The Elementals

Chapter 6: Same Place at the Same Time

"Come on Mike. Stop wasting time! I need your help with this" Maya said standing next to one of the bookshelves that spread spirally across the entire circular room. No one used the library often though Mike preferred it to any other place. Here, he found peace. No demons for him to slay and Goners to find and it was the only place that he was reminded of his family. Especially his mother. She had always liked to read to books and talked about the characters as if they were real life people, and the library always reminded him of the days she used to read for him.

He slowly stood up from the bean bag he was sitting on, at the edge of the library and kept the books he was reading on the shelf. It was an old copy of Oliver Twist. He looked at his hands and noticed they were grey from touching the dusty book but, he didn't mind.

"I never thought we would come to an era where reading books counted for wasting time" he said. He received a glare from her, but she didn't say anything which was surprising for him. She was always the one with smart comebacks. She was in fact the smartest thirteen year old girl he had ever met. Mike never minded her company. He adored Maya. She was the sister he wished was his own.

"You are so stupid. Did you know that?" she said with her British accent. She was wearing a red color collared dress. Her long brown hair always falling over her right eye hiding the scar across it. Maya never liked talking about it just like Rick was reluctant to talk about their parents or their life in London.

"I have been called many things. Hot, charming and my most favorite Adorable, but never have I been called stupid" he said smirking.

"You're also irritating, egotistical, careless, reckless... must I go on?" she asked mockingly.

"No, I think you have made your point" he said walking towards her. He stopped next to her and stared at what she was reading.

"That is not one of Emily's reports" he stated staring at the paper. "I can see that genius" she said slightly annoyed.

"Didn't you just call me stupid a minute ago?" he said. "Make up your mind, woman".

Maya sighed like she was exhausted. "Technically I'm not a woman I'm a girl, also, I needed to talk to you about something. Look at this" she said and reached over to the edge of the table and gave him two enlarged pictures that looked like they were taken from security cameras. One held an image of a man leaning over what looked like a dead body on the street.

 A jolt of panic went over him. He looked at the next one and realized it was the headquarters communication room, where they were assigned missions, and everything was managed. Standing next to a screen was the same man on the first one. He was wearing the same coat and had the same facial features. Though it was hard to guess who it was, as the quality of the pictures were low, Mike knew it had to be someone he knew.

"Why are you giving me this?" he asked confused and looked at Maya who was tapping her fingers fast on the wooden bookshelf like she was nervous. It was clear she knew something he didn't. "Look at the time labelled at the edge of the picture" she said. He looked at it and noticed it both indicated the same time. 4.p.m

"These pictures were taken at the same day at the same time so now, I'm forced to ask you, Can the same person be at the same place at the same time?" she said standing up. "I know I'm not supposed to, but these few weeks I've been tracking Director Solvion. He's the one in both pictures" she ignored Mike's surprised look and continued. "He's been acting suspiciously weird lately. So, I found myself looking into the past few Acrementals murders"

"Maya, do you realize if your brother found out about this, he would go ballistic" he said.

"That's why I'm telling you rather than him. I knew you're the only person that could make him see reason. He doesn't trust me" she said and looked down, her long brown hair falling over her face.