Chapter 7

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Zac's hands burned as he thrust them into his jacket, his footsteps quiet as he paced a busy sidewalk. He didn't plan on walking through broad daylight, however, when he jumped out of the back balcony of his fourth-story hotel room, he seemed to forget that there might be other balconies below him, hence the burning hands. He leaped out and collided face-first into another balcony that was held a few floors below his, and as he fell he grasped desperately at the bricked wall, scraping his hands and arms before he landed on his feet on another balcony. He quickly steadied himself and rushed toward a metal pipe and used it to scale down the building. Now he found himself rubbing his jaw while trying to breathe slowly, his chest aching with every deep breath.

What a shit day

Zac could hear Madité cackle faintly in his head as he retouched his hood, his hands trembling after he firmly rubbed them together.

“Do you know where you're going, Zandra?”

Zac ignored her as he paced, keeping his head down as he walked past the fluttering crowds outside cafes and restaurants.

His chest heaved as he felt a cold flutter run through it. The cool feeling seemed to slip from his chest to his head, before down to his feet, as though a stream was rushing through his veins, binding him in a cool numbing state. He shivered.

She finally chose to heal me

Perhaps she took her time because she was angry he didn't run after the man who attacked him. She knew him well, down to the very being of his soul. She knew his potential, and she knew he could have gotten to the perpetrator, with or without people noticing. Whether it was fear or consideration, she didn’t care for it. Zac looked around him, the scent of pollution mixed with food didn’t fuse well, making him grimace as he walked. The chill around him was like a barrier to the warmth that oppressed the streets. His hearing was much sharper than the average person's. The shuffling of people, the chimes of opening doors, and loud tourists muffled through Zac’s ears. It was a hot morning, and at ten o’clock, it was almost the end of a rush hour. He groaned as he felt for his wallet that he forgot back at the hotel.

It seemed closer before…

Zac walked fast, making his way through the street as the crowd thinned. The sun's light was a soft gleam when he began, but now the sun was high and unforgiving. He had walked off the streets hours ago, and he found himself walking through parks and trudging through land overrun with vines and weeds. Heat reclaimed him as Madité slowed her healing, keeping light bruises atop his skin. With how popular he was, he would be a prominent subject for an unceasing amount of time. He still had to look injured.

He didn’t have to stop to know where he was going, He had made his way through this path many times. Zac looked through the trees, wanting to catch a glimpse of where he was going, and then he saw it. Between two trees, he saw a white dome, small marble statues, and spikes covering the roof. He walked towards it, the forest clearing as if to make a path for him. There stood before him was a large decorated mansion, invaded with vines and aging mold. He walked towards it comfortably, watching the sky, the brightness making him wince. He made a note to alter the heat.

“Would you like the barriers up?” Madité hummed.

“No, that’s alright” Zac murmured, feeling around his jacket and pulling out a small wooden box, polished and decorated with carvings. He looked at the light green door, void of vines and dirt. He remembered clearing it years ago but was still unable to restore it to its former shine. The metal hinges were rusted but firm. The keyholes were particularly beautiful, the large keyholes enshrined with metal swirls around them, tangling around each other. He opened the box and pulled out three keys that were joined together by a ring. Each of the keys had intricate bows and distinct wedges, however, each key had something in common, the end of it was shaped into a smooth metal rose.

Zac put each one in as he turned the key, receiving a satisfying click in return. He pushed firmly against it, the door creaking open as he walked through. The dampness was the first thing he felt. The humidity settled on his skin and he found it hard to breathe, a thick musty smell coiling around him as if to strangle him. He didn’t have to squint to be able to see as a normal person would, his senses were heightened and he could see the bookshelves that lined the walls on either side to him. He looked around him for a light switch or a lamp pull switch. It took him by surprise that he’d forgotten where it was.

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“Where the hell…” He muttered as he stalked around the large rooms, careful not to collapse the many piles of books that lay on the floor. He finally saw a small familiar switch next to the staircase and rushed to turn it on. He heard a faint flicker and a buzz before the large heavily decorated chandelier brightened slowly, emitting a yellow tint onto the room. A large grand piano sat in the middle of the room and behind it an impressive two-sided staircase. He rolled his eyes at the familiar bold green flower pattern on the wallpaper. He promised himself when he first saw it he would change it, but never got around to it. He walked to the left of the room, going through a door behind the stairs. The door opened into a large passageway, which led to a large dining room to its right, a small similar chandelier hung atop a long table, a heavy dust coating the deep brown wood.

He tread along the hallway, watching closely for a door on his left. He was confident that no one could break in. He had many locations that he used as a sort of stronghold where he stored weapons, information, and proof of memories. He had one in each country he’d know he visits a fair amount.

Madité kept barriers up when they left the country. She was much stronger than him, after all, he could only give out and use power based on how much she wanted him to use. He had the basic ability of course. He had been aligned with her for longer than a millennium, so he learned how to use his gift.

He finally got to a door on the left. A study. It was more like a small and very dusty library. There wasn’t a desk in sight, just a small table and couch set. He walked towards one of the bookshelves, slightly glad that he was no longer allergic to dust.

“They couldn’t build some kind of lever?” Zac grunted, pushing a very large and heavy bookshelf away from the wall, revealing a small metal door. He narrowed his eyes as he peered out a small dirt-ridden window. It was bright, and he didn't need people wandering here. He walked closer to the window, closing his eyes as he brought his hand up, stretching it out in front of him. He breathed in as he felt an uncomfortable heat spread across his back and scatter along his arm. A couple of seconds passed as he stood deathly still, then he heard it. A slow rumble stretched across the sky, followed by many others. Thunder. The rolling sound clashed, seeming to synchronize with his heartbeat. He stared at the sky, an obvious spread of dark clouds falling over the area. The thunder continued as rain fell lightly, before dropping hard. The raindrops hit the window violently. Zac hummed in approval, dropping his hand as he turned from the window and opened the metal door, walking through it coolly.

Outside the wooded area held a two-story house, seemingly cramped with windows. Marie sat at the end of her bed with her phone in hand. looking up in surprise as the rain hit her window.

“Weird, I didn’t feel like it was going to rain.”

“Woah it’s raining over there?” A questioning voice rang from the phone. Marie hummed in agreement.

“It's sunny over here,” the voice moaned. “Hope it comes over on this side.”

“I hope so too. “I hate rain,” Marie grumbled as she sprawled on the bed.

“Oops, gloombug appeared.”

“Excuse me?” Marie grunted

“You get gloomy in the rain. And your hair makes you look like a bug”

There was a pause on either side of the call

“I’m hanging up” Marie stated with a deadpan, staring at her phone as she heard the interjections on the other side, before she jumped at a banging crack of thunder, which struck so hard she could feel the walls shake.

Zac only flinched slightly at the roar, before continuing down the spiral steps. it was a very dark passageway, making Zac scrunch his face as he tried not to stumble. The stairs opened into another metal heavily decorated door, a small lamp which turned on when Zac turned on the light upstairs was the only piece emitting light, casting deep shadows on the door and the brick that was around it. This time, instead of a keyhole, a small hole with a deep design was found. He scoffed.

Getting in here was more meticulous than I remember.

He felt around the brick, his fingers trailing each crack and edge before he found a crevice in the wall. He took the house keys and turned the largest one around, the metal rose design sticking outward. He took the key and slid it into the slot. It fitted perfectly. He pushed the key downward, allowing the brick to sink down into itself. A metal bolt with the fitting design slid down from the brick and onto Zac’s hand. He pushed it into the hole giving him another satisfying tick. The door creaked open to the lightest touch, allowing him to stroll through comfortably.

He felt a large sense of contentment as he looked around the room. Double-sided shelves holding books and scrolls were seen in various sizes all around the room. A large table was found in the left side. On the right side of the wall however, held a large glass case full varying guns. He breathed in deeply before huffing out as he inhaled dust. Zac moved quickly towards a large board behind the table, grabbing a rag to wipe down the board, while Madité found it amusing that he would wipe down something filthy with another smeary object. Zac cleaned the wall as well as the table, spiritless to keep a straight face as he grimaced.

“Alright then Madité, day one, and we already have our work cut out.”

She stayed silent but made her presence known as she materialized into a glowing orb next to him.

“Shall we start?” He wrote Paris at the top in white chalk, underlining it twice.

“Lets.”

“Well, what do we know?”

“Close to nothing,” She answered smoothly.

Zac grunted as he wrote indignantly.

Man in airport…

Fires…

The person I’m looking for…

University…

He huffed and furrowed his brow, staring at the board.

“We don’t know who was at the airport. But if there have been fires…it’s an obvious connection. The fires could have been an explanation. So that the attack doesn’t seem targeted.”

“It's an obvious target, these humans adore. Uhm…Zac” Madité replied, spitting out his name.

“I know…it’s idiotic, and they made sure to say my name.”

He turned back to the board.

“We’re gonna be here awhile.”

Madité sighed and lowered herself onto the table.

“Right,”

“Right,” he echoed.