CHAPTER 1: HUMBLED BY NATURE.

" I've been trying, haven't I? You also know that so why can't you just do this for me, Doctor Luke? Just once! Like seriously?" Estelle yelled, her face red with fury.

Amidst the fury outlined on her face was also the look of someone about to give up, a frustrated and discouraged look.

" I do know that but there's nothing I can do. I'm so sorry about that, Estelle." The doctor replied calmly and guiltily at the same time. He wasn't even staring at her.

" Fine!" The raging lady heaved under her breath.

" A whole of a million dollars right? Fine, I'll go find it. After that, you treat my sister and at the same time, come to my burial ceremony. Oh wait, would there even be any more bucks to celebrate my death? Whatever. All I'm concerned about is you coming to my burial with your fake tears after I go sell this remaining kidney I have left and die. You must attend my burial, Doctor luke! You must!" She yelled into the already frightened doctor's face.

Estelle took another look of the replica of her on the sick bed, her sister. Her sister couldn't keep up anymore with the tumor, they had to remove it but as usual, nature always finds a way to humble her.

Leaving the hospital, she branched into a nearby shop and grabbed a ketchup which she dragged with a dry bread that seemed to have been on the stall for years. She never minded, hell, she had never always minded.

She flung the nearest note she could find in her shaggy bag before exiting the shop.

As she folded the ketchup filled bread into her mouth, thoughts of her little sister, Sunny, her rent, her insurance, her tax, her upkeep and many other hundreds of things that were piling down on her filled her thoughts again. Only her. And there was her damned mother busy fucking some rich dude she had left them for since she had Sunny. Either ways, asking that woman for help was the last thing she was gonna do. She had her–

" What the exact fuck! Are you blind?" A angry, masculine voice yelled, pulling Estelle out of her thoughts.

She glanced up at the tall, stained figure before her before groaning inwardly. She had gotten into another rich brat's trap again. For goodness sake, she was just getting out of detention from the police station because of some rude rich chick just yesterday and now, this?!

She had accidentally bumped into the enranged man before her and her ketchup had spilled on the white sweater he wore.

Those silly officers during her detention period were the last people she wanted to see again so unlikely of her, an apology escaped her lips immediately. " I'm really really sorry, sir. I hope you aren't stained much." She apologized even though the huge mess she maid was clearly obvious on the white sweater.

" You really are blind. And do you think an apology would fix this?" The man asked, shining his unusual yellow eyes at her. Estelle gasped inwardly, it had really been a while she'd seen such eyes. Or maybe, she'd never seen such eyes before.

Even though she was gawking at his eyes that seemed to have captured her attention, she still didn't miss the way his left hands dipped into his pockets and brought out a phone. Of course, the call had to be about her and before anyone could say jack, she had took off. Running without looking back once.

The man muttered a curse word angrily, he probably was angry about her escaping from him. He hated these clumsy species so much.

" Beta," a broad man called, walking towards the yellow eyed man with a surprised look. His eyes were glaring at the stains on the Beta's cloth.

" Where's Lair? There's no time and I have to wash up." The Beta asked and just then, another man walked out. He had an angry look in his sharp blue eyes but he had a more calmer expression than the Beta.

" We really need to hurry and pace up things. Lilith disappeared again. I'm not sure she'd even agree to help and I don't think there's any much time left."

" The nerve of that woman. There's no need looking for her to help anymore, we'll do this ourselves." the Beta said. " You wouldn't ask why I look this messy?"

" Not like you'd tell if I asked." The blue eyed Gamma replied unconcerned as they entered the rangerover that was parked a few steps away from them. " Elliot will check around Seattle today." He said again and the broad man among them nodded. He seemed to be a bodyguard.

★★

" Ahh!" Estelle exclaimed tiredly, falling into a heap on the front door of her apartment. The sun was setting already, she was sure she'd burn a large percent of the fats in her body with the way she ran. The hospital was quite a distance from her apartment and she had ran all the way home instead of using the bus.

" Gosh, I'm so out of breath." She muttered as she stood. A frustrated groan left her lips when she saw the familiar paper hanging on the front door. She always wondered if the landlord never runs out of strength of continuously printing those papers.

The door opened and a lady with a dirty blonde hair that seemed to fit her small face hissed. She was Naina, Estelle's bunkmate and friend. " I've been calling. Where did you keep that phone of yours this time? Did the screen get worst?"

" Maybe I placed it on the do not disturb mode. I got fed up of the continuous buzzing of reminding messages of the problems hovering all over my soul." Estelle sighed.

" Whatever. Nora mentioned she dropped a mail for you and the landlord was here too. Before you asked what he did or say this time, I made sure not to open the door. He left after a while." Naina shrugged, dragging a mug of coffee to her lips.

" I wasn't going to ask you about him, he'll get tired. Nora's mail matters the most. Who knows if she gave me the job? I'd be really happy. " Estelle mumbled, drumming her fingers on the table.

" You know we really have to find the rents before the landlord comes back again. Enough of the hide and seek, he's not going to take it any longer so please just try to do something. As for me, i did the little I could." Naina said, pulling out a bundle of note which she dropped on the kitchen table. She gave the bundle one long stare like she wasn't ready to let it go but a sigh escaped her lips eventually. She had to.

Estelle looked defeated. She hadn't even a slightest idea where she'd be able to get her rent from. Naina wasn't a rich kid either, she was the daughter of a really poor family from the countryside. She'd left her hometown to study and graduate, they were both coping and struggling.

" Look Estelle, I'm not trying to pressurize you or something. You know I'd never do that, it's just that paying this rent is what we have to do. We can't live on the streets, this is the cheapest apartment in this region so please, try" Naina said, after noticing Estelle's short but depressing silence.

" Of course, I do. I'll try my best, Ina."

Naina only nodded. " By the way, how's Sunny? They aren't limiting her treatments because of money, right?"

" Well, they are. I don't blame them, they're probably already tired of me." Estelle hissed, pulling off her jacket. Like she was suddenly reminded of something, she turned to her friend.

" By the way, Ina, where did you get such an amount from? Just yesterday evening, you were totally broke and if I remember, Dave fired you for not having relations with him so you're practically jobless right now. Where did you get this?" Estelle asked, gesturing at the bundles on the table.

She could see Naina swallow, sudden streaks of sweats could even be seen on the side of her face.

" It doesn't matter, at least I paid mine already and you should check your mail. Both of us can't be jobless and gawk at each other everyday." Was the small faced woman reply.

Estelle shook her head. Naina was already into something and it was very obvious. Sighing, she walked towards her bag and made to grab her phone but her eyes widened when she couldn't find anything in it.

" My phone, Naina. Did you see it?"

" No?"

" Shit! I think I've lost my phone. No, I really can't, that phone is my life. I can't lose it." Estelle kept ranting even though Naina kept trying to calm her down as she suggested they search for the phone.

" I don't think I brought it home. Hold on, I think I left it in that store."

" It's evening already and what store is that?" Naina asked.

" The one behind the hospital. I remember dropping it on the counter." Estelle sighed. Why was nature so unkind to her? She'd have to go back to where she ran away from? And in the dark evening? What if that guy was staying around?

Either ways, she knew she had to get her phone. She had a lot of information on that phone and there wasn't even any money to get a new one.

" I'll have to get it back, Naina. I'll be right back." Estelle hurried out of the apartment even before Naina could stop her.

Naina glanced at the clock hung right above their small television and sighed. The club would be starting soon, she had to leave. As she hurried into the room, she suddenly stopped on her tracks, hearing the familiar ringing tone of her friend.

Wasn't that Estelle's phone? Immediately, she traced where the ringing was coming from and there it was, Estelle's phone which was cramped into the pockets of her jacket.

" She could have just waited to find it at least. It's evening in this dangerous community for crying out loud." Naina hissed as she ran out of the apartment, wishing she could get a glance of her friend.

The phone rang again and when she glanced at the caller ID, an ominous feeling immediately blanketed her. Why was Doctor Luke calling by this time of the day?

She watched as the phone rang again and this time, she swiped on the green icon. Almost immediately, Doctor Luke's hurried voice came on.

" You need to rush over to the hospital now, Estelle. Su...nny might not make it, I don't know what's wrong. Just come over. Hurry!" Doctor Luke stammered over the phone before hanging up almost immediately.

Naina swallowed. She could hear the continuously beeping sound of the monitor in the background and her heart jumped again.

No! Her friend would run mad. Estelle would run crazy if anything happened to that innocent girl she'd been taking care of almost all of her life.

Immediately, Naina hurried a jacket over her neck and took off into the darkness.