Exulansis [h.s]

Chapter 4

Adeline Delevaux

The alarming sound of something ringing wakes me up. I suddenly get up from my groggy state, abruptly coming to regain my consciousness. I struggle a bit to pay attention to where the noise is coming from. When I finally understand I'm laying on my stomach at the corner of my bed, my hand wanders in the air trying to locate my phone from closed eyes. I turn myself around with a slight groan and move my back up to reach the header of the comforter and open one eye trying to look for the device somewhere on the side table. When I recognize a light glowing below my bed sheet I lift it instantly and slide my hand through the sheet to grab onto it.

The annoying repeated tone is playing on the device as I turn it over to see the screen but squint my eyes in seconds from the sharp brightness coming from it. "Fuck" I mouth. I open my eyes again and adjust a bit by blinking a few times because of the blur, just to see the known number appear on the lit-up screen. I swipe my thumb slightly across the cold surface and pull it towards my ear. "Yes," I answer with a slightly croaky voice.

"Did you complete the task properly?" a breathy static voice replying.

I clear my throat a bit, "ahem, I.. yeah I did"

"The customer says otherwise, there was a slight complication that occurred" the man talks into the mic. Well... Frank can't keep his mouth shut, can he? I knew I wouldn't get away with this that easily, perhaps I should've been ready for this. I don't think I can make any excuses to hide my mistake here, and if I get caught with it then it's just a cherry on top of it all. "Yeah, I handled it now" I responded in hesitation.

"Hmm, you're getting close to the edge now Delavaux" he informs, white noise in the background which is telling me he is calling from an old telephone. "I know, it won't happen again" I assure him. There is a thirty-second interval of silence, I look around the dim-lit room I am in. Turning my head everywhere to look at my surroundings and the dull warm light peeking from the curtains of my window.I assume it's coming from the street light outside. Catching my eyes on the alarm clock sitting on the bedside, 2:43 am. The man speaks again as I turn my attention towards him, "It better not, you know the consequences. I hope to see your face in the meeting in a couple of hours, and", he pauses "we've got some new recruits to play with and you have an important job assigned this time so I want you there on time" he addresses sounding a bit stern. I nod stupidly, "yes yes I will be on time" I shake my head at myself and hear the call end on his side with a loud bang.

Now the room is silent again, I switch off my phone and put it by my side. I let out a huff from my lips. The unexpected phone calls are a part of my life now. On the days I do the dealing I have to inform them all of it or they will call on their own preferred time to check on me. If you don't follow the rules here, then they will make you follow them. Honestly, you don't have a choice. Once you're in, you just fall and fall in deep and there is no ladder or rope to climb up to the top back. The more mistakes you make, you get a strike for each of them and if you fall off the edge of it then may you rest in peace. No one truly knows what happens when you're close to the brim but we've heard loads of stories around from the people here.

This whole working late-night shift is well suited for me but sometimes they forget I'm a human. I can go around alone to do the business at dawn but they play with me when they call me for meetings at five in the morning. Am I not allowed to even close my eyes for a bit? I turn my lower half to the end of the bed and rest my feet on the cold floor. Pulling some strands of hair outta my face and getting up lazily. I arise up on my toes and put both my arms up in the air for a wide stretch with a groan leaving my mouth. I come back on my flat feet again and walk around the bed to go over the wooden coffee table kept a few steps away.