Vol 1: Part 4

The shrieking alarm woke me up in the morning. With my head pounding I slammed the snooze button. "They call us criminal. It should be alarms that are outlawed." I grumbled before turning over.

It took until the third time for me to wake up, and that was only because someone took away my alarm. "Rise, and shine sleeping beauty it's time to go to work bitch!" A harsh voice barked over the noise of the alarm.

"Matt?" I groggily called out.

"Damn right princess now get your ass out of bed, before I beat it black, and blue." He roared as he ravaged my warm garden of eden ripping the duvet out of my hands.

I hit the worn out carpet with a yell as I found my face inches away from frequently used combat boots. "I thought you were still in central?" I groaned as I slowly got up stretching.

"When I heard my brothers were neck deep in more interesting shit than stalking one guy I came over immediately." He laughed wrapping my cold body in a bear hug.

A tanned face carved from granite was what greeted me with piercing ice blue eyes that were veterans in the world of grime, grit, and bloody filth. He could be described as a man with two switches drill sergeant, or fucking feral. I still don't know which one I like more.

"Thank you." I gratefully said returning the hug.

"That bad comrade your not usually the hugging type." He chuckled.

"Eh I have my moments." I replied as I wiggled out of his embrace to find some clothes. There was a suit jacket half way across the room, a crumpled shirt in a heap next to it. I sighed looking at the clock. "Shit!" I yelled in frustration I was running late.

Ignoring Matt's smirk I gathered a discarded, crumpled suit that was strewn on my floor, and changed, tried to smooth out the shirt. Brushed my teeth no time to look in the mirror. I rushed out of the door.

Wallet? I patted my pockets. Fuck, barging back in Matt threw something at me with smile. I caught it nodding my thanks. I ran out of the door on to the street.

Running hurt, probably wasn't the best thing to do, but I never was one to listen to medical advice. Charging down the street weaving through the crowds I made it to the bus stop just as it pulled in. I payed the bus driver as quickly as I could then collapsed into a seat. My headache soon returned with a vengeance as the bus pulled away, but apart from that it was a nice day clear skies, and the only black clouds were those far away on the horizon.

I got off the bus a few minutes later. With the towering skyscrapers all around, the temperature dropped a little, due to the large shadows, as I got closer to my destination. "Mommy why does that man look like he just got out a tumble drier?" A child asked as he walked past.

"He must be having a hard time. Come on now." She smiled apologetically as she passed dragging the staring child away.

"If only you knew." I muttered as they left making me feel worse. Needing something to pick me up even if it was just a little I slipped into one of the quiet coffee shops.

I waited in the short queue before stepping in front of the cashier. "How can I help Jester?" The cute cashier asked.

"On a first name basis are we Jenny?" I asked raising an eyebrow in mock skepticism. As I tried to make it look like I wasn't leaning to much to the side.

"You look like you need something to cheer you up." She grinned as she took my order. "The usual?"

"Sort of do you still do the blueberry muffins?"

"Of course you want that with the chocolate one?" Jenny asked.

"Instead of please." I said taking out my wallet.

"That'll be $3.75." She rattled off as she punched some thing into the cash register. "So what's with the change, are the muffins not up to standards? You feeling ok? Or you met a girl?" Jenny slyly smiled like a Cheshire Cat as she rapid fired questions accepting my cash with her slender hands with bright pink nails flawlessly painted.

"Calm down." I spluttered raising my hands in acceptance of the interrogation. "I didn't expect an inquisition." I mumbled.

"Nobody excepts the inquisition! Though do go on." She replied as she filled up my coffee to go. Her beaming friendly oval face which held those bright, energetic, compassionate brown eyes.

I get lost in them occasionally when I have nothing else to do you can tell a lot about someone from their eyes, and hers are full of a warmth I've never known, like a distant fire that draws in moths it drags you in even if you don't want to.

"The muffins are fine, no girl my job doesn't really mesh well with dating, and I'm fine accept work is a little rough at the moment." I winced from the understatement of the century that tumbled out of my mouth, or maybe it was just the headache.

"Then what's the reason? You only change your mind when there is no other option." Jenny mused as she packed my muffin in a paper bag. Brushing her brunette hair tied up in a ponytail of her shoulder.

"Matt is back, and if he found me eating what he calls excessive chocolate he would castrate me after locking me in the gym for a week." I shuddered.

"Matt?"

"My brother." I shrugged as I picked up my order,

"But you said you didn't have any immediate family left last time I asked." She said with a shocked look of betrayal on her face.

"Brother by bond not blood." I pointed out with a chuckle at her over dramatic facial expression.

"Get out of here, making me feel bad." Jenny cried in fake anger slapping my arm. Taking it as my cue to leave I hightailed it out of there with a wide smile plastered on my face.

It was something about the shock on people's faces that makes deceit, and trickery feel so good the rush of fooling someone is rather addictive.

End of chapter 3

The smile soon disappeared as I pushed the door open to the restaurant, taking a sip of the black coffee I walked through the doorway. A ringing bell signaled my arrival. There wasn't many customers that sat on the white, and black checkered tile floor.

A array of round tables with wooden chairs surrounding them. I took took a sigh of relief as I glanced at the clock. I was late, but not by much fortunately.

Taking another mouthful of the dark nectar in my hands I went through the employee only door, and climbed the stairs.

Empty, the hallway was always empty for as long as I can remember. The bare wooden walls, and floor they seemed ready to be decorated. Maybe a carpet, or some pictures would spruce the place up. That would never happen not whilst the boss still drew breath.

Fond memory's flashed in my mind as I began to wander to the office.

An arm slapped away my hand as I reached for the handle of the door. I gave a sideways glance to the person standing in the corner.

"Do you know why a person stands outside of a door?" He hissed his whisper like voice cutting the air like a sharpened dagger.

"Maybe he didn't get an invitation?" I shrugged as I reached for the door again.

"Wrong." The man replied slapping my hand again.

Balancing my coffee so it didn't spill it. I sighed. "Otto, stop fucking around and just let me in."

Otto straightened up. He was a tall, and slim man with a sharp angular face, his dark hair was cut short, and the dark bags under his chocolate brown eyes didn't help his looks. The thing that most noticed though never mention was the scars that cris crossed along his chin, and neck.

The slight motion of his gloved hand indicated his annoyance as he resisted reaching for one of his I suspect many blades scattered through his body. Otto was rather tense on protocol probably had a background in the army since most of the boys who worked here did it wasn't a unique past in this profession.

I didn't want to cause too mush of a fuss outside so I raised my hand in submission. "Look I'm sorry I didn't mean that could we just make this quick, please?"

"Manners cost you nothing Jester, neither does actually looking after your appearance. You look atrocious." He dismissed straightening the cuff of his monochrome suit. I just shrugged I wasn't going to bother to argue with him. "Arms up." He ordered.

Raising my arms he began patting me down. "No piece today Jester?" He sounded surprised, and so was I.

"It was bad last night, maybe I left it here?" I hissed as he kept patting every patch of ugly bruises or bandaged wound. As the pain subsided, a cold sweat broke out on my back as a sense of anxiety took over. I realized I was defenseless.

Otto finished searching standing back up he reached for the door. "Do you need to to search this as well?" I grinned slightly shaking the coffee cup in his face.

He looked at me with serious face. "Now that you mention it I may just need to search that it might have a hidden weapon inside."

He swiftly confiscated the cup. "Hey!" I shouted as he began drinking.

"Good stuff, no poison, and no hidden blades." With a twisted smile he opened the door.

"I needed that." I grumbled as I stepped through the door way.

The door closed with a bang behind me. I scanned the room as everyone turned their eyes on me. "I told you he was going to be late, just like always. Fuck my head is killing me." A voice spoke in pained satisfaction.

"Nice to see you to." I answered as I sat down on one of the spare chairs. "How's the hangover?"

"Shut up, your voice is making my ears bleed." Stanley replied getting to his feet.

Getting up as well fists tightening. "And your face is making my eyes-" I started to snarl back.

"Boy's would you please kindly sit down, and shut the fuck up." An icy voice ordered. The smell of cigar smoke drifting in the air.

We both complied with hostile glares as we sat back down. The scratching of a stub being put out on an ash tray filled the room. "Now that we are all here let's get down to business."

Silence hung in the air as everyone got comfortable, before they all turned their gazes towards the man sitting behind the desk."Now our most pressing concern." The man started.

I turned my gaze to the wooden floorboards as I began tracing lines with my foot as I tuned out the conversation after the third complaint of business slipping. In truth I was bored I was in a room with people whom only two out of the five other people, other than me, in this room evenly remotely intrigued me.

This was a farce. A masked ball that I, no matter how unwilling, had to dance in.

"Jester? Jester!?" A sharp voice called out dragging me back into the conversation.

"What?" I answered back as I stopped moving my feet.

"Were you even listening?"

"Yeah, I'm listening to a bunch of people complaining about money." I muttered. This is such a waste of my fucking time.

"Business is important, and war effects business rather heavily." The man replied calmly.

I sighed. I understood that. I understood it better than most people how important cash is to make it in this world, but complaining won't solve anything.

"You seem disappointed."

"I'm a soldier I solve problems with fire, and steel not kind words, some political scheme, or with a sizable paycheck. You don't seem to be bothered about this so I'll take in my own hands these bastards have a debt to pay, and I'm going to collect it." I stated as I got up, and left

Ignoring Otto's sideways glare I burst into a room down the hall.

Plain, white, empty walls. A single bed with simple covers, a neglected room seemingly frozen untouched by time.

I cleared the room looking around for my gun. It was very uncomfortable without it, the feeling of vulnerability. The feeling of despair increased as I came up empty. It wasn't here.

Dejectedly I walked out the the room, and I made my way outside into the pouring rain.