Red Hourglass : Dark Coming Of Age Romance Thriller

Wilmar

Wilmar Enterprises CEO, Johnson Wilmar, said, "We will continue to acquire land on the East and West Coasts of the US for redevelopment."

Wilmar Enterprises is a major property developer in the United States with subsidiaries in logistics, telecommunications and renewable energy. Their combined portfolio is currently worth $200 billion.

The sun was long gone by the time I finished reading all the articles about Wilmar. The articles were mostly about how great the investments would be for property prices. Only a few even mentioned the families and small businesses that had been in those neighborhoods for generations.

I was getting hungry, but the kitchen cabinets and fridge in my new apartment were bare. I didn't like living in an apartment with no food, it made me feel queasy.

I grabbed my shopping bag and went downstairs. It was a bit cooler, but still hot. The street was filled with rainbow neon lights from the shops, and the evening breeze carried the sounds of traffic and sirens. The sirens reminded me of the muffled screams of my targets as they choked on their own blood. I missed the tranquil surroundings of the Academy.

I walked by The House and it was closed. That's strange. It was usually open late. I noticed a note on the door.

Dear Patrons,

We've lost our lease and we've been forced to close our doors.

We want to thank our loyal customers for your wonderful support over the last twenty years.

We'll miss you all.

Sorry,

The House

I wonder if Wilmar Enterprises is behind this.

Walking into the air conditioned bodega on the corner was a relief. I went to the grocery aisle and loaded up on bread, milk, ground beef, beans, soup, canned tuna, and canned vegetables. As I walked by the canned corn I was reminded of how much I hated the color yellow. I despised all things yellow, shiny, and bright—the sun, sunflowers, lemons, corn. Most people thought yellow was bright and cheery like a sunrise, but to me it was the dull, yucky color of vomit. I hated yellow so much that I usually closed my eyes until everything yellow disappeared. I wanted to rush out of the store, but I forced myself to go to the counter and pay for my groceries.

Memories of my mother flooded over me as I walked back to the apartment. I couldn't get the image of her walking away from me out of my mind. Her white dress was flowing behind her as she walked through the sunflower field, toward the setting sun.

I'd tried to find her for so long that I hated to be reminded of her out of the blue. I no longer remembered what she looked like. I detested her. Did she ever look for me? Maybe she's dead. I could put my search to rest if the White Queen handed me her death certificate, or if I found her grave. Until then, I'd be haunted by my fading memories.

I climbed the stairs to my apartment and put away my groceries. Then I warmed up a can of soup and ate it out of the pot.

A black and white cat appeared on the fire escape outside my kitchen window. I figured it was a stray. I opened a can of tuna and put it on the window ledge before I unpacked my suitcases.

I got the envelope and my laptop and sat down on the floor. I looked at my instructions written in agent code. I had to apply to be the secretary for Wilmar's chief security officer. Easy enough. The cat was still sitting in the window as I destroyed my instructions in the kitchen sink by running water over the page—all our agent communications were written in code with a fountain pen.