Chapter 3: Leaving is not a Choice

The three walked into the building revealing layers and layers of password. Etoile stood there, waited patiently, and slowly constructed an outline of her essay in her mind. They walked into what seemed like a modern mansion. The living room, placed in the centre of first floor in the mansion, consisting of a white leather sofa with a large TV hanging on the wall, an open space kitchen and dining room. The size of that minimalistic navy dining table could possibly fit 12 people 6 on each side. A kitchen with 6 electric stoves, knives were magnetic and stuck to the wall, the glass cabinet doors revealed the stacked white plates that threatened to fall. A chandelier was glistering as more animal featured people walked around in suits. Such formality inside a house.

Right in front of the living room was a large working area, like those you'd see in a floating office. The black matte walls contrasted the snow-white table and monitors. Roughly, there were 10 desks in one row and 4 rows were to be seen. Many people were sipping on their coffee while typing away. A door laid behind the office tables with the bold letters "File centre" pronounced on it. To the left of the living room exhibited a large glass deck where one could rest on the swing enjoying the night sky. The beauty co-existed with everyone who looked in a hurry. One rabbit-eared woman who looked as if a petite dwarf swiped her card, opening the door of the "File Centre". Etoile couldn't help but gasp at the breath-taking glance she caught. The File Centre was more of a luxurious library that contained neatly packed books up to the second floor. A spiral case of stairs ran through the centre as ladders were laid around the tall two-story shelves. The colour coordinated library would definitely be on the same level of beauty as the starlit library in Seoul, South Korea. Besides the office were a set of gothic staircases with a sign on the top stating "living quarters".

"If I had my camera here, I would've taken images like a tourist!" Excitement orbited Etoile as she jumped up and down.

"This place is amazing! You guys live here!". Just as she was about to run off to explore the fantastic home-and-work mansion, her collar turned into a ligature holding her in place.

"Where do you think your off to?" The winged man's glare caused her neck to shiver.

"Tsuki you're back with a pet I see?" Etoile tried to find the owner of the voice after many failed attempts, her attention was captured by a deep growling sound coming from behind.

"Don't call me by my name, address me properly"

"Yeah, yeah alright commander" A tall girl in a wine-red suit walked up to Etoile and guess what, she does this thing the winged guy likes to do, kneel down to Etoile's height level.

"Hello there?" Etoile looked up to glare at her orange eyes pairing with her orange ears and tail, evidently a fox. At first Etoile was horrified of these animalistic features upon extremely attractive humans. Yet with the idea of making it into explosive news receded the fear.

"I'm not that short, do you mind?" Etoile tried to express her anger only to be rebutted with being ignored.

"Who is this Tsuki? Another runaway child?" The way the fox women's tail brushed against Etoile's leg made her more than uncomfortable as it slid up and down her shin. The texture was soft and fluffy, an ideal pillow, except having it near your ankles was uncomfortable. If it wasn't for the cargo pants Etoile wore, then the tail would've been too ticklish for her to suppress a hysterical laugh.

"This is none of your business, go back to work"

"Mean as ever I see. If you find no use of her, I'd like to have a play with... a human" The cynical and seductive look of the female fox met with Etoile's innocent eyes. Etoile knew, if she ended up with this fox, she's gonna get tortured one way or another. The fox walked away swaying her hips and tail while looking back to give a wink at the three.

-

"Let's go" Tsuki signalled both me and the feline that I now identified as a snow leopard. He had beautiful white fur ears and tails that splattered with splotches of black.

I followed obediently as getting a mini-tour around the mansion would be more than ideal for my work. My eyes trailed to the leopard beside me, he had his ears down and tail tucked between his legs. Seeing such a vicious animal suddenly bow down to what now looks to me, an overgrown chicken man, let me reconsider whether being in this place is right for me. They were fighting back on the skyline train and now like boss and slave. Such an odd relationship only gets me excited!

Imagine writing an essay on the hierarchy system in here. It's obvious this winged guy the fox girl called Tsuki is of some high status. We walked up those gothic stairs as I glanced back at the breath-taking view of the designed office area. The lady fox's eyesight met mine again and I hastily retracted looking down on the marble stairs. She's very creepy. We went towards the living quarters, we were taken down to the end of the floor, the room that was furthest from the stairs. Perhaps it's a special guest's room! Tsuki opened the door revealing the dark abyss and pushing the snow leopard in.

"Come with me" Tsuki's cold and distant voice doesn't complement with his cute name. We kept walking down a few corridors. The doors had different colours and I was allocated to the purple one. I could just imagine the gorgeous scenery of that room, tall windows, king-size bed, a corner table and office chair. To my disappointment, it was just a normal room with a table, bed and adjoining toilet. The bland desk sat in the middle of the room with 2 chairs facing each other as if something a police interrogation centre. The bed had been folded, not displayed and a single pillow, the sheets were like they were ironed beforehand sitting longingly to be sat, at the end of the room. There was nothing special, no windows at all. It felt in some ways a cliché asylum seen in novels.

"Take a seat" Tsuki directed me at the minimalistic designed seat. He walked behind me placing his hands on my shoulders. Those large calloused hands rested on my shoulders like a blanket, warm and reassuring. It felt like they were signifying to me I was in safe hands. That was a misconception. The hands trailed down my arm taking both my hands into contact together behind the seat. A machine crinkle sound tickled my ear. There I was handcuffed.

-

Etoile sat there in confusion, contemplating on previous events. Her initial thoughts and dreams of becoming the sole interviewer of this mysterious place disintegrated. She wasn't going to be interviewing anyone in fact she's the one who was being interviewed in a forced way. Tsuki took off his coat and electronic glasses revealing his blood-red iris and sinewy shape. He brushed his hair back revealing his perfect skin, pale but not too pale, not a single pimple with hydrated and smooth skin. His red iris matched this top of his wing colour, they acted as a whirlpool in a hallucinating way slowing ombre to the dark black hole like a pupil. He sat down calmly yet seriously in front of Etoile, not breaking a single smile to ease the awkward silence. Tsuki stared at Etoile and Etoile just stared at the white table with nothing to say, nothing to see though, a million questions passed through her mind. A piece of recording machinery was placed on the table near Etoile's right.

"Let's begin"

"Begin what?" The fear was relaxed a second ago because Etoile was excited about arriving as a fervent journalist. Yet like the never-ending tides of life, the wave of nervousness hit the shore again.

"The interrogation" Tsuki's words like icicles piercing Etoile's soul and freezing to death. Cold, distant and serious. Not a single word to relief the tension.

"Name?"

"Etoile"

"Full name" This time the word name was said with emphasis as if annoyed at the lack of response. This glare only grew deadlier, piercing towards the inner layer of her soul and caused a cold sheet of sweat to form on her back.

"Etoile Snow"

"Ethnicity?" Tsuki pronounced this more of a demand than a question.

"I-…I have the right to remain silent". Etoile silently rewarded herself for such a smart and legal answer.

"Alright then, Reason for trespass?"

"This is ridiculous! Trespass, you brought me here, I have nothing to do with this. I was on the train chilling and I wake up to two of you fighting like stags!"

"Excuses" The emotionless face Tsuki made Etoile feel unjust in the air.

"What do you mean excuses! I am a freelance journalist who was headed for the convenience store"

"All the way to the "abyss" station?"

" I fell asleep"

"Not good enough, we can always use some force. I'm sure Umi has many new gadgets, she would like help in trying out. " A smirk sprinkled across his stern face asserting his control do the situation.

"You're not my teacher or boss of me, I have no reason to stay here!" Etoile stood up wriggling her arms above the chair. She stood up with her hands cuffed walking to the locked door. A hand pulled her by the collar and tossed her hard falling on something soft at the end of the room.

"Leaving is not a choice." Tsuki's scarlet eyes stared down at Etoile's shivering figure on the bed she was thrown on, creating its first wrinkle.