The Search For Peace 2

Chapter 3

Juliet was furious. She was fuming. She was angry. It didn't make sense that she had to do something she clearly didn't want to. She was grateful the bus ride home was quick since the traffic had died down in the early evening hours. Her only desire right now was to climb up to her apartment and sleep.

But she soon realized she wasn't so lucky. The moment she stepped into the vacant living room, the phone began to ring. "Call from, Dad." Stated the woman's voice that was recorded into the device, constantly nagging her to pick up the persistent call. She refused to, as always, grudgingly sitting down on the sofa with her head hanging.

The ringing stopped, and a voice message was played. "Hello? Juliet? Look, I don't know why you're not telling me anything yourself, but I hear your brother's still missing?!"

Her heart pounded uncontrollably in her chest at the sound of her father's angry tone. It had been a while since she'd heard it.

"Young lady, if you don't find Adrian like you promised and tell me what the hell's going on, I swear, the apartment, your school fees, I'll take it all away from you! Do you hear me! All of it!"

And with that, the room was agonizingly silent once again. Hot tears filled her eyes, and she didn't dare raise her head. How dare he threaten her like that?! After what he'd done, how dare he?

It was clear she needed help, at this point. She had searched everywhere for her stupid sibling, yet she still hadn't found him.

"We can help you, Juliet, but only if you'll help us, too."

Kevin's phrases from earlier rang in her head, leaving her with no choice. They were her only hope. Or else she'd lose everything. Again.

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The subway station was silent, the tracks empty and cold. In the dead of the night, a tall girl with ebony coloured locks and a blood-red jacket walked down the steps leading underground, her careful, hasty steps stopping in front of a plain, white bricked wall.

Casting her gaze this way and that, she made sure no one was around, before pulling out a stainless, swirly golden key out of her front pocket. She stuck the key out in mid-air, pushing it into a lock only she could see. And, as she twisted her wrist, a satisfying click resounded in the area, and the lone girl in the dim-lit subway simply disappeared.

Ultima SilverBlitz breathed in the musty, spicy air of her second home, The Powerful and Mighty Taurus Clan. With a smile on her face, she took in the familiar sound of excited chatter, the smell of scrumptious baking wafting under her nose.

Her clan, being underground and all, was covered from all sides by the rocky walls of a cozy cave, golden light pouring out from the small windows of the towering homes, stacked one by one over each other. With a leap in her step, she made her way through the narrow streets, giddy to see her favourite cousin after so long.

"Oh, hello there, Ultima!" She stopped at the greeting from a familiar voice and found her aunt's head poking out of her shop's small window.

"Hey Aunt Celeste, how's it been?" As she strolled over, her aunt craned her neck to call out whoever was inside.

"Look, everyone! Ultima's come to visit!"

And with that, the girl was surrounded by kisses, hugs, and a whole lot of children.

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"You're late." Was the first thing Aiden said to her when she finally made it to his office.

Ultima frowned down at him as he swivelled in his chair. "Give me a break! Not only is your domain so high up my legs hurt, I got caught up by some relatives along the way!"

As the light of his desk lamp complimented his bronze skin tone, the man who was almost thirty leaned forward, flipping through the mountain of documents in front of him. "So, why were you so eager to see me?"

"I wasn't eager to see you," she lied, slipping into the chair by his desk to play with the funky ornaments he had laid out on it. "I heard you were going to go to The Aquarius Clan during Winter Break."

Very briefly, he spared her a confused sideways glance. "How do you know about that?"

She debated whether or not to tell him Kevin was the culprit. "Mayhaps I eavesdropped on the grownups conversations in the last party?" She decided not to.

"Mayhaps?" Aiden blinked at her, and she beamed cheekily in response. With a shake of his head, he continued signing papers. "And? What of it?"

"Well..." The girl straightened her back, politely folding her hands in her lap. "I was wondering if you needed some company."

Aiden graced her with a long, profound stare. "No."

She gasped in despair. "But, why?" The girl whined despite herself, and if it weren't for Kevin and the others, she would've never dreamed of doing so. "We won't bother you, I promise!"

"'We'?" Aiden stopped looking at his papers once and for all. "What do you mean, 'we'?"

"Please, Aiden..." Switching to her last resort, she grabbed his free hand. "We just want to help."

The man could not believe his eyes. It was rare for Ultima SilverBlitz to practically beg him for something. Although he was aware of what this was all about. He and the leaders had already discussed that these kids needed to know what exactly was going on, no matter how much the adults tried to hide the truth from them.

With a sigh, he wriggled his hand free and massaged his temples. "Fine..." He fought back a smile as the girl's face lit up with joy.

It wasn't like he was going on a dangerous mission, to begin with. Negotiations were all it was. He simply had to sign a treaty, then return, so what could possibly go wrong? Right?