CHAPTER 1 DISAPPEARANCES

Minerva's Pov "No one explained that adulthood would be this hard," I muttered, turning in my chair to face the lavish expanse of my bedroom, looking haphazard. Clothes littered the marble floor around the large wardrobe standing to the left of the bed, while the bedding crumpled in a mess. Still, in my pyjamas, I was trying to grasp the new book my father had shoved into my hands the day before, claiming I needed to read it to get acquainted with the recent technicalities of pack politics. I read books and loved gathering information, but the current book proved to be a perfect sleeping pill. As I glanced at the book in my hand and read the title, The True Leader: Spirit of Leadership, a hiss escaped my lips as I slapped the book shut. Since the day before, I had struggled to get myself engrossed in the book, but all my efforts proved to be a waste. When I was contemplating whether to plead with my father to let me drop the book or surf for the book summary online, I heard the bell ring. Wondering who was at the door, I forced myself up, the book becoming a secondary concern as I tossed it to the large desk that bore a mountain of other books I had devoured before now. Walking up to the door, I looked through the peephole to see one of my dad's men dressed up in suits. I pulled the door open with a groan. "What is it?" "Your dad wants to see you." "Huh?" I was going to argue when I noticed a small coiled wire by the side of his neck, leading to a small earpiece on his right ear. This was security. My dad wants to go out. "Right," I added awkwardly. Left with no choice, I walked back into the room, grabbed the book, and headed out, closing the door behind me and following the man. As we strolled down the hallway, we reached the stairs and descended. Halfway down the stairs, I saw my father's figure, an average-height man with well-swept black hair almost turning grey, fully dressed in a well-tailored suit. He turned around to meet my gaze as I got to the foot of the stairs, and a small smile tugged at his lips, followed by a chuckle. "Morning Dad." My eye slid to his suit and tie, which communicated authority and money to back it up as he spoke. "You're still in your pyjamas." I nodded as I glanced over his shoulder at the TV's muted news. I read the caption, sliding from left to right, and saw that it was still news of the missing humans and animals, mostly pets. "They still haven't figured this out." My father followed my gaze to the television, then returned to me. "We're working on it. But I suspect this has something to do with Maple Dome." "You don't think the governor would watch these disappearances happen right under his nose, do you?" I quirked a brow at him. "He's the governor. He may have approved a silly rule that is causing all of this nonsense." Behind him, I noticed one of his men scampering into the room and hurrying towards us, his shoes clicking on the marble floor as he approached. "Sir, you need to see this." The governor sent this message this morning. He handed my dad a tablet, and I slid closer to him to read the message, my eyes catching a paragraph. Given the alarming rate of disappearances and your knowledge of human curiosity, I require you to lift any rule that encourages them. I can't stand these human media personnel bothering my life. "Imagine." I looked up at my father, who was handing back the tab to the man without any sign of concern, and I continued. "We should be the ones telling him that." My father nodded. "Apparently. I do have a summit to plan." His hand went to my hair, caressing it. "I would love to have your input too, but it seems like you learned a bad habit when you traveled. "Is this how other students in Silicon County sleep?" "I uh…" I trailed off, trying to explain myself. I had just returned from my five-year study. My father had sent me overseas to study politics because of my patriotism and interest in pack politics, and living in school made me adopt the new lifestyle of waking up late, as I had nothing else to do but attend classes and study. "Fine then." My dad continued, ignoring what I wanted to say. " In two hours, I will be meeting with the Silverline Council in my office. We have reserved a seat for you, so feel free to join us. With a curt nod, my father took a few steps away from me, then turned around and headed out with his team, one of whom seemed to whisper something to him, and he nodded as their figure disappeared through the door. "A meeting in two hours," I muttered as I walked up the stairs and back into my room to meet the mess still waiting for me. Taking a quick shower, I shrugged into a milk-coloured blazer and matching pants, not ready for the hassle of stilettos; I wore a matching flat shoe of the same colour. Glancing at the mirror, I tied my dark hair into a ponytail, then headed to my desk, where my laptop was lying, a large tablet on top. Shoving the devices into my bag, I carried them, remembering to pick up my phone in the corner of the desk. I left the room with one last look at the sleeping pill, which my father had described as a book. Downstairs, I met my bodyguard dressed in the same black suit as my father's men. Taking my bag from me, he led me outside to a waiting convoy of three cars, and I slid into the second one, the man joining me from the other side. "We barely have an hour to make it to the office." The man's baritone came through as he joined me. "I know, Luke." I burrowed into my phone, scrolling through feeds, until I saw a video of a young man I knew so well. Dominic Pendragon. "Thank you, thank you." The man said this, wearing a plastic smile. Several hands holding microphones struggled, almost jabbing his lip with the mic as he glanced around. As he continued looking into the camera, his eyes met mine. "The well-being of the people in Aperture is my foremost concern, and I'm committed to making the state a better place for everyone. To this end, I will not hesitate to use the full arsenal of my position to fight anything and anyone responsible for these disappearances."