Bridge Of Solitude

They finished the rest of the five floors in another half hour as there weren't anything interesting on higher floors. They reached the top floor and decided to stay for a while at the open air terrace above the 20th floor.

There were already a few people around, spread across the large area, gazing at the clouds and enjoying the winter breeze.

Arthur found a quiet space away from others and dropped back in a recliner chair, possibly taking a nap. Margaret sat on a chair nearby, resting her feet and observing the scenery far and wide as she enjoyed the cold wind brush past her.

After a while of lazily admiring the view, Margaret sat up straight with a realization and immediately turned around.

"Arthur, what's the time?" She yelled, waking up Arthur with her sudden outburst. The poor guy frowned in silence but glanced at his watch and replied.

"5:10." he spoke in an unhurried tone but Margaret began to grumble under her breath as she jumped to her feet. Arthur too stood up as he carefully eyed the somewhat anxious girl. "Anything wrong?"

"The library, it closes at 6." Margaret explained as she grabbed her bag and slung it across her shoulder. She didn't wait for Arthur and started to hop her way to the elevator, but as if it had to happen, she tripped after just a few steps and fumbled face first onto the floor.

Margaret resigned herself to her fate and closed her eyes but in the next moment, she felt a hand around her waist as she was quickly pulled up. She wanted to raise her hands and cheer loudly for Arthur, who literally made a heroic save in the last second and stopped her from face planting herself to the floor.

But instead of setting down on her feet, Arthur held her by the waist to his side and walked towards the elevator like it was the normal course of action. For a second there, Margaret didn't understand what was happening, but then all she could feel was self-pity. She guessed he must've lost his confidence in her walking ability after her many attempts to fall on her face for the day.

Margaret let out a defeated sigh and let him carry her. 'How the mighty have fallen.'

However, she was glad that there weren't many people around to notice a guy carrying a girl under his arm, like she was his favorite toy.

Once they were inside the elevator, Arthur finally put her on her feet and Margaret had to hide her burning cheeks away from his sight. They got off on the ground floor and Margaret stood outside the building while Arthur brought his bike up from underground parking lot.

And once again, they were back on the road as they began their ride home, but with a small stop to make in between.

- -

Talk about close. The grumpy old librarian was gathering his things and getting ready to leave for the day when Margaret waltzed in. He gave her a disapproving look and grumbled under his breath as if she wanted him to stay in the library forever.

However, she was successfully able to turn the books in time, so she didn't linger there any longer.

- -

It was 6: 10 in the evening as Arthur slowly pulled his bike to a stop on the sidewalk in front of Margaret's house. She didn't know about Arthur but it has undoubtedly been a crazy day for her. A good kind of crazy.

She hopped off the bike and removed her helmet as she turned to him with a smile. "You wanna come in, Arthur. Water, maybe?"

He shook his head quietly and Margaret couldn't help but feel a tad bit disappointed. Unknowingly she was already used to his silent presence. He doesn't talk much but he would listen to anything and everything she had to say. And most of all, he was reliable. An ideal company for any girl.

Arthur took her helmet back and hung it to the side of his bike. He then put on his helmet when Margaret remembered she still had something of his. She shuffled around in her bag and took out his package of books. "Here, almost forgot." She smiled as she handed it to him.

Arthur simply pushed it back to her and spoke. "They're for you."

"Oh..." Margaret pulled back her hand as she looked closely at the package and mumbled a thank you. Then she realized she had one more reason to thank him, at least. "Umm… about Friday too. Thank you… for staying with my mom at the hospital and… for carrying me back home." she mumbled the last part as she kept her head down and her voice was barely audible.

She clutched the books in her arms as she raised her head with a bright smile."And… for wasting your Sunday on me."

Arthur gave her a small smile and tapped her head lightly. He then switched on the engines and looked back at her. "Tell Carol, her sandwiches were really good."

Margaret let out a chuckle as Arthur turned his bike around and paused a bit farther away. "And Margaret…" he called out, his back to her. "Take care of yourself. And your mom."

With those last words he drove away, Jewel's soft roars echoing in the air for a second before everything turned quiet again.

Margaret stood there for a while before the package in her hands grabbed her attention and raised her curiosity. Pushing everything else to the back of her mind, she turned around and walked towards the door before she unlocked it and let herself in.

- -

Back in her room, she threw the bag on the table and removed her cardigan as she sat on the bed with the brown package in her hands. She took a good look at it, front and back and slowly ripped it open.

A dark green ominous book cover greeted her with the words 'Imperial Sins' printed in the middle. She picked up the book for further inspection when her eyes immediately recognized the familiar cover of the book underneath.

Her eyes grew wide as she put the book in her hand aside and picked up the second volume of 'Courage and Kindness'. The same book she couldn't buy at the bookstore in Grand Central Plaza.

Was this just a coincidence or did Arthur intend to gift her favorite book? However, she didn't think it was a coincidence, she could say that much after spending a day with Arthur. That guy was unexpectedly observant.

And so, she completely forgot about the other book and began to read her favorite book with much anticipation.

- -

A few hours later that night, inside the quiet house, a cl.i.c.k.i.n.g sound came from the main door and the next second Carol stepped inside in a beige trench coat.

"Maggy, I'm home." She announced as she closed the door and threw the keys in a bowl on the side table. She removed her coat as she walked into the living room and looked around. She frowned at the silence in the house and went to the staircase leading to her daughter's room.

She leaned forward and called out in a louder voice. "Maggy, are you there?!"

Carol waited for exactly three seconds before her frown deepened and she skipped up the steps, two at a time. She reached the top at her fastest speed and with her heart beating rapidly; she immediately pushed the door open with a bang.

But what she saw in the room made Carol's head twitch and heart burn with fury.

Margaret was lying upside down on her bed with her head full of hair dangling around the edge, as she lay completely engrossed in the book in her hands.

The loud noise probably got her attention as Margaret shot a quick glance towards the door before she concentrated on her book again.

"Hey mom. How is your colleague?" she asked in a predetermined manner and it was clear she was not at all interested in Carol's answer.

Carol closed her eyes, gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, releasing her anger with it. But when she saw Margaret again, lying on her bed nonchalantly and not even looking at her, her anger rose once again.

"Margaret, why didn't you answer me?" Carol asked through her anger, as she glared at her upside down daughter.

"Oh, Im fine mom." Margaret replied according to her predetermined response. But unfortunately for her, it didn't match the question; and in life, there was always a punishment waiting for every wrong answer.

Finally Carol couldn't control herself anymore as she walked to Margaret and snatched the book away from her hands. Margaret gasped as she was abruptly forced to log out from her imagination and she looked at her mom with a pitiful expression.

"Mom…" Margaret w.h.i.n.ed as she flipped around and clasped her hands in front. "Mom, I'm at a very interesting part, so please be a good girl and let me finish it, okay?" She spoke in her cute voice, and without even waiting for her mom's answer, she slowly extended her hand and grabbed the book in Carol's hand.

The next second Margaret felt a murderous aura surround her and she gulped nervously. She hesitantly raised her head and when she looked into the glowing red eyes of a demon standing right in front of her, Margaret knew no hero could save her then.

Margaret didn't understand what went wrong but she wasn't the type to simply give up, and she loved to challenge the impossible, so she quickly put her brain to work out a possible escape route instead. The first thing she did was to let go of her book and sat straight on her bed.

Carol stood face to face with her daughter, her forehead creased, and her brows in a frown as she crossed her arms in front, with Margaret's precious book still firmly in her grasp.

Margaret gulped and her eyes darted around the room, eyeing the door with a deep d.e.s.i.r.e. But the dark aura in the room grew stronger and Margaret realized she had to pacify the demon first to have any hope for survival.

"Mom…" Margaret spoke, her voice distracted and uncertain. "I'm so sorry your friend passed away. I pray for them to rest in pea-"

Her heartfelt condolences were interrupted with a painful fist to her head. Margaret was close to tears as she held her head and looked at her mom with a wronged expression. Why was she attacked when she was being kind and considerate? Was her guess wrong?

Carol glared at her daughter's confused face and spoke, very very slowly. "My friend is perfectly alright, so she doesn't need your blessings."

Margaret gasped and instantly covered her mouth with her hands. How could she have made such a grave mistake? She miscalculated her mom's bad mood and assumed that maybe her friend wasn't lucky. Margaret immediately felt extremely guilty and lowered her head in shame.

"I'm sorry, mom." She mumbled and lifted her head to peek at her mom. "I spoke unnecessarily without thinking it through."

Carol had a deep frown as she kept her piercing glare on her daughter. She was seriously angered by Margaret's behavior. First she completely ignored her and then started spouting nonsense without thinking. Carol decided Margaret had to be held responsible for her thoughtless actions.

Margaret sighed as she understood her mom would not let her off easily this time. And she deserved it too; death should not be spoken about casually. The two women currently in the room understood that better than most. And yet Margaret let her mouth blabber...

As the atmosphere in the room was getting heavier and heavier, Margaret stood up and wrapped her arms around her mom without any other thought.

"I'm really sorry, Mom. Could you please forgive me?" Margaret spoke, her voice breaking at the end. Carol was startled by her sudden actions and words, and as much as she wanted to stay angry, hearing the tremble in Margaret's voice melted her anger.

Carol sighed and pulled away from the hug and as she saw her daughter's regretful face, the last bit of resolve broke apart. She raised her hand and c.a.r.e.s.sed the side of Margaret's face as she tipped her forehead to touch hers.

"How could I stay mad at my baby?" She let out a smile and Margaret blinked away the tears at the corner of her eyes as she held her mom's hand and revealed a grin on her face.

"But…"Carol dropped her hand and looked straight at Margaret with a serious expression. "There will be consequences for your reckless words."

Margaret felt a headache coming as she understood her mom's attitude. "Fine, mom. You are the boss."

She was indeed the boss, The Final Boss. And player Margaret was currently paralyzed and without any weapons. So she could only depend on her luck to survive.

"So, what is it going to be? No allowance for a month? No cell phone for a month? Or am I grounded for a month?" Margaret took it upon herself to offer many choices for her mom to choose freely. And she was indirectly deciding the punishment period to be a month.

"Oh, those punishments have no impact on you at all." Carol shrugged off her suggestions offhandedly as she spoke with a smile. "You are a smart girl, so you can easily manage a month or two without any allowance. And grounding you is basically useless; I have a better social life than you."

Margaret didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was her mom praising or insulting her? Actually it was both, half and half. So maybe Margaret should laugh and cry at the same time?

"And no cell phone? Are you mocking me?" Carol glared at her daughter and Margaret turned her head away, awkwardly. "And don't think I don't know what you actually meant when you called me 'boss'. I know all your game lingo, so don't try to use your witty comebacks on me."

Carol raised her head high proudly and glanced at her daughter with a smirk. "The penalty I thought for you will be much more effective and it will deal a critical hit especially to an overpowered player like you."

Margaret was stunned in place, hearing her mom use game terms so smoothly in her speech; her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped open. But she quickly pulled herself together and looked away, gritting he teeth in frustration. "So, what is it? Tell me already."

"Simple." an evil smirk formed on Carol's face as she slowly lifted the book in her hands and waved it back and forth. "Since I have your weakness right here in my hand, I will continue to hold onto it."

As the words left her mom's mouth, Margaret clutched her c.h.e.s.t in pain and stumbled back.

A critical hit indeed!

Margaret slumped back onto her bed and hung her head in disappointment. She then took a long look at her precious book before she turned to her mother with big watery eyes, red nose and trembling lips.

But before Margaret could begin, Carol crashed her show.

"Oh, don't waste your time with those puppy eyes. I'm long immune to it." Carol smacked her daughter's head with the book and walked to the door. "Now, come down. We'll make dinner and while we're at it, you can learn a few things from your multi-talented mother."

Carol hasn't forgotten that Margaret went to cook books for help instead of coming to her. So every chance she got, she would impart all her knowledge onto her daughter to impress her.

She turned around at the door and saw her daughter still standing by her bed without moving. She let out an satisfied smirk and spoke again. "Don't make me call you again."

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Margaret practically wailed as she stood up and followed behind her mother, sighing at the pitiful state she was in.

She really was the last boss. The Demon Mother Caroline.

- -

After helping her mother prepare the dinner and setting up the dishes on the table, Margaret and Carol sat down to begin eating at around nine o'clock.

As they were halfway through their dinner, Margaret picked up her courage and decided to ask the question that was bugging her all the while.

"Mom…" Margaret raised at head and looked at her mom as Carol shot her a quick look before she went back to eating. Margaret noticed the familiar gesture but chose to ignore it and forced a smile onto her face. "When will I get my book back?"

Carol continued to eat her dinner as she filled her plate with another dish and slowly finished it before replying leisurely. "When I feel like it."

When she felt like it? When in the hell would that be? Would she ever get her book back? Margaret desperately wanted to get her book back and continue reading it immediately, but currently she was powerless. She wanted to cry a river but no tears would come out.

Margaret peeked at her mom before she cleared her throat and spoke again. "If I could get a specific date…"

Carol slammed her fork on the table and glared at her daughter across the table. "Maggy, if I hear about that book once more, you will never see it again. Ever."

Margaret gulped and nodded her head obediently, afraid of irritating her mother more than she already had. She finished her dinner silently and then cleaned up the table before going back to her room.

With nothing else to do, Margaret decided to just sleep it off. And as soon as she lay down, she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore as the exhaustion from the day began to show its effect on her.

She immediately drifted off into a deep slumber in her peaceful room. But in the outside world, the winds already changed direction, gathering together at one place and underneath the calm exterior; a violent storm was brewing, eager to swallow her whole.