Clawmark. -FINISHED-

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.

“Hey, what's your name?” she asked.
“Harvin Delis,” I replied, “I'm beginning to work here.”
“Alice Spotly,” Alice answered, “and this is Kyle, my little brother,” she added, waving her hand to Kyle, who just looked at the hand go up and down, lifting and lowering his head to stare at the hand. “Anyways, uh, hello, Harvin.”
“Hello, Alice,” I replied. I turned to Kyle. “Good morning Kyle.”
“Hi, Leorn,” Kyle answered. I blinked multiple times. I took one step back. How did he know my real name? My mind was racing, and soon after, I noticed my heart was doing the same thing. I started breathing deeply, staring wide-eyed at the boy.
“No, Kyle,” Alice said, turning to her younger brother, “this is Harvin. Har, vin. Say hello to Harvin.”
“Hello, Harvin,” Kyle squeaked. I nodded hesitantly, and then Alice took her younger brother down the stairs, to take their breakfast. I Noticed that my finger was tensed on the trigger. I eased my pressure on the trigger. I had almost shot Alice, and I would've killed her brother after that, if I did my action. I closed the door, and I sat on my bed, turning the gun in my hands. How did Kyle know my real name? There's no such thing as telekinesis, I thought. There must be a reason.
I wondered, thought, reasoned. I put the gun back under my pillow, and I made my bed to help me think. I then turned around in circles to try and figure out how Kyle knew. I snapped my fingers, getting an idea. Well, I thought, before I was captured, he must've asked Freddie for my name. And since he's a kid, he took that since I was kinda like Leorn, he mistook me for Leorn. But that means I'm still recognizable. Damn... I think I'll go get a hair coloration, as well as a haircut. But I have to admit that was damn close.
I stopped walking in circles, and I gathered money from the bag, to put it into my pocket. I also took the keys, and I went out of my room. I locked the door behind me, and I went down the stairs. Freddie saw me first.
“Hey, Harvin!” he exclaimed, “Had a good night?”
“Nightmare,” I answered briefly, looking back at him, “I also noticed my hair is kinda wacky these days, so I'm going to get a coloration and a haircut.”
“Ah, really?” Freddie asked, “Before breakfast?”
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Seven o' clock,” Freddie replied.
“I'll get it when I come back,” I explained, heading for the doors, “see ya in one hour!” I waved at Freddie, and he just lifted his head, to tilt his head at me in sign of goodbye. Before I left, I saw Alice and Kyle eating, along with a bulky man, who I recognized as the man I saw before getting captured, and a woman, who I also recognized. I stepped out onto the sidewalk.
Light flowed from the tight spaces that appeared between the tall buildings, slithering on the ground in straight lines that faded away. It looked philosophical for some reason, because each light ray that showed on the sidewalk seemed like a line of life, soon fading away, and ending at one of the cracks.
I began walking away from the inn, my marine blue shirt waving in the wind, as did my tight black pants. I didn't have my gun on me, but if I was careful, I would find no use for it. I glanced around cautiously, looking for anybody that seemed suspicious. I knew that James' men were looking for me. My face darkened, as I remembered the nightmare. A shiver slowly crawled up my spine.
I continued walking, lengthening my stride, almost flying above the ground. I used to know a hair dresser somewhere in this city, and I remembered where he was located. I lifted my head, and I turned to my right, where I knew a dark shortcut to get there. It went by a long, damp alley, but then it opened to a known road, where many shops and services were given.
I went through the humid alley, lowering my head, and putting my hands in my pockets. Fallen over trash bins were scattered over the ground, nauseating liquid spreading from most of the plastic bags. I kept myself from breathing through my nose, already that I could feel the wretched smell as I breathed.
“So, Leorn...” a voice said, from in front of me. I quickly lifted my head. I saw a man, dressed in a brown suit, and with shining white hair. He had a piercing gaze, and he dropped it into my eyes. I took one step back, recognizing the man. James. “We meet again, it seems,” he muttered through tightly closed lips.
“No!” I almost yelled, “No! You're dead! I shot you through the head!”
“Yes, and you weren't a bad shot,” James replied, passing a hand over his forehead. As soon as he took it off, a red mark appeared on his forehead. It trickled a red liquid, which splatted on the ground, after it slid down on his face. He seemed unaffected, and as I was terrorized, he smirked.
“The dead can't come back!” I shouted, “You're dead! Dead!”
“Yes, in fact, I am,” James commented, letting the blood flow from his forehead onto his lips, making thin lines of blood appear, connecting his two lips as he spoke, “I'm just here to torment you.”
“You're a ghost! A freaking monster!” I yelled, through two gasps. I took another step back, almost tripping over a trash bin.
“Good guess, Leorn,” James replied, taking one step closer to me.
“Get away from me!” I shouted, scrambling away. I fell over a garbage bag, and my head hit the ground. I quickly shouted out of sudden pain, and I sat back up immediately, putting one hand on my wound. Darkness was around me, but James was still apparent.

“Look at your hands,” James whispered. I lifted my hands, looking at my palms.
They were red. Crimson red. Blood red. And they were covered with blood. Dripping, the red liquid flicked on the ground. My eyes widened, and I started to breathe heavily. James appeared at my side.
“You're a murderer, Leorn,” he said quietly.
“No, no...” I moaned. I clenched my bloodied hands into fists.
“You killed a man who was on the ground, defensless, while he could do nothing against you. You did it for the pleasure.”
“Shut up...”
“You kill for pleasure, Leorn! Like... Humans!”
“Shut. UP!” I yelled. I got up, and I slammed my fist into the wall. My knuckles cracked. I suddenly realized that I had fallen back into reality. My fist cramped from the pain, and I twitched. The noises came back into my ears. James had disappeared. I started to breathe slowly. I took my fist off of the wall. I flexed my fingers, making them crack twice. I frowned. What the hell was that? I thought. Damn, I hope I didn't yell in reality... That would be suspicious.
I looked around, but saw no one. I shook my head, getting the thoughts out of my mind. I was sweating. I wiped my humid forehead against my sleeve, and I lifted my head, to see which way I would go. I took one step forwards, and I continued the path I had previously begun. I'm not a human, I repeated in my mind, and I'll never be one. I looked up, fastening my pace, to get to my destination faster. I shoved my hands into my pockets.
I shivered, thinking about what had just happened. Just a moment of hallucination, I thought, no big deal.
Faster than I thought, I appeared onto the big road, with the diverse shops and merchants. Few people were walking the streets, at this hour. I looked left and right, trying to find a way to get past without being seen. If there were James' men, I was sure that this would be one of the streets they would check first. No, I thought, this is just a merchant street. They would doubt that I would show myself in such an open space. Exactly the opposite, dearies. I'm going. I stepped forwards, and walked to the place that I had been pacing to for all this time. I looked up, watching where I was going. I let out a deep sigh.
I thought about my precedent life. If it wasn't for Jach, I wouldn't be in this place. I wondered why I didn't kill him in the first place, along with his father.
No!
I stopped walking, and my face darkened.
What am I thinking?!
I shook my head quickly, brushing away those thoughts. My eyes shined in the sunlight as I lifted my head again, taking a deep breath. I closed my eyes, and let out my breath quietly, calming myself down. I looked at the window next to me, gazing at my reflection. Harvin seemed calm, but Leorn inside me was trying to get out. I stood there, looking at myself for a long time. I wasn't narcissistic. I didn't think that I was good to look at. I was just trying to find out what was behind my own eyes.
I looked closely at my eyes. I saw a luminous red dot quickly flash onto the window. I stood there, wondering what it was. My eyes widened. I crouched as fast as I could. A red colored dot lasted one half second on the window, and then the window broke, being shot by a bullet. The few people that were around me stared, and one gasped. I didn't take any time to wonder what had just happened, because I knew exactly what it was. We were trying to snipe me. James' men. He had sworn my death, and if I didn't move at that moment, he would have it.
I took the momentum I caught as I crouched to push myself sideways, heading for the dark alley. Dust shot out right next to my foot, but I continued as fast as I could, diving into the alley before another shot could be used. I rolled, but I didn't stop as I stood up. I got up as fast as I could, and I continued dashing. Soon enough, just after I turned to my right to try and lose the men, I heard voices behind me, and I heard one man dashing towards me. I took the metal lid of one of the trash bins, and I glanced backwards, fitting my forearm into the handle of the lid. As I thought, an armed man, with tanned skin, was running after me. I couldn't recognize the weapon he had in hand, but I knew that it was loaded. He aimed it at me, and I lifted the garbage lid. A shot pierced the atmosphere, and bounced off the shield I had attached to my arm. It shot off the wall, then landed in the ground. I thanked my guardian angel for this one.
I saw that the alley was getting tighter. The walls were closing in as I dashed forwards. I squinted, and I managed to notice a dead end. My eyes widened. I thought of turning around, but the man was behind me, and I couldn't brake. I leaned forwards, gaining more speed. I looked behind me. The man was about ten meters behind me. He was an excellent runner. As I reached the wall that marked the dead end, I jumped, and I took two steps on the wall. The man didn't ave enough reflex to brake in time, and I jumped off the wall backwards, putting the garbage lid in front of me. I heard a thudding noise, and I felt a great impact. I caught myself on my two feet, and I quickly turned around.
I saw the man, lying there, unconscious. His head was bleeding. That's going to leave a mark, I thought. I went over to him, and I grabbed his gun. I didn't suppose he had loaded only one bullet into his gun, so I took it. I looked forwards. If I wasted too much time stuck in here, I would be toast for sure. I quickly grabbed a garbage can, and I pushed it against the wall, I hopped onto it, and I passed over the wall, pushing hard enough against the trash bin to knock it over as I went over the wall.
I stepped up on the rim of the wall, and I looked up. There were strings hung up from one building to the other to dry cloths.

I grabbed one string that looked resistant, and I managed to pull myself up. I tried to steady myself, but it was hard to balance on the thin string. I managed to put one foot on it, and it wobbled fiercely. I lifted my head, and I saw another string. I pushed myself up, and I caught that one. The drying towel swayed as I tried to heave myself. I heard someone run behind me. I looked back, and I saw another one of James' hired men running towards me on the other side of the wall, paying no attention to his unconscious comrade. He lifted his gun, and shot.
I felt my heart skip as I began to fall down. Not that I was shot, just that the string was. I hanged on tightly on the string, and I slammed myself against the wall the string was attached to. I let go, and I fell on the lower string, on which I doubled over. I fell backwards on the other side of the wall. I groaned, lifting my hand to my chest, aching. I closed my eyes tightly. I shakily stood up, and I lifted my gun up the wall. I saw the man hop from over the wall, and I pulled the trigger. The assassin was shot in the leg, and he let go of his weapon, falling on the ground on his side. The gun turned on the ground for a moment, and he moaned in pain, as a red puddle of blood appeared from his leg. They aren't going to get me, I thought. I turned around, and started running away, gripping the gun tightly. My heart began beating faster, as I heard police sirens. James' hired men were secret workers, so they weren't of the police force. Oh ahem..., I cursed within my mind, and I ran faster. I jumped over the metal bars, passed through the holes in metal fences, and I didn't stop running. Even though I was exhausted, and that my body was screaming for me to halt and to take a breath, I kept on going, fleeing from the police and from Jame's hired men. I threw the gun onto the ground, and I sharply turned to my left.
I appeared onto a lit road, with few cars passing and some people walking casually. I tried to blend in, shoving my hands into my pockets, and I headed for Freddie's inn. I couldn't go back there. I'll just say it was exceptionally closed, I thought. I quickened my pace and lengthened my stride, beginning to jog all the way to Freddie's inn, almost bumping into some passengers because I had my head lowered.
From the shadows, I hopped in front of the inn. I opened the door casually, using one hand, and I sighed. Freddie looked at me, lifting one eyebrow.
“Back so soon?” he asked.
“Yeah, it was closed,” I lied. He tilted his head and shrugged, and he went back to cleaning his glasses. I squinted at the object he was manipulating with his hands. The lens reflected the light that came from the lamp above. I looked around, but I didn't notice the Spotly family, and I shrugged quietly to myself.
I glanced upwards as I saw a movement above me. I noticed Freddie, holding a croissant up to my face. I lifted one eyebrow and smiled, and I took the croissant with one hand. He smiled back.
“You look tired, Harvin,” Freddie noticed, “you didn't sleep well?”
“I said I had a nightmare, remember?” I reminded him, trying to hide the fact that I had almost been killed about eighteen times, and that I had ran away from the assassins hired by a person a killed a few days before, of who I just saw the ghost, in the past twenty minutes. He nodded, taking my remark as an answer, and put his glasses to his eyes, blinking multiple times. I bit into the small golden pastry, hearing the delicate crunch of the food under my teeth. I tilted my head to gulp it down, and I looked at the croissant, now shaped like a crescent moon, with a part blown off. I rolled my eyes, and I finished eating it. Afterwards, I went upstairs to my room. I took out the key, and I turned it inside the keyhole. A metal squeal was heard from inside the door, signifying that the door was unlocked.
I felt a presence at my side, and I turned my head. A saw a young kid, looking up at me with his big brown eyes. Kyle. I crouched near him.
“Hello, Kyle,” I said quietly.
“Hi, Harvin,” he replied slowly. I felt relieved that Kyle wasn't mistaking me for my true self. I was trying to convince myself that Leorn was dead,killed by James, and Harvin was the one alive.
“So, did you sleep well?” I asked. The infant nodded quickly, readjusting the position of his legs to have more stability. “You felt safe next to Alice, hm?” The toddler nodded again. “Good.” I thought about something a moment. “Kyle, who is this Leorn you were talking about this morning?”
Kyle lifted his hand to point at me. I hesitantly laughed, and I gently pushed his hand back down. “No,” I replied calmly, “I'm Harvin. Do you mean he looks like me?” I asked. Kyle nodded slowly.
“Leorn was killed, Kyle.”
I lifted my head to look at the person who just spoke. I saw Alice, wearing tight jeans and a purple sweater, looking down at me, lifting one eyebrow. I stood up.
“Good morning, Alice,” I muttered.
“Hello, Harvin,” she answered quietly, looking down at her younger brother. He looked back at her.
“What does kill mean?” Kyle asked, tugging on Alice's purple sweater.
“To kill means to...” Alice began, hesitantly, searching for words.
“To stop another person,” I finished calmly. “Forever.”
“Yes,” Alice replied, glancing at me, then back at her younger brother.
“Leorn was stopped forever?” Kyle asked, looking up at me.

It said so in the newspaper, nearly a month ago,” Alice answered quietly, “he was killed by the police.” I gulped silently, trying to be normal. “You're mistaking Harvin with Leorn, Kyle.”
Kyle looked up at me, his big brown eyes gleaming, shining in the dimly lit hallway.
“And even though I may have almost the same look as Leorn,” I admitted, “I'm Harvin. Leorn's been killed.”
Kyle nodded quickly, and turned to his sister. “Harvin has the same room as Leorn,” Kyle squeaked.
“Yes,” Alice replied, “but that does not mean that he is Leorn.” Kyle tilted his head, seemingly thinking about certain things. “Let's go now, Kyle,” Alice asked her little brother. Kyle looked up, and Alice held his hand. They both walked to the door at the back of the hall, Alice walking with a slow, lengthened stride, and Kyle doing his best to keep his balance, using his other arm, landing on each leg heavily. They entered their room, and Alice closed the door behind her. I turned my gaze to my door, and I pushed on it, opening it slowly. Before I entered my room, I looked behind me, feeling a certain presence. I saw nothing. I frowned, and I entered my room, closing it behind me. I locked it with the key, and I headed for the bed.
I slumped heavily on the bed, my unemotional stare turned upwards to the ceiling. I breathed quietly, my sighs squeaking gently out of my nearly closed lips. I stretched my arms out to my sides, laying one hand on the cushion, and another near the wooden border of the bed. My white shoes slid along with my feet, as I tapped them repeatedly on the ground. I turned my gaze to the door.
I saw James at the entrance, appearing from the shadows, with his calm smile and gentle look. His brown eyes flicked gently with the light as he looked at me. I widened my eyes, and I blinked, sitting up. As I opened my eyes again, the door was closed, like it was before. I put my hand up to my heart. Just an illusion, I tried to comfort myself, nothing more than an illusion. Geez, this is creeping me out.
I sat up again, thinking. If I stay here, I thought, sooner or later, James' men are going to get me, and take me down with the greatest of ease. I need to keep moving, or else I can be qualified as dead meat before the end of this day. But what will I say to Freddie?
I thought about it a moment, and then I took my gun out from under my pillow. I took my bag, and I shoved the gun inside, along with the ammo. I zipped my bag up, and I heaved it onto my right shoulder, as I grabbed the keys sing my available hand, and I headed for the door. I opened the door, and I closed it behind me, locking it. I passed the keys to my other hand, and I began walking down the stairs. Freddie looked at me as I appeared from the shadows, lifting one eyebrow.
“Harvin,” he said quietly, cleaning his glasses, “what are you doing?”
“I just received a call that my mother has a very bad sickness, and is at the hospital at the moment,” I explained.
“Oh my,” Freddie uttered.
“Yeah,” I replied quickly, “I'm not going to be here for a pretty long time, and I don't know if I'm coming back.” I looked up at Freddie, who was pushing his ginger hair out of his face to look at me shockingly. “I'm terribly sorry,” I muttered, passing the keys onto the shelf. He picked them up, and lifted his head to look at me.
“Good luck,” he granted me, as I walked out of the inn hurriedly. I stepped out onto the asphalt gray sidewalk. I looked up at the sun, to try and guess the time. I thought that it was approximately eight o' clock. I began walking down the street, not sure where I should go. I began erring, wondering where I should hide, what I should do at the moment. I started to think about my family again. Are they back here? I wondered, if I could manage to find them, I could hide with them. But how could I find them?
I tried to think, but my tiredness made me not think straight. I couldn't even walk straight. I wondered if I could just get killed right now, so that I wouldn't have to endure the sufferance to try to hide myself for eternity. No! I yelled within my mind, if I do that, I'll never forgive myself! Obviously. I need to find a way!
I started fastening my pace. They must be here. Where could they go else other than here? My mind started racing. I lowered my head in concentration. I was passing onto a known road, so I hid near the sides of the buildings, in the shadows. My bag flopped repeatedly onto my back as I walked quickly.
As I passed an alley, a huge hand came from the darkness, and pulled me inside. I wanted to fight, but the huge hand smacked me against a bulky body, and an arm clenched against mine, pushing the air out of my lungs.
“I've found him!” a voice yelled sideways. I thought it was one of James' men. I was sure about it. I threw my head forwards, and I shot it against the other man's head. He recoiled, and lifted his hand to his face. I scampered on the ground, reaching into my bag, but a boy kicked it out of the way before I could grab the gun. Soon enough, I noticed I was circled. I looked at each of the people. They didn't seem like James' men. Some were about my age.
“What do you want?!” I growled.
“Hello, Leorn,” a young man answered, stepping out of the small crowd. He seemed near his seventeen years old, and he had short, spiky chestnut hair, with some streaks of black and gray. He lifted his head, letting me see a huge scar on his left cheek, which went up to his left eye. Only his right sky-blue colored eye was opened. His eerie look made a shiver crawl up my back, and I took one step back. The young man took one step forwards, smiling at me. How does he know my name? I thought, mind racing.
“You must be mistaken,” I muttered, “I'm Harvin. Harvin Delis.”

“No, sorry, I'm not wrong this time,” the young man answered, smiling at me with large canines, “you are Leorn... Taltesier, to be exact,” he added, lifting his hand up, showing a small photo of me.
I growled at them. “How did you know I was alive?” I asked.
“It was kind of obvious,” the young man answered, “after the newspaper, at most one month ago, we sorta dropped your case, but then Ghost caught sight of you. We always thought you weren't dead.” A small kid of about eleven years old popped out from behind the young man, with light mud brown hair. He waved quickly at me.
I began breathing heavily. I dived for my bag, and I shoved my hand inside it. I swiftly pulled out the gun, and I raised it at the young man, who had appeared just right next to me, pointing his own gun at my head. We both stared at each other, aiming both guns at each other's heads. He smirked.
“You're Leorn Taltesier all right,” he muttered.
“What do you want?” I demanded.
“Only your help,” he answered calmly. I frowned at him.
“You nearly bash me, and you say you want my help?” I asked sarcastically.
“How else to provoke your hard-to-get attention, Leorn?” the man replied, lowering his weapon from my head. I grunted, and I also lowered mine, standing up slowly, still glaring at him.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“We are a small group of people just like you, Leorn,” the young man replied, nodding once, “we're all kuijin.”
“Kuijin?” I repeated, “prove it.”
“As you wish,” the young man answered. He dropped his gun lightly on the floor. He slid his hand to the side of his ripped white pants, and he pulled on it slightly. A small, bushy tail popped out from the pants, lifting itself in the air.
“Soul animal features,” I muttered to myself.
“Exactly,” the young man answered, sliding his tail back under his trousers, then patting the side of his pants. He looked up at me with a piercing blue stare.
“Why do you need help?” I asked enquiringly.
“Because we're all like you, in some way or the other,” the young man replied, “we were all captured at one point, and we all escaped.”
“You were captured by James?” I demanded.
“Yes,” he answered calmly.
“James is dead,” I said coldly. The young kuijin in front of me took a step back, bumping into the small child in his back. He didn't take no notice.
“What do you mean, he's dead?” the young man asked.
“Am I speaking in another language?” I retorted, “I killed him.”
The whole group stood silent for a moment. The kuijin's face darkened.
“But it's not over yet,” he muttered quietly.
“I know,” I replied coldly, “since I killed James, his men are after me.”
“Just like they are after us,” the kuijin said determinedly, lifting his head to stare fiercely at me. “Look, Leorn,” he continued, “if we all ally, we can wipe out the rest of the ALSAN society.”
So that building actually has a name? I thought sarcastically in my mind, mentally rolling my eyes.
“Sorry,” I replied aggressively, turning around. I picked up my bag, and I slowly put the gun inside it, and I closed the bag afterwards. The cold metal sund of the zipper crawling up broke the silence that reigned in the atmosphere. I started to head away. “I work alone,” I said quietly. I heard a click behind my head, and I stopped walking away. I slowly turned my head around, to see that the young kuijin was aiming his weapon at me.
“Because you think we're giving you the choice?” he asked.
“That changes things,” I replied, fully turning around to face him.
“Leorn,” he muttered quietly, “we need your help. Every person present in this group is in the shittiest situation you can imagine.”
“I'm in as much ahem... as you guys, then,” I retorted, “live with it.” The young kuijin swiftly lowered his weapon, and shot at the ground, right next to my feet. A thin geyser of earth was thrown upwards into the air, but I didn't move. He then lifted his gun at me again.
“Don't even think about walking away, Leorn,” he warned.
“Actually, that's the only thing my mind is concentrated on right now, you see,” I replied calmly. My black hair swayed in front of my eyes because of the wind, and I pushed it out with one elegant hand gesture.
“We're not letting you leave, Leorn,” the young man announced, “when I say we need your help, I mean that we are going to get it, by persuasion or by force.”
“So you're just another little James clone, aren't you?” I retorted. The young kuijin scowled at me, and shot by my feet again. The quick gunshot sound echoed in the alleys. I stood there, calmly, like if nothing had happened.

“Don't ever call me that again!” the kuijin warned. The group next to him also seemed calm, but I could sense an uneasy feeling in each and every one of them.
“I could if I wanted to,” I replied, “if you killed me, you wouldn't get help in any way.” The young man let a low growl escape from his mouth, and he scowled at me.
“But you also need help, Leorn,” the young man answered, calming down.
“Who says?” I asked, “I was able to get up until here by myself.”
“But you can't hide forever from James' men if you are alone without any protection,” the young man answered. I had to admit that what he was saying was the utter truth. I didn't know where to go. And here I had the chance to hide for a pretty long time, and I was refusing it? I was the one acting like a little brat at that moment.
“Fine,” I replied coldly, “I accept to help you.”
“Good boy,” the young man answered, lowering his weapon, “in exchange, I promise that we give you shelter and protection from each and every one of us.” That sentence basically summarized everything that I needed at that moment. “We'll lead you to our location, Leorn,” he said calmly, turning around, and starting to walk away. He passed the other members of the group, and he disappeared behind the followers. I followed calmly and silently, noticing that the one who had pulled me in here was right behind me. He looked tall, and bulky, but I knew that he was my age. I frowned, thinking. I needed protection, I thought, and here I got it. But for how much time? I stood in my thoughts for a long while, not taking any notice to the other members of the group.
We soon halted to a stop, and I snapped out of my thoughts. We were still in an alley, and it was humid and dark. The kuijin that seemed like the leader, who had 'convinced' me previously opened a door, and we all entered into the pitch black room. The young man was the last to come in, and he flicked on the light, and closed the door behind him.
Mattresses and duvets were scattered everywhere in a medium sized room of about fifteen meters square. Two hammocks were stretched from one pull to different walls, facing nearly opposite directions. Wooden furniture, stacked in one corner of the cold room, almost hid a wooden staircase. I didn't know where it led. The light that dangled above our heads pushed light in almost every corner. Red and blue electric wires could be seen, connecting the light bulb to the ceiling.
“This is our domain,” the young man mentioned.
“Better than nothing,” I replied quickly. The young man went to one side of the room, looking at me. All the members gathered at his sides. They all looked at me, and I lifted an eyebrow.
“We're known as the 'Its',” the young man explained, “everybody in this room, absolutely everybody, is a kuijin that may vary between very different from others, up to almost the same.”
“In other words,” I resumed, “everybody in here has a different Soul animal, or almost.”
“Right,” the young man answered calmly, “as you can see, there are currently eight members of the Its. But there were some before that.” I stared at him, expressionless, listening to what he was mentioning. “Franis Müssan, a mink kuijin, living in Germany, was the creator of the Its. He was shot down by James himself, the 19/11/94, in Berlin. Bless his soul,” the young man explained. I mentally smirked, thinking that Franis was basically just another kuijin, who messed up at one part of his plan, enabling James to come and kill him. “Ever since his death,” the kuijin continued, “there have been leaders of the Its. Five up until now. After Franis, came Riccardo Piccitio, an old friend of his, who got shot down by James' men, in 97. After him, came Sarah Ien, his girlfriend. Sarah Ien didn't last long against James, and she was killed outright by Weston, in 98. She chose Tlynen Igris, who managed to travel to France, to Lyon, but died of a mortal genetic disease after that, in 07, lasting his sufferance for four years straight. He chose me, Isen Palingrad, as the next leader. For now, I have lasted two years as leader of the Its.”
“So, if I understand correctly,” I concluded, “the next leader is chosen just before the previous leader dies?”
“Sometimes just before, sometimes a few weeks before death,” Isen explained, “or else, if the previous leader didn't have time to call out a next leader, we choose the closest person, such as in Riccardo's and Sarah's case.”
“Ah,” I replied briefly. “And who are the members here?” I asked.
“Here's Nayru Vennin, thirteen years old,” Isen mentioned, pointing at a girl about my age, maybe younger, with delicate brown hair, and leaf green eyes. Her clothing was made out of a pair of used jeans, and a tight black shirt. She nodded quickly at me, and I nodded back. “who joined in 06,” Isen continued, “as our scout, disguising herself as a pigeon. Her code name is Gray.” Isen pointed at the person just next to her. I recognized the bulky figure as the person who caught me while I was walking to pull me into the alley.
“This is Owen Helnam, fourteen years old, who joined in 06 as well, as our guard, doubling as a killer, being able to morph into a bear. Code name is Grunt.”
I looked at the tall man, who loomed upon me and all the others. I could tell he was a bear. I lifted one eyebrow at him, and he just tilted his head at me in sign of welcome. I did the same to him. He was clothed with ample gray pants, and a long-sleeved green turtleneck. He wore tight leather gloves on his hands.
“Here is Jamina Toyan, fourteen years old, who joined recently, in 08, as our messenger, being able to morph into a horse. Code name is Galop.” I looked at the girl, who was pretty tall. She was taller than me.

She had long blond hair, that stopped in the middle of her back. It seemed that she couldn't move her fingers much, except for her thumb, because as she waved hesitantly at me, she didn't move her index, her middle finger, her ring finger, nor her auricular. Only her thumb. She wore a large black sweater over a large marsh green short-sleeved shirt, and a pair of baggy jeans, only refrained from falling down by a tightly tightened brown leather belt, with a golden buckle.
“I am Isen Palingrad, aged seventeen, joined in 03, firstly as a killer, as I could morph into a wolf. I now double as our leader. My code name is Glue.” I glanced at the young man, who had aimed his weapon at me a few minutes ago. I frowned at him, but he pretended not to notice. I shivered again as I saw his scar. He wore a white shirt with no sleeves, and a pair of dark gray shorts, with huge pockets.
“How did you get that scar?” I asked.
“I had no other choice but to dive out the window to save myself from one of James' men,” he explained, “unluckily for me, I didn't have time to jump correctly.” He continued, not giving any further detail.
“Seir Igris, Tlynen Igris' honorable younger brother, aged ten, joining the Its in 03, as our spy, because he could change into a mouse. Code name is Ghost.” I had to tilt my head downwards to look at Seir. He was only slightly taller than the six-year-old kid. He blinked up at me, then stared at me with his shining black eyes. He was the child that was behind Isen a while ago.
“Here's Pandora Sibley, aged sixteen, joining the Its in 05, as our second messenger, being able to morph into a martinet. She doubled as a nurse to educate Seir. Her code name is Gust.” I scanned the young woman, who smiled back at me, showing her brown eyes. Her shortly-cut black hair swished to the side as she tilted her head. She wore a long black cloak, with a short-sleeved black shirt, and long black pants, maybe a size or two too big for her legs, because they pant sleeves flopped onto the ground.
“This is Cruor Aerimn,” Isen continued, pointing at a bald male, “aged fifteen, who joined in 04, as our only techno here, doubling as a killer, tripling as a scavenger, able to morph into an eel. Code name is Gills.” I stared for a long time at the bald man, who gave no sign of any presence of hair. He didn't have any hair, nor any eyebrows, not even eyelashes. I had this feeling that his skin was slick and smooth. He nodded quickly to me, and put a black fedora on his head, hiding his lack of hair. He wore a black suit, and very neat black pants that went with the suit. He reminded me of a bald James for some reason. He had the same kind of smile.
“And last but not least,” Isen continued, pointing at a boy about my age, at the far end, with spiky black hair. The boy lifted his hand, to interrupt Isen.
“My name's Dippy Marron, aged fourteen, I joined the Its in 04, as another scavenger around here, because I morph into a porcupine, code name is Gin, and if I even hear a whisper of mockery about my name, I'll make sure you'll be sleeping on spikes at night, got it?!” the boy announced aggressively, walking determinedly up to me, pointing at me. He was slightly shorter than me, and his finger came up to my chin. His hair was long, and it stood in the air. He wore a large beige wool sweater, along with a pair of blue shorts. The sleeves of his sweater hid his hands.
“Gin,” Isen muttered, beginning to walk over to him.
“It's okay,” I replied, looking at Isen, “I'm used to it by now.” I turned my head to Dippy. “You shouldn't worry about that, Gin,” I replied, pushing away his finger from my face, “I normally don't humiliate others.”
“You better hope that you don't, or you'll be full of holes soon enough,” Gin answered quickly. He walked back to the row of members. Isen stepped back, and looked at me.
“You're the ninth member, Leorn,” he mentioned. I nodded slowly, lifting one eyebrow. “Its,” Isen announced, “please welcome Leorn Taltesier.”
“Aged fourteen,” I continued, “joining the Its in 09, as a killer, I can morph into a coyote-fox mix. I also noticed that every code name here begins with a G. Why is that?”
“It's a certain tradition in the Its,” Isen explained, snickering, “I think Gay would fit you perfectly.”
“Sorry,” I replied, refraining myself from reaching into my bag and taking out my weapon, “I'm not homosexual.”
“Gun,” Owen grunted. Isen looked at Owen, and then stared back at me.
“May it be so,” he said quietly, “Gun has now joined the Its.” Isen stepped over to me, and looked at the mattresses. “You'll sleep over there,” he mentioned, pointing over in a dark corner of the room.
“Suits me,” I replied calmly. The light above my head flickered as I spoke, drawing dancing shadows over all the members. I took one last glance at all the members, and then looked back at Isen, who had turned his head to his members.
“Gills!” Isen shouted. Cruor stepped out of the small crowd, dressed in his black clothes.
“Yess?” he asked.
“Time?” Isen demanded. Cruor, with one clean movement, swept his long fingers out of his sleeve, as well as his whole hand and wrist. He put the wrist up to his eyes, and he checked a silver watch attached to his wrist with a brown leather bracelet.
“Twenty passst ten, Glue,” Cruor replied calmly, lowering his hand.

“Good,” Isen answered briefly, turning his head to me. “Before we found you, Ghost had spotted some of James' men, back in Quarter Square, hidden in the alleys.”
“And you want me to go and eliminate those men?” I asked. He smirked at me.
“You read my thoughts. Well done, Leorn,” he complimented.
“Alone?” I asked, doubtfully.
“No, we do not want to waste such a talented member that easily,” Isen answered calmly, “I'll also send Grunt and Gills with you.”
Cruor and Owen stepped out of the crowd, looking at each other quickly and then turning their gaze to me. I turned my head back to Isen, and I shuddered at the vision of his scar that took up almost half his face.
“Why do we need to kill those men?” I asked.
“Because if we let them live, they might sooner or later discover our hideout,” Isen explained.
“Okay, so when do I go?” I demanded.
“You already have your weapon,” Isen remarked, “so we'll waste no time to discuss this any further. You may depart immediately.” I nodded once, and I took out my gun from my bag, tossing my bag to my mattress after that, and headed out the door, followed by Cruor and Owen. Cruor's black clothing floated gracefully with his movements, while Owen's gestures refrained his clothes from moving too much. I concealed my weapon by putting it in the back of my trousers.
“I hope your asss good asss Isssen insssinuatess,” Cruor muttered quietly.
“I'm at least as good as you, for managing to kill James,” I replied coldly.
“Gun's right,” Owen mentioned heavily, “almost all of us tried once, and failed. How did you kill him?”
I began walking away, not answering Owen's question. “We better get moving, if we want to delete those men, before they do the same to us.” Owen and Cruor glanced at each other, nodded, and closely followed me. We walked past turned-over garbage cans, and jumped over metal fences, by escalating them. I looked around. I knew where Quarter Square was, and it was close. No wonder Isen seemed worried about them. I turned to the right, facing the road, that went to the Square. I stopped before going out in the light, and I turned to Cruor and Owen, who stopped right behind me.
“If they're hidden in the alleys as Isen announced,” I explained, “Gills, Grunt, we'll have to separate, to take them out faster. I'll go to the right, and join alley that leads to the hideout. If they follow me, Grunt, you'll be waiting for them right in front of the hideout. Gills, you stay right here, checking if the men don't come by this way. Understood?”
“Why should we take ordersss from you?” Cruor asked, squinting his glistening eyes.
“You can follow them if you want or not, but I tell you that it's efficient enough to delete James' men quickly,” I replied, frowning at the kuijin. He frowned back at me, and nodded to Owen. I stepped out into the light, and dashed to my right, as planned. I heard Owen's thudding steps go away into the alley I had pointed out. As I thought, two men dressed in black came after me. They had a great technique for running. They were faster than me. I then turned quickly to the right again, leading the two men into my trap. I jumped over one fallen over garbage can, and they did the same with as much ease as me. I pulled my hand to the back of my pants, and I pulled out my gun. I heard two clicks from behind me, signifying that they also had weapons. I saw that I was approaching the alley were Owen was supposed to be hiding. I swiftly passed it, turning around sharply.
Owen's fist rose from behind the wall of the alley, just as one man passed. Owen's hand crushed the man's face, and he fell backwards, letting go of his weapon. The second person, surprised, turned his head around for a split second, I used that time to shoot at his shoulder. He also fell, groaning in pain, letting go of the gun he had in hand. I kicked the two weapons away from the two agonizing men. I heard a step from way in front of me, and I saw Cruor step out, his gun glinting in the few rays of sunshine that managed to pass the darkness of the alleys. Cruor had a man doubled over his shoulder. He threw him on the two other men. I noticed that the man Gills ad taken was already dead; he had been shot through the neck. Owen crouched beside the man he had taken, and he put his two hands to the man's head. The person tried to yell, but Owen twisted his neck too quickly for the sound to escape the already dead man's neck. A cold shiver went up my spine, as Owen let the man flop down on the ground. The man that I had shot started to breathe quickly.
“Ssso?” Cruor demanded, “Kill him!” I frowned at myself, and I lifted my gun. As I pulled the trigger at the wounded man, the detonation sound broke the cold and tortuous atmosphere that was previously tormenting my mind. The man tensed and eased just after that, limping onto the ground. I took one deep breath, and I put my weapon back in my trousers.
“Hey,” Owen grunted, “if James is dead, who's the man giving the orders?”
“They musst've gotten a new bosss, Grunt,” Cruor hissed, turning around, heading back to the hideout, “Ssrow sem away.” Owen nodded, and lifted two men on his shoulders, maintaining them with his two bulky arms. He took the third one with the last bits of arm he had left unused, and he turned to me.
“Go back to the hideout, Gun,” he muttered, “I'll put these bodies away.” I nodded quickly, and I turned around to follow Cruor, who had just opened a door, the one that lead to the residential area. I also went in, and I closed after me. Isen was waiting, his arms crossed, looking at me. I slowly turned to him.
“It's done,” I mentioned quietly.

“Good,” Isen replied quickly, turning to Cruor. Isen nodded once at Cruor, who quickly flicked his head forwards, and started going away.
“Glue,” I began, “do you have any idea of who is giving orders to those men?”
“To be honest, Leorn,” Isen replied calmly, “I don't know.” He lifted his head, turning his gaze that stared at the ground without any noticeable expression to me. “But I have the firm intention to find out.”
“I don't know,” I answered, “I don't think the man's stupid. Seeing that we are too many, and that he has limited men, wouldn't he stop sending men sooner or later?”
“He or she knows that we are kuijin,” Isen remarked, “so, he or she will stop at nothing to get us and experiment on us.”
“Don't you know who are kuijin in this city?” I asked.
“No,” Isen snapped, “we can only find out thanks to Ghost. And it frequently takes more time than we think it would. We were lucky to even find you.”
“Hm,” I replied briefly.
“So,” Isen continued, “until I find a plan to liberate the kuijin from the ALSAN association, and destroy it once and for all, we shall stay here and think.” Isen turned to Cruor. “Gills! Time?”
Cruor turned his head around to face his leader, lifting one arm to look at the watch attached to his wrist. He squinted, then lowered his arm.
“Ssirty-five passt ten, Glue,” Cruor answered quickly. Isen nodded thankfully, and turned his head to me.
“We are frequently attacked by James' men,” Isen explained, “it wouldn't surprise me if we get attacked one or two times before nightfall.” I frowned at myself. Even though I had killed James, as he had warned, I was still in some deep ahem.... I turned around, heading for the exit door. “Where are you going?” Isen asked.
“Going to think a while,” I muttered back. I opened the door, and I stepped into the filthy alley, closing the door behind me.
The stench of the alley entered my nostrils, and I still wasn't used to it. I tried breathing through my mouth, but the nearly opaque putrid odor could be sensed even within my mouth. I shook my head, trying not to concentrate on such vile things. Owen stepped back from the side of the alley, nodding once to me. I tilted my head in sign of salute, and he opened the door to the hideout, closing it behind him.
I kicked a can across the alley. It shot off one of the metal bars, to bounce off a trash bin, falling off, and turning on the ground, making a vile shrieking noise. I went to the garbage can, and I kicked it over. It sprawled itself on the ground, unleashing the few rubbish objects it had inside. I sat on the can, putting my head on my hands. Did I miss my family or not? I wondered for a long time, my eyes staring into nothingness, the sentence repeating itself in my mind.
“So, pensive again, Leorn?”
I looked up, to see the man I despised, clothed in his brown suit. I scowled at him, but I didn't say anything.
“Why aren't you going back to your family, as you ad promised to yourself so many times in the cell, but also outside?” James asked quietly.
“Shut your trap,” I retorted, standing up, my hands clenching into fists, “it's only because of you that I can't find them.”
“And you made the idiotic error of actually trusting someone?” James replied sarcastically, “Wasn't it you that reproached Jach to believe you? You believed me very well, Leorn.”
“I'm not affected by your tormenting words anymore, James!” I hissed, “I killed you, and now you only reside inside my like the shadow of my fear!”
“Oh, we're referring to Carl Gustave Jung, now?” James replied calmly, “Fine, be as you want, Leorn,” James continued, turning away. He began stepping away, his brown clothing gently swishing behind him. “But know that strength cannot defeat the depths of the shadow you are talking about.” He faded away, leaving no other sign of his short presence here. I tensed, and I fell back on the garbage can, sitting down. I clenched my fists, and then I let them go, uncoiling my fingers slowly. I let out a deep sigh, growling under my breath. Even though I had killed him, he always came back. The nerve.
I heard a gentle footstep behind me. By reflex, I sharply pushed myself off the garbage can, quickly twisting around, to look at my enemy. Even before I could identify him, my hand had instinctively taken out my gun and aimed it at where the sound came from.
I saw a man, probably older than me, aiming a gun at me. The same gun that I had in my hands. Actually, no, the gun I was supposed to have in my hands. I looked at what I had taken. I had grabbed the air. And this young man was pointing my own weapon at me. He had pitch black hair, with two long fringes, that reached his chin. He had a ripped white shirt, along with a leather jacket, and large trousers with baggy ends. They were ripped at his knees. He had a tight black leather belt, of the same color as his jacket, with a silver buckle. He also had black leather gloves. I thought ten times that this was the end. How did he do it? Repeated in my mind, I didn't see a thing coming!
“Who are you?” I yelled out.
“I'm the one supposed to be asking questions here,” the man retorted, flicking the security off the gun. “Who are you?!”
“Leorn Taltesier,” I replied. The young man shot at the ground right in front of my feet. I hadn't noticed him tilt down the gun for a split second.
“Don't ahem... with me, kid!” he snapped, “Leorn Taltesier is dead, about a month ago. Who are you?!”

--EDIT: I don't want that word to be censored. ;_; It's one of the things that make this character epic...--

“I'm not dead!” I replied. “James took me, and declared me dead! I managed to escape from ALSAN!”
The door of the hideout slammed open right behind me. Isen stormed out, aiming a gun at the man, who instantly flicked his gun at Isen. Cruor stepped out, also aiming a gun at the man, and so did Owen. They were aiming three weapons at the man, but he seemed unaffected. Isen frowned.
“Drop that gun, or we'll have to make you say your prayers,” Isen warned.
“I see that you can't remember me saying that I wasn't catholic, damn it!” the young man answered. Isen squinted at the young man, who seemed to be almost as old as Isen. Our leader took one step forwards, but the other person didn't move.
“That... You aren't catholic?” Isen repeated, “You can't be...”
“Ah, you beginning to understand?” the young man asked sarcastically.
“Grieve?” Isen asked, lowering his weapon slightly.
“Bravo,” the young man answered coldly, “you remember.”
“Sinen Maraye is dead,” Isen replied coldly, lifting his weapon again, “shot down in 2007. His infiltration mission had failed, and he was shot down by James' men. You are not Grieve! Reveal your true identity, faker!” Isen was now prepared to shoot. He had his two hands on his gun, and he wasn't shaking. A cold, fierce look escape from his one eye. The young man took my gun in his other hand, and he slipped his glove off, and showed it, his palm facing towards him. Many scars had ripped his skin, and one scar, redder than the others, formed a Christian cross, right under his middle finger.
“Let me refresh your memory a bit, Glue,” the man retorted, his hands tensed. Isen frowned even more than last time, but lowered his gun anyways, standing up. He breathed calmly now, and he did a hand sign to Cruor and Owen, to lower their weapons. They both obeyed, and they both stood up.
What the hell?! I thought, What the hell is happening?!
“You are Sinen Maraye,” Isen muttered, “excuse me for my mistake.” The young man grunted, and he pulled his glove back onto his hand, concealing his scars again. He walked over to Isen, and coldly passed him.
“Stop your blabbering, Glue,” he said firmly, “we need to warn the others of my... Comeback.”
Isen nodded weakly, and turned around, heading back into the hideout. Cruor and Owen did the same. Isen opened the door, and entered the room, followed closely by Cruor and Owen. Just about as the young man was going to enter, I called out.
“Hey!”
He turned his head around. “What do you want, kid?”
“The kid has a name,” I retorted, “My weapon.”
“Okay, Miwepun,” the young man snapped, tossing my gun over to me. I caught it with my hands, and I put it in the back of my trousers, as the young man entered the hideout. I followed him in, wondering who the heck was this person, who had appeared so abruptly, not making a really good first impression. I closed the door behind me, and I went with the other members, crossing my arms, glaring at the man. Isen was next to him, and he felt uneasy.
“Members,” Isen began, trying to hide the fact that he didn't feel very comfortable next to the other man, me not knowing why, “Sinen Maraye has come back to the Its.”
“He was announced dead!” Dippy snapped.
“By you, even!” Nayru butted in, pointing at Isen.
“Yes, okay, I made an error,” Isen admitted, “by saying that Grieve was dead. I couldn't of checked, and I felt as if it was already too late for him. He somehow got out of his situation.”
Sinen was glaring at Isen for some reason.
“You betrayed me by leaving me there!” Sinen retorted at Isen.
“I couldn't of done anything for you, Sinen!” Isen replied loudly.
“Looks like we'll have to talk, to get our points of view in each other's minds, then,” Sinen snapped, turning away, and opening the door by kicking into it. The door slammed behind, making the room shake slightly. The lamp wobbled, spreading shadows all over the place. It flickered gently as Sinen stepped out of the room, and pushed the door violently back in place. There was a big silence in the whole room. Seir seemed to be terrified, and he was quickly close to Pandora, who had put her hand on his head, caressing his hair gently. Nayru and Jamina also seemed quite uneasy. But our leader, Isen, was the one that felt the most uncomfortable at that moment. He didn't show it, but I could feel that he was.
I didn't want to go back out. I would then ave to face Sinen again, and he had already scared me the first time he saw me. I still wondered how he had taken my gun before I could even notice it.
Isen walked around in circles, biting his lip. He seemed stressed, worried. Seir just looked at him, sitting on a mattress of a dark green color, his head bobbing as Isen turned. Pandora was next to Seir, hands on her hips. Nayru Vennin was whispering a conversation with Jamina. Dippy was in one of the corners of the room, crouched into a tight ball, while Cruor and Owen stood side by side, arms crossed, following Isen with their eyes.
“Iss ssere ssomething that worriess Glue?” Cruor asked, deciding to butt in.
“I didn't think this would happen,” Isen muttered back.
“Nobody would,” I replied, “you thought he was dead.”

“Yes, I did, in fact,” Isen murmured, stopping, to turn his head and look at me, “I'm just uncomfortable when I'm next to him.”
“For no reason a-” Jamina began.
“Personal reasons,” Isen interrupted, starting to walk in circles again. There was a long silence again. I frowned. What was this reason that Isen talked about? Sinen must've really traumatized him in the past so that he reacts like this, I thought.
“By the way,” I uttered, “what's Sinen's Soul animal and code name?”
“Sinen is a praying mantis kuijin,” Isen replied quickly, “code name is Grieve. He's one of our most experimented killers here, and he specializes in that.”
That may explain how he managed to take my weapon away from me, and why Isen is acting strangely, I thought.
Nothing happened for a long time, as Isen had planned. At noon, I ate what Dippy and Cruor had gotten us: sandwiches. I wonder how they got them, and where they got them. I informed Dippy and Cruor that I had a lot of money in my bag, and Dippy quickly searched my bag, taking the money, and adding it up to a small pile. My money made about half the small pile. I spent long hours thinking about Serella and Jakalt, wondering if I would ever find them again. I didn't see Sinen since he left the room. He stood out there, in the darkness, all day. It might be because of him that we hadn't gotten any attacks of James' men. At dinner, Cruor and Dippy used my money to get more appropriate food. It was hard to divide a plate for four people normally into a plate for nine people. Isen didn't eat much, and nor did I, even though I was starved. I may have gotten used to not eating much. Dippy and Owen finished off what we hadn't taken.
I passed the night on a normal-quality mattress, not bugged my mosquitoes or such. The mattress was comfortable, on the contrary of my thoughts when I first looked at it. I didn't need any covers, and since Jamina felt cold, I gave her mine. She thanked me warmly, but not doing anything else, and went back to sleep. I stepped back to the mattress, and stayed awake all night. No wonder I was the first one awake the morning after.
I took some of my money, to buy each and every one of us (including Sinen, weirdly) a croissant for the morning. I took one of the cardboard plates the Its used, and I put the food on it, putting the money that had not been used onto the pile. There were two left, after the morning. When I had proposed one to Sinen, he just turned his head to me, and stared at me for a long time, not saying anything. I took that as a no. And I didn't take any, because I didn't feel hungry. Owen and Dippy had one more for each. I shook my head, almost laughing, as I saw the two snarf the last croissants. They just looked back at me, lifting one eyebrow, and I couldn't help myself from snickering.
After one attack that Cruor and Owen had managed to take care of, I went outside for a while, to think, hoping I wouldn't meet James' spirit again.
My foot thudded lightly on the concrete as I stepped onto the dimly lit alley, with the same horrid stench -if not more- than yesterday. I closed the door that leaded to the Its' hideout once I went out, and I stared at the wall in front for a short while, and then I turned my head to the knocked over garbage can that I had kicked yesterday. I stepped up to the trash bin, and I sat on it, in the same position as last time. I thought that, maybe subconsciously, I was waiting for James. But I didn't understand why I thought that. The metal poles glinted in the sunlight, pulling me out of my thoughts for a short moment. As soon as I looked forwards again, I began thinking the same thing I thought about earlier. Serella and Jakalt. If it's not me who's going to find them, I thought, are they going to try to find me? I shook my head slowly, lifting my hand up to my face. No, they won't be able to find me even if they try. It's just impossible. If we're going to meet one day, I am the one who is going to go to them.
“Thinking about our dear family, are we?”
I snapped out of my thoughts, and looked up. I saw James, with his brown suit and his white hair shining in the dim light. He smiled in a fake manner at me. I looked back down at his feet, and I noticed a sort of ghastly around around them. That made me sure that he was just a ghost, nothing more.
“Yeah...” I whispered, “I don't know if I can stay long in here, though...”
“Ah, we're regretting our actions now?” James asked.
“Not that,” I muttered, “it's just that I have a family, that might be missing me right now.”
“Look all around you,” James said calmly.
“What?” I asked.
“You heard what I said,” James replied.
“I didn't mean the 'what', as in, 'I didn't here you', but in the 'I heard you very well, but I'm not sure I understand what you mean exactly',” I answered quietly.
“Everybody here as a family, Leorn,” James explained.
“They're most probably dead,” I replied.
“Who says that your family isn't?” James asked.
“No one,” I answered, “but for people that can kill so easily, they mustn't worry about their family much.”

“Everybody here has a life, you know,” James answered, “that may change their actions, their decisions. Cruor may have been traumatized when young, making him think that killing is very easy. Which it is, in some way. This isn't like the story where the hero's friends are just boring people that had no life, except what was happening in the book.”
“I know...” I muttered.
“Then you should keep an eye out,” James replied, smiling coldly at me, fading away slowly. The last thing that disappeared was his fake smile, that I had gotten used to. It then disappeared, becoming transparent. James had gone again. Like he always did. Come and go, I thought. I heard a yell by my side, and I quickly jerked my head to where the sound came from. It had not been a yell of pain, but mostly of anger. I stepped off the garbage can, and I slowly walked to the cross of the alley, where the yell had echoed.
“You're leader, now, eh?!” a voice yelled. I recognized it as Sinen's.
“Sinen, I can explain-” Isen answered calmly.
“You're not explaining anything!” Sinen shouted, “we both know exactly what happened back at the ALSAN society, two years ago!”
“I was carried away,” Isen murmured, “what's done is done.”
“What's done is done, okay!” Sinen snapped, “But I'll remember how much pain I had to endure, heaving myself from the window ledge I grabbed at the last moment, with one arm, up to the rooftop!”
“You did all that?” Isen asked.
“Hell I did!” Sinen shouted. I heard Isen fall onto the ground. A loud thud echoed from the alley. “What's done is done, eh Isen! Well, looks like Sinen's ghost is back for some murderous revenge!”
“Stop shouting, Grieve!” Isen hissed, “It might attract people!”
“I yell if I want, Glue!” Sinen retorted, “You're going to pay for what you did two years ago, sooner or later!” I heard footsteps coming towards me. I hastily looked around, trying to find someplace to hide. I opened the thrown over trash can, and I slid into it, closing it after. The heavy thudding of the footsteps advanced towards me, and then passed me. I heard the door that led to the Its hideout open, and then close. Then there was silence. James was right, I thought, there are a few things here. I wondered what the hell all that was for. I then listened to softer footsteps approaching me. The person to who the footsteps belonged to jumped over the garbage can. The door of the Its slowly opened, and slammed closed again. I crawled cautiously out of the trash bin, and I looked both sides, before standing up, patting my clothing to take off the flith and dust. I looked at the Its door. Were Sinen and Isen enemies before? I wondered. I walked up to the door, putting one ear to it, trying to hear any conversation. There was a big silence. Silently, I pushed onto the knob, opening the door. The door slowly opened, and I cautiously stepped inside.
Isen was walking in circles, slower this time. I closed the door behind me, noticing that Sinen was sitting on the stairs that had nearly been hidden by the furniture. Sinen was carving a bit of wood with a knife he had gotten out of nowhere. I looked at the other members of the Its. Pandora was sitting against a wall, furtively glancing at Isen turning around, every second or so. Nayru was silent, sitting on the black mattress she had slept in, next to Jamina, who was crouched into a tight ball on her brown and green mattress, looking up at Sinen. Owen was leaned on the hammock, opening one eye to look at the ceiling, and Cruor was on the second hammock, arms behind his head, sleeping quietly. I couldn't see Seir anywhere. I stepped to my mattress, and I sat quietly onto it. Nobody took any notice of me entering the room, and I wondered why. I blinked multiple times, trying to figure out what had just happened between Sinen and Isen.
Seir barged into the room, getting everyone's attention. Even Sinen looked up from his small task. Isen stopped walking, and turned his head to Seir. Seir was panting, and he was stained in dirt.
“What is it, Ghost?” Isen asked, turning his one eye to the mouse kuijin.
“I just spotted six men, heading towards here! Well, after they spotted me, at least,” Seir gasped. Isen's eyes widened, and he went over to a table, cramped in a corner, where ever other furniture was, to take a gun. He made sure it was armed. Sinen jumped down from the stairs, and landed just next to Jamina, who jumped out of sudden fright. Sinen took no notice. I looked under my mattress, and I pulled out my gun. I knew it was charged with ammo. I put it in the back of my trousers.
“Six, you say?” Isen asked. Seir nodded quickly, before traipsing over to Pandora. “We're going to have a little trouble, then.”
Cruor and Owen armed themselves with weapons. They snapped their guns, and loaded them expertly. Soon enough, Isen, Cruor, Owen, Sinen and I were standing in a small group, in the middle of the room.
“Wtach out is all I can say,” Isen commented coldly, addressing himself to each of us, “be smarter than them, and hopefully nothing will happen to any of you.”
Sinen glared at Isen, and then dashed out of the room, followed by Cruor and Owen. I stepped out into the alley, taking out my gun. Isen ended the line, and he closed the door behind him. He locked and loaded his gun. There was an ominous silence, that loomed over us.
“They're hiding,” Sinen muttered. Another long silence passed through each and every one of us. We didn't say anything. Suddenly, Sinen jerked his head to us. “Everybody! Move!”
A gas grenade rolled out from behind the kicked down garbage can. It exploded, and sent smoke everywhere.

“Get into the buildings!” Isen shouted, “Owen, you stay here and guard this lot!” I couldn't see anything through the smoke, but I heard footsteps running away. I did the same, and I tried to remember the path that I took to get into Quarter Square. I stopped in the middle of the path, and I looked up at the window where the gas grenade was lobbed. There was a wall on the other side of that building.
I ran to it as fast as I could. At the last moment, I jumped, and I slammed against the wall. I tightened my hands on the rim of the wall, and I heaved myself up. I put one leg up on the border, and I cautiously stood up, watching for my balance. I walked over to the building's wall, and I noticed that a window wasn't so high up. I went to the back of the opposite wall, and I ran forwards. I jumped, and I grabbed the ledge of the window, slamming my body against the wall again. I quickly pulled myself upwards. I kicked the window in, and glass spread everywhere on the floor. I hopped inside.
I was in a kitchen. There was an oven, and even a microwave and toaster. I silently began walking to the entrance of the kitchen. I made no noise, as I approached the closed door of the kitchen. I put my back against the refrigerator, and I opened the door. I pulled it slightly, letting it open. I took one breath, and I readied myself for what was about to happen. My heart was racing, and my mind was imitating my heart. I started to breath heavily, but I knew that in order of being as sneaky as possible, I needed to be as silent as possible. I took one last deep breath, and I stepped out to the entrance, pointing my gun in front of me. There was nothing. I slowly continued forwards. I appeared in a hall, and I peeked out from the side. If I remembered correctly, I saw the window where the grenade had been thrown. I heard a few gunshots, and then I was sure that I was in the good building. I advanced silently towards that window, and I noticed nothing beside it. But it was open. They must've moved as they heard me enter. And they had.
As I turned around, a saw a woman, dressed in black, with a black hood to hide her face, aiming a Kalashnikov at me. I swiftly dove to the side, dodging the wave of shots she fired. I wanted to shoot the woman in the shoulder, but I fell down on my shoulder, and I shot her accidentally in the head. A blade of blood rose from her head, and she stopped firing, falling down to her side. I quickly took a sharp breath, not understanding what I had just done. I then shook back into reality, knowing what I had to do. I looked around, wondering if there were more. Ghost had said six. This was one. I hoped that Isen, Cruor and Sinen had taken out theirs, leaving two. I heard a few more gunshots outside. I ran to the window.
The smoke was still there. I couldn't see anything through it. I looked downwards, and I saw that it was a two story fall. Which was pretty high up.
“Grunt!” I called. No one answered. Looks like I can't rely on him, I thought to myself. I stepped out the window, and I put my foot very cautiously on the edge, that only allowed about half of your foot on. I wobbled, and I tightened my grip on the window rim. I heard a crack come fro inside. I turned my head, lifting my weapon, and I saw a man, in the same clothes as the woman that I had shot, aiming a gun at me. He fired and missed, breaking the glass of a window behind me. I shot the man in the neck, and he fell backwards. I saw that the floor behind him was crimson red, and I gulped.
I felt strange. I was falling backwards. The force of the gunshot had pushed me backwards. And I couldn't stabilize myself. I turned around, facing the smoking ground. I slipped from the window. I didn't know where the ground was. I tried to put my hands and feet in front of me, but I turned backwards, and started falling, back faced to the ground. I couldn't change direction. I thought, God, this is going to hurt.
As I landed, I thought immense pain actually became real. But it was all in my thoughts. A very imposing man had caught me. I could barely discern his facial traits.
“Grunt?” I asked.
“Gotcha,” he said quietly, putting me back on my feet. I shakily tried to stabilize myself.
“Gee, thanks,” I muttered, “I thought I was going to land heavily there.”
“Sorry I couldn't answer,” he muttered, “or else, the men would've found me. C'mon, let's go, I can't leave the door unprotected.” I nodded quickly,even though I didn't think he saw me doing it. He began running back, and I followed him, watching out that I didn't press the trigger of my weapon. He then broke to a stop, and I almost crashed into him. The smoke started dissipating. I could then recognize Grunt. I heard a few footsteps behind me, and I aimed my gun in that direction. Isen and Cruor came back, panting. They stopped right in front of us, and Isen straightened.
“Did you get them?” he asked.
“Two,” I replied.
“I got one,” Isen answered.
“Ditto,” Cruor answered.
I heard a loud thud on the ground, just right behind Cruor and Isen. I pointed my gun at the sound, and they did the same. As the smoke completely disappeared, we noticed a limp body lying on the floor. I frowned, and another one fell onto the first one. Isen and I looked up. Bodies were being thrown out of a window from the fourth floor. Two other bodies then fell through the window, splatting against the ground. Blood slapped on my clothing as they hit the floor. I wiped my face. What the... I wondered. One of the men didn't have any head. I gagged, almost puking. Isen lifted his hand to put it over his mouth, frowning. Cruor stuck out his tongue disgustingly. I didn't want to look. I had seen many dead people up until now, but mutilating them so was too much for me. I tightened my eyes shut, trying not to vomit. I stood up weakly, and Owen helped me stay up, by grabbing my shoulder. I saw Sinen appear from the corner of the building.

WARNING: This next scene may contain some gory bits. Follow if you dare!
He had blood splattered on his face, and he seemed very calm. He also had blood on his clothes. And he had something in his hand. He threw it onto the bodies. It was all white, and it had black hair. The head rolled away, hitting against the wall. I felt the wretch swell up inside my body, and I turned away.
A few moments later, I wiped my mouth from what had just come out. I breathed heavily. I felt a hand pull me back up. I almost couldn't stand up by myself. My vision was blurry, and I could feel my heart thud against my rib cage. I coughed again, and Owen tightened his grip on my shoulder. I put my feet on the ground, and I stood up alone. I kept my eyes shut for a while, and I slowly opened them. I couldn't recognize the figures around me, because my vision was going all loopy and twisted. I coughed again, and I spat on the floor.
“They weren't six,” Sinen said darkly, “they were nine.”
Isen took his hand off from his mouth, and he closed his eyes calmly. “You didn't have to kill them like that.”
“It's all they deserve,” Sinen snapped, walking away, opening the door to the Its and closing it behind him once he had entered. Cruor, Owen, Isen and I stared at the bodies for a long while. The blood had spread everywhere, even on the walls as the bodies had coldly slammed against the hard, bitter ground. Many slashes could be seen, each one seen with a line of blood. They reminded me of the scars on Sinen's hand, under his glove. They were all lacerated, almost cut to pieces.
Is this the way the most experienced killer here eliminates the men? I wondered, how horrible...
“Praying mantis work,” Isen muttered, shuddering. “Grunt, take the bodies, and the head, away.” Owen nodded quickly, and hesitantly lifted the bodies on his shoulder. He took two on his right shoulder, and two on his left. He kept the head in his hand, not looking at it. Cruor, as Owen disappeared behind the corner, lifting his hand to his shaking head.
“He ssure hass sse attitude for a killer,” Cruor remarked, “but he'ss bloody inssane.”
“That's half the reason why I'm uncomfortable with him, Gills,” Isen answered.
“What'sss sse osser half?” Cruor asked, eying Isen.
“The personal reasons I pointed out earlier,” Isen answered, turning around, and heading for the door, “come on, let's rest.” I nodded weakly, and slowly followed him to the door. Cruor helped me walk until the door, by putting his arm under mine. Isen opened the door, and let Cruor and I inside. Cruor led me to my mattress, and he gently laid me down onto it.
“Jessuss Chrisst,” Cruor hissed, “you're damn white.”
“He just had a technicolor yawn,” Isen pointed out, “what do you expect?”
I smirked weakly, and I closed my eyes. Cruor went back to his hammock, and Isen stayed standing up, seemingly thinking, as Sinen was working on his bits of wood with his dagger. Owen came back a few minutes later. Do I stay or not? The question repeated itself in my mind, I'll get used to it sooner or later... But he reminds me of... Me, when I killed James...
I tried thinking of something else lots of times, but the horrid image always came back. I tightly closed my eyes, and moved my hand up slowly to my chest. As I laid my hand completely onto my slightly canine-like chest, I could hear my heart beating normally. It had been beating extremely fast just a few moments ago. We couldn't try to go against Sinen. Already that he was pissed at Isen, and that he was very useful nonetheless.
“Gills,” I muttered quietly, turning my head heavily to look at him with one eye open.
“Yess?” he answered, not bothering to move.
“Time?” I asked. He lifted his arm, shaking it violently to make the sleeve go down his arm. He stared at his watch for a moment, and he pulled his sleeve down.
“Twenty passt twelve,” he answered quickly.
“Thanks,” I sighed, turning my head back upwards, staring at the ceiling, closing my right eye slightly, because the light that was hanging from the ceiling was bothering me. I sighed. I didn't feel hungry, like I would've been, normally. I closed my eyes, and I flopped my head to the side, beginning to sleep.
We didn't have anything special for three days. I found out that life in the Its was a boring life if you didn't have missions to go to. But at least I could relax, without worrying about James' men finding me. We ate food, using a bit of my money each day, but at least the food we ate was better than normal. I was always the one who woke up first. Ghost had spotted three men one day, and we sent Cruor and I to take care of it. We didn't need Sinen for that work. He didn't seemed bored, though. He seemed... Plotting. He was planning something. I hoped that it didn't have anything with the argument I overheard between Isen and him. I seriously hoped not, or else Isen would be in some abnormally deep ahem.... At the end of the third day, when I was thinking of Serella and Jakalt, and that I had gained the respect of multiple members, Isen seemed particularly worried, and Sinen wasn't anywhere near him. I wanted to know what was disturbing him so, and I was going to find out. I stood up, using my hands to push off the mattress I was lied onto.
Just as I was about to say something, Isen turned his head to us, and opened his mouth.
“Gin, Grunt, Gills, Gun, stay with me in this room. Grieve, Galop, Gust, Gray, Ghost, get out of this room,” he said quietly.
“What?” Nayru said, lifting her head from her duvet, “What do you me-”
“I mean immediately!” Isen almost shouted. Now I knew there was something wrong. Sinen looked down at Isen from the stairs, and he hopped off, scaring Jamina again. He was the first to walk out of the room. He was followed closely by Pandora and Seir.

Then by Nayru and Jamina. Jamina closed the door behind her, her blond hair flicking gold, reflecting the light, just before the door completely closed. Cruor sat on one of the mattresses next to me. Owen sat heavily on another mattress, and Dippy sat next to him. There was a long silence, as we all looked up at Isen, waiting for what he was about to say.
“Members of the Its,” he began, hesitant, for once, “recently, we have just found out an appalling event. One that brings me down mentally.” I was hoping for him to say that 'Sinen is leaving', or, 'Let's all just get the hell out of here', but no, he continued to turn around the pot. “We have been here for a long time, and so it doesn't really surprise me that this actually happens.”
“Why aren't there any girls here?” I asked.
“Because this is men's matter,” Isen hissed.
“I didn't know Sinen was a girl,” Owen replied.
“If you want to go out with him, I'm not stopping you,” Isen answered, “and that sounded totally wrong.” Dippy snickered quietly to himself.
“Jusst get to sse damn point, Glue,” Cruor snapped.
“What he said,” I commented. Isen looked at both of us, and then sighed. He sat on one hammock, and put his hands up to his chin, to lay his head on it without bing bothered of having to keep it up. I could sense that the next thing that he was going to say would be a little of a hard thing to get through our thick skulls.
“I recently found out that Pandora is pregnant,” he muttered quietly, coldly. What I thought was true. It was hard to get through our thick skulls.
“Padnora's pregnan-?” Dippy began, “...Niiiice oone...”
“It's not a joke, Gin,” Isen replied. There was another long silence. We all stared at Isen, who looked very uneasy.
“Of who?” Cruor asked, breaking the silence.
“That does not matter,” Isen replied, turning to Cruor.
“Actually it does,” Owen answered.
“Alot,” Dippy completed, “if she's impregnated because of a human, it may have a radical change to our next actions, Isen.”
“Well, if you want the honest truth, we don't know,” Isen answered.
“How do you know she's preg?” Dippy asked.
“She talked about it to me,” Isen explained, “loss of her periods.”
“And she didn't tell who's the father?” Owen asked.
“I asked her that, but she didn't want to answer,” Isen replied calmly.
“So what do we do?” I asked.
“We can't do abortion, we don't have nor the knowledge, nor the tools,” Isen explained, “we have to let her give birth.”
“That's just plain idiotic,” Owen snapped, “can't we do a cesarean or something?”
“No, we would take the risk of killing her,” Isen hissed, “and we do not have the option of losing her. Who would take care of Seir?”
“Nayru or Jamina,” I replied quickly.
“They don't have medical or child experience,” Isen answered, “we can't let Pandora die.”
“Do you know that Pandora has five times more risk of dying than a woman aged over twenty years old at giving birth, Isen?” I replied firmly. Isen stood silent.
“And, anyways, none of us have any experience in helping to give birth,” Dippy commented.
“In fact, we do,” Cruor mentioned, “I have sssome experiensse in ssisss matter. When I wasss young, I read some medical booksss. I can help.” We all stood silent against Cruor's argument. I lifted my head.
“So, what do we do?” I asked.
“We wait,” Isen muttered, “until the birth is near. Then, Gills shall command and order, and we will obey strictly, and I say strictly, every one of his orders.”
“Who says we can trust Gills?” Dippy snapped. Cruor glared at the small kuijin.
“Do you think we have any other choice?” Isen replied. Dippy stood silent. “Good,” Isen muttered, “are we clear on this matter?”
“You may have explained everything,” I replied calmly, “but I haven't heard a word explaining the reason why Sinen isn't listening to this.”
Isen gulped. “I have my own reasons,” Isen explained.
“And I have my own to ask you why,” I replied.
Isen stood silent for a moment. He looked down. “I suspect him of having impregnated our dear Pandora,” he muttered.
“Now that's kinda going far, no?” I replied, “Suspecting someone like this?”
“I know him,” Isen snapped, “more than you can ever imagine. I've known him for four years.”
“Does that give you any reason to doubt him?” I asked calmly.