20 We're Running Towards Death, Baby

The world outside the mansion continued as it usually would. People going in and out of buildings. Street vendors calling out for customers and their lackeys walking around, trying to stuff flyers into everyone's hands. Some people, too kind to refuse, took the flyers and walked away. Only to dump it in the nearby trash can.

Babies bawled their eyes out in their prams as their mothers chose from the market racks what to cook for dinner and the fathers scrutinized the different types of light bulbs in the electrical section. Even though they didn't need any bulbs to take back home.

By the side of a busy highway buzzing with cars, was a soaring black glass skyscraper almost touching the night stars. If you stood a bit away from it and looked up, you'd see the big metal letters on top of the building.

'SYSTEMA GAMES INC.'

Darren was in his office like usual when his secretary Tasha came in for the hundredth time that day.

"There's someone here to see you," she said and stood over to the side of his desk after letting the visitor in. Darren looked up and saw a tall and beautiful girl. Golden hair curled at her shoulders as she walked in her high heels and Sephora bag hanging.

She glared at Darren, not in anger, but in authority. A gaze that told him that she had lots of things to say.

Darren cleared up his throat and turned his head towards Tasha who hadn't taken her eyes off the younger girl. She even narrowed her eyes unconsciously at her. Tasha broke her gaze and looked at Darren when he called her name.

"Yes?"

"I'd like you to leave us two alone for some time," he requested, trying to sound kind.

"B-but…"

Darren cleared his throat once more before Tasha took her file from his desk and shot one glance at the girl before striding out of the office, the sound proof wooden door slowly coming close.

Once there was absolute silence, the girl spoke.

"Why did you call? I had to cancel a salon appointment to come here, you know that?" she accused while she took a seat placing her bag in front of her.

Darren nodded his head and cleared the table from all the papers and sketches and submissions by his crew. "I'll not take much time, I promise."

She scoffed and smiled, "It doesn't matter now. Take as much time as you want, what's cancelled is cancelled."

He let out a nervous laugh and weaved his weak fingers together. Before he could speak, the girl leaned forward and tapped on his hair.

"What are you doing?" he frowned, his back muscles tensing as he felt her fingers on his cold forehead, untangling his hair and letting it fall smoothly.

She leaned back on her chair and looked him over, "Now that's better." She had a small smirk on her face as she said that which made Darren tense up even more.

"Let's get to the point."

She shrugged, still smiling, "Yeah sure, why not?"

"So…um…you must have seen the news…" he started and she nodded, telling him to continue. "The government wants them destroyed but Dad built them to be indestructible to the highest extent."

"So he must have seen this coming, am I right?" she guessed and that earned a surprised look from Darren. He had never thought about that. Instead of wondering at his dad's far sight once again, he hated himself instead.

'I can never be like him,' he thought nowadays.

"Yeah, I think," Darren agreed, "And Ashe was the only talented enough person in the company who had the skills and chance of getting close to them to lead them to kill each other as we humans can't kill them directly."

She let out a loud laugh, "You chose Ashe for the job!?" she cackled and covered her mouth, "You really are a dumb brother, Darren."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Endangering her life and all that. But-"

"No." The other girl countered. "That's not what I meant. Ashe is weak, Darren. She doesn't even know how to stand up for herself. How can she lead a national mission?" she scoffed at the absurdity.

To her surprise, Darren nodded his head, "For one, I agree with you. I don't think I chose wrong, though. But now…Ashe needs help. To build an emotional trap for them. She might be good at structuring code functions and figuring out even the most invisible of bugs, but when it comes to people, she is a little lost."

"A little? More like very lost," she said, shaking her head and sighed. "How am I supposed to help you anyway?"

"I don't know any girl who is as sly as you. With what you have and with what she has, we will have a little chance at pulling this off," he suggested.

Her face went red and she shot up from the seat and grabbed her bag, "Are you actually suggesting Ashe and I to work together? I don't believe you, Darren!" She pushed the chair out of her way and walked towards the door.

Darren got up too and went to stop her. He stood in front of the door, blocking her from exiting. "Please, we really need you."

She shook her head, "Just because you helped me be okay during my family problems, doesn't mean you can just throw me around asking me to do your bidding."

Darren held the door close tighter. "But the entire company could shut down, if you don't help. We'll be out on the streets! And nobody will even look at us because of my mistakes. Please, help me right this wrong."

She looked into his pleading eyes. She noticed bags had formed under it from lack of sleep and his lips were all chapped and dehydrated. He was really breaking under pressure, she realized.

'I want to ease his burden…just like he had eased mine.'

"Fine," she said and a wide smile lit up on his face as he loosened up.

"Really?" his 19-year-old eyes sparkled with hope.

She nodded before her eyes glazed over, "Still, Darren this is too big of a thing to ask. Living in with not only 6 boys but also that Ashe…"

Darren pouted when she spoke his sister's name like that.

"Ah… okay, I'm sorry. But I'll need something in return," she asked quietly and Darren nodded. "What is it? I'll give it to you if I can."

She smiled. "Grant my brother an internship here," she asked, remembering how much he loved gaming. It's all he had wanted for the past few years of his life. But family commitments always pulled him back from that. As a sister, she wanted him to achieve what he dreamed of like how she was on her way to achieve hers.

"Your brother…the one in college right now?" Darren asked to confirm which one of the two brothers.

She nodded and before a moment even dared to pass between them, Darren replied.

"Yeah! Sure! He can start tomorrow if he comes in with his documents!" he said in happiness and stepped away from the door. "Now. I'll drop you home?"

She shook her head, quite satisfied with answer. "I have a chauffeur."

"Oh...okay, then," Darren said and reached forward to open the door for her. But before he could, she placed a hand on his arm, stopping him. Lightning ran through his nerves and his gaze jolted up at her.

"Before I go, can I give you something right now?"

He was silent and he looked at her in slight fear. "Saye…we shouldn't…"

She sighed at his answer and simply leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek instead. "See you tomorrow, Darren," she whispered and went out of the office in with the same authoritative attitude she had come in.

"See…you…tomorrow…" he mumbled after her, barely audible under the loud thump thump of his beating heart. He clutched his chest and winced.

Tasha came from the opposite room, looking in the direction Saye had left, before she turned to look at the boy in front of her.

"Why are your ears so red, Darren?"

"Huh?" he raised his eyebrows and finally registered Tasha's presence. "Oh, that," he glanced back inside his office and then back at Tasha again. "I think the AC isn't working…it's quite hot inside," he mumbled.

Tasha stepped inside the office and the AC temperature setting caught her eyes.

"Darren."

He looked back at her, "Yes?"

"It's 60 degree Fahrenheit." (15 degree Celsius)

"Oh?" was all Darren could say as he continued the rest of his lame excuse in little packets of nervous laughter, not able to get the memory of her kiss out of his head.

He returned back home and rang the door-bell out of habit and waited for a minute before he realized that no one was actually in. He fumbled for his key from his pockets and opened the door to the empty house himself.

His phone rang as he changed into night clothes and he picked it up.

"Mom?"

"Hi Darren! How are you both?"

"We're fine mom, what about you?"

She laughed from the other side. "Bali is nice!" They talked for a while about this and that before she asked the inevitable question.

"Could you give the phone to Ashe, sweetie?"

Darren dragged on his words. "Ashe is at Fiona's for the night mom."

"Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise, "Is that so? Okay, then. Go to sleep then. Good night!"

"Good night mom," Darren said, relieved and went to bed, keeping the lamp light on.

In a different country, their mom couldn't sleep despite being in one of the most beautiful and serene places in the world. She had called Mrs. Styles to check on Rumi's health and they had said that the other three of them were spending the night in a hotel next to the hospital. And that definitely didn't include Ashe.

She drank her glass of herbal tea and brought her blankets till her chin before closing her eyes in worry.

"What are you both up to, kids?" she mumbled slowly.