Mid-August 2023

During the summer period, it was always much earlier in the day. The sun was rising from its night embrace, coming out for its daily duty. Bright, warm rays flooded the empty streets and buildings of high-rises, playing with sun bunnies in the windows of houses and brightly closed stores. Flooding with gold and red shimmers, coloring the sky in a delicate pink haze.

Whoever is awake, will certainly take a photo of the morning awakening of the city. And then this photo will remain either buried among all the other photos in the gallery, or will fly to the network to share this magical moment with those who slept until late morning. Birds will fill the streets with their trills, circling near the windows in a light breeze. For the early morning girl on the fourth floor of a house with a shimmering red roof, it will be a beautiful alarm clock—a pleasant, ordinary moment to start her morning.

For a man working all night and sleeping only an hour in his cozy bed, it was annoying. He wanted to sleep in silence, but the summer heat forced him to leave the windows open. And those birds, unlike an annoying alarm clock, couldn't be turned off by tapping on the flat screen of a phone.

The wind would swirl between the leaves of the bright green trees. Trying to give residents a remnant of the night's coolness, to prolong a moment of freshness before the hot summer day. This season of the year was sorely lacking that drop of freshness. The city came alive with every moment of the sun rising high into the sky and the noise from a slight sleepy sigh to a falling drop from the fountain in the park. Just an everyday completed picture.

For everyone, the new day began differently. The man over there, down the street, was locking up the house with jingling keys and drinking a peppy tune; the morning had already begun. He was hurrying to his bakery to get the equipment ready, for there should already be fresh buns and bread on the shelves. The tantalizing smell of fresh baked goods attracted people rushing to work. And to have an invigorating coffee in the morning with a cherry muffin? It was clearly already a pleasant morning...
The lady trying to get her hair done was complaining about how she didn't have time and overslept for work again. Well, it wasn't her fault; she wanted to sleep for five more minutes, but it was thirty-five. She's obviously going to go hungry to work...
The tired parents woke up for the eighth time that night to the crying of their small child. The head of the family got up to rock the whimpering baby in his cradle, humming in his sleep-deprived voice. And the grumpy grandfather, who got up before the sun, was banging his stick on the ceiling. He wanted to be dead calm and not listen to a capricious brat. The girl with the avocado pajamas slept and dreamed her tenth dream in her green bed. She'll be a late-risen flower.

The life we're used to, the routine—can it all fall apart in one day? It's a silly thought.

In one of the hotel rooms, milky, heavy curtains swayed lightly in the breeze from the open panoramic window. At those moments, small sun bunnies tried to penetrate the darkened room. They played and shimmered, and then disappeared again. The room was silent and peaceful. It seemed to be just an empty hotel room, but the light sniffing from the bed said otherwise. Sniffling and barely audible mumbling came from the lips of the sleeping girl. She slept peacefully, her breasts rising and falling in a light rhythm.

The bed always beckoned in the morning, not wanting to let go of its embrace. It always seemed like a heavenly place, especially when she had vivid and pleasant dreams. Summer had its drawbacks, of course... long blonde hair was wet and clung to the same wet neck and back. Such moments were frankly annoying, but as long as the thread of sleep would not weaken, even such a disadvantage did not interfere much.

-Somebody once told me... The world is going to roll me -a cheerful tune filled the once quiet room. The alarm clock was just humming that "Hey, it's time for you to get up!". But was ignored. The girl in bed only tucked her blonde head under the air pillow as she continued to sleep.

-So much to do so much to see

-So what's wrong with taking the back streets? -How hard it was to get up so early from the heated bed...

-Only shooting stars break the mold

-It's a cool place and they say it gets colder...-the mooing from under the pillow showed that the alarm clock had done its job and the body in bed was beginning to wake up. A pale hand rustled over the sheets, trying to find the annoying source of the noise. When the source of the noise was not found and the tune continued to play, the girl rose up on her elbows with a disgruntled sigh. Crooking her blond eyebrows and blowing a blond long strand off her damp forehead.

«Damn you! Where are you?! Where the hell did she put her phone?!» A disgruntled pant escaped her lips. As chocolate milk, eyes tried to find the glowing screen of the phone, first on the bed and then on the bedside table. A thin strip of light shimmered from the phone lying screen down on the nightstand, away from the bed. Lucy had put it away on purpose, knowing herself that she could turn it off in her sleepy state and go back to sleep. She couldn't be late tonight.

Her finger touched the screen, turning off the alarm clock. Exhaling the air from her sleepy body, she stretched with her whole being, kneading her stiff bones and muscles. Oh, it felt so good when some of the bubbles burst from her stretches. Though many were annoyed by the sound of snapping, like fingers or neck. Rubbed her face like she was wiping the floor with a rag. A super comparison ran through her mind. The morning would bring up more than a few things in my sleepy head. She had to get another plane ticket. So she could fly in at night and go to bed, instead of being at the airport at four in the morning, piling into a hotel, and sleeping less than two hours. Damn her inattention sometimes.

Lucy just sat stupidly on the bed with her legs overhanging as the thoughts swirled around in her head. She slumped backward, falling back onto the firm mattress. Bringing the phone up to her face, the device immediately recognized her and revealed a mini-world in her hands. The phone's screen saver was a picture of rippling waves and white sand. Then, she had a great family trip to Spain.

The first to check and press her finger were her and her dad's chat apps. It had become a habit to go in and check it out. They, of course, more often just called each other, that way or by video. But it was nice when Daddy started sending his awkward selfies and emojis in his correspondence. He'd crossed the line of not wanting it, and she'd say, his cute and stubborn embarrassment...

Lips stretched into a smile, from an emoji of some cartoon square toad hugging a smaller toad "saying goodnight". Then flipping through social media pages. Checking the weather. An animated picture of bright sunshine and twenty-two degrees at seven fifteen in the morning already meant a lot. A heavy sigh left my lips.
«It's going to be hot again today," she she liked the heat, but not when it crossed the line. At least it wasn't raining; she hadn't brought an umbrella. She should have. Something commonplace in the lives of almost all twenty-first-century people.

And she'd watched it in the first place, not gone to the bathroom, even though her bladder demanded relief.

She lay there for another ten minutes, if not fifteen, scrolling through her social media feed until she couldn't take it anymore. It was the disease of her age—staring at her phone for hours on end, wasting the time of her life...

Finished with her natural needs, Lucy stretched once more and was about to go for her phone, to turn on some music while she showered. It annoyed her to be sticky and wet after sleeping on summer days.

After refreshing her face in the cool water, Lucy just stood and stared into the large mirror. Thin drops of water ran down her soft skin, tickling some of her hairs. She had moments when she just froze and sank into her thoughts. More often, it was really a deep dive into the depths of her mind, when thousands of thoughts were working and creating a picture of plans. Now it was an absence of thoughts. Just a certain emptiness.

The cheerful trill of the phone filled the room, announcing that someone was calling... the girl blinked sluggishly, turning her head toward the bed where she had left the gadget. The gears in her head seemed to have rusted, but only after a minute did she realized that the phone was ringing, and she needed to pick it up. A thought flashed through her mind: who could be calling this early?

"Yes, yes, I'm coming...Wait!" she spoke to the phone as if it would understand her and ask the person on the other end to wait. Shuffling her feet and moving was always something ordinary, something that didn't take much effort to do. It also didn't take much effort to get her big toe caught in the pant leg of her pajama pants and almost fall.
"Oof! Almost fell." "Damn those pants," she had this clumsiness. When getting caught in her own pants was commonplace, she'd fallen once before. Getting caught and falling off the couch while changing a light bulb in the living room at home.

The phone was near her ear, turning off the ringtone and accepted the call.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, sweetie. Are you awake yet?" Her father's gentle voice came from the speaker. A smile stretched her lips on her own when she heard him.

"Good morning, dad. I'm awake; I'm going to get ready now, get cleaned up, and go to my meeting. How are you doing? I feel so sleepy, I should have taken a ticket for another flight," a heavy fake yawn left her. Dad was a man who calmly listened and accepted her chatter, her whims, and her grievances. Hearing her and supporting her. A merry chuckle escaped his lips. He had, after all, told her she would be tired.

"You can come and take a nap after your meeting with Armon Strath." the businessman she was supposed to interview. By the time he was thirty, he had about twenty hotel branches, of all classes. In just seven years, he'd expanded to become one of Fiore's richest men. And now she was staying at his hotel.

"Fauchon Armon L'Hôtel" the name is in the Parisian style, and the building itself had such an interior. It is a new concept of modern Parisian life and luxury hospitality, promoting French culture, aesthetics, art, and innovative cuisine. Bringing Parisian wealth to the small town of Fiora. In light colors, but with bright pink accents. This hotel could be described and written about for its beauty and the way it is developed.

"Yes, I probably will. The bed here is oh-so-comfortable. But you know... I remembered something! You shouldn't have gotten the suite. You think I didn't look at the room rate?" on the other end of the line, there was a sigh and a mumble. He was clearly lamenting the fact that she needed to find out everything. And how could she not try to find out! She was a journalist first and foremost. It was her profession to find and investigate. Especially since this was an expensive hotel, the man she should be interviewing.

"Lucy..., huh, you're a heiress and should stay in these kinds of places, not rent a cheap room," her father tried to impose on her that she should only sleep in the best places.

"But, dad! That much money for five days in my room is too much! You know how I feel about that!" She could have ranted and lectured him on the stupid waste of money. But her father was just in time to cut her off.

"Have a good time and have a great interview, Lucy. Daddy gives you a hug and kisses. I'll call you later."

Relaxing her pouty lips and lowering blond eyebrows, letting out a sigh, Lucy just accepted the answer, knowing it was useless to argue, "Okay, Dad. I love you. I'll call you when I'm done. Bye daddy."

"Bye, honey." with her father's last words, she disconnected from the call.

White cotton pajamas with little pink hearts and ruffles, lay on the bed. While Lucy took a refreshing shower. Well, she must look good, and freshness must pour out of her like a mine. It was a quest in plus thirty-seven degrees.

Finishing her bath, she slipped the white terrycloth robe over her body, tied her hair into a turban, and looked in the mirror. Her cheeks were ruddy after the shower, which was refreshing and relaxing. Shiny eyes stared into her reflection. The mirror had always been an interesting subject for her inquisitive mind to study. But now was not the time!

Heart Of Glass - Blondie

She was humming the melody of a song she had recently heard, and listened to countless times. "Once I had a love and it was a gas" She strode across the spacious bedroom of her hotel room to the magical Pandora's box. " The mini fridge in this hotel was fancy. Taking out a simple water, humming the lines of the song, stretching her lips, and swaying her hips, she felt really light and happy. The morning was already better and more pleasant than it had been thirty minutes ago. "Window, she needed to open the window" and let, pleasant sunlight into her room.

The heavy curtains opened at the touch of a finger on the remote's touch screen. Revealing a wonderful view from the panoramic window of the city center. Taking sips from the bottle and satiating the body, my eyes looked at the beautiful green park. People were changing, hurrying to work, moms with children in strollers leisurely strolling, and walking people with dogs sipped hot or cool drinks. It was interesting to watch and savor such moments. Lucy was sure that such a magical day could not be spoiled.

Sometimes you don't realize the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.

Time fled and pulled her to a quick gathering. Continuing to hum the rhythm of the fast-paced song, shaking her head as her toes beat the beat. Her hands ran a steam iron over the folds of her cream blouse. She had only to wipe her shoes, change her clothes, and grab her purse. And she was ready to run her errands for the day!

Whether to go first. The library to read or check out that tracksuit? What would you like to eat for breakfast today? Maybe avocado toast with salmon. There was a fancy restaurant downstairs, and she had to go there. Yes!

Thoughts raced through her head, making plans as she changed for this morning. Damn her for forgetting her shoe spoon. She was going to break a nail trying to put on those shoes. I think she had a Band-Aid in her purse. Aw, she should have brought a new pair of shoes with her. But they're so cute. Spinning in front of the mirror and shouting, and then pulling herself back, straightening her posture, and thinking, She's stupid; is that what a lady does?! The calmness of thought in her head was so lacking…

Youn-ding-dong…

"Oh, I'm sorry…!" the words came automatically from her lips as she almost slammed the door on the man walking next to her toward the elevator. A slight phrase that "it's okay" flew by, and the man continued his conversation on the phone. They rode down together, and she wasn't really interested in his conversation. She was just wondering if she should eat something sweet for breakfast or not. People were filling the elevator from the lower floors, but no one was touching each other. It is not a vowel rule.

The restaurant was a nice sight, with lovely fresh flowers and other plants inside. Cozy couches and an interesting interior. She looked around while she waited for her breakfast.

It was a beautiful place, but it was unfair that not everyone could visit it. The large windows overlooked the nearby park and the people bustling about. It wasn't right that, in their world, there was a class divide. Each person worked and toiled for less or more time than the other. But it was not logical that those who worked less would earn much more. Many people are simply not appreciated or valued by society.

It's strange that a "high society/class lady" would argue like that; my dad would shake his head, but he wouldn't tell her off. He always said, "Always be human, no matter what."

She didn't notice the cute waiter behind her thoughts—a polite working smile and her order. Words of thanks flew from her smiling lips, and the cute appearance had already attracted the man's eyes. The charmed guy obviously wanted to continue making eyes at her, but she had already started her simple meal. The guy realized that this lady was more interested in breakfast than in his charisma. Coffee with caramel and cream. Avocado toast, poached egg, shrimp, and salmon.
Dessert; maybe she'll order that dessert after all..

«Park Seraphima» welcomed the hot breeze, the sound of swaying trees, and lively people having fun. And the smell of summer, warm and soft. Everyone had different associations. It reminded her of her childhood, when she and her parents used to go to the sea, as well as the walks on their property.

Her heart skipped a painful squeeze, and her eyes flashed something she never wanted to remember. And she tried to push away the worries of the past. Quickening her step. The way from the hotel to the company building where the businessman was waiting for her took no more than twenty minutes. Pass a park with a pond, then walk a block, and voilà she was there.

She walked past colorful buildings, lots of flowers, and beautiful openwork. The whole neighborhood reminded her of Paris. The variety of peony buds, roses, and that wonderful aroma. Cobblestone streets with brightly colored roofs. But in the midst of all this beauty, there was something that had been bothering her for six years. A flower. What could she possibly find so tense about a plant?

Lucy rubbed her shoulder with her hand, chasing away the chill that ran down her skin. Continuing to walk and thinking about the plant.

Six years ago, just overnight, this plant had come out of the ground, filling the world. It didn't grow like a flower or a tree; it was a little sprout, a drop of life that sought to lift itself up. No, it felt like someone had just planted it. Honestly, it caused a stir and tension amongst all the people. After all, the flower stood perfectly as well in the hot desert as in the coldest points of the Earth.

The flower has an unusual shape and color. This plant consists of three main parts: the root, the stem, and the open flower itself at the top. The stem and roots are black, gray, gloomy, and tangled, intertwined to form a thick column that supports a large, dirty red flower. While the middle had what looked like emerald-glow, oblong-shaped seeds.
Roots twisted along the ground; they were long and seemed to cling to this world. Tearing through the soil, concrete road, or ice. This plant seemed to take the life out of everything around it; the grass would turn black, and it would become nothing. The cement would just start to crumble. Isn't that scary?

She remembers waking up, and all the servants and even Daddy were running around the house with something tense in their eyes. Talking about what was going on their property. It was ironic that later she could see this plant from her room window. And it just gave her the creeps. People panicked, saying that aliens would attack, it was heaven's punishment, and they'd get it. Others, on the other hand, saw it as an auspicious sign. Because no matter what, the plant appeared anywhere in the world, in any weather.

Then this flower flooded the internet. People were taking pictures of it, trying to get scientists to study it faster. Well, there was nothing useful or interesting. It's just an ordinary subspecies of root flower, without any poisonous notes to the world around it. There was something exciting, though… The flower couldn't be ripped out or burned. The roots were deep, as if woven into the very core of the planet. At home, my dad also wanted to remove it, but when it didn't work, and she kept whining that it scared her. They built a sculpture completely covering the flower, and it fit into the interior of their mansion. So here, on a busy road with rushing cars, in the very center, proudly stood "Fiore d'ombra". Surrounded by a small fence. The Italian name for "Shadow Flower" has taken root.

A gloomy plant with a beautiful name, she thought. Lucy stopped remembering moments six years ago when she found herself in front of Armstrong Strat's office.

Something in the distance was beeping and humming, but the noise was audible as if it were under a thick layer of water. Blood pounded in my ears as my heart picked up an alarming rhythm.

"W-what...? Where is she?" Her head cracked and spun as Lucy tried to open her eyes. But there was a hammer pounding painfully in her head, making all her nerves bare, and her body felt heavy with lead. There was no realization of what had happened or where she was.

She groaned at the black pallor before her eyes began to dissipate. Her eyes stared sluggishly at what…? Was it the legs of the table and the bottom of the couch? Her brain wasn't going to quickly process everything that was happening. It was a second, like a snap of fingers in her head, as she turned onto her back, holding her throbbing head with her hand.

The first thing she realized was that she was lying on the floor. Her shoulder, cheek, and hip hurt from the impact. Also, her head—why was the fog in her head so bad? Her fever spiked. Her forehead was so hot—and wet?
In front of the floating gaze, a pale hand with red marks appeared.

"blood?"

Panic overwhelmed the whole body and every bit of consciousness. As heavy memories filled everything in front of his eyes. Panting, her chest heaved, trying to get more oxygen into her lungs, but it just wasn't coming in! She couldn't breathe! A scream of fear wanted to escape from her throat, but she was silent. The band on her chest burned, making her clutch the neckline of her blouse with her sweaty hand. Only her heavy, pure panic-filled breathing could be heard in my ears. The haziness in her gaze began to disappear as some memory and realization came over her…

She wasn't there; she was in the office. So, how come she was lying on the floor with blood running down her forehead and no one around? Why wasn't there a soul around to help her? The questions swirled in her head as her vision began to focus on her surroundings.

The first thing that caught her eye was an empty, deserted office... only everything was occupied by people working. Life was bustling at this hour. So, where is everyone?

She didn't realize her surroundings.

Her eyes locked on the clock hanging on the wall at the end of the room.
She blinks, trying to focus her eyes on the floating numbers.

There were too many questions and too many things to understand! Why did the clock show 11:32 a.m.? Did they have a broken clock? She arrived at 10:00 a.m. sharp. She showed her badge, confirming her identity and the fact that she was a journalist. Furthermore, she's been escorted to the right floor and told to wait… And then what?

And then. She considered this an interesting innovation for this company. She'd heard that interviews were conducted in a transparent glass room. Anyone in the adjoining room could see everything. Something about the cleanliness of the interviewer? She doesn't remember that now. The girl, who had just been sitting there drinking something from a brightly colored mug, was coming out of this small room. And she decided to ask more about it?

The brunette told her that it was a small recreation room. There was a small sofa, a table, a chair, a mini fridge, a coffee machine, and a cooler. That's about it. But it was cozy. During work, they can't give you more than 15 minutes to rest there. More you just cannot sit there because you can attract the slanted eyes of other workers. This is a strategy for productive work. The girl said goodbye, saying she had work to do. And she was left alone, thinking it was a good innovation.

And then what? This information was swirling around, trying to get into her brain…

Exactly! There was some kind of explosion outside, shaking her body and everyone else in the office. As her eyes and those of fifteen other people turned to the window. She'd only taken a step when a man ran towards her. And then, she felt a kick? Yeah, like he pushed her, and she fell, hitting her head. And then the darkness just swallowed everything up.

Okay, she's got that taken care of. But why is she clearly lying here for an hour without any attention in an empty office? Wait, an empty office?! Panic began to run through her veins again as she looked up sharply from her lap, toward the computers...

Everything… everything was scattered; papers littered the floor, and chairs lay on the floor. And then her hearing picked up a lot of different sounds. How had she not noticed the fire alarms blaring throughout the building? She thought she could hear screams downstairs, but her traumatized head must have been making up nonsense. She wished she could call out for someone when her lungs were already taking in air for a scream.

Only the scream never left her voice when some other noise and movement caught her side vision… Her head turned sharply in that direction, and from the sudden movement, everything around her spun at once. But the sight of a man smashing his head against the glass of the panoramic windows, leaving a red trail. Blood dripping down. But the man didn't care.

Boom…Boom…Boom…Boom

She stared at it in shock, not believing her eyes. «W-what the hell is going on?", she decided to get up. Her legs were weak, so she sat still while she tried to figure out what was going on. The sound of her heels hitting the floor was deafening. And she froze, leaning on the table next to her. Something about it all made her skin give off goosebumps and her hands go cold. And the voice inside her was screaming danger. Not to open her mouth or move in any way!

But a small noise caught his attention. What? It was a man, but there was something frightening about him—not human. She watched as he stopped and froze. And then he slowly turned his torso toward her. And everything inside sank down as her heart thudded in her chest and she saw his condition.

A bloody face, a crooked nose, and on his cheek… what was that on his cheek? It looked like a bite that was already starting to swell.

Tentative steps toward her, cloudy eyes as if he couldn't see her, but his feet were leading him toward her. She would have liked to ask if he needed help. But she kept silent, frozen as if it were -20 degrees in the room.

His sluggish foot caught on something, and her frightened eyes were on something on the floor in the same second. Her hair stood up when she saw on the floor… that brunette! The girl who'd been chatting sweetly with her an hour ago. But now she was lying on the floor, her white blouse covered in blood as she was mutilated. She recognized her hair and the brightly colored mug that lay shattered into a thousand pieces. Thousands of shards, just like her sanity at the moment...

She looked up, seeming to meet the eyes of the walking corpse across the room. And prayed to the Gods that it was just an illusion in her sick head.

But it was all too real.

"What was going on, and what the hell had she gotten herself into?!"

Hello everyone ! This is my first story that will be on "paper" so to speak, not in my mind. In my head, I have a lot of ideas and, in general, how they would develop. But I decided that I needed at least one story to really write, to put in order, and to share with others. And honestly, I would like a reasonable criticism, like the writing, whether the chapter and style, or something hard to read as something. I try and try to make it better and more interesting. After all, I myself love exciting, long stories that are coolly written. I have favorite authors here, and I admire them. I don't pretend to have such a title, but I'd like you to like it! I'm also dealing with Fanfiction as someone who has decided to write, so there may be times when I don't know how to do anything better. Like this text, for example. Did I put it in correctly, or should I have done it differently? And also, English is not my first language, but I try! At first, I was planning to write 10 chapters and only then put them out, but realizing that I'm in a stupor, not knowing if I'll like it or not, I decided to do it sooner. Besides the prologue, there are already 4 chapters. It's really exciting, and if in drawing I don't care about other people's opinions, then in writing, it's important to me. My mom and a friend read it; they liked it, but since they're family, I don't trust them much in this regard. Uh-huh. By the way, there will be drawings for some moments! Tell me where it would be convenient for me to create a page dedicated to my drawings for this work. Thank you for your attention !