Cloud Chasers

two | the less I know the better [pt. one]

a/n: this chapter is divided in two parts and both of them are now published. this will be a recurring thing in this book due to the length of some chapters. don't forget to vote!

In all her time in the city of Okin, Joyce had never heard of any place called 'Edysium', except for some motels. But Chase wasn't taking her to a motel, at least she hoped he wasn't.

He didn't say a word while they walked together through all the gray people with gray suits on that anything but gray afternoon. He kept walking ahead of her in a fast pace, often turning around to check if she was still following him.

Since he wasn't talking, Joyce had taken the opportunity to study, counting one Mississippi and all, the gaps of fresh air she had between one cloud in the face and the next one. He vaped once every fifteen seconds.

At first, she had to admit those clouds of vapor smelled nice, kind of like cotton candy. But after a few minutes, it was starting to get to her head.

"Here," he said by the front door of a tall building. Through the door, Joyce managed to see a receptionist sitting at the desk, in front of a large aluminum logo on a wooden wall that said 'Thatcher Jeffers'.

"Where?" she asked confused.

"Right here," he said and pushed the door, hinting at her to follow him inside.

The refreshing air-conditioning was a reminder of how much she'd sweat when she walked at someone else's pace under the burning sun.

"Hi, Stephanie," Chase said to the receptionist as he walked toward the right side, clicking a button on his vaping device five times.

"Hello, Chase," the receptionist said and glanced over at Joyce.

He stopped by the elevator door and pressed the button, waiting in silence for it to get down there.

"I'm sorry," Joyce spoke, "do you work here? Like, what is going on? Where are you taking me?"

He smirked. "No, I don't work here. You'll understand in a minute, relax."

"Gee, thanks, now I'm relaxed," she said glancing at the ceiling.

He shoved his hair away from his face. "Seriously, this is a public place, don't you see? What could I possibly do to you here?"

"We could be taking this elevator down to some dungeon nobody ever goes to," she said and stopped right before the elevator's ding.

"You have a vivid imagination, Blackbird," he said, stepping into the elevator. She followed him reluctantly.

"But we're not going down. We're going up," he continued.

Joyce was surprised by how fast that elevator was, definitely the fastest one she'd ever been on. She grabbed the handrail, afraid she might fall.

Chase stood still in the middle, with his hands in the pockets of his ripped jeans.

The elevator's doors opened at the top floor, revealing a staircase leading to a green door. Chase looked inside his pocket for a single key, which he used to open the door.

Sunlight came beaming through it, so strong Chase's tall figure wasn't able to protect Joyce's eyes from it.

She stepped forward, even though she couldn't see a thing. Her eyes took longer than ever to get used to the sun.

They were on the rooftop of that building; a deserted concrete land except for a couple of air handlers. No other skyscrapers in sight, only the bright sun in the blue sky.