"Lucas, we've been walking for 5 hours!" I exclaimed, exasperated.

"Rmph, shorry-" he said, his mouth stuffed with half of a cinnamon bun. My arms were growing tired from carrying around bags of free samples and a massive, over-sized teddy bear that Lucas insisted he could win, which he did. On the other hand, he was carrying nothing but the cinnamon bun in his hand. I rolled my eyes and looked away. A butterfly fluttered past my vision. It was a brilliant sapphire blue with white specks flecked like spatters of paint, almost making it look like it was glittering in the sunlight. My immediate reaction was to follow it, so I broke away from Lucas's grasp, shoving my objects in his arms while doing so. He stumbled backward but kept his grip, looking at me with confusion.

I don't bother explaining as I silently follow the butterfly to a merchant shop, losing Lucas in the crowd. It landed gracefully on a golden daffodil, twirling around as if to show off its magnificent wings. I stared in awe at the little creature, barely noticing the merchant moving toward me.

"That daffodil got your attention, aye?" the burly merchant inquired, laughing jovially. It was almost laughable that such a big sturdy man was running a flower stand, but instead of laughing, I smiled warmly.

"Oh, actually. I was looking at this little guy," I replied, gesturing to the beautiful butterfly fumbling to get to the sweetness of the flower, "But daffodils are my favorite!"

The merchant glanced down at the butterfly, his face suddenly growing dark, "Ah, you must be referring to that thing..." he shook his head, "A symbol of despair and betrayal, so I'm told."

I gaze back down at the little insect, obviously confused, "How could something so beautiful be a symbol of something so grim?" I whispered, just barely loud enough for the man to hear. He shrugged his shoulders.

"No idea, but seeing one near these parts is a bad sign."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"You don't know?" He looked at me, bewildered, "Well, I suppose it's not really a secret I should keep. There have been rumors of savages getting through the walls and posing as civilians. Scary shit, really."

I looked back up at him, "Oh wow, I had no idea!"

He scratched the back of his head, "Really? What district ya from?"

I rack my brain for one of my interactions with Lucas. Oh, Right!

"Soldier district, sir," I reply. He waves his hand in a circular motion as if egging me to keep going.

"D-district 9." I continue, fumbling out my words.

"There we go!" he exclaims, pausing, "That's a pretty respectable district. You don't act like you're from-"

Lucas butts into our conversation, "Sorry, District 1 is a bit of a culture shock to her. She tends to be a bit shy. I'm surprised she's talking to you so much!" he points out as if it were obvious. I laugh nervously to increase the effect of his lie.

"Ah, well, it seems that your little lady is particularly interested in this dainty daffodil over here," the merchant chuckles, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, well-" I began.

"Alright, why not?" he says with a bright smile. Lucas waved his wrist over the scanner till it beeped, then plucked the daffodil from its holder. I watched as the butterfly fluttered away into the distance, becoming a small dot in the sky. He holds out the flower to me.

"Here," he whispers so that only I could hear, "As a bribe to keep you from wandering off and getting yourself into trouble."

"Thanks, asshat," I rolled my eyes and snatched the flower from his hands.

"No problem," he replies, then he looks at his watch, "We should get back soon."

"But it's only 2:00 pm?" I say, more like a question.

"I had something come up. My superior wants me to overlook something, and unfortunately, as much as I enjoy watching you get annoyed at me, I can't avoid this," he explained. I sighed silently so that he didn't sense my disappointment.

"Alright, I guess I'll just hang out then," I say.

"It shouldn't take too long, maybe an hour or two," he reassures me, "Besides, I'm not supposed to take my eyes off of you for very long. Emma shouldn't be busy. You can hang out with her," he suggests. I only nod my head.

I turn around back to the merchant, "Thank you, sir!"

He dips his hat in response, and Lucas and I walk off. He returns the items that I gave him, takes the daffodil so that I don't drop it, and we continue walking. Once we arrive at the headquarters, Lucas walks me back up to my room and pauses to bid me farewell, but not before a familiar figure appears. Zachary.

"Hey, what's up, guys?" he asks us with an obnoxious smile. I groan, and Lucas rolls his eyes, adjusting his glasses.

"Oh, come on! I come baring good news. You're off, Lucas," he states with a faux pout in his lower lip, "At least pretend to be excited!"

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"Why? Did someone offer to take my place?" asks Lucas, ignoring his whining.

"I did," Zachary replies nonchalantly.

"What? Why?"

Zachary shrugs, "Maybe they were just waiting to be able to replace you with someone else? They did give you that sucky case with that criminal in the slums. I almost feel bad for you!"

"Yeah, he also happens to be one of the most wanted criminals in the slums. He's a threat to Upper Edoris too." Lucas replied calmly, but I caught the anger in his tone.

I could also feel my anger rising as they talked about the slums as if it were hell on earth. My jaw ticked, and I clenched my fists but said nothing. I tried to take my mind off of Todd, but I found my mind wandering back towards him. Did he really do something so stupid? And why would he just give himself up so easily? Lucas and Zachary continue to rogue as I process my thoughts, but I pay no mind. Until Lucas snaps.

"Fine," he says shortly.

"Great!" Zachary says in a mocking tone, clapping his hands together. He walks off with a skip in his step, leaving Lucas and I to our own thoughts. I'm the first one to speak.

"What did you have to look over anyway?" I ask.

"It's not really important; to you anyway. I think it was about the reconstruction of The Archives-"

"Really!?" I grasped his shoulders, eyes wide with shock, "They're really going to reconstruct them?" I ask again.

"Uh, it's in consideration, yes. Why are you so interested?" he inquired. I hesitate.

"Oh, um, it's nothing. It's just been so long, you know, since that fire and stuff...." I fumble over my words, trying to come up with an excuse for being an absolute history buff. He seems to accept it and shrugs it off, "Yeah, I guess." he agrees.

"Anyway, what now?" I ask, changing the subject.

Lucas shrugs and opens his mouth to speak, but an ear-splitting shriek pierces through the hallway. I jump in surprise, and Lucas's eyes widen.

"That was Emma!" he exclaims.

He whips his head toward me with a panic-stricken expression. I stare back at him with the same expression. As if thinking the same thing, we both began to sprint down the hall toward the source of the scream with a start.

"Emma!?" I call out, "Emma! Where are you!?"

Silence.

I immediately veer right toward her room, out of breath and panting, but that doesn't stop me from calling out to her again.

My eyes fix on her door at the end of the hall, and I don't waste a second thought. I throw my body as hard as humanly possible against her door, breaking it clear off its' hinges. Freezing immediately in my tracks, I gaze across the room in horror.

The entire room was in disarray. Pillows were torn open, and shards of glass were scattered across the floor. Blood was smeared into the floor in a long streak, leading up to a half-mutilated Emma, who was barely breathing. A cloaked figure immediately barrels out of the window, jumping off the balcony, and Lucas gives chase with an enraged scream. I scrambled to Emma, dropping to the floor to ensure she was still alive.

The rise and fall of her chest was uneven and choked. Her eyes fluttered open and closed multiple times as she tried to stay conscious, but it seemed really difficult. I looked down at her abdomen to see a horrible stab wound that was gushing with blood. Panicked, I reached out to her face to draw her focus on me.

"Listen to me, Emma. Everything's going to be okay, I promise. I'll be right back." I whispered as calmly as possible. She only groaned in response.

Standing up, I run over to her bathroom, throwing open cabinets and drawers until I find what I need. I snatched the first aid kit from the shelf and sprinted back to Emma, who was growing paler by the second.

I lift her up to her bed, gently but firmly, and place her down. Gathering as many intact pillows as possible, I place them under her legs so that the blood flow continues to go to her head and heart. I grab a washcloth from her bathroom and rush back to her. Sweat begins to form on my brow as I panic, and Emma continues to grow pale.

I apply pressure to her wound with the washcloth and hold it firm using both hands. She lets out a pained cry, flailing her arms wildly, trying to push me away. I hear Lucas gasping for breath as he runs back into the room.

"I lost him!" he screams angrily.

"That's not really what's important right now, is it!?" I yelled, indicating toward Emma. Keeping the pressure, I yell again, "Help me hold her down!"

Lucas comes rushing over, "Shit!" he exclaims.

Her bleeding seems to ease up a bit, the blood no longer spilling out onto her sheets. I gently lift the cloth and pull the first aid kid toward me. Emma whined, but Lucas soothingly stroked her forehead with his hand, causing her to relax a bit. I dress her wound and begin wrapping gauze around the middle of her waist to secure it in place.

"Call someone to bring her to the hospital. I've done all I can." I say with a sigh. Lucas nods and pulls up a holographic screen on his wristband, talking to someone on the other side. I turn my attention back to Emma.

"Hey, everything is going to be okay, I promise. Do you think you can speak?" I ask her quietly, trying not to startle her.

"Y-yes," she said, breaking out into a cough.

"Okay, can you describe to me what the attacker looked like?"

Her eyes widened a bit as she tried to think, then she spoke quietly, "I didn't see his face, but he had a golden ring with a poppy flower encrusted onto it."

"A poppy flower...." I murmur to myself. It could be someone involved in a drug circle, considering that opium comes from poppies, but I couldn't be too sure. Lucas interrupts my thoughts.

"Someone's on the way. Hang tight, Emma." A worried look still stained his face.

Five minutes later, the paramedics arrived to pick her up and deposited her into the back of an emergency hover. Blue and red lights lit up the streets, and people on the sidelines murmured quietly to one another, gawking and gossiping. Lucas slowly shuffles his way toward me; head hung low with regret.

"I should have caught him," he says, "It's my fault he's gone."

"Hey! No, don't start with that bullshit! It's not your fault, and she's not going to blame you for it." I scolded. He looked slightly taken aback but agreed with a silent nod.

I look down at my bloodstained hands, reflecting on what just happened. Emma almost died. And for what? Who was that?

I scowled deeply, but Lucas placed a firm hand on my back.

"Thank you, Blair. For saving her. I can't possibly express how grateful I am," he said with a sigh, "I owe you my life."

"I wouldn't go that far. I'm only from the slums, after all," I reply with a chuckle, "I'm just glad I was able to save her. Some people aren't so lucky..." My thoughts begin to wander back to my mother, but I refuse to let them.

"You should probably wash that off." he points out, trying to distract me.

"Oh, yeah, thanks." I hurry off to the bathroom and scrub the dried blood off my hands. I then splash my face with water to clear my head. Looking up at the mirror, I sigh.

"And tomorrow is only going to be worse...."

My mind goes to Todd, sitting in a cell, waiting for his death sentence. I shake my head and bid Lucas goodnight as he calls the hospital once again to ask about Emma's condition.

Cool air hits my body as I open my bedroom door, and I don't even bother to change out of my clothes. As the sun set, it left me in complete darkness with my own thoughts. But only one stood out the most.

Somehow, I knew that Todd was going to die tomorrow. And there was nothing that I could do to save him.