Seven Deadly Sins - Pride (Book 1)

Chapter 5

We stand in the room, not really knowing what to say.

"When will Laia be back?" I ask Amber.

She shrugs.
"I don't really know. Probably when she's found a way to test your DNA."

"Ok," I say. It sounds awkward. Amber stretches and then looks around the room.

"I'm tired," she tells me. "We should go back to my room. I doubt that Laia will have the test before tomorrow."

"Why is this so important?" I ask her as she turns to leave.

She looks back at me.
"Because if you are one of us, you're in a hell of a lot of danger."

She opens the door.

"You coming?" She calls. I nod and jog towards her. We exit the dining room.

"There's something I want to check first, ok?" 

I nod. "Ok." 

We head down to the casino, and it's the first time that I've really been in it. The music is in full swing, and light bounces off the chandelier, coating the whole room in an orangey glow. There are people surrounding the tables, and at the far end is Sarah. She's grinning.

Amber walks towards her down the steps, and I follow. Sarah sees us after a moment.

"What's up?" She asks. "You here to get beat?" 

Amber chuckles and shakes her head.
"I'm here to ask about the shipments." 

Sarah peers back at me. 
"Should she...?" 

Amber looks at me and then shoos me off.

"Stand over there by the bar. I'll be back in a second."

I do as she tells me, although I'm curious what they're talking about. They whisper in hushed voices, although I wouldn't have been able to hear them if they had been screaming. The music is pounding. Every so often they glance back at me as if checking that I am still here. Finally, after a few minutes, Amber leaves Sarah to her game.

"What happened?" I ask her, although

I don't expect a decent answer. I'm right.
"Nothing important." 

"If you were talking about it, it's probably important." 

Amber takes a bottle of whiskey from the bar and looks pointedly at me.
"Nothing important, at least for you."

I can feel I'm getting into dangerous territory, but I don't want to stop. I want to know why I couldn't hear what they were saying. I open my mouth to speak again, but a reading sound stops me. Then the bottle in Amber's hand shatters, and the liquid spills on the floor. My ears are still ringing. Another shot sounds, but it doesn't hit us.

The whole room erupts into chaos. People run around and panicked screams resound over the walls. Amber pulls out her gun and curses under her breath. She aims into the mass of people.

She cocks her gun, but I stop her.

"What if you kill someone?" I yell, trying to be heard over the screams.

"Dammit," she mutters. "Go upstairs! I'll try to find the shooter!" 

I try to protest, but she's already gone. I wade through the people in an attempt to get up the stairs, but a hand pulls me back. A cloth is placed over my mouth, and I feel myself getting lightheaded. No one sees me. 

I'm in the room again. This time, however, I take the time to look down at my hands. They're small, young, that of a child. The man comes back. The doctor, who I now know as Cascade. 

"Father?" I say. It's like I can't control myself. I can't control the words coming out of my mouth. Under his mask, I can see the man smile. He has sandy blonde hair and a beard. He's holding another syringe with red liquid inside. On the other hand, is a scalpel. And behind him an operating table.

"April, come here. I need you to help me," he says. I don't want to go, but I do. I slide off the chair, and kn small legs walk towards him. He lifts me up and sets me on the table.

"Lie down, April," he says. I lie down. He puts the anesthesia mask on me, and I fall asleep. 

I wake up, but this time in the real world. I'm sitting in a basement. My head is pounding.

"April. How nice to meet you. I've been told so much about you already," a man's deep voice says. I look around frantically for the owner, but I don't see anyone.

"I'm not in the room, April. This is merely a broadcast of my voice. Keep up." 

I gather my thoughts, and I sit up.
"Who are you? And where am I?" 

The man laughs.
"I'm asking the questions here," he says. "You have become the subject of a wide manhunt. Someone very powerful wants you. You're special." 

"Cascade," I say.

"Yes. Now, I know that a certain group has told you things about him, but I assure you that they're wrong." 

"Why should I believe you?" I counter.
"You kidnapped me!"

"And the Daughters in Red? Didn't they kidnap you as well? Hold you against your will? You simply believe them because they found you first. If we had found you first, you would believe us and not them. This situation isn't one of truth, but one of perspective. Do you know what they are shipping?" He asks.

It takes me a second to answer him no.

"Money. Stolen money, that they're using to get more money. They're not noble, they're just another gang that's looking out for their own interests." 
His words runt through my head.

"How can I trust you?" I say.

"You can't," is his reply. "However, unlike other individuals, I can provide to you what you want most." 

"And what is that?" 
I can practically hear the grin in his voice.

"Answers. Answers to all your questions. To who you are and where you came from." 
I think for a moment.

"I don't even know who you are."

I hear a click, and when he talks again, his voice is much higher, high enough to be that of a man of about twenty.

"Biologically...I'm your brother."

Yet another plot twist. You're welcome. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please comment your thoughts <3
- Rory