ɢᴀᴍᴇ ᴏғ ᴄᴇᴅʀɪᴄ

iii

I opened my eyes slowly as the cold air woke me from my slumber. I was in my room, it was just how I liked it. Cold. Dark. Silent. This was my definition of a Paradise. Of perfection. Something I held on to and refused to let go of. Grabbing my phone I got myself out of bed and walked to the closet door to put on a simple work shirt to go with my shorts. I liked this combination and it made me very comfortable.

After buttoning all except the last top button of my shirt I went outside my room, slightly shutting my eyes as the light hit me. I was on my way to the kitchen, Nikias will have probably finished cooking by now anyways. I could smell the food only a few steps away from the kitchen door, which when I opened allowed for the smell to completely engulf the air.

"Master Cedric..." My butler's voice echoed with surprise. Maybe he did not expect me to come to dinner. None the less he cooked, fulfilled his duties.

I sat on the chair that used to be where my father would sit. To his left, my mom would sit and I would always sit on his lap to eat. I never really outgrew that until I was about seven. I felt a tear form in my eyelid but with all I could, I held it from falling. I removed my eyepatch to reveal my eye in its nakedness. Staring at the mirror from across the table I could already make out the three colors of it. Green. Pink. Blue. The doctors were truly stunned when they found out about it, however, they offered no explanation. Alas I have never really needed one, so I simply hide it.

Nikias placed a bowl of soup in front of me which brought me out of my thoughts.

"Thanks." I lightly said in gratitude. I took a knife and cut some of the chicken and added it to the soup to compliment its already tasty flavor. After I had a good amount of chunks in my soup I started eating. Delicious. Nikias may seem like your average butler, but he is also a divine cook.

A few minutes into my meal a downpour of rain filled the house with massive noise. I looked out the window to see the dark sky be lit by lightning. I really liked rain, it made me so... Who is that knocking in the door?

"Are you expecting company Nikias?" I gazed at him in anticipation for his response.

"Not at all." His confusion asserted me he was indeed telling the truth. After a waive from me he walked to the door to greet whoever on earth it could be. I heard merely the creaking sound and later I heard grunting from Nikias.

"Nikias?" I called out but received no response. A dark figure made its way down the hall towards me. As it stepped onto one of the lights I was able to make out who it was. Lucian Abott.

Behind him a female figure seemed to be restraining Nikias from behind.

"Hello Cedric." His walk exuded a mixture of confidence and pride. Whereas my flat face exuded annoyance.

"Lucian." I replied fast.

As he entered the dinning room he sat down on the chair at the end of the long table.
The female figure finally revealed herself.

"Who might this be? One of your new girlfriends" I asked Lucian looking at the woman and then at him with a slight smirk. "He's a badboy player." I said looking her in the eyes. "You should leave him while you can." Nothing. She said nothing. The way she restrained Nikias was extremely tight, it made me wonder if he had trouble breathing. A leash was tied to his neck and she gripped it tightly. It looked extremely sadistic, insane even.

"Please, I'm not into badboys. I do however, love a strong, confident man." She patted Nikias' tie on the chest as she said these words. Disgusting.

"I'm Ava Pierce." She finally looked at me, revealing her sharp cheekbone in its outline. Few people if any, have ever challenged my cheekbone as she did. "Me and Lucian want something Cedric. We need your help to get it though." I knew what she was going to ask for already. It was probably at the tip of her tongue or Lucian's.

"Your company." There was my confirmation from Lucian. Clearly these people have no sense of logic. There audacity was reflected in the way they undermined me with their words, treating me as if I were a child. Yet they dared come to my house to strong-arm me into giving them my belongings. 'It should work' is what they thought probably. How dementive.

"No." I stated simply with a smile. "I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation you are in Cedric, last time I checked, you are a thousand employees short in your company." That woman was probably the Devils Mistress, I'm willing to bet she had something to do with my employees resigning. Lucian also.

"I understand very well. Some things can't be solved by strangers." My sentence caused both of them to get a peculiar look. This seemed too much like an act. I bet they probably rehearsed this moment many times before, it's good, I'll give them that. "And If I can't fix it, how can you do a better-"

"We want to do this the easy way Cedric." The venom in his voice was all too obvious as he licked his lips as he cut me off. (What way was easy?)

"And If I don't want to?" I raised my eyebrow up a bit to show off my pride.

"Then it's the hard way." Lucian pulled out a gun and aimed it at Nikias' head. I reacted by instinct and lunged my fork and knife at Lucian, pinning him and his italian suit to the wall.

Ava took the gun which fell to the floor and tried to shoot at Nikias just as I walked over to him and threatened her with a knife.

"Out of my house, the both of you. Killing me for my company is not that much worth it. My company passes on to Nikias if I die, and if our deaths are simultaneous, the assets are liquidated. Don't want that to happen now do we?" I felt the playful smirk on my face as Ava let Nikias loose and I took out the utensils from Lucian.
Ava stepped on Nikias' shoes,causing him to fall, and then turned around on her heels and waited for Lucian. The pair walked down the hallway with a mean look on their face. Not my fault they want my company that bad.

As they opened the door the sound of rain became all the more real to me. As they were both out the door Lucian slammed it shut, echoing throughout the entire house.

Immature. Clearly.

I helped Nikias up on his feet and sat him down on the chair so he could finish his meal. He wiped his grey jacket as I sat down on my end. "Thanks." His gratitude was really unnecessary, his loyalty to me and my family had earned him my respect.

"Not at all." A small smile crossed my face as I silently sighed in stress. The rain stopped outside bringing silence to the house, ecstatic silence. Silence never lasts forever does it? Just like that the rain returned.

"We're going for a drive." Nikias stood up at my command and walked out the door to get the car ready.

I walked to my room and put on a red suit with purple accents. I didn't like it much but what the hay. I also packed a suit-case with clothes ranging from suits to pool shorts. I really didn't know how long or where we were going yet but i wished to be prepared. When I was ready I started walking out my room and turned off the light behind me and went down the hallway.

The smell of soup lingered slighlty as I passed the kitchen, though it did not have its original strength.

I walked out the glass door and locked it behind me. The car had the engine and lights on as Nikias opened the door for me and I stepped in. My overcoat covered my suit from the rain and when Nikias started driving, I noticed a stray snow-flake on my window. So pure, so free of care and responsibilities, something we all wished to be.

"Where to?" Nikias asked me and took me out of my thoughts. I took my phone and checked what was next on my calendar, apparently I had a meeting with the Vice CEO of my company in two days. Why not go there now I thought. I had already packed and Nikias could buy clothes elsewhere.

"Las Vegas." I answered "Full speed ahead." Off we were, into the rainy streets, passing by the light poles which looked like little suns tainted by the night sky. These were, the city lights.