"Wait, she called you a friend. Like just a friend. Car, she friend zoned your ass." Will said, laughing at me.

"Oh shut up, Will. You can't get a girl to stay with you for more than five minutes, after she sees your personality shine through." Aidan shouted from the bed.

Will stuck his tongue out at Aidan childishly. Trying to put an arm around Ellie, to prove a point, which she quickly dodged and shuffled to the other side of the bed towards Aidan.

"My personality is the best damn thing a girl will ever see." Will mumbled, under his breath.

"Well, I wouldn't say friend zone... I think she just wants to take it slo-" I continued.

Will raised his eyebrow at me.

"Just go for a proper division, Car. Proletarians are always asking way too many questions. Why do you sneak around all the time? Why don't you ever have time for me? Why does dirt float in the air when you're around? A waste a time those girls if you ask me." Will said.

"Lucky no one asked you then." Aidan snapped.

"How about a nice Nephilim?" Aidan suggested, to which Ellie gave a disgusted look despite her presence being annoyingly absent from the conversation and Will giving a look of pure horror.

"I hate those stupid Nephilim. Can they lift earth into the air and shove it up their enemy's ass? I don't think so. They just prance around with little glowing swords." I nodded in agreement with Will.

"Lycanthropes aren't to bad. I suppose. But some are so obsessed with finding their mate. Can you believe some of them still believe in that shit?" Will said.

"I know obviously a myth." I remarked.

Will's phone went off and we all stared at him, Aidan raising his eyebrow.

"It's our superior." Will said blankly. "He wants to know the case is taking so long."

I sighed deeply in response and took a look at Ellie. She was staring sadly at the floor. I walked over to her and put an arm around her.

"We're gonna find out who did it okay. In fact, I'm going to the library to find more information." I said, slipping on a jacket as the library was usually colder than the rest of the building.

"Thanks, Car." She said looking up at me.

+++

Casper. Hartledge. Is. A. Real. Dick.

He died ten years ago. He was a Proletarian. That's the most information I can dig up on him.

The coldness of the library had started to annoy me from the moment I walked in there and after an hour I decided to leave. I clutched the small piece of paper in my hand and checked it to make sure I was going in the right direction.

I stood outside of the last place Evangeline Prontes was noted to have transported. The cobblestone streets may have made the little town seem like a place from a book if the smog and drunken divisions didn't litter the place.

After a while, I found the devil herself in one of the many pubs, sitting on a bar stool and sipping an unknown drink.

"I thought I told you not to bother me again, Carter Anderson." She said without bothering to turn around and face me.

"And you also told me that Casper Hartledge was a lead on the Vampire case. He's nothing but a Proletarian who's been dead for ten years."

Evangeline turned to me, "Well you clearly haven't been searching deep enough."

She took another swing of the drink in her hand and as her lips touched the liquid it started to turn a dark grey.

"There isn't anywhere to look. You think you can trick me by giving me a false lead. Well, I'd like to see you deal with my superiors and the isolation of the Pelagus." I ignored her drink, even though the mixture was now turning anti-clockwise, seemingly by itself.

"Was that a threat Carter Anderson? Because I can assure you that if you've found nothing valuable on Casper Hartledge then you've barely scraped the surface of your case." She put the drink down and looked at me. She then started to whisper unknown words and looked me in the eye.

I slapped her round the face and lifted my arm causing dirt to gather in her eyes and ruin her vision.

She gasped in shock and wiped her eyes quickly.

"You really haven't looked far have you." Evangeline said, still wiping her eyes. "Maybe you should look further than your own division. Maybe even ask your friend. It's Reece, isn't it?"

"Don't you dare try and turn me against people I've known all my life." I spat, looking her in the eyes. "And don't you dare try and look into my mind again."

I turned to walk away and was almost out of earshot when I heard her say, "You Elementals are foolish. You'll never win the war when relying on your own weak resources."

I turned around and lifted both hands. Earth started to pour out of all the cupboards and all the empty cups and people were now running for the door. All except Evangeline Prontes who was still sitting on the bar stool grinning at me.

Weeds managed to grow through the floor tiles and hold Evangeline Prontes down. They twisted until she was cocooned from the neck down. But she was still grinning with a satisfied look on her face.

I put my arm down and took my phone out calling the number 356857. It immediately rang the closest Pelagus. The line was often silent until the person calling spoke.

"Hey, I need back up for a Witch at the Grantes
pub." The person at the other end said it would be five minutes before a team came to collect her.

I picked up the drink she was drinking and examined it.

"I wouldn't drink that, unless you want an early death, Carter Anderson." Evangeline said, smirking.

I looked at the drink and it had stopped swirling by itself. I shook it a bit and a drop of the liquid dropped onto another bar stool. The part it touched made the bar stool turn a different shade and rot. I gave her a disgusted look to which she returned a grin.

As soon as the team got to the pub, I called Kai and told him that a clean up crew needed to be requested at the same pub. I kicked around some of the dirt I had made while watching Evangeline being taken away.

"Carter Anderson." I looked to my right and saw Benedict from the fire group that had come to get Evangeline.

"I'm afraid that Evangeline Prontes can only be kept for so long until you have proof of illegal activity."

"She's withholding vital information on the case of the Vampire murders from a couple weeks ago."

"Proof?" Benedict said.

"Nothing but her own words."

"Alright, I think it's best if you come with us for  the questioning back at the Pelagus." I nodded and took a ride back with them.

+++

I was made to wait with Evangeline while Benedict's group made one of the cells in the basement Witch proof or more precisely Evangeline Prontes proof.

I was suddenly forced into a warm embrace or at least I think it was meant to be. Ellie had managed to put me in headlock while hugging me.

"Why would you go to Grantes, Car?! You're such an idiot. You could've been hexed or cursed or-"

"But I'm not, Ellie. I'm fine."

"That's funny. I thought the girl with the glasses was your chosen partner. They can't possibly play equal parts in your heart, Carter Anderson. Not after that night I saw in your mind with the girl with the glasses." Evangeline said looking smug.

"Listen, Prontes. None of what you saw is any of your concern, especially since you'll be kept locked up for a good few decades for being involved in the murder." I snapped at her, trying my best to ignore the hurt look on Ellie's face.

"Hey, Ellie, I'll see you with the others, yeah. I need to sort this one out." I explained, gesturing my head at Evangeline. She nodded and walked away silently.

"I doubt I'll be in here for long anyway." Evangeline said to no one in particular.

"And why's that? You already got an escape plan?" I asked, sarcastically.

"There are a few people who also want me locked up, Carter Anderson and I can assure you they don't like waiting for their prisoners to arrive. They prefer to take."

I decided to ignore her, when I saw Benedict walking towards us.

"You're gonna need shorter shifts for watching this one, she's got the most annoying voice." I mentioned to Benedict, loud enough for Evangeline to hear.

+++

I was awoken, by Benedict dragging me out of bed, the next morning.

"What the fuck?" I said, yawning in between the words.

"She's fucking escaped in one night." My eyes shot open and I stared at him, in surprise.

"What do you mean? Who escaped?"

"Who do you think, Carter? Evangeline Prontes!"

We had already come out of the earth wing and were down in the basement. Guards who were meant to be on duty were all knocked out and blood stained the walls of her cell.

"How did she manage to get out?" I asked still shocked at the scene in front of me.

"No clue, but there were either Witches or Warlocks involved and Vampires. The guards have all been bitten or compelled, but there's no way a Vampire could've gotten in here without a teleportation spell." I took a deep breath.

"Do you think the Vampires are finally retaliating because of the murders?" I ask.

"I hope not." Benedict said, trying to feel for a pulse in one of the guards.

Feet were then heard, pounding down the steps to the basement. Will came into view his chest rising up and down at an alarming rate.

"Car, Ellie's missing. I tried to find her so we could have an early start on a new lead like she said we could yesterday and I couldn't find her anywhere."

I wanted to punch the wall and slam my head against it at the same time.

"Get Kai to send a search team out. I'll tell Aidan once I've sorted this out." I told him.

Will nodded about to run back up the stairs when Kai, himself, came rushing down, accidentally knocking Will into one of the walls stained with blood.

"Kai, just the person we're looking for. We need you to-"

"Car, I think your girl's here."

"What are you talking about Kai? What girl? I don't have a girl."

"Well remember when you told me about the demon at the club who portrayed that Proletarian?"

"Yes. The demon portrayed Nadia." I said, vaguely remembering chapter one because the damn author hasn't updated in fucking months!

"Well, she's here at the entrance of the Pelagus."

a/n: 500 mark✔️

Half way to 1K! Ooooooh that rhymed. Enough of the jokes though, I couldn't have done this without you all and I am forever grateful.

I'm gonna try and put more action in future chapters as I do realise that they are getting a bit boring.

P.s. I started this chapter ages ago and released it recently, so we have now passed 500. The next mark is 600!

P.p.s. Yes, I'm aware it has been like two months since I last published. But on the bright side I can now say that I have a social life (I think I can anyway).

P.p.p.s. If anyone manages to decipher what the title means, I will literally dedicate a chapter to you.

P.p.p.p.s. Yes, I do realise I'm being excessive with the p.s.s.

chapter release date = 18/05/19