The previously chaotic room was clean and organized. The kitchen table that was once filled with Ethan's laptop and other electronic devices had a flower placemat and empty glass of what I presumed has been water. I glanced to the open living room, and my eyes returned to the vintage chair Michael had been sitting on – the pink and gold designed fabric covered in plastic wrap was hard to see in the darkened room.
A crash echoed against the walls, causing me to flinch as my eyes returned to the center of the room – a gigantic man descended down the stairs, coming into view.
He was massive – his toned, built body and overly sized biceps contributing to his bulky appearance. He looked furious as he gritted his teeth and paced the living room in front of me; his red eyes glanced up as an elderly woman entered, followed by a younger woman – the same one whose remains had been discovered this morning.
She was beautiful and young. The file stated she was twenty-five, but she looked no older than nineteen. Adelia had straight black hair; her bangs covered her forehead. Her brown eyes blinked as she trembled in place; her fear apparent.
I glanced back to Saikikku Madore, who stood there with a calm expression. Her grey hair was tied up with a red ribbon – the same ribbon matched the red of the long, kimono outfit she wore. She looked to be of Asian descent. For her old age, she had few wrinkles; her pale skin appeared healthy. She was barely five-feet tall, as she stood there with her hands in the long-sleeved pockets.
I watched the large man pace around before punching a nearby vase – the clear hourglass shaped decoration shattered upon impact. The broken pieces scattered on the floor, Adelia shrieked before rushing to get a broom in the corner of the room. Saikikku however, stood in place; her eyes lowered to the shattered glass, but her expression remained relaxed. The shattered glass...was his blood?
I focused on analyzing his appearance – my eyes concentrated on remembering every detail possible. He had a rough appearance; his hair was black with red highlights pointed all over the place. He looked about six-nine, the surplus amount of muscle and overall bulkiness of his structure reminded me of the Hulk from the superhero movie. I noticed a snake's head peeking out from his short sleeve t-shirt; his dark red pants had a similar design. His dark red, blood-like eyes were the most dominant feature – glowing dimly like he was the devil himself. "DO ANOTHER READING." He demanded, pointing his bleeding hand at Saikikku.
"I will not." She replied
"Your reading is wrong!" He retorted.
"The gods don't lie. You won't be able to stop the Elemental from awakening. You can search far and wide for the stone of awakening, but it will be pointless. Only the Elemental can unlock its power, and once the seals are shattered, there will be nothing you can do about it."
"I'll find that fucking stone and destroy it."
"It cannot be destroyed. Not until it's fulfilled its purpose, Xerxes. The future can always be re-written, but what's approaching us all is far more dangerous than your little fear over a mage. That stone is her birthright and you know it." She snarled; her eyes narrowed. It was the first time I saw her expression change.
"You are lucky to be well known Saikikku, or I'd have the pleasure of ridding you of your existence." She laughed; her cackle held power, while she looked back at him; her eyes wide enough to see the violet color in them.
"Xerxes, you know I still have all nine lives. Please, be my guest and be the first to try to rid me of my existence from this world. Hah, you sound like your pride-filled brother." She huffed.
"My brother has his own little kingdom to rule. It's about time I claimed mine. If you think I'm going to believe your heroic prophecy of witches, samurais, shifters and now this Elemental getting in my way, you can shove your fortune telling up your ass cause its bullshit. I will get what I want, Saikikku."
"The stars have spoken. It's up to you to choose to accept it or not. But I'll say it one last time. The Elemental WILL awaken, and you are merely one of the multiple sinners who are in desperate need of redemption. Dark times are approaching, and you, Xerxes, are nothing but a chess piece in this brewing war."
"SCAR!"
I blinked; the vision faded within seconds as five pairs of eyes greeted me; Jaxson's face only a few inches away from mine. He let go of my shoulders before shuffling back to the row of men; their worried expressions and eyes made me even more confused. Their eyes are like the fucking rainbow...book. Need book.
I glanced around the room that was fuzzy and uneven; my eyes landed on the table filled with evidence, a pile of blank paper stacked at the edge.
"Scarlet?" Jaxson called out; his voice softer, filled with concern.
"Maybe we should take her to the emergency room?" Ethan proposed.
"Did you forget what I can do? And she's in a dazed state. Like some type of trance?" Michael announced.
"Is this what Kendrick was worried about?" Christian asked.
"Yes. It's her gift.” Jaxson replied.
"What is she staring at?" Michael questioned.
"Christian, grab those sheets of paper and pen. Be quick." Jaxson ordered.
I tilted my head, unable to understand what was going on – the image of Xerxes and Saikikku still fresh in my mind. What do they mean an Elemental will awaken? What's that? What darkness? Dark times. Blood. Fear. Anger.
My thoughts were jumbling together; my fingers ached to draw out the scene before they faded away.
Christian was back, kneeling to present a stack of paper and a pen. I blinked at the objects before I unconsciously grabbed them; my hand sketched out scene after scene before I realized.
It was like drawing a comic book – picture after picture, scene after scene, making the images as realistic and detailed as my sore hand could create.
My eyes darted from side to side as I got the images down. Flick – next – flick – next.
It didn't matter where the sheets went, as long as the memories remained inked to the thin white paper.
Before long, only the last scene remained; my hand now begged for relief while I struggled to get the images down; Saikikku’s final warning that dark times are coming.
"Dark times are approaching, and you, Xerxes, are nothing but a chess piece in this brewing war." I whispered as my hand came to a stop; the pen finished the last scene of where Xerxes, Saikikku and an alive Adelia stood.
I was hit with a wave of exhaustion as the room began to blur; my eyes became too heavy for me to keep open. My body leaned over to the side, losing all strength. Four words lingered in my mind; the remaining visions blurred to nothing as my conscious plunged into darkness.
Dark times are coming...
Chapter Eight
AGENT JAXSON WHITE:
Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck. I couldn't stop the internal roller coaster running through me as I stared at the orange haired beauty with aqua, ocean eyes – that same pair of eyes that were now staring blankly at me.
I remembered our night together; her admission of having the gift she assumed was due to past generations of psychic tellers running in her family which prevented her from touching things or people with her bare hands. She wasn't a shifter – if she was, it would be much easier to tell that her gift was foresight; a rare trait to have especially at the level of inducing visions by touch.
Most individuals with this skill either caught glimpses or fractions of a scene that would occur in the near future. To be able to fully immerse yourself into the past and witness events with enough ability to draw or write them out was unheard of in years.
I had so many questions, wishing Kendrick was here so I could inquire about how strong Scarlet's gift was. I’d never been in this kind of a situation.
I was touched that she was willing to tell me about her gift; this revelation helped me make this examination easier for her. Well, until Ethan fucked up.
Now, with this change of events, I had no idea how her body reacted from these visions or what her visions portrayed. It was only a blessing in disgui
se that I'd walked into the club that evening, in desperate need to let loose after working on this case – attempting to catch this mass murderer for months.
I would have never imagined meeting Scarlet Sinclair; the girl with beautiful eyes and hips that don't lie. She could swing them back and forth, both on the dance floor and beneath the bed sheets.
I wasn't the type to fall in love quickly, but Scarlet was doing things to my body, and I'd only been with her for seven hours total. Her voice was addicting, like a habit that was hard to break.
When I saw her name on the recruitment list, recommended by Kendrick himself, I didn't hesitate to say yes; the action was greeted by five shocked pairs of eyes during our update rounds.
Now, my heart was affected by the growing anxiety and fear building within as I stared at the woman who was currently in a trance-like state for ten minutes, and my limit had just been reached. I placed my hands on her shoulders before giving her a light shake.
"SCAR." I raised my voice slightly, hoping the louder tone was enough to snap her out of it.
She blinked; her eyes met mine as she stared with purpose. My hand slid from her shoulders as I moved back to give her space. Whatever she'd foreseen must have been long or valuable if she was taking this long to recover.
Her eyes did a 180-degree scan, before they landed between Christian and I.
"Scarlet?" I called out. It had been a while since I'd heard a hint of worry in my voice. I always kept my upfront appearances solid. In this field, there was no room for emotions. Those were only allowed out when I was alone.
"Maybe we should take her to the emergency room?" Ethan proposed.
"Did you forget what I can do? And she's in a dazed state. Like some type of trance?" Michael announced.
"Is this what Kendrick was worried about?" Christian asked.
"Yes. It's her gift." I replied.
I hadn't had time to give the team all the information regarding Scarlet and her gift, not even I knew all the information.
I'd only received the phone call from Kendrick ten minutes before Scar had called me, explaining that Scar should keep her gloves on for the investigation. So much for following orders.
"What is she staring at?" Michael questioned.
I tracked her fixed stare, looking over my shoulder to see the stack of blank paper we'd discovered upstairs in the attic.
It may have been blank sheets of white paper, but I didn't want to leave an inch unchecked and one sheet of evidence could potentially be hidden in the pile. It was one of those perfect hiding spots killers used.
"Christian, grab those sheets of paper and pen. Be quick." I ordered.
He was up and moving so quickly, I questioned if he used his gift of speed – it was one of many he possessed.
He knelt down, presenting a stack of blank paper and a pen to Scarlet who looked like she was having a slow reaction time.
She looked down to the sheets, blinking a few times before reaching out and taking the items – her hand began to dart across the page.
We all gasped as images in immense detail appeared on the full sheet of paper within seconds. Her hand never drew longer than two minutes on a page before it was flicked away as her focus moved on to the next set of scenes. Michael and Junho, who were positioned next to Christian began to collect them. Junho put them in order as Michael did quick scans of the sketches.
Another ten minutes flew by before her trembling hand, which was stained with the pen ink, stopped with the final stroke of the pen – her eyes stared at the image before words escaped her lips.
"Dark times are approaching, and you, Xerxes, are nothing but a chess piece in this brewing war."
My heart skipped a beat at the mention of Xerxes – our primary suspect and connected to multiple homicides and tragedies occurring across the country. With all the arrows pointing in his direction and enough evidence to get his ass judged and executed after years of solitude and torture, he walked the streets as a free man because we couldn't place one piece of evidence to his blood.
Out of all my years as a private investigator, this had been the most frustrating five of my life thanks to him. Now, a woman who knew nothing of him, pronounced his name fluently with such familiarity that you'd think she'd known who he was.
Before I could ask her to repeat it, her eyes rolled back as she leaned to the side. Myself, Christian and Ethan reached out to her, stopping her from slamming into the ground again. She'd hit her head hard enough after saving the crystal ball which was one of our vital pieces of evidence. With this new development, that crystal ball may have revealed what had happened here.
I pulled Scar into my arms; her head fell lightly to my chest with the help of Ethan.
Christian aligned her legs to lie straight before Michael gave him the sheets of paper, moving to face Scarlet; his hand began to glow.
I looked up to his gold eyes, shining lightly before dimming. His glowing hand hovered over her, starting from her head and slowly making its way to her feet; moving back upward till it stopped at her head.
"She hit her head hard enough to cause bruising. I can heal her, but not here. Garbage duty is approaching, and we need to be out of here before the next team arrives." He explained, before the glow vanished; the light that emitted from his hand faded away.
Thank the gods for giving Michael the gift of healing. That had been a big help a few times; this current situation being another one.
"Um, am I the only who’s totally confused as to what's going on?" Ethan questioned.
"Questions later. Let's gather what we can and get Scar somewhere safe enough to heal her." Junho encouraged as he rose to his feet, already moving and slipping gloves on as he approached the table and gathered our prime evidence.
"Kendrick’s going to be pissed." I mumbled.
"Kendrick knows about her gift?" Christian questioned, taking a final glance at Scarlet before rising and moving to gather the files on the table. I was about to answer when my phone rang – the sound muffled from my pants pocket.
Michael shuffled to my side, pulling the device out of my pocket, knowing my hands were full. He slid his thumb across the screen, before placing it to his ear.
"Cece we can...what? Um...okay, fine, fine. Stop yelling."
Michael scrunched his face before placing the phone against my ear.
"Cece not –"
"What happened?"
"What?"
"Where's Scar." She questioned, her voice, toneless.
"She...Cece, this isn't the time."
"Let me guess. Scarlet somehow got a vision during your investigation, and you’re probably the only one not freaking out as to what to do."
"How do you…I'm not even going to ask. And only Ethan’s freaking out."
"I'm not fucking freaking out." He yelled before a loud crash followed.
I sighed; Michael pinched his nose as he sighed. Junho turned to face the kitchen, moving quickly to the doorway.
"Yup. You're totally freaking out. You become a complete klutz when you panic. Let me help." Junho announced before disappearing into the kitchen.
"ANYWAYS, Cece I'll call you back."
"No, you won't. I'll be there in thirty seconds."
"What do you mean you–" I began but the phone went off. Michael pulled the phone away, staring at the screen.
"She hung up. What did she say?" He questioned.
"That's she's going to be here in thirty seconds." I replied.
"Ten actually." Christian commented, placing all the documents in a small suitcase we stored important documents in.
"She doesn't even know where we are." Michael argued. Ethan and Junho returned with the remaining equipment.
"There's no way she'll–"
The door flew open – Cece emerged from the doorway as the sunlight shone behind her. You have got to be fucking kidding me.
She stormed into the room; Vinzent closed the door behind them. He walked up to us right as Cece knelt down; her ey
es scanned Scarlet's appearance.
Her eyes stopped at the blood that dripped from Scarlet’s wound; those eyes clouded with silver, and I thought they would strike us down with lightening. She remained silent for another minute before she rose.
Vinzent looked at Scarlet; his eyes grew wide for a moment before he gave us a look. I knew that look. It was the "you guys are so fucking screwed" look.
"You have ten seconds to explain to me why my best friend is unconscious, gloveless and bleeding from her head." She said smoothly, her deadpan tone made us shiver. I didn’t know if it was out of fear or the thought of dealing with her shifter side. I hadn’t met her, but from Christian’s description of her, she wasn’t someone you wanted to mess with.
"Cece –" Vinzent began but she glared, silencing him.
"Scarlet's gloves got dusty and she took them off, and then I accidentally bumped into her which knocked the crystal ball over, and Scarlet caught it and face planted the floor before going into a weird dazed state and drawing a fucking manga book and passed out before I freaked out and you magically arrived." Ethan confessed; the words spilled out so fast I questioned if Cece got it all.
She blinked before nodding.
"Got it. Now, instead of us playing house, let's get Scarlet some treatment and sit down and talk about how we're going to explain all of this to her when she wakes up." She announced.
"Wait! WHAT? We're going to tell her. Like, TELL her, tell her? She's human. We can't reveal ourselves. We just met her." Ethan argued.
"Shut that anxiety in a corner, Ethan, we don't have a fucking choice. Unless Scar hit her head so hard that she doesn't remember anything, we better tell her, or gods help us all if Scarlet begins to freak out."
I rose to my feet, lifting Scarlet in a secure hold.
"What happens when Scarlet freaks out?" Christian asked.
"Shit happens, Christian. Nothing good comes out of a situation when Scarlet gets mad or emotionally imbalanced. Now move!" She ordered; her arms gestured to the exit.
Visionary Investigator Page 9