Cocoon (The Burning Butterfly Saga, Book 1)

Who's the girl?

Lucifer felt weary as he left the two Hellfire's.

He exited the cavern bar, listening to his steps as he went. The echo of strong beats against a clean stygian stoned floor. The dark surface was pristine enough to see your own reflection.

Lucifer followed the curving cavern hall deeper into the outer Labor House core; these long caverns that semi-circled the main Labor House, where bars, a terminal center, and upper level labor stations were located. This was the only place inner city residents were allowed at in the Labor Houses.

Lucifer planned a surprise stop at the most valued place in Hellvetica, the Room of Statues; the only place to view human art.

His pace slowed when something in the air shifted. It was perhaps the difference in a single molecule, but Lucifer noticed.

Someone was waiting for him...

***

Azalea was awoken by a loud string of chimes. It wasn't unpleasant; in fact it reminded her of the curfew chimes. Perhaps that's why her heart skipped a beat.

She was achy and a little groggy. She had slept rather awkwardly on her side just below a rock formation that jutted out from the wall. Its drips of cooling water hit her eyes, her mouth, and her cheek until Azalea fell into bliss, her new bliss.

"Pssst." A rough voice came from somewhere.

"Get up." The voice echoed.

"You don't want to miss work on your first day. They'll devour you if you do..." The coarse voice was gone before Azalea could notice the figure who lingered at her door trying to save her.

Drip.

A single droplet hit her face and Azalea finally came to her senses. She lifted herself off the murky ground. Not even noticing her door was cracked a hair. They had released the cells entrance when the chimes rang.

Azalea pushed the cell open and noticed as other slare's and inmates walked from their own cells down the cavern hall to work. She must have been too exhausted to notice. She didn't remember walking past so many other cells' the night before. Each day had felt longer then the last for Azalea and that was the first true sleep she had had since all of this began.

She glanced around and made note of the other inmates and their clothes. Azalea had been given a dark green jumpsuit. She figured everyone had been given the same uniform until she noticed some inmates were wearing navy blue jumpsuits while others had on a deep purple. They all collectively wore the same boots though.

She was still puzzled by the different colored uniforms though.

She walked slowly along, stretching her arms as she did.

"Aghhh." She cried out.

Azalea glanced down and noticed her hand had blisters all across the knuckles. They were raw, and red, and some parts were oozing puss. She had forgotten that she injured her hand. She couldn't work like this, but she had to.

"You might want to wrap that up." A coarse voice came from behind her shoulder.

She whipped around but no one was there.

I've officially lost my mind. She thought.

"It would be a shame if they had to beat you the first day all because you injured yourself in anger and we're unfit for duty." The voice spoke again; it felt like they were whispering directly in her ear.