The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, casting its golden light between the towering buildings of the city. The neon lights that had illuminated the night were now off, leaving the metropolis in an almost unreal silence. There were no cars, no usual city noise—just a rare morning stillness that was hardly ever experienced there.
Inside Andreas' room, the light filtered through the curtains, casting faint glows on the walls. The room was a complete mess. Pillows had been tossed onto the floor, the sheets were tangled in a heap against a piece of furniture, and Andreas' meticulously arranged car models were now scattered in chaotic positions. Almost everything in the room seemed out of place, as if a storm had swept through during the night.
Maddie was still fast asleep on the bed, completely unaware of the mess she had caused with her restless movements. Her breathing was steady and rhythmic, her tousled hair falling over her face. Slowly, she began to stir, squinting against the morning light. She mumbled something incoherent before stretching her arm toward the nightstand, searching for something to hold onto. Her fingers brushed against something cold and metallic. Absentmindedly, she gripped it gently and pulled it against her chest without fully opening her eyes.
“Mmm… so cold…” she murmured softly, curling up a little more.
She remained like that for a few more minutes before finally starting to wake up. Rubbing her face with both hands, she let out a lazy yawn.
“What time is it…?” she mumbled sleepily, turning her head toward the window and noticing the daylight spilling into the room.
Without paying much attention to the mess around her, she got up and shuffled toward the kitchen, her steps still clumsy.
When she arrived, she found Dedrick leaning over the sink, brushing his teeth with absolute nonchalance. The sound of running water and the brush scraping against his teeth were the only noises in the kitchen. When he noticed her presence, Dedrick spat out the toothpaste and turned slightly toward her.
“Morning,” he greeted, his usual laid-back tone unchanged, before sticking the toothbrush back into his mouth.
“Ah… morning…” Maddie replied, her voice carrying a hint of nervousness.
An awkward silence settled between them. Maddie averted her gaze while Dedrick continued his morning routine, seeming completely indifferent to her presence. She crossed her arms, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, uncomfortable with the quiet.
“Do you sleep like a wild animal or what?” Dedrick suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
“Huh?” Maddie blinked in confusion. “Why do you say that?”
“Because there were thuds and movement all night. Sounded like you were fighting a ghost in there.” He shrugged before continuing to brush his teeth.
Maddie narrowed her eyes and sighed.
“It wasn’t that bad…”
Their awkward silence was abruptly interrupted by a loud thud from the living room.
“What was that?” Maddie asked, quickly turning her head.
Dedrick, showing little surprise, simply glanced in the same direction while drying his mouth with a towel. They both saw Andreas writhing on the floor, a pained expression on his face as he rubbed his head.
“Arghhh…!” Andreas groaned, still half-asleep, trying to get up after having fallen off the couch where he had spent the night.
Dedrick let out a quiet snort.
“Wow… that looked painful,” he commented, sounding entirely unbothered.
Without wasting a second, Andreas jumped to his feet and bolted toward his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Silence returned to the kitchen, only interrupted by the distant sounds of him rummaging through his room. Maddie and Dedrick exchanged glances, unsure of what to think.
Seconds later, a furious yell erupted from inside the room.
“WHAT THE HELL?!” Andreas roared before throwing the door open and storming out.
He marched straight up to Maddie, his face contorted with rage.
“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” he shouted right in her face. “WHY IS MY ROOM A COMPLETE DISASTER?!”
Maddie blinked, still a bit dazed by his sudden aggression.
“What? It was already like that when I went to sleep last night,” she replied calmly, though her tone carried a hint of confusion.
Andreas clenched his teeth.
“IT’S EVEN MORE MESSED UP NOW! EVERYTHING IN THERE WAS BRAND NEW YESTERDAY!” he spat, waving his hands as if that would drive his point home.
Maddie raised an eyebrow.
“Yesterday? Andreas, how do you manage to trash a room in a single day?”
“THAT DOESN’T MATTER!” Andreas yelled. “YOU HAD NO REASON TO GO INTO MY ROOM WITHOUT MY PERMISSION AND MOVE MY STU—”
He suddenly stopped. His eyes dropped to Maddie’s hand, where he saw something that made him freeze.
There, resting in her palm, was the star pendant. His pendant.
Andreas’ expression darkened even further. His anger shifted into something deeper, something between fury and an emotion harder to define. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Noticing his gaze, Maddie looked down and saw the pendant. She blinked in confusion before holding it up slightly toward him.
“Oh… this… sorry, I didn’t know—”
She never got to finish her sentence. Andreas took a step forward, grabbed her wrist firmly, and snatched the pendant from her hand without a single word. His expression was cold, his jaw tight.
Without looking at anyone else, he turned and marched back into his room, slamming the door shut once again.
Silence hung in the air.
Dedrick, watching the scene unfold, raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly.
“You blew it,” he muttered.
Maddie shot him a glare.
“Shut up,” she growled.
Dedrick clicked his tongue in amusement.
“Tch…”
Time passed unbearably slowly. After about thirty minutes, Andreas finally emerged from his room, dragging his feet toward the apartment’s couch. He collapsed onto it, arms crossed, frustration still etched on his face.
The atmosphere in the room felt… strange. Not tense, exactly, but there was a thick awkwardness hanging in the air. Andreas stared at a fixed point on the wall, his brows furrowed, his thoughts loud in his head. Maddie, sitting at the other end of the couch, fidgeted with her fingers, clearly feeling guilty but unsure of how to break the silence. Dedrick, on the other hand, seemed completely unbothered. Leaning against the table, he pulled out a small bag from his jacket pocket, casually popped a couple of pills into his mouth, and washed them down with a sip of water.
Minutes passed in silence. Maddie hesitated, biting her lower lip before finally gathering the courage to speak.
“H-how about we go out for breakfast…?” she asked nervously, immediately looking down.
Dedrick raised an eyebrow, swallowed his pills, and clicked his tongue.
“Not a bad idea. What do you say, Andreas?”
Andreas let out a low grunt, barely audible, turning his head slightly away.
“Mmgghh…” was all he muttered.
Dedrick sighed, crossing his arms. He knew all too well how stubborn Andreas could be when he was in a bad mood, and he wasn’t about to deal with it all day.
“Maddie, you can go ahead. I need to talk to him.”
“Oh… okay…” she responded hesitantly, standing up and heading toward the door. Before leaving, she stole a quick glance at Andreas, but he didn’t even look at her. She lowered her gaze and left quietly.
As soon as the door shut, Dedrick casually walked behind the couch. Without warning, he smacked Andreas on the back of the head.
“Ugh! WHAT THE FUCK?!” Andreas snapped, rubbing his head.
Dedrick shrugged.
“You better drop that shitty attitude now. I’m not putting up with your sulking all day.”
Andreas scowled.
“I’m pissed, okay? She messed with my stuff.”
Dedrick rolled his eyes.
“Like your room was ever tidy…”
Andreas huffed, unable to argue with that.
“Ugh… You’re right… but she took my pendant.”
Dedrick raised an eyebrow.
“What’s so special about it?”
Andreas looked down, jaw tightening.
“…You wouldn’t understand.”
Dedrick studied him for a moment before sighing.
“Whatever. Let’s just go eat.”
Without waiting for a response, he walked out the door. After a moment, Andreas exhaled deeply, got up, and followed him.
As he stepped out of the room, Andreas found Dedrick and Maddie waiting for him in the hallway. Maddie fidgeted with the edges of her jacket, avoiding his gaze, while Dedrick scrolled through his social media feeds via the holographic display on his hand.
Without a word, the three of them started walking down the corridor toward the elevator. This time, when Dedrick pressed the button, both Andreas and Maddie let out a silent sigh of relief—at least he wasn’t sending them to the lowest level of the building.
“Thank god you pressed the right button…” Andreas muttered, exhaling.
“A miracle…” Maddie added in a barely audible tone.
Dedrick smirked smugly and stretched with confidence.
“Oh, come on, I’m not that incompetent. Besides, this time, we’re going somewhere good.”
Andreas leaned against the elevator wall and crossed his arms.
“And where exactly are we going?” he asked, his voice still carrying some irritation, though less than before.
“A restaurant called NEON BITE. It’s not far from here… and damn, their breakfasts are something else,” Dedrick replied, rubbing his hands together eagerly. “Synthetic eggs, lab-made honey pancakes, extra-strong coffee… Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.”
Andreas raised an eyebrow.
“Doesn’t sound like real food…”
“Nothing’s ‘real’ in this century, man. But it still tastes amazing,” Dedrick said with a confident grin.
“That good, huh?” Andreas asked.
“Let’s just say it’s one of the few places that actually makes decent food without it tasting like hospital meals.”
“Mmm…”
As the elevator descended, Andreas and Maddie exchanged glances. His eyes reflected exhaustion, frustration still lingering in his expression. Maddie, on the other hand, looked embarrassed—like she wanted to say something but didn’t know how. The moment their eyes met, both quickly looked away as the elevator doors slid open.
Stepping out, they walked through the building’s corridors until they reached the main entrance. Once outside, they moved along the floating platforms.
Above them, the city stretched across multiple layers of hovering structures and aerial highways, where vehicles zipped past, leaving glowing trails in the air.
As they made their way toward NEON BITE, Andreas let out a sharp breath and glanced at Dedrick impatiently.
“How much farther?” he asked, irritation creeping back into his voice.
Dedrick didn’t even bother turning around. Hands in his pockets, he kept walking.
“We’ve barely been walking for five minutes. Just hold on a little longer.”
Andreas huffed but didn’t argue. He simply shoved his hands into his pockets and kept moving, feeling his hunger slowly catching up to him.