I sat looking down at the cement. My short brown hair fell in my face and I sighed half-heartedly and pushed it out of the way. I tugged at the sleeve of my old dress and looked around at the people of New York continuing on with their day. I wished I could do just the same, but I would have no such luck. I nor my family were part of the important families in the city, but I needed any help I could get. My father had gone missing.

I kicked my legs out trying to make my brain go into over drive to think of what could've possibly gone amiss. I held on to any thought of what his work and his social life consisted of and if there were any way I could get a hold to anyone that even knew him.

I needed him. He was the only family I had, and to be honest, I don't think I could survive more than a week without him. I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the small leather bound book that he had carried with him most days, but left behind today. I opened the cover and on the inside his name was scratched gently.

Marcus Veniviici

I flipped through the pages but saw nothing that I could decipher as important. My fingers stopped at a page almost half way through the book and my eyes halted at a name.

Jacuzzi Splot

I had heard this name before, but I couldn't recall where. My thoughts reeled as I tried to think of where this name sounded familiar. I stood up and averted my eyes back to the name scribbled on the page when I practically ran head first into someone a couple inches taller than myself.

"I'm extremely sorry miss," he said reaching down for the leather bound book that fell out of my hands and on to the sidewalk. It had stayed open on the page of where Jacuzzi's name was scrawled and he looked at it and grinned a little. "Jacuzzi Splot, eh?" He asked.

I snatched the book out of his hand and looked into his blue eyes skeptically. "Yes, but it doesn't matter to you," I said matter-of-factly.

He shrugged and took a step towards me, "My name is Nicholas Wayne, information broker at the Daily Days, everything matters to me when it pertains to the whereabouts and whosabouts of the people in this city," He said with a small grin.

I pulled the book closer to me, not wanting him to get any information on my father out of it. "I know about you," I said. I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach, but I straightened up a little. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Well, if you'll excuse me," Nicholas said stepping around me.

"Wait!" I called and spun around.

He turned to look at me with a smirk and raised an eyebrow.

"Can you tell me where he is?" I asked in a whisper.

"I figured that's what you would ask in due time," He said stepping towards me again. "I can tell you, if the price is right."

"But-but..." I started to stutter incoherently. "I don't have any money." I finally stated half-heartedly.

He smirked for a couple seconds more and then it disappeared as he saw my face turn from one of someone who was trying to look like they had it all together, to a broken down girl looking for her father.

"Hey, with that face you look like you're gonna cry, and I'd hate to see a pretty girl cry," He said resting his hand on my shoulder. "Whatever's eating ya kid, cheer up. And since I'm not in the office, you can find Jacuzzi Splot in his hideout. It's on 39th street down the alley way, the 4th building boarded up. Knock 3 times."

I looked up and gave him a watery-eyed smile. Being a 19 year old girl with a couple of tears could really do any fella in.

I made my way towards 39th street with the pace of a jog. I needed answers as quickly as possible. I found the building Nicholas was talking about and knocked 3 times on the door. I waited for what seemed like forever and almost left when I heard a noise at the middle crack of the door. I bent down and looked in.

"Who is it?" A voice asked in a loud whisper.

"My name is June Veniviici. I'm looking for Jacuzzi Splot." I said to the darkness of the building.

After a few beats of silence the voice responded. "Go to the side."

I went around the side and felt an uneasiness in my stomach. I was chasing shadows of someone I didn't know, who could've been a friend or enemy of my father.

Suddenly a tall, bulky man opened a window. "Come here!" He said as he waved me on. He pulled me into the window and once my feet were planted on the ground led me up to the second floor of the building. He opened the bedroom door and there was a square table with four seats.

The bulky man took one unoccupied seat and two were occupied by a boy with a long tattoo on his face, the other by a blonde woman with glasses on, and what appeared to be burn marks on her skin with a black eye patch over her right eye.

"Are you Jacuzzi Splot?" I asked hopefully to the boy with the tattoo.

He nodded and tilted his head slightly. "Who are you?" Jacuzzi asked.

"Well, my name is June Veniviici. I'm Marcus' daughter." I said.

His eyes widened with what seemed to be a mix of fear and despair.

"Oh no."