THE KEY (book one)

|seven|

Slowly, I wake up to a cold chill that runs right down my spine. I take a deep breath in pinching my eyes closed blinking a few times before I reopen them fully. The air smells sanitized and ice cold. I can feel it visit my lungs and leave as I exhale. A new smell but certainly familiar. Distant conversations fill my ears.
Where am I? I shoot up in my chair to check my surroundings. My head drops forward still weak from the drugs they gave me. My hands are cuffed. Why are my hands cuffed? "Hey!" I shout and begin to tug as if that'll help. The wall in front of me is made out of glass allowing me to look out into a small part of the city, but that's all. I'm trapped. I sigh and pull on the cuffs once more but of course no luck.
Soon enough the door opens behind me. I sit up straight I turn my head, using my peripheral vision to see who is walking in. The sound of heels contacting with the floor echoes throughout the room.
I turn my head an inch more to see the one and only Edith Claw. My stomach tightens at the sight of her. I never thought I would meet her in person. She stands with straight poster, head held high, her skin slightly tanned ,and her eyes cold as ice.
"Hello." She speaks her voice quite monotone. She slicks her hair back, and begins to walk toward me. Her eyes study me as if I'm some project to be worked on.
"Extraordinary...I'm sure you know who I am... as I know who you are." She says sitting down in front of me.
"Why I'm I here?" I ask, hands balling into a fist. She looks down at them then back at me with no emotion. A slight smirk grows on her face but she hides it by pressing her lips together.
"I understand that you are confused Errana-"
"Erra." I cut her off.
"Erra? Well I know you have a lot of questions, and I am willing to answer."
"Okay why am I here? Where is my mother? What do you want with me... huh?" My voice grows with each question.
"Are you willing to answer those...mhmm? Why attack me in my home? Why not just call me in?" She just sits before me and looks at me. No studies me.
"You're mother... Frances correct?" She pauses breathing out and shakes her head.
"I do not know about the whereabouts of your mother. As of why you're here though..." She stops talking again and pulls out a key to unlock my cuffs. Not a second of where she breaks eye contact with me. I take the cuffs off and shake off the pain. Edith sits back in her chair and just watches me.
"What?" I question. She offers a small smile and I frown. "Follow me." She gets up smoothing down her grey pencil skirt, and walks past me. I hesitate but follow behind her. We turn a corner to stop at grand white metal doors.
"Miss. Paxton you must understand before I open these doors I would hope that you swear not share the information that I am about to pass onto you with anyone outside of these four walls." She requests and I'm tempted to challenge her so I do.
"Why?" I ask cracking my fingers.
"I don't want panic throughout the city." She says turning away.
She takes my silence as an agreement, and places her hand on the scanner.
"Door activated." A voice monitor speaks and the white doors slide open. We walk into an all white hall with bright lights.
Edith types in a code to another door and it opens leading us to a larger room.
The tone of this room is different from the outside. Black marble walls Including the floor.
"Errana Paxton your help is needed." Edith announces but her voice not the slightest desperate. Is this a joke?
"Unbelievable." I scoff shaking my head.
"Out of all the soldiers and guards.... your minions. You need my help?"
She stares at me. "Yes."
"I'm listening."
"Ten years ago... well eleven The Pexagon was attacked by the cities biggest gang The Vipers." The Vipers? The gang that killed my father? "The name rings a bell, any symbol?" I ask trying to keep my composure. She pulls out her com and pulls up a hologram identical to the one Eli showed me.
"The Vipers." I whisper to myself looking at the V shaped symbol with venom dripping from the point.
"I've...se-seen that symbol before." I feel this weight; the same weight I feel time and time again comes to haunt me.
"One of them killed my father."
Her eyes scan mine for a moment then she looks away.
"They did a great amount of damage but they took something severely important to the cities."
"Very important as in what?"
She walks over to the wall putting her hand against it. Not even a moment later a piece of the floor slowly rises up like a table.
"What do they have to do with this?"
"These ignitions are supposed to be holding Keys. They're not shaped like any ordinary Key more like a rock or stone. Each Key is responsible for a city. Responsible for the water, the light, the air in homes. Most of all our satellites that control the weather."
I don't know what to say. How to comprehend.
"What?" This isn't making any sense to me.
"Since when? H-how? That makes no sense. How do they even have access to that. I don't believe you. And no one knows about this?"
"How would you feel if I told you your life practically depends on a Key. This city would have fallen ages ago." I frown and shake my head in disagreement.
We still should've known.
"So why hasn't it fallen yet? The Keys where removed eleven years ago right?"
"Yes...when project was designed there was a back up generator put into place. But it can only work for so long."
So long?
"So long as in what?"
"So long as in we only have a week left." She explains, and I wish she didn't. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
"So... why am I here? How am I gonna fix this?" I ask, trying to stay as calm as possible. Our cities are about to fall and it's like nothing is going on.
"The Keys are made from extremely expensive metals and minerals that sell for millions. So of course The Vipers sold them to the richest people in Main city in exchange for money. Luckily The Keys have micro trackers in them so we know where they are at all times. What I need you to do miss. Paxton..." She explains closing the case.
"I need you to retrieve them and bring them all back to me before time runs out." She's joking. She has to be.
Why not get higher forces involved?
How am I supposed to do this alone.
"You're sending me on an egg hunt?"
"You won't be alone. There will be others ."
"And I .. we only have a week, anything after everything goes to-"
"A week yes." She cuts me off. Aside from our government being complete shit this might be my only chance to get justice for my dad it's almost like a blessing, but one wrong move and it's all over.
"Miss.paxton?" I have nothing left.
"Y-yes I'm in...yes." I blurt still not sure.
"Great. I have a mobile waiting for you out front." She was prepared for a yes. I fake a smile and nod. Did my mother know about this? Is that why she randomly left?
Edith escorts me out of the room and to the elevators.
"Remember you have seven days left to find The Keys."
"Yes.....I know." I reply. And as the elevator door starts to close she disappears.
This whole time she was a hologram.
No words. Hopefully this whole experience was a hologram, a dream, anything but reality. I press my back against the elevator railing, and wait for it to open. It's a win win, I take part in saving the cities and get a hundred steps closer to my fathers killer. The doors open and something in me hesitates, maybe it's the fact that I'm willing to put my life on the line for this. When it's not my job. I take a deep breath and walk out of the elevator. Walking out the main entrance I spot the space black mobile that's waiting for me.
An old, tall ,skinny pale skinned man opens the back door for me and I quickly get in.
It's seven twenty-five no call, message, hologram message from my mother.  I sigh and press my head against the window. Something in my gut is telling me to stay but where would I go. I close my eyes as the mobile lifts off.
"What did I get myself into" I whisper to myself and slowly drift into a nap.