing to convince him rather to fight.

  “Lynn, tell your pretty boy boyfriend that I will smack him in the face.” Emilia was willing to fight though.

  “Peaches, Lia says she will smack you in your pretty boy boyfriend face,” Evelyn faithfully delivered the message.

  “You are the best girlfriend a man could ever ask for,” Peaches looked up Evelyn floating and rolled his eyes with a smile.

  “Thank you, I try my best,” Evelyn struck a pose while in the air and frowned after, “I think it’s messed up to you them as human bait.”

  “I am on his side for this one. There’s a high chance that they will live and the Detectives not meeting Jason,” Tristan spoke up, closing his book as he looked at Able through his tinted lenses, “That’s if Xavier doesn’t get past Bryant.”

  “I don’t want to hear about any if’s!” Able yelled, he doesn’t know how to suppress his anger. “What if Heart meets Jason? Do I kill him?”

  Lauri stayed quiet in all of this; she was too shy to voice her opinion.

  “That’s a good point,” Peaches smirked, getting up to assist Able. He was the leader of Zebra Effect after all. Even if Peaches was a temporary member.

  “I still think the chances of them living is higher but, the odds are against me,” Tristan got up and came to the edge of the building. Dodging a whack to the head from Emilia.

  “I wanna know why Able is so heated about this though,” Peaches asked with Able with a huge smile on his face.

  Able grinned too, “You already know why.”

  “Not really, I can’t seem to remember,” Peaches teased him some more. Emilia rolled her eyes, already knowing the answer too.

  Able stepped off the rooftop and free-fall, allowed the wind to rush around him, “Because she’s the woman I want.”

  ~//~