Secrets of the Crown Assassins

03

ARIELLE

I resisted the urge to scrunch my nose against the wafting scent of excrement. I don't understand how people could live in this dump.

The Willis Tower stretched out behind us, rising to the sky in a series of boxes, its glass sides catching the moonlight. I tried not to shift around in the Streeter drab I was wearing. Damien, always the cry baby, muttered under his breath about his broken nose as he fiddled with something small in his hands. Clearly, he needs more Injury Training.

At the thought of Evandor, I stood straight and turned to him.

"Weren't you supposed to go back to school a month ago?" I asked him in a whisper.

Damien shook his head. "I convinced Ma to persuade Father to let me test out of the last year."

"Why? I thought you liked Evandor."

He shrugged and grinned. "I did, but it was starting to get boring when I already knew more than the teachers. My sole source of entertainment is annoying you guys and I can't do that at Evandor."

"Did you know about this?" I asked over my shoulder to Xavier.

Xavier looked at me, his beautiful eyes invisible in the light although I could still imagine the way they would be staring at me with amusement.

"Of course you did," I mumbled and turned back to Damien."And what do you plan to accomplish by being in Cressida instead of at school?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"Fantastic."

We rounded the corner and headed down a smaller street that twisted between buildings and winded down towards the humble side of the city. I had no clue why my sister decided to live here, of all places, though I wasn't even sure if she actually lived here. As far as I could tell, she had many living quarters throughout the nation. This was the only one we could find, and of course, it had to be right in the middle of the trashiest place in the city.

I jumped over a puddle which I was positive contained human excrement. Looking up, I could make out a path of sewage winding its way down the street from the direction of the Willis Tower. Xavier said there were rumors of an anonymous wealthy Streeter keeping the Willis Tower running and providing for the Streeters of Chicago, though the numerous investigations we made never found any evidence of this. Still, if Xavier took the time to note it, he must've thought it was true and I wasn't foolish enough to go against Xavier's judgment.

In world where everyone takes as much as they can to survive, a random Streeter was giving and taking care of an entire city. They spent the time, money, and resources to make the city better—a beautiful thought. Although, the sewage I was currently trying not to slip into showed there was still plenty of work to be done.

The small shack my sister was living out of came into view. There were wooden planks spread across the roof, providing little to no cover. The cement walls were bare, not even trying to look pretty with it's sides unpainted and a molding grey. Only the metal door seemed somewhat reasonable with it's black painted exterior and the small designs swirled into it. I couldn't understand what the designs were supposed to make, so I assumed it was just abstract art.

I took a deep breath, conjuring the confidence and fear I radiated whenever I was presented in front of the Court or at school. I would need it now.

Damien—who must've sensed my nervousness, but chose to ignore it—asked, "Do you really think she's going to listen to us? After what we did?"

"You mean after you two glued a note to her door which indirectly indicated you were trying to murder her?" I retorted, throwing him a sideways look. "Hopefully, she'll read the apology I left for her and ignore it."