chapter one

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Cold. That's the first thing I notice. Everything's cold.
I can't move.
My hands and feet are tied to something.
A chair.
It's dark all around me.
I try to think back to what happened before I jumped.
I had just left my dads house.
I stopped at a cafe and got a drink.
When I left , a figure in black jumped me in an alleyway.
I managed to break their arm but then.....
Nothing. The last thing I remember was a sharp pain in the back of my neck. Then I lost consciousness.
I can barely make out my surroundings.
I hope they didn't leave my bag in the ally.
The only light is from a crack under the door.
I hear voices around me.
"Why were we not supposed to hurt her again?" Says a young sounding male voice.
Another voice answers him, female this time.
"How should I know? Rintoro must have his reasons."
I try to see how much I can move.
The chair scrapes against the wall.
"What was that!" The male again.
The door on the far end of the room opens
"It seems our guest is finally awake. " A new voice says.
Suddenly the room is flooded with light. My eyes take a moment to adjust. I take in my surroundings.
Four huge windows take up the entire left wall. The back of my chair is against the back wall. There is a red floral pattern carpet on the floor. 
There are three people standing in front of me.
One is a tall man with shoulder length black hair. He is wearing a black suit with a red scarf. His eyes are the color of red wine.
The other two are a younger boy and a little girl.
The boy looks about fifteen or sixteen years old.
His arm is in a sling, and he has a bandage over one eye and on his arms. He is wearing a white shirt with a black tie and a big black coat. His eyes are emerald green. 
The girl looks about eleven or twelve with blond hair and blue eyes. She is wearing a red dress with white lace trim and small white gloves. She is wearing black dress shoes. 
Well, this is turning out to be one of the weirder experiences I've had this week. I've been kidnapped by a bunch of kids. Great.
The tall man sits in the armchair across from me.
I feel like I've seen him before or had him described to me.
"You're probably wondering what you're doing here." He says, smirking at me. Suddenly I know who I am talking to:  Mori Ōgai. The leader of the Port Mafia.
Things just got a lot worse. I must have done something to offend them somehow. I shouldn't have run away! My fathers voice laughs at me in my head stupid little girl! Now you've done it.  
"I was, but now I think I have a pretty good idea. You had your thugs bring me in for something I did."  I say, nodding towards the boy. 
"I trust my 'thugs' didn't harm you too much." He says. 
I laugh humorlessly.
"Of course not! I was only drugged then tied to a chair. No harm at all." I say sarcastically.
I have to buy time so I can think of a way out of here. Fast.
Mori motions to the boy standing next to him.
The boy pulls a knife out of his pocket and takes a step towards me.
Every muscle in my body is screaming at me to run.
I try to scooch the chair away, but he's too fast.
The knife flashes in the light as he brings it down. I close my eyes. Ready for him to kill me.
He cuts through the ropes around my wrists.
Once I'm sure I'm not dead, I let out a breath and open my eyes. "What?" Did you think I'd have you killed just like that?" Mori asks, smirking.
He's laughing at me!
Great.
I'm bound at the hands of a sadistic psychopath.
Well, if I can avoid getting skewered long enough to get the drug out of my system fully, then I can use my ability to get out of here.
I test the ropes still tied to my legs. They won't budge.
"You are here because I have need of your specific skill set."  Mori says. 
I actually laugh at that.
The boy glares at me and the little girl smirks.
"You want me to help the Port Mafia?" I say, skeptically.
"Yes." He says. He pretends not to notice me laughing at him, but his left eye twitches a little.
Probably not a smart move on my part.
I'm probably about to die anyway,  I can at least piss him off a bit before that happens.
I glare at him.
It's dead quiet.
Suddenly, the little girl bursts out laughing.
"Elise. That is not helping the situation." Mori mutters.
She sticks her tongue out at him. Hmm. Seems like he cares about her. Maybe I can threaten her to get out of here.
He'll have to let me go to keep me from hurting her. Perfect.
"If you want to recruit me I suggest you untie me." I say, gesturing to the ropes still around my ankles.
"How do I know you won't make a break for it the second I do?" He asks me, still smiling. Well shit that didn't work!
"I won't, and I'm guessing that I would be shot the second I tried anyway." I say. The boy smirks at that. He moved his coat away to reveal a small pistol. I guess I was right.
"Why should I help you?" I ask Mori. Ignoring the obvious threat of getting shot.
"Because I can offer you protection. Once the job is done, you can go home and never have to worry about the Port mafia or anything else ever again if you don't want to." He says.
"Untie me and I'll consider it." I say, still trying to find a way out of here without getting shot.
"First, you should know: you are not getting out of here alive if you decline." He says, as calmly as if he was saying it was raining outside.
"Fine. Just untie me." I say.
The boy steps forward and cuts through the last of the ropes.
I jump up immediately .
The boy has his gun in his hand before my feet even hit the floor. "Relax. I'm just stretching my legs." I say. He looks at Mori.
"It's alright Dazai." He says.
He lowers his gun but doesn't holster it.
"What? Do you not trust me?" I say, teasing. He doesn't respond, but he glares at me for a while.
"What's the job?" I ask Mori.
"We need you to help us with a hostage exchange." He says.
"How would I be able to help?" I ask.
"I understand you have a unique ability of mass destruction."
Mori says. 
"I wouldn't say mass destruction, but I do have a uniquely volatile ability." I say, trying to give away as little as possible. There is a reason I keep my ability a secret. I need to be careful.
"We need you to break into the enemy headquarters and bring back their captive." He says.
"Who is the captive?" I ask.
"His name is Chuuya Nakahara''. Mori says. Dazai stiffens a little at that.
"Will I be going alone?" I ask. Taking note of the boy's reaction.
"No, Dazai will be going with you." Mori says. 
Dazai eye twitches.
"You want me to work with an amateur?!?" He yells. "I don't even know what her special ability is! How do we know she won't stab me in the back the second she gets a chance?" He says, getting more and more angry. "You would like that, wouldn't you? And stop yelling at Rintoro!" Elise breaks in.
I'm smirking through all of this.
"Everyone be quiet!" Mori yells.
It's easier to get the Port Mafia to snap than I thought.
He takes a deep breath and seems to compose himself.
I raise my hand. Mori rolls his eyes.
"What is it?" He says.
"Who is the enemy?" I ask.
"They call themselves The Sheep. They recently allied themselves with GSA." Mori says.
He shoots dazai a look as if to say: not another word.
"Am I allowed to go home or am I staying here tonight." I ask.
"I will have a room prepared for you at a nearby hotel. Can't have you running off now, can we?"
He snaps his fingers and two guards come in, one is carrying carrying my backpack. Thank god. My favorite scarf was in there!
"Take her to her room. Make sure she doesn't try anything."
They escort me out of the room.
They take me a few blocks away to a small building. A sign above the door reads: Yokohama Hotel.
I walk up a few flights of stairs to the third floor. Room number 205. I open the door, expecting to see a torture chamber or something. But what I see is a pleasant surprise.
A huge suite with three rooms and a private bathroom.
Jeez, the Port Mafia spared no expense!
I take my bag and walk into the room.
The guards stay outside the door.
There is a huge bath in the bathroom with a blue and white tiled floor.
The bedroom has a huge four-poster bed. The sheets are black, and the thick, fluffy blankets are deep red.
The other two rooms are a medium-sized kitchen and a dining room.
There is a china dish set in a cabinet in the kitchen, and a fridge filled with food, And there is a basket of fruit on the countertop.
I look out the window and notice that it's almost completely dark outside. I was jumped around noon. How long was I out for? It was late evening when I left Mori's office. And now it's around ten o'clock at night. That's almost an entire day wasted!
That punk is going to pay for that!
I don't feel hungry, so I get into the pajamas in my bag and put the clothing in the drawers. I have about a week's worth of outfits. Hopefully i can find a permanent place to stay before that runs out. I go to sleep wondering if my father is even worried about me or if hes even realized im gone. My eyelids get heavier and heavier.
I fall asleep.
...
I am sitting in a garden with a stranger beside me. I don't know who it is, but they feel familiar. They are smiling at me. I look at them and their face changes into my dads. "You should be glad. You will die at the hands of the Port Mafia. Then you can finally get justice for your sister." He says. I jump up from the bench. He looks me dead in the eyes.  "You should have died instead of her." The ground crumbles out from under me. I'm falling through darkness. And then. Cold. I can't move.  Nothingness.
My sister's voice. "Don't blame yourself. I made my choice. There is nothing you can do." She said to me before she jumped.
I can't move. Can't stop her.
I'm falling again.

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