Chapter 13: Chapter Twelve—Chloe: Part II

We took the elevator to the professor’s floor before walking down the royal-looking halls. I sighed as we walked past my old room, reminiscing about its spectacular furnishings and decor. Finally, we came to the glossy oak door with five hundred and seventy-two engraved on a golden plaque to the side of the frame.

It took a couple of knocks before the door was fumbled with, and it opened to Jolene in a nightgown. Her short blonde hair was a mess and mascara ran down her cheeks.

I glanced down at the bottle in her hand. “A little early for drinking?”

“You don’t have private lessons today,” she said, squinting her eyes, “unless you’re looking for a different lesson,” she grinned, stumbling a little into the door frame.

I stared at her. “I’m reporting you to the school board.”

Jolene looked appalled. “You wouldn’t—wait, what for?”

I put my hand out towards her, “This is Jolene. She is my teacher, and… that’s it,” I said, introducing her to Chloe.

“We’re friends… I give you advice!” she shouted, clearly drunk, pointing the bottle at me.

“It’s always horrible advice,” I replied, sighing with a pause, “and friend—I guess.”

Chloe looked at me in disbelief. “She is a top-rank hero…”

“I’m taking a break for a bit and teaching. I think I’m doing pretty good,” Jolene smiled.

I shook my head. “She is horrible.”

“You’re so mean,” Jolene murmured, frowning at me. “I am pretty sure I taught you how to kick that guy’s ass at the bar.”

Ah, thanks, Jolene. I totally wanted Chloe to think I was a degenerate… unless she was into that type of thing, which seemed unlikely.

Chloe turned to me. “You got into a bar fight?” She asked with concern.

I put my palm up to stop the conversation from drifting anymore. “This is useless chatter. Jolene, I need clothes for my friend, and I need you to vouch for her with Edwin.”

“You see how this man acts? He walks around like he’s the damn Magister,” she complained, pointing to me, and glancing at Chloe. My eyes glazed over with boredom as Jolene went on about my ego. My patience for today was fading.

“Are you going to help?” I said finally, putting an end to her rambling.

“Oh, sure,” she said, putting the side of her head to the door frame, “but I have nothing big enough for those melons,” she smirked. Chloe was focused on the ground in embarrassment. Jolene was so vulgar, and it was in an obnoxious kiddish way. “Cyrus is such a boob guy,” she finished, raising her eyebrow at me.

After a nervous cough, I replied, “Well, then give me a store name and address or something.”

Jolene returned inside her room, writing down an address with the shop name and handing it to me at the door. “They’ve got a bunch of stuff,” she said, motioning down towards the paper that said Écho. “It’s expensive, but I’m sure you’re just gonna spend Edwin’s money.”

I took the paper and glanced back up. “Vicus broke up with you?”

“Is it that obvious?” she replied with her nightgown strap down on one arm. She indeed was a train wreck that just didn’t stop crashing.

“Yeah, try not to kill him,” I said, leaving the conversation as she stood at the door. Chloe followed after quickly.

“I’ll tell you the details later,” Jolene yelled before closing the door.

“I’m sure you will,” I mumbled.

Chloe was eager to say something as we rode in the elevator. “So, she is an elf,” she said, keeping her gaze forward.

“Yeah, like half or something.”

“How do you feel about that?” Chloe asked, looking over at me.

My head tilted. “About her being an elf?” I asked, and she nodded. “I don’t really think about it, to be honest.”

As Chloe and I made our way down the building to the busy road, I said nothing more. A taxi came up, and I opened the door as other cars sped down the street. There was some hesitation by Chloe as I motioned toward the door.

“We should walk. This is too much,” she said, stepping away from the door like a scared… cat. I shook my head. “This place is far away, and a taxi is not that much.”

She reluctantly got into the taxi with black leather seats. I handed the paper to the man, and he nodded, returning it as we took off down the road. Chloe was not talking and seemed anxious as she stared out the window.

You are reading story Shattered Darkness at novel35.com

“I’m not doing anything to make you uncomfortable, right?”

Her head turned to me. “No, absolutely not—thank you for always asking.”

“I asked that a lot when you were cleaning my room,” I laughed, watching the copper and metal buildings pass by as the sun bounced off them.

From the sea, the city just looked like a brightly glowing ball during the day. The buildings used a lot of metal and copper because they sustained their energy needs through thermal absorption, geothermal plants, and solar panels. Unfortunately, solar was not widely used yet and was expensive and hard to make. It helped that battery technology was developing fast, thanks to Edwin convincing the Magister to fund it; the city was having an energy crisis a few years before I arrived—Edwin had much more sway than I think even the Magister thought.

A taxi stopped, and I slid out, gesturing to Chloe as she gently grabbed my fingers. I gave the man some cash before he sped off down the road, and Chloe was staring at the store behind us. She mumbled to herself about something before she returned to my direction.

“I can’t let you buy me anything, and this store is way out of my price range. Cyrus, this is for rich people,” Chloe said, getting flustered. I was worried she was about to have a panic attack. The moment we stepped outside the academy, she had been a ball of angst.

“You can pay me back later if you must,” I replied, continuing towards the clothing store that had Écho projected onto its side by a hologram. The photographic recording of light made the Écho spin every couple of minutes. This was an expensive store, but honestly, I didn’t care because Edwin was paying for it.

Two men in red suits with white gloves opened the glass doors. “Welcome,” they said in unison as Chloe was glued to my back. We travelled through the glossy white luxurious store to the women’s section, and I stopped, gesturing for her to look at things. This store must have been a pain to keep clean with all the white. She meekly wandered over, browsing some of the shirts before she stepped back quickly from the rack with an expression of shock.

“Oh wow, you need to pick. I can’t—that shirt was nine hundred credits,” she said as a slender woman interjects with a practised smile. Her hair was in a tight bun, and she was wearing a very formal blue dress.

“So, what brings the lovely couple in today?” she asked, folding her hands in front of her, tilting her head. Everything she did was robotic in nature.

“Friends,” I replied, glancing over at a bench. “I’m going to sit and wait. You make sure she gets a new wardrobe. Price is not a problem.”

“Cyrus!” Chloe pleaded, but I ignored her objection and sauntered over to the metal bench, sitting on the cold white surface. My legs folded as I watched her and the lady. The sales floor associate was clearly in heaven as that practised smile turned to a real one, dragging Chloe to the dressing room.

I expected an hour or so, not three, as I dozed off and on with my arms crossed. I was starving and couldn’t wait to eat, but that was me ninety per cent of the time. The saleswoman came over quickly, clapping her hands together with a huge grin.

“I am done, and she is going to be absolutely gorgeous, stunning,” she said with over-the-top enthusiasm, putting her hand out. “I am Amanda, and anything you need from now on, you call me at this number,” she finished, handing me a business card. I take the card and put it in my pocket.

“Thanks.”

“So, I hope I am not overstepping, but I put your… friend in a dress. Now it is costly, but if money is not a problem, you should take her to dinner. We just got it in, and Veronica Losh made it,” she said, gesturing her hand out toward Chloe, who was beyond embarrassed in a skin-tight white strappy dress. Chloe has a white brim hat with a loose bow on the side. “You can bring it back after if it is not to your liking,” Amanda said, folding her hands behind her back.

I glanced down at the brown heels with straps crawling up her legs. “I like the shoes,” I said, standing up.

“What about the dress, sir?” Amanda asked with her face anticipating my answer. Chloe seemed like she didn’t know what to do with her hands as they couldn’t sit still—it probably didn’t help that I looked her up and down a couple of times.

“Sure, add it,” I replied, walking over to the register. Amanda glided behind the counter, ringing everything up. My shirt gets tugged on from behind, and I glance to my side.

“Please don’t buy this stuff,” Chloe said with tears building up. “I don’t deserve this.”

“I also added some makeup and jewellery, nothing grand, but you can always come back when you have more time.” Amanda winked at me as I handed her my card.

She glanced down at the card. “Edwin Pierce, huh? He is the Magister advisor, right? Is he your father?” Amanda asked, taking the card and analysing it.

“He was my guardian until I turned seventeen,” I said, glancing at all the clothes in bags. There was a lot of stuff. The whole counter was full of white paper bags.

“The total is 78,875 credits, is that okay?” Amanda smiled, and I nodded.

“What! No,” Chloe shouted, but it was too late. Amanda swiped it through the register before it beeped as the receipt printed out. Amanda handed me a long notepad with everything on it, as she looked unnecessarily happy.

“Can you deliver this to my room?” I asked, signing the sales paper and handing them back. “I’ll pay for it to be delivered.”

“Oh no, sir, that’s on us,” she smiled, moving a pad and pen towards me, “address please.”

I wrote the address down, and we made our exit. Chloe had a white leather purse glued to her side with oval-shaped sunglasses with a blue glare. She was speechless, and I regretted nothing, even if Edwin would surely chew me out. The government had been stealing her wages for a long time on the concept that she was not fully human. I wanted her to have something besides a couch. Too much was bought for sure, but what is the point of money if it’s not used? Plus, Edwin was beyond wealthy, or rather, he had unlimited government spending.

“Cyrus, do you understand how much you spent?” she said, turning towards me as we waited for a taxi. “You understand why I feel uneasy about this.”

“I’m sure a good chunk was jewellery, so it probably was inflated,” I said, waving as a cab pulled over. “But that place also carries some pretty famous designer clothes.” I swung the yellow cab door open. “Ready?”

“That is not the point…” Chloe said, climbing in, and I joined as she hurried over in the seat. After giving the driver the restaurant name, I sat back, exhausted. The sun was on its way down, and I couldn’t wait to shower and sleep. That virus had to have done permanent damage. In the past, I never slept this much.

You can find story with these keywords: Shattered Darkness, Read Shattered Darkness, Shattered Darkness novel, Shattered Darkness book, Shattered Darkness story, Shattered Darkness full, Shattered Darkness Latest Chapter