A few hours had passed, and the morning Harbourview smog long turned into the afternoon Harbourview smog. Nell laid flat on her back; she felt like every bone in her body had been loosened, ready to fall off.

  "This friend of yours...he's a monster..." The Passenger complained in her head.

  "Says the real monster." Nell scowled as she watched Thomas, who sheepishly sat on the rails next to Nell.

  "You...feeling alright?" Thomas scratched the back of his head, patting down a stubborn string of hair that refused to blend in.

  "Alive." Nell rolled her eyes, "Got any water?"

  "Yeah, I got us some energy drinks while you were knocked out, heh..." Thomas reached for a plastic bag next to him.

  "Here, can you sit up on your own?"

  "I'm fine. You've really drained your wallet with this one, eh?" Nell pushed herself against the cargo crate.

  "Nell, we both know money was never the problem." Thomas took a can and opened it. The crispy "pop" made the air feel cooler. "For people like us, I mean."

  Nell shrugged, smiling. She took a sip from her own can.

  "It's ironic isn't it. Before I became like this... all I worried about was money, and now? What am I even worried about anymore? I know damn well it isn't money."

  Thomas turned to face her, his eyes were gleaming with something complicated.

  "Perhaps...Its uncertainty. You don't know what's going to happen, or what is happening."

  "Never knew you were a therapist." Nell sighed, starting to catch her breath.

  "Father once told me, there were things in this world that are...beyond our comprehension."

  "There are things that, even if we saw, we would forget as soon as it happened."

  Nell suddenly gripped Thomas' hand desperately.

  "Wait...Thomas, are you talking about...that day?"

  "I'm surprised you still remember. But yes, you're right."

  "What really happened that day? We can't be the only people who remember!" Nell's voice shook a little, as if uncovering something from the depths of her heart.

  "How could I forget?" Thomas chuckled. "They all died that night, you did too, that's what happened."

  "What do you mean?"

  "The raindrops crushed you." Thomas continued, more blunt than his usual self.

  "That night, all I could bring out from the rubble...was a chunk of your broken finger," Thomas drank from the can furiously, his voice flat.

  "You were a puddle of blood, dissolved in the rain. So was everyone else."

  Nell sat in silence; she did not know how to respond to such an absurd claim, but Thomas kept talking, as if finally unsealing something buried.

  "Don't look, don't hear, don't perceive - just lie down and sleep. You remember that line?"

  "Vaguely...I've heard it somewhere, maybe an Ad? or perhaps when I was leeching someone's radio..."

  Thomas looked at Nell enviously, or was it pity?

  "It was the phrase they played on repeat on the siren that night."

  "The phrase? Don't look... don't hear...?"

  Nell scraped hard in her head, but ultimately resorted to biting her nails.

  "We lied there, while the rain fell on us, our parents did too. Remember?"

  "You didn't open your eyes even after you heard them die. You were such a good kid."

  Thomas swallowed.

  "But I couldn't do that. How could you be so cruel as to force people to turn a blind eye to the massacre of the entire city?"

  "So...I opened them."

  Nell bit her nails until she reached flesh; even then, she continued. It felt as if her mystery had nearly been brought to light, why she had not seen her parents after that day, and why she knew they died despite not remembering what happened.

  "What happened after?"

  "That's the story for next time!" Thomas laughed cheerfully.

  "Glad you enjoyed~"

  "You son of a-" Nell snapped, furiously embarrassed. She whipped her leg towards Thomas, dragging the air around it violently.

  "When you and Mr Passenger can stand a chance, I'll tell you the rest, heh!"

  "I-"

  The words were interrupted by a loud screech of metal and sparks. The railway lit up - more accurately, the headlights of an approaching train lit up the tunnel entrance just in front of the two. The train's wheels screeched and screamed, throwing sparks all around it.

  Before Nell could react, Thomas had already dragged her from the tracks. The train screeched to a stop.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  "Wasn't this track abandoned decades ago?!" Nell felt her legs go weak.

  She turned her head to admire the train, which had a pitch-black "shell" like layer, and warm, orange light leaked from the tinted windows.

  "A locomotive, rare find..." Thomas whispered under his breath, and he pulled Nell behind him anxiously.

  Suddenly, he froze. Nell saw his pupils shrink violently.

  "H-hey...Nell...can you...feel the Passenger at all...?"

  "I, I can't sense Father..."

  "I can't feel it either... It's almost like he's hidden himself." Nell muttered, churning her brain to find the best escape route.

  The train door opens, and a boy in a wheelchair is perched in the middle of the entrance. In his hands were two envelopes.

  "Hi, Thomas, and you must be Nell?" The boy slowly revealed himself as he moved into the sunlight. Everything seemed pale about him. His skin was sickly pale, not a single hint of blood. His eyes were a pale blue, too, and even the way he talked sounded pale.

  "Run," Thomas spoke under his breath. The two split up in almost an instant, running in two completely different directions. This was experience hard learnt from years of living on the streets.

  A sharp feeling of being engulfed caught up to the two; it was a feeling that could be recognised but not quite grasped.

  Nell turned around frantically to check on Thomas — to her horror, she could only catch a glimpse of Thomas, or rather, a glimpse of Thomas being eaten alive a... door?

  It was a door, and it appeared from thin air.

  The sky darkened to an eerie deep blue. Nell was no longer sure whether it was because of the boy in the wheelchair, the black train, or if evening was actually arriving.

  She sprinted as hard as she could, occasionally looking back to check if something was following her, perhaps it was to check if Thomas would appear again from thin air?

  Nell refused to believe someone like Thomas would die so easily, or so she thought. There was an image of the boy seared into her head. The boy who still had a sister. But fear drove her mind; there was no place for sadness in the midst of life and death.

  So she ran and ran and ignored the worried tears that would occasionally spill past her eyelashes.

  This was the second time she had cried.

  Nell had forgotten how far she had run; had it been a few streets? Perhaps she had left the district?

  "Nell! Stop running! Wait for me!" a familiar voice called for her.

  "Thomas? Thomas! Thank goodness..." Nell turned around, her mind was foggy from the relief, and she could feel her lips trembling. She took a deep breath to hold back her sobs, it was as easy as always.

  Thomas panted heavily, wiping the sweat off his forehead. He said, " I...I guess I was THAT lucky... huh?" Nell checked anxiously for any signs of injury on Thomas. Seeing none, she let out a relieved sigh and gave Thomas a tight hug.

  "Do you have any idea how worried I was? I thought you got dragged into the door-" Her voice was cut off by a metallic creak.

  Because she did not hug Thomas, she hugged a cold, metal door.

  An open door.

  ___________________________________________________________________

  Nell awoke to the sound of heavy rain, but a weird, unfamiliar sense of warmth enveloped her. She tugged at the cozy blanket, wrapping it even more tightly than before. The dim, orange glow of the room emitted an enchanting aura that calmed her. In her foggy memories, she could vaguely remember running from something or someone. She seemed to have crossed something like an open door. Regardless, nothing beats a warm, cozy nap in this nicely furnished room. Compared to the conditions back at home, this was heaven — if only Thomas were here too.

  Thomas?

  Nell's peaceful slumber was shattered by the sudden flood of memories.

  "That's right...I saw Thomas get eaten by that door. I did too, but...Here I am." Nell pressed down the rising anxiety; she examined the surroundings carefully. The room was nicely decorated, with warm coloured walls and viney-flowers, which had long overgrown outside their pots, crawling onto the walls. There was a large bookshelf that hugged the wall across from the bed, filled to the brim with books. Finally, a large window replaced the wall to the left of the bed. Nell looked outside, and the rain obscured the sight. Still, she could see that she was surrounded, surrounded by the colourful lights she dreamed of reaching, the lights that made her jealousy burn brighter — She was in the midst of Harbourview, the central district, the district of the wealthy.

  Nell could faintly hear the crackling of a fireplace outside the room. She reassured herself that Thomas was safe, after all, she was.

  Knock Knock

  Someone was outside the door.

  Nell tensed up. She cautiously approached it, pressing her ear against the door to hear anything, which was to no avail. She then peeked under the slight crevice where the door and floor meet. She saw the wheels of a wheelchair and two well-polished leather shoes.

  "Who are you?" Nell asked through the door, pressing her back against it. Her voice was stern.

  "It's quite rude to ask for someone's name like that. For instance, you could perhaps introduce yourself, Nell." The boy outside answered calmly; however, between every few words was a sickly cough.

  "You kidnapped me, and now you expect me to introduce myself? Have some common sense!"

  "I did not kidnap you. You two simply ran off and refused to talk. I have no intention of hurting any of you."

  "And why the hell should I believe you?" Nell scoffed.

  "If I wanted to, you both would've been dead."

  Nell bit her lip; she slowly backed away from the door.

  "Wait...Thomas, is he alright?"

  The door opened on its own. The pale boy rode his wheelchair into the room with a polite smile.

  "He is completely fine, don't worry."

  "So..." Nell backed away more, setting her hands on a chair, ready to throw it at the pale boy, "What do you want?"

  "I have already told you, I just wanted to talk. Or rather, to invite you to our very exclusive club."

  "Is this a new type of scam?"

  "A street kid like you? Don't be silly. It would have cost me valuable life for your non-existent wealth." The pale boy raised an envelope.

  "I'm here to bring an invitation, and only an invitation. You and Thomas may leave after joining."

  Nell carefully took the envelope, and opened it even more carefully. Inside, there lied a pitch-black sheet, with golden words.

  _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  Dear Nell,

  With great fortune, you have been invited to our prestigious club - The Scholar's Club [Branch: "Sky", Harbourview]. It's a rare privilege to be allowed into our club, and it would now be mandatory for you to carry that gratitude in your heart.

  In our club, we offer:

  A personal bank card that will refill to $500,000 every week.

  Transport to anywhere in the city of your residence, in our luxurious vehicle.

  Two sets of properties anywhere in your city of residence.

  Scholarly Knowledge.

  Our exclusive laboratory, equipped with the newest and most advanced technology that will meet all your needs in your studies.

  A place to gather, socialise, and research.

  A premium bar with all the entertainment you could possibly want.

  [Climb up in ranks to unlock more perks]

  As a prestigious club, we have our fair share of partnerships, and our partners would like to offer you, our valued member:

  Exclusive service from CanoPY, display any advertisement, weather or information you wish.

  Exclusive service from KillZone, purchase your very own military-armed bodyguards, order an erasure, or retrieve certain items you wish from dangerous places. KillZone will give lives for you.

  Exclusive access to the Black Seashell Network (BSN), unlock the largest hidden database for yourself.

  Exclusive access to the Market, buy ANYTHING you wish — if you have the cash.

  [Climb up in ranks to unlock more partnership perks]

  Finally, we would like to remind you that you should consider yourself extraordinarily fortunate to be invited as a member and gain access to our perks. It should be noted that you have NO RIGHT to refute this offer.

  Please enjoy our perks, we ask nothing in return other than your utmost loyalty.

  Please Sign Here: [              ]

  _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________