Chapter 2 - A New Order

Diego stared blankly at the finely carved brown door, his thoughts running wild in his mind. He fidgeted before shuffling to his bedside, sinking into the foams of the mattress. 

"Loving you have been my best decision, " Andrea's voice replayed in his head as he reminisced about their beautiful moments together. "You're a gift from the universe."

He picked up his phone from the nightstand and stared at the screen—a photo of Andrea cracking up with laughter. "Argh!!!" he exclaimed, hurling his phone onto the bed. He grabbed his bedside lamp and flung it across the room. It crashed against the wall, shattering into pieces. Dashing across the room, he swept items off the desk. The reading lamp fell to the floor with a loud shatter and papers littered the space. 

The noise from Diego's room made Scott, who lived in the suite next door, rush out to check what was happening. As Scott entered, he paused, taking in the mess. "Diego!!" he yelled, running towards him as Diego continued breaking items.

"Diego!" Scott pulled him into a firm embrace, but Diego struggled to break free. "What's this madness?" Scott asked as Diego, feeling weak in his knees, slumped to the ground alongside him.

"I shouldn't have killed her," Diego sobbed. "It's going to haunt me for life!"

"The deed's already been done, so you'll have to be strong," Scott said, pulling Diego closer and patting him. "It's going to be fine."

Diego's phone chimed, and they turned towards the sound. The phone laid across the room, its screen flashing. 

"Let me help you with that." Scott pulled away and went to pick up the phone. "Isn't this the 'Andrea'?" He turned the screen to Diego. 

"You still don't recognize her?" Diego frowned. 

"I barely even saw her when she was here, plus I'm not good with faces, you know that. But, it's been two days now, Diego." He looked at the wallpaper on the phone again. "Why's her photo still your screensaver?" he asked. "Don't you think it's best to discard everything that reminds you of her?"

"Don't you think I know that, Scott?" Diego said. "It's just too hard to forget about someone I loved so much."

"You're hurting yourself, can't you see that?" Scott sighed. "Yes, you killed her, but she would have been dead, anyway. You said you advised her to give up her inheritance, but she refused, so you did what you had to do."

"Now Freya wants me to kill someone else," Diego said.

"Who?" Scott asked, shocked.

"Just some random girl named Stephanie Davis..."

"Wait, wait..." Scott tried to speak, but Diego cut him off.

"Don't worry, I won't do it," Diego said.

"No, you have to," Scott rushed towards him. "You know how Freya can get when disobeyed; she could kill you."

"She said so, but I don't care, Scott." Diego stood up, sniffling as he wiped his face with his palm. "I can't keep killing innocent people in my pursuit of power. I shouldn't have killed Andrea; she didn't deserve to die, and neither does Stephanie."

"You can't back down now. Freya would have your head delivered to her on a platter, and without you, I would end up back as the company's rag. You've completed the hardest part, which is killing Andrea. Now, please don't let that pain and sacrifice be for nothing!"

Diego looked at his friend, the emotions in his eyes clear as summer. He relaxed on his bed, his expression turning solemn as he stared at the wall. "You're right, Andrea's dead, and I have to make it count." He turned to Scott. "I'll fight this fight till I finally get what I want."

***

The cold breeze whipped Stephanie's skin as she tightened the towel around her chest, sitting at a table in front of the mirror in her bedroom. She held a hair dryer in her right hand and spread her hair occasionally with her left. The air from the dryer was hot on her scalp. When she was done, she walked to her wardrobe and pulled out clothes in intervals, raising them up to get a better view.

"Ava, we should go to the mall and get you some clothes that actually fit. You're about to stretch mine beyond recognition," she yelled out to Andrea, who sat on the couch in the living room, eating cookies as she fixed her eyes on the TV.

"Yeah. We'll go today when you're back from work," Andrea yelled back.

"You've been saying that for the past two days, yet when I get back, you make more excuses." Stephanie picked out a brown gown with straps and a black jacket.

When she got dressed, she applied a brief touch of makeup at her vanity table and walked out of the bedroom. "I'll be off to work," she said, hurriedly grabbing her packed food from the kitchen counter. "See you later," Stephanie said, stepping out of the house.

"Bye!" Andrea responded, her eyes still glued to the TV screen.

Stephanie arrived at work, the tall building looming over her as she peered through her windshield. She unfastened her seatbelt and hurried out of the car towards the entrance. The vast compound with manicured lawns and palm trees that provided shade, and a beautiful fountain gracing the corner. It was an elegant home for older adults.

Stephanie checked her wristwatch. She hurried upstairs to the staff quarters where she dropped her bag, shed her jacket, and quickly wore the company's customized T-shirt.

She proceeded to a room, advancing towards an elderly woman lying on the bed. "Mrs. Harriet, you're not up yet? It's almost breakfast." She said. 

Upon seeing Stephanie, Harriet's face brightened with a warm smile. "Oh, my God... Stephanie?" She said in a happy tone. 

"In the flesh," she said, moving towards the window as she spread the curtains.

"Thank God you're here. The rest of the staff are just awful!" Harriet said. "You won't believe the other staff refused to catch me a butterfly yesterday."

"Sorry 'bout that, ma'am, but you have to wash up so you can be on time for breakfast." Stephanie said. 

"Your only problem is punctuality," Harriet groaned dramatically, pushing herself up from the bed. "I absolutely loathe punctuality. But... Fine, I'll be out in a jiffy," she added, heading decisively towards the shower.

Stephanie smiled, walking out into the hallway. She moved into the next room, where a man sat on his bed directly facing the wall.

"You must be out of your mind!" he hollered at the wall. "How dare you show such insolence towards me? I could practically be your grandfather's age. Do they even bother teaching kids morals these days?" he groaned, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Mr. Finn, there's no one there," Stephanie said, trying to suppress a smirk.

"Do not tell me that! I'm not crazy, young lady," Finn retorted. 

"Absolutely not, sir. Forgive me," Stephanie replied.' "And you're right, that boy needs to learn that elders should be given the respect they deserve." 

"It's a girl there," he pointed forward, glaring at Stephanie, "not a boy."

Stephanie chuckled awkwardly. "My bad," she said dryly. "She looks like a boy to me, though. Hurry, Mr. Finn, breakfast is ready."

"I know, now leave me be," he shushed dismissively.

* * *

Andrea rushed to Stephanie's wardrobe, pulling on a pair of black trousers and a T-shirt. She added a black hoodie and pulled her hair back with a band before placing a cap on her head.

She stepped out of their house and navigated the bustling city streets. The street was teeming with people and streetlights, almost as many as the humans. Cars honked in traffic, children chased each other on bikes, and heated arguments drifted out through the windows of nearby bars. As she moved through the crowd on the pedestrian lane with her head bowed, she stole glances around and was relieved that no one seemed to notice her.

As she proceeded further, her gaze darting sideways, she collided with a guy, probably in his mid-twenties. He was exiting a coffee shop with four coffee cups squeezed in his hands. The impact from the collision made the coffee spill on both their clothes.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," the boy said in a rush.

"I should be the one apologizing. I bumped into you. I'm sorry," Andrea said, locking eyes with the stranger. His green eyes were glinting and unreadable.

"Sorry, have we met before? You look so familiar," the man said, holding her hand as she made to leave.

Andrea smiled nervously. "Yeah, I get that a lot," she said, gently pulling her arm back from his grip.

As she walked away from him, he yelled out, "I'm Jethro, by the way!"

She kept walking, not responding.

"You could at least tell me your name!" he called after her, staring as she moved away, slightly hunched over. No response came from her.

Her heart pounded in her chest, but she held on to the tiniest bit of hope that where she was headed would not be the end of her.