Zazie's POV

I ran through town and stopped at some old rusted gates. I couldn't open it so I just started to climb the wall that was covered in vines. At one point I lost my grip and almost fell but luckily I managed to grab hold of a brick. I made my way through the garden of dead bushes and trees. The once vibrant and welcoming mansion is now eerie and intimidating. All the windows were boarded up, the wood was rotting, the bricks were covered in moss and a creaking sound is made every time I take a step on the porch. The door was blocked but I managed to remove the wood, only to find it locked. I spotted a window on the ground, probably leading to a basement. It was not big but it is enough for me to fit through it. I dropped my bag in first and then I followed. It was completely dark. I couldn't even see my hand. I managed to feel my way to wall knowing that it could lead to an exit after a while when I felt something soft.

"Get your filthy hand of me."

I heard a scream that actually came from me. I backed away but I heard a sound of skin contact then I felt a sting on my cheek. The lady just slapped me. The unknown lady just slapped me.

I felt something cold go through my chest and then there were bright lights everywhere. Even in the dim light I managed to make out her features. Chocolate hair and eyes, age is between 15- 18. She smiled then hit me on the head. Next thing I know was that I was being dragged up a set of stairs.

Light from the fire illuminated only a small part of the room. I touched my head and felt a cloth. Oh right… I got jumped.

"Welcome to the Verdencia Estate. My name is Cassidy but people call me Thief. Alistair awaits for you in the room at the end of the hall so you better get going." She gave me a cheery smile before sending me out the door. The whole place was dark but clean and oddly comfortable. The furniture in the hall were old and had intricate designs, I continued the survey of the room and the room she was talking about. I followed her instructions and went to the large double doors at the end of the hallway. I didn't knock because she said I was expected to come here anyway. My heart skipped a beat when I saw who was waiting. Gambit.

"Took you long enough. Now sit, there's a lot of explaining to do." He casually sipped some liquor from his glass before smashing it into the fire place. He sat down on a chair behind a desk and leaned back before turning his attention back to me.

"Zazie, I don't want to waste my breathe explaining unnecessary details for you so ask what you want to know, only."

"I don't have to listen to you!" I looked through my bag but I didn't see my shindan. There was nothing I could use in my bag.

"Thief took your stuff while you were in the basement. Your gun, most clothes, some money and even that disgusting canister filled with a wretched thing you call a soup. Poor Jubilee sent to the infirmary because of it, blasted gunk, turns out to be poison." He sighed as he stood up and faced the window.

"Now, your questions?" I didn't really know why he'd think I'd do this but if it means finding out where Nathalia is then I guess I have to.

"Nathalia is supposed to be dead…."

"That's not a question…"

"What I mean is… I know her. She's… she was a friend of mine… her parents helped the orphanage … she was a friend. She … she regularly visited. Then I heard that the carriage her family was riding was attacked by a gaichuu and left no survivors…so…. How did …how did she survive? And if she's one of you then why is Maximus her brother? And what's up with her eyes?"

"Slow down. I can only do a few at a time. Listen I'll explain everything I know then just ask if there's anything else you want to know. Okay?" He talked slowly as if he was talking to an infant.

"Listen, the carriage was attacked by a gaichuu but she and her brother lived…"

"Maximus is her real brother?" I. Did. Not. Know. That.

"No, it was Clarent, now, back to the explanation. A government vehicle passed by but that hope soon faded when they found out they are taking the 2 of them to Kagerou. During that time while they were in the carriage Nathalia helped her younger brother escape before arriving at the border. It was successful but the people who took them were very furious. They did to her what they did to animals, locked her up alone in a cold cell, fed her only 3 times in a week, put restraints on her and experimented new methods of taking and forcing heart into her. It was disgusting, I never saw her during the experiments but I could hear those screams. Such horrible, ear piercing, disturbing…" He started to drift away. He placed his hands over his ears and started breathing unevenly; suddenly a small glow came from his hands. He was shaking a bit and I didn't know what to do so I just punched him. Not enough for a concussion but good enough to snap him out of his crazy fantasy. He looked at me as if I appeared out of nowhere but soon he calmed down.

"Sorry. Trauma just does those to people, especially when it involves with people messing with your head and stuff. It was after 60 or 70 days that there was a failure in the machines so Nathalia escaped from the lab then destroyed the locks on every cell she passed. I don't really know where she went after that but we saw each other again near the border, when she jumped into the lake dividing Akatsuki and Yuusari. I didn't know how she got through the other gate though, but most of us took a small boat and headed to a small river connected to the lake. It was after a year when we met each other again in a small pub. Her eyes were glittery so I recognized her easily. She told me that each sparkle in her eye is a heart of another living creature. Each takes a different form that she can use so when I heard that she hated the government we recruited her. It was just plain luck that she had a good friend in Yuusari, Maximus. He took her in and helped her become a Letter Bee. She was unable to complete her mission of infiltrating Akatsuki though…"

"And why is that?"

"She has a split personality, one you know well, the kind and mischievous her, but the other is … deadly. As of right now she could be harmless but if she's under pressure….she could kill anyone without a second thought…she could kill you…"

Sorry I updated late but school has been really stressful lately. They even gave more than 100 pages of geometry homework during winter break. They even gave an exam the week we got back to school but they are not contented with that. We even have to start out Biology classes. No wonder the upper years call it "hell year… where they weed out the weak…" (lack of sleep due to homeworks and stuff is the reason why we bring blankets and pillows to school.) and our science teacher simply calls it "Natural selection"