I stepped off the plane with my lone suitcase and squint up into the harsh sunlight. An impatient businessman pushed past me on his phone. Instead of hitting him in the back of the head like I would have liked I ignore him and try to find a ride. "Ramla," someone calls out to me.
"Alexandre, Dengu what the hell are you two doing here?" I snap.
"Shinigami-sama called told us you were coming," Alexandre replies. "It is nice to see you again."
"You're kindness could curdle milk," I say with a sigh. "So, what you decided to pick me up?" I turn to Dengu. His hair was as wild as mine in this dry wind blowing about, yet somehow he still looked dignified. I just looked like a bedraggled, tired little girl without a home. "Well?" My mood was quickly souring again.
"Where else are you gonna go?" was his response. Good point. I huff in annoyance before hefting up my suitcase and following Alexandre to their car. The ride back to headquarters was a silent one, but not unfamiliar. When we pulled up to the building I hesitated in getting out of the car. "You afraid?"
"No," I snap.
"Come on," Dengu opened my door and pulled out my suitcase. He started towards the building while Alexandre waits by the car door for me. I step out and flick my hair over my shoulder before following Dengu, Alexandre closed the door and walked behind me.
"Is my stuff still here?" I ask when we stepped off the elevator onto the top floor. There were several rooms lining the hallway.
"You know the door," Dengu answers before opening the door right across from the elevator. Alexandre went down the hall to the right and into the conference room at the end. I turned left and opened the fourth door on the right. The door creaked in protest as light flooded the entryway. Both men were locked behind their own doors as I entered my old room.
"What do-do you mean y-you can't tell us?!" Helena was furious. She was storming about the Death Room with a red face. Her stutter was getting worse by the second as Liz and Maka tried to calm her down. Soul and Black*Star weren't helping with their arguing with Spirit-sensei and Sid-sensei. Naigus-sensei and Marie-sensei were standing to the side with Patty and Tsubaki looking to all the world uninterested in the current events. Father was standing in front of his mirror as usual staring at the scene before him.
"Shinigami-sama can you tell us about R.A.B?" Maka suddenly asks.
"Mhm…?" Father replies.
"How do you know that name?" Stein-sensei appears behind her suddenly. He did not look happy at all. "Where did you get those papers?"
"Stein-kun," Father said warningly.
"Stein," Spirit-sensei hisses. "Don't you touch my baby girl." I walk over next to my friend and take one of the papers from her.
"We saw a paper on Soul Stitching Theory and thought it was your work professor," I say placidly.
"This one is about Soul Perception and Soul Protect Theory and application to get around both of them. Stein-sensei I've never seen work like this before. These papers are interesting—"
"Yes and you stole them from my lab," Stein interrupts. Maka shoots him a glare before continuing.
"However this one right here is particularly interesting," she pulls out one of the thickest papers from her pile in her arms. "Manifestation of Demon Weapons: Can Weapons be Meisters? This is an interesting read, granted I've only skimmed through it. However, I seem to recall a certain person who held both meister and weapon capabilities." She levels her gaze at Stein-sensei and her father. "Just who is that girl?"
There is so much blood. It weighted down my hair and soaked through my clothes as I stumbled over the bodies of the fallen. There was a few others stumbling around looking just as lost as I was. I reached out towards the closest person to me, "Zoya…"
"R-Ramla?" she said relieved. "Thank the gods I thought everyone…everyone is dead," she breaks down into tears.
"Zoya! Zoya!" someone screamed. We look over to see one of her brothers running towards us. He was missing an arm and I threw up at the sight. "Thank the gods I thought yo—!" he was cut off abruptly by a bullet to the head. Zoya was screaming in my ear, but I couldn't really hear her over the sound of my own retching. Then the world went black.
I woke up with a start on the floor of my old room. A cold sweat coated my body and I felt the beads of it slide down my back and between my breasts. I stand up and cringe at the kink in my lower back. I move towards the closet to pull out some of my old clothes. I grab a sun faded pair of super cutoff shorts and wiggle my way into them, I've lost a little weight since the last time I wore them. I pull out my forearm bracelets and slide those on my left arm while I slide a few bangles around my right ankle. Finally I grab one of my more prized possessions from its hanger.
As I secure my breastplate around my neck a knock comes at my door. "Enter."
"Ramla the boss wants to see you," Alexandre looks me up and down once before walking back out. "Conference room."
"Alright," I resign as I look at myself in a mirror I hung up a long time ago. I wipe some dust off of it before heading out. Dengu was standing outside of his door and started walking with me when I passed him.
"Gonna start wearing your paint again?" he asks.
"Un," I grunt in response. "I don't know honestly. What does Shinigami-sama want?"
"Don't know," he drawls. "Let's find out," he says as he opens the conference room door. Alexandre was sitting at the end of the table staring at us as we entered. Shinigami-sama and Stein were reflected in the large mirror that dominated the other side of the room. I was slightly startled at seeing Stein, but I hid it behind a mask of indifference. "Boss," Dengu said.
"Shinigami-sama how may I help you?" I ask.
"How are you feeling Ramla?" no beating around the bush here.
"Stable—better thanks to that anti-magic wavelength," I admit. "Is something wrong…?" I ask. "I mean I just left and you can't make me go back. Look I'm here I-I-I'm stable and I can go back. I'll go back to being your solider but please," I beg. "Please don't make me go back there." I know I sounded weak, but I just couldn't handle that school. Shinigami-sama and Stein were silent for too long. "What do you want from me?!"
"Ramla," Stein says slowly. "We wanted to warn you." Alexandre and Dengu sat up a little straighter at this remark.
"Warn me about what?"
"As done with this school as you are this school is not as done with you as you would hope," he blows out a drag while turning his screw. I felt my eyes go wide and then bolted from the room and then the building.
When we stepped off the plane the sun was so bright I had to squint, but everything was kind of hazy still. "Have you ever been to Cape Town, South Africa before Kid?"
"Mhm? Oh, once a long time ago," I respond. Black*star was attempting to force Helena to carry his bags for him. Liz and Patty were looking at the trinket shops while Tsubaki and Soul were quietly watching Black*Star and Helena. "I don't remember it being so hot."
"Hello!" came a chipper voice. We all turn to see a man with a keyhole painted on his face waving at us. A giant of a man stood next to him with his arms crossed and a bored look. "Shinigami-sama sent us to pick you up. I'm Alexandre and this is the Deathsycthe Dengu Dinga the Demon Rainbow Axe."
"Hello," I respond. "Death the Kid with my partners Liz and Patty Thompson the Demon Twin Pistols." The girls wave to them.
"Maka Albarn with my partner Soul Eater a Demon Scythe," Maka says proudly while Soul smirked.
"Yo! I am Black*star and you better remember my name! I will surpass god one day! Yahoo! This is my awesome Demon Weapon Tsubaki!" he grins madly at the quiet girl. She merely giggles before bowing to the two men.
"It is nice to meet you," she says softly. "This is our friend Helena Boughwright-san she is a Demon Weapon as well." Helena was staring at the two men intensely without a word.
"Well no use standing around here," Dengu says gruffly. "Let's go." We all fall in line behind him as they lead us out of the airport and into the garage. We all piled into the limo with our bags while Alexandre and Dengu sat in the front seats. After about twenty minutes of driving Alexandre pulls into an underground garage connected to an impressive glass skyscraper. My father's symbol dominated the uppermost floors of the building reflecting the sunlight in thousands of tiny sparkles.
Before the asymmetrical nature of the sparkles could truly upset me we were underground. "We're here!" Alexandre says brightly. He really is a chipper man like Spirit-sensei said he was. We got out of the limo and followed them to the elevator into the building. No one seemed inclined to break the silence least of all Helena. Her face seemed set on frowning for the rest of her life. Like all of us her hair was unwashed and unkempt while her clothes were slightly ruffled from the long flight. Maka has pulled out that research again and was pouring over it as Soul tried to stay awake.
The elevator doors slid open silently to reveal a tidy hallway with many doors. "How does this go on forever?" I ask astonished.
"It doesn't," Dengu responds. "It curves down into the lower floors. These are what you call our version of dorm rooms."
"This is a school too?" Liz asks.
"Sort of," Alexandre said cryptically. "Come this way. Shinigami-sama said to call when you arrived. Set you bags down for right now." We all do as ordered before walking down the hallway. A set of oak doors were pushed open and we found ourselves in a conference room. Alexandre sat down at the head of the table while we filtered in around him, Dengu dialed my father.
"Heyo! Hiya! How's it goin'?" my father said in way of greeting.
"Boss," Dengu replies with a small bow. "Everyone arrived safely."
"Good, good! I'm glad to hear it!"
"Helena?!" a panicked voice screeched through the mirror.
"C-Candi?" Helena said in astonishment. "What a-are you do-doing in the D-Death Room?"
"Maka's father invited me to this call!" she responds. "Sissy says hi and Sierra wants to know when Ramla is coming home."
"Oh…" she says. "W-Well we haven't s-s-seen her yet," she turns her gaze to the two men. Dengu was leaning against the glass wall behind Alexandre watching the street below. Neither of them looked at her.
"Ah you probably won't," Father said casually.
"What?" Maka deadpanned. "Are you telling me Shinigami-sama that you let us travel halfway across the globe knowing Ramla wasn't here?" Her voice turned icy.
"Makaaaaa! Papa is sorry!" Spirit-sensei suddenly appeared squishing Candi behind him.
"Get off me you pervert!" she yells as she punches him under the chin. "What do ya mean she isn't there?" she turns back to us. "Ya back there!" she points behind us at the two men. "What did ya do to my roommate?!"
"She ran as soon as she heard you all were coming," Dengu stated. "Literally booked it out the door when Boss told her yesterday."
"Wh-where did sh-she go?"
"Don't know," he shrugged. "Probably somewhere out on the Savannah to be honest."
"How do we track her?" Black*Star asks. "Cuz I'll find her," he growls. "Whatever it takes." Tsubaki smiles down at him before placing her hand on Helena's shoulder.
"Well there's no use in getting yourselves worked up over that girl. Don't know why you even bothered coming all the way out here for her," Dengu admits.
"S-Stop it! That is-is my friend you're t-talking about!" Helena snaps. "She-she left u-us with un-unanswered qu-questions."
"Yeah she does that," Dengu said with no emotion. "Smart people tend to leave the rest of us baffled."
"Dengu," Stein-sensei warned.
"Smart?" I question.
"Sh-she always seemed b-b-bored in cl-class," Helena supplies.
"I think I know where to find her," Maka interjects. We all turn to look at her in various degrees of disbelief. I looked at my father out of the corner of my eye and he seemed as impassive as ever. Maka's father was jittery compared to the tense look Stein-sensei had and Ramla's roommate looked as confused as the rest of us.
"How Maka?" Soul asks. She grins while holding up that research she's been reading.
"What are you doin' here?" the little witch sneered at me. I roll my eyes as I kick the bike stand out and leave it in the shade of the small building. A herd of giraffe wandered by in the lazy heat while I saunter into the cool building. As soon as I walked in my ears were assaulted by a high pitched wailing coming from the back room.
"Boss Lady!" I holler while covering my ears. "Lady!" I scream. A momentary halt in the wailing was followed by my exclamation. The little witch walked in after me and shouldered her way past. I hiss at her while she sticks her forked tongue out at me. "I'm back!" A tall, wiry woman with long flowing red hair appeared at the back of the room. "Hey Boss Lady," I wave at her. "I'm gonna stay here for a while." I move to open the closet near the entrance to find it coated in dust. "You guys have not been up keeping this place very well," I scold.
"We have been very busy!" the little witch snaps.
"Clarabelle," Boss Lady says in her wispy voice. "Ramla," her soft voice has a calming effect on my heartrate. "What have you brought for me?"
"Here," I pull the bag out of my back pocket. "It's a drug made from an African plant. Made here and distributed in Death City."
"Why?" the little witch asked curiously. She grabbed the bag and examined the contents as she walked it over to Boss Lady. "Miss Fallon what do you make of it?" Boss Lady took the bag and held it up to the light.
"Deaths?"
"Don't have an exact count, but it's in the double digits."
"Effects?"
"No autopsies done so the extent of the damage is unknown. But death is a certainty."
"How does it work?"
"Digestion. Put it in a liquid and it changes colors. From that green you see it change to purple and that's when people would drink it. After purple it turns black and then it bubbles and so far I have not had the chance to do live experimentation so I do not know the extent of it. I have not witnessed the effects." Boss Lady looks me over curiously before waving in the direction of a different hallway.
"Clean coats are in the second room," she looked at me with her watery know-it-all eyes. "I assume you know where to go."
"Alright," I obey.
"Honestly," the little witch sighs as I walk away. "She only comes to visit to use the lab." A low wailing followed in response as I closed the door behind me.
I watch as Maka paces around the room fuming. We can hear Black*star and Tsubaki on the left and Kid and the Twins on the right, it seemed no one was sleeping tonight. "This officially sucks," Maka says as she throws herself down onto the mattress.
"So uncool," I agree.
"Let's break out!" comes the ever present voice of Black*star.
"We can't do that! Dengu-san will catch us!" Kid reasons from the other wall.
"How did we get stuck in between these idiots again?" I huff. Maka only laughs lightly before flipping over on the bed and staring at me. "What? Do I have something on my face?"
"I wonder what Helena thinks of all this. I mean I know we are used to crazy, weird stuff but it's the girl's first year." We hear a door open up and a brief knock before Liz opens our door.
"I know what you mean Maka," she barges in. Patty and Kid are right behind her.
"Are you having a sleepover without your god?!" Black*star screams before running out of his room into ours.
"Ugh," I say in protest as Maka and I's room becomes overcrowded.
"Shut up Star," Liz growls before sitting down next to Maka. Tsubaki and Patty sit on the other bed while Kid comes to stand next to me in the chair. "I hope she's getting some rest."
"Me too," Tsubaki agrees. Patty has taken Tsubaki's hair down and was braiding it while she agreed as well. Black*star stood by the door scratching his head.
"Maka are you sure about this plan?"
"Well the half I came up with at least," she admits. "Dengu-san seems adamant that we are wasting our time with Ramla. I just don't understand why."
"Probably because she seems like a punk," Black*star growls. "Who is she to take down all of those lions?"
"She saved us Star," Maka shot back. "She saved us even after being looked down on by practically everyone at school. Hell even Hero was sneering at her the other week!"
"Black*star," Tsubaki starts. "Maka is right. While we may not understand Ramla she is strong you have to admit that."
"Psh, yeah whatever doesn't mean I couldn't beat her."
"You got the jump on her and she still kicked you ass if I recall correctly," I intone. Patty giggled and Liz snorted at the memory.
"She kicked your ass good too," Liz barks in laughter. "In a fair fight I think you'd find yourself in the same boat as Ox and Harvard."
"That was scary," Patty says quietly. "The way Stein-sensei seemed to tense up when she jumped on that roof."
"I thought Helena's soul was a goner for sure," Kid added.
"It was like what Ashura did…" Maka agrees. "I just don't know how someone could do that to their partner."
"I'm just glad Helena-chan is alright and she isn't resentful towards Ramla," Tsubaki says.
"Yeah," Maka agrees. "But it still kind of irritates me that she keeps refusing to be Helena's partner." Everyone agreed with that.
"So, what now?" I drawl out.
"Sleep," Liz says as she pats her sister on the head. "We have to be rested for this trip tomorrow. Maka," she turns to my meister. "I sincerely hope your right about this place."
"Me too," Maka whispers.
I have been writing like crazy these last few weeks! If you like it or want to comment please feel free!
Keep it Sparkly!
xoxo
Sparkles
