Producers (2)

My head felt like it was pierced by a gunshot when I reopened my eyes. The damp air of the underground that had no place for a glimpse of sunshine was where I was in this facility. The reputation of the second district was strictly upheld with the numerous machines that occupied the lab.

The robots strolled around the place more than human beings as I sighed in relief when I found I was still with Jules and Alex who slept beside me. I lightly tapped their hands to see if they were pretending to be asleep. Alex immediately opened his eyes from my response.

"What happened?" I whispered as soft as I could.

"Please let me answer, denizens of the first district." FiveBlack came into the view with a lab coat on.

FiveBlack got rid of his disorganized disguise. His head was full of hair and his overall appearance was neat and tidy that he wouldn't seem out of place in a fancy office. The old wooden planks were replaced with glittering white tiles that showed this place was routinely cleaned.

Transparent glass walls separated the large room into different sections so everyone could see everything that was happening if they chose to. There were no aspects of privacy while everyone busily paid no attention to us, immersed in their own work.

"This is the Labothery," He raised his arms that almost hugged the ceiling.

"We're hostages of the rebels targeting the first district," Alex didn't bother to hide his disgust towards them as his face scrunched up.

"But why? I'm not even from the first district." I confessed to FiveBlack, still confused.

"There's no way you can't be from the first district with this amount of mana. Only people born from the first district can have this much." FiveBlack stared at me with clear disbelief.

"My parents were born in the third district and work there. My younger brother goes to school in the third district. So it is possible," I shouted back to him.

"And people from different districts don't mix together," He shrugged as he casually revealed a shocking piece of information.

"Is this true?" I faced both Jules and Alex.

"People with low mana or no mana aren't at the same standing as us. We're separated for a reason," Jules explained to me.

"And this is why the Labothery exists. Our goal is to rid of that prejudice that those with low or no mana aren't equal human beings to those who have a decent amount of mana," FiveBlack seemed a bit confused why he was explaining this to me himself with an eyebrow raised.

"What a noble goal!" I was tempted to shake hands with such a great organization.

"I totally support your mission. What can I do to help? Can you take one of my requests as well?" I almost jumped while my eyes sparkled.

FiveBlack stepped back as if he was taken aback from my unexpected support. It took a few minutes to recollect himself while Jules stared at me weirdly and Alex sighed like he was used to it.

"Do you think I don't notice the Roselia crest embellished on the ribbon tied around your collar? Or the hidden mana crystals that decorate the buttons on your blouse? Don't think of me as a fool," FiveBlack crossed his arms over his sturdy chest.

Of course, I had to be stupid enough to wear one of the clothes that Luke had put into my closet. I really did have to go shopping in the third district again for some decent cheap clothing that didn't scream that I had something to do with the Roselia family. At this rate, there was no difference between my current outfit and my flashy school uniform.

I did try to choose the simplest blouse in my closet with the least number of gems or jewels and I wore black leggings underneath. Nobody stared at me weirdly at the mall or the café. Why did almost everyone who had some kind related to the first district have such high attention to the tiny details?

"Oh please, just because I have some relation to them doesn't mean I belong to the Roselia house." I almost groaned with complaint.

Alex didn't show his disagreement to wait for FiveBlack's reaction while Jules studied my words. I knew both Jules and Alex thought I really did belong to the Roselia house. Jules already to regard me as his cousin and Alex treated me as his distant relative he was stuck with.

"But only the main direct family of the Roselia house can wear the Roselia crest on their clothes or accessories," FiveBlack pointed out.

"Wait. Seriously?" I blurted out my surprise.

I turned to Jules and he nodded to display that FiveBlack was indeed correct. How did FiveBlack know more about the first district than I did? I realized for the nth time that I had to pay more attention in class instead of lulling over the scenery over the window while being half-awake.

I stopped myself from ruining the clothes that didn't do anything as I was tempted to pull out the ribbon and knock out the jewels that acted like buttons. I didn't even want to think about the rest of the clothing inside my closet that subtly hinted I was a member of the Roselia house.

"Are you from the first district?"