New York City, the urban city outsider tourists knows as the 'Big Apple'. People of differed nationalities had lived here all of their life or to even start over from a state or country that is inferior to what this state had to offer. Many found it as a place of endless opportunities. Others had seen it as an overly expensive environment too reckless, pricy and unfair to live in. The city have not been the same lately. It only been getting worse as the years pass by; a city ruled by technology the more it gets advanced by highly experienced people both young and old who are knowledgeable in handling machines. But even technology malfunction. Everything that can behave or think on its own makes errors. However. For Hawk Grant the possibility for his theories to be incorrect is near to impossible. Things turned incredibly horrid fast and it is not what he first thought. It was not people who was going to continue to fight amongst themselves.. Something else is out there to harm the earthlings here. But what? An internal thought he would ponder on about but no detailed solution came to mind. This proved to be a problem with as much difficulty as Math Calculus, the highest mathematics class in high school. Something he is glad he doesn't have to take until next year.
Hawk had worn a PU black leather bomber jacket over a tall six foot athletic body, the gray hooded fabric underneath the outwear ensure the outwear to have various uses for the weather. It was a chilly November afternoon on the third of the month. The frigid breeze did not falter its cool course...not for one minute. It was continuously blowing throughout the atmosphere. He likes the cold compared to the smothering hot weather the Summer had to offer. The chilled conditions is bearable than utmost heat in most moments. The two thick hooded layers on top of his own body was enough to counter the chilliness. A lime green cotton hoodie is underneath his jacket with the words, ”Lights Out” imprinted in the center of the front. Although unseen because of wearing his jacket, a Barret M95 Sniper rifle is illustrated on the back of the hoodie in the center. His determined walk in black combat boots seem long and fast paced compared to the average sized human. Through his cerulean eyes, a possible destination was far off from keen sight and the streets of Manhattan were deserted. Nothing that was surprising. It was to be expected—no matter what part of the city anyone lived in. Whatever that was out here did not reach him yet nor his friends that faithfully followed behind him. One who catches up to his walking pace is Japanese Freshman student Kaoru Yamagata. Playfully taking childish skips in her small steps right by Hawk's left side, her eyes dark as black coffee observing the taller boy classmate. She strongly tugs his left arm just at the time where he is about to make his next step forward and they both stop in movement. His thought concentration broken; a bitter glare is initiated in his eyes by giving her a glance in reaction. Kaoru blinks and did not become frighten at his expression of anger despite his height. Brown eyes sternly looked upon him. She replied to his hot-tempered reaction of stopping with a composed, sincere verbal response.
“Relax, Hawk,” She begins to tell him. “You need to slow down. The rest of us back here can't keep up.”
“Slow down?” He repeated after her. “That won't help any of us.”
“Oh, it will. We need to stick together.” She musters a broad smile on her peculiarly exotic face. Kaoru's lips remained full and wide even when she tries to lighten up. Letting go out his muscular arm, she clasped both small delicate hands together. “Becoming grumpy isn't going to change things or make Jezzy appear.”
“Jezebel.” He corrected her from Jezebel's nickname. “Kaoru. I have a reason for this. You know why. Last time we both seen Jezebel was when we took the last of Midterms in October.”
“By being pushy and become a grinch going to resolve things?” She mockingly asked. “Its your job to be the knight in shining armor and fly to her rescue.”
“Fly?”
“Fly. “ She nods her head gently, long waist length hair voluminously bounces as the had moved.
Hawk managed to create a smirk when his medium lips' ends pulls upwards slight. The attempted pun of his own name was enough to be amused. Kaoru's bubblegum pink and charcoal black buttoned up Varsity jacket done the same for her and kept her warm under fifty degree temperature. The black sleeves to the jacket covered her slender arms to the shoulder to the wrists. The rest of the jacket was a fuchsia pink along with a capital K is inscribed on the chest area where the heart is suppose to be meanwhile a crimson red lips compressing into a kiss symbol on the opposite side. Onyx jeans is barely underneath the jacket pass her narrow hips to her ankles where black and white Converse sneakers are worn. Wearing those type of footwear did not give her short height of five feet and four inches no justice.
Both Kaoru and Hawk turns their body around to face the wandering familiar people behind them. Sophomore students Niric Thompson and Linella Webb were treading behind the energetic Kaoru who happened to catch up with the frustated Hawk Grant. By the time they had reached them both, Niric and Linella figured Hawk was stalled long enough and persuaded to calm himself. Similar to Hawk in a sense, Linella was a light skinned individual who majored in the same class as him. However, Niric was a dark skinned African American who worked along side Jezebel whenever they are both in school together. He reminded Hawk of Jezebel from time to time due to his vast knowledge of films. Crossing his arms on his broad chest over a blue wool coat covering a knitted white cardigan and his red polka dot bow-tie, he takes a blunt guess analyzing the Junior's brash decisions as of late.
"You don't know if she is still alive and it scares you, don't it?”
“It is not helping by stating the obvious and putting me down.”
“No, you're bring yourself down and bringing us along with the negativity. Before we continue, we need a plan. A real plan. Running in circles, isn't getting us nowhere. I've seen the building up ahead twice since we been walking. You are smart.” Niric pauses and stated the next word applying sarcasm. “Supposedly. It seems to be that ever since we couldn't find her without a trace, it drove your sanity away.”
“Supposedly?” Hawk repeated. “I don't see you putting your suggestion until now, Niric.”
“You wouldn't listen to what the rest of us have to say,” said Niric, fixing his dark brown eyes on Hawk to give contact. “If you did, things would of ended a lot sooner. Linella found something I am sure it is worth sharing. Right, Linella?” He rests his left broad hand and put it on the quieter classmate's puffy sleeved shoulder. She simply nods her head, blond luxurious locs lays on both shoulders and bangs swept to the side away from her honey brown eyes. Not a simple word was spoken from her deep red lip gloss painted succulent lips. She walks forward farther from Niric, gaining some courage to speak up to both Hawk and Kaoru.
“There's this object you both had passed by that I noticed. Something very square, sparkly and colorful like a Rubik's Cube. The gold outer surface caught my eye. Maybe you two can figure what its for.” She unhooks the two downward golden buckles her large silvery gray Louis Vuitton handbag had with it. Lifting up the no longer buckled flap to the rectangular bag, she sets it behind the back of the bag and put it next to her flat stomach when her wiry forearm had moved it there. Pearl white winter gloves digs into the handbag and takes out a yellow marigold cube, producing a shimmer of illuminating various colored particles from its outer face. It had no internal holes to come from and didn't show no sign it was a living thing. Hawk's facial structure lit up with glee, finding out his friend's unique discovery.
“Linella, why didn't you tell us about this sooner?” Hawk inquired.
“You did not pay attention to us, remember? We needed K...Kaoru?” She had asked a question herself to the shorter asian student who was now facing her back to them, detecting sound far off from their standing position before they even noticed her attention averted from them during the argument with Niric and Hawk. She had her eyes' concentration on the upcoming block. For the first time in weeks, she had noticed a person's figure materializing in distance. A shadowy form appeared and then distinct features began to take shape into someone recognizable to all four of them. Hawk also turned to look in the direction Kaoru was looking in. To the four youthful teenagers, the person striding down the block towards them looked like... Jezebel. The distant woman they had seen from far away did not sport clothes most New Yorkers would wear. A Japanese black turtle neck collared trench coat design thigh-high jacket. Small gold buttons aligns on the central section of the jacket starting from the torso to the waist down, two buttons inches apart from one another in width and four buttons each going downward. The closer she gotten the more vivid her face and the leggings she wore on smooth caramel legs is; an appealing cat's face with whiskers on one leg and its long curly tail on the other. They could not deny the out this woman dressed in is similar to what Jezebel worn the last time they had seen her.
“It can not be... Jezebel?” Hawk said outloud for the rest of his company to hear.
“That is not Jez, Hawk.” Niric boldly stated without a second thought, analyzing the strange female.
“What makes you so sure?”
“How could you not recognize your own girlfriend?” He chuckled with booming volume. “She is clearly darker than Jez, has longer hair with auburn streaks and...”He pauses briefly, judging the female before she gotten close enough to hear him. “Definitely more attractive than her.”
“Are you calling Jezebel ugly then?” Hawk retorted.
“Back me up on this, Kaoru? Linella?” Niric cleared his throat.
“You dug into your own hole,”Kaoru responded to his cry for help. “Get yourself out.”
“I agree with Kaoru here. Not the best decision you made to bring up looks here.” Linella confirmed.
“You two are so supportive!” He exaggerated on the last word with sarcasm. “Jez is cute, Hawk... without a doubt. But this girl just... prettier and looks like her.”
When the incoming woman came in reachable distance to the four, a plain expression is shown on dark skinned alluring features. Sweltry hazel eyes set their sights on the tallest student Hawk then Niric. She places a delicate hand over her curvy right side. The sultry voice that accompanies this woman when she speaks is similar to what the students had noticed right away.
“I don't suppose you know Jezebel Dawkins as you two claimed?” She asked them both. “Its the first thing to assume when you both had said her name.”
“What business you have with her?” Hawk's curiosity risen.
“I need to find her soon. She is essential to this planet's survival. Its best I find her as soon as possible to ensure she can help save this world before it shares the same fate as the others.”
“The others?” Linella questioned her. “ Maybe this may help?” She shows her the glittery cube and the other three accomplices gasped by her actions.
“Linella! We can not just easily trust her!” Hawk shouted at her.
“She's... our only lead on finding Jezebel. What if what she speaks is true?”
“You have a Relic Cube. It's similar to the Rubik's cube in the form of how it is activated. They are a puzzle made by the person who stores their memory in the cube. The Reqlac has different purposes to it, mainly memory playback. Where did you find that?”
“Outside the high school I go to,” Linella informed her. “You have not given us your name.”
“Airalyn, Linella. Allow me to do you the honor of activating the Relic cube. In return, I will share the one I have that involves Jezebel. I believe it was her last moments.”
“What makes you think its her last?” Kaoru had spoken, trying to make sense of the newcomer's words. “Jezebel is a strong girl. She is not easily taken down... just like myself.”
“I know. Its why I must find her. The last words she speaks in the memory's display tells all. Now if you please, let me show you the answers you have been searching for.” Airalyn gives them a small smirk, growing from her full lips.
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