White Rabbit

Chapter 6: Chained

JACE

I sigh as I hurry through the front door after walking on my own for a bit in the rain, Indigo having left me after we got to the market.

"Jace!" My father exclaims and my eyes widen in surprise when I see him standing in front of me wearing his work uniform, "Did you get the supplies?"

"Not exactly..." I trail off as I remember Misa still has our bags.

"Ah, that's fine," My father sighs, "I'm sure the attacks distracted you. Come on, I'm taking you along with me to White Rabbit because I have another meeting, plus it'll be good for you to visit again."

"Well --"

"That's the spirit! Come on!" He grins and shoves me out the door, closing it behind him when he follows me outside the house and I sigh.

I guess there's no point arguing with him, although I probably would've ended up coming anyways. At least I'll get to see Misa, hopefully.

The two of us climb into my dad's car and he drives to White Rabbit while I sit in the passenger seat, looking out the window at passing buildings and the pouring rain. After about a twenty minute drive, we finally reach the main White Rabbit building, which is fifteen stories tall, glass windows going the entire way up the building with two glass doors leading inside the building, a black canopy resting over the stairs to the front doors, held up by silver, metal rods. We get out of the car and my dad locks it before we head up the stairs to the building after crossing the parking lot. Once inside the main lobby, people run about trying to do their work, some waiting for the elevators, others chatting and standing by the people who run the front desks, but most of them are running from room to room with stacks of papers, books, or other supplies.

"Why don't you go help Asylum in the information room?" Daylen suggests and I nod before heading down the left hallway and past the elevator, making my way to the information room.

"Jace!" Misa shouts as I walk through the hallway, her seeing me as she's in the room where all the solved incidents go, shuffling around through a box of papers, "There you are!"

I glance over to my right and smile slightly at her.

"Where did you run off to?! I told you not to go anywhere!" Misa sighs.

"Sorry about that," I scratch the back of my head and grin sheepishly, "I'll make it up to you later!"

"You better!" Misa laughs as I continue walking down the hallway towards the information room.

I eventually come across the information room, smirking slightly as I open the door and see the familiar twenty-two year old boy with spiky, blond hair, blue eyes, and mech styled goggles with a silver base, brown trim, and black details, resting on top of his head. Asylum looks up from the box he's digging through and smiles upon seeing me.

"Hey," Asylum says, "Come on in."

"Well, I wasn't planning on just standing by the entrance," I chuckle.

"I take it your father sent you?" Asylum raises a brow and his blue eyes watch me curiously as he pauses digging through files.

"Yeah," I say.

Asylum chuckles and goes back to sorting files.

"Here, you can come help me with these," He says, "That is, if you want to."

"Sure," I shrug and make my way over to him, standing in front of the table and beginning to sort through my own box, which is one of many that reside in the room, others on shelves and some on the table or sitting on the floor beside Asylum's desk and laptop.

"To be honest, I don't even know why I still work here," Asylum sighs, "But it pays the bills, I guess. Anything to get me through college, eh?"

"I get it," I nod as I sort through files.

"As for you," Asylum glances at me, "I wouldn't recommend working here."

"Why?" I ask.

"We both know why," Asylum snorts, "Let's be honest, we both know your ideals are different. And I'd voice my opinion, but it wouldn't exactly be smiled upon considering I work here."

"Yeah, I know," I say as I chuckle slightly but suddenly pause when I come across a certain folder, "Cessair..."

"Huh?" Asylum raises his eyebrows as I open the folder and flip through it, finding pictures of Clattonia as a child and what must be her parents, a young man with black hair and brown eyes and a young woman with magenta hair and blue eyes, "Oh, that's the Cessair family. Honestly, I feel bad for the kid."

"Huh?" I raise a brow as I flip through the pages, "Why?"

"Read it and you'll see," Asylum says, "Man, it's sad."

Clattonia Cessair, daughter of Flint Cessair and Myfanwy Cessair, who had her when they were sixteen, Myfanwy getting pregnant when she was fifteen. Myfanwy fled when Clattonia was four due to being chased by White Rabbit agents for being supernatural, and she didn't want her family to be harmed, so she ran, never attempting to contact her husband or daughter. Years later, when Clattonia was eight and Clattonia's father was twenty-three, White Rabbit agents barged into their home and captured her father for being associated with a supernatural, binding his wrists together in chains and dragging him away as Clattonia watched and also had her wrists bound. However, Clattonia snapped, unable to take it anymore, and that was when her powers kicked in. She ended up killing the people who bound her, but didn't manage to save her father, who was taken away to prison.

"Wow..." I whisper as I read her file.

"Yeah," Asylum sighs and shakes his head, "And if that isn't bad enough, look at her childhood best friend, Reece Maverick."

"Reece?" I mumble aloud as memories come flooding back of Clattonia talking to a blond haired, brown eyed guy named Reece.

"Here," Asylum says and hands me a folder on Reece's family.

I open the folder and as I scan the pages I frown deeply.

Reece Maverick, older brother of Midnight Maverick, was texting his brother, who was planning to break into White Rabbit to take crucial documents. At the time, Reece was sixteen and Midnight was fourteen. Midnight successfully broke into White Rabbit and stole the documents he was looking for, hoping to make his older brother proud and to help his family. However, just as Midnight was running out of the building and sirens were blaring, Midnight was shot three times and killed, having sent the last text message to his brother ever just a minute before. Below is a transcript of the last few text messages exchanged between the siblings, taken from Midnight's phone.

(6:03 P.M.) Midnight: I got the documents -- heading out now

(6:04 P.M.) Reece: I'll be waiting a few blocks away

(6:07 P.M.) Midnight: Don't worry, I'm almost there

(6:08 P.M.) Reece: Hurry and stay safe

(6:09 P.M.) Midnight: I'll make you proud, brother

I inhale sharply after reading the file and my grip around it tightens after seeing the last text message. I hand the folder back to Asylum, who places it back in the box he took it from.

"Hey..." I smile slightly, "Thanks for showing me."

"Uh..." Asylum trails off as I race out of the room, "No problem?"

I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and grab the slip of paper Clattonia gave me out of my other pocket as I run through the corridors. I begin to dial her number as I burst out of the front doors, the loud bang of them slamming shut behind me ringing in the air. Rain continues to pour down as stand outside, still underneath the small roof made by the entrance's design. Despite the fact that it's not that cold outside, my breath forms a cloud in the air as I hold my phone up to my ear, listening to it ring until Clattonia finally picks up.

"Hello?" She says.

"I'll help you," I breathe out after a few moments.