The Leviathan's Rose

Chapter 10 - It's Only A Matter of Time

Moonlight flooded Haru's room as he re-read through Leviathan's report on Jamie that they managed to get based on stolen information from multiple, but scarce, sources. 

Volk, Jamie.

Birthdate: July 26, 2004

Mother: Deceased

Father: Status Unknown

Occupation: Partizan to the Princess of Maradova

Information Known: Pakistani mother (name unknown) died in childbirth on the steps of King Alexander and Queen Matilde's palace in Maradova. Identity of father is unknown. 

A rotting feeling swam in the pit of Haru's stomach. Something wasn't right. He knew that Jamie didn't live in an open environment, and that he wasn't given his own life, but such little information was alarming. 

Haru pinched the bridge of his nose, copper colored hair falling forward as he leaned over the document. 

The chair he was sitting in creaked as he got up, quietly trailing to the bedside table where his phone was. 

He sucked in a breath, the blue light from his phone painting his face. Ingrid's phone number patiently stared up at him. 

The call button was only a click away. 

He swore when his thumb accidentally brushed over it. If he hung up now Ingrid would think he was being suspicious. 

"Did you find the study?" 

Ingrid's voice nearly shook Haru out of his skin. He pressed the phone to his ear, licking his lips hesitantly. 

"No, I haven't yet. But..." he trailed off.

"But what?" Ingrid asked, her curiosity like a feline's. 

"I think we need to stop monitoring Jamie for a while." he said quietly into the weighty silence. Something clinked on the other end of the phone. The sound of something  pouring followed. 

"But Jamie-"

"Jame is different now, you said it yourself. I... I need to know if the change is because of me or not. I need to see how he interacts without me in the equation for a while. The study can wait." he finished firmly. 

He heard Ingrid sigh. 

"The Master wants him by New Year's."  Ingrid deadpanned.

Lightning shot through Haru. 

"That's four months away!" he whispered in disbelief. 

Ingrid grunted on the other end of the line. 

"Your whining wasn't what I wanted when you called me Hinamori." she said sharply. 

Haru huffed, shifting his weight on his feet. He walked over to his bed, the soft blankets welcoming him. 

"What are you doing then?" he asked mockingly. The Master wouldn't dare let Ingrid do anything related to missions. The most he'd let her do would be getting him a glass of water. 

"I'm cleaning and redressing my wounds." she hissed. 

Haru shifted on the edge of his bed. The vents turned on, warms air chasing away the chills in his room. The growing familiarity of the soft rattling int he vents was becoming a comfort for him. He hated it. The one thing he knew was to not get comfortable. The sooner he was out of this place, the sooner he'd be back with Sayuri. All of this, was for Sayuri. 

"What about Christmas? If I bring Jamie back by Christmas, will the Master be pleased with that?" he asked, the gears turning in his head. 

Ingrid huffed. "I don't think so. I heard Phi talking to him the other night. He's got a surprise for Jamie, one that he wants to send to Rosewood Hall. A file came in from a custom manufacturer. The Master gave firm instructions for his gift to be handled with care. Even said that if it was mistreated in the slightest that he wouldn't go easy on the consequences." she said, her voice barely a whisper. 

Haru gripped the edge of his bed, the plushness beneath him caving in under the touch. There was an owl outside his window, round glossy eyes peering it at him. Dusty gray feathers ruffled. 

"Is it a weapon?" he whispered.

There was a small gap in sound. Ingrid inhaled shakily.

"I don't think so. I heard some other members talking about it in the hallways. They said that he's sending something from his personal collection with the gift." she said, voice shaking. 

Haru's blood ran cold. He'd heard of the Master's collection before. It was a personal collection of things he kept from his life before Leviathan. No one knew what the items in the collection were, but all of them knew that trying to see what they were was the same as having a death wish. Those items were the only material clues to the Master's identity. 

Sending something from his collection to Jamie was something big. Larger than anything Haru could have imagined. 

"He's getting desperate..." Haru mumbled. 

Ingrid gasped on the other end of the line. 

"The Master is not desperate, Hinamori!" she said harshly."Have you seen the news recently? The list is getting shorter. We expect half of the people on the list to be crossed off and initiated into Leviathan by New Year's. Jamie can not be the last one to join." Ingrid hissed. 

Haru shot up.

"What do you mean the news?" he asked, his volume raised. 

Ingrid tsked. "You haven't gotten the report from Phi? Ever since our existence has gone public, the children of influential families have been trying to learn more about us. Some of them managed to make contact with us through people we've got on the inside. They want the life the Master is promising them! They want freedom, they don't want their lives to be chosen for them!"  she exasperated. 

Haru listened to Ingrid's heavy breathing, heavy as waves in the ocean. 

"They're finally opening their eyes. The Master knows that it's only a matter of time for Jamie to accept opening his own as well." she whispered. 

Haru flinched when he heard Ingrid curse on the other end of the line. 

She gave a hasty goodbye before the familiar beeping sound that signaled the call ended sounded off softly. 

Haru stared at the phone in his hand. His reflection stared back. Purple half moons were stamped under his eyes. 

It's only a matter of time for Jamie to accept opening his own as well.