The Time Keeper

Chapter 24 - Out of Control

As soon as I spoke, the eyes disappeared from view, and a shiver ran down my spine. I turned around to see Fleur looking shocked at one of the pages among a slew of documents. The only audible sounds were my own breathing and the pounding of my heart in my chest.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Fleur cursed, holding a page in her hands.

Fleur swiftly reached into her pocket without hesitation this time and pulled out a dull-blue spherical object—no bigger than a bottle cap, and flicked it with her thumb like a marble into the air.

The moment it hit the ground, it bounced with a rap on the floor and evaporated into nothingness. The atmosphere of the basement changing into that now familiar chill.

Fleur looked at me with knowing eyes, "We were too late."

A powerful aura enveloped Fleur, not that I could see anything but I could feel it.

"Eli, I need you to get those documents for me and get out of here, we've-"

Fleur was cut off mid-sentence as a blur of movement caught my eye. In an instant, a powerful blow came flying towards the side of her head. But Fleur was quick to react, raising her forearm to block the attack. The force of the impact pushing her several meters to the side, but managing to stay on her feet.

A woman in her mid-twenties stood beside the table of materials where Fleur had been moments ago. Her blond hair flowed messily over her shoulders, and her white dress shirt and black dress pants were already tattered and torn.

Fleur came back to her senses, "Pandora."

"Fleur," the woman with the cold white eyes said. "Been a while."

The tension in the room was palpable as Pandora waltzed by the table, running her fingers across the chipping wood, eventually bringing her free hand up to her chest, clutching the golden pendant around the chain on her neck.

"Do you even know the possibilities, the opportunities that can come from something like this?"

Fleur remained silent for a moment, her eyes locked on Pandora as the woman continued to pace around the room. I could tell that this was not their first encounter, the air thick with unspoken animosity.

Fleur narrowed her eyes, "I know the consequences, Pandora. These risks outweigh the rewards and you know that."

"Risks? Ha!" Pandora laughed, her voice filled with malice. "You're just scared, you always have been. But me? I'm not afraid to push the boundaries. To see what's possible."

Pandora looked over at me, her pale white eyes piercing my very soul. "And now you've gone far as to involve others in your personal affairs? Pathetic."

Did Pandora have even more of a connection to Fleur than it seemed? Was she just getting me involved for her own personal gain? I turned my gaze over to Fleur, her stance tense and ready to strike at any moment's notice. I didn't have the time or energy to question things right this second, Fleur needed my assistance and since it benefited me too, then so be it.

"Did they put you up to this?" Fleur chimed back at Pandora.

Pandora's sly grin turned to a scowl, "What do you care?"

"Because you're turning, you knew that would happen, didn't you? It'll kill you."

The room turned to a deafening silence for what felt to be an hour, both Fleur and I looking at the golden-haired woman.

Pandora looked back down at the pendant around her neck, "I think it'll do just fine."

In a sudden burst of movement, Pandora launched herself at Fleur, her fists flying in a blur of motion. But Fleur was too quick for her, darting out of the way with a burst of speed that seemed almost impossible.