CALAMITY (#2): The Ties That Bind

Chapter One - The Calm

"I looked into the Devil's eyes that night. What frightened me was not his horns, or his pointed teeth. It was the fact that he had a genuine smile, inviting me like an old friend."
- Lucile Kasstro, Autobiography of the Beast

"You read Kasstro's work?" Dina asked, stooping down to meet Mia's smaller stature. Mia flinched, closing the book she was reading. "I-Uhh... Yeah." She replied hesitantly. "I'm surprised I... found his work in this library..."

Dina tilted her head. "You do have a point. This place should've closed way before Mr. Kasstro stopped his work as a professor to write stories... Imagine what it would've been like to be one of his students!" Dina's voice was full of wonder, much different from her usual stony demeanor. It was charming, in a way.

"I guess fate is just kind to me today," Mia half-joked. Dina sat down by her. "Soooo, which one are you reading?" Mia inspected the cover. "Hmm... Child of the Devil." Dina raised an eyebrow. "Is that a new one?" Mia nodded. "It was published last week-"

Mia stopped. If it was published last week, how did it get into this dusty library? Did someone put it here?

Mia pushed those thoughts away for later.

"What's it about?" Dina asked curiously. "It's about this little girl who was born and raised in a human experimentation lab. She managed to get these insane powers and used them to-" Mia scratched her neck, giggling anxiously. "That's a spoiler..."

Mia closed the book, handing it to Dina. "Check it out for yourself." Dina placed the book in her bag. "Oh, by the way... Miss Greene sent me to tell you that you'll be one of the resource-gatherers today. They're sending you to the bookstore to get a few of Professor Kasstro's books that Miss Greene ordered." Dina handed Mia a library card. "You can head out whenever you want, but it has to be today."

Mia inspected the card before pocketing it, standing up. She had nothing better to do at the moment, so she might as well do it now.

Mia grabbed her bag and made her way out of the old college campus, headed toward the big city.

. . .

Casey sat with Maxwell, looking over the floor plan of the campus. It was certainly spacious enough for Mystique, but it was unlikely that they'd find any supply caches nearby. The only possibility was the pantry, which had an old war plane buried in the wall. That was a no-go.

Casey sighed grimly. She was just happy they didn't find any corpses on the premises. The campus had long been condemned, prompting Casey to warn the Provisions Ward to boil their water.

Casey took a glance at the Treasury Ward's latest report. They needed donations and underground workers, fast. She took a look at the roster of gatherers today.

...The hell?

Casey double-checked the list. She wrote it herself, just last night. Mia's name was there, clearly in her handwriting...

...But she never wrote that.

. . .

Mia approached the bookstore, peering at the sign at the door.

"SPECIAL EVENT: LIVE BOOK-SIGNING WITH PROFESSOR KASSTRO!"

Mia's heart fluttered. One of her idols was going to be here?

She walked into the store, grabbing the books that Casey ordered before looking up at the cashier.

"Ain't you a little young to be reading Kasstro?" The cashier asked. Mia knew he was more concerned than rude. "I guess... they're just really interesting." She slowly started to hide her face behind one of the books before the man chuckled loudly. "Well, seeing a kid your age reading at such a high level is actually pretty cool. Keep it up, kiddo." He swiped Mia's card and punched in a few numbers before raising an eyebrow.

"Huh, that's interesting. The system says you have a fully-paid membership here." He gave her a little smile. "I'm glad your brother cares about your education."

...

Mia's senses clouded up. She took the books, thanking the cashier before hastily walking to the lounge section.

She sat on one of the little hammocks, letting her breathing calm down. Don't think about it. It was probably just a guess. Just a common last name or something.

...

What was her surname, anyway?

Stop it. Now.

Mia sighed, opening one of the books. She figured she'd pass the time until Professor Kasstro arri-

"Hello there, little lamb."

Mia flinched violently, snapping her gaze to the soft voice that startled her. A tall demon in a suit stood before her, wearing a warm smile. He seemed rather mature, having notably thicker fur on his chin than the rest of his face. He had one large, branched antler, but he looked more feline than a deer.

Mia tilted her head when she saw his eyes. He was clearly speaking to her, but his gaze was a little bit off of her. His eyes seemed glazed over.

Ah, he must have been blind.

"H-Hello, sir..." she replied shyly. The man purred softly.

"What's your name, little lamb?"

"Mia..."

A pause.

"My name is Lucile Kasstro, Mia. It's lovely meeting you."