Doug's POV

I jerked awake, feeling an emptiness in the room. The first thing I did was check next to me, the bed empty with just me.

Mom?

Where'd she go?

Probably just the bathroom, my mind always goes crazy if I don't see mom for like five minutes. Laying back down, my eyes passed over the bathroom door as I sat back up in an instant.

The lights were off.

Maybe she got something to eat? Like went downstairs to the kitchen? Yeah, that's what she's doing. I'll just go downstairs and find her and then yell at her for scaring me like this so early in the morning.

Making me worry so much will get me gray hairs, and she says I stress her out. Standing up, I got off the bed as I felt cold metal press against my chest, tags clinking together. Holding them in my hand, I looked at the new engraving, running my finger over them.

Did mom put them on me when they were done?

Letting them fall, I hurriedly threw on a jacket over myself, rushing out the room. I stumbled through the hall, jumping over the railing of the stairs.

Frantically looking around, I didn't see her in the main room or the lounge area. Going into the kitchen, she wasn't there either and I started panicking.

Turning back around to search for her, a firm hand came over my shoulder.

"Kid, t-"

"Where is she?!" I screamed, slapping Paulklee's hand off of me.

"Who?" She groaned, turning back around to walk away as I followed her.

"Mom! You know what I'm talki-"

"She's gone."

"W-what?" I froze as she turned to face me.

"She left. She was called for business and had to go to attend," she cleared up as I stared at her. "And before you ask, no. I don't know where she is," she turned back around with a huff as I collapsed on the floor.

She's gone?

She left?

What was she called for?

Why'd she have to go?

"Fine. Just what business was she called for attending?" I looked at Paulklee's back as she stopped walking.

"Ergastulum government."

My eyes widened as she walked away.

Mom went there?!

Every time she had to go to government business, she would come back barely alive. And with the midnight attack she just had, there's no way she'd survive the hell they put her through this time.

I had to go to her.

Standing up, I slid my shoes on before a voice called out to me.

"I didn't let you to go after her, so sit your self back down, kid."

I felt anger boil through my veins as I clutched my tags.

Fine.

She must've forgotten that I was raised by a key.

I don't back down.

Going up the stairs, I went back to the room and grabbed my knives. Fixing them into my jacket, I changed my shorts and fixed my shirt. Tying my shoes and adjusting my tags, I stood tall, ready to leave.

Shouldn't have given a tag a room with a window.

Smirking, I rammed my back against the window, shattering the glass as I jumped out. Landing onto the road below, I made a path to the roof of a building, getting a view over a long range distance.

Hopping from roofs, I saw a familiar face pass through an alleyway with a group of men. I froze, focusing on the man.

Wasn't he one of the four fathers?

Daniel Monroe.

Gritting my teeth, I slid down the wall and hid in the alley in front of them, pulling my hood over my head. Gripping onto my knives, I kept my head down until they passed by. I heard their footsteps getting closer and made my entrance.

"Hey! It's a kid!" Two of the men rushed over to me in an instant.

"Are you lost? Do you need to find your mom?"

My eyes widened before narrowing in anger, my grip tightening over my blades at the truth in his words.

Jerking my head up, my hood flew off as I lunged forward, my tags swinging out of my shirt. I slashed both of the men in an instant as the rest of the group went of high alert.

"Yeah, but the thing is, you have her," I stood before Daniel and his remaining men, blood over my knives as the two men fell dead.

"We do- Wait, those tags, I'd recognize them anywhere!" Daniel snapped his fingers at me with a smile. "You have got to be Y/N's son, right!?"

"Don't say her name so casually!" I shouted, rushing forward at him as his men can forward.

Jumping up, I flipped myself over, throwing a knife into another man's throat. Landing on the backs of the group, they turned to me, guns pointing.

"You are exactly as she says," he smiled softly at me. "Now, don't worry, she is al-"

"Don't try saying that!" I cut him off. "She's always near death whenever she goes to you guys and she won't make it this time!!"

"W-what?" He looked taken back at my words, like he didn't know what I was talking about.

"Don't act like you don't know!" I sneered at him as he stepped forward towards me, despite his guards pleading him to stay back.

"How does that happen? Right after our meetings?"

"I don't know! It happens when she comes back from those meetings!" I yelled, going to swing at him, another man coming forward instead.

Kicking his dead body to the side, I stepped closer to Daniel.

"Someone attacks her," Daniel said in realization as his eyes got larger. "Someone is after Y/N!" He shouted out, turning back to his group. "Call Lorie and let her know, Y/N could be in danger."

"B-but boss, urge-"

"Don't 'but' me! Nothing is more urgent than her, now," he snapped, anger in his eyes as he turned back to me. "Do you know anything else?" He stared at me with softer eyes.

"Wha.."

I trailed off as Daniel got handed a phone and started talking to the person with a grin and relived sigh.

Did he really not know?

I thought that they did that to her.

"Oh! Look, I'm talking to Y/N right now," he grinned at me. "Oh, but she says not to let Delico get near Doug. Says you can get a trashy mout-"

"You're just fooling me!" I snapped at him as he turned to me with surprise. "YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A LIAR!!" Screaming, I lunged towards him, a blonde man knocking my knife to the side as I heard something drop.

Looking down, I saw tags on the ground as I looked back at him.

"You disgust me," I spat. "To be a twilight, yet not show off your tags, th-"

"Oops, sorry Y/N. Doug found out that Del is a twilight, sorry," Daniel sheepishly smiled at me. "But I guess I am starting to see the trashy mouth you spoke of," he whispered, yet making sure I could still clearly hear him.

"A D/0?! That pathetic? He can't even protect you! Do you know how dangerous it is for you to keep that rank with you!?" I glared at Daniel as he narrowed his eyes at me.

"And do you know how dangerous it is for you to stay with Y/N's rank?" He shot back. "She refuses to properly get her rank clarified, but Corsica ticks the hell out of her. She's been measured to be at least an S/2 and that's just our estimate."

Delico is hot