hi! This is my first fic so be nice to me. No flames please.
If you're confused, all the characters in this chapter are OCs. They will all have a roll when canon characters are introduced.
The office was dark, except for a single lamp that cast a dim light on the desk. On the desk, various documents were stacked into neat piles. In fact, everything seemed to be in a precise order. Even the wastepaper basket seemed to be arranged just right. The only thing that seemed even the slightest bit cluttered or out of order was a single note in the center of the desk with just one word on it: today. And even then it was quickly thrown away by the man.
He was sitting at the desk with a look of calm anticipation on his face. He was a tall man in his mid forties and was wearing a white business suit. His black hair held a few flecks of gray and was neatly combed back. He casually stroked his goatee as he waited for whatever was coming, his icy blue eyes fixed on the door.
There was a polite knock. The man smiled and when he spoke, it was in a slightly British accent. "Enter."
The door opened and in came three figures – a man, a girl, and a dog. The man who just came in was younger than the man at the desk, only in his early thirties. He was bald and was wearing dark sunglasses that hid his eyes, even in the darkness of the office. He, like the other man, wore a business suit, only his was brown instead of white. He nodded to the man in white in a formal greeting and the man in white nodded back. Clearly they knew each other.
The man in white then turned his attention to the girl. She was about fourteen years old, but was a bit small for her age and skinny. She had thick, black hair that hung down to just below her shoulders. Her outfit wasn't as formal as the two men. In fact, she seemed to be wearing normal, everyday clothes: a teal and green-blue layered tee and a teal skirt over a pair of denim jeans and sneakers. Her misty blue eyes were full of confusion, but at the same time, curiosity.
The man in white smiled to her. "Please, have a…" He was cut off by a low growl.
It was the dog, whom he had previously ignored. She was a Labrador retriever - small but stocky and powerful. Her fur was bristling and her amber eyes were fixed on the man in white with anger and protectiveness. She crouched down, ready to spring.
But before she could do so, the girl grabbed her by the collar. "Meggie!" she snapped. The girl turned to the man in white. "I'm sorry. She's not usually like this. Normally, she's very friendly."
"Quite alright" said the man in white. He turned to the other man. "Gryphon, could you…"
"Yes Sir" said the man who was apparently called Gryphon. He took Meggie from the girl and guided it out the door, the dog whimpering all the way.
As the door shut behind them, the man in white returned his focus to the girl. "Now where were we? Oh yes. Please, have a seat, Miss Rivers."
The girl's eyes widened. "How did you know my last name?"
"I know a lot of things about you," said the man with a smirk. "You see, we have met before. You probably do not remember. It was not exactly eventful. Just a chance meeting in a park." His smirk broadened. "But I could see you had the exact qualities I was looking for - courage, determination, resourcefulness, independence – but at the same time, creativity, thoughtfulness, and intelligence," his smirk then changed to a frown. "But you left before I had a chance to talk to you."
"Qualities?" asked the girl. "What do you mean? What for?"
"Patience, Miss Rivers. And please, sit down." Rivers still hadn't settled down. Upon hearing his words, she cringed and sat on a chair on the other side of the desk.
The man continued. "I'm afraid I haven't introduced myself. My name is Felix Riddle. You may call me Riddle; it is what everyone calls me. Now, my company, RiddleCorp is actually a laboratory that studies the human mind, particularly the creative aspects."
He stood up and motioned for Rivers to do the same. "Here, let me show you." He opened a backdoor to his office.
On the other side was a huge lab, full of machines, computers, and people in lab coats. It all would have been impressive if you were ignorant to what was going on beneath the surface…
As Riddle led Rivers through the lab, she asked him again "This is all pretty cool, but what do you want me for?"
He sighed and gave her the kind of look a father might give a daughter. "I will not be around forever. I want RiddleCorp to be in good hands." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I want you to be my successor."
Shocked, Rivers took a step back. "W-What? But I don't know anything about this company except what you told me!"
"I know" Riddle smiled. "But in time you will learn all there is to know about RiddleCorp. That is, if you accept."
Rivers hesitated. "I'd rather know what I'm getting into before I make any promises."
For a split second, a flicker of annoyance showed on Riddle's face, but it left quickly. "How about I give you a little taste of what we can do?"
He led her to the back of the lab and to a door labeled: Top Secret, Do Not Open. After toying with it's multiple locks, Riddle opened the door and what was on the other side made Rivers give out a small, frightened gasp.
It was a boy, about a year older than Rivers, but he was stiff and still, as if a statue. Not even his snowy blonde hair seemed to move at a small draft. He was wearing a black hoodie with a pair of ragged, torn jeans. He had several scars, showing a rough life. But his most distinguishing features were his eyes – twin violet pools that had a seemingly unnatural glaze in his petrified state.
When Rivers recovered from the shock she managed to stammer to Riddle, "Is he…"
"No, he's not dead," Riddle replied in a casual tone. "I told you RiddleCorp is about the mind. We recently made a breakthrough. This boy was the test subject. As you can see, it was a complete success."
The expression on Rivers' face was a mixture of fear and disgust. "You wanted that to happen? What about him? His family? His friends?"
Riddle spoke again in his casual tone, comparable to someone commenting on the weather. "He did not have either. Both his parents were dead. He was an only child. He did not have any other relatives. He lived on the streets of New York City as a criminal. As for friends, I do not think even the other members of his gang cared about him that much. No one was sad to see him go."
"But back to business, now that you've seen what we can do, do you not want that power on your side? Will join us?" It wasn't a request; it was a threat.
Rivers met his gaze evenly and politely, shook her head.
Riddle shook his head too. "I am so sorry. You don't have a choice now. You know too much." He snapped his fingers, and four people in business suits appeared seemingly out of nowhere, one of them being Gryphon. Each of them was armed with particularly dangerous looking weapons. They surrounded the girl, but didn't attack, waiting for a signal.
"Last chance" said Riddle. "What you believe to be right, or what's easy? The road to your destination or the path of safety?" His mouth twisted into a sadistic smirk. "So Miss Rivers, what's it going to be?"
What do you think?