Living Hell (Louis James Moriarty short story)

Part 3: Welcome to the Family!

The next morning, Louis is already up in his study, drinking tea and preparing for the introduction of his latest addition. A number of different documents and folders lay on the table before him as he occasionally flips through them. The sound of a clock ticking nearby.

His face is a picture of calm and serenity. He seems to fully radiate confidence and authority. Suddenly, footsteps can be heard from down the hall, and he can already tell who it could be.

Louis looks up from his papers as he hears footsteps approaching nearer to his office. He smiles and puts down his teacup before standing up and walking towards the door.

"Hello there, Lily. Did you rest well? Are you ready?", his voice is smooth and gentle but full of authority as he speaks. His smile remained kind and sincere though his eyes speak of danger and cunning as he looks at Lily over the rims of his glasses.

"Ah...ohayo, Louis-san...hai...I...there is something I need to ask..."

He tilted his head slightly as he heard her request. "Yes? What would that be?", Louis sounded quite kind and welcoming which is a stark contrast to the coldness that he was showing yesterday.

"I applied as a maid...and now I am accepted into becoming a...serial killer in training? I will be having 2 roles in this household?"

"Yes, of course. You will fulfill your duties as a maid while also being trained into a professional murderer. We can't have you getting bored from doing the same thing every day, so the training is to help you learn new skills that could come in handy, and also to help you adjust to our unique way of living. You know, we like to think of ourselves as a very different family from the rest. We want all new members to adjust themselves quickly; we realized that working for us is more difficult but also more rewarding than most other workplaces. Does this clarify things, Lily?"

Lily felt sick in the stomach, but she didn't let it show to him. She nodded her heard while saying, "Ok...thank you for the clarifications."

"Happy to help!", he smiled once more. "So...do you still wish to proceed with this, despite all that I have said? This is your final chance to change your mind."

Lily was perplexed when he asked that, but she still hesitated to say no because she can already predict the outcome. She let out a light scoff and said, "I will be killed if I said no, so it doesn't matter anymore."

Louis chuckled. "Yes, I suppose you are correct. So...", he cleared his throat, "...follow me, Lily."

Louis went out of his office and guided her the way to the manor's parlor. Before he could further proceed, he told her, "I believe the rest of the family will be expecting you by now. Don't be nervous. We may be criminals, but we don't bite."

Lily nodded and followed along. Louis led her into a very large room, decorated with luxurious paintings and furnitures. Several people of various ages sat in the middle of the room, talking among themselves.

They stopped talking when they spot the two new arrivals, and they all turned to look at Louis and Lily.

Louis spoke up, "Everyone...allow me to introduce you to our newest member, Lily!"

A chorus of greetings and hellos filled the room, and Louis turned to face Lily once again. "Welcome to the family, we are the Moriartys!" 

"Hello everyone, it is nice to meet you all!", Lily bowed while making her introduction...but her heart is lying.

Louis smiled at her and turned towards everyone once again. "Please, everyone, make her feel at home!"

"Welcome to the family, Lily!", a man with brown locks and green eyes said from his seat.

"Hello, Lily! It's a pleasure to meet you! My name is Fred.", Fred said as he extended his hand for a handshake. 

"Welcome to the family, Lily! You can call me Master Jack...or Jack-sensei!"

"Alright, new member in the house! It's Bond, James Bond.", Bond said as he placed his arm on Lily's shoulder.

"So...what are ya good at?", a large man wearing a black trench coat with spiky hair asked Lily. She could tell that there was a hint of aggressiveness in his voice. And face.

"Oh...uhh.....", Lily's face remained composed but her insides are bursting into panic! The immense information of names: Fred, Jack, Bond...did the fourth man mention his name? Who's who again? And her mind simply went blank when he asked her what was she good at.

Louis could sense Lily's getting a bit overwhelmed, so he approaches her once again. "I'm sorry if all of these names are quite...overwhelming. I will get you a list of names and faces so that you can familiarize yourself with them. But you must make sure you are able to recall everyone's names and faces quickly. Is that clear?", he gives Lily a stare, "Please nod if you understand."

 Lily nodded, holding her tongue for she dare herself not to speak at all - she's diving deeper into something bad.

Louis speaks once more as his face softens again and he continues explaining. "This is how we will survive, Lily. You will need to learn to stay calm under stress and pressure. Is that understood?", he gives her another hard stare. "Please, this is serious. We cannot have any mistakes when we are out on our missions... Do you understand?", his voice is almost pleading now. "You must be able to stay calm and collected. Please nod for me if you fully understand."

As if Louis didn't know, Lily's already experiencing grace under pressure. She nodded again and said: "Hai."