Chapter Zero: Ignition

My life started with a papercut. It wasn’t anything special at the time, just one of a million I had gotten by that point during the last few years of handling paper flowers at the Rafflesia Crematory. Just another small, sharp pain, quickly forgotten in the face of the overwhelming tide of the world around me.

No, what made that small cut in my skin different was the woman I was with at that moment.

She had arrived late to the day’s funeral, an event that had already struck me as out of the ordinary. Everything was more… bougie than was normal for Rafflesia. The coffin was made of real wood, the director had opted for the mecha thrusters that weren’t ugly as sin and in desperate need of repair. I had even made all my flowers for the day out of unmarked colored paper that the director had shoved into my hands as he frantically got everything ready. All together it made for a frankly beautiful scene.

Incredibly well dressed mourners occupied the stands surrounding the pit, in which the wooden coffin sat surrounded by the multitude of flowers. The thrusters were locked to the ground with huge electromagnets and had been humming to life for the last few minutes, causing a barely visible heat haze, blurring everything just slightly. The priest, wearing black robes with what I think was actual gold woven into it, stood just outside of the danger zone as he gave his sermon.

There was something off about it, and it made me uneasy.

Back to the papercut; as I felt the pain, winced and pulled back my hand, she locked eyes with me. What I saw in her gaze was rare for me, and it took me by complete surprise.

True compassion about my pain, in spite of the shit state that she was in.

That’s what got me to take a second look at her, and it became glaringly obvious that she was the odd one out of the mourners. Everyone else was dolled up to look their best, but none looked truly devastated about the loss of the person in that coffin. The woman in front of me, however, wore a simple button-up black dress, her scarlet hair haphazardly pinned into a bun. She seemed to have layered makeup on to try to hide the swelling around her eyes. It simply wasn’t enough.

Not saying a word, she tipped her head to me before walking towards the pit, passing between the stands as she did. The click of her heels against the concrete floor almost deafening with each step she took, and soon even the priest went silent to stare at her in quiet shock. She stepped up to the side of the pit, then hopped down into the swiftly heating up space to approach the coffin.

Nobody moved to try and stop her, though I did look a bit to the side to see the director looking particularly pale.

Seemingly uncaring of the heat, the woman walked up to the bed of flowers, stepping onto the farewells of others as she got as close as possible to the fallen. She reached down, and I winced as she opened the lid of the coffin. I had expected a gruesome sight, as was the reason that most closed coffin funerals were held.

Instead, I had to do a double take when I saw a frankly beautiful woman lying inside. Information about the event and who was supposed to be in that coffin began to spiral in my head, soon lighting a small flame of fury in my heart.

The woman leaned down to place the flower she got from me into the woman’s hands, and then just stood there with her head down, enduring the final moments as the heavy mecha thrusters began to run at full blast. The heat ignited the flowers, slowly burning them away to nothing, and soon both the woman and the coffin were impossible to see any longer, obscured entirely by the bright plasma of the thrusters.

Then the thrusters turned off, revealing nothing but ash… and the woman, completely unscathed. I was flabbergasted, and it took me a moment to realize how this happened. She had to have been a high advancement Engine, the strongest of the strong. She stood there for a few more seconds before turning around and walking towards the exit, not bothering to say anything to anyone before she stepped out of the building.

In my infinite wisdom I, of course, followed her outside.

She walked for several minutes away from the large concrete box that is Rafflesia, eventually pausing in the middle of the street before turning to look at me. Silent tears were falling down her face, but she put on a brave face and wiped away her sorrow to humor me.

Then as I asked her a question, her entire demeanor shifted.

Her eyes, once a bright blue, shifted to a gradient of red and orange, almost burning as they pierced into me. The air began to swelter around her, not unlike being near the crematory thrusters, and for a moment I worried I wasn’t going to survive this interaction. Unsure of what to do, I took a step back.

That tiny move may have saved my life.

Her expression shifted in an instant, from one of pure rage to one of simple confusion. She stared at me for a second, then shut her eyes tight. She inhaled hard enough to pull my hair towards her, then exhaled a burst of scalding air that nearly knocked me off my feet. The next thing I know her eyes were open again, having returned to the state they were before.

Then, we simply began to talk.

The tense atmosphere lasted a while longer, but at the end she smiled and offered me a hand. I knew the ramifications. I was a child, but I wasn’t stupid.

I still didn't hesitate.

Her skin was almost blisteringly hot against mine. At that moment I signed a contract I likely shouldn’t have. It remains to be seen if it was with an angel or a demon.

Either way, it led to where I am today.

{Beep-beep. Beep-beep. Beep-beep.}

I groan as I am knocked out of my reverie by my incessant morning alarm, the cold machine uncaring of the exhaustion pressing down on me like a vice. Reluctantly I reach out of my blanket to shut it off, shivering at the chill that reaches for my heart as I do. My phone is frigid as I pick it up, but I manage to unlock it in spite of my numb fingers.

Two clicks later and the evil has been vanquished, but it simply awoke a greater evil.

My stupid conscience, dragging me to do what’s best for me.

Keeping a blanket wrapped around my shoulders, I slowly rise up to my feet, shuffling over to the other side of my studio apartment. The bathroom door is eternally open, it's not like I ever have visitors, I just walk in as I rub my eyes and yawn.

Approaching  the mirror, I take a moment to glance over myself. I look like shit, but being awake all night will do that to a girl. My long brunette hair, though my waves are a bit frizzy, is somewhat acceptable considering I washed it yesterday morning.  The bags under my grey eyes are deep and the scar across my face isn't going to go away, even if I wanted it to.

On another note, however…

“Maribelle, are you there?”

My mirror lights up right on cue, a small golden ball of light appearing in its corner. A pleasantly chipper voice responds to my query as the orb bounces around, a sight that fortunately makes me a little bit less annoyed at my current state.

{“As I always am, Minea. What do you need this fine morning?”}

“Remind me to bug the landlord about fixing the aircon,” I mutter as I reach for my tooth brush, “It’s fucking cold.”

{“Are you sure? The lease for your apartment ends tomorrow right? As I understood it, you have no intention of renewing it.”}

I shrug as I begin to brush my teeth.

“Irts pobbably fo-”

{“Please finish brushing your teeth, then speak. I have literally infinite patience, and I cannot understand you at the moment.”}

I roll my eyes, but do as my snarky assistant asks, finishing up with a gargle and a spit. I wipe my mouth with a cloth, taking my meds as I leave the bathroom, then move over and toss my shirt into the laundry pile in the corner of the room.

“It’s probably for the best that we tell them anyway, for the sake of the next person that lives here.”

{“That’s surprisingly kind of you. Sure, I’ll send the landlord a reminder.”}

I let out a quiet breath as I begin to pull on my uniform. “Thanks, but it’s for a selfish reason. I’m really not looking forward to my exam today, and the schmoozing that I’m going to have to do after. I have no idea if I’ll be able to pull it off, so getting some good karma beforehand might come in handy.”

{“Humans will always confound me. Why can’t you just be nice to each other without having to have an ulterior motive?”}

I shrug as I do my best to pull my tight leggings on. “To be fair, some people actually do that. I’m just not that person.”

{“I know that’s not true in the slightest.”}

I sigh, shaking my head. “Keep telling yourself that, and it might eventually come true.”

{“Really?”}

I quietly giggle, then pat the wall as I walk towards the front door. “No, that was sarcasm.”

{“Oh.”}

My grin is wide as I step out into the hallway, putting my earpiece in. A second later, and Maribelle’s voice chimes in once again.

{“I probably should have seen that coming.”}

“Maybe, it’s really not a big deal anyways.” I shrug. “You know I don’t mind.”

There’s a short pause as I move through the liminal space where neither of us say anything, but eventually, she quietly speaks up as I exit the building.

{“It still makes me feel inadequate, but I appreciate you attempting to soften the blow.”}

I wince as I look up at the sky, reaching up to shade my eyes from the harsh Texas sun reflecting down onto me off mirrored glass. The skyscrapers of downtown Fort Worth stretch upwards farther than I can see, their inhabitants uncaring of the people walking below. Privacy before the public.

“Anything for you, Maribelle. Without you…”

Maribelle quietly responds as I start moving again. {“I still wish you had more humans to talk to, it’d be better for your mental health.”}

I almost pause as I turn a corner, seeing the amount of people on both sides of the busy boulevard, but sigh quietly to myself and step out as I mutter, “You know it’s not that simple.”

{“If you ever explained the issue-”} A man approaches from the opposite direction I am moving in, flinches and freezes when he looks right at me, then nervously jerks his head away as he rushes around me. {“I’m sure people would understand.”}

I glance back at him, which makes him shudder and move faster. I shake my head as I continue onwards. “I mean, maybe, but it’d probably end up being the same kind of relationship that I have with you. One where they don’t have to interact with me in person. That’s- That’s not what I want or what they deserve.”

You can distinctly hear Maribelle puff out her electronic cheeks as she refutes, {“If I had a physical body, I’d walk up to you and beat your ass for putting yourself down like that.”}

I can’t help but giggle at that. “That’s a terrifying thought, you’d be unstoppable.”

{“Damn right I would.”}

We both go quiet as a huge armored transport truck rumbles down the street, motors roaring as they propel it forward. Several heavily armed soldiers line the trailer it pulls, a cleanly cut cattle leg twice the size of a fully grown man displayed proudly in their middle. Must be a group of harvesters on their way to the stockyards, they’ll probably get a pretty good price for that thing. The quality must be top grade considering the heat they’re packing…

Wonder where they came from? I hadn’t heard any sirens or had any alerts, so it couldn’t have been too close. They’re coming from the north, so maybe the Red River wall? Whatever, the barbeques are going to have a field day tonight. No way I can afford even a piece of it though.

Shaking my head, I turn into my favorite plaza in the city, namely the one where Dawn Stallion Coffee Bar is. Cheap but not inedible, it’s the best place for me to get a modicum of something in me before the ordeal I’m going to have to go through later.

The budget coffee shop is bustling as I enter, a nice vibe in the air as small groups of tired students and hungover office workers mingle throughout. There’s a small line in front of the counter, which to my pleasant surprise, doesn’t dissipate as soon as I join the queue. It seems the desire to have coffee trumps suffering the discomfort of me, though it doesn’t stop the nervous looks I get thrown at me by the baristas. I take my hastily made drink and complimentary lemon bread, then swiftly leave the store and take a seat on a little half stone wall.

The cloying taste of lab grown citrus lingering from my first bite, I can’t help but notice a familiar clique happily standing about. A pretty girl giggles as she goes to take a sip of her drink –  only to pour it down over herself as a guy lifts his shirt up to wipe away some sweat. Uproariously they laugh. Together.

Standing up, I take a sip of my coffee.

Too bitter.

“Maribelle.”

She responds immediately, as she always does.

{“Yeah?”}

Walking away, I quietly mutter, “Thanks.”

{“Huh? For what?”}

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