Chapter 14

Zoe sat up quickly. The alarm clock on the side table rattled and wailed, a god-awful noise. In the other bed, Colson grabbed his pillow and pulled it over his head to block out the noise.

'I never want to hear something like that for as long as I live,' she thought as she sat on the edge of her bed, her heartbeat sounding like thunder in her chest. 'How Ivy was able to sleep through that is a total mystery to…' Her thoughts melted; she had turned around, the bed perfectly made on the right side of the bed. She had never seen Ivy make her bed once in the month she'd known her.

"Colson…"

Usually, Colson would roll over and try to go back to sleep, but the urgency in Zoe's voice made him sit up, "yeah, what's up?" He yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Ivy is..." She pointed at Ivy's side of the bed, not a single wrinkle in the sheets.

It took a few seconds for Colson to realize what she was saying. He walked over to the bathroom, the door was ajar, and the room was lightless. He flicked the light switch and looked inside. 'Empty.…'

Zoe opened the closet and looked under both beds; at the same time, Colson walked back from the bathroom.

"Do you think she might have...done something?" He asked, suspicion filling his tone.

"No! She wouldn't do anything like that!", 'I need to stay calm and not worry about every little thing.' She took a deep breath, trying hard not to freak out.

Her facial expression said otherwise as Colson said, "Zoe...are you…."

"I'm sorry, just... Just don't say anything like that again, alright?" She walked to the door, opened it, and looked both ways down the empty hallway. 'I knew we shouldn't have done this! I knew something bad was going to happen.'

"Hey, just sit on the bed, alright? I'll check the hotel; maybe the girl got lost or something. Everything's going to be cool," he said with a calming voice.

She took a few deep breaths. "I'm fine. We just need to think, where could she have gone, and why."

"Do you think she just went ahead without us?"

Zoe checked her bag; the map was still inside. Untouched. "No, there's no way she would memorize the-"

The door slammed open, and Ivy sprinted into the room. Sweat dripped from her face, and she was breathing hard. She was hunched over with her hands on her knees, a small laugh came from her, "man, I think that's the fastest I've run in my life!"

"What were you doing?" Colson cried.

Zoe was staring at her incredulously, "Ivy…"

"No-no-no, listen, so I was outside, just walking around, I found this abandoned Charcat right, then I met this guy-"

Colson raised an eyebrow, "Oh, you met a guy. I see what you were doing," he said, looking at Zoe.

"Yea, you get it. But then I realized that it was late...or maybe early...anyways, I'm here now." She said through deep breaths.

Colson looked to Zoe and burst out laughing. Zoe stared blankly ahead, looking exhausted.

"I don't get it," Zoe said. "Can we go now?"

"Let's," Colson said as he shook his head.

They sat on the stairs outside the hotel, Ivy wearing the same white jacket, black boots, and white camo shorts. Zoe wore the same long t-shirt that reached her knees and dirty red tennis shoes. Colson wore a black long sleeve shirt with grey sweatpants. They had asked the person at the front desk to call them a cab and were awaiting its arrival.

"It should've been here by now!" Colson paced back and forth, stomping as he did so. "But noooo, she had to talk to a 'guy,' now we have to wait!" He continued grumbling as he walked up and down the stairs.

"It hasn't been that long," Ivy said, grinning, watching Zoe springing cards from one hand to the other. "Besides, uhh, Cato said that 'patience is a virtue,' right?"

"See? I told you if you studied, you'd actually learn something," Zoe said, a proud look on her face.

"We shouldn't be in a hurry. We should just have fun with the game, ya know?"

"Ivy, you realize I didn't do this for fun, right?"

"Really?"

Colson sighed and sat down on the step below them, "The girl's right. We should've run. Probably would've made it there faster," he grumbled.

"Yea, because running is definitely faster than a car," Zoe mumbled.

A few minutes later, a faded yellow cab screeched to a halt in front of them. The driver got out, bumping his head on the car's ceiling as he did so. His short, portly frame barely squeezed out of the vehicle.

He yawned loudly, "So, you're the kids I'm picking up?" His voice was low and gravelly.

"Yup!" Ivy said, bouncing down the stairs and opening the back door.

"Umm," he scowled, looking at them, "you gots the money to pay for it?"

"Right here, sir!" Ivy pulled out her colony ID from her pocket.

He sighed, "Alright then, get in."

The inside of the cab was cramped and dirty. There was a cracked TV screen on the back of the front seat.

Zoe sat in the front seat, map open, giving the driver instructions. Even with an extra space between them, Ivy and Colson felt like the cab was too small.

It didn't take long to get out of the city and into the country; massive trees surrounded the road, making a wooden tunnel.

"This is the place," said Zoe as she folded the map to put in her bag.

The cab driver looked around; nothing but rolling hills and wheat fields surrounded them. They had pulled off to the side of the road; the concrete was cracked with flowers and weeds protruding from the fissures. There was a strong possibility that it had been months since the road had seen any cars.

"You sure, little lady?"

"Yea, we know what we're doing," Colson said as Zoe stepped out of the car. Looking at her watch, reading, "five-thirty, we made good time."

All three stood and watched as the cab did a u-turn and rattled back the way they came.

"Man, that car sucked!" Colson said as he bent down, stretching his legs. "Also, is it that hard to get air fresheners in there? There should be some law to make that mandatory in all cabs."

Ivy looked around, "This is the farm village?"

"No," Zoe said, pointing to the left, "It's actually about three miles that way. But I don't think we should bring attention to ourselves just yet. If we run, we can get there quickly and deal with this whole thing."

They followed the tire tracks of what looked to be a truck that had driven through the wheat field. They ran up and down the many hills, listening to the birds around them start their morning calls, and the mist lifted as the sun slowly rose in the red sky.

"Say, Zoe, remember when I told you about Reiza?"

"Yes, what about her?"

"When she hit me, she had the blue light around her and said that if I do the same thing to her, I'll belong there."

Zoe was silent.

Ivy clicked her tongue in thought, ducking under a massive strand of wheat, "Is it because of the fortune that no one there likes me?"

"Ivy…"

Colson spoke up, "I heard from my brother that Neph is the reason the higher-ups haven't killed you yet… Sorry, that was out of pocket."

"It's okay," Ivy said, "I'll just need to prove myself is all. Getting a star for completing a contract is a good start, right?"

They sprinted over a large hill; the closer they were to Cassius, the more the plants and animal life changed around them. The wheat fields turned into large spreads of tropical fruits and flowers. On top of the hill was a rickety wooden sign, the word "Cassius" splattered in bright yellow paint on the dark wood. Beneath them in the valley were the vast fields of vegetables and fruit. Behind that, a sprawling village and woodland of trees, mostly oak. To its right, a hill so big it could almost be mistaken for a mountain. On that hill, a waterfall turned into a river that bisected the village; two red bridges spanned the gap between the two sides.

"Sheesh," Colson admired; he held his hands in front of him, his thumbs and index fingers extended. He closed one eye as if he were looking through a viewfinder. He took several steps back; through his fingers, he saw Zoe and Ivy on either side of the sign; behind them was the massive, sprawling village of Cassius.

"Looks man-made," Zoe noted, looking off at the hill.

"I need to pee," Colson said, looking around.

"Well, then we better hurry," Zoe said, walking down the hill into the valley, Ivy carelessly sprinting after.

"Wait!" Colson said, sticking his arm out in front of Zoe and Ivy, blocking their path, stopping so suddenly that Zoe almost ran into Ivy. He pointed a bit to their right, a nearby bush—very dense and tall.

Zoe gave him an odd look, "You don't want us to watch you, right? Cassius is just down—"

"What the—no! That's not—just hush, alright. Look there," Colson said, pointing to the base of the plant.

Zoe squinted, seeing two shadows from underneath it. Realizing what they were, she took a step back, reaching for one of her knives. Ivy stood beside her, the knuckle dusters already in hand. "That could just be one of the residents, right?"

"I don't think so," Colson said, slowly circling the bush, drawing his bokken. He gestured for both of them to rotate the opposite way—to the right. Ivy sprinted forward, rounding the corner. Colson cursed under his breath, "I meant for you to circle it slowly!" He bounded forward, pointing his sword forward.

Behind the bush sat two people. Colson noted how they probably weren't much older than he was. One wore a deep green hoodie with jeans and rain boots, while the other wore sweatpants and a leather jacket—completely shirtless underneath, tattoos littered his slim torso. The boy in the coat pointed a large hunting knife directly at Ivy. The other boy carried a baseball bat with jagged nails sticking from it.

"Tsk Tsk Tsk," the boy in the jacket said, getting to his feet, walking over to Ivy; noticing Zoe, who stood behind her. His eyes transfixed on Zoe's wrist, her colorful watch gleamed in the sunlight. His gaze shifted up into her eyes, the sharp blue eyes nervously staring back at him from behind her hair. The boy's face split open into a friendly smile, and he lowered his knife. The kid in the hoodie looked back and mirrored his friend.

"Hey," the boy in the hoodie said, "sorry for the misunderstanding there, buddy. We thought you were going to attack us or something." He lowered his bat and put an arm around Colson, which caught him off-guard. He was the same height as Colson but didn't weigh as much.

Zoe's eyes stayed unblinking, observing them carefully. 'I don't trust them at all.'

Colson lifted the boy's arm, moving out from under it. "Whatever," he said, an annoyed look on his face.

"Before we go, I gotta ask, have you guys know anything about a ring?"

"What are you talking about?" Colson asked.

"You know, it's called angel-something or other."

"We just got here, dude."

"Oh, you did?" The one in leather asked. "From where?"

Ivy opened her mouth to answer, but Zoe grabbed her hand, shaking her head. She looked to Colson, hoping her expression communicated her thoughts. 'These questions may be just normal small talk, but the way they're asking the questions…In this world, there are no real coincidences. They now know we aren't from here, and they can most likely correctly assume that we know nothing about where we are either. If I had to guess, the ring they're referring to is probably well-known to the people of Cassius. Simple strategy would dictate that we should make our move now. I doubt they'd expect it.'

The boy looked over to Ivy and Zoe again, "By the way—" he was cut off by the quick movement of Colson. He whirled around the kid with the baseball bat, going for the one that was a higher threat. Ivy, seeing what was happening, moved in the opposite direction. She swung as hard as she could with her brass knuckles. The boy in the hoodie couldn't react in time, the weapon connecting to his side. Its impact caused him to double over in pain, dropping his bat. The boy in the leather jacket‌ was ready. He dodged Colson's bokken; using his knife, he attempted to slash a wide arc in front of him. The blade was knocked away by Zoe. If it were to have connected, Colson's neck would've turned into a crescent smile. With one swift motion, Colson stomped down on the boy's oblique. The boy's leg hyper-extended, and he fell to the ground with a whimper. He curled into a ball, holding his leg.

Zoe winced at the manuever. "You didn't need to do that," she said, cringing.

"What?" Colson said, confused. "They were gonna kill us!"

"Well, yeah…" Zoe had to turn away; the sight of the kid's leg was making her queasy. It reminded her of the time she'd broken her arm. She glanced over to Ivy, who was sitting on the one in the hoodie's back. The boy groaned, his face wracked with pain, holding his side. Ivy's hands were curiously rummaging through his pockets.

"Why aren't you complaining to her?" Colson said, "She probably broke his ribs, and she's running his pockets. That's more disrespectful than anything I've done."

"Broken ribs are an easier fix than a torn MCL."

"A what?"

"MCL," Zoe lectured, "it stands for Medial—" a loud groan of pain from one of the boys drowned out her words.

"Quiet! You don't get to be all loud. You attacked us, now zip it!" Colson snapped. He walked next to Ivy, who was going over her spoils. "Find anything cool?"

"Hmm, no. A silver diamond encrusted band, a wedding ring, and two five-dollar coins."

"A wedding ring?"

Ivy tossed it to him.

"Huh, I guess you're right. Odd," a big smile crossed his face. He poked the one Ivy was sitting on with his bokken, "aww, I didn't know you guys were married," he cackled. He looked at Zoe, "we just committed some kind of hate crime then."

Zoe laughed, "Yeah. They seem a bit young to be married. I bet they stole the items from Cassius. We should return it."

"Yeah. Or, we pawn it off and get a big chunk of change for it," Colson said in a hungry tone.

Zoe scowled at him.

"kidding," Colson grumbled. "Ivy, get up."

Ivy hopped to her feet, causing the boy to groan with pain once more.

"You two," he said, nudging the guy again with his foot, "time for you to leave. Get up. Run away. Don't come anywhere near here again," Colson commanded.

"Alright," wheezed the one with the knife as he rose to his feet.

The trio watched as the boy with the hoodie supported the one with the jacket as they hobbled the way they came.

A cobblestone path winded its way through the green and ferny town. The sound of birds had disappeared; only a slight whistle was audible as wind lazily flowed between the old log houses and the oak trees that dotted the village.

"This isn't creepy at all," Zoe said, instinctively moving behind Ivy, who walked forward with her usual childishly confident gait. "It's like they all just got up and moved. They left all their stuff, though." She looked on at some toys strewn in the front yard of a house. 'Not a soul around… As if every resident, mid-activity, teleported somewhere else.'

"No, there are lots of people here," Ivy looked towards a tall stone brick house, pointing towards a dusty attic window, a bed sheet covering it from the inside. "Someone is watching us from up there."

Zoe stopped walking and stared at each building, listening intently. "Are you messing with me?" She asked after some time.

"Nah," Colson said, "There's a few in there as well," pointing behind him at another house.

"Wait, what? How do you guys know?" Zoe said, looking around, confused.

Ivy gave her a confused look, "You don't hear them moving around?"

"I hear them breathing," Colson admitted. "Also, it's just kind of a feeling."

Zoe snuck up to the nearest house, putting her ear to the front door, and waited. "I don't hear anything."

Following the path, they saw a lone triple-story orange house at the edge of the village. It was located near a woodland area that sprawled from the back right side of the town to the left.

The trio stood in its yard. All agreed that the home looked like one owned by a village chief.

"Well…" Colson said, "shall we knock?" Looking at both Ivy and Zoe, trying to hide his nerves. "There is something bizarre about this place. I don't like it at all," he thought.

"I-I guess so. Let's go knock, guys," said Zoe. Nobody moved.

"Fine. I'll do it." Colson said, his voice quiet. He walked up the creaky stairs onto the patio; he stopped when he reached the door. Pressing his ear to the door, he heard talking inside. It was too quiet, and the words were too muffled. He turned back to the two girls, "Y'all, someone's inside here," he hissed, "should I just knock?"

"Sure," said Ivy as she walked up the stairs, putting her ear to the door. "Yea, a couple of people inside." Zoe followed her and did the same, noting that she, too, heard them.

Colson took a deep breath and knocked; there was a sound of glass breaking inside as he did so.

"Hello?" He called out, opening the door, "You okay in there? We're from-" The words caught in his throat as he saw what was inside.

Two sets of wide, bloodshot eyes stared at him, her lips blue and her face pale. The teenage girl clawed at the hand that held her up by her neck. She reached out to the trio; her mouth open and trying to scream. The man effortlessly flung her across the room, her head slamming against the stone fireplace. She lay there, a small trickle of blood coming from the side of her mouth.