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“Now, If I recall, your mother fired me over a month ago.” Brooke looked down on me, her arm still wrapped around the young teenager in front of her.

“I’m not here on her behalf.” I started, but after a flash in Brooke’s eye, I changed what I was going to say. “She’s in the hospital. I’m here personally because I need your help.”

“In the hospital? What happened? I figured that woman’s hide is too tough that nothing would be able to…”

“She’s pregnant.” I cut off Brooke’s tirade.

“I… see…” Brooke gave me a knowing look.

“Look, Brooke, I need you back. Personally. This is for me.” I took a step forward, but Brooke showed no sign of stepping aside to let me in.

However, her Japanese friend suddenly broke into a smile and looked up at Brooke. “Oh, he love Brooke? You naughty girl have man’s heart? Aiii!”

The Japanese girl let out a cry when Brooke smacked her bottom. She said something else that sounded like a Japanese curse while glaring at Brooke and rubbing herself. Brooke wore a straight face, she had the hint of a smirk on it. However, when her eyes landed back on me, the smirk dissipated and she shook her head.

“Kid… I’m sorry…”

“I have money!” I insisted.

“Money’s easy enough to come by…” Brooke laughed and held out her hands in a shrug. “And as you can see, I don’t need much to be happy.”

I frowned, but my mind still thought furiously. “Then… I have something else I can give you. Something only I can give you!”

“Eh? What is this nonsense?” Brooke shook her head while raising her whiskey bottle to her mouth.

“A baby!” I declared, squaring my shoulders.

Brooke spit out the whiskey in my face, some of it falling on the teenage girl and some of it even leaking out her nose. “God damn… that burns!”

While she sputtered and coughed, covering her mouth, the door opened up and the Japanese girl turned around, her eyes wide and excited.

“A baby? I always wanted to have baby!”

“Damn it… Clyburn, do you think a body this sexy should have a baby? What makes you think I’d want one of those things giving me stretch marks and bruising my pussy?” Brooke cursed as she finally recovered, her face flushed red from the alcohol, although it made her look like a blushing maiden and was quite a cute expression, even if she’d punch my throat out if I voiced it.

“Oh, hush now, Babe… Just let me carry baby. We have together.” The Japanese girl put on a serious expression, frowning with a cute wrinkled eyebrow as she glared at Brooke.

Brooke gave a shocked expression, her mouth falling open slightly. “Aiko, you… want to have a baby with me?”

The Japanese girl blushed and looked away. “Well, isn’t every girl dream? Plus… I can be citizen before you citizen even though I just arrive, hahahaha!”

“You…” Brooke attempted to smack the girls behind again but she dodged it while laughing.

“You talk… get me baby, I go make tea!” Aiko immediately escaped to the kitchen.

“Damn it, Aiko, I’m going to smack that ass! And I told you, I don’t want any damn tea. If you want to be useful, bring me a beer!” Brooke sighed as Aiko didn’t respond to her shouts before turning back to me and gesturing me inside with a frown. “What the hell do you want, kid?”

“A Japanese schoolgirl? Seriously?” even though there were more important things to discuss, that naturally was the question that came out first.

“What the hell is a Japanese? Whatever, she ain’t no schoolgirl though. Came here on a work visa. Some kind of cultural work exchange program with the country of Nippon.” Brooke fell back onto a recliner and then shot me a glare. “Damn it, we were having a good thing going, why did you have to put having a baby in her head!”

“She’s like sixteen!” I growled.

Brooke shrugged. “I didn’t ask. Sixteens old enough to be a mommy, so why can’t I show her a good time? She’s got a great tongue… well… when she isn’t talking. Damn it, don’t distract me, why the hell are you here? Seriously!”

“Hannah is missing,” I said simply.

Brooke’s eyes lowered and she remained silent for a bit before speaking. “I’m… sorry. I had considered before that Hannah seemed like a flight risk. She was quiet, always kept to herself. Snuck out a lot… She…”

“She didn’t run away, she was taken,” I said leaning forward and pulling out the holotape. “Kidnapped… to get to me.”

With those words, I put the tape down on the table. Brooke eyed it for a moment while remaining quiet.

I continued on. “She’s my sister, and right now she’s in the hand of some drug cartel just so they can blackmail me! You think the government gives two shits about her compared to me? They won’t help. I have to… I have to do what I can, do you understand?”

Just as I finished, Aiko returned to the room carrying a pitcher of tea and a tray of snacks. Getting on her knees at the coffee table. She immediately poured out two cups of hot tea, and then pushed them towards us before waiting there with an expectant smile. However, Brooke’s eyes didn’t turn away from me for a second.

“Why me?” Brooke demanded.

That was a very good question. Why was I trying to depend on Brooke? Yeah, she knew how to fight, but so did my new head of security outside. Madison may have given me Brooke’s number thinking Brooke could help, but that didn’t mean I needed to depend on Brooke. I could have turned around and left the second Brooke had said no, however, I had insisted on staying and I had even offered to share my seed. Still, I  found the answer coming to me quite easily.

“I’m… all alone in this world.” I said slowly, “The women who love me… my mom, my sisters, they lose objectivity. They’re too close to me to see what needs seeing. Everyone else? They just want to use me. If there is anything I’ve taken from my mother, it’s a hatred for being used. I came to you Brooke because I need you to watch my back. Any other woman would either be blinded by my presence or trying to find a wake to stick a knife in my back. You’re the only person I can trust to always have my back.”

“Hmph…” Brooke snorted but hid her expression behind her hands, so I couldn’t tell how she felt about this. “And you say you’re going to give my Aiko a baby?”

Aiko grew excited at the words, a grin on her face like a kid in a candy store.

“Of course, I wouldn’t promise otherwise.”

“What happened to wanting to build that… what do you call it, harem?”

I squared my shoulders and chuckled. “I still plan to. Naturally, the baby will be mine as well as yours.”

“What the hell?” Brooke leaned forward angrily.

“Well, I mean, you’re going to be my personal security, so you’ll live with me, and of course Aiko would come as well. So, her baby will be raised together with my other babies. All of us, together. You’ll both naturally be my women.”

“Owned by man?” Aiko murmurs smiling partially to herself. “I like sound of that.”

“Eh? Aiko, don’t let this man poison your thoughts. Kid, you got a lot of guts calling me your woman!”

“What does it matter?” I shrug, ignoring Brooke’s glare. “It’s not like you’d care who else I’m sticking it in. You have no reason to be jealous of my other girls. Of course, I wouldn’t stick it in you unless you asked… so if you never ask, it’s not like I have a shortage of other ladies. Plus, you’ll get to enjoy the sight of all the young beautiful women I bring home. I might even share a couple, yeah? I don’t mind if Brooke wants to vet some of my girls… I mean, as long as I can watch.”

“Brooke, I thought I was special…” Aiko said as Brooke looked genuinely contemplative over my offer.

Brooke gave a quick cough. “Of course, Aiko, since we met two weeks ago, I knew you were the one for me.”

“It’s only been two weeks… ow!” As I blurted out in wonder over this short relationship, Brooke kicked me under the table.

Of course, they’re talking about having a baby together, yet Aiko is only sixteen and they’ve only been together for two weeks. Rather, it’s good they’ve only been together two weeks because if this relationship had started a little earlier, it might have turned into a crime! Well, I’m not one to talk. I’ve had sex with the sixteen-year-old Madison, and by all accounts, I’m older than Brooke. However, weren’t they moving a little fast? It took me months to have a steady relationship with mom and my sisters were still a rocky thing.

I shook my head, ignoring my thoughts while Brooke tried to placate Aiko. This wasn’t the time for thinking about that kind of thing. I liked Brooke as a friend, and she even had a cute appearance that was desirable if she wasn’t a lesbian. Getting a Japanese schoolgirl like Aiko was just a bonus. However, even if neither of them would talk to me again, I’d still make this promise, because Hannah was that important to me.

“Will you do it?” I finally asked.

The silence after I finished speaking seemed to stretch. Brooke leaned back, seeming to ignore everything while Aiko still sat there on her knees watching the two of us. I leaned forward and took the cup of tea, giving her a smile as I did. The snacks she had brought out where just crackers with cheese whiz on them. As someone who lived in a mansion, most of my food was prepared by a chef I’d never met. Suffice it to say, I hadn’t consumed junk food in over a year. I found myself jamming crackers down my throat at an alarming rate. This seemed to please Aiko, whose smile grew, even as Brooke stared in silence, not giving anything away.

Finally, Brooke lifted her hand and put it on the holotape across the table, dragging it over to herself. She silently handed it to Aiko, who immediately turned around and slid it into the side of the visual screen. A few moments later, a familiar scene started to play out on the screen in front of us.

“Hello, Clyburn.” The voice came on the screen.

Brooke seemed to have invested in a better screen than the one I owned. The audio was a bit crisper, and while the voice was still muffled, it sounded undoubtedly female to me this time. Of course, it would have had to be a woman. Was there any doubt? Why would a man kidnap a woman in this world? Aiko stood back, her hand covering her mouth, her eyes growing tears as she watched the struggling Hannah, my Hannah, under the light being flashed in her face.

“Faeri wants to see you. You’ll get a new package tonight with the rendezvous point. Come alone. Don’t call the cops, I’ll know if you do. If you comply, you’ll get to see your precious sister again. If you don’t, well… I’ll personally turn your little sister into my bitch. She’ll come to like the taste of pussy, I think. Hahahaha…”

The screen went to static, but the silence drifted on for only a few moments before Brooke spoke. “Faeri…”

“You know her?” I turned excitedly, only to frown when Brooke started shaking her head.

“Just the name…” Brooke finally spoke up. “Part of a local gang of youngsters. Runs a smuggling ring. Racketeering. That kind of stuff.  Takes in a lot of poor people and foreigners in. That’s how I met Aiko here.”

Aiko gave a smile. “Scary girl try to convince me go with them. Then Brooke came, sent them running.”

“And she’s the boss?” I tried to put the story together.

“Locally… perhaps. I don’t know much else. “Brooke leaned back and took a last swallow of her whiskey before slamming the empty bottle on the table. “But I do know someone who does.”

“Ah? Really?” I leaned forward in my chair. “Can you take me to them?”

“You really are going to be the death of me, boy…” Brooke let out a sigh, stretching her arms as she spoke. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

“Really, you’ll take me?”

“All of it…” Brooke sighed. “I’ll take care of you, kid… as long as you take care of me.”

“I will!” When Brooke gave me a harsh look I held up my hands. “I mean, thank you. With your help, I’m sure we can save my sister.”

“Yes!” Aiko also made a guts pose. “And after I can finally enjoy penis for first time.”

“Eh?” I let out a noise at Aiko’s sudden announcement.

“Aiko!” Brooke cried out. “That’s not… he’s not… I mean, if we got you pregnant… uh… I’d do it!”

“How’d you do it?” I blurted out incredulously.

“You…” Brooke glared at me. “Naturally, there are tools for women to impregnate other women. You’re not sticking it in my Aiko, of course, I’d need a donation of your seed, but that’s it!”

“Ah… Brooke jealous… he give us both penis?” Aiko offered.

Brooke made a gagging noise like she was just about to throw up. “Aiko! What are you saying? We’re lesbians? Don’t you like my pussy?”

Aiko sniffed. “I do, but I never had other. How I know if like sausage when all I have is taco!”

“Guh!” Brooke looked like she had been punched, Aiko’s words cutting into her. “But… baby, we can get toys that shape and I can…”

“Toys not same.” Aiko dismissed. “Okaasan say, real thing better.”

Brooke gave another sigh, but it ended when she shot me a glare. The glare said something along the lines of “fix this”! Had it been another time, I might have fled the room or even egged Aiko on just to give Brooke a hard time. However, right now, my sister was still on the line and this was not the issue any of us needed to worry about.

“Aiko,” I spoke up while standing. “I’m sorry, but it is Brooke who is earning my seed. Thus, it is Brooke who decides when, who, and how it gets delivered!”

I gave a small bow at the end of it. Aiko looked a little flustered, and then disappointed, while Brooke broke into a relieved smile. I didn’t know what was going through Brooke’s mind, but suddenly her eyes shot to my crotch, looked away, and for a second I swore her cheeks blushed. It must have just been the alcohol.

“On that note,” Brooke also stood up, patting off her pants as if she didn’t just make a cute expression, “We should get going. We’re burning daylight and if you want to save your sister before anyone touches her, we need to get moving now.”

Brooke quickly strapped on a sword and a gun, giving the impression of some kind of gunslinging knight. She didn’t change her clothing, but she splashed some water on her face to “wake up a bit” and then immediately pushed me out the door. Aiko was left with a pouty expression on her lips sitting in the corner, clearly disappointed that her chance to enjoy a penis was slipping through her fingers. Well, I’d let Brooke and Aiko work that out. If Brooke didn’t want to stay with Aiko, it was no big deal to me. However, once I handed out my seed, whoever Brooke gave it to would be mine. Brooke would just have to learn to share. It was the biggest concession I was willing to offer to keep a friend around.

Charlene and Brooke knew each other, but neither woman looked at the other when they got in the car. Brooke was a beautiful 30-year-old woman with an athletic build and a mischievous smile. Charlene was a 50-year-old who looked like leather and lacked any kind of spirit at all. The differences between the two were palpable.

Brooke didn’t explain to me where she planned to take me. She simply slid an address to the driver, and then we began driving in that direction. As we went, my eyes began to narrow. What I had deemed was the bad area of town seemed to be wrong. As the property value plummeted and things like graffiti became more rampant, I realized Brooke likely lived in a normal suburban home. I had assumed my 35 years of experience, even though I had lived as a middle-class man, allowed me to understand the world, but it looked like a year living in a mansion had skewed the way I saw the world more than I thought. I felt bad for looking down on Brooke’s living conditions.

“We’re here,” Brooke said, pointing up ahead as the car drifted to a stop.

Without the friction of the road, a small part of me wondered how cars stopped. I stopped those thoughts immediately. When I went to the Academy, I could ask these kinds of stupid questions all day. Maybe, I should request mom fill up our library with more science and how-to books. This world didn’t seem to have as much do-it-yourself stuff, but my experience is limited so I didn’t know. Our library was filled with fantasy books. There were romances, magic, mystery, a little bit of science fiction, a large number of psychological self-help books.

I stepped out of the car and walked up beside Brooke with more confidence in my step. Once again, I left Charlene watching the car. I hated to admit it, but I felt much safer with Brooke by my side. Her steps were strong and her feet were sure. This part of town had taller buildings and almost no lighting. The art deco was gone, and it was the kind of place I probably would have felt nervous entering on my own. We ended up walking up a stairway to the third level. By the time we reached the top of the stairs, I was breathing hard.

“You sure you want to do this, kid?” Brooke asked. “Maybe we should leave this to the cops-“

“No!” I straightened up, forcing my breath to smooth out. “I have to protect Hannah. I’m the reason she was out of the house in the first place. I’m the reason she was kid- it was my fault.”

Brooke nodded, and then pointed at the door nearby, “If I remember correctly, she lives here…”

I nodded and immediately went to the door knocking. I wanted to show Brooke that I could keep going. After this is all over, I promised myself I’d start a workout routine. Maybe I could ask Brooke to teach me to use that sword. I don’t want to be weak anymore. Being weaker than a woman is just embarrassing! I’ve spent too much of this new life hiding in my own little box.

“Hello- ah… m-m-master!” As soon as the door opened, a familiar face peeked out before immediately looking down, unable to meet my eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“Veris… so it’s you.” As soon as I saw Veris, my old housekeeper, I understood why Brooke had brought me here. “Veris, I’m looking for Nada…”

Veris finally looked up, her fist clenching slightly. “What did that girl do now?”

“Two days ago, she broke into the mansion and raped me,” I stated simply.

“Oh…” Veris very nearly bowed on the ground, the noise coming more like a pained grunt. “I’m sorry… master… I’m so… so… sorry… I should have never… I thought…”

I raised my hand. “Veris, you abused your position. You used me. If you feel at all indebted to the help my family and I have given you, then now is the time to act.”

Veris wilted under my stare, but when I said she could help, she immediately raised her head and gave a decisive nod.

“Your daughter… she mentioned a woman… Faeri.”

Veris’s expression turned vicious. “Faeri… that bitch! She’s the one who got my daughter addicted to drugs. Well, her gang did. Her dealer is part of Faeri’s crew. Faeri was the one she owed money to.”

As Veris rambled on about Faeri, Brooke and I gave each other a look and I nodded. “Veris, pay attention closely here.”

“Yes, master, anything.” Veris was practically bowing now.

It turned out her guilt over betraying me had waved very heavily on her mind. She had spent the last nine months soaking in guilt. Well, she also threw away a career that she had for over a decade all for her daughter’s sake. In the end, she was just trying to be a good mother.

“We need to find Nada, I want to know where this gang resides.” I said, my words finally triggering Veris to look up at me. “We have some questions for them.”

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A portrait of the family (Morgan, Madison, and Hannah) has been completed. It is available for all Patreon supporters. WoW: Volume 1 will be released next month. I have already ordered the cover image for WoW and PoC: Volume 2.

Both books will consist of unreleased bonus chapters, extra editing, and proper formatting. Due to the difficulty in converting files to epub, I will probably no longer release epub versions of the books.

The WoW: Volume 1 official release pdf costs $5. It will be made available free only to Patreon supporters at the $5 level or higher. PoC: Volume 2 will remain open for all supporters.

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Morning the next day, I woke having only had about two hours of sleep. My eyes were blurry and red, and I felt like a zombie as I brushed my teeth and tried to put myself together. Rose said she was going to stay the night and would return some time in the morning. Perhaps, with Aunt Rose here, she could help me with finding Hannah. The security detail had done as much as they could, and had come up empty.

Hannah had told the security when she left that she was heading to a fast food place, but when they had called the location she had logged, there was no evidence she had been there. The security were just there to keep people from breaking in, and they weren’t exactly trained private investigators. Suffice it to say, they quickly ran out of steam. I considered going to Madison a few times, but I didn’t want to upset her further. That’s when the door rang in the twilight hours of the morning.

I ran down the hall ready to answer it, but of course security had already intercepted it, and it wasn’t Hannah. Rather, it was a packaging service, and he delivered a small envelope. The envelope was addressed to me, so I couldn’t do anything but sign for it and take it. The packaging lady tried to hit on me, but Charlene’s presence intimidated her and she quickly left with a frustrated look on her face.

“A holotape?” I muttered, pulling out the long flash-drive-like device I’d come to know for containing media.

I looked through the envelope two more times, and the holotape was the only thing in it. Aunt Rose had destroyed the VS she bought last night, so that only left Madison’s VS holotape player. I let out a sigh. It seemed like fate was determined to have me see Madison either way. I had no clue what the tape was, but I had a sinking suspicion that it had to do with Hannah. Thus, my desire to see what was on the tape quickly peaked.

I ran over to Madison’s room and knocked loudly. It took a moment before the door opened. Madison peaked outside and her eyes were red as well. It looked like she had been crying for half the night. Charlene was still standing behind me, but I didn’t hesitate to push myself forward, shoving Madison back into the room and closing the door, cutting of Charlene. I didn’t really care what Charlene thought about the situation. Now wasn’t the time for being tactful.

“B-brother!” Madison let out a cry as she saw me lock the door and turn towards her. “We can’t…”

“Madison, I need-“

“Ah!” Madison let out a cry, while backing up her knees had hit the side of the bed causing her to fall back. “Brother… I… I…”

Madison finally closed her eyes, trying to ease her breathing, “J-just once… okay… one last time. I absolutely won’t change my mind!”

“Ahhh… I need your holotape player.” I scratched the back of my neck, looking a little bit awkward.

“Eh? Ah? Oh!” Madison turned red, growing increasingly flustered before turning away and diving for a drawer, pulling out her VS player I had only seen once before.

She handed the device to me with both hands while looking away.

“Thank you!” I nodded as I took her tape player.

“Stupid brother…” Madison’s words were barely audible out the side of her mouth.

“Madison, do you know where Hannah is at all?” I asked while ignoring Madison’s behavior.

“Eh? Hannah?” Madison’s expression stiffened. “What about Hannah?”

“She left last night, and she hasn’t been home.” I responded, sitting on the bed a distance from Madison and turning on the VS while trying to figure out how to put in the holotape.

“Hannah is gone?” Madison’s worried face lasted only a second before she twisted her mouth and turned away. “It’s none of my problem. She’s not my sister.”

“She is your sister.” I responded back, only now getting how the holotape slid onto the VS.

“No…” Madison gave me a tearful look that caused me to stop for a moment. “Don’t you get it? I’ve always been trying to protect her, but all I ever did was annoy her. She said it herself, I’m not her real sister. That’s genuinely how she sees me.”

I stared at Madison, lost as to what to say. The truth was, I didn’t know what was going through Hannah’s mind. She was always such a quiet and reserved girl like her mother. It had never even occurred to me she had such thoughts. Even a day later, I didn’t know how to respond to her comments. I had hopes of getting to Hannah and convincing her to make good with Madison, but with Hannah gone, I was put in a hard place and I unfortunately didn’t have the answers.

“Hello, Clyburn.” A distorted voice suddenly came from the VS, the holotape choosing that second to finally start playing.

The voice also startled Madison, who turned to the video screen. The screen was dark and grainy, the video taken at night in what looked like a grungy area. However, after a brief focusing, a person came into view. The person was none other than Hannah. Madison audibly gasped next to me, while my hands tightened on the VS player.

“If you’re playing this, then I’m sure you recognize your dear little sister here.” The distorted voice continued, a harsh thing that sounded neither man nor woman and made my skin crawl. “We caught her walking around aimlessly at night, the poor little thing. We were just going to play with her for a while, but then we found out she had a brother. We’d rather play with you.”

As the voice spoke, the camera tittered around Hannah. She was squinting into the light with her hand raised up, and she looked like she accumulated several scratches and bruises. She had been crying, but otherwise she looked in okay shape considering. Her clothing were in tact if dirtied, and her face seemed like a mix between anger and fear. My entire body was shaking, and I realized I had been holding the VS tightly enough the image was flickering a bit. I loosened my grip.

“Faeri wants to see you. You’ll get a new package tonight with the rendezvous point. Come alone. Don’t call the cops, I’ll know if you do. If you comply, you’ll get to see your precious sister again. If you don’t, well… I’ll personally turn your little sister into my bitch. She’ll come to like the taste of pussy, I think. Hahahaha…”

The tape went to static as quickly as it had started. I turned to Madison. Her mouth was open, but once again her eyes quickly flashed and she looked down, not willing to meet my eyes anymore.

“Madison… Hannah, she’s been kidnapped.”

“Mm…” Madison murmured while closing her eyes.

“I need your help. You’re the only family I’ve got right now. We need to figure this out.”

Madison remained quiet for a moment before shaking her head. “No…”

“No? This is Hannah. She’s our sister!”

“She’s your sister!”

“Damn it, Madison, this isn’t the time to be fighting. Please, will you help me?”

“I won’t!”

“Why do you have to act like a god damn chil-“ I stopped my words as Madison stared at me defiantly.

I had stood up and was now hovering over her, my voice raising to the point of a shout. That’s when the reality hit me. Madison was a child. She was only a sixteen-year-old girl. Hannah was only fifteen.  These were just girls. While mom and Aunt Rose were able to easily reconcile as adults, expecting the same thing from kids was perhaps asking too much. They were selfish, and childish, and confused. I wasn’t too much better, prone to my own emotional outbursts and mistakes, but at least I had my memories as reference. I could subjectively evaluate the situation. My sisters weren’t so lucky. They were just kids that had to grow up the hard way.

Madison had felt betrayed my Hannah. After all, she had dedicated such a large chunk of her life towards protecting her sister. She had always felt protective of Hannah, her younger sister. For that sister to suddenly turn into a person you don’t even recognize, and worse, refuse to acknowledge your family bonds, it hurt Madison too much. It wasn’t finding out Noah wasn’t her father that crushed Madison that night, it was Hannah.

“I… understand.” I stood up, giving Madison one last sad look before I turned and walked out the room.

As I approach the door, something in my eyes must have triggered Madison, because she suddenly spoke. “Wait!”

I stopped, looking back to see my sister, standing and rummaging through her nightstand. She pulled something out and handed it to me. It was a sheet of paper with an address written on it. I looked questioningly from the sheet in my hands to Madison’s face. Madison refused to meet my eyes, but she still spoke.

“It’s the address of someone who might be able to help. It’s all I can do.”

I finally gave a slow nod. “Thank you.”

“Broth- Clyburn…” Madison spoke out, causing me to stop for a moment. “I’ve already got the okay to move to the dorms. A car comes to pick me up later today. I won’t be here when you get back…”

“Already?” My mouth falls open in shock.

“I had been thinking about doing this for some time… I’m sixteen now, I don’t need mom’s permission.” Madison kept her eyes down. “You’ll keep her safe, won’t you? Make sure to bring her back safely. I’ll never forgive you if she gets hurt.”

I slowly nodded with a sigh and then shot Madison a severe look. “And you watch out for yourself as well.”

“Huh?”

“Next year, I’m coming to university. I’ll be looking to bring you home. I won’t rest until you’re mine, body and soul!”

“Ah!” Madison let out a cry before turning her head and saying with a pout. “R-r-ridiculous!”

I gave a slight smile, but didn’t say another word as I unlocked the door and left the room while Madison looked on worriedly. Madison might be proud, selfish, and stubborn, but she was a good girl after all.  I knew that Madison loved me. That was all that was important. When she said she’d do it with another boy, she said it just to anger me. She was just a sixteen-year-old girl, after all.

I knew my Madison, the woman I loved, better than that. She was afraid I’d leave her after I went to Academy. I could beg and whine and force Madison to stay in the house, but if I did things that way, somewhere deep down she’d always resent me for it. My only choice was to show Madison I was a better man. I wanted my sister completely. For that, I couldn’t focus on temporary gains. I needed to see the big picture.

I had spent the last year in self-indulgence. I needed to grow up. It’s time to start bringing my family back together. I meant what I said to mom. I’m not going to hide behind my age anymore. I’m the man of the house, and it’s my responsibility to do what I have to. That included bringing my sisters back to me and keeping all of my women happy.

“Charlene, have a car brought around. I’m going to this address.” I lifted up a piece of paper in my hand.

“Master, your mother-“

“She’s not here, and she left me in charge. I’ll take all responsibility for my actions. However, Hannah is in danger, and if you keep me from protecting her…” I stopped, continuing to walk without finishing what I said.

I actually didn’t know what I’d do. Tell mom? Charlene seemed to have a better imagination than I did, since she gulped and nodded.

“Yes, Master, I’ll call one in immediately.”

I headed straight to the lobby while Charlene gave a few quick orders over the radio. By the time I walked out the front doors, there was indeed a limousine waiting for me. It wasn’t some fancy stretch model, just a fairly run of the mill car, but the fact it was floating still gave me pause.

I half expected that barking orders wouldn’t work, so I was shocked I had made it this far so easily. Could I have always just said I’d leave and then leave? Did I need to go through a year of isolation, or did it take mom being out of the house for me to regain my independence. I didn’t know the answer to that question any more than I knew how these hover cars worked. It’s magic, right? I found myself too embarrassed to ask. I’d use directness to get Charlene to follow my orders up to this point, and if I started acting like a wide-eyed youth I’d lose all the ground I gained.

So, I quietly waited for someone to open the door, and I stepped into the car. The inside wasn’t much different from cars of my own world. It looked like some forms came from being functional, and weren’t always a decorative trend. However, the car also made no motor noise. When the car started moving, it was a bit disconcerting. There was no rumble or feel of pavement. Instead, there was just a humming nose that kind of reminded me of an airplane.

Charlene sat across from me, remaining vigilant as my guard. I didn’t explain myself to her. I wasn’t completely convinced I should. She hadn’t been around for a long time, and was a very by-the-books woman. As long as she followed my orders, it’d be enough.

Our land was actually about 50 acres, surrounded by a thicket of forest. I was allowed outside on occasion, but that usually meant the flower garden in the back, or running in a nearby field. The path leading up to our house wasn’t even concrete, but a gravely substance. Then again, was there a need for concrete in a world with hover cars?

The answer to that question appeared to be yes. As we passed a fence that defined the boundary of my prison, we ended up on a standard road heading about sixty miles an hour. This was the first time in my fourteen years of life I remember ever being this far away from home. My heart started to palpitate for a moment, but I quickly brought it under control. Thankfully, I had 35 years of memories to fall back on, or I would have been a complete mess right now. It was just a temporary jolt of anxiety, nothing more.

We headed down a highway for about twenty minutes. There were occasional properties, but nothing that looked much different than my own experiences. Most of the locations looked ritzy and Victorian. However, it was after those twenty minutes that I started to see a city in the distance. I looked down at the address on the little paper.

“Amaryllis…” I muttered.

“It will be the Amaryllis Academy that you attend next year.” A driver spoke up, looking back with a grin. “I’m a senior their now. I can show you around when- hey!”

As soon as she started talking, Charlene hit the window, closing off the front driver section from the passenger section. The girl herself was somewhat pretty, especially in the uniform. However, she was giving me a look sort of like the ambulance women. It was a feral predatory look that made me uncomfortable, so I didn’t mind Charlene’s rude act. I still gave Charlene a questioning expression.

“She’s a temp. I apologize for letting her speak to you.” Charlene said matter-of-factually.

I turned away to hide my complicated expression. “It’s fine.”

It’s not like I was a celebrity or something, so it was a little weird to be protected from girls talking to me. However, this was the world I lived in now. The first three working women I’ve met and every one immediately started hitting on me. My head would have been bigger if mom hadn’t coached me for the last year on how much women intended to use me. I was caught off guard by the first girl, but I’m quickly coming to appreciate my mom’s advice and protection. I can’t imagine how I would have ended up had I been allowed to interact with more women earlier on before I could get a grip on my hormones. It’d be Nada times one hundred.

The city became clearer through the fog.  Now that I thought about it, there was often a lot of fog around the mansion too. I wondered if this city was just a naturally foggy place, like London. In fact, old London is what immediately came to mind as we drove through. It had a rustic appearance. There were no sky scrapers. Instead, the city was sprawling as far as the eye could see. That’s when I saw something that caused me to blink several times.

“What are those?” I nearly leaped out of my seat, any attempt to look mature was destroyed in an instant as I pushed my face against the windowed glass in awe.

“The islands?” Charlene answered. “Ah, yes, there are ten islands in Amaryllis. They’re mostly owned by conglomerates and businesses. Amaryllis Academy is on an island as well… for student safety.”

Islands? They’re floating! Above the sprawling city of Amaryllis, are numerous floating islands with more buildings on them. As Charlene suggested, many of them had smoke stacks flying out of them. How did they did this? Well, if they could make cars float, I supposed they could make islands float too. No wonder they didn’t build sky scrapers. There was no limitation of land space when you could float anything at any height.

However, the sight of the islands was only the first shocking thing to come into view. As my eyes looked on, there were numerous flying vehicles as well. The cars seemed to mostly stay on the ground, but every island had a trolley system that ran up to the island. The sky also seemed to contain ships. No, not airplanes, but actual airships. Some of them looked sort of like nautical ships, but most of them resembled blimps with the dirigible balloon too small to possibly work.

I forgot all attempts to look like a leader as I stared out at all the crazy things. Some of them I read about, but it wasn’t like our library had a fiction and nonfiction section. I never had an idea of what was true and what was made up. Furthermore, hearing something described in books and seeing it were two very different things. For the first time in a year, I realized that I really was living in another world. This is nothing like my old world.

The people wore outfits shabbier than mine. At least, I could tell the cuts weren’t as nice. However, they also weren’t that much different. The dress looked somewhat antiquated, but also somewhat novel. It had a Victorian vibe to it, just like everything else, but also a decorative cleanliness to it. Everything looked antiqued, but also fancy. It was like driving through a Ren faire clothing exhibit, except the designs on the outfits were more uniformed, manufactured, and refined.

“We’re here.” Charlene suddenly spoke up, causing me to fall out of my revelry.

I gave a nod and got out of the car once the driver opened the door for me. She looked like she wanted to talk with me more, almost bouncing on her feet as she continued to take several sneaky glances in my direction, but a sharp look from Charlene seemed to keep her from approaching.

I glanced around the street to find we were in a darker area of town. The brick buildings looked run down and the street lights were far fewer. Most of the buildings were 2-3 stories tall, and they had a rough look to them. Overall, this world seemed to have a greater emphasis on artistic architecture, so even aged, the area looked beautiful, but in a beautiful wasteland kind of way. I could tell that this wasn’t a nice area of town, but when it was first build, it would have been quite decadent. It’s the kind of place that would have been restored and called the historic district in my own world.

“Stay here.” I gave the command as I walked up the gravel path to the front door.

I was shocked when Charlene actually listened. What made mom like Charlene was also part of what made Charlene a poor guard. She was very by the book. So, since I was in charge, she’d follow my commands. As I walked up to the building, I couldn’t help remembering my former head of security, Brooke. She wasn’t like Charlene at all. She’d do what needed to be done to protect who she needed to protect, and only took orders more as a suggestion. I couldn’t help but think she would have followed me regardless, or perhaps even forced me to wait.

I couldn’t think of these kinds of things now. I had finally reached the door. I reached out and rang the doorbell. However, after two times with out a peep, I figured that it didn’t work, I gave the door a solid knock. I barely managed to land the second knock when the door opened. A young girl poked her head out the door, and her entire appearance caused my eyes to widen. She had her black hair up in two pig tails. She was wearing a sweater shirt which exposed her belly button, and she also had a skirt on that was plaid. This, combined with two slanted eyes and a dark complexion, gave me a sight I’d never have expected in another world.

“A… Japanese schoolgirl?” my mouth couldn’t help but fall open at the sight of this strange phenomenon.

Everyone I had ever encountered, which admittedly weren’t many, had a distinctly western appearance. To see a Japanese beauty, not just a Japanese beauty, but a young, teenage Japanese beauty wearing what could only be considered erotic cosplay, the sight had surely shocked me.

The girl giggled at the sight of me, covering her mouth before she turned behind her and shouted. “Babe! We got man here!”

Even her voice, which was youthful and pleasing, dripped of a Japanese accent. It was clear that English was not her native tongue. Was this the person my sister had sent me to see? No, that couldn’t be it, then it had to be whoever she shouted to? There was a loud burp and sound of someone getting up. There was what sounded like beer bottles being knocked over, as well as the shuffling of someone coming over. I couldn’t see into the home, but the house had a messy vibe. Was this a man? How did my Madison known of the location of a man?

A strong arm wrapped around the Japanese schoolgirl, looking like it might have lewdly groped her if it wasn’t holding a bottle of whiskey. The girl blushed and giggled, leaning back into the form behind her. The face moved out of the shadows of the doorway, and finally came into my line of vision. When they saw me, their face turned into a frown.

“Oh, it’s you…” My shoulders sagged instantly as I saw a familiar face that I had just been thinking about.

“You… kid, what the hell are you doing on my doorstep?”

“Hello, Brooke.” I looked up at the best chance my sister had given me to find Hannah. “I need your help.”

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