White Rabbit

Chapter 38: It's a Two Way Street

JACE

"Man, you really screwed up," Essence snorts as she sits beside me on the couch and eats popcorn out of a giant purple bowl, her attention fixed on the TV.

"You don't think I know that?" I sigh.

"It'll work itself out, don't worry," Essence says reassuringly, "Clattonia has a good heart. She'll be able to see the truth."

"Yeah..." I trail off.

I glance over to the doorway whenever it opens and Clattonia shoves a bloodied male through the doorway, making him scowl and scoff at her as he stumbles. Essence and I watch the scene in silence as she continues marching him through the room with his hands bound behind his back. Reece, Juniper, Indigo, Ink, and Caliber follow behind them as Clattonia looks over at me.

"You, with me," She commands and I stand up immediately, following her as she pushes the male down the hallway and Caliber follows behind us while the others stay behind in the living room watching the spectacle.

We continue following Clattonia as she leads the male downstairs to the training room where Labyrinth is practicing kickboxing and she glances over at her shoulder at us, her eyebrows raising in interest and she places one of her wrapped hands on her waist.

"Well, isn't this interesting. Kazuki Rin," Labyrinth hums, "I should beat your face in for what you did. I'm surprised that Reece isn't doing it already."

"Shut up," Kazuki snaps and jerks around in Clattonia's hold, "I was already shot twice if you haven't noticed already."

"That's still not enough to make up for the heartache you caused," Labyrinth says as she walks passed with a wave of the hand as she begins to ascend the stairs, "Bullets cause blood, but it isn't the same type of blood that ran from Caliber's heart when you drove a knife through it."

Kazuki grimaces and glances off to the side before Clattonia forces him to stand in the center of the room and she strides over to the BCP, quickly typing in commands on the holographic board and making a cylinder of yellow energy surround Kazuki so that he can't escape.

"Is this really necessary?" Kazuki sighs in frustration.

"Yes," Clattonia says firmly before standing in front of his cell and crossing her arms against her chest, "we're going to hold you here and you will cooperate with us."

"I don't have to do shit for you," Kazuki spits.

"Oh, I think you do," Clattonia says and narrows her red eyes at him, which begin to glow slightly and red energy comes off of them like flames as she raises a hand and red energy glows slightly from her hand, "because if you don't, I'll kill you right here and right now."

Kazuki stays silent for a few moments as he watches Clattonia carefully and debates his chances.

"Alright..." Kazuki relents slightly, his eyes ghosting over to Caliber before going back to Clattonia, "what do you want from me?"

"What were you doing with Minjonet and Loralai?" Clattonia asks.

"You know that I work with people sometimes," Kazuki shrugs, "I don't particularly like it because I don't care about any of them, but it keeps them from bothering me. It's a two way street, you know?"

"That doesn't answer my question," Clattonia says, "why were you helping them?"

"Minjonet wanted me to help her set some things up for her upcoming trip to Tokyo. Apparently, she's going there with members of White Rabbit for some reason. Loralai just follows her around. It's not because she couldn't handle herself. The two of them act as a duo," Kazuki says.

"What things?" Clattonia asks.

"I don't know," Kazuki sighs in annoyance, "she told me to take the suitcase that she gave me and for me to deliver it illegally through the underground and place it on a train heading to Tokyo."

"And you didn't stop to question what it was?" Clattonia raises a brow.

"Look, I just do whatever they want me to do in order to get rid of them. I don't particularly care to ask questions," Kazuki says in an irritated manner.

"Okay, and what were you doing with Misery and Nightshade?" Clattonia asks.

"Don't even remind me of the second time that I ran into Reece within the past month," Kazuki rolls his eyes, "Misery wanted me to retrieve important documents involving who knows what and a special box of powder for Nightshade that's one of a kind."

"Where did you get the documents and the powder from?" Clattonia asks.

"I got the documents from one of the local police stations and I got the box of powder from the science center around the block from where Reece and the others found us," Kazuki explains before his eyes drift over to me and he laughs, "and what the hell is the son of Daylen Athens doing here? Is he working with you? That would explain why he isn't being treated like me."

"That's none of your business," Clattonia clenches her jaw, "I'm done with you for now. I'll leave you to Caliber and Jace. You can get medical treatment once they're done."

Kazuki's eyes widen slightly and his eyes land back on Caliber as he visibly swallows and Clattonia turns around and goes to go back upstairs. I meet Clattonia's eyes as she passes me and she gives me a look that says she isn't done with me yet, making me fidget.

"Why?" Caliber asks quietly and Kazuki flinches slightly.

"Why what?" Kazuki asks cautiously even though his eyes show that he knows what she's asking.

"Why did you leave me behind?" Caliber asks and takes a few steps towards him.

"I," Kazuki clears his throat, "I don't really have an excuse that makes up for it."

"I know you do not. I just wanted you to admit it," Caliber says and whirls around, heading upstairs in a silent kind of pain and anger.

"You know," I start, "for her to admire someone that much they must've really been something, huh? And for them to let her down so hard they must've really been stupid, wouldn't you say?"

Kazuki scoffs lightly and crosses his arms, glancing away with a pained expression as I walk up the stairs and leave him alone in the basement just as he left himself and others alone many times before.