First Break In A Century
Ophelia POV:
"A holiday? But why Madam Superior?" Although it was my very first time in Miss Madelyn's surveillance room, and the sea of looping cameras was captivating, I couldn't spare a moment to enjoy it in the face of her latest orders.
"It's my son's birthday, Ophelia, and he needs protection…" Her eyes glued to the screens; she spoke without looking at me. "Besides, you've already seen how he is. And with the recent surge of rogue monster activities, I doubt he's off the radar for potential terrorists."
'She wants me to be his bodyguard?' Thinking back on it, Ray mentioned Miss Madelyn forcing him into working for the embassy, but—The more I thought about it, the more questions arose in my head.
"Is that why madam put me in charge of his training?" Instead of dwelling on the questions, I asked them outright for once.
"Hmm…" Humming to herself, Madam reached for a glass of wine on the coffee table beside her. "Keen deduction, but from next time try not to guess what your superior's intentions are."
Leaning back into her seat, she took a light sip of the swirling red liquid. Gulping it with a smile, she broke her eye contact with the screens and turned her head to face me. Clanking the glass against my hips, she made a metallic sound that reverberated in our ears.
"You're a machine, so act like it," her smile grew even more as she took another sip.
"Yes ma'am," I reported, my head lowered in a trained display of shame.
"Also, I had one of the employees take your payment to your desk, consume it, and make sure my son remains safe during this birthday party," I had the urge to ask if she would be present at the party, but deciding against it, I quickly made my way out.
'A babysitting assignment…what's next? Breastfeeding her son?' It hadn't even been a week and I had grown tired of taking care of her son in her place. After all, if she cared so much why drag him into this mess at all? Why not lock him in a locker and throw away the key until she was certain it was safe? 'At least Sir Markus isn't here to watch me commit myself to these humiliating tasks.'
Thinking back on it, I remembered hearing something about him being summoned by one of the highest authorities of the nation, an Enforcer of human will.
"The perfect specimens designed for decision making…I wonder how much of those praises are products of marketing," done talking to myself in the elevator, I got off at the workplace.
Arriving at my desk, I heard my desk phone ringing. It wasn't often that I got calls, but recently the only time I got them was from the damned hotel the embassy was so interested in. Quickly picking it up, I prepared myself to hear yet another file of complaints. And lo and behold, someone had died back at the hotel surrounded by dense forest where everyone knew rogue monsters lived.
'Who could've fucking guessed?' It was almost like there were clear signs that the place was a death trap. But alas, I've already been told to be a machine today, hence I did what I did best and delayed the problem for the higher-ups to deal with later.
'Another cover-up to hide what happened at the hotel from the media. The guests who witnessed the incident need to be intercepted, bribed to be quiet, or threatened with the worst.' Going over everything that needed to be done, I put the phone down with a promise to Ken to send someone to the hotel quickly.
My mind thoughts still scattered all over, I glanced across my desk to find the payment Madam superior was talking about. Tied inside a small white pouch was the luminous blue crystal my consciousness relied on. It was the source of my being, and the only thing keeping me from losing all conscious thoughts.
'A soul fragment.' Taking the fragmented soul in my hand, I could feel it seeping into my skin. Like a hit from a sharp drug, a cold rush ran through my tubes and pistons. As for my head, it went void of all worries as the cold shot through every synapse.
"Damn it…" The feeling, however, didn't last long.
Opening my eyes with farrowing disappointment, my eyes caught the attention of everyone else looking at me like an oddity. Glaring back at them, I scared them enough to get right back to work.
"Glory," I whispered, trying to lose my temper.
Wasting not a second more, I began marching my way out to meet up with Ray at his birthday party. From the instructions given to me by the chauffeur, the party was at a villa nearing the edge of the city. Most of Ray's college friends were meant to be there as well as a few others with somewhat masked details.
"They're supposed to be children of other VIPs working for the Enforcers," the chauffeur informed, stroking his thick white mustache.
Looking at me from the rearview mirror, his eyes squinted while glancing me over.
"Miss Everstorm, may I suggest a change of clothes?" He muttered before returning his gaze to the front.
"Why?" I asked, frowning myself.
"In your current clothes, I'm presuming you'd draw too much attention to Master Ray," redirecting our path, he shot me yet another glance through the mirror.
Looking down at myself, I could see sense in his reasoning. But even so, changing into something else after having worn the same type of work clothes for nearly a century–It felt quite intimidating.
"Fine, take me to a store, but for the record, I'll file this as a business expense," saying that, I glanced out the window and other civilians driving by in their own cars.
'A change of clothes, huh? I wonder what a young boy would like?' A bit dreamy, my mind began racing through fruitless thoughts. And yet given that it was Ray's birthday, it only made sense to wear a likable dress. 'Perhaps the clerks will know what a young boy would like.'
"Miss Everstorm, we've arrived at the store," the chauffeur told me, but my mind was too lost in thought.
It wasn't until he called me a few more times did I finally came back to my conscious self. Sparing myself the embarrassment, I quickly got out of the car and told him to wait while I shopped for clothes to wear to the party.
'Let's make this quick.' I thought, not realizing how long it would actually take.