☂︎︎ HOUSE OF SHADOWS ☂︎︎ - five hargreeves

* 𝙴𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝙱𝚊𝚕𝚕 *

[027]
- ☾ '☂︎︎' ☽ -

           Cassidy landed face down on a hard surface, simultaneously feeling the crack of her nose and the blood coating a large portion of her lips and right cheek. Iron and salt dripped into her mouth as she struggled to assimilate the influx of new sensory information and get off of her stomach.

           Coughing, she splattered the floor with red and sat on her knees to look around. In terms of information it provided little. Green walls, wood paneling, and wood floors so horrifically patterned it could only be labeled as "expensive." The lights were sharp and left no room for shadows. A speck of dust could have been seen floating in the air if the air quality wasn't constantly filtered and monitored.

           A pool table was in the middle of the room. Exceptionally polished and placed directly in the center of the hardwood flooring. There was a rack on the table, positioned for a game.

          Cassidy remained quiet and continued sitting on the floor on her bruised knees as she took in the curiousness of the unassuming room.

           A door opened to the right of the room.

           "Ah, there she is." A woman breezed into the room, styled as if straight from a magazine. Far too classy and flawless for a pool room accompanied by a bleeding teenager. Cassidy remained on the ground, staring.

           "Oh, what a poor little creature. We really must have someone clean you up. You'd like our uniforms, nicely tailored and good material — suitable for consistent movement and exercise." The woman wiggled her gloved hand at Cassidy, "Plus, it would go nicely with all that curly hair. That red doesn't suit your complexion."

           Cassidy wiped more dripping blood from her face."What color are the uniforms and would I have to wear a skirt?" Besides having no idea why or how she'd gotten there, Cassidy decided that playing the helpless victim wasn't clever, or appealing.

            "Pewter Blue," the woman puffed from her cigarette. "No skirt. You seem like a pants kind of gal."

            Cassidy nodded. The two agents from the Commission wore suits of a similar color. She assumed that was where she was.

           "Care for a game?"

           The woman was smiling through bright painted lips, she held a cue in her hand like a spear.

           "Alright..."

           After getting off of her knees and watching the woman break, she paced around the table, studying everything from the ever present look of amusement on the woman's face, to the way she held the cue.

           "I must admit," grunted the woman after a particularly difficult shot, "You're much less tedious than most of the others. No crying, no fighting, no biting. Our recruitment officers are fighting for health and pension so every bite is a kick in the butt."

           "I'm used to bizarre circumstances. You should see the people I grew up with for over a decade." The six ball rolled after a sharp click and tipped slowly into a pocket. "What exactly am I being recruited for?"

           "Temporal Assassins are one of our most crucial roles here at the Commission. It's a difficult job, but we've been studying you and I must say: you're a girl who knows her vital organs."

           Cassidy breathed out a huff and leaned against her cue, "I'm no murderer, and have no intention of becoming one. I barely know why on earth I'm here in the first place."