2023-02-20 17:13:21Seth finally did his laundry. He had watered his neighbour’s plants too.
Damn Elba for making him take care of her plants in exchange for one pack of home-brewed tea. Though, he couldn’t deny that tea was delicious as fuck. It could kill his hangover, too, in case someone needed to know. And that was not the only good thing about her. Elba even gave her first homemade salve to help his broken nose.
What a God-send.
Or maybe she was just using him as a test lab, but who cares. He wouldn’t be sporting the said broken nose tonight.
After that, he went to grab a double mac on the way to his mother’s new home. It was only a half an hour walk after a subway ride, but God knows why he hadn’t visited her. It has nothing to do with her new husband and their daughter. Of course.
When he arrived at the unfamiliar white door, Seth picked up his phone and glanced at the clock displayed on his screen. Almost six.
Suddenly, the door burst open and a pair of little arms circled his waist. “You must be my brother, Seth!” An excited voice of a toddler greeted him, prompting dread in his stone cold face.
“Get your sticky hands off me, brat.”
“There’s no way to speak to your younger sister!”
Ah. There it was, the familiar scolding voice of his mother.
Olivia was forty-something years old, but her mannerism didn’t always match with her age. For example, she got killer heels and a heavy make up on her face. Something he could tolerate if she was going to a fancy event with her new husband, and not a ‘simple family dinner’ with her estranged son.
“Pleasure to see you too, Mom.” His lips pulled in a tight smile. “It seems you finally found a good doctor, huh? All those wrinkles and acne scars magically disappeared.”
“Seth!” His mother reprimanded, again. “Can’t you at least be civil tonight? I’m not asking too much from you, am I?”
Clenching his jaw, Seth held back his answer to not match her tone. “Surely you remember how I get when I’m mad, don’t you, Mom?”
Before his mother could retort back, the little human still clinging to his waist said, “It’s getting cold, can we go inside, now? I want to show you my new stethoscope!”
Olivia’s stern expression suddenly melted, but Seth still got this bitter look on his face. However, he was the first to break the silence by looking down at the girl who might be a little older than a toddler after another brief inspection. “Stethoscope? What are you, a doctor?”
“Yeah! I’m gonna be a surgeon. The best in the world, like Doctor Strange!”
“Good choice. Do you want to be a magician, too, then?”
“No! Not a magician. A superhero!”
“Well, good luck with that. But let me tell you one thing.”
“What?”
“All superheroes have bad childhood or depressing backstories. They have no future either, because they will be dead fighting enemies.”
The small girl tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“Seth–“
“Relax, Mom. She doesn’t know what it is.”
“And you better keep it that way.”
So, disgruntledly, Seth entered the house his mother shared with her new husband.
“Seth, how have you been?”
“Witherspoon,” he grumbled, decidedly ignoring the offered hand from his mother’s new husband. “Drop the act. We know fairly well how you feel about me.”
But the older man smiled anyway. “It’s been seven years, you should call me Eric by now.”
“No, thank you.”
“Take a seat. We’ve been waiting for you before we start dinner,” Olivia said, bringing a smile to her face as she hoisted the probably five year old girl on the padded chair.
“As you should, considering you made the effort to call me after almost a year of radio silence.” He looked at the dining table, where four empty plates had already been set nicely. The main dish was roasted chicken, with a bowl of healthy salad and a chocolate souffle as the dessert. “But, no. I already ate on the way here. Let’s hear what you want to tell me, that you require for us to meet.”
Eric, the new husband, had long since accepted that Seth’s relationship with his mother was far from good. So, instead of aggravating him further, he chose to move on with their topic of discussion. “We need your help.”
Seth scoffed. Now, they want his help?
“It’s nothing big, you see,” Eric explained, “Can you babysit Marnie for three days starting tomorrow?”
The fuck. “Why would I want to do that?”
“We can pay you.”
“That’s not what I’m asking here, bastard.”
“Mind your language, Seth,” his mother scolded again, seemingly thinking that he was in the wrong here.
“You both don’t even ask me if I’m free tomorrow.”
“We figure you have no class, since it's the weekend.” Eric tried again, stating the obvious.
“You think attending class is the only thing I care about?”
The patriarch opened his mouth, but Olivia added before he could utter a word. “Right. I forgot that you like to skip school and drop out of your track team. The death of your father was just an excuse.”
“How dare you bring dad into this?” Seth seethed in anger. “Unlike you, I don’t sleep with someone else just three months after dad’s funeral.”
That must hurt like Sarah’s punch to his nose, but his mother’s knight in sweater vest came to her rescue. “You father and I were best friends. He asked me to take care of your mother before he died.”
“Take care of my mother, not sleep with her.” Seth looked away from his step-father and glanced at the silent little girl who played with her fork. “Either way, I will not babysit your love child tomorrow. Or ever.”
“But, Seth–“
It wasn’t even a question. How dare they ask that of him?
And yet, on the way out …
Dong!
[New bonus missions received.]
[Bonus Mission 2: Babysit Marnie Witherspoon for three days.]
[Rewards: 150 exp + 150 cells.]
[Time Left: 3 days 6 hours.]
[Bonus Mission 3: Punch Eric Witherspoon in the face.]
[Rewards: 10 exp + 10 cells.]
[Time Left: 0 days 6 hours.]
He brushed it away. Unimportant, he knew that well. However, he couldn’t help the curiosity, the gritting interest, of how such – illegal – game could be so immersive with the reality of his life.
“Seth, wait!”
Grumbling silently, Seth decided that he’d continue walking away. But, a tight grip on his shoulder forced him to a stop. “Get your hands away from me.”
“Listen,” Eric’s pleading expression came to his face, “What you said to your mother, you don’t really mean it, right?”
“I meant every single thing.”
“I know you.” The older man said, stern, for a change. “Your father raised you well. He was a great man. He loved your mother so much.”
“Apparently, you love her too.”
Eric brushed that off, “And you, no matter how much you disagree and, maybe hate her too,” he focused on Seth instead, “I know, deep down, you still love your mother.”
What bullshit. Seth almost snapped at him. “Let me go before I punch you.”
The older man let go, knowing full well how hard Seth could punch from an experience. It wasn’t the first time his threat went unheard. However, as he was about to storm away, “No matter how you feel, you must remember that your mother loves you, Seth.”
“Thanks for the reminder. Now, get off of my face.” Because if Eric shovels that bullshit to him again, he’d really punch the old man’s wrinkly face.
Wait.
As Eric let him go and went back to his house with his tail between his legs, Seth unlocked his phone.
[Bonus Mission 3: Punch Eric Witherspoon in the face.]
[Rewards: 10 exp + 10 cells.]
[Time Left: 0 days 3 hours.]
He stared at the words, refusing to believe what that implied. Because not only did the game truly immersed with his life, but also –
No. Seth shook his head.
Why was this particular mission only given him a three hour window instead of a few days, like the ones with Sarah and Marnie?
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79. Table Turned
The raid was a bust.The lieutenant didn't even wait until they were in the privacy of his office before chewing him like useless gum. He demanded, "What is this, Monroe?"Mark bit back the urge to say, 'What did I tell you about raiding it yesterday, Sir?' He waited quietly and avoided any eye contact from the many people in bulletproof vests with bold 'PPD' on their back, strapping their gun back into safety and rounding up their failed attempt. "Why did I spend three hours of driving to the middle of nowhere with a full squad to take down a drug lab and slavery den while there's nothing here?"Again, instead of pointing out that the raid should have been done as quickly as he had suggested, Mark waited."Tell me, Monroe, why are you even screwing up this bad after the rookie slip up with that fake journalist in the warehouse?"'This is not my fault,' he thought. "We are too late, Sir," he said."Too late? Are you saying I'm too slow to act?" Madsen retorted angrily. "Do you even k
78. Make a Move
"You're so annoying, do I have to remind you every hour?" Rhea grumbled from the passenger seat, watching the dark-haired man behind the steering wheel as the car drove itself to the hill house. "Old news," Lucian commented and then glared at her. "But I already said not to let him into this again."Of course. "Mikhal's right. You do sounds like a jealous secret boyfriend.""Ha. Ha." There was no humor behind that. "First, I am not your boyfriend, I'm your fiance. Second, you're the one keeping this a secret, not me."Rhea grinned, "You didn't deny the first one? Are you jealous?""So what?" She frowned but didn't say anything else. She still couldn't figure out why he was jealous of that tall coworker of hers. No matter how many times she asked him, Lucian wouldn't tell.'Or you just never believe his answer,' a small voice at the back of her head supplied helpfully. She brushed it off because it was total drivel. There was no way Lucian actually felt jealous just because he liked
77. Running for Life
She was not as reckless as Lucian sometimes said to her. But she was still new in this espionage thing, and Mikhal suddenly pushed her down to the ground. Her heart raced, pounding noisily along with the blood in her ears. Mikhal's tall figure was equally low by her side. Confidence may fool many people, but she had none of it right now. Especially not after a burly man in a tank top suddenly pointed his long firearm in her direction, right before she took another shot of the drug lab with her phone. Breathing quietly, they waited in suspenseful silence until the man turned his weapon away from their direction. Another man came out of the drug lab's door, probably exchanging words before both of them went inside again. Rhea exhaled in relief, shoulders slumping down as both Mikhal and her shared a look. They moved closer, trying to get more proof from the small window at the side of the building now known as the drug lab. Not only from the chemical glasses with some colored liquid
76. Into Hidden View
After four days of work, Rhea finally got her day off again. Mikhal texted her, 'Meet you at East Station in twenty.' Smiling to herself, Rhea texted back an affirmation. "So…" Liz glanced at her from behind the steering wheel, "If I may ask, where are you going, Miss Rhea?""Out," she merely said."Any specific place in mind?"Rhea locked her phone, "Not really."The bespectacled girl looked uncomfortable for a second before she asked again. "Do you have any companions?""Yes.""Oh. Who is that?"Rhea narrowed her eyes, not liking where the bespectacled girl was going with this. "Is this an interrogation?""No, of course, not." Liz hastily said, topping it with an awkward laugh that she tried to make it sound natural. "I'm sorry if it came out like that, Miss Rhea. I didn't mean to."She sighed, turning to the sturdy houses that came into view as they finally reached the town's area. "It's fine. Lucian ordered you to do that, right?" Liz stayed silent, so she'd take that as a yes.
75. Coping Mechanism
The cafeteria was full of cola and burgers. "Free dinner for everyone!" one of the senior staff called out as they entered it. Rhea grinned – almost jumped in excitement – as her favorite food was served in front of her for free. Emi, on the other hand, chimed in a loud voice, "We don't pay to eat here!"She stuffed her face with the burger. She sat surrounded by a white shirt and blue vest-wearing staff, finally having a nice break out of the craziness of the afternoon shift. "I can't believe I was so excited about it before."Emi smiled broadly, munching on her mouthful bite of burger. She looked funny. "Didn't I tell you that it's crazy?""Yes, but you carefully left out the fact that it is precisely like that oddball group all over again, except, it happens continuously. Marching in a group in the lobby, then shoving each other to get in the elevator. Why do we only have four elevators, anyway?""But it only happens in the afternoon. After that, it's pretty slow, isn't it?"Rhea h
74. Unwritten Law
Lucian had been at the scene of serious diplomacy once, ages ago as he was still ten, where his father was showing him how to negotiate with a foreign mafia boss from another country. Earl would sign an agreement of letting said mafia boss move into Livingard and give him a little territory on the border to set up whatever operation they had planned. Earl would get back his prized butler slash right-hand man safely in one piece in exchange. He was fond of that man, his favorite butler. A middle-aged friendly guy who had a penchant for cutting apples into beautiful figures and dragging Lucian out of bed before dawn for a morning run. So, hearing that his favorite butler would be back after missing – he was captivated by the foreign mafia after accidentally crashing his motorbike to the mafia's daughter on the road – for three days, Lucian was eager when his father wanted him to tag along. It was supposed to be a valuable learning experience for him.One of the foreign mafia subordinat
73. At Least We Try
'Let him be, don't talk to him, whatever, just ignore him.'She didn't even want to see him. But bottling her overflowing emotions? It was a ridiculous idea.Then a notification chimed in, breaking into her bubble of thought, pulling her from the suffocating underwater feeling. 'How's' your girl's day out with Emi?' Mikhal texted her, oblivious to the chaos she made herself. 'She was great.' She texted back.'Cool. No more outings today?' His reply came seconds later, followed by three dots, signifying he was typing now. 'Imma starts the afternoon shift today. Dunno what to expect.''Expect the worst.''Never know u'r such a pessimist.'She wasn't. Fine, maybe she was. Just at the moment, though. Rhea responded with a laughing emoticon. Followed by a string of crying yellow faces.'What was that?' She bit her bottom lip, 'I want to go out.' Her thumb sent it before she even read the line. She considered deleting it. No use, Mikhal already typed again.'I'm free, if you were asking
72. The Walk Down
Sprinting to the beach, Rhea suddenly stopped before her sneakers touched the wet sand. Quickly taking them off, Rhea looked around for a place to put them without getting worried that the wave would sweep on them or someone take them away. Not that she was suspicious of some people enjoying the beach there, or that her shoes were extremely pricey – they were, not that Rhea knew about that, because it was Lucian who paid – but Rhea didn't want to lose her only pair of sneakers.She looked back to Lucian's parked car on the edge of the beach, where the dry ground met with green patches of grass. Squinting her blue eyes, Rhea calculated how much force she needed to get her shoes to the car's side. The light brown-haired girl got into a stance as if she would throw a slider with her sneaker as the ball. Then, Rhea let go of one of her sneakers in a powerful side swing. It flew in a bent trajectory and landed safely on the dry sand, though still a little far away from the car."Ah, I need
71. Wolf in the Flesh
It was the first time Rhea saw a wolf in real life.The wolf looked like how a wolf would in a book or movie. Nothing special, unlike the jet-black wild wolf she saw in a show. Or the majestic white wolf in legends. The animal in front of her looked just like the usual wolf. Short, triangular ears. Broad snout. A long tail. Looking slender yet seems powerful in its built. Its back was grey, so was its upper head. While the rest of its fur was light brown, and the underside was white.Rhea could not believe it."Should we continue?" Jo asked, stepping slowly on the gas pedal.As Jo drove the car past the watchful gaze of the wolf, Rhea felt a shudder run through her body. Either it was a creepy coincidence, or Lucian somehow controlled the wolf to appear there and failed Rhea's escape. Which sounded impossible. Both of them.It was some minutes later that Jo stopped the car. They were near the first building in the outskirt of Stradfield's little town. "Are you sure you want to get off
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