Chapter 9 An Unexpected Surprise

A day later, Roach was lying on a cream sofa in the lounge of his house in jeans and a long-sleeved top. It was early morning and the sun had just broken through the treeline into the house, coating the white-painted walls in broken light. He wasn’t watching television or reading a book, just lying there in his thoughts - his head was spinning. He saw the man he wanted - he needed, yesterday. It was the last piece of his arduous puzzle and would be the hardest to find.

“Morning, Sol,” June said cheerfully, sitting down on the sofa. “You look exhausted.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Roach replied honestly, staring at the ceiling.

“I couldn’t either with all that chaos yesterday. Did you see it?”

“What? Another cheating scandal among the elites?” Roach questioned, rubbing his sore eyes.

“You haven’t seen it?” June asked, her face lighting up. Usually, her brother was on top of all things news-related. “I thought you liked merc news stories?”

“I don’t care,” Roach sighed.

June rolled her eyes just like her sister, closing them soon after. She brought out a tablet and clicked play on a video. “Yesterday morning was quite an eventful one. Lady Evergrand’s armoured transport was attacked when she was travelling to attend a charity ball in Pettywell.”

Roach opened an eye.

“And from the footage we have here, she was being guarded by five Unwanted. This is the only footage we have that proves the Unwanted exists. Look-look at their misted faces.”

“Give it,” Roach demanded, reaching over and grabbing it from her.

“Hey!” June protested but quickly scampered over to him to watch it too. “I knew you’d like it.”

It was the main news broadcast for the entirety of Eurella, named EBS, and they were playing CCTV and mobile phone footage of the chase yesterday. Just then, it clicked with Roach that the Children of Discordia had used counter E-Jammers, and in turn, removed all electromagnetic interference with theirs. It showed everything from Mute turning people into sushi, Spike crushing a school bus, Goliath turning gold, Pointy putting holes through heads and most worryingly, himself regenerating. The whole special protection detail was uploaded to the internet.

“One-hundred and sixteen dead, including seventeen children. These terrorists call themselves the Children of Discordia, an ancient cult from what history experts have told us, bent on creating chaos. For a bizarre reason, they targeted Elora Evergrand. What we do know, is that the Unwanted were tasked with protecting her.”

“Isn’t it cool?” June questioned with excitement in her eyes. “They’re actually real. They’re not just a myth.”

“One hundred and sixteen dead?” Roach countered, staring at her. Sweat built up on his hands as he held the tablet.

“I suppose that is a bit of a downer,” June agreed. “But her life is worth more than others at the end of the day—you can’t disagree with that.”

Roach tutted, turning his attention back to the tablet.

“Yes, thank you, Michael,” the other news reporter said. “As you can see in the video, Elora Evergrand was being transported by the illusive organisation called The Unwanted, whom most thought was a myth. As you can see clearly, their misted faces are in view and the proposed might of these members was quite extraordinary.”

“Are you watching the video?!” May shouted, running over to watch it above Roach’s head. “Wait wait, this is my favourite part!”

The reel cut to a video of Goliath after turning gold. It wasn’t the sheer power or muscle mass that May was enthused by, rather, his giant, blurred member dangling between his legs, “Look at that penis! It’s the size of me!”

The two ignored the comment. “From this shaky cellphone footage, you can see an explosion happens a minute after guards attacked Elora Evergrand and The Unwanted. Unfortunately, anything after this was scrambled.”

“Yes, Judy; this attack has certainly revealed the fate of The Unwanted within New London. What will they do next?”

Roach paused the video. “I need to make a few calls,” Roach muttered to them.

“Are you going to discuss it with all your friends?” May wondered, teasingly.

“You know I don’t have any friends. This incident will cause chaos at work,” Roach lied, pretending to get heated up. “Prices for weapons are going to skyrocket.”

“Don’t forget my show tonight,” May said as he was walking off.

Roach stuck a thumbs up as he left the room hastily, already reaching for his phone. He unlocked the phone which only revealed a plain home screen, but when he went outside, he pressed his finger hard into the back corner which switched it to his work phone.

He emerged into a lavish garden, filled to the brim with flowers, pathways and water features. Although flowers were not something Roach was fond of, they came with the house. Sitting down on a concrete bench, he put the phone to his ear.

“Goliath,” Roach grunted hastily, “have you seen the news?”

“Ah, yeah, it’s a real shit show. So much for being anonymous,” Goliath responded. “Fuck, those bastards got me good.”

“What’s being done about it? We need people silenced—make a whole conspiracy that it was all CGI; put doubt into—”

“Roach, they’re not going to do anything, I’ve already spoken with Mercy. He said it was about time The Unwanted came out of hiding.”

“What?” Roach questioned, furrowing his eyebrows. “You can’t be serious?”

“Listen, Roach, I don’t like this either. We are on the front page of every news website—it’s around the world twice over. It’s the perfect story to break out. I didn’t get it when Mercy explained but now I do. I know you like your privacy, mate, but this is all out of my hands.”

“Fuck,” Roach grunted, almost breaking the phone. “How the fuck does this help us in any way shape or form?”

“We’re the heroes of New London. We saved Elora Evergrand. You can’t get more heroic than that. They love us.”

“I don’t give a flying fuck about her, and we’re not heroes, Goliath, we’re mercs,” Roach spat. “All we did was do our job. We did it fucking well too, Goliath, and this is how they repay us? Put us on some fucking screen like we’re a new type of monster?”

“Roach, your identity is still a secret. Fuck, mate, I don’t even know who you are. Mercy wouldn’t compromise that.”

“It’s not what he wanted, is it? When Mercy found me—” Roach paused. “This was not written in our contract.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say. If you have a problem with it Roach, contact HR, alright? It’s all out of my hands as I said.”

“Fuck,” Roach muttered, restraining to shout. “Fuck Goliath.”

“I have some good news though,” Goliath added, hopeful to at least reduce his teammate’s anger. “We’re getting a pay raise.”

June stuck her head outside the French doors. “Sol, come watch!”

Roach pressed the phone into his chest as soon as he saw her. “Not now, June.”

“No, like seriously, you’re going to want to watch this.”

All Goliath could hear on the other end were muffled voices. Although he was not meant to pry, he listened closer.

“I got to go,” he said, putting the phone back to his ear, and clicking it off without hearing anything else.

Roach headed back inside to see his two sisters on the edge of the sofa, their eyes fixated on the television. It was the same channel as before, except there was a guest seat on the right-hand side of the studio.

“Welcome back. As these videos hit the internet yesterday, we are all dying to know if Elora Evergrand is ok. To answer that, here she is.”

Roach raised his upper lip just as Elora Evergrand walked out into the seating in the studio. She was wearing a floral dress that drifted outwards, with white heels and curled hair that stopped just short of her waist. Unlike her shocked appearance and smudged makeup from yesterday, she appeared unaffected by what she had gone through. Roach dared to think she was attractive.

“She’s so hot it’s unfair,” May groaned. “She almost got sacrificed yesterday and she still slays.”

“Shut up, May,” Roach grunted, pressing his hands together beneath his nose.

“Before we start, Elora, all of us here would like to thank you for coming on on such short notice. I understand that yesterday was awful for you, can you reveal some insight into what transpired?” the news presenter asked.

“Well, I had heard that these terrorists, the Children of Discordia, were trying to kidnap me for some reason. I didn’t think much of it - a lot of threats come my way.”

Roach’s nails dug into the cream sofa.

“But this one was real?”

“Yes, unfortunately. Like you, I thought the Unwanted was a myth, a name the criminals and politicians throw around to scare others. But they were the real deal, and I’m alive because of them.”

“So, who exactly are they?”

“They’re like us. They live among us. They are or were, secretive for a reason. But yesterday, everything was just—” she breathed in quickly.

“It’s ok, take your time,” the news reporter comforted.

Roach clenched his jaw and swallowed a stone.

“I owe them my life, especially the one who threw himself in front of the bullets.”

“Who is this person that saved your life, we all owe him a great deal of gratitude.”

She wiped away the tears without ruining her mascara. “His name—sorry, Alias, is Roach. He told me he was hard to kill; he truly was. When the guards attacked us, I ran out thinking they were there to help but they weren’t. He even told me to stay inside but I couldn’t.”

“Would we be alright to watch the footage back?” the news reporter asked her softly.

Hovering a finger under her eye to hold the tears, she nodded

Then the clip played. It was of the SGDs standing around with guns drawn. One pointed it at her and fired but Roach had jumped in the way at the last minute, tackling her to the ground and shielding her from the bullets.

“Wow, such sacrifice,” the news reporter said in awe. “Is he alive and well?”

“I believe so,” she said, becoming more cheerful.

“I think in the next clip we can see him regrow his body. Amazing. Are they all like this?”

“They were the second lowest rank. To be honest, I would be fearful to see the top.”

“By the Three Moons, that is terrifying. I will say, Elora, you are very brave coming onto this show on such short notice.”

“Thank you. They wanted to silence me but I will stand and speak. I am not going anywhere.”

“Is there anything else you’d like to say?”

“Thank you to the Unwanted. Whatever you have heard before, they are different. They saved me and countless others. Also, to Roach, you saved my life, and I am deeply indebted to you.”

May put her hand across her chest. “She’s so brave.”

Roach was practically foaming at the mouth. His eyes were watering and his head was shaking furiously.

“Are you ok, Sol?” June asked, placing a hand on his arm.

“Fine. I’ll be in the gym,” Roach told them with wide eyes, clearing his throat after.

While his sisters continued to watch the highlights, Roach found himself inside the gym. But, he didn’t come to work out. Instead, he walked over to a wall filled with weights hooked onto it and yanked the heaviest one up at the top. A hidden door popped out the wall and Roach entered, closing it quickly behind him. Pulling on a light, it illuminated creaky wooden stairs that led down into a basement. Once he got to the bottom of it, he found himself in a room almost unfurnished, with only a table and a hanging lightbulb.

On the wall, above the table, there were dozens of faces printed out. All of them had red crosses going through them except for one. It was a picture of a smiling man standing over a dozen bodies wearing a black, military uniform. He was half-British, half-Mongolian.

He was the last one, the last to feel his wrath. It was coming.

“Hurry up, Sol,” June said as she hopped on one leg while trying to put on a heel. She adorned herself in the dress that she had politely taken from the exquisite shop a week ago

“I’ve been ready for hours,” Roach said by the door, dressed in a cheap tuxedo, looking far out of his comfort zone.

“Oh,” June said, breathing out. “Do I look fat?”

“Nothing I say will stop you thinking that,” Roach replied as he spun car keys around his fingers. “Can we go?”

“I just want to impress this guy tonight and - well, I don’t want him to think differently of me if I dress like this. Like, I want to show him what I can be, not who I really am.”

“That makes no sense,” Roach grunted, leaning on the open door.

June’s face contorted as she pulled the heel over her ankle. “Not to you, of course.”

“The right guy will like you for that,” Roach told her, nodding at her head. “You’re switched on, June.”

“I suppose that’s somewhat of an apology for earlier.”

“Still, if I don’t like him—”

“Yes yes, whatever, can we go?”

“Seven silver for fucking parking, that’s theft,” Roach cursed as they walked up marble stairs.

“We’re doing this for May, not to hurt your coin,” June corrected him as she held up her dress.

They were walking up the steps to the Royal Albert Hall. During the Great Merge, it had been partially destroyed and rebuilt with mostly marble and steel, courtesy of the king as a gesture of goodwill to the old residents of London. Currently, it is being used for theatres and auctions where May was the main lead in one of the plays. It was also guarded by what seemed like a small army, with men and women in full tactical gear stationed every few feet around it. It was clear someone important was at the play.

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Roach didn’t like plays, so, it would be a chore to see it through it all. Despite that, he was going for his sister, as he had been there for every achievement in her life so far.

As they walked through the large entranceway, they were greeted by hundreds in tuxedos, with watches around their wrists that would feed a family for a year. Diamond and pearl necklaces hung across the necks of every woman there, clinging to a wealthy arm.

“I don’t feel overdressed anymore,” Roach breathed out, sighing.

“You look fine, just don’t embarrass me or May.”

Roach ground his teeth and muttered under his breath. As he went to give a stern stare to his sister, he found she had disappeared. He just stood there with his hands behind his back and took in the theatre. It was magnificent but by his bored expression, didn’t care for it. Though, he was eyeing up everyone’s jewellery.

June was walking at a quick pace around the grand lobby. Her eyes darted all over the place until, luckily, she found exactly what she was looking for. Sat at the bar, there was the man she had hoped to impress. She cleared her throat, made sure her hair was out of her face, and promptly headed over.

“How do you do, Mr Lockheart-Horrowitz,” June said, curtsying before a well-dressed man. His tuxedo was tailored, his face and hair impeccably groomed and the cufflinks even suited a stunning silver Rolex.

The well-dressed man swivelled on the seat to look at June. However, he quickly hopped off out of respect when his eyes landed on her.

“Ah, Mrs Thorn. You look beautiful,” the well-dressed man said, blinking a few times and coughing after. “Apologies, I was involved in an accident a few days ago.”

“Oh no, what happened?” she questioned, cocking her head.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” the man protested. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight. Otherwise, I would have worn my red pocket square.”

June placed her hand in front of her face to hide her big smile and rosy cheeks. “My sister is playing Chloe in the play,” she told him. “But anyway, how have you been? I haven’t seen you at the library in quite some time.”

“Work seems to drag on I’m afraid; I wish I could spend all my time there,” the man replied. “I did hear you were moved to the fiction section… My deepest condolences.”

“Please, I do not wish to be reminded of it,” she jested, smirking after.

The well-dressed man lightly chuckled. “May I ask, are you with anyone tonight?”

June pouted and moved her lips around. For a fact, she knew her brother would find out soon enough who he was. “I’m actually with my brother,” she explained with discontent.

“I hope I’m not intruding on any family event?” the man queried.

“No no, nothing like that. He hates plays.”

“Oh, is he one of those? Alas, I wish to meet him.”

Roach had nabbed a glass of champagne off a silver tray and was halfway through when he received a tap on his back. He turned his head to see his sister, and beside her, a familiar face.

“Mr Lockheart-Horrowitz, this is my brother, Mr Thorn. Sol, this is Mr Lockheart-Horrowitz.”

Roach stared with open, unblinking eyes. It was a man with a ponytail, thick glasses and a tailored tuxedo. His ears had thick black fur at the top, and an electric current had just run through them. Mr Lockheart-Horrowitz gulped.

“Do you two know each other?” June questioned, standing between the two.

Roach suddenly dropped the hardened gaze and instead smiled without his eyes. “Yes, we’ve worked together. Isn’t that right, Mr Lockheart-Horrowitz?”

“Urm, y-yes, Mr - I did forget your name?”

“Mr Thorn,” Roach replied, hardening his eyes once again. “You helped with the accounting for the protection detail at House Bramwell last summer.”

“Ah… Ha, yes, the accounting,” Pointy replied, scratching his chin and putting a finger under his collar.

Ten seconds went by and nothing was said; it was an atmosphere so tense it could be cut with a knife. Thankfully, the auditorium began to allow guests to enter.

“Would you like to sit with us, Mr Lockheart-Horrowitz?” June asked him kindly.

“Um—”

“You should join us, Mr Lockheart-Horrowitz - enjoy the experience together,” Roach said through gritted teeth. “I do love plays, especially the end.”

“I believe all the tickets have been—”

“We can pull some strings,” Roach assured him, placing a firm hand on the man’s shoulder and gripping it with all his strength. “Come on, we don’t want to miss it.”

In the magnificent theatre, every seat was taken. Spotlights hung from the ceiling and golden-red drapes hung on the walls. It was a place most suited for the highest of society to enjoy a pleasant evening. On the stage below, a slender and elegant woman held a microphone.

Thankfully for Pointy, June sat between himself and Roach.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight, you will be seeing a reimagined piece from the late Ruflen Lorren: The Tragedy of the Great Merge. This piece of theatre will encapsulate the beginning of the Great Merge, what followed and the bleak future we would have had if it wasn’t for the King’s involvement. And I would also like to welcome Lady Elora of House Evergrand, it is fantastic to see you in good health and spirit.”

Roach and Pointy’s heads spun around to see Elora sitting with some people high above them on a balcony. She gently waved to those looking. She looked far more glamorous than during the SPD, and there was not a hint of fear displayed on her face.

“Myself, the cast and our staff hope you enjoy this wonderful piece of theatre.”

Red curtains were pulled to either side, revealing a green backdrop with London in the distance.

Pointy was nervously sweating as he stared forward, attempting to concentrate on the play. From the corner of his eye, he could see Roach sitting on the edge of his seat, with his entire body facing him with wide, unblinking eyes.. It wasn’t a hardened gaze - Pointy didn’t know what it was; a straight deadpan expression was on Roach’s face, someone which terrified him more. He blinked twice, ran a finger under his collar and kept his neck straight.

The play began with two teenagers riding bikes around a garden with London in the background. May was one of them. They were both wearing jeans and a crop top, with snapback hats and thick weighty trainers.

“Come on, sis, we’re going to miss the train!” May exclaimed, riding faster in a circle.

“I’m coming I’m coming,” the other actress replied.

Purple lights flickered on and off, mimicking lightning streaks across the sky.

“What’s that?” May questioned, jumping off her bike.

The stage began to shake from side to side. “Is it an earthquake? We don’t get those here in England!”

As Roach watched on, it seemed to be about the survival of two sisters after the Great Merge. It was over-dramatized in some places and the opposite in others; the tsunamis and earthquakes killed far more than monsters, but the monsters couldn’t be killed by ordinary bullets, and death by Monsters was the worst fate anyone could experience.

The Great Merge was the start of the new world, Lum-Terra. In 2017, Earth and Lumina seemingly merged its mass. Some continents disappeared entirely, while others sunk underwater. The Amazon rainforest was now a desert, and the Pacific Ocean was filled with enormous sea monsters that could swallow a boat whole. Lum-Terra was a world reborn through the deaths of billions.

After Roach had stared at Pointy for thirty-five minutes, there was a break.

“Would you like a drink, Mrs Thorn?” Pointy asked her, standing up.

“A nice red; you may choose,” she responded with a bright smile.

“A-A-And you, Mr Thorn—”

“I’ll come with you and have a look with you,” Roach responded, getting up and pushing his tuxedo jacket away.

June looked down, scratching her scalp. She was terrified Mr Lockheart-Horrowitz wouldn’t return in one piece. Perhaps it was better if he never came back at all.

As the two shuffled through the crowd towards the bar, there was silence between them. However, as they were about to reach the bar, Roach placed a firm hand on Pointy’s shoulder and guided him for some fresh air. He led the di-human around the back, past the guards and down some alleyways, until they were completely alone.

“Roach I—”

Roach grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall.

“Is this some sort of sick fucking joke?” Roach whispered through gritted teeth into Pointy’s ear.

“No no - I didn’t even know she was your sister. I didn’t know you had family,” Pointy gasped.

Roach lifted up his leg and unbuttoned a sheath on his calf. He brought a small blade out and held it up against Pointy’s neck.

“Have you… touched her?” Roach asked with his pupils wide.

“Touched her? Sexually?” Pointy prudently gasped in horror.

Roach grabbed his collar and shoved his head against the wall again. “Answer me?!”

“No no, I - we barely exchange conversation at the library. She is a wonderful woman, Roach, I’d much rather pick her brain for knowledge than perform any sexual advances,” he protested, offering no fight.

Roach kept the blade pressed against Pointy’s neck and the pressure on his collar fixed.

Pointy continued, “She’s extremely smart, Roach, I’m not attracted to her physically—”

“Are you saying she’s not pretty?”

“Y-Yes she is but - I am not attracted to June in that way.”

Roach raised his upper lip and placed the back of the blade against his neck. “Of all the places, Pointy, why here?”

“I love theatre; I didn’t even know she was coming tonight I swear by the Three Moons. It’s just by pure coincidence she’s your sister than I never knew you had.”

“She knew you were coming,” Roach pressured, releasing his grip on the collar. “Do you like her?”

“Of course I do, Roach, I’m not going to fib - she’s an amazing woman with a straight head and the knowledge of a Chief Librarian,” Pointy hurriedly remarked.

Roach released his grip, just in time for June to walk around the corner. “Oh, there you two are.” Discreetly, Roach slipped the blade into his sleeve.

“Remember, anything you do to her, I’ll do to you,” Roach whispered before patting him on the back with a fake, toothless smile.

“I hope you haven’t scared him too much,” June said with worry, hurrying over and grabbing Pointy’s arm. “It’s about to start.”

Roach stopped and watched as his sister and teammate walked off together. As they turned around the corner and disappeared, he scratched the back of his head and paced a few steps to calm himself.

“If it helps, you can always kill him,” a homeless man offered behind him with a cigarette hanging out his mouth. He was sitting behind a rusted skip and had listened in on the conversation. Usually, they both would have spotted him, but the immediate stress made the man invisible to them.

“Fuck,” Roach grunted through gritted teeth. “Sorry, mate.”

“For what?”

Roach threw the small blade into the man’s forehead, piercing his skull. The homeless man’s eyes rolled back and his head fell into the sleeping bag on his lap. “You’re right though, I can always kill him.” He took the cigarette from the man’s mouth and walked back to the theatre while taking a long drag.

“Sister, what shall we do?” May asked in an overdramatic tone.

“We need to get to safety, and that requires us to travel through monster-infested lands. We have no other choice but to adhere to the call from the king.”

“It could be a trap,” May said with worry.

“It’s our only choice… We must, for mother and father.”

“We shall go then, at least we can say we tried.”

Roach scowled.

Five minutes later, Roach’s head was leaning on the back of the chair with his mouth wide open. He was promptly awoken by a backhand to his chest, courtesy of June, just in time for the ending.

“The king has saved us, the king has saved us all. Long live the king!” May’s voice echoed through the theatre.

An explosive round of applause followed with people standing up, including Pointy and June. People hollered and threw their pocket squares onto the stage, showing their appreciation. The rest of the cast emerged and gathered for a bow. Roach stayed sitting and just clapped. He was tired; though, it was more mental than physical. His entire life had just been turned on its head.

After the applause had ended, the trio headed into the reception area. Roach watched as his teammate chatted with his sister; it was a sight he thought he would never see.

Eventually, the actors and actresses began to emerge in dresses and tuxes and talk with the patrons of the Royal Albert Hall. June quickly came over with her arm in Pointy’s.

“Where is she?” June asked her brother, stretching her neck upwards.

Roach stared at the arm. Pointy noticed and promptly pulled away. The di-human quickly looked to the floor. He was heavily debating changing his identity after tonight.

“There she is!” June exclaimed, waving her over.

There his sister emerged in the skimpy white dress she had forcibly borrowed from the store. She garnered many lustful looks but there were more envious ones from the wives of the patrons.

June hugged her sister. “You were amazing!”

“Oh please,” May said, placing her hand over her mouth while swishing her ginger locks over her shoulders.

“Congratulations, Mrs Thorn,” Pointy said, extending his hand out.

Roach breathed fire out of his nose.

“You must be Mr Lockheart-Horrowitz. Nice to meet you. And thank you,” May replied curtseying.

Then a man in a suit - not a tux, with black sunglasses and a communications device in his ear approached May. He was a dark-skinned man with mutilated ears. “Mrs Thorn, Lady Elora of House Evergrand would like to meet you,” he said politely in a deep voice.

May blinked twice, she couldn’t believe it. She straightened her back and swished her ginger hair over her shoulders. “Of course, are you taking me to her?”

“Lady Evergrand is already in the reception, Mrs Thorn. I must ask you to not enter her personal space unless requested to.”

May nodded fast and began to mentally prepare herself.

Pointy and Roach both looked at each other worriedly.

“We’re going to have a chat,” Roach told his two sisters. “Man to man, you know.”

May grabbed Roach’s sleeve and dug her nails into his skin. “This is the most important moment of my life,” she whispered through a clenched jaw. “You’re not going to miss it.”

Roach opened his mouth in protest but his sister's grip was true.

Soon, a walking mass of suits, sunglasses and concealed weapons made its way to May. There Elora Evergrand stood in her all beauty. Roach side-eyed Pointy but it wasn’t as if they could run away or cover their faces in mist. They had been told she had suffered shock and already showed signs of PTSD, but she looked as she always did in front of cameras. She wore a cream dress that hugged her figure, accentuating her curves and leaving only the top of her cleavage exposed. Her hair was neatly pulled back on one side where a diamond-encrusted earring in the shape of the Evergrand’s emblem was displayed.

Hopefully, she wouldn’t recognise them. Roach tried his best to not draw attention to himself as did Pointy. The hard-to-kill man was about to have his entire life turned on its head.

“Remember,” June whispered to them, “Only shake her hand if she offers.”

“Yeah, thanks for the pointers,” Roach murmured back as his eyes drifted to the entrance.

“Mrs Thorn,” Elora Evergrand announced, stepping out from her cocoon of bodyguards. “You were exceptional, especially for your first time on the big stage.”

“Thank you, Lady Evergrand, I’m glad you enjoyed it,” May responded in the poshest accent she could put on.

“You’re very young. I can see the talent in you as the directors do, plus your hair is a beacon of elegance.”

“Thank you ever so much, Lady Evergrand, this is only the start of my career and it’s such an honour for someone like yourself to say that,” May responded.

“And who’s behind you?” Elora questioned with intrigued eyes.

“This is my sister June, her date, Mr Lockheart-Horrowitz and my brother, Solomon Thorn.”

“Have we worked together, Mr Thorn I presume?” Elora questioned.

Roach put on a straight face and turned around, acting surprised at seeing her. “Oh, Elora Evergrand. Yes, I’m a team leader in security and transport for House Bramwell,” he lied. “Good to see you again.”

“No. I know House Bramwell quite well and you—” she paused, something wasn’t adding up. His build, his aura, his stale personality, and the hands - veiny, rough hands.

“This is my sister, June, Lady Evergrand,” May interrupted, taking the attention away from her brother.

Elora Evergrand pushed the thought to the back of her mind. “What wonderful hair too,” she noted.

“Thank you, L-Lady Evergrand,” June spluttered, curtsying twice.

“You’re welcome, dear. Anyway, I must be off, I cannot stay in one place for too long you see.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed, Lady Evergrand,” May said, curtseying, “I hope to see you soon here again.”

“Likewise, Mrs Thorn,” Elora replied with a big smile, showing pristine teeth. “Enjoy your evening.” And with that, she was swallowed by her cocoon of bodyguards.

“I’m going to pass out,” May said, holding her chest and fanning her face. “She’s so sexy.”

“That’s what you took away from it?” June questioned, placing a calming hand on her sister's arm.

“How do you know Elora Evergrand?” May asked her brother, hands on hips. “Why did you never mention this to me?”

“We have both done work with and for the Evergrand House,” Pointy interrupted with a well-executed lie. “Only brief chats - I’m surprised she even recognised us.”

“Oh,” May sighed, “I didn’t know you two worked together.” She blew air out her mouth and relaxed her figure. “I need a drink. June, do you want to come out tonight?”

“Urm. Well, I was hoping Mr Lockheart-Horrowitz would join me for a drink at a bar,” she said, turning to the sweaty man.

Roach cranked his neck like a robot and stared daggers into the man. Then, his deathly face switched to a bright, fake smile. “You should go, that will be good.”

Keeping his eyes locked on Roach, Pointy turned his head to face June. “I do know an old English pub that sells wine from before the Great Merge. The history is something to gawk at.”

“That sounds wonderful,” June replied, glowing. “Ok then, we’re off, have a good night you two.”

“Wait, I didn’t catch your first name,” Roach called.

“Quinton, Quinton Lockheart-Horrowitz,” Pointy replied, sliding a finger onto his hip and tapping it twice.

Roach nodded his head. Pointy wasn’t lying. “Ten o’clock, no later.”

“Of course, Mr Thorn.”

“Ok, see you tomorrow,” June said as she led her date down the steps.

“Phew,” May huffed, hand on her chest. “I feel like my heart is about to explode. Also, I thought you would have put him into the ground?”

Roach ground his teeth. “He’s a good man believe it or not. Still doesn’t mean I trust him.”

“That’s an improvement,” May noted with raised eyebrows. She then spotted the cast gathering at the entrance; a few of them were waving her over. “There they are. I’m off, see you tomorrow.” She leaned into a hug and kissed her brother on the cheek.

“Watch your drink,” Roach told her as she walked off but it was drowned out by the chatter of others.

So there Roach stood, in a tuxedo far too tight and his sisters' abandonment. He blew through his lips and loosened his bow tie. Pinching another champagne glass off a silver tray, he debated staying for one more. After all, it was free. He also needed a drink - a drink to help block out his predicament.

After finishing the first glass of champagne, he received a tap on the back.

“Mr Thorn, is it?” a voice asked.

Roach turned around, seeing it was the same man from before with mutilated ears. “Yes.”

“Lady Evergand would like to speak with you.”

“Sorry?” Roach questioned, making sure he heard it right.

“You heard me, sir.”

“Why?”

The man seemed taken aback. “Mr Thorn, this is Elora Evergrand we’re talking about. If she wishes to see you, she will.”

Roach ran his tongue across his bottom gums and nabbed another glass of champagne, then downing it immediately. “Lead the way,” he said with a small burp.