The Black Swan Behind (Beauty of Fire)

108 Not an Ordinary Coat

“Alright, dammit.. Just blame me all the time,” Said the red-haired man named Damian. Then, he put the trash can that already filled the peanut shell into the corner of the room. When they passed Albert, they both even had time to bump into each other by putting on a cynical face.

“Let me walk you guys outside,” Albert said by wearing his big jacket which had some shabby rips.

Renu didn’t answer and Damian just walked out of the room which was at the very back of the ugly old building whose walls were only covered with cement and many scribbled murals.

Once they out of the door, they were faced with a small hallway that became the place where the room was located. After walking a few steps from the door of the room, the sound of music and noises began to get louder and louder. Until finally, they arrived at the end of the mouth of the hallway, then, colourful lights and deafening music started to beat them.

The three people who were escorted by the four male bodyguards were still on the second floor which was less than half the size of the building. The second floor was useful for viewing, or rather monitoring the situation downstairs, at the crowds of people who were drunk, drinking, gambling, fighting, and more.

After leaving the hallway, they had to walk on the floor made of iron bars with a barrier that looked like the iron pipes that faced the – either chaos or pleasure – below.

The men got down from the second floor using an iron staircase which was guarded by two large men at the bottom. Damian patted the arm of one of the guard men in a friendly manner, just to say hello, as he passed him. He was replied with a polite nod of the head from the two big men.

While walking through the crowd of people who mostly had a gloomy, depressed, and drunk look, they also passed the core location of the building which was the spot where three fighting rings were located. Each ring was bounded by a long thin black cloth as a barrier.

It looked like a show was going on, because every ring was surrounded by many people who shouted boisterously with cash in their hands that they held up. Just like a candy bar being swarmed by ants, in each ring was two men were fighting fiercely.

.....

The building was so vast that they had to walk quite a distance to reach the exit which was the entrance as well. It turned out that the exit still did not lead them to the real exit, because they had to climb another ladder that led to a narrow passage of stairs up until they reached an iron-bars door that led to a small gloomy alley.

Finally, they came out of the Underground Cave which was located at the bottom of Bluevalley Street. If an ordinary person passed through the deserted Bluevalley Street that had a few abandoned shops, he would not have guessed that beneath the asphalt he stepped on was a paradise in the form of hell for the underground people.

In front of the small door, a shiny black sedan was waiting.

“Work hard, Old man..” Damian said mockingly as he patted Albert’s shoulder.

“Asshole boy!” Albert replied.

“Marcel said that withdrawals would be made every three days now,” Renu said to Albert before getting into the car door.

“Accelerated again? Are you guys starting to lose faith in me?” Albert folded his arms across his chest with an embarrassed face.

Renu shook his head, “Some things are going on. You just need to work as usual. Marcel has no problem with you.”

“Hah.. Whatever,” Said the man with a slightly fat body. Then, he mumbled to himself, “Don’t think that I don’t know who the money is flowing for. Oh.. it’s none of my business, anyway.”

Albert went back behind the iron bars and went down the stairs as the black car drove away.

***

That morning, Emma was busy in the kitchen. As usual, she was a diligent girl whose feet and hands would feel itchy if she didn’t do something productive. Since childhood, Emma did not like to relax. She really liked getting up early and doing things. It was also the reason why she didn’t refuse when her father arranged her to practice various kinds of martial arts.

“This is very cool!” Emma mumbled to herself while taking pictures of her cooking which she had arranged on her small dining table with pride.

After breakfast, Emma glanced at the sun-shaped wall clock that was still showing ten in the morning. She smiled and cleaned the house before practising ballet in the basement. The girl did all the activities she had listed last night. Reminded of the long winter break, she had to come up with ideas to fill her time so she wouldn’t be bored.

One day had passed. Emma didn’t think that all the activities she wanted to do at home turned out to be finished in just one day. Now, she didn’t know what to do but cook and practice.

Emma glanced at her phone which was quiet as usual. Since Poppy and Kathy had left, she had no friends to go out with. Every night, Emma always took out her motorbike to ride around the city, looking for someone she could help. But it seemed the streets were that quiet that she had not found a meaningful activity.

“Come to think of it, I’ve become just like Calvin, haven’t I?” Emma muttered as she listened to the 37.1 AM radio channel.

It seemed, since the fall of Hell Gate and the news about Jita Kyoei who had joined Calvin Lee, the hoodlums have not dared to show their noses on the street again. Or, they felt too lazy to go out because the air was getting colder? But for sure, whether the radio channel was broken or something.. It didn’t announce any news. It just kept playing the same two or three songs over and over again.

“Could it be that the announcer is on vacation?” Emma muttered again with a sad face. It seemed like she was the only person in Handway City who had nothing to do on this long holiday.

Actually, Emma could have called Calvin to ask him out. But she was reluctant because it seemed that Calvin was busy with Jita Kyoei to carry out their mission to save the martial arts studio industry which was being threatened. Even though she liked Calvin, Emma didn’t have that big feeling that made her could miss him. It seemed that Emma’s feelings for Calvin were still only a mere admiration.

After finishing practising, Emma looked at the clock that showed that the day was still long. Finally, she decided to go outside, as well to return Hellen’s coat which had been finished in the laundry shop.

Emma’s car stopped at a house whose front door was covered with Christmas ornaments made of dried plants and glass balls. With a paper bag in her hand, Emma walked towards the door of the house after parking her car on the side of the road. Then, she rang the doorbell and waited in front while watching the busy streets in the area.

Before long, Emma heard voices from behind the door after pressing the doorbell for a second time. She directly faced the door as the owner of the house turned the doorknob.

“Good day..” Emma stopped her greeting.

It turned out that it wasn’t Mrs Hellen or her husband who opened the door. It was a young girl with both sharp blue eyes who had a tall build. The problem was, Emma knew who the girl was.

“Emma?” The girl in the doorway greeted. Her greeting sounded more like a mumble. Of course, she was also confused as to why Emma Hilland would ever come to her house.

“Ra.. Rachel?” Emma stammered with wide eyes.

Rachel just remained silent with a surprised face as she continued to stare at Emma who was no less confused than her.

“Who’s that, Rachel??” The screams of an old woman could be heard from inside the house, then, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps, “Are there any guests?” Helen asked by getting to the door because her question was not answered by the granddaughter.

“Oh! Emma Hilland..” Hellen immediately passed her granddaughter who was standing still in the doorway to hug her guest who was still outside the door.

“H-hello, Mrs Hellen. I have come to return your coat,” Emma explained after returning the woman’s warm hug. She showed the bag she was carrying.

“Oh.. You don’t have to bother, Emma. I told you, you can keep it if you want.” She replied by letting go of her arms.

Emma shook her head with an awkward smile, “It just so happens that today I have a lot of free time. So.. I came.” She answered by secretly looking at Rachel who was watching the two of them with a fierce-confused look.

“Is that so? Then please come inside. I just happened to be making Lasagne and berry pie.” Hellen said by turning inward, “Oh, right.. This is my granddaughter I told you that time.”

Rachel and Emma just stared at each other, with Hellen still smiling as she watched the two girls in turn to wait for the two of them to greet each other. But her smile faded when she realized the girls were just standing there with a strange expression.

“Eum.. Why are you girls musing like that? Is there something wrong?” Helen asked. Then, she approached her granddaughter and whispered, “Rachel! Appreciate our guest.” she grumbled before flashing Emma an awkward smile again.

“Eum.. I.. that..” Emma looked nervous.

“Actually.. I know Emma because we took the same ballet class at college.” Rachel explained in an uncomfortable tone.

“Gosh! This city is too small, isn’t it? So you two are classmates, huh?” Helen laughed happily. Then, she immediately grabbed Emma’s shoulder to lead her inside, “We’d better talk inside. It’s cold outside, isn’t it?”

It seemed everything moved like a dream that only passed briefly. Emma did not expect herself to be sitting at a dining table with a Rachel Markway sitting opposite her. Meanwhile, Hellen had just come out of the kitchen with a large pan of Lasagne that was fresh from the oven.