20/XX-B. Written In Red (Remastered)

“Stuck, huh.” She leaned to her side of the window of the Ferris wheel seeing the beauty of the night lights as well as the golden sunset enveloped the city beyond her sight.

The tinkling and sparkling lights of the city and the reflection of the moonlight on the Thames River, and from beyond the city, the London Big Ben’s illuminating minute and hour hand, and the cities’ bustling evening exuded a warmth in Sophia’s heart that she was not able to see and feel before.

“See?” He giggled and smiled noting that Sophia looked like a chick that just opened its eyes and imprinted it on the first person it saw.

His chuckle and his smile became one of the reasons of the warmth Sophia felt.

“What? Why are you laughing?” She smirked and looked at his eyes, glimmering, and innocent, pure, and true.

“I got reminded of the time when one of my friends saw their mother for the first time.” He chuckled a little bit and met her eye to eye.

They were both lost in their thoughts, and as they try to dig deeper with what they were feeling, the skies lit up with the fireworks from the amusement park.

Sparks and bright lights covered the night sky and brightened everything that their eyes reached.

For a moment, he thought they were lost in the beauty of the city, stuck in the Ferris wheel and enjoying the time together, but a hic he heard overwhelmed him for a minute as he composed himself, and-

“Are you crying?” Eon worried endlessly. Seeing a lady cry was one of the first experiences he didn’t desire when he took over Arthur’s body today.

“I…” *hic* “I didn’t know that this place could be this beautiful.” She clutched her right hand, and violently wiped her tears with her left hand, and attempted feebly to stop the hiccups.

The trace of her makeup was wiped along with her tears. The eyeliner ran across her cheeks and her rosy puffed cheeks became pale in comparison afterwards.

“What made you so desperate to stay on that horrible place?” He continued inquiring. He knew her heart was more trusting this time around.

He wanted to help her, know more about her, ask her about her troubles and her burdens.

“No one listened. I- they have people on the inside. The police are in on it.” She’s lost in her thoughts, in her miseries, it was the first time in ages that she felt warm with a stranger nearby, but it didn’t matter, she felt his sincerity from everything, she knew in her heart that he remained true to his words and that he wanted to help her and the girls abused in that hell.

“What happened?” His stern voice calmed her down.

She breath deeply, closed her eyes, and looked him in the eye.

As the lights from the fireworks fade to darkness in the background, Sophia told her life story. \

She poured out her heart. It was as if she was speaking to her best friend.

“A year ago, I had to run away from my parents. They arranged my marriage to someone that I didn’t love, and every time I want to bring it up, they would ignore me.” She began at that point in time.

Eon listened intently and only focused on her and her alone.

A lost soul and a hopeless spirit wanting to be free from the chains of society and the responsibilities that came along familial connections.

“I came here in the city looking for a job to live independently, hoping that no one would recognize me from home.” She continued, still trying to hold off some important information.

She wanted him to listen but she doesn’t want to endanger the man’s life for rescuing her from that hell.

“And what did you find?” He muttered his question under his breath, and as his eyes deep within hers and his curiosity lifted up what Sophia had been holding off.

“I found out that the world can be a terrible place to live.” She exhaled as if a large burden from her heart had been lifted, and looked down in exhaustion and embarrassment.

Sophia tried to contain her emotions, but pouring out her story to Eon became her tipping point.

Not one listened to her when she asked for help, not one offered a hand to rescue her from the hell that she had dug herself into.

Eon, or rather, Arthur, was the first man to reach out his hand to help her.

“Truthfully, I’m at awe, at why I am being so open about this to a stranger, but I feel like I can trust you, instead of those sleazy cops.” She continued, looking away from him even further.

“I did find a job, but-” She sighed, visibly showing her exhaustion and her eye bags and bruises displayed clearly as the lamps nearby opened one by one.

“I- I didn’t know what I was getting into. I just accepted the abuse because no other establishment would hire me without proper documents and such.” She attempted to weep again, but there’s no tear coming out.

“What was happening inside? Tell me everything.” He truly wanted to help me, he wanted to know what is happening.

“They recruit girls like me, stowaways, kidnapped, illegal immigrants, prostitutes to service those lusting bastards.” Eon can sense her wrath and frustration in her tone.

“They harass us sexually, but the management encourages it since they are being paid just like what you did.” Her eyes glimmered along with the lights at the back of her head.

She faced him head-on, eye to eye, with a determination to escape from that hell.

He recorded everything from when he entered the establishment to the testifying of Sophia, and anonymously sent it to the contact of Edward in the Interpol.

The night ended with a peaceful conversation with Sophia and Eon. He accompanied her to a cab towards his dorm out of Harvard, paid the cab and gave her the keys to his place.

He also gave her money enough to live for a month – exhausting his own monthly allowance.

Eon updated Michael’s memory of what has happened when he came out and Arthur let Sophia stay in his dorm room for a while as everything unfolds into one large conspiracy.

As Michael and Eon planned out, the establishment managers were apprehended, the police were able to find dirt on the triad mafia that the Interpol was trying to apprehend, and the ladies kidnapped, sold off, abused, and wore down were rescued and brought back to their family.

Arthur played around with Edward’s access in the Interpol as Edward stayed home.

He promptly found out that there were three big names under the investigation and supervision of Interpol – Pride of Britain, which specializes in drug trafficking, drug mulling, anything that involves drugs.

Another one was the Queen of Russia, which specializes in human trafficking, sex slaves, prostitution, and anything that involves human services like hiring a hitman, a spy, or a set of bodyguards that can be hired to die at any time.

And then there was the Rat of Germany, which specializes in blackmailing, extortion, and many more that doesn’t involve killing but involves basically selling your dignity.

Any feeble attempt of the Interpol gaining a witness ends up in mysterious deaths, and thus, the cases they push do not even reach a trial since there were just literally circumstantial evidences against these mafia or triad.

They ended up sending one of their men to pose as a bad guy to get information, and with the involvement of Edward’s name in the apprehension of one of the operations of the Queen, the Pride that they infiltrated began doubting the new man.

Of course, Edward knew it was Arthur’s doing.

He stayed behind the shadows but let him know that evil-doers will always get the retribution they deserved.

A week later, everything was reported on the evening news, and it became a hot topic for the family dinner.

“Tonight on London Evening News, one of the members of mafia here in London and its operations inside an establishment of the Warmer Brothers has been revealed through the thorough investigations of the Interpol and the Metropolitan Police. Five men were apprehended with the case of human trafficking, kidnapping, and sexual abuse and harassment. The kidnapped college student, Diane Williams, was discovered as one of the victims to this ploy. The ladies that were rescued took up the opportunity to stand as witness to trial against these hoodlums.”

The television played in the background as the family slowly ate their dinner.

Arthur’s mood appeared to have been lifted up by the recent events.

“Art, did you take your meds?” Edward cautiously asks, walking on eggshells, he wanted to try reaching out first.

“Yes, father. Thank you for asking.” He smiled without hesitation, answered respectfully, as if nothing happened between them.

That answered cheered up Edward for a bit, he’s having a hard time maintaining his cover and reporting back to the Interpol.

All eyes were on him, and his actions, but at least, at home, he’s now free from the shackles of conflict.

“I… uhm, father, I need…” Arthur hesitantly spoke as the air cleared out.

“Yes?” Edward patiently waited his son’s request.

“I need money. Can I request another monthly allowance?” Arthur spent all of his monthly allowance on Sophia that week buying her necessities and clothes and also food in the dorms.

Using government connection, Edward was able to locate Sophia’s parents and he was able to inform them of what had happened.

Sophia already went back to her parents as her father and mother were so worried about her running away.

“You had us so worried. Your mother and I hired private investigators to track you, to locate where you are!” Sophia’s father hugged her so tightly as she ran up to them.

They ended up listening to her and breaking the marriage agreement.

The girl wanted to thank Arthur for everything and for every help, but Arthur knew he was not the one who helped Sophia, and so he only bowed down and walked away as the family drive away as well.

“Of course, rest assured, I’ll put some money in your account.” Edward smirked as he glanced sweetly to his children.

“Thank you.” Arthur smiled back.

The family dinner ended without a disaster and at long last Edward deeply exhaled as he sprang up from his dining chair.

“Dad! Let’s play!” The peace and serenity never threatened the Smith household, but knowing that Edward was undercover, he, himself, doubted if there was a storm masked behind the calm of the night.

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“It’s already been three days. The rain never stopped, and it just goes on and on stronger than the previous hour.” Noah and his family continued to pace at the inner deck of the Ark as Michael stood guard outside the Ark.

“ARE YOU OKAY OUT THERE?” His heart beating faster than normal, Shem shouted in fear and worry for Michael, who has been flying non-stop for the past two days outside the Ark. The Flood has not yet come, so were the people in the plains not paying attention to nature.

“I’m fine.” The angel communicated through their minds using Oracle and the power of Telepathy.

“Dad…”

“Don’t be afraid. God is with us.” Noah reaffirmed his sons and daughters – his wife doesn’t need that much assurance since she put her full faith to Noah the day they got married.

“It’s still calm…” Michael gauged the winds, the rain, and the lightning and thunders - these were not the ones he saw on the Oracle previously.

The calm before a storm, huh. He thought to himself.

What are you thinking father, how many days do we have to wait?