Knock knock knock

Sarah was growing anxious as she awaited a response. Matthew wasn’t around, but she knew she would have to be on her best behavior around his sister.

“Who is it?” Peering through the door, the girl tilted her head at the visitor. “You’re my brother’s girlfriend, right?”

“My name is Sarah.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, what do you want?” Lucy had opened the door wide enough to lean on its side, forcing the hardest annoyed expression she could muster.

“I would like to search the tower in hopes of finding some clues pertaining to Jade.”

“Knock yourself out. I don’t own the tower or anything, you can go there without my permission.”

“Yes, well, I was hoping you could help me search.”

“And why would I do that?” The girl jutted her head toward the blonde.

“Because if you don’t, I’ll tell your brother you hurt me.”

Lucy reeled back, Sarah inwardly cheering at her gambit’s success.

“Hmph, fine.” The girl slammed the door, retreating back into the house.

The archer began tapping her foot, eyeing the rest of the village, hoping she wasn’t making a scene. Though it felt like hours, Sarah’s faith was reward, the door opening again to reveal the girl in different clothes: a sporty t-shirt and shorts. Without even being asked, she turned into her envy form and put her hand on the elf’s shoulder.

“Let’s get this over with.”

Sinking into the shadows, Sarah’s mind evaporated at the surreal sight occurring before her. Around her was a black and purple haze, seemingly solid as Lucy quickly jolted across a floor of some sort, all the while keeping a tight grip on the elf on her back. Her attention spanning upward, the archer could just interpret the colors and blurs going by as the forests and mountains being passed along. Despite the inclines of the mountains, the path forward always seemed flat.

“Alright, we’re here.” Rising up from the shadows, Sarah stumbled dizzily across the ground. “First time? Mine wasn’t much better.”

Regaining her senses, Sarah could see the tower in front of them, but it wasn’t the same tower. This tower stood alongside a cliff, the roof appearing to be at level with the summit of the cliff. “This isn’t the tower? The tower of Zan…zan something, was surrounded by trees and stuff.”

“That tower is just for fighting, you won’t find anything important there. This tower is where we used to live.”

Stepping through the front door, the creak filling the older girl with dread, the two stepped into the darkness.

Flip

Without warning, the elf went blind. Seconds after a flash assaulted her eyes, Sarah managed to adjust to the new setting, scanning the surroundings.

“To your left is a bunch of boxes, to the right is a dressing room, and in front of us is a staircase. Floor two has a room for weapons and another room for training. Floor three has the bedrooms and kitchen, floor four has a cell, and the roof has a garden. Not sure what you’re looking for, but it should be here.”

“Guess I’ll start with the boxes.” The archer took the lead, making a left into an empty room. “I thought you said there were boxes?”

“Well, there was boxes last time I was here. But that was like, a month ago, and Westin might have taken them. What’s so important about boxes anyways?”

“They might have provided some trace back to where they were sent, and then from there I might find out more about Jade.”

Walking across the hall, Sarah took in the massive dressing room, pipes sticking out of a wall, changing rooms that seemed to be empty, and racks that longed for hangers with clothes drooping off them.

“Used to be a lot of different clothes here” the devil snuck up behind her, “guess Hayley took them all.”

Making their way up the stairs, the second floor bore equivalent results. The armory was empty, save for bare racks. The archer once again scrutinized what she could, but the wood gave no hint to its origins.

‘Don’t tell me he somehow thought to cover his trail’ Sarah cringed to herself as the duo made their way to the third floor. Again, the same thing, yet somehow more disturbing. The beds were gone, not even the frames left behind. The bedroom itself was just a square now.

“This was the bedroom, right?” Looking back at the devil, Sarah could see was preoccupied with the room. “Yeah…”

Leaving the devil to her own devices, the archer continued down the narrow hall of the third floor, a unique property compared to the spacious floors below. Reaching the end, there was a massive, grandiose door to her left.

“Crreeek” the archer jumped back when she heard the door open, only to find her partner had caught up to her. “Ladies first.”

Through the large doors stood a round table, more doors behind them. “This is the dinner table. Behind it is the kitchen.”

Walking across to the kitchen, Sarah began inspecting the cabinets, opening drawers, and scouting the tables, fridge, and gaps between for clues; or rather, anything. Squinting her eyes, there was not a scrap, crumb, or marking left. “Mind helping me pull this fridge out?”

Pulling the fridge from its cozy hole and laying the white behemoth on its side, Lucy watched curiously as her company analyzed the bottom. “Find anything?”

“No. I thought a refrigerator would narrow things down, but this thing could have come from anywhere.”

“I’m not surprised this place is empty. Clyde is a real neat-freak, at least when it comes to his kitchen.”

Sarah sighed to herself, leaving the kitchen and heading up to the fifth floor. Greenery had surrounded the borders of the tower wall, a square of flower beds forming around the center, only broken at the corners by miniscule bridges that rose over moats surrounding the area. Letting the gentle breeze carry her blonde hair, she loosed her hair from its ponytail before making her way to center, sitting on the floor and crossing her legs, and looking toward the open blue.

“Not going to see the jail cells?”

“No point, Jade obviously knew someone would come looking for him, so he covered his trail.” Sarah had not taken her eyes off the sky, only moving her gaze toward the various clouds to not be blinded by the blue expanse.

“Why do you care about Jade anyways? I know he organized the seven sins, but it’s not like anyone got hurt.”

The archer unfurled her legs, forcing her body up. Turning around, she stared into the young girl’s soul, a ferocious stare that unnerved the girl. “Jade killed my friends. I won’t rest until he’s paid for what he’s done.”

“He k-killed them?”

“Yes,” her volume and malice continued to grow, “he took his knife and jabbed it into my best friend’s throat. He killed my team. The only reason I’m alive is because he wanted to toy with me.”

“I’m sorry” Lucy stepped backward, barely keeping her balance while maintaining eye contact.

“Just go. I need time to think.”

Sarah watched the girl flee down the stairs, her anger dissolving into regret. As her target disappeared, she resumed her view of the sky, letting the serenity wash over her.