AOI (Art Of Innocence)

Chapter 5

Chloe took great care to try and stay silent, slipping the key into the lock and turning very carefully, because she knew that Aiden had the hearing of a bat, and if she was caught she'd be questioned thoroughly. Slipping out of the library, she glanced up at the windows to the surface world, moonlight slipping through in parallel rays down onto the underground city, washing it out. It was ugly. Very ugly. And the moonlight, known for romance and melancholy, had instead made everything a sickly grey colour. Chloe walked down the lane towards the Gurei establishment. An orphanage that stood right at the end and seemed to be the landmark of hell. It wasn't the first time she's done this. Climbing up the window, she balanced her foot on the frame and pushed herself higher, before knocking softly on the glass. A child, with brown hair and fascinated, big eyes, unlocked the window and let her climb in, as she brushed herself off. "Hey, Lucas," Chloe smiled, and leaned down to him. Another boy with pale blond hair and lifeless eyes had approached Lucas and took his hand, giving Chloe a monotonous look. "Hey Sonic. I came to see Jonathan. Do you know where he is?"

Lucas nodded a little. "Jonathan is probably in the laboratory downstairs."

"Thank you" she patted his head and stood straight, sighing.

Once she found the laboratory she peeked inside, seeing a taller figure in a lab coat talking to a slightly shorter male who wore beige work clothes. "You burned the last sample? How many times have I told you not to stick your nose into my business," the man in the lab coat crossed his arms.

"I'm sorry father," the shorter boy sighed, looking down.

"Now get out."

Chloe moved away from the door, as the red haired boy walked out of the laboratory, his eyes widening upon seeing Chloe. "Sister? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here cause I need your help."

"You betrayed me. You betrayed our father. You and Mari left us for that stupid library. And you're asking for my help?"

"Do you ever use your head? Maybe we got tired of these stupid experimentations. They're just children, Jonathan!" she sighed "and I'm justified to come here. You took a book out and never brought it back."

Jonathan sighed. "It's not the real reason you came here, right?"

"I need your help to kill someone."

Jonathan's eyes widened slightly. "you what?"

"don't act so innocent. If you can harm children then you can kill someone also."

Jonathan sighed, exasperated, before turning to Chloe again. "Fine, fine. Okay. Who do you want to kill?"

"Aoi Kagami. He murdered one of ours. I was thinking maybe you have some sort of toxic chemical or something?"

Jonathan pushed his hands into his pocket, thinking about it. "there is one that my father was working on. One drop of that into your food and you're meat."

"Okay. So when can I have it?"

"woah, eager, aren't we? Give me a few days. I won't be allowed anywhere near the lab after burning that stupid sample."

"You are a total idiot," she sighed.

"Now you should leave. I'll let you out of the front door. Don't come here again. Once i got it I'll get someone to take it to you to the library."

Chloe nodded with a sigh, "fine."

~

"Alright," Cedric wiped his brow, after lifting a big block from the entrance. "what are we going to do about this crack?"

"maybe if we put a carpet over it no one will notice," Ryuu smiled a bit, as Derek sighed, placing a wooden panel on his shoulder. "Don't ya think someone might fall in?"

"I almost fell in and no one cared!"

"Listen, kid. No one asked you to come here, no one is asking you to help. You're not even one of us."

"Awe come on, boss. Don't be so cynical," Aoi smiled from the rows. "the poor guy has nowhere else to go, we can't just kick him out."

Derek paused mid step for a moment, thinking it over. "Fine. He can stay."

"Yes!" Ryuu punched his fist up, smiling. "So I am part of your super extraordinary team, now?" he beat the air up as his wolf materialized and circled him, "we are legends, Ato."

"since you're so good at convincing Derek, Aoi, could you convince him to let me start my own drag queen show; starring Cedric Anderson."

Aoi rolled his eyes a bit, and tilted his head back with a small smile on his face. "sure thing, anything for you, Victoria."

Cedric overheard the conversation and butted in, "but Vicky, I'm not a drag queen. Why would you say something so sarcastic?"

Victoria and Aoi both laughed a little. "Your reaction proves overwise," Victoria leaned against the bench, as Derek sighed with annoyance. "quit playing around. I want this place fixed by tomorrow. So you better start thinking what we're going to do about this hole."