Sweet like sugar, Bitter like coffee.

End chapter, 17

"What do you mean by that?" Seraphina asked, she was confused. This sparked her interest, she wanted to know, why?

John glanced up at her, before looking away, "Because, EMBER isn't some shitty community you know... People there work-- to pay for their family's expenses." He said, turning back to Seraphina with a pained look. "They're low tiers, sure, but they have so much potential! They aren't some mindless idiot who wasted their lives drinking their sorrow away!"

"But, they're selling illegal drugs, John. That's not acceptable."

John wanted to shout at her, that she's not right. "But...! But what do you expect them to do?" He muttered. "Jobs won't accpet them, because they aren't-- high tiers. Do you just expect them to figure something out? No! Not all of them are lucky enough! Especially in a society like this!"

He wanted Seraphina to understand, they're more or less forced to do this. He wanted Seraphina to know how this organization isn't all about the outside, it's more on the inside. Seraphina doesn't understand, how kind everyone was to eachother.

"Listen John, the law doesn't allow this, because these are illegal. You can't have these meth productions, weed productions, they're ruining everyones lives." Seraphina explained calmly. "You must realize why they're illegal. Especially the ability-enhancing ones."

John shot a glare, "Why? Because you're afraid that they'll be more powerful than you?"

"No-- it's not that--"

"Then you tell me Seraphina, why are you guys so afraid of it?" He leaned glared at her. This was making her a little uncomfortable.

She cleared her throat, because the stare was getting to her. "John, calm down. Please don't give me that stare--"

John slammed his hands into the table so hard, it stung, "THEN TELL ME!" He snapped. Arlo flinched at his outburst. "Fucking tell me!" He shouted.

Seraphina looked towards Arlo for help. Arlo wipped his hands before he rushed over to John, "John, stop." He calmly said, taking a seat beside him. "Maybe you should take a cold shower okay? Clear your head?" He asked, urging him towards the bathroom before he could object.

John sighed, "Okay." He muttered before heading to his room to pick out his clothes.

Arlo got back to cooking, and Seraphina helped since she had nothing to do. John leaned against the bathroom wall, this was the first outburst in a really long time, he didn't know if it even felt good or not.

He stripped his clothes off and stepped into the shower. He turned on the nob, and the cold water hit him, causing him to flinch. It was so, so cold. It reminded him of the night when the rain couldn't stop pouring. It was as if the sky was crying with John.

He closed his eyes and let out a deep exhale, maybe he shouldn't have shouted at Seraphina like that. It wasn't very, nice of him. He sighed, maybe Seraphina was right, because EMBER has been doing some, not very good things.

So, he decides to smile. To forget everything, and push it to the back of his head. Yes, smile.

He finished and walks out into the kitchen with the brightest smile on his face. "Is dinner finished yet?" He asks Arlo who smiled back at him. That made everything a whole lot brighter, for John. He chuckles.

Arlo drys his hand with a towel near by, and pats the top of John's head. He grins.

Seraphina tips her head, because, she's confused. Wasn't John shouting at her a while ago? She expected for John to glare at her but he keeps giving her a gentle look. He even smiled at her. She found that as odd, was he pretending or what?