Location: The "Safe House" (A cramped apartment above a Laundromat in District 9)
Time: 1:00 PM
Dante woke up the way he always did: in pain, and surrounded by Hello Kitty.
His alarm clock—a vintage Sanrio one—buzzed aggressively. He slammed his hand down on it, missing twice before silencing the plastic cat. He sat up, groaning. His back cracked in three places. The cheap mattress he slept on was basically a yoga mat with aspirations.
He dragged himself out of bed and shuffled to the kitchen.
The "Safe House" was technically a one-bedroom apartment that Sora rented under a fake name. It was currently housing three supernatural teenagers. It smelled like instant ramen and ozone.
Dante opened the fridge.
Contents:
* One jar of pickles (expired).
* Three cans of Heart-Attack Energy.
* A plastic bag labeled "DO NOT EAT - GIGI'S SCIENCE EXPERIMENT."
Dante sighed and grabbed a energy drink. "Breakfast," he muttered.
He walked into the living room. It was a disaster zone.
Benji was asleep on the floor, wrapped in a cocoon of blankets. He was wearing a sleeping mask that looked like anime eyes. He was muttering in his sleep.
"No... the firewall... the pizza isn't gluten-free..."
GiGi was awake. She was hanging upside down from the ceiling fan like a bat, reading a manga. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt that said I HATE MONDAYS.
"Morning, Sunshine," GiGi chirped, not looking up. She flipped a page.
"Get off the fan," Dante said, cracking the energy drink. "You're going to break the motor. Again."
"It helps the blood rush to my head," GiGi said. "Makes me think faster. Also, we're out of milk. I drank it."
"You drank the whole gallon?"
"I was thirsty! Fighting makes me parched!" She dropped from the ceiling, landing silently on the coffee table. She snatched the energy drink out of Dante's hand and took a massive sip. "Blech. Tastes like battery acid. I love it."
Dante took the can back. "We have the raid tonight. Did you prep your gear?"
"Duh," GiGi pointed to the corner. A pile of scrap metal, loose wires, and a bag of gummy worms was heaped on a chair. "Ready to kill."
Benji snorted awake. He sat up, looked around wildly, and adjusted his glasses. "I'm awake! I didn't crash the server!"
"Good morning, Benji," Dante said. "Go shower. You smell like fear and wet dog."
Location: Omen High School (The Hillside District)
Time: 2:30 PM
Dante didn't technically have to go to school. The Bureau could forge his diploma. But Sora insisted on it. "It keeps you grounded," he said. "Plus, the cafeteria has cheap curry."
Dante sat alone on the roof, leaning against the chain-link fence. The grey sky of Kagura-Zaka loomed overhead. He had his headphones on, blasting dark wave, eating a melon pan he bought from the vending machine.
He watched the normal students below. They were laughing, checking their phones, worrying about tests.
Aliens, Dante thought.
"Hey! Emo King!"
Dante didn't look up. He knew that voice. He gave a two finger wave.
A girl with bright pink hair clips and a uniform skirt that was technically too short for regulations hopped over the fence. It was Mika, a human classmate who was convinced Dante was in a cool indie band.
"What are you listening to?" Mika asked, sitting too close. "Is it The Void? I love their new album."
"It's a podcast about structural engineering," Dante lied.
"You're so mysterious," Mika sighed. "Hey, are you coming to the karaoke mixer tonight? Everyone's going."
Dante thought about the warehouse raid. The Red-Eye drug. The vampires waiting to tear his throat out.
"Can't," Dante said. "I have work."
"At the convenience store?" Mika rolled her eyes. "You work too much. You need to live a little! Maybe meet someone?"
Dante touched the black choker around his neck. "My manager is very strict."
"Is he?" Mika laughed. "Or are you just hiding from us?"
Dante stood up. The wind caught his hoodie. For a second, he looked like the protagonist of the story she thought he was.
"I'm not hiding," Dante said, crushing the melon pan wrapper. "I'm just... busy, working the night shift."
Location: The Container Yards (District 9)
Time: 10:00 PM
The slice of life was over. The sun was down.
Dante stood on top of a shipping container, looking down at the maze of rusted metal crates. The rain had started again.
He wasn't wearing his school uniform anymore. He had the black hoodie, the piercings, and the umbrella. Next to him, GiGi was sharpening her claws on the metal roof. Benji was typing on his rugged laptop, the screen illuminating his terrified face in blue light.
"Heat signatures confirmed," Benji whispered. "Warehouse 4. Twelve hostiles inside. And... something big in the basement."
"Big like a truck?" GiGi asked, bouncing on her heels. "Or big like a house?"
"Big like a problem," Benji swallowed.
Dante opened his umbrella. The Hello Kitty keychain caught the moonlight.
"Sora says we go in quiet," Dante said.
"Boring," GiGi hissed.
"But," Dante added, his eyes turning grey. "If they resist... we go loud."
Dante jumped off the container, plummeting into the dark.