City of Shadows

Return to Myst City

(Aurelia's POV)

Surprise! I'm still alive! How you may ask? Well that's simple, I faked my death. Dr. Morris told me to get rid of Butterflygirl, so I killed off my alter ego.

Why you may ask? My relation to Nighthawk makes me the perfect candidate for the mission he had in mind. I have to pose as a villain and take down the Meta Alliance from the inside. And I already know how I'm going to do it.

After faking my death, I turned invisible and snuck off. Then in a secret location I changed back into my regular clothes. The secret location was a secret hideout that the SIRA had been planning to give to Star and me when we turn 18. It was the perfect place for me to lay low for a few days and plan my next move.

Which brings me to what I'm doing right now. I'm currently sitting on the the floor of the hideout, and thumbing through the list of contacts in my phone. When I first met Apollo, he gave me his phone number. He always talks about having an inside source within the Meta Alliance. Maybe if I can team up with his source, then I'd have a easier time completing my mission.

I select Apollo's number and hit send. The line rings for a few seconds before a someone picks up.

"Hello, who is this." answers a familiar sounding male voice.

"This is Butterflygirl. Who are you?" I reply.

"Apollo." he replies.

"I just started a new mission, and I need help. Is there any way I speak your inside source?" I ask.

"What kind of mission?" Apollo asks suspiciously.

"I need to infiltrate the Meta Alliance." I tell him.

"If that's your mission, then I'm happy to help." Apollo replies. "I'm supposed to be meeting with my source today. Do you think you can make it to Myst City by 2:00?"

"Yes." I reply. Apollo gives me an address to meet him at, and we end our conversation.

***

After a long cab ride, the taxi rolls to a stop in front of the address Apollo told me to meet him at. A small brick building with ivy creeping up it's walls, and a bookstore on its bottom floor. It's the same building Apollo brought me to that time he took me to his secret lair.

I pay the cab driver and climb out of the taxi. If I could pick one word to describe the weather in Myst City, that word would be crappy. The sky above me is overcast, the air is filled with a light drizzle, and even the wind carries the smell of the coming rainstorm. Not wanting to get caught in a downpour, I hurry inside the bookstore.

Based on the lack of customers in store, no one in Myst City wants to be outside in today's weather. That's too bad, because this cute little shop is the kind of place I'd like to get lost in. It's warm and cozy, and it smells like books.

As I walk towards the counter at the back of the store, a lady with ash colored hair tied up in a messy bun, and jade green eyes greets me with a smile. She appears to be in her late twenties, and something about her casual demeanor makes me think that she's probably a really nice person.

"Hi," I greet her, as I recall what Apollo told me to say, "Um... I need to speak to Raffe, I'm a friend from school."

"You must be Butterflygirl." The lady says in a hushed tone of voice, "The media is saying that you're dead, but Raffe said you'd be here."

I give the lady a confused look. How does she know so much? Oh my goodness, did Glowstick really tell another person about my secret identity?

"You know, you look a lot like my older sister's friend Molly." The lady comments.