I went over to the shelf where a small, chubby man stood, his black jacket being stretched over his fat body. He looked at me with a tired, awkward look.
“Can I help you?” he asked. As he spoke, he showed his buck teeth.
“Erm,” I muttered, approaching the man defiantly, not looking at him, “Isn't there anything here to watch the sky?” I asked.
“No, I'm sorry, lad,” the man answered, “Except... Wait!” He reached down, and it seemed very hard for him to do, as he did it slowly. You could almost heard his joints exploding under the weight that they needed to stand. He then straightened, aching his back with his right hand, with a pair of binoculars in his other hand. He put it down gently on the shelf. “A person forgot it here, a few days ago. Is this what you want?” he asked.
“Perfect!” I exclaimed, “How much?”
“I'm not a real professional in these things,” he muttered, “But I would say... one hundred and fifty euros?”
“That much?!”
“Well, it's actually quite good, if you ask me.”
I rolled my eyes, reaching into my pocket. I shuffled with the keys, and I took out the batch of money. I counted exactly one hundred and fifty, and I handed it over to the man. He seemed astonished, and he checked it. I didn't have time to argue about prices. My time was important. He put it in his pocket, and I took the binoculars.
“Good day, sir,” he granted me, as I walked out of the store with the binoculars. I took the lace of the contraption, and I put it around my neck. It was tight, but it didn't matter. I peered through the binoculars. They zoomed quite well, actually. I dropped them against my chest, as I made sure my pockets were closed and that the gun didn't show. I walked over to the hotel again, and entered quickly. I padded up the stairs. My shaking, uneasy grip on the handle that led up the stairs showed that I wasn't sure that this would work. I pushed myself to step higher. I managed to get to the last floor, and I went out onto the rooftop. The wind blew my black hair. I liked the feeling of wind on my body. It had been so long since I didn't feel it. I almost forgot how it was. I looked around, and noticed I was at the same height as most buildings around me. I stepped warily over to the edge of the building, and looked down. I quickly took my body back. It was a long way to fall. I sighed, and I thought it was time to get to work.
I sat on the ground, and I took the pair of binoculars to my eyes. I had a hard time to adjust it correctly to my eyesight, but otherwise, it was fine, except for the few spots it had on the lens, which I had a hard time wiping off with my spit.
I scanned the skies. I could guess what time it was, by the position of the sun. I wasn't really sure, because I had lost the track of the date, closed inside that chamber for a long time. It was approximately 7:00 AM. I had to be determined, to sit for hours looking for a damn hawk. It was morning so I wasn't very sleepy. It seemed like my sleeping times didn't whack up after all. I twitched as I spotted something, but I found out a few seconds that it was just an ordinary volatile. I sighed again, leaning my head on my hand to hold it from falling. Now I understood why bird watching was so boring. If there were no birds, then what use?
I felt a long time pass, as I felt my eyelids getting heavier by the minute. I tried keeping my binoculars up, but they always fell out of my hand. My head slumped against my other hand, and my eyes closed completely. I was only awoken by myself, because I thought I was wasting time. But I felt very sleepy, so I took a five minute sleep every two minutes, with or without my consent. I dreamed about various things, but it seemed to concentrate on one point: my family.
I looked through the zooming lens again, in hope of having some luck and finding a hawk in the skies. I searched the endless blue, in vain. I put the binoculars down onto my lap, and I looked up at the shining star up above, rendering blind any man who would have the sanity of dropping his gaze onto it for more than five seconds. The sun indicated that it was 1:00 PM.
I shakily stood up, pushing off my hands to do so. My firm grip on the binoculars showed that I was displeased with myself, as I trotted to the door, that would lead inside the hotel. I paced quietly down the stairs to my room, which I opened, by taking out the key from my pocket, and inserting it into the keyhole, and turning it determinedly. The door creaked open as I pushed it, and I slowly walked in, tossing the key onto the table next to the bed. I turned around, and saw a sheet of paper attached to the door, saying that breakfast was served at 8:00 AM through 10:00 AM, lunch was served from 12:00 AM to 13:30 PM, and dinner was served from 19:30 PM to 21:00 PM. I smirked, took my binoculars off my neck to put them on the bed and I went out of the room again. Finally, I was going to be able to eat normally. I locked my door, and I trotted down the stairs, to the eating room of the hotel.
I sat on a table in the corner of the room, designed normally for two people. A waiter came by, and delicately put a menu on my table. I muttered a 'thanks' through my lips, and I opened the menu. The golden rims of the menu glinted in the light that came from above my head. There were lots of choices. Pasta, pizza, salad, fish, everything really. I decided to take a salad, hoping it would be big enough to satisfy my almost insatiable hunger at the time.
The same waiter came, his short black combed hair softly reflecting the light coming from the lamp above my table as he leaned closer to me. He dropped his gentle hazel green gaze on my stare. His white shirt flexed as he bent down.
“Has sir decided yet?” he asked calmly. I nodded once.
“A farmer salad would be good, thank you,” I replied quickly.

With one majestic gesture, a notebook appeared from nowhere into his right hand. I noticed that there was a long scar going from the thumb of his right hand to the inside of the and, climbing up to his ring finger. He opened the notebook calmly, pressing his thumb against his tongue to flip the pages easily. He also took out a black pen from nowhere, and noted my order.
“Anything to drink, sir?” he asked.
“Water will be fine,” I replied firmly. He nodded once, closing his notebook, and putting it in his right pocket. He took my menu, and he walked away, heading for the kitchens. I smiled weakly, waiting for my command to come. I tried to think of ways to find Jach. It wasn't easy. My only idea was bird watching, and I didn't think Jackie was absent-minded enough to actually say his real name to someone. And, anyways, if he did, to who would he say it to? It was impossible to know. My mind was confused with everything, and I lightened up as I saw the waiter come with the salad. He put it gently on the table, along with a glass bottle of fresh, cold water. I poured some of the liquid into my glass, and I sipped it. It was good to be drinking good water again. I pulled the plate with the food in front of me, and I readied my silverware.
I stabbed a leaf of lettuce, along with a bit of egg and tomato. I pushed it into my mouth, and I chewed slowly. Even the food was good. I gulped it down, sighing gently.
I finished the plate quicker than I thought it would disappear. I put the fork and knife down onto the table, and I patted my mouth with the white napkin settled neatly aside the plate. I felt satisfied of my meal. The waiter came up to me, bowing cautiously.
“Was it good, sir?” he asked.
“Perfect,” I answered.
“Excellent,” the waiter replied, taking the plate, “does sir desire anything else?” he asked.
“No, thank you,” I replied. I thought a bit, just as the waiter was turning around. “Wait, on second choice...” I muttered. He turned back to me. “I need some information,” I said quietly.
“Anything, sir,” he answered.
“Are there hawks in Madrid?” I asked. He straightened, blinking multiple times, probably thinking that it was a bizarre question. He stared into nothingness thinking.
“Not to my knowledge, sir,” he replied, “but I know someone that might give you more information on that subject.”
“And who may that be?” I asked.
“Maryn Klataye, sir.”
“And where does this person live?” I demanded.
“16th of 'tercera ley' street, sir.”
“What does 'tercera ley' mean?” I asked.
“'Third Law' I suppose, sir,” the waiter replied.
“Who is Maryn exactly?”
“She worked in an aviary before, sir. She sometimes does bird watching outside of Madrid, sir.”
“Hmm...” I thought a while, “Thank you, just what I needed,” I replied. The waiter bowed.
“I'll bring sir the receipt,” he muttered. I nodded once, and I looked at the table as the waiter walked away. Maryn Klataye, I thought. She'll be able to give me some more chances.
The waiter came back with a small piece of paper in his hand. He gently laid it onto the table, bowing again. I picked it up, and looked at it. The salad was worth 14.50 euros. I shoved a hand into my pocket, and I picked out twenty euros, and handed it over to the waiter. He nodded, and reached into his pocket, taking out a small batch of pieces. He gave me back 5.50 euros. I nodded, and I took what he gave me, to put it into my pocket, with my money. I stood up, as he walked away. I put the chair back under the table, and I headed out of the hotel.
As I stepped onto the sidewalk, I saw a bus stop not far away. I walked casually over to it, moving my arms forwards and backwards as I did so. My black hair swayed in the very faint breeze that brought cold air. I arrived at the bus stop, and I looked at the map that was showed on it. It was only a small part of Madrid. And everything was written in spanish, so I didn't understand a thing. Luckily for me, there was a cheap translation in english. But it wasn't no use. I found the street that the waiter was talking about. It was pretty far away. Abut twenty five minutes of a determined walk. I thought that it would be best that I began walking now, so I did, after I ad memorized what path I need to take to get there. As I walked away from the dark bus stop, I looked up at the sky, looking at the sun. I determined that it was approximately 1:20 PM.
My footsteps made slight thudding noises as my feet made impact with the hard, rough cement under them. The wind blew through my hair, and my marine blue shirt waved gently with it. The sky showed no signs of clouds today, meaning a day without rain. I breathed quietly as I walked, concentrated on my thoughts, on my hopes and my fears. I looked up every now and then, gazing at the tall buildings that stood defiantly against the wind, against the imposing light that the sun threw.
I saw a sign with 'tercera ley' on it, and I followed that street. The waiter said that Maryn lived in the 16th, so I passed the buildings until I came up to one with the number 16 on it. I pressed quickly on the button to open the door. A short buzz was heard, and I opened it, entering into the dimly lit hallway, leading to the lift and stairs. I looked at the mailboxes, and I checked for 'Maryn' or 'Klataye'. I found 'Klataye', and I checked the floor. Fourth floor.

I walked to the stairs, and hopped two-by-two the stairs, up to the fourth floor.
I turned my head to notice the door where 'Klataye' was marked. I hoped that this was the right door, and the right person. I gulped, and I pressed on the buzzer. I heard a loud bell inside the flat as I pushed onto the button. I waited a little while, until I heard a gentle hand pull onto the door, and open it. It slowly creaked open, and I saw a young woman peering at me, through her chestnut hair. She pushed it away with a delicate stroke of her hand, and scanned my body with her brown eyes.
“Señor?” she said, quietly. I gulped. I didn't speak spanish. I prayed again, as I remembered how to say something in spanish, from a long time ago.
“No hablar... Español, señor,” I quietly answered. The woman smiled at me.
“You speak english, then?” she asked. I nodded once.
“Yes, ma'am.”
“Well, what do you want?” she asked cautiously.
“Well,” I began, hesitantly, “I've heard from a person that you were experimented in the domain of birds. Is this true?”
The woman smiled, pulling her long hair behind her ears. “Come on in,” she said. I didn't really know how to react, but I calmly went inside. I saw that the flat was filled with statues, made of wood or stone, of birds. There were also some books lying here and there. She walked to the living room. Her tight, blue jeans were ripped at the bottom, and her marsh green sweater went well with the chair she sat on. “Have a seat,” she said, gesticulating to one of the chairs, of the same color as hers. I hesitantly sat down on it, and looked at her with a worried look. It had been a long time since I was treated so. “Well,” she began, “what did you want to ask, concerning birds?”
“Well, firstly,” I answered, “Are hawks tempted to live in this part of Madrid?” She was shocked to hear me ask that, as if there was something coincidental in what I had just said.
“Well,” she replied hesitantly, “To be honest with you, hawks don't live here.” She paused a moment. “Normally.”
“Normally?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied, “Recently, I got the chance to see a rather large hawk soaring above Madrid, but I never saw it land, even though I try to follow it with my eyes.”
I had it. I had my chance. That hawk must've been Jach. For once, I thanked Jach to be stupid. “Maryn,” I said quietly, “where did you observe this hawk?”
“I sometimes go on the rooftop on this building to observe the birds in the sky around here, and that's when I saw it. I saw it three times in this past week.”
“At what times does it appear?” I asked.
“You seem interested on this subject,” she said, “What's your name?”
“Le- er, um, Harvin, ma'am,” I replied, “Yes, I'm quite interested in this, because I wish to work with birds once I grow up.”
“Well, Harvin,” Maryn answered, “I see the hawk near four o'clock,”
“What time is it?” I asked, quickly. She raised her forearm, where a neat digital watch was attached. After a few seconds, she dropped her arm and looked at me.
“Ten to two,” she answered quietly, “But if you want to observe it, you'll have more chances to do so by getting up there a few hours in advance.”
“Well then,” I replied, “I'll go up there.”
“I'll go up there too,” Maryn replied, standing up, “You just gave me inspiration to go bird watching again.” I smirked, and I headed for the door. Maryn grabbed a pair of expensive but useful binoculars, and put the string around her neck. She pulled her hair out from under the string, and took a book full of photos inside. She went to the entrance, took her keys, and opened the door. I went out of the flat, and she followed me out, closing the door and locking it with one of the four keys she had on her chain. She shoved the pair of keys into her jean pocket, and started going up the stairs. I followed her.
“Hey, ma'am,” I said quietly, “What's that book for?”
“It's a book full of bird photos,” she answered, “I use it to try and identify the birds I watch. I also have a camera, but I won't bring it.” I nodded quickly, and I continued going up the stairs. We escalated higher, the stairs turning round and round on itself. After a while, we got to the top, and Maryn opened a door, that gave view to the rooftop. I stepped out, and she went out also, closing the door behind.
The view that we had from this building was outrageous. It was gigantic, especially that this building was one of the highest in sight. I went to the border of the rooftop, but Maryn pulled me back.
“Don't you go falling off,” she muttered.
“I'll try not to,” I said, jokingly, but I saw she was serious. I shut my mouth. I must be 'normal'. She turned around, and put the book on the ground, opening it. She held her binoculars with one hand. She pointed at the photo of a hawk. I recognized it, as the species of hawk Jach could morph into.
“That's the hawk I observed,” she announced. I nodded. It was weird thinking that you knew what the thing really was, and that the person that was helping you knew nothing about it. I sighed, and I looked into the horizon. It was a great sky today. I stared into the deep, blue blank space for a long time.

To be honest, I didn't know how much time passed, until I heard Maryn's voice call me. I turned my head to the side.
“Harvin!” Maryn exclaimed, pointing, looking through her useful binoculars, “There it is!” I quickly stepped to the side of the woman, as she leaned her binoculars so that I could take them in my hands, so that I looked into them. I pulled the contraption to my eyes. “Do you see it?”
“Yes,” I answered, “I see it very well.” I spotted the hawk. It was flying in circles, and I didn't know why. Neither did Maryn.
“It's bizarre,” she said, “Normally, hawks aren't supposed to live here. What do you think, Harvin?”
“I think I should go better take a look at its nest,” I replied, smirking, “Once it lands, I'll find the building and see by myself.”
“I'll go with you,” Maryn announced.
“I can do it alone,” I answered, “Anyways, I'll give you the information I will get once I come back, okay?” I tried to convince her. She could not know that this wasn't any ordinary hawk. It was a stupid one, that was for sure. “Hey,” I muttered, “It's landing.”
“Let me see!” Maryn exclaimed, snatching the binoculars from my hands, surprising me. She put the binoculars to her eyes. “Hey, that's funny,” she said, “It's landing on a restaurant rooftop. Probably to get some thrown out food, or some rodents crawling in the alleys.”
“To get some food...” I repeated slowly. “Where is this restaurant?” I asked, turning my head to Maryn.
“It's the restaurant 'Hablar' in 'señor de oro' street. But I wonder why this bird of prey contents itself with trash food or small critters... Especially in cities.”
“Maybe it's stupid,” I replied, mentally laughing. “I'll go to that restaurant, as quickly as I can.”
“Normally, it stays there for quite a while. If you run, you'll be able to observe it. But you need to go quickly.” I nodded, and I darted back into the building. I jumped the stairs every four steps, and I dashed out of the building, appearing on the gray sidewalks. A sudden gust of wind destabilized me, and I almost fell. I went back on my two feet, and I started running in the direction of the restaurant.
I ran past multiple people who were walking, almost bumping into them. I quickly pulled my shirt down, making sure that the gun was hidden behind it. I continued running, keeping a deep and stable breathing rhythm. I used my arms to run faster. At one point, when I had the choice to turn or to go straight forwards, I hesitated for a while. I had to concentrate myself to remember that I had to turn to get there. A while after, not far away, I saw a road with a blue sign with 'señor de oro' marked on it. I went down that street, almost bumping into a woman on the way. I saw the restaurant 'Hablar', and I headed for it. I stopped right in front of it. I saw two alleys on the sides of the restaurant. I took the left one, and quietly crept into it.
It was dirty, damp, and stinky. Garbage bags almost filled the tight passage, and the walls seemed to be rotting away. I thought that the restaurant garbages would be behind the restaurant, and I was right. I turned when I had to, to see two green garbages, with food spread out. I looked up into the sky, to catch a glimpse of the bird I wanted. I hid behind a wall, and I waited for its next descent, which wasn't very long.
The hawk swooped down, flapping at the end of the spear it had created in the wind, to slow down. It quickly changed. Its head feathers became hair, and its wings became arms. The beak melded into a nose, leaving place for a mouth that appeared under the bird's throat, moving up slightly in the middle of the transformation. The feathers slunk back into the boy's skin. Jach wasn't as stupid as I thought. He had taken off his clothes to not be noticed too much in the sky. I blinked multiple times, and turned away.
I silently reached for the gun behind me, stuck in my trousers. I made sure it was locked and loaded. I gulped once, and I stepped out of where I was, aiming the gun into the alley.
“Don't move Ja-” I stopped myself. He wasn't there. I frowned. He couldn't of transformed back so quickly. Where did he go? I thought. He can't be far.
And I was right. He wasn't far. A hand tightly gripped on my hand that was holding the gun, knocking the weapon out of my grasp. My hand then got pulled behind my back, along with my second hand. He only had to use one arm to block my two arms, and he slid his second hand to my throat, clenching it quickly.
“So, Leorn,” he muttered, “Tried to get me again?” His voice had changed. I felt a tone of fury in it. It had also changed from living like trash the past days. I gulped again.
“How did you?!” I asked quickly, trying to breathe calmly.
“You aren't as sneeky as you were before,” Jach replied, “Or else I just got more observant.”
“Your still as stupid as you were before, though,” I coughed. His grip tightened on my neck.
“I'll make you remember that you're the one with the most risk of getting killed here, Leorn,” Jach hissed.
“Try me,” I retorted. I changed into my canine form. Since the anatomy was different, his hand slipped off of my throat, and I immediately pounced away, changing completely into my coyote form. It was harder than usual. I hadn't used it for days. The claws slowly sprouted out of my nails, as my face lengthened, and as my ears pricked. My tail went bushy, and my chest expanded. I growled at the other kuijin.

“You're going to ave to chase me to catch me!” Jach exclaimed. I transformed back into my human form, which was way easier. I coughed, trying to get my canine vocal cords back into human, as I glared at him.
“If I had to chase you, Jach, I would've already bitten your legs. I'm not here to hurt you,” I said quietly.
“Don't take me for a total nuisance, Leorn!” Jach retorted, “If you aren't here to hurt me, why take a gun?!”
“Because I knew you changed, Jach, since the last time we met,” I explained.
“Oh, hell I did! I totally loathe you now! What are you doing here?!” he asked aggressively.
“I'm here to help you,” I replied.
“Heck you are!”
“Yes, in fact, I am,” I insisted, gulping once, “I knew you were here, and I wanted to help you, to try and excuse myself for what happened before.”
“Well, it ain't going to happen, Leorn!” Jach retorted, “Because of you, I have to live unsheltered, and eat trash for the rest of my life!”
“And I'm offering you a chance to stop that, Jach, and you're refusing it?” I asked.
“How do I know you're not trying to capture me again?!” Jach asked.
“Look, Jach,” I replied calmly, looking down. I blinked, and looked back up. “I'll explain once you put your damn clothes back on.”
Jach frowned, and turned around. He picked up a dirty pair of ripped dark green trousers from the ground, and slipped it on his bare skin. He then pciked up a dirty white shirt, so dirty that it looked brown instead of white. He pulled it over his head, and turned to me, as he put on his black tennis shoes. While he was getting clothed, I picked up the gun.
“Put that down, if you want to talk,” Jach mentioned. I dropped the gun, letting it thud on the earth.
“Okay, I'll explain, Jach,” I said calmly, “I was hired by those men. They said that if I brought you to them, I would get to be free, to see my family again. They lied.”
“And why would they want me?” Jach asked.
“To do experiments,” I replied honestly, “I'm sorry.”
“Sorry doesn't mean much to me these days, Leorn,” Jach snapped, “I can't trust you anymore.”
“So you refuse the invitation that I'm giving you to try and get a new life again?” I asked. Jach's face darkened. He thought. He turned around, and started walking in circles. He then lifted his head.
“You ain't buying me, Leorn,” Jach answered, “How can I know that you're not lying in the first place? This could be some big thing to set me up.”
“Then there's no deal?” I asked.
“Why did you bring the gun?” he asked.
“Because I knew the first thing you would do is attack me. I needed to feel safe, Jach. Please let me help you, to try and fix the error I did before. I pity you now, Jach.”
“I don't need pity from a loathsome bastard!” Jach hissed.
“But you do need help, and I'm the only one who can give it to you.”
“I don't need any of your help!” Jach snapped, “I'm heading for Portugal, where I have family with who I'm sure to get help!”
I had to admit, I didn't expect that. I didn't ave any other argument to convince him. I couldn't convince him. He really despised me.
“Then let me at least give you shelter and food for your last day, okay?” I muttered. Jach frowned at me. He glared at me. He turned around.
“One day, no more,” he replied.
“Thank you, Jach,” I answered, leaning down, and picking up the gun that I had previously dropped. I shoved it in the back of my pants. “Follow me.” I turned around, and I headed for the streets. I was relieved to see that e was following me. I looked straight forwards. “It might take some time, the hotel's not very close.”
“Mh,” Jach mumbled, “How did you know where I was?”
“The people who hired me traced one of your telephonic conversations. They talked about it to me, and I managed to escape the same day,” I lied.
“Damn,” Jach muttered, “So they know I'm here?”
“Right, and so that means I'm also giving you protection for this day, so that you will be able to depart tomorrow without being troubled,” I replied. Jach stood silent for a moment.
“Thanks, Leorn,” he muttered.
“The least I can do, Jach,” I answered. Damn, he's stupid, I thought. We went out into the streets, and Jach lifted his hand to stop the sunlight from blinding him. A cold breeze shook my hair, and I continued walking. I breathed calmly, trying not to think that I was actually taking an innocent person to it's death. Again.

We both walked silently side by side. It felt weird walking near a person who was ready to kill you two minutes ago. But, Jach should feel the same way, walking next to a kid who held up a gun to him a few minutes ago too. I sighed, and I looked where I was walking. I saw a few passengers look at Jach weirdly, but they kept walking. I wondered if I needed to go to Maryn, to tell her some fake information. I then thought that no, it would be a bad decision, because then it would be suspicious for both Maryn and Jach.
It was a long time before we arrived at the hotel. I pushed onto the door, leading Jach in, and I closed it behind him. The man behind the shelf eyed me, but went back to work with the other person he was talking to at the moment, and I walked calmly up the stairs, followed closely by Jach.
“How did you manage to afford a flat in this place?” Jach asked.
“Stealing from a rich secret society can be good before traveling,” I replied, opening the door to my flat with my keys. A faint click emanated from the door, and I pushed it open. Jach went in first.
“Whoa,” he said, amazed, “How much money did this cost?”
“You don't want to know,” I answered, breathing in deeply, and closing the door behind me, “Go take a shower first. There's a bathroom back there. I'll look in the closets for some new clothes.” Jach nodded once, and went into the bathroom. He cosed the door behind him. I hoped that he wouldn't try to escape. I heard water begin to flow, but that didn't comfort me. I knew that people could just turn on the water, to fake that they were in the shower. It's what I would do if I needed to escape, at least. But Jach wasn't very keen with the intelligent thinking, so I didn't need to worry.
I opened a closet, to see that there was nothing in it. I then opened the others, and in the last one, I found a nice black suit. It might be a little big for him, but at least he ad some nice clothing to get out with. I took the clothes out, and laid them onto the bed. I casted a glance at the paper on the table. I quickly grabbed it, opening it in my hand. I turned my head to the bathroom.
“Hey, Jach,” I yelled, to get past the closed door and the running water.
“Yeah?” he yelled back.
“I'm going to go reserve a table for dinner,” I lied, “It might take some time.”
“Okay,” Jach answered. I gulped, and I left the room, closing the door behind me. I walked down the stairs, and trotted to the man behind the shelf. I looked up at him, and he pushed his blond hair out of his vision.
“Yes, señor?” he asked.
“Um, may I use the phone?” I asked. He pointed down the hall.
“Go down the hall, señor, then turn left. Private cabins in there, señor,” he explained, gesturing his hand frantically. I nodded, and paced down the hall. I turned left, and, as the man had explained, there were five telephonic cabins. At least they were good in privacy. I opened one, and I closed the door firmly behind me. I noticed that it wasn't even a paying phone. But then I understood that it was normal, because I thought it was reserved to people who paid their rooms.
I picked up the phone, and I looked at the paper. I pushed the coordinate numbers, checked it, and then I pressed on 'call'. After a few seconds, the phone started beeping. I didn't have to wait long. A small clank was heard from the phone, and a female voice answered.
“Hello?” it said quietly.
“It's Leorn,” I replied.
“Ah,” the female voice answered, taking its normal voice, “you wish to hear James?”
“Exactly,” I answered, “ASAP.”
“Just wait a moment, please,” the woman replied. While the wait, I thought why a secret society had a telephone number. I wondered if a person accidentally called it, what would happen? Especially a prank call. That would be so funny. Or maybe they fake that there's only one person if they don't know the person who is talking. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the man I wanted to murder.
“Leorn,” he said, the telephone coincidentally cracking, “Do you have him?”
“Jach's up in my room,” I replied, “You must come quick, because he's going to leave for Portugal tomorrow.”
“Portugal? Why?” James asked.
“He says he has family that will be able to help him,” I replied, “But this doesn't concern them. Right?”
“Yes, exactly, nothing will happen to them,” he answered, “Look, Leorn. Tomorrow, when he departs, bring him outside Madrid, in the north-western forest, okay?”
“Why?” I asked.
“We'll be there. Bring him into the forest, saying that this will be the last time you see him,” James explained.
“All right. Then you'll pop up?”
“And we'll tranquilize him,” James explained.
“Sounds fine to me,” I replied, “And then?”
“And then you're free,” James said.
“You remembered,” I said quietly, “Right. Tomorrow. North-western forest. Pop up. Shoot down. Seems all right to me.”
“Simple but efficient plan,” James commented.

“Yes,” I answered, “We'll meet there.” I hung up. I let out a great sigh, and I went out of the cabin. I walked up to my room again, and I opened it by pushing the door with one hand. It slowly opened, even though I thought I had put it some strength into my push. I looked up, and saw Jach, clothed in the suit that I had laid on the bed.
“How do I look?” he asked.
“Good enough,” I replied. “Jach,” I continued, “I'm going to accompany you to the forest in the north-west of Madrid, tomorrow morning.”
“Why?” Jach asked, lifting one eyebrow.
“Because since 'they' know that you are here, 'they''re going to be patrolling the whole city tomorrow. I'll be able to get you through without being seen, by taking the shortcuts and dark alleys,” I explained.
“Ah,” Jach answered, “Okay.” He looked down at the ground, fiddling with his shoes. He sighed, and looked up. “What time is it?” I pointed to the clock on the table. He quickly turned his head, and looked at the time. “Ah, 6:30 PM.”
“And dinner is at 7:30 PM,” I explained. He looked tiredly at me, then looked away.
“Leorn,” he said quietly, sitting on the bed. He bounced up and down a few times, because of the extra 'cushiony' effect of the mattress under. “Why are you so determined to help me?”
“Because I find it that it's the best thing I could do,” I replied. In that sentence, I consciously put two meanings. The first one, was a lie, thinking that it was the best thing I could do for Jach. The second, was the truth, because I found that giving Jach in exchange of my freedom was the best thing I could do.
“Hm,” Jach muttered as an answer.
I sighed, but I stayed standing up. Jach sighed, and he laid himself down on the bed, putting his arms behind his head.
“I never thought the person that was about to kill me once would help me so much,” Jach mentioned.
“You know what?” I asked, sarcastically, “Neither did I. But I just thought I needed to apologize in some way or the other.”
Jach smirked. “Yeah, I guess,” he muttered.
“Hey, by the way-” I began, turning my head to lay my piercing stare in his, “Do you know where your father is?”
“Don't talk about him,” Jach hissed, “I already have enough problems on my mind.”
“Sorry,” I replied quickly. I walked over to the small table next to the bed, and I searched my pockets. I took out the money that I had left, and I delicately posed it onto the table. I took out my gun, and I uncharged it. I took the unused magazine, and I put it into my pocket. I wasn't taking any chances. I took the key out, and I dropped it onto the gun. It did a small tingling noise as it hit the gun, and then a rubbing noise as it fell off the gun onto the table, where it tingled again. I turned to Jach, who had closed his eyes. I shook my head, and went back to my own thoughts.
I remembered James. How he went into the cell. How he talked to me. How he took that sort of bottle, and popped a pill into his mouth. What was that bottle anyways? I didn't know. But he seemed to use it when he was angry, or tensed. I tried to figure out what it was. I tried to remember what was written on the small bottle.
The thought about time made me go out of my thoughts. I looked at the clock, and I saw what time it was. 7:30 PM. I stood up from the bed, and I nudged Jach, who instantly opened his eyes. He looked at me softly.
“Time to eat,” I said quietly. He smirked, and then sat up. I had to pull myself back before he hit his head against mine as he sat up. He hopped onto the ground, and I headed to the door, followed by him. I then remembered to get the keys, and I turned around to fetch them. My long fingers coiled around the pair of keys, and I grabbed the money I had put on the table, shoving it in my pocket afterwards, and I walked back to where Jach stood. I opened the door, letting him out, and then I closed it behind me, locking it with the key. Jach and I quietly walked down the stairs, and, arriving at the bottom, we headed for the eating room.
I looked for a place with two seats, and I took the one I had previously taken. Luckily, no one was there. I sat on my chair, and Jach sat on his. He looked at me for a long time.
“There's a nice smell floating in the air,” he commented.
“And I thought I was the one with the good sense of odor,” I replied.
The waiter I had previously met walked up to us, bowing down. He set two menus on the table, and walked away, his pitch black hair losing its reflection as he stepped out of the light that hanged above our heads. Jach first opened his menu, and I opened mine. It wasn't any different than last time. I looked at the 'Meat' section. After I had chosen my order, I put down the menu, and I noticed that Jach had already chosen a while ago, since he was looking at me with a famished look. I rolled my eyes. The waiter came back a few instances later.
“Have we chosen yet?” he asked, leaning down gently.
“Yes,” I answered quietly, “I'll take some ribs.”
“Fries with that, sir?” he asked.
“No, thank you. Ribs only,” I replied.
“Water with that, sir?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you,” I replied calmly, eying Jach. I hoped that Jach's order wasn't extravagant.
“And for sir?” the waiter asked, turning to Jach.

“I'll have a salad. And salmon. With the optional sauce, thank you,” Jach answered casually. It wasn't extravagant, but he was about to play with my limits. I took a deep breath, calming down, trying to act 'nice', until I had the moment when I would be able to give him to James. The waiter nodded once, noting everything down on his small notebook. He took our menus, and turned away, walking to the kitchens. I looked at Jach. He lifted one eyebrow at me.
“What?” he asked, “I've been starved!”
“I've also been starved, mind you, and I think more than you, but at least I make an effort to seem normal,” I replied.
“Have you been eating barely one hundred and fifty grams of food every three days?” he asked.
“No, in fact, I've been eating less than one hundred grams of food each week,” I answered.
“I don't believe you,” Jach replied.
“I'm not going to insist,” I replied.
We stood there, silent. A few minutes later, the waiter arrived with a glass bottle of cold water. I served Jach first, then I poured the transparent liquid into my glass. I tipped my glass into my mouth, and I gulped the water down, because it was a tad too cold for my teeth to support it. Jach chugged the whole thing down. I prayed that he wasn't going to eat like a certain pink-skinned fat mammal with a curly tail.
He did. After that the waiter had brought us our meals, we immediately started eating. Jach lunged onto the salad first, taking handfuls of food in his fork, and shoving it into his mouth, one forkful after the other, as I ate my ribs, calmly cutting each part of meat off the bone, and carving out the rest, using my fork and knife. I stabbed the meat, and I delicately pulled the hot food into my mouth, as Jach began snarfing his salmon, along with the sauce that the waiter had brought as a supplement. When I finished my meal, he had finished his two, and was forcefully gulping down his glass of water again. I sighed, rolling my eyes, and I gently drunk the rest of the water that stood in my glass.
“Well,” I said calmly, “Is our walking stomach here satisfied?”
“Sure is,” Jach answered, almost slamming his glass down onto the table. At least he had the delicacy to put his hand over his mouth as he almost belched. “when's dessert?” he asked.
I lifted my palm to meet my face. I shook my head in my hand. “Just kidding,” he mentioned, smiling.
“I sure hope so,” I replied, trying to keep my calm. I longed for tomorrow. I really did. The waiter came back to our table. It seemed that there was one waiter assigned for each table, because the waiter always came back when we needed him.
“How was the meal?” he asked, leaning slightly.
“Excellent,” I replied. He smiled at me, and took the plates and empty bottle. I sighed as he walked away, looking at Jach. He didn't look back at me. He was too busy trying to take out a piece of salad stuck between his teeth. I shook my head in humiliation for the guy. The waiter came back with the receipt. My heart skipped as I saw the difference between the price of today's lunch and tonight's dinner. The ribs cost 19,00, the salad cost 13,50, the salmon cost 16,00, and the sauce cost 1,50, making a total of 50,00 for two people. But the price seemed more impressive, as it was underlined, and circled. I mumbled something incomprehensible under my breath as I took out the money from my pocket. I put down 50,00 euros on the table, and the waiter gladly took it in his hands. I lifted my eyebrows at Jach, and we both stood up, as the waiter walked away. I was about to leave the room, when the waiter turned around, and walked towards me. I turned my head to look at him.
“Did my information help sir?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered, “Thank you very much...” I looked at the small card that was hanging from the side of his white suit, “Salomon,” I completed my sentence. He smiled at me, and bowed, turning away and walking away. I also turned away, and headed for the stairs.
“What information?” Jach asked, as we started going up the stairs. I didn't answer for a moment, but then I looked down at Jach.
“On a place not far from here,” I replied. Jach didn't insist, and he followed me up to my room. I opened the door with the key, and I opened the door, by pushing on the knob, and it opened slowly. I turned on the light, and Jach and I entered the room. Jach looked at me, and I looked back at him.
“You're tired, Jach,” I said quietly, “You need some sleep for your travel to Portugal tomorrow.” Jach nodded and fell on the bed, bouncing off of it twice. He then turned onto his stomach. I turned the light off. There was enough light coming from the closed shutters and drapes so that I could recognize myself in the mirror. I looked at myself, scanning my body. I pulled my shirt over my head, and I dropped it on the ground. I looked at the upper part of my body. By comparing it to the body of a human, I now noticed how much I was different, and I understood how Haylyn noticed the differences when she fell on me when I 'visited' her. I hoped that she wasn't doing anything stupid at that present time. Like coming back to the building. That would be awful, I thought, she would get killed. But then I thought about her reaction when I would come back. I wonder what she would do. I remembered what James had said, before I attempted to escape from the building. Does she love me? I wondered, No, no, she can't. I'm a kuijin, she's a human. She can't love me. I certainly don't love her. She just helped me. We helped each other. That's all. I do not love her.
Or do I?

No, she can't. It's impossible. It's like a human falling in love with a rabbit or something. And that's totally insane. And I certainly can't, either. It would be like a rabbit falling in love with a human.
I opened the door to the bathroom. I dashed in, and I gently put my hands on the sink. I quickly lifted one to turn on the faucet, letting fresh water pour from it. I took some water in my hands, and I splashed it against my face. I tried to breathe calmly. I need to stop thinking about that, I thought. It might confuse me at the last moment, where I wouldn't be able to turn back. Just don't think about it, Leorn.
I sighed deeply, and heavily, calming myself down. I turned off the water, and I sat on the border of the bathtub, leaning my head backwards. My breathing was unstable, and heavy. I closed my eyes gently, trying to calm myself down. I kept my eyes closed, breathing normally then. I felt tired. I just couldn't imagine my luck of finding Jach in the first day. Especially, that, a day late would've been too late. I needed to rest. It was something I merited by now. Something that I wanted.

And I got it. The next morning, I woke up, curved up inside the bathtub, my arms dangling onto the cold surface. My eyes slowly opened, and I recognized where I was. I shook my head, and I stood up, and stepped out of the bathtub, rubbing my eyes with my fists. I yawned, and I opened the bathroom door. I saw Jach lying on the bed, slightly messed up because he moved in his sleep. I looked at the clock. 5:10 AM. I picked up my shirt, and I pulled it onto my body. I looked myself in the mirror again, but I remembered that I shouldn't think of what I thought last night. I glanced at Jach, and I nudged his foot.
“Hey, Jach,” I whispered, “wake up. We need to go.”
He didn't move. Which was quite normal, when you knew him.
“Jach!” I exclaimed. He shot up, and he sat up, looking at me.
“Wha-Wh-Whatwhat?” he stuttered. I smirked.
“It's morning, time to go,” I said quietly.
“Oh yeah,” he replied, remembering, “we need to go.”
I walked over to the table, taking the gun. I gazed at the metallic surface for a while, and I loaded it with one magazine. I took the other chargers.
“Why are you taking your gun?” Jach asked.
“If ever we meet a... Problem,” I explained. I took the keys. “Let's go.”
Jach shakily stood up, using his hands to push off his knees to do so. He stabilized on his feet, and e turned his head to look at me. I nodded once, and I turned around to grab the doorknob. As I turned it, a metal squeal emanated from it, and I opened it. Jach followed me out. I locked the door with the key, and I put it into my pocket. I patted my pocket once, to make sure the keys were safely inside. Not that I thought I was going to use them again. I lifted my head to glance at Jach, as he started going down the stairs. Today, I would get my revenge. If he had just shut his mouth, he wouldn't be in this situation. And now he was going to endure what I suffered for the past, seemingly eternal days. I was going to get him back. Serves him right.
I followed him down the stairs, hurrying. He also hurried to get out the building. As we appeared on the sidewalk, there was nobody. It wasn't really 'day' yet.
“Jach, we need to go quickly, so that we have less risk of getting caught, okay?” I said, turning to him. He nodded. I started trotting down the street, heading for the north-west of the city. We passed roads and buildings, we went under turned off lamps, went through alleys... It seemed like a whole labyrinth. And say that Jach actually trusted me. Didn't we ever teach him not to trust anyone when you were a kuijin? Even trusting another kuijin was an act that was supposed to be refrained. I didn't look back at him, and I sped up my pace, jumping over thrown down garbage cans, and climbing over dead end walls. Jach followed me as good as he could, and I could see that he was slightly slower than me. I pulled my shirt over the gun to hide it correctly from the public that we might pass. We went out onto an open road, and I quickly went from tree to tree, and Jach followed me closely. I spotted a few trees in the distance.
“We're almost there,” I announced. He nodded weakly. I continued my sprint towards the forest. We soon were walking on emerald grass, swishing our arms back and forth to gain speed. We passed the beginning of the forest, and we sped by the trees, dodging sudden branches. After a while, we stopped, and we panted for breath. I looked around, hoping that James was there. I then turned to Jach.
“This is it, Jach,” I said quietly, “this is going to be my farewell.”
“Yes, Leorn,” he replied, straightening, “I'm going to go, and, hopefully, we won't meet ever again.”
“Hopefully,” I repeated, a sly smirk creeping along my lips. I saw a man step out from behind a tree. He was holding a gun. And he was pointing it at Jach. It was James himself. I snickered quietly to myself.
“Farewell, Leorn,” Jach muttered.
“Farewell,” I replied. I dashed behind him, and I accidentally bumped into James. I got up, and I quickly took out the gun from behind my pants, and I aimed it at Jach. A man behind another tree had a tranquilizer. Jach turned around, and noticed me and James.
“Leorn,” he muttered, “You... You!”

“Yes, me,” I answered coldly, “And this is the end for you.” I looked on the ground. I crouched to grab something on the ground. I casted a quick look at it, and I smirked, as I put it into my pocket, and I lifted my head to look at Jach.
“You betrayed me!” Jach exclaimed.
“And I have my reasons,” I explained. Jach wanted to yell out something, but a tranquilizing dart was shot, and it stabbed him in his neck. His eyes turned, and he flopped onto the ground, immediately put to sleep. I walked over to him, my gun still aimed. I nudged him with my foot. He didn't move. He was asleep. “There,” I said quietly, “Take the body, James, do what the hell you want to do with it, and forget me and anything related to me. It's all over.”
“You're right, Leorn,” James replied coldly, “It is all over.” I didn't like the tone in his voice. I looked up, and saw that he was pointing the gun at me now. “You aren't of any use to me now, Leorn.”
“You bastard,” I retorted. I looked at the man with the tranquilizer gun, then at Jach. I quickly lifted my weapon at the man, and I shot. The bullet hit him perfectly right in the sensitive spot of his shoulder. I rolled to Jach, and James shot at me, but missed. I grab Jach's head in my arm, and pinned my gun at his head. “Shoot me, and I kill him. You can't experiment on the dead correctly, can't ya?”
“Let the boy go, Leorn,” James replied calmly. His gun was still aimed at me determinedly.
“How could I trust you, you little prick?!” I retorted, “All this was just one damn lie!”
“Let Jach go!” James shouted. He was angry now. He stepped closer, but I shoved the gun to Jach's head. James faltered.
“You've been a pain in my tail for quite long, James,” I muttered, “And I said I would kill you.”
“If you don't let Jach go, I'm going to shoo-” he was interrupted by something. He lifted his available hand to his chest. His fingers coiled around his suit. He quickly slid his hand into his suit. He was trying to find something. I snickered quietly, as I pulled out a bottle from my pocket.
“Looking for this, James?” I asked, a sly sneer on my face. He looked at the bottle with a horrified stare.
“How did you!” he exclaimed.
“By bumping into you,” I replied casually, looking at the bottle. “You have... Heart problems, James?”
“Give that back, you puny little maggot!” James ordered, taking one step closer to me.
“You really are fragile, you poor soul,” I teased, backing away with Jach's head still clutched in my arms. James yelled out of pain, and he fell to the ground, writhing in agony. I sneered at him, with a maniacal expression. I stood up, leaving Jach on the ground. I stared wickedly at James. I grinned. I laughed. I couldn't stop laughing. “I never really thought you would end this way... But neither did you, huh? You didn't know you would be killed by one of your captives! You really are an idiot! Stupider than Jach!” I laughed again. My laughs echoed through the large forest. Birds scampered away, frightened. James stared with a weak look at me. He could barely breathe.
“Gkrr..Hrr...” he coughed.
“You're going to die,” I said quietly, leaning over him, “but I'm going to enjoy the moments as you suffer, James.” He squirmed, rising his hands to his neck, gasping for air. His white hair was dirty by rolling in the earth, and so was his suit. “That's it!” I insisted, “Squirm! Shrivel! Die!”
He coughed again. I looked at his face. A tear escaped from his eye. My sane grin turned into a straight line. I crouched to James. “Aw, is the poor man crying?” I snickered, and I smiled at James. “I never thought you had tear glands, you little bastard.” I pulled the gun to his forehead. “Now, now, I don't like seeing people cry, so I'm going to finish your pitiful life right now, hmm?”
He moaned and whimpered. He jerked his head to the side, tossing the tear he had on the cheek onto the ground. The leaf on which it fell upon became slightly darker, at the exact spot where the tear fell. “I'll take that as a yes,” I replied coldly.

I looked out of the train window, as it zoomed passed the beautiful mountain scenery. I sighed gently, leaning my head on my hand. I looked into my black bag that I had recently bought to carry my things. I cautiously casted a glance at my side, and I opened my bag, slowly so that no one would notice I was opening it. The zipper shined as the light spread over it. I reached into the bag, as I felt for what I was searching. I pulled out a gun, the same one that James had given me. I looked thoroughly into the bag, and took out an ammo charger. I carefully manipulated the magazine in my hands, as I checked how much ammo there was inside. I had lost two bullets. One had been for Weston, who's body I had checked after I shot shot James. I shook my head, and I put the gun and ammo back into the bag as quickly as I could. I put my head into my hands, as I sighed deeply.
The train started to brake. I looked out the window, and a voice crackled through the speaker.
“Lyon, terminus. We hoped you had a nice travel. We wish you a good day, ladies and gentlemen,” the voice snapped, and the speaker shut off. It was obvious tat the voice had been prerecorded. I stood up, putting the bag onto my shoulder. I saw other people start to stand up, and make their way to the exit. I followed the small crowd. The train halted, and the wheels screeched. The doors opened weakly, and I stepped out. I landed on the cement pavement, and I made my way to the exit of the station, going through multiple halls to do so. As I went out, light coming from the sun almost blinded me. It was 16:30 PM. I walked silently through the roads and streets.

My footsteps echoed within my mind, as my face darkened as I remembered what had happened throughout my recent life. I was free, just as James said, but not just as James thought. James thought he would be well and alive, experimenting on Jach. James was dead. Jach would wake in Madrid, in the hotel 'Wellun', on the double bed of room number 120. Normally, he would be awake by now, wondering what had happened. But now that I was free, I didn't know what to do. I took the same path, which gave me nostalgic thoughts. The path that I took to get back to my old house from school, before anything of this happened. I had normally expected my family after I gave Jach, but now that I didn't know where they were, and they didn't know where I was, I could do nothing. I thought of my old home. I weeped inside my mind. It wasn't that far away physically, but mentally, it was where I would never be able to reach, even if I took seven of my lives. I walked down the path, darkened by the distant memories, my mind elsewhere. I almost bumped into multiple people. I quickly arrived at the suburbs, but I didn't lift my head. I walked until I was at my former home. I stepped up, and I lifted my head to the tall white building. I felt a tear escape my eyes. There weren't the yellow bits of tape on the windows and doors anymore, and the window that I broke was new. Someone had bought it. I don't know why, but I lifted one hand to wipe the tear from crawling onto my cheek. I advanced towards the building, lost in my thoughts. I couldn't stop myself from doing it.
I slowly put my hand on the doorknob. My long fingers coiled around the metal object, and I tried to turn it. It was stuck. It was locked. What was I thinking. I couldn't try to get back to my past. I quickly took one step back. What was done was done, and I couldn't do anything about it. I turned around, and walked away, using the sidewalk. A car passed by me, but didn't do anything more. Life was back to normal. Well, not normal, I thought, I don't have any home, nor any way to identify myself. I don't exist. Harvin Delis was well alive, but Leorn Taltesier was forever gone.
My face darkened as I thought that. My marine blue shirt swayed along with my quick hasty movements, and my pitch black hair flowed with the wind that was present around me. My bag hit my back as my gestures pushed it away, then pulled it back coordinately. I gulped sadly once. I didn't know what to do. My life had ended so abruptly. Now that I was away from my family, and that neither or they they knew where each other were, I didn't know how to continue. I didn't hope for Serella, Jakalt, mother and Haylyn anymore. My best wish that I had at the moment was that they weren't trying to find me. They needed to forget me. Forever. Even if Haylyn loved me, as James supposed, I thought, she needs to forget me. I need to forget her. I was alone on the world now, and I needed to think to know what I was going to do next. I was Harvin Delis, aged 16. I was old enough to get a part-time job, to get some extra money. I thought about Freddie's inn. It was true tat I didn't resemble anything I was about a month ago. I was skinnier, and my hair was messy. I had a tired look, and my coyote features had changed, because I stayed in my human form for so long. I looked more 'normal'. I had to take my chance.
I swiftly turned around, and I headed for Freddie's inn. I lengthened my stride, and I quickened my pace. My hair fell down on my face, but I didn't care, and I kept going forwards.
Shortly after that, I appeared in front of Freddie's inn. I took a deep breath, lifting my head, looking up. I didn't know what to say. 'Hey there, I would like to work here,' sounded a bit abrupt, and if I turned around the hole, I wasn't going to get anywhere. I sighed, trying to calm myself. I gazed at the tall building, which hadn't changed since last time I came. I remembered what happened here. It was here where I got shot down, and taken to the building. I shook my head, wiping away those dark thoughts. But then I remembered something. My eyes widened as I thought of it.
“If you're not going to answer any of my questions, I might as well wait until I have the perfect time to kill you and get out of here myself,” I replied coldly.
“My men will find you sooner or later, and annihilate you,” James retorted, as coldly as ever. The sentence repeated itself in my mind. James' hired men knew that I killed James by now. I started breathing quickly. His men were probably already looking for me. I needed to hide. And quickly, or else I would get killed myself. I lifted my head.
I pushed the door open. The warmth inside enveloped me as I entered. I looked around, noticing nothing had changed, and then I turned my head to the man my father knew as a friend. He lifted his head, pushing his ginger hair out of his side. E was cleaning his glasses. It was him. He looked at me, frowning, but then shook his head, putting his glasses on his nose, and putting his hands on his shelf.
“What may I do for you, sir?” Freddie asked. I gulped once. Even though I had changed physically, I hoped that my voice had changed also.
“Um,” I began, hesitantly, “I'm looking for a part-time job,” I explained, “And I thought this would be the ideal place to begin with.” Freddie looked at me, lifting his eyebrow.

“I guess I do need some help,” he said quietly, “I ain't getting any younger, you see?” he explained, smiling. I laughed quietly. “Well, what's your name?”
“Harvin,” I replied quickly, “Harvin Delis.”
“Well then, Harvin,” Freddie began, “What can you do?”
“Well,” I explained, faltering slightly, then looking up at him, “I can cook, clean and I'm determined.”
“Hm,” Freddie answered, looking up, lifting his hand to his chin, “can I have a trial, to see what you can manage?”
I laughed politely. “Sure, sir,” I replied.
“Call me Freddie,” he answered quietly.
“Oh, sorry, Freddie,” I replied quickly.
“Well, let's see...” Freddie thought a while, then snapped, and pointed at me, dropping his brown gaze in my stare, “I'll pay you fifteen euros for two days, and if I see that you're good, I'll raise that up to twenty per day, okay?”
“I'm fine with that,” I answered calmly. “What days do I work on?”
“Any day you want, except Sundays.”
“May I rent a room, then?” I asked.
“Sure,” Freddie replied, “I just need your identity card.”
“How much will I have to pay?” I asked.
“I'm going to be nice,” Freddie answered, “and I'm going to let you here in exchange of your work, okay?”
“All right!” I exclaimed, plunging my hand into my bag. I rummaged through the things, bumping into the gun twice. I then felt the plastic cover of my card, and I gripped it tightly, and I pulled it out. I looked at it, and I laid it on Freddie's shelf. He picked it cautiously with his hand, and noted down my fake name on a bit of paper. He then passed me some keys. I caught them, and I checked the number. It was the same one as Freddie had given to me, when I 'was' Leorn. I looked up at him, and he had a very faint sad expression on his face, but he didn't say anything, and he didn't look at me.
“Freddie?” I asked. He looked slowly up at me. “What's wrong?”
“Oh, nothing,” Freddie answered, gesticulating at me, “just go into that room, and see if it's the one you want.” After a short pause, I nodded once, smiling at him, and I stepped up the stairs. I appeared in the dimly lit hallway, and I went up to the door I had previously went to. I took the keys, and turned them inside the door. It creaked open, and I peered inside. Everything was the same as before. Only the windows had changed, to hide the fact that it was shot through to tranquilize me. I sighed, and I stepped inside, putting the bag down on the ground. I looked at the bed, and I laid one hand on it. I pushed on it, and smirked slightly, turning around, heading for the door. I opened it, and I locked it behind me.
As I stepped into the hall again, locking the door behind me, I remembered the people that I had last seen. Are they still here? I wondered. Probably not, after what happened.
I stepped down the stairs, and walked to the shelf. I nodded once, in sign of a thanks to Freddie. He smiled back at me. It felt weird to be smiled at again. It had been the first time in so long. At least, not a fake smile. I checked the time. It was 17:15 PM. I looked up at Freddie.
“Okay, so what do I do, Freddie?” I asked.
“Well,” he muttered, turning to me, “I guess you can begin by cleaning those tables. The sponge and and chemical product are in that closet, as well as a bucket that you'll fill with water and the chemical product, and a wiper you'll use to dry off the tables.” I nodded once, and headed to the closet he steadily pointed at. I opened it, and a mop almost fell on me. I grabbed it with my hand before it fell on my face, and I pushed it away. I grabbed the bucket and chemical product, along with the sponge and wiper. I walked into the kitchens, to fill the bucket with some water. I poured a little portion of the chemical product inside the water, and I mixed it with the sponge. I took the chemical liquid, and I put it back into the closet. I grabbed the heavy bucket, sponge and wiper, and I treaded along the wooden floor, up to the first table. I applied some of the water onto the sponge by plunging it inside the bucket, and I squeezed most of the water out of the sponge, to keep it from dripping everywhere, and I started cleaning the table, by wiping with the sponge. It was faster than I thought it would be. I then took the wiper, and I dried the table with it. At the end, it was sparkling clean. I turned around, and noticed there were eight more tables to go. I sighed, and I continued my work.
When I was finishing the last table, I casted a glance at the clock. It was 18:00 PM. My arms were aching, and my wound painfully itched. But I tried not to show it, and I took out the water from the bucket, and I put everything back into the closet where I found it in the first place, almost taking the mop in my face again. I closed the door, and I turned around to Freddie. He looked up, then scanned the tables from his shelf. He raised his eyebrows, and nodded.
“Nice work there, Harvin,” he said quietly, “but not yet done. Customers are going to start coming in one hour. Take out the pots and pans in the kitchen.” I nodded quickly, and turned away to the kitchens. I heard Freddie yell that they were in the cupboard next to the heat. I paced to the heat, and I crouched to open the cupboard next to it. I saw many pots and pans. I took each of them out, and I posed them delicately on the table near the other side of the kitchen. I then closed the cupboard, and I went out of the kitchens, to go to Freddie. He nodded once, and I did the same.
“Okay, Harvin,” he said quietly, “you'll be at my spot to greet the customers. Go to them to ask how many places they need.

Then lead them to a corresponding table. Then, come back here, and take the menus just under, right here,” he explained slowly, pointing under him, “after you did that, you wait until they seem to be okay, and you go to their table, along with this notebook and pen here, to write down their orders. Then, pick up the menus and put them back to their normal place, and give me what they ordered, because I'll be in the kitchen cooking. Once they finished eating, propose them a dessert, then they can answer yes or no. If no, calculate the pay, and give it to them casually. If yes, go to me and say what they want. Then calculate the pay. Understand?”
“Up to here,” I answered quickly, “everything is completely arranged in my mind.”
“Good,” Freddie answered, walking to the kitchens. I went up to his place, and I put my hands on the smooth surface of the shelf. Behind me, were many bottles of different liquids, such as alcohol and soda, but also water. Beneath the shelf was a cupboard, which I opened, to see the menus. I closed it, and I glanced at the cash machine. I smirked, and I turned away, waiting for the first customers. I had to remember to be polite, and to be like a servant, like I had been to James for so long. I hoped that my aggressive instinct that I had developed while I was with James wouldn't come up. I also hoped that James' men wouldn't come in here. I hoped to dear God that that wouldn't happen. Not that I believed in him, but it comforted me. If bullets flew, ahem... would become real. Especially that I didn't have my weapon on me at the moment. I gulped hesitantly, and I waited casually for the customers to arrive.
My long fingers tapped delicately on the shelf as I waited, the consecutive taps on the shining wood comforting me. I breathed in, and closed my eyes, thinking how I had changed throughout the time. It was quite coincidental that wen I was thinking about time, it was time that the first customers arrived. As the front door clicked open, I snapped out of my thoughts, and I looked at the newcomers.
It seemed like a couple. A slim man with a lean face and trimmed beard, wearing a maroon colored shirt and jeans entered, as well as a short woman with hair the same color as the man's, wearing a tight blue and white shirt, as well as a pair of white, ample pants. They both entered discreetly, looking around the restaurant before casting a glance at me. I stepped out from behind the shelf, giving them a welcoming smile.
“Hello,” I welcomed them quietly. They both turned to each other, muttering something of me being a new boy working for Freddie, and then the man turned to me.
“Hello, table for two, please,” the man ordered. I nodded quickly, glancing at my right, noticing a small round table. I showed them the table, and they nodded, and headed for the table. I went back to the shelf, and I took out two menus, and went back to the table and handed the menus over to the young people. The smiled thankfully at me, and opened their menus as I turned around, and headed back behind the shelf. I grabbed the notebook and pen Freddie had pointed out to me, and I glanced at the two. They were still talking with each other, deciding on what meat dish should the man take, hoping it wasn't too greasy. I rolled my eyes, and waited a bit, looking at my reflection through the shelf.
I looked up, and noticed that the young couple had chosen what they wanted. I cleared my throat, and I walked over to the two. I magically took out the notebook from nowhere, imitating the gestures the waiter had back in Madrid. I snapped the pen quickly out of my sleeve, and I pinned it down onto the paper, looking up at them. One lifted one eyebrow at the other.
“Your order, ma'am?” I asked.
“Steak, please,” she answered. I wrote it down onto the paper, and turned to the man.
“And ribs,” the man replied. I nodded quickly, and wrote it down.
“What drink?” I asked. The man looked at the woman, lifting one eyebrow. She shrugged, and he tilted his head to me.
“We'll have a quarter of Beaujolais,” he announced briefly. I nodded, and wrote it down on the notebook.
“Anything else?” I asked.
“No, thank you,” the woman answered, smiling at me. I bowed quickly, and I headed for the kitchens. I ripped out the piece of paper where I wrote the orders down. Freddie looked at me from his kitchen table, and I passed him the paper.
“First customers,” I said quietly.
“Right,” Freddie answered quickly, “well, let's get to work.” He started taking a pan from the table, and turned on the heat. I left the kitchens, and I went back behind the shelf. I looked at the table where the two sat, noticing that they were talking about the economical crisis. I stopped eavesdropping, and I waited for the door to open again, to let some customers inside the inn.
I soon saw how it was hard work to keep an eye on each table at once. I had almost forgotten a table once six tables were used. I had to speed up my pace to serve and send quicker. And I had forgotten to propose a dessert to someone who left immediately after paying the receipt. I had this constant stress of forgetting something, but it seemed that I didn't forget as much as I thought I would at the end of the day.
When the last customer exited the inn, I slumped onto the shelf, panting. I was tired. I had never been this active since a long time. I heard Freddie come out of the kitchens, and a soft smell of meat tickled my nostrils, and I opened my eyes.
“You forgot the most important, Harvin,” Freddie mentioned, “Feed yourself.”
I smirked at the man, and I nodded thankfully at him, taking the plate, and dropping it gently on a table. I took the silverware aside of it, and I began eating the food. Freddie looked at me, no word coming out of his mouth.

I grabbed a glass and quickly poured water into it. I gulped down the water, and I sighed.
“Thanks,” I muttered, looking up at him from my table as I finished the food. He nodded once, and reached into his pocket, laying down fifteen euros on the shelf.
“Your pay,” he reminded me. I grabbed it, and I shoved it into my pocket. I rolled my eyes.
“I guess I'm tired,” I said quietly.
“Normal after your first day of work,” Freddie explained, “Go get some sleep, it's 9:10 PM.” I nodded once, and headed up the stairs, putting my hand into my pocket and pulling out the keys. I stood in front of my door for a small while, and I heard the wood of the floor creak at my side. I turned my head, and I noticed a small kid. I took some time to recognize him. It was the small boy who was here before I got caught and sent to the building. He looked up at me with his shining brown eyes. He was only tall enough to manage to be able to grab the bottom of my marine blue shirt with his short arms. He had messy light brown hair. He stared at me, his mouth very slightly opened.
“Aren't you supposed to be in bed?” I asked quietly. He slowly nodded, swaying his hair backwards and forwards. “Then why aren't you in bed?” He took a step back, but then took one step forwards.
“No sleep,” he squeaked. I crouched beside him. I then shook my head, standing up. What am I doing? I thought, this isn't my problem. But why is this kid awake at nine past? Well, can't hurt to ask.
I crouched next to him again, putting my hand on his shoulder. He glanced at my hand, and then looked straight into my eyes. Since he was a kid, he didn't know he was making me feel uneasy, the way he looked at me. It seemed that he could see behind my eyes, see what I had done before, see who I really was. I closed my eyes tightly for one second, and I looked back at him.
“Why don't you want to sleep?” I asked.
“Daphney scaring me,” he replied quickly, lowering his head. His face was covered in shadows.
“What is she doing to scare you?” I asked, thinking that Daphney was his sister. He looked up at me with gleaming eyes.
“Daphney says scary things,” the kid explained.
“Then tell her to stop,” I replied, not knowing what I was saying. Whenever someone asked another one to stop, it always stimulated the other one to continue. Especially at the age I thought Daphney was.
“Daphney not listen,” the boy squeaked.
“She continues?” I asked.
“Daphney always says things when Daphney is asleep, mommy and daddy say,” the kid answered quietly.
“You mean Daphney is talking in her sleep?” I asked. The youth nodded slowly, looking up at me. “What kinds of things does she say when she's asleep?” I didn't know how to control my mouth. This didn't concern me at all.
“She says 'I'll kill you all',” the toddler replied, “What does kill mean, mister?” I stared wide-eyed at the boy, shocked. I knew that I shouldn't of meddled with this. I lifted my hand from the boy's shoulder to stretch it on my face, not knowing what to answer. I glanced at him with my piercing unemotional stare, and he gazed back at me with his shining brown eyes.
A door opened quickly, at the end of the hall. I lifted my head, and I saw a young girl, about my age, with earth brown hair, and blue eyes. She looked through the hall panicking, and set her eyes onto the toddler.
“Kyle!” the girl murmured, walking out of the room, to crouch next to the boy and putting her two hands on his shoulders. She took her look off of him, and tilted her head to look at me.
“Has he been bothering you?” she asked. The boy and I shook our heads quickly. I eyed her suspiciously.
“Are you Daphney?” I asked. The girl looked up at me, lifting one eyebrow.
“No, you must be mistaken,” she answered quietly. She looked at Kyle, then back at me. “Did Kyle talk about Daphney?” she asked. I nodded.
“Yeah... She's the reason I found him out here,” I explained quietly. The girl got up, taking Kyle's hand in hers tightly.
“Daphney is what Kyle calls his imaginary friend,” she explained, “you must understand him. He can't go out very often, so he doesn't have anyone, except us...”
“Alice,” Kyle squeaked, tugging at the girl's pajamas, “Daphney says scary things.”
“Then ignore her, Kyle,” the girl answered, looking up at me, “I'm sorry,” she muttered.
“No need to, really. He's just a kid,” I replied. Alice turned away, and went back into the room she had exited previously, along with Kyle. She closed the door firmly behind her, leaving me alone in the hall. I lifted my eyebrows, and shook my head quickly, turning to my door, and opening it with the keys. I pushed it open, and closed it behind me. I turned the lock, and a small metal click resonated around the room. I pushed on the switch for light. Luminosity illuminated the whole room, and I put up my hand to stop the light from blinding me. I sighed, and lowered my hand, looking at the bed. I felt really troubled, implicating myself in this very awkward situation. At least, it was bizarre to me. I didn't know if Alice was used to it or not. I sighed quietly, walking over to my bag, and opening it. A cracked sound emanated from the zipper as I pulled on it, opening a hole inside the bag. I stretched my hand inside it, and I carefully picked out the gun. I looked at it for a while, tilting it so it shined in the light. I made sure it was armed, and I put it under my pillow. I took out the rest of the ammo, and I opened the shelf, delicately putting them inside.

I wonder what happened to my stuff, that I had left here after being caught. The radio, the second gun, the sports clothes, everything. I wonder if Freddie took it. But how would I be able to acquire it, without Freddie noticing? I'm Harvin, and I don't know who Leorn is. I only know that he was shot down by the police about a month ago. I walked towards the switch for the light, and I flicked it off. In the darkness, I noticed that I had changed in my human form. I was used to it now. I had lost my tail, and my face seemed more human-like. I needed to see if I could transform back into my coyote form. I put myself on my feet and hands, and I lifted my head, as I felt my tail sprout back. Fur appeared all over my body, and my eyes went black. My face narrowed and lengthened, leaving space for a muzzle, and aligned, pointy teeth. Claws formed out of my nails, and my hands shaped paws.
Once the transformation was finished, I turned around on myself to look at my body. I saw that it had taken more time than usual. If I didn't morph occasionally, I would lose my form. I was worried for a moment. I glanced around the room, and I padded quietly through it, my paws softening themselves onto the wooden planks. I then sharply turned around, and I dashed next to the bed. I jumped, twisted sideways and landed on the bed. I smirked to myself, and I shifted, to pull the covers onto my whole body, by using my mouth to bite the cloth and my paws to finish the job. I sighed gently under the covers, enjoying the darkness.
I wondered who I was at that moment- Harvin Delis or Leorn Taltesier? I was Leorn Taltesier in my mind, but I was Harvin Delis physically. Which confused me all of a sudden. I whined, and I laid my paws on my aching forehead, as I closed my eyes, and went to sleep.

I woke up by the sound of knocking on my door. Instinctively, I transformed back to my human state, reaching for the gun underneath the pillow. I swiftly sat up on the bed, aiming the gun at the door, finishing my transformation back into human. I almost pulled the trigger. But I refrained myself at the last moment, understanding what I was doing.
I slid off the covers from my body, and I hopped off the bed, still pointing the gun at the door. Somebody knocked at the door again. I stepped to the door, and I looked through the key hole. I closed one eye tightly to look at who was behind the door. I didn't see the person's face, but, judging by their position, I could know where their head was. I pinned my gun to the point I thought their head was.
“Who is it?” I asked quickly. The person didn't answer, and turned slightly around, gesticulating one arm. Five more men came. I took one step back, aiming at the door. I panted. It was James' men. They were here. And I was screwed. The door was kicked, and it fell down, in a deafening noise. I wanted to pull the trigger, but what I saw was far beyond my worst nightmares. James himself was standing, in his brown suit, with his white hair shining, aiming a gun at me. I wanted to say something, but out of shock, I only manged a few incomprehensible noises. Kyle was at his feet, tugging his suit.
“Daphney!” Kyle yelled, “Daphney! Daphney! Daphney!”
James snickered, and pulled the trigger. I heard a deaf thud, but I didn't feel anything. I doubled over, and a few drops of blood escaped my mouth, dripping onto the wooden floor. I reached up to my chest, feeling something painful. I fell on my bed because of the force of the shot, sitting up on the sheets. I gaped at James. I took off my hand from what I felt, and I saw a dripping red hand, with blood trickling down the fingers. I fell backwards, falling on the other side of the bed, Kyle's yells only becoming blurred voices. Darkness enveloped my vision, and, out of the obscurity, I heard a voice.
“I'll kill you all.”
James was muttering the words coldly.

I yelped, my eyes shooting open. I breathed heavily, lifting my head to look at the wall, my paws under my chest. I looked both ways, panting. I whined, and I closed my eyes tightly. A bad dream. A nightmare. The most fucked up nightmare I had for nights. I heard a knock on the door, and I jerked my head to the side. I thought, What the hell ?! Did I just...
I transformed back into my human form. My muzzle disappeared, and my tail slunk back into my spine. My fur faded away into my skin, and my eyes went to their normal dark green color. My hands formed out of my previous paws, and my claws shortened into nails. I grabbed the gun under my pillow, and I aimed it at the door. I breathed quickly, trying to calm myself down. It's utterly impossible, I thought, that a nightmare becomes true, hm?!
I hopped out of the bed, not bothering to take off the covers. They slid themselves off of my body as I paced towards the door. I looked through the keyhole. I saw a female body. I lifted my gun to pin it against the door, refraining myself from shooting. I grabbed the knob, and I slowly turned it, opening the door. I saw Alice behind the door. I kept my armed hand behind the door, readjusting the position of the gun to be sure to shoot at the head if I needed to.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Um, nothing,” she replied, “I just heard you yell inside the room as I was passing to get breakfast, and I was wondering what was happening inside... Sorry...”
“No, it's okay,” I answered, leaning my head against my other hand, still readjusting the gun to Alice's head. “I was having a... Bad dream, that's all.”
“Ah,” Alice answered quietly. She looked up at me. Kyle appeared from behind her, and she turned her head to glance down at him. Kyle tilted his head at her, and then looked up at me, stepping out from behind Alice. Alice turned her gaze to me.