Snippet #2227747

"It's been two months, one week, four days and twenty one hours since I split from the others." The pen scribbled furiously across the bleached white parchment of Matthew's ebony dyed, leather bound journal. He paused for a moment, cracking the seal on what was probably his fourth Dr. Pepper bottle today. "How to word the next bit. Hmm." He mumbled and questioned it as he downed the first third or so of soda in one swift motion. As he finally ironed out the thought, he nearly choked on the cola as he moved to pick up the pen once more. "A word of advice from one who's lasted. Never split from the others. It doesn't bode well." The dull roar of the Saturday morning mall crowd slowly bled through his choice of personal music, even in this back corner of the book store. With a sigh, Matthew's journal snapped shut, the crackle of fresh pages somehow audible over the crowd's mumble.

"Two wards, obviously unprotected at this point, both in the same city." His thoughts sorted themselves as he stepped across the threshold into the actual mall itself, easily flowing into the crowd that poured through the front doors. A benefit of being the store owner's son was that he had free reign of the place so he could spend the night in there if he wanted. The only downside? He had to run the entire place alone now that his dad had to pick up slack on the West Coast for the useless bunch of Guardians there. Come to think of it, his dad had been gone so long that Matthew never got to tell him about the split. "Eventually." He murmured as he handed the store's keys to the manager, Aaron near the food court. "Make me some money today Aaron." He joked as he went to buy some breakfast. It wasn't too long after that when he spotted the first ward, one Eve Boleyn. "A spoiled princess no doubt." Rang Matthew's inner voice as they passed in the thoroughfare.

His second ward, a girl named Trinity he knew would be there soon. She and Matthew had some mutual friends at school, ones that had invited him to go with them to blow off some steam up here at Stonebriar today, an offer which he politely declined. She, Matthew already had a fair opinion on. She hadn't done any harm to him, and neither he to her as far as he could recall, unlike Eve whom he'd only barely seen at the school before. "What a stroke of luck," he thought sarcastically. "I've got to deal with two attempts on a live instead of one today. Might as well get started."