True to the Blade (discontinued)

3. Stones' Discovery

Sunlight poured through the blinds of Lyla's office. Outside, clusters of buildings appeared across the landscape, glints of metal along the city gleamed as they were reflected off the sun's bright rays. Crowds of people gathered here and there, walking towards a differentiated destination to their workplaces, homes, and/or anywhere that sold coffee at exorbitant prices. The city flourished with activity. Robust economies and countless markets opening when the sun shines brightly. Noises; words and notes, loud and soft, sharp and blunt, clear and faded, were heard far and wide throughout the complex, seeping through glass that separated from the woman's office. The noises echoed through the room, slipping past the windows, stretching past the curtains, as though imaginary hands attempting to travel as far as they could. Alas, the densely packed room, unintentionally, had refused for them to reach the atmosphere of the room.

A small space, with pieces of furniture strategically placed throughout the room, had a sense of comfort and curiosity that radiated throughout the building. Organized sets of pictures of family and friends lay across her desk in a straight line. Paintings and elaborate posters of nature filled the room, as the woman sat behind a laptop, her fingers fluttering across the keyboard urgently. Across from the woman was a very large board filled with countless photos, documents, and sources. Each had a point that led to another, very much like a spider web, that outlined several crime scenes that seem to interconnect with each other. Many of the photos were very graphic, showing victims sprawled onto uneven ground, shock and puzzlement written on their faces. Attached to many of these photos were name tags, scribbled in black letters; Jacob Everdeen, Ethan Moss, Dylan Burke, and 15 others with name tags. Still typing furiously on the keyboard, Lyla was engrossed on her screen, glancing often towards the clock. Both the short and long hands were pointed towards the number 3. Suddenly, a bluntly loud noise erupted from the front door, snapping the woman out of her frenzy. A rapid flurry of knocks rapped against the wooden door; windows covered by drapes blocked the view from outside. "Come in," Lyla yelled out, slowing her typing to an ordinary amount. As soon as she uttered the words, a man, spindly looking with narrow shoulders and rounded glasses resembling a modern version of Macaulay Culkin, strolled in urgently.

"Ms. Stone, Santiago had been looking for you. She said the deadline for your paper was due at her desk 5 minutes ago, where is it?" he said, in a very articulate and quick manner. Lyla looked up from her laptop in clear frustration and annoyance, prompting the Culkin look alike to step back a few feet. "Ah, sorry," Lyla stammered, "I'll get it to her in a couple minutes, I'm just doing some finishing touches." Slowly and carefully, he walked towards her board, briefly examining the chaotic structure whilst scratching the base of his chin, before turning towards her. "Ms. Stone, Santiago does not like to be kept waiting. Surely you should know," he said, drifting over to her board, "having spent many years working with her." Lyla, with a few last clicks of a button, sent the nearby printer to do her bidding, and began to emit an audible hum. "Yes, I know, she's something all righ–DON'T," she yelled suddenly, as the man was about to pick up one of her photos off the board. Surprised, he dropped the photo onto the ground, emitting an audible yelp. "Sorry, didn't mean to do that," she said, suppressing a smile, peering over her desk. The man grumbled. A faint, and possibly unpleasant, comment spilled under his breath. He gently picked up the photo and placed it back to where it had been originally. "Just hurry and get it to her, please?" he said, a little less comfortably. "Goodbye Daniel," she said, a little more enthusiastically than she hoped.

The article made by Lyla finished printing and was sitting on top of the printer, warm. Hearing that the noise of the printer had stopped, Daniel glanced towards Lyla. "Seeing that your paper is complete, I'll take the liberty of taking it to Santiago immediately, for the sake of timing," Daniel said, as he walked over and scooped up the compiled sheets of paper, in which Lyla obliged to surrender. As he walked towards the exit, Daniel stopped and turned around hesitantly. "Ah there was something else I wanted to ask of you," Daniel said, tapping his finger on his thigh nervously. Lyla stopped and turned to look at him, expectantly. He cleared his throat. "Ah, well I'm having this small get together of friends and family next week," Daniel continued, "It's a birthday celebration of mine, and my wife asked me to invite several of my coworkers." Lyla smiled. "Okay, so?" she asked, teasingly. Clearly uncomfortable, Daniel took a deep breath, and then let out a long sigh. "I...I would like for you to come, that's what I was going to ask." Lyla paused, turned back to her computer for a moment to check her calendar, and smiled. "I'll be there," she said. A small grin formed on Daniel's mouth as he headed for the door.