Chapter 10;fIrst Day of Work(Game of Heart)

Chapter 10: First Day of Work

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"I don't think so."
Glaring at the man standing in the threshold, I sat myself higher on the bed and straightened out my back to look more dominant. Why was he here? I was grumpy enough; I didn't need him to add to it.
"Good morning, Cane," Akin greeted politely.

"Morning!" Eri cheered in her delightful, bubbly tune. I guessed she was feeling better. He was useful for something at least—a distraction.

"Good morning… Cane," I grumbled, coming out more like a growl than I intended.
He wrinkled his brows somewhat defensively, evidently shocked by my usage of his name. Well, on the bright side, I didn't call him top hat jerk to his face, so this was more of a pleasant surprise, I suppose. He seemed to brush it off quite easily.

"Here," he said as he handed me a folded article of black clothing and a small burlap sack.

"What're these for?"

"Your first job today. You'll need to collect the hearts while remaining effectively hidden. I hope you aren't so silly that you can't figure out which is for what purpose."
I rolled my tired eyes at him. "No, I don't know," I retorted back sarcastically.


"The black cloth is to keep hidden, and the brown bag is to collect hearts," he lectured slowly and mockingly, like I was some kind of mental patient who needed extra special care and attention. God, I wanted to punch him.
"silly top hat jerk," I mumbled under my breath.
"Excuse me?" His sapphire eyes flared with anger.
"Nothing."
I puckered my lips and blew a slight whistling tune, just to irritate him. It worked. I saw his hand clench into a tight fist at his side. Ha!
"So, is that all, Cane? Or did you need something else?" Akin questioned while mussing up his cranberry tresses.
"I wanted to wish you luck."

Akin laughed lightly. "Why? I've been out there before."
"I'm not wishing you luck with the fighters. I'm wishing you luck in being stuck with her all day."
"You know what?" I yelled, cocking my fist until Akin came forward and restrained me against the bed.
"Thanks, I'll need some luck with this one!" he joked playfully as he pressed my wrists deeper into the mattress, all while keeping his head and eyes turned to top hat jerk.
"Akin, you traitor!"

I kicked my feet vigorously, thrashing them around like sharp flails, until I ended up jamming my foot into Akins’s ribcage. Groaning but laughing, he released me and helped me sit back up. I, in the meanwhile, hissed at him with the serious intent to kill.

Somewhat amused, Cane watched us and smirked. "Don't die out there, you two," he said coolly as he advanced towards the door and closed it behind him.

"Hmph. At least he left quickly."
"Hey, Alice! Don't be mean!" Eri chided.
"Whatever!"
She huffed gently and plopped beside me on the bed. Akin entwined his fingers behind his neck, grinning, while I was left perpetually sighing as usual.
"So… What do we do now?" I questioned, my eyes shifting back and forth between Akin and Eri.
He fluffed his hair up a little. "I don't know…"
There was just a brief moment of silence where we all pondered our thoughts. It was still early, and I had no idea what I was even supposed to be doing here. Why did they drag me in this room in the first place?
"Ah!" Eri exclaimed, "I finally remembered what I wanted you to do!"
Was she a mind reader or something? As though by instinct, she jumped up from the bed and raced across the room, opening another door in the corner I hadn't noticed and emerging a few seconds later with a fluffy green towel resting in her arms.
"Here, you haven't showered yet, right? Take one now!"
"A-Ah, but…"

I feared for the makeup. It was the only thing protecting me from seeing more of myself… I didn't want that to come off. I didn't want to see how truly mutilated I was. It terrified me. What if I washed away the makeup and there was nothing but raw flesh under it? No skin? Just dense, red blood and sinewy muscle fibers and damaged tissue… This makeup was my skin right now. If that came off…
Akin could see the desperation in my eyes and verbalized my words for me.
"Not now," he whispered.
"Why not? You haven't showered since you got here! That probably doesn't feel good, right, Alice?"
I nodded my head and grasped at my own fingertips, shaking slightly. Eri must've caught on.
"I-If you want… I have makeup you can borrow. You can reapply it after you get out of the shower."
I looked up at her, blissful hope in my strained eyes. It would feel so good to shower, so refreshing. Maybe if I just didn't look at myself… It'd be okay. Yeah. Everything would be fine.
"Okay," I said while snatching the towel from her hands, "I'll shower. I'll be right back."

I listened to the pitter patter of my own footsteps as I made my way into Eri's private bathroom. I was floored. The place was as big as my whole room! There were white counters and cherry wood cabinets and spotless mirrors that took up the entire expanse of the right wall. Then, there was a white toilet, standing shower that could accommodate

three people, and grand Jacuzzi bathtub to my left. Then, in the back… Another closet? How many clothes did this girl have?

Cautiously, I turned the handle in the shower to start heating the water. In the meantime, I peeled my shirt over my head, shimmied out of my twisted black leggings, and hesitantly stripped out of my undergarments, all while being sure to avoid my reflection. Then, I stepped beneath the spray and immersed my body in a state of warm, sweet bliss. Hot water cascaded over my Unclad body and I hummed deep in my throat, running my hands through my drenched locks and feeling the tension in my muscles loosen and fade. And then, after glancing down, I watched the makeup swirl down the drain. My eyes instinctively shut to avoid my reflection and I felt for some kind of soap to scrub my skin.
Not a smart idea.

"Ah…" I groaned after washing off. Several of my wounds split at the seams and bled fresh, transforming the water to a light shade of pink and again swirling down the drain. My body was still raw, fragile enough to fall apart under the heat of a little water. Blood… It just flowed from my body as though it were endless, like I had access to an unlimited supply, when in reality, I had none to spare. Whimpering, I shut off the spray to save myself the agony, stepped out onto the rug, and clutched onto the towel Eri gave me to my chest. It didn't matter how much it hurt, though; I had to make sure I didn't ruin Eri's bathroom. I quickly wiped away my blood before it reached and ruined her beautiful yellow rug and wrapped the towel around my chest.


"Eri?" I called through the door. "Can you help me out in here?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Hey, why can't I come in?" Akin whined in an offended tone.
"She's Unclad in there! It's not for you to see." Eri pulled open the door, gasped at the sight of my bloodied towel and wounds, and hurriedly rushed in to treat me. I heard a small whimper from Akin.
"I want to see…"

Flushing slightly, I slammed the door shut and moved carefully towards the edge of the bathtub for seating. Eri grabbed the first aid kid and finally put it to good use. After removing my towel, she wiped away the blood, put pressure on each of the deep wounds to stop the blood flow, disinfected them, and wrapped them up with clean, white bandages. I felt a bit self-conscious, considering she was looking at my bare body, but she was a girl and she was nursing me. I had nothing to complain about.
"T-Thanks," I moaned through the pain.
"Does it sting?"
"It's fine…"
"Alice, you make sure to tell me if anything happens, alright?"
"Okay…"
Even as we spoke, Eri applied a bit of tan cream around my bruises and effectively covered anything that wasn't bandaged.
"Thank you," I whispered.
"Oh, would you shut up about it already? It's no big deal."


Giggling, she passed me my clothes and ruffled my moist hair, detaching some of the strands that had decided to stick to my face. I smiled up at her, almost like she was my own mother, and mumbled another word of thanks.

"It's okay! Jeez, you're such a worrywart."
My face beamed with happiness.

"I know."
After being effectively cleaned off, I located back to Eri's bedroom to fetch the cloth and sack. It was probably about time to go out for my first day of work. I strode across the room, and Akins’s eyes lit up for a moment when he saw me, but they dimmed just as quickly.

"What?" I asked, reaching for the black cloth and unraveling it. I still didn't even know what it actually was, but I had to wear it to "stay hidden."

"I thought you'd still be Unclad," he teased with a cheeky grin.
Flushing with my head angled towards the ground, I played with the carpet between my toes and continued unfolding the cloth. How was I supposed to survive with him all day?

"Hey, knock it off, Akin! Quit flirting!" Eri yelled, gallantly hopping across to my rescue. I breathed a small sigh of relief and finally unveiled the garment to be… a cloak? It was just a huge black cloak with a hood. How was this supposed to keep me hidden? I'd stick out like a sore thumb!

"Do you wear this thing too, Akin?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, but not to stay hidden. It's more to keep the blood from staining your clothes."
I gulped. Right, this wasn't a day of normal people's work. This was… murder in its essence. I… needed to keep the blood off myself…

"Just put it on. It'll help, trust me."
Reluctantly, I followed his instructions and fastened the hook around my neck. The soft, threaded folds hung loosely off my shoulders and draped over my body like I was a statue or a vampire. For the finishing touch, Akin jumped up and curled the hood neatly over my head. I caught a glance of myself in the mirror.

"I look ridiculous. I'm not going out with this thing," I said obstinately.

"No, you look really cool, Alice!" Eri squealed. "Just like Akin or Vulpe or Cane!"

"So, I look like a guy?" I retorted quickly.

"Ah, come on! Don't think of it that way!" She reached over and smoothed out the fabric around my arms, causing me to wince slightly. "Oh, sorry," she mumbled as she hurriedly brought her hands back to her space.

"Well, we'd better get going, Alice. Since it's your first day, I want to finish up and get us home early." Akin, smiling, already started for the door.

"So… I guess… Goodbye, Eri. I'll see you later today."
She poked at my cheek and cheered, "Good luck! You can do it, Alice!"
I laughed—she was like my own personal cheerleader, pumping her fists in the air for me. "Thanks." Then, I trailed Akin out the door, waited for him to grab his cloak, and followed him out of the mansion.
We emerged through the grand double doors and stepped out into the blistering morning cold. The sky was still dark with wispy gray clouds hanging high in the sky. The sun was barely peeking through the horizon, and even then, it was almost entirely obscured in the darkness. A few twinkling stars were still sprinkled across the skyline like glitter. It was beautiful, this period between dawn and dusk. The frigid morning gust blew our cloaks above our hips and elicited two responses—Akin relaxed in the cold like he'd been living in it all his life, while I hurriedly brought it down around my shivering body and whined pathetically. He reached over and soothingly caressed my back.

"You ready?"

I clenched my teeth tightly to prevent them from chattering. "Yes."

"Come on, then."

We moved on towards the so-called "domain" where we'd be collecting the hearts. With the burlap sack in hand, I blindly shadowed Akins’s path through what he explained to be the poorer end of town. The heels of my mud brown boots crushed the cobblestones embedded in the ground below while my eyes surveyed the area. The houses carried almost no distinction from one
To the other, just the same chocolate, triangular rooftops and tan adobe walls. There was no space from one to the next and hardly any vegetation that could be considered a front or backyard. It looked so much more dilapidated and deserted compared to the villa-style mansion I was staying in. But just as I started to look more closely, we were off towards the forest.

"Be careful here, got it? You never know when someone's waiting to attack." Akin slipped his hand into his right pocket.

"Okay."

Dry leaves crunched under the weight of my boots and echoed between the towering trees. I craned my neck around to observe the area. There were hardly any deciduous trees, resulting in a dense mass of crisp, bright green leaves that concealed the path ahead. The rough, flaky bark of wide tree trunks made it nearly impossible to even see a few feet ahead of myself, so I had to stick close to Akin. Besides, in this vast amount of greenery, who knows what could be lurking in the shadows?
I was just about to find out.

"Are you okay, Alice? It's not too much further, but are you getting tired at all?"
I smiled without a care in the world. "No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Really sure?"

"Yes!" I shouted back in laughter. "I'm not that weak, you know!"

"Hey, don't yell at me! I was the one looking out for you, but I guess since you're so tough now, you don't need me to," he teased, stifling his own chuckles.

"Oh, shut up. I'll—"
I was just coming up to hit him—playfully, of course—until Akin felt a disturbance in the air. "Wait," he whispered seriously. I halted and listened closely. There was nothing, from what I could tell. The forest was still.

"What is it?"

"Get down!" he bellowed, pivoting on his feet and tackling me to the ground, my face practically buried in the dirt.

"Ow, what the hell was—?”
I was interrupted by my own scream. A snapping sound came in from the distance, and soon, there was the smoking shell of a discharged bullet a couple yards from the soles of my feet. If Akin hadn't acted so quickly… I would've…

"Come on, get up!"
He jumped up from the pile of leaves and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. And then, he ran. I didn't know which way he was going or where his destination was, but I just closed my eyes and trusted his judgment. I didn't care where I ended up, as long as I wouldn't get shot at again—anywhere I would be even remotely safe was fine with me.
Akins’s steps were quick and frantic, like he was going to stumble over himself running. He was scaring the living hell out of me. Please, please don't fall. No matter what happens, don't fall…
Luckily, Akin proved his skill to me by regaining his balance and continuing to sprint along through crags and ditches and clutter. The road was bumpy; my body was bouncing violently against his shoulder, but he seemed to feel no pain. He just ran on, assuring me everything would be okay, and for a bit, I felt it would be.

"Wait here a second, okay?"
He set me down in a small recess he discovered, carved out in one of the immense collection of trees. I looked up at him fearfully, eyes welling with hot, fresh tears.

"Where are you going?" I whimpered softly.

"I'll deal with him right now, so wait here. He's right in that tree behind us, so whatevewhatever happens, don't move."
"But…"

"Quiet, okay? We've lost him for a little bit, but he's looking out for us much more carefully now. I'll handle him, so you just stay here until I tell you its safe, okay? I promise I'll come back."

His powerful hands dug into my shoulders, shaking me slightly, as he buried his perfect, stable violet eyes into my panicked, ocean blue ones. He was telling me everything would be fine and we'd be safe, even without the words; he could show me just through that pure determination in his eyes. I knew he could handle it. He could do it. And so, through my welling tears, I nodded my head and crouched deeper in the spider-web, dirt infested hole as he stealthily snuck towards the assailant. For a while, I didn't hear anything. There was just the rustle of leaves tumbling across the ground from a gust of wind. But then, shouting shattered the silence while a spray of rapid bullets blanketed the dirt below, and the musk of smoky gunpowder filled the air.

"A-Akin…" I whispered, biting fiercely into my lip as a tear rolled down my dirt-stained cheek.

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