Chapter 9

Sean City, a proud and powerful city ruled by the great king and queen, Joseph and Chelsea Sean. Karina Sean, Elias Emerson, and Elise Pernalli follow a new lead on Liz, Lisa's sister; the lead being a solid suspicion. Unfortunately, suspicion isn't enough to convict someone of a crime. Hoping for new, helpful information to reinforce the case the three are trying to build, they take their business to Death City, to investigate Barren's office and possibly break some laws.

Death City, Zatarrie

My body just wasn't having it today. Dreary and sleep deprived, I dragged myself onto Karina's private jet and slumped in the first seat I found. All of this new information and these leads have left me unable to close my eyes at night. Fear, anxiety, and an anxious mind filled my heart with dread. How could I have let Liz do this without my knowing?

"Hey, you all right there?", Elias asked, crouching down next to my seat. "Huh? Oh yeah, I'm just tired that's all", I said drearily. "Mmkay, whatever you say", he brushed it off. "Thanks", I said nonchalantly. "Sure! Wait, thanks? Are you lying to me about being okay?", he asked upsettingly. "Wasn't it obvious?", I asked honestly. "What do you mean?", he looked genuinely confused. "Wow, you really aren't good with people are you?", I looked at him observantly. He remained silent. I took a deep breath before continuing, "When someone says they're quote unquote, 'fine', they are far from it, but want you to leave them alone", I educated him. "Oh, I see. So it's like a very dishonest and indirect way of saying, 'No, but leave me alone'?", he reiterated. "Basically", I confirmed. "Mmkay, well I'll leave you be and go take a seat", he walked off with a satisfied look on his face.

I toned out my surroundings and shut my eyes, hoping to get some shuteye during the trip. Out of nowhere, Karina popped up beside me and plopped down in the seat next to mine. "Watchya doing?", she questioned enthusiastically. "Nothing, just trying to get some sleep for the worrisome journey ahead", I explained unenthusiastically. I assumed she took a hint because she lifted her head in realization and stood up, strolling off to Elias.

I sighed in relief, expecting to be left alone for the rest of the flight now that they are both aware of my mood.

To my dismay, I woke up only an hour later to find upon opening my eyes, Karina and Elias laughing with drinks in their hands playing cards. Hungrily, I dragged myself out of the chair as quietly as I could. But to no avail, they caught sight of me anyway. "Hey, Lisa! You're awake, come join us!", she offered jubilantly. "No thanks, I don't intend to remain in this state for long", I said groggily. Elias made a 'whoops' kind of expression at my response.

"Though, do you have any food?", I quickly asked before they got distracted again. "Oh yeah, there are some snacks in the top kitchen cabinets. If you're really hungry, you can just ask the flight attendant to whip you something up", she generously offered. "That's okay, I can make something myself", I rejected. "Sure, just don't make a mess, Faith will kill me", she half-joked, pretending to cut her throat with her finger. I gave her a confused look. "Oh right, sorry, my sister Faith, she is such a clean freak, I can't get away with a water stain even if I tried", she joked while informing me of who she was talking about. I nodded in understanding so I could get away a little faster.

I was a little mad at myself for acting confused, although I genuinely was, I didn't want more interaction, yet that is exactly what I ushered. 

Soon after finding my way around the kitchen, I whipped up a nice sandwich and chips and went back to my seat to eat. Surprisingly there were no tables in the jet, just trays connected to the backs of the seats. I pulled one out and enjoyed my meal for what felt like forever as I was eating so slow due to my tiredness.

5 Hours Later

I don't even remember falling asleep, but when I awoke, the first thing I noticed was my unfinished sandwich.

"We'll be landing in 20 minutes!", Karina chimed. "Ugh", I groaned to myself. Even after 6 hours of sleep, I still had a tiring aura lingering around me. Venierreans typically need ten or more hours of sleep a day for maximum performance. I however have only gotten about eight hours in. So one thing's for sure, I won't be fully in it today.

As the jet lowered from the intense height, I felt my stomach sink from the quick altitude decline. I think Karina noticed because she walked over to me as the plan was dipping downward. "Hey, you alright? You look tense", she presumed. "A little, I don't do good with heights", I answered. She gave an understanding smile and didn't push anymore, something I was grateful for as they've only been persistent in trying to receive a response that would satisfy them.

The plane came to a slow and gradual stop and I quickly hopped out of my seat, gathered the few things I brought, and went to the bathroom. "Hey, where you going?", Karina quickly shouted. "Just to take a quick shower and change", I replied uncomfortably. I know we've kind of become friends, but we're not close enough for her to be asking me where I'm going as if she's my mom. "Okay, well we'll be gathering our stuff and waiting outside", she informed. "Mmkay", I sarcastically replied, as I never asked her what she'd be doing.

I guess I should try to understand that she came from a family of twelve, with nine other sisters who were probably always up in her business. I wouldn't doubt it if she picked up on their behavior at some point.

Honestly, I was glad she had a shower in this jet, usually private jets aren't large enough to house more than a small cabin, let alone a full bathroom. Then again, I recalled to mind, she's a multi-millionaire, or at least her parents are.

Finally a relaxing moment without someone incessantly bombarding me. I enjoyed the hell out of that shower. The water was so crisp and clean, literally the freshest water I've ever felt. Not desiring to draw more attention, I hurried in the shower and quickly slipped on some gray jeans and a lilac, long-sleeved shirt with some shoe boots, or shooties as I like to call them.

No joke, right as I opened the door, Karina called out, "Almost done in there! Oh, there you are", she said realizing I was. I threw her an awkward, short smile as I breezed past her. 

"Well", I heard Elias mutter to Karina, to which she sighed in defeat. I feel like she's trying to gain my approval or want me to like her, which is weird because usually the poor person tries to gain the rich person's approval or respect. I've found her unusually weird and even a little quirky ever since I met her.

"Let's bounce", I said, happy to finally get out of there. "Wooh, let's go shopping!", Karina squealed. "Did you forget why we're here?", I asked her with a disapproving glare. "Nope, just want to do some shopping while we're here, that's all", she elucidated. I rolled my eyes in response, not really caring to go shopping. I don't need to go shopping for unnecessary clothing, I have plenty of plain, casual clothes to last me for years.

"You know Lisa, you don't go clothes shopping because you need to, it's just for fun and to try on some new clothes and maybe buy a few. It's so us girls can have some fun while the boys go drink or whatever", she explained. "Yup, I'm fully aware of that, but I don't have enough money to spend foolishly. Also, I'm girly, but not like that, I keep it real", I replied seriously. "That you do", Elias threw in. "Mm, well we should go anyway. Let's loosen up a little bit before the hectic and might I remind you, dangerous mission we're going on", she reminded, caution evident in her voice. "First of all, it's not a mission, we're not in the army. Second of all, dangerous is an understatement, and hectic is for an office job, not mafia work. And third of all, I don't have fun in serious situations, distractions are everywhere, and the last thing we need is to lose focus and fall behind on our lead", I vividly expounded as we neared the chauffeur.

Karina and Elias remained completely silent after my lecture, either completely speechless or defeated, realizing they can't convince me to do anything I don't initially want to.

"Princess", the chauffeur greeted, opening the door with a kind smile. "Thank you, Morano", Karina replied with an effortlessly gleaming smile. "Ladies first", Elias waved to me, cheesily smiling. "No thanks, you can go", I rejected him, resisting a smirk. "Sure thing", was all he said before hopping in the back seat, to which I followed.

"Where to Miss Karina", the chauffeur respectfully asked in his beautiful Baftalene accent. "Death Tower, please", Karina answered without a hint of mischief in her tone. I've noticed she's an excellent actor and good at hiding her true feelings and intentions. She must have needed to learn to do so with her cynical, narcissistic, and invasive mother, which I can't relate to.

"Whatchu thinkin' about?", Karina questioned presumably. "Oh nothing", I replied with carelessness in my tone. It seemed she could just as easily fake an image as she could see through others. "Mmkay", she said skeptically unconvinced.

Nearly an hour later, the peak of Death Tower finally came into view. Dark and incredibly tall is all that you need to explain its stature. I'm honestly shocked it hasn't been utterly destroyed during its 500-year life. Death Tower basically represents Death City; you don't know Death City and not know its famous Death Tower, raising to 5,000 feet tall.

"We have arrived", the chauffeur informed unnecessarily, maintaining his gaze straight ahead. We all climbed out of the limo, stretching after the long cramped ride. The gray, gloomy sky drew into view as the roaring streets filled our ears. There was a biting wind that already made me feel regretful for coming here. I am aware that I live here, but I reside on the warmer, sunnier side of Central Death City.

"Thanks again Morano, and please don't tell my mother about any of this, okay?", Karina asked hopefully. "Of course Miss Karina, anything for the princess", he kindly responded. "What about for the queen?", she said, sounding more ominous. "I won't tell a soul", he grinned in reply. She nodded in approval, shutting the door softly. He drove off in a rush, giving me a feeling he wasn't being entirely truthful.

"Welp, ready to do some breaking and entering?", Karina cheered auspiciously. Four words, I-Don't-Understand-Her. She was just acting ominous, now she's confident?

"Are you okay?", I asked judgementally. "What do you mean?", she said, pretending to be clueless. "Were you faking being unpropitious with Morano, or are you faking your confidence right now?", I asked plainly. "What!? No, I was worried about my mom finding out about us, but I'm confident our plan here will be successful. Those are two vastly different subjects, to which I have vastly different feelings", she explained openly. "Hm, alright then, let's get going, loitering looks suspicious", I said, letting my cynical assumption go.

We marched in through the main gates confidently to avoid suspicion. The pathway leading up to Death Tower is long and met with a giant courtyard, water fountains, ponds, trees, and shrubbery all around. After a few long minutes we approached the doors, and without hesitation, strolled right in. Several people greeted us with a nod, which I took as approval.

Karina directed us toward an elevator, none of us speaking a word to each other. Once we got in and the doors shut Karina immediately broke the silence. "Okay, first things first, I'll stop at Barren's office for a chat. Then you two will sneak into the filing cabinet rooms and find whatever you can. I can buy you guys ten minutes, not a second longer, so be quick", she explicated faster than I could comprehend. "Right, so… what do we do again?", Elias asked unashamedly. "Really!?", she said displeased. "Well, you said it so fast", he said in defense. "I did not, I spoke at an appropriate speed for our situation", Karina attempted to justify herself. "Gosh, you two sound like a married couple", I jeered honestly. "We do not", they said simultaneously, looking at each other after doing so. "See? I didn't even need proof", I continued smugly. They both sighed together and we continued in silence for the rest of the ride.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. "Okay, does everybody remember their tasks?", Karina double-checked. "Sure", I replied inattentively. "And the time crunch?", she asked for further reply. "Yes", Elias and I said, he pensively, me carelessly. "Lisa, you seem really nonchalant for this being about your sister, are you sure you're up for this?", Karina questioned accusatively. "Yes, because I'm with you two and I don't like being ordered around. I know more about prudence than the two of you combined", I responded arrogantly blunt. "Wow, way to ruin the mood", Karina convicted me. "Can we just go already!?", I yelled impatiently. "Sure, you can be the boss now", she replied sarcastically.

We swung out of the elevator, Karina striding straight for the first door which read on a bronze plaque, 'Barren Kartovyan'. Elias and I continued forth to the further rooms where we were met with a locked door. "Great, just great", I complained. "It's all right, I prepared just for this", he mollified, pulling out a small case that revealed a set of tools. "Hm, I'm impressed", I said with a satisfied smile. "I don't need you to be", he replied in a straight tone.

The door hung ajar when the lock clicked. Both of us walked in silently, awkwardly quiet. I followed Elias down an aisle to the right of the entrance. "You know, you're a lot like your sister", his voice echoed through the file filled room. "How so?", I said, weirdly formal. "Well, first there's the attitude and exaggerative sarcasm. Then there's—-", he started deprecatingly before I cut him off angrily, "What? I do not have an attitude, okay maybe a little, but I'm not sarcastic", I utterly denied with a frown on my face. "You didn't let me finish. You're serious, hardy, confident, caring even though you try to hide it, and tough, both mentally and physically", he examined judgmentally, fitting weak compliments in. "I'm sorry, it's just Karina is a handful, no a handful of handfuls, and I just met her too", I joked lightly, trying to ease the guilt of my shame. "True, but I like that about her. Also, you shouldn't be sorry for being you; change if you want to, not because others want you to", he consoled, keeping his focus on searching through the cabinets. "Oh, I'm aware", I said, bulging my eyes out exaggeratively. "Of what?", he said cluelessly. "Of your crush on Karina", I accused bluntly. "Crush? No, just friends", he smoothly denied. "Maybe to her. You men never make it clear to women how you feel. It's always lead on then drop out", I clarified, adding in my own opinion. "What do you mean? I don't lead her on, and I could barely say I have a crush on her", he further denied. "I see how you two play around with each other", I added with a blunt expression. "Is it that obvious?", he indirectly admitted. "Obvious is an understatement. I think a full on circus describes your relationship better", I replied jokingly.

Elias stayed silent afterward, holding a contrite expression as he fumbled through the cabinet drawers. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings", I forced an apology out. "It's nothing, so what are we supposed to be looking for?", he changed the subject quickly, giving me the feeling he wasn't okay with it. "Uhm… anything with Liz's name on it", I hesitated to answer, overwhelmed with guilt and shame for hurting his sensitive self-esteem. He seems like a really kind and sensitive guy, contrasted with a somewhat manly stature. He's definitely the type to get his feelings hurt easily by a girl.

"I think it's been about ten minutes, we should leave", Elias suggested, breaking my train of thought. "Oh shoot, right. Uhm, did you find anything?", I replied urgently. "Yeah, I found several files with her name on it", he confirmed by handing me a small stack of folders. "All right, let's get out of here then", I ushered him through the aisles and out the door. We looked both ways to make sure the coast was clear. We turned back to each other and nodded.

We were only about twenty feet from the elevator when the door to Barren's office swung open. "Get Out! I've had it with you cunts!", Barren's familiar Babysh accent yelled. "I'll be seeing you and my parents in court", Karina spoke loud and stern. He slammed the door in a heartbeat causing Karina to twitch in fear. Her face overwhelmed with stress as she lifted her hands to her forehead. She must have not noticed us because she jumped a little when I asked, "Are you okay?". "Huh, oh yeah", she sighed with a fake giggle. "Come on, we should leave before we get caught", I gently nudged her toward the elevator.

The trip down was a lot shorter than it was going up. Still, the dead silence made it feel long. We reached the ground floor and the doors slid open with a ding. The bright gray light from the sky shining through the floor to ceiling windows.

Quickly making our way out, I tried to brighten the mood with, "We found a few files on my sister, mostly contracts she made with Barren and your parents. I think it's enough evidence". Her face lit up like a little kid receiving candy. "That's great, at least you guys had an easy trip", her voice changed from exuberant to disappointed.

"Now there's only one thing left to do", I decided. "Yup! Well actually several things compiled into one main goal", Karina corrected as we were now approaching the limo. "Hey this isn't—", Karina made a realization before an older woman opened the car door. "Get in, now!", the thick, red-haired woman barked. We threw each other confused glances before reluctantly shoving ourselves in the car.