Constellations - Reckoners Fanfiction

8 - Help

"Help!"

The exclamation was brief and hushed. I barely heard it over the din of a hundred or so partygoers crowding the roof around me. I made my way to the building's edge and strained to pick out the cry among the chatter.

"Help!"

The voice was fainter now, more desperate. Moving away from the rooftop? I scanned the crowd, trying to decide which direction it had come from. My gaze snagged on a piece of fruit. Though the others growing around it appeared normal, this one was glowing. On a whim, I snuck out through the doorway it hung from.

Since arriving in Babilar, I'd heard countless rumors about the epic Dawnslight. People claimed he was the essence of Babylon Restored, that he reigned omniscient and unconscious, unbeknownst to most who called the city home. In the year I'd spent here, I'd never once found tangible evidence of such a being. However, I couldn't deny that there were strange coincidences when it came to the plant life of Babilar. Sometimes it was a feeling, like eyes on my back as I crouched in the branches of a tree. Other times it was a flower, opening when I glanced in its direction. Whatever it was, I trusted it.

The voices from the party faded, consumed by the dense foliage lining the stairwell.

The people of Babylon Restored seemed to use any excuse they could find to gather and have a good time. On any given night there might be anywhere from ten to twenty separate celebrations going on at the same time. The vast majority of people attend the parties to drink glowing fruit juice, dance, and mingle, but the parties hold a more sinister purpose for some. The quietly overlooked truth is that they provide the perfect hub for human trafficking. No one notices if a teen or two vanishes every now and then, especially if they're already on their own. Especially in a room crammed with over five dozen of them. Especially when no one in the entire city wants to lift a finger for anything other than a piece of fruit.

Since Regalia claimed the city for her own, the issue is much less prominent, but it still happens. Even Regalia can't ignore the fact that epics pay a hefty sum for entertainment.

I guess that's what prompted me to start attending the parties in the first place. Even if I couldn't move my hips or giggle flirtatiously or hold a conversation with someone for more than two seconds, at least I could do some good. Besides, even Babylon Restored can get boring without a little action.

Jumping from the last landing to the floor, I looked up. No glowing fruit gave any indication as to where the voice had gone. Just as I was about to turn right, a voice chimed in from the darkness, nearly scaring me out of my wits.

"I wouldn't go that way if I were you."

I frantically scanned the darkness, searching for the person the voice belonged to. Finally, my gaze snagged on a figure slumped against the wall. At first I thought the guy might've been injured, then I saw his crooked grin and the cup he held in his right hand. He was one of the partygoers, likely retreated to the stairwell to enjoy a few moments of silence. I didn't blame him.

"Did you see anyone come through here?" I demanded, trying to hide how much he'd startled me.

"You strike me as a girl who goes looking for trouble," The guy said. His voice was all sorts of intriguing, somehow managing to be beautiful and gravelly and innocent all at once. "Trouble," He pointed in the opposite direction from the one I'd been about to take. "Went that way."

I looked the guy up and down. His skin was dark, and there were multicolored beads braided into his hair. He looked like every other frivolous person in Babylon Restored I'd ever met...but for some reason, I trusted him.

"Thanks," I called out over my shoulder, sprinting past.

The stranger said nothing, but gave me an exaggerated salute.