Hell's Kitchen: The Truth Behind the Papa Louie Universe

Chapter Fourteen

There was someone at the door, struggling it open. She could hear it: noisy keys, loud, clumsy footsteps, the scrape of the door. She heard him swearing under his breath as he managed the door shut. Him, and reality merged with the dream she'd been having, hallways, and doors opening, and more doors and more hallways and– where was she going, again?

"Dark as hell. The fuck did I say about leaving the hall light on?"

The man mumbled, and Akari held her breath. The voice frightened her, though she wasn't certain why. It was just... she was... dreaming. Nothing out of the ordinary. With so many doors, some would... some would have men, she supposed. No– no wait. She heard the door slam with a certain finality and her eyes fluttered, a stringy feeling of consciousness gripping her. Where was she again? It wasn't particularly familiar, aiding in its dream-like quality. Her spacial awareness was off– which way was up, and down? To one side of her– no, two– maybe two and a half– it was some large pillow. Pillow? She wasn't sure. It wasn't a bed, at least not hers or Olivia's. Olivia was there, though, Akari's arm numb and tingling beneath her shoulder.

"Orion! Dude!"

He spoke in a voice that seemed unnaturally loud, amplified by the darkness. Akari was certain she couldn't speak that loud if she wanted to. At least, not now. But still, he spoke casually. 'Dude', that wasn't something that... burglars, or... murderers shouted out. Right? And Orion...

She remembered where she was now. Her heart slowed slightly, but the intensity of its pace along with the blanket of sleep over her mind made her head ache and her stomach turn. Relax. He knows Orion. He's talking to Orion like Orion knows him. But why on earth was he yelling?

And then the light flickered on, practically blinding, though she knew from the night before that it was actually quite soft. She shut her eyes, burying her face back into Olivia's shoulder.

"Orion? Orio– wh– what the hell? Orion!"

She heard the floor creaking, the door creaking, and then the hiss of a sharp shushing sound.

"What are you doing?" Orion whispered loudly. She couldn't see him from where she laid, but she assumed he was in the hallway.

"What am I doing? Who are they?"

"Friends. Why are you yelling?"

"Uh, it's morning, I wanted to talk to you, there're random strangers on the couch..."

"It's hardly morning. It's like four AM– wait, where have you been?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out."

"Yeah, well, why don't you tell me, so I can 'find out'." Akari could hear the annoyance in his voice. Who was this guy? Their whispers grew louder, and Akari had half a mind to try and cover Olivia's ears so as not to wake her up.

"Well, I guess you're out of luck then, because I'm not going to tell you." His voice was low, but not like he was tired. Dry sarcasm seeped deeper and deeper into his voice with every word.

"How the hell do you have so much energy?"

"That's for me to know–"

"Yeah, okay, just like, sit down, calm down. They're trying to sleep," Orion hissed.

"No, I'm up, sorry," Akari murmured, removing herself from the couch. Orion was seated at the table, and the other guy joined him reluctantly. She leaned against the couch, facing them. She was unsteady with sleep, and her weight rested fully on the back of the couch. If her hand slipped, she'd be on the floor. She rubbed her eye with her other hand, trying to get her mind to clear a little– at least, prevent herself from flitting in and out of her dream.