Freya knew that if she hung around with Alisa, it was possible that she would come face to face with Prince Colin sooner or later. Everyone knew that they were close. There were even those who speculated that they were more than friends.
Admittedly, Freya had been one of those who initially believed those rumors. Maybe that was partly why she hadn’t been too keen on the idea of Alisa joining the Fourth. To her, Alisa Vega was both a reminder of and a connection to the elf prince and the glitzy dreamworld of the upper-class—a place out of her reach, and somewhere Freya would not belong.
But then she saw with her own two eyes how madly in love Alisa and Jester were (even though he doesn’t show it much, Freya was certain the Vice-Commander felt the same way). After witnessing how Alisa broke through Jester’s defenses through sheer effort and persistence, Freya had a newfound respect for the actress. And whether she admitted it or not, she felt more comfortable around he
To my readers, I'd like to extend my sincerest apologies for being unable to update the past two weeks. A personal matter of an urgent nature had to be taken care of, and immediately after that, I fell sick. I've only recently recovered my health and my sanity, and our story will continue in a hopefully more regular pace now. I praise your patience and hope you continue your support! Lots of love, 1stCerulean
Dr. Jamy Hansel sat on a bench under a small oak tree in the little cloistered garden below the hospital room where his student-assistant lay unconscious. He sat there, staring at the scuffed toes of his sneakers as if it held all the secrets of the universe and he was trying to tease them out with just his gaze. He looked so focused on whatever it was about his shoes that captivated him, that when the young man came to sit beside him, his head snapped around so fast, the newcomer flinched visibly.“You are not welcome here,” said Dr. Hansel, recognizing who it was. In a plain sweater and jeans, wearing a disguise that turned his streaked blond hair a despondent black color, the young man who interrupted his reverie sat down beside him. He frowned, perhaps unhappy that he had been taken by surprise. Otherwise, the young man looked completely unconcerned at the doctor’s evident hostility.A soft breeze lifted stray locks of silver from Dr. Hansel&rsquo
“You’ve made up,” I said, pleased that I was sensing a more peaceful atmosphere between Freya and Colin. Well, there was still a hint of awkwardness, but it was better than that swirl of guilt, wistfulness and apprehension that entwined the two of them an hour ago. “You make it sound like we were fighting,” Colin said, leaning against the wall. “Just so you know, Freya and I are on good terms.” I glanced at Freya. “Well. We’re not fighting,” she said, glancing at Colin. “We’ve sorted things out, mostly.” “Yes, we have,” agreed Colin. “Though I can’t quite say I’m satisfied…” A hint of temper flashed in Freya’s eyes, followed by the reddening of her cheeks in…embarrassment, I think. My, what an interesting reaction. I wondered what Colin meant by that? “Can we please talk about it later? Alisa and I have someplace to be,” said my aide. If she hoped she could get rid of Colin like that, she needed to study up on the guy. H
District Five is the only inner district in M’lonia that is accessible to everyone, even non-citizens. It is a very large sector that covers most of the mid-south section of the city, and is solely reserved for parties, events and public gatherings. It boasts four stadiums, each located at a strategical distance from each other, where there’s always some concert or show or sports event happening at least five nights a week. Theaters and cinemas and lounge bars are open twenty-four hours, and show-hopping (attending shows or concerts back-to-back-to-back) is a very popular tourist practice. My cousin Leno once told me that when the AG posted him in M’lonia, he went to a show or performance or concert every night with his girlfriend for three months straight (unfortunately, that’s also how long their relationship lasted), and he never had to go to the same place twice.It is not all entertainment in District Five either. Company events and personal celeb
Sir Merrion shook his head slightly. “The King is merely worried, Miss. And the King told me that if you should ask why, I should say that it would be best for you to ask your father. He really said nothing else.”I regarded Sir Merrion for a moment. Okay, that first part was the truth. The last part, though, was an outright lie.With my Gift, I could tell that Sir Merrion was lying when he said that that was all the King had to say. But since I can’t read thoughts, I don’t know what the truth was or why he’s lying about it. I found Sir Merrion quite secretive, but I felt no malice or ill-intent from the elf Knight, so I decided not to press the issue. But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to blindly follow along.“Alright. If His Majesty is gracious enough to lend me one of his precious Knights out of concern, then I suppose that’s that,” I said, wrapping an arm around Freya’s waist. I pulled her
We continued the conversation as Mei-Mei and the others packed up. Mei-Mei said she had to show the actual alterations to Mister Zagreb so he could have the final say. He promised that he would personally dress me up himself tomorrow. Bea went with them to coordinate schedules.“Why was she called the Patroness, anyway?” Freya said. I slipped on my dress—the plain, purple cami dress I wore when I came in—and then the jacket. I’ve made it a habit to use simple and easy-to-put-on clothes whenever I have fittings. So much more efficient that way.“Remember I said she was wealthy? Well, she spent most of that money sponsoring up-and-coming artists and designers. When they became successful, they gave back to her ten times through donations and support of Brenda’s different foundations and projects. This created more opportunities for new talent to enter the scene. It became a cycle that continues even now,” I explained. &ldqu
Agent Kaye had a little difficulty keeping the polite smile from slipping from his face. After the media conference, every Agent at HQ seemed like they felt it was their duty to let him know what they thought of what he did. Some gave him high-fives and appreciative pats on the back. Some rolled their eyes and whispered loudly about how arbitrary his remarks had been. And there were even some—only a handful, but still—who had the guts to ask him if the rumors about Alisa Vega and Jester Lee were true or not (for these people, he reserved the predatory cold smile Agent Alveston always makes before breaking a suspect’s spirit).Really, there are insensitive assholes everywhere, he thought in exasperation. Why can’t they just leave those two alone? Does it really matter when they started dating and who asked who out first?The AG had bigger things to worry about. Like the increasing Anomaly attacks. Like the ever-elusive Coven. Like the impending s
Jester couldn’t catch a break.Ever since Estacio’s murder and that incident with Hogar, he’s been feeling like a passenger of a runaway train that gains speed with every additional incident that occurs, hurtling down an inevitable dead-end. And he didn’t like it one bit.He had mistakenly thought that in order to prevent the Commander’s vision about the upcoming apocalypse from coming true, all they had to do was eliminate Anomalies, find and capture the Coven, and get through the Wane with as few casualties as possible. But with everything that’s happened and after all that he’s learned, he was starting to think there was a lot more going on here than what the old bat was telling them.Not that the Commander was sharing anything much at all, lately. She had always been sparing and cryptic in her predictions, but now she wasn’t giving anyone anything beyond immediate orders. And it just fueled his paranoia.
He found the Commander in her quarters, baking.As far as he knew, only the Fourth Special Unit Commander’s quarters had been built with its own kitchen—professional-grade, from the looks of things—a fully-stocked pantry, and a mini-bar. It was apparently one of the non-negotiable terms of her contract when she accepted the position.The kitchen and the pantry, Jester could understand. His mother told him that she learned to cook human food from the Commander, and if his mother’s cooking was any indication of skill, then surely the old lady was someone who could whip up something that could make even angels weep. But the minibar…The old lady had never drunk anything but coffee or tea the entire time he’s known her. Unless she actually spikes her tea with brandy, the Commander wouldn’t need so much space for bottles of alcohol she’s never going to touch. Another one of her many eccentricities.“What a