Argathripe - Book 2 ~ (The Dead City Series)

*＊✿❀ Chapter 15 ❀✿＊*

I woke up after I hadn't slept well at all, didn't care enough to get dressed figuring I was the only one up, and walked out into the kitchen. Luckily I still had a flannel shirt and flannel pants on, but it was unfortunate what pattern was on them. I opened the cabinet to look for breakfast materials, and was surprised that I didn't see anything breakfast-y items.

"Didn't take you as a rainbow fan, Hunter," I jumped about 15 feet into the air, fluffing up my feathers and scaring the living Salhom out of me.

It was A. I hadn't seen her since the night before. It looked like she had slept as badly as I had. Actually, with the size of the bags under her eyes, it looked like she hadn't slept at all.

"You scared the crap outta me, human!!" I said, putting a hand where my heart was in my chest.

I heard her laugh just a bit. "Sorry. I thought you knew I was here."

It was a weird laugh, since it was emotionless. It sounded strangely hollow. Empty.

"Obviously not," I said, pointing to my shirt with rainbows printed all over it.

"Obviously," She repeated.

She was wearing nightwear it seemed, as well. Her too-big shirt said something about wings, but with my sleepiness, I couldn't make it out. She also had flannel pants on. I rubbed my eyes.

"Here, I'll pour some cereal for ya," She said.

I noticed that on the coffee table in front of her, there were Fruitios in a cardboard box and some milk on the surface. So that's where they are. I thought to myself. After I sat down and she slid the bowl of milk and cereal over to me, I realized just how embarrassed I was. I felt a bit of warmth come to my cheeks.

"Pfft, I never woulda thought your blush was turquoise," A. said, smiling just a bit, but then going back to her standard straight face with no emotion.

I felt more warmth on my cheeks. "Hush," I said finally, taking some spoonfulls of cereal.

We sat there awkwardly, just for a little longer. Then I heard footsteps coming from the bedroom wing's hall that connected to the kitchen. The same hall I had used to come here.

"Hello?" I heard Katrina's voice, then I saw her head poke out from behind the corner.

She looked at me, then started openly laughing. I took the last spoonfulls of cereal then put the empty bowl down.

"That's it, I'm changing," I said, standing up.

"No, no, I'm sorry. It's just--" Katrina looked at me again, laughed once more, wiped a tear from her eye, then walked over to me.

I looked at her with an unapproving look.

"If you keep looking at me like that I'ma keep laughing at you."

"I will not hesitate to murder you."

Katrina just smiled then. Then she put a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you trying to say something, here, buddy? Or..." She burst out laughing again.

"OKAY," I put my hands up defensively.

I got out of her grasp and walked rather quickly to my room and shut the door. Then I scolded myself for being too careless. They wouldn't think of me the same way again. Not if I told them. Not if I told them...

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛ ♛┈⛧┈┈•༶

After everyone had woken up, and King Damian, King Salhom, and the Royal Jesse left to go set up Angel Season, then some random designer showed up about 20 minutes later than he was supposed to.

"Who are you?" Scarlet asked, still in her 'fire' pajamas. By that I meant there were fire prints all over them.

"This is your outfit designer and stuff. Apparently the Royals would like it if everyone was dressed all fancy schmancy. This wasn't my idea. Don't blame it on me," A. concluded.

"Alright then," Theo said, seeming to not even have heard what she said.

I didn't approve of the idea that Theo had to come along. He seemed to be sick to even move properly. It seemed that the other prophets agreed with my unspoken opinion. Especially Katrina, who was still in her pajamas as well, that had dark purple streaks all over it. I had an idea of what soul she had, based on her color preference.

"Vell, I'm vetty glahd zat zey hahve zome vaste en clovving," I could tell Katrina and maybe Scarlet might've started laughing.

"Sarcasm noted," A. said in a disgusted tone of voice. "Just dress them up. King's orders."

The man with the man bun with multi-colored highlights, a tank-top, and shorts on looked at A. the same way she sounded.

"Und voo?" He asked, touching her forehead with his left pointer finger.

"No. Just them. Do it so we can go. If you want any payment at all," A. threatened.

The man made a very dramatic gasp. Then he stared right at me.

"I vill svart viff dat one," He said, walking up to me.

"If you as much as touch my wings in any kind of suggesting way, I'll knock you out with one blow, no questions asked," I said, squinting at the man's dark purple eyes.

"Vetty vell. Come un," He said, motioning for me to follow him.

I might actually die. I complained to myself in my mind.

"No. No no no no no. I did NOT approve of this. Never. You didn't say you'd make me look like... like THIS! No! How in Salhom's name are you so strong?!"

The man was pushing me very roughly in the room where the other prophets and A. were.

"I make voo vetty pretty, no?"

"NO!"

"Eh. Vou're opineeon doeseen't mattah."

"Then why the heck did you ask?!"

"Zat is unimpuortahnt."

I felt the floor change into the regular wood, and knew we had just transferred into the living area.

"Oh my gosh," I heard Katrina and Scarlet gasp and say at the exact same time.

I heard Theo snicker. Theo. The dude spun me around so I was facing my fellow prophets and A. I had a white suit on with neon blue as an extra color. I had white slacks on, white dress shoes with neon blue and neon pink patterns, and my wings looked like I was going to a strobe party. Which we kind of were, but I didn't need to look like a strobe light myself. My wings were fluffed just a bit, and random feathers had neon pink or neon blue dye scattered about them. I felt very... strange. But also very very angry.

"You definitely look... interesting..." Scarlet said hesitantly.

"Doeseen't heh look amahzein!?" The strange man exclaimed excitedly.

"Get out," I ordered in a don't-you-dare-mess-with-me,-now-do-what-I-say voice.

He looked at me startled, then at A.

"No, no. You can stay. Just be quick about it, 'aight? Take Scarlet, then Katrina, and be VERY careful with Theo. He's very sick and fragile. After they're all done, you'll get paid. Capiche?" A. said very thoroughly.

The man looked at Theo with worry.

"It's not contagious. It's a very hard... disease... to get. Don't worry," A. answered the man's concern.

"Vat kind of deezeese eez eit?" The apparently nosy man asked.

"Nothing more painful than what your head would feel like smashed into the wall over and over. Now do your job before that sentence becomes a reality. Who knows? You might prove me wrong."

The man stared at her in horror. Then he went over to Scarlet, didn't say a word, gestured for her to follow him, and they were off. Once again, I assumed she would have a smug look on her face. She didn't. All she had on her face was that emotionless, empty frown. Not even a faint laughter danced in her eyes. She looked completely dull.