Our Forgotten Souls

Chapter Twenty-Four

Nobody bothered to tell me where we were going or why we had to go so quickly.

All I knew was I was grateful to be in a suit and dress shoes rather than a dress with heels.

Hank drove me and June sat beside me in the back seat. She wore her basic black pants and cotton tee. The entire ride, she didn't bother looking at me once.

Obviously, they weren't happy with me.

Still, Hank opened the door for me to step out when we arrived.

It was my first time being back at the house since I'd killed Stacey.

Everything looked the same – the exquisite marble fountains, the waterfall cascading down the side entrance, the large glass windows overlooking the entire city of Antheia. The inside was identical, too, whatever blood that had been there quickly cleaned up.

I yawned as I walked in and plopped down on the black leather couch in front of the fake electric fireplace. Waking up in the middle of a dream never boded well for the following day.

June gave me a harsh glare, and I quickly sat up straight. Did I really feel like being polite and punctual today? No. But I also didn't feel like pissing June off any further.

Nobody spoke. Hank and June stood there, anxiety radiating off of them, as the few other guards who'd come in a second car hovered by the door.

Finally, there was a knock.

I didn't need anyone to tell me I had to answer it.

I stood up, slowly, feeling fear in my veins. It was stupid. I should have been used to playing Sardon by now. But I truly wasn't.

When I opened the door, I found myself face to face with an innocent-looking messenger boy.

This was what all the fuss had been about?

He held a note out to me, and I took it. He chirped, "Senator Adamos would like to invite you to dinner tonight."

__________________________

It was confirmed.

The world absolutely hated me.

I'd been praying for a reprieve from my elite lifestyle, if only for a second. When I'd signed up for this, I'd assumed I'd only occasionally have to go to Senate meetings and that would be that.

I hadn't expected to see these people every single day.

Unfortunately, everyone else was unusually ecstatic about the opportunity.

"Do you need me to go over it again?" June asked, for the hundredth time. "If you don't understand something, just let me know."

Apparently, this was a great chance for me to gain information. Specifically, June wanted me to grab a file from Darius's private office.

Easy, right?

Not at all.

"Can you just repeat again how you expect me to get into his office?" I said, quizzically. I sat on my bed a disarrayed pile of papers surrounding me with notations on Darius's house. One paper was a map indicating where exactly his office was. I wondered how they'd stumbled across all of this.

"Hank will pull Darius's bodyguard aside and mention a possible threat to Darius's safety. Hopefully, they'll pull Darius out until everything's been checked over. In the meantime, you can sneak into his office," June explained, staring intently at me as she did. She was obviously really passionate about this mission. I still had no clue what I was even retrieving.

"And I'm not allowed to know what these files contain? Just that they're in a black folder in his desk?" I asked, again.

June made a face. "Really, Marion? Do you need to know?"

"I mean it would be helpful. What if it's not actually a black folder? What if it's white? Or what if it's not in a folder at all?"

"Trust me. We're not dumb. We have good intel on this folder. Just get it and get out."

I let out an irritated sigh. "Yup, sounds super easy." Honestly, it was weird talking to June. I wondered if she was still mad at me. She didn't seem mad, but she was probably just too excited.

I didn't want her to be mad at me.

Did she hate me?

I had killed Stacey...

Maybe I shouldn't care what she thought.

June put a hand on my arm in reassurance. "I know your worried, but it'll be fine. Okay? If anything happens, we'll be there as back up."

I was well aware of her touch, and quickly pulled away, retreating into myself. "I know."

A stab of disappointment crossed her face, but only for a moment. She stood up from my bed cordially, brushing off her jeans. "Alright then. Erin will leave your outfit outside the door in a few minutes. Your going to be wearing heels." She looked away for a second, and an odd look crossed her face. "And a nice dress."

A nice dress? As opposed to what?

I guess I'd find out.