Chapter One: The Future We Have Foreseen


Monday's Dawn was dead. She had been sick for a long time, being eaten away by nothing. Finally, it became too much for even a Denizen of her status to handle, and she had disappeared without a trace.

Now, this should be a bad thing. Note the word should, because mere seconds after her death was reported, Mister Monday had sent his Noon to inform everyone that the position of Monday's Dawn was now open. There was no grieving, no unhappiness. In fact, everyone seemed slightly glad that Monday's Dawn was dead, even Mister Monday himself.

At least, that was what Astrid thought. She couldn't blame them—she wasn't upset as well. After all, she had always wanted to be Monday's Dawn.

She combed her long, golden hair and took a deep breath. She had been an Elevator Operator for so long, and she thought that she could really make a difference as Monday's Dawn. It seemed that Monday's Dawn, Noon, and Dusk had their mind on something else, and it showed. She had never seen the Lower House in such a state. It was disorganized, the people were all poor, and the food was practically nonexistent.

Something needed to happen. Something like her becoming Monday's Dawn.

She took a deep breath, then found a smile from somewhere and let it spread across her face.

"Hello. My name is Astrid Scarlett, and I am here to apply for the position of Monday's Dawn. Good evening, Mister Monday. I am Astrid Scarlett, and I..."

"The Will says I shall fail," Mister Monday frowned.

"In what way?" The impossibly handsome man let his wings fold and retract into his back, guessing he was going to be there for a while.

Monday's scowl grew dark. "I will have to give up the key to the Lower House. That is what it says. However, I have no intention of giving it up."

"You cannot defy the Will."

"I am a human being, and the Will is just text," Monday sighed. "Why can't I defy the Will? It should be that the Will can't defy me."

"That is true. However, I..."

"You are my Noon. You are going to help me in this. You are going to find a solution for me, because I am an important man and I have better things to do. Do you understand me?"

Noon paused, then nodded.

" Now leave. I grow weary of talking."

KTTKKTTKKTTKKTTKKTTKKTTK

"Dusk?"

"Yes, brother?"

The man stepped out of the shadows inhabiting his office. His suit jacket was sprinkled with stardust, and his eyes were a silvery grey. His hair was as black as a moonless night, as if to match his tongue.

"Monday does not like what the Will has proclaimed." Monday's Noon said.

"When does he ever?" Dusk said in his melodious voice. (But isn't it supposed to be a whisper? All in good time, my dear.)

Noon snarled. "You are going to help me with this, or I will do to you what we did to Dawn."

Dusk stretched. "I wait with bated breath."

"I did not come here to be mocked, brother."

"And yet I mock you anyway."

Noon slammed Dusk against the wall, but Dusk remained apathetic. "Enough tomfoolery. What do you need?"

"I need to know how we can somehow defy the will."

"Lie to him. Tell him we've fixed it somehow."

Noon grabbed his head, pulled it forward, and slammed it back against the wall.

"Don't you see, brother? We can't do that. What if the the new Monday decides to appoint a new Dusk and Noon?"

"And you can't very well run for the position of Lord Monday, now that you've been his Noon." (Random rules I made up somehow.)

"All right, since you don't have any bright ideas, I'm going to suggest one to you—but you'd better be the one to take care of it." He let go of Dusk, who let himself fall to the floor.

Noon smirked and walked away, saying over his shoulder, "We imprison the Will."

So what did they do to Dawn? Read on, my wonderful people... Review, follow, and fave! *September signing out*