FOREWARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS ADULT IMPLICATIONS.

His face was hit with the cool autumn wind. The poor souls riding a nearby rollercoaster screamed as they put their arms high up into the air. He sat and waited for her.

“Here.” His sister handed him an ice cream cone. Vanilla. “Still. You alright?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.”

“He has work. You know his job is stressful.”

“I mean... My birthday though?”

“Yeah... He missed my birthday too. So I gotta be here for yours. Someone has to, and I think we’d both rather it be me.”

“Fact.”

The two siblings chuckled. The afternoon sky hung overhead. A few fluffy white clouds floated by.

“Still. I never thought I’d be in a theme park with my sister.”

“You had a date?”

“Nope. But if I had one? Would you approve of her?”

“My approval? Does it even matter to you?”

“Of course. You’re more of a parent figure than either of them.”

“To be fair to mum, she can’t really be a parent right now.”

The sister smiled. Her face was like the sun itself, shining bright over a cloudy sky. She tucked her black hair behind her ears, before just putting it all into a ponytail instead.

“What rides do you wanna go on after? I’m not good with coasters.”

“Neither am I.”

“Huh. Actually, why the hell did he give you a pair of tickets to this and cancel on you the last minute?”

“You think he didn’t know that I hate coasters?”

“That’s sadly possible.”

She turned to face him. If there was someone he loved, it was her. Even if he had to give up his own life to save her.

Her long coat fluttered in the wind. A group of people passed by, and they finished their ice cream cones. Sweet, and cold.

“Oh, give me a bit. I need to go to the toilet,” he said.

“Yeah sure. I’ll be right here.” She waved goodbye.

“Thanks. Be right back.”

He ran off. They were sitting on a bench, after making their rounds of the theme park. Walking past a crowd of people, he made his way to the restroom.

After washing and drying his hands, he stepped outside. Walking onto the pathway, a crowd of people assaulted him from his side, pushing him in their unending march. When he was finally spat out from the whirlpool, he looked around.

“And where am I. Hm.”

He patted his pockets. Call her, he knew what he had to do. But when the familiar rectangle was missing, he failed to keep the panic out of his heart. A lost child. That was all he was. With heavy footsteps, he tried to find his way back.

The boy wasn’t old, but neither was he young. Certainly a child, however. His chest tightened, and he could feel the dam about to break. He found a nearby bench and sat down. If he had to cry, he could at least cover it with his knees.

“Oi. You alright?” Someone sat next to him and asked, “You look like you’re about to cry. What, a girl dumped you or something?”

“You’ll laugh at me.” He hid his face behind his legs as he curled up into a ball.

“Sure? Even if I do laugh at you, what can you do?”

“Nothing. You have a right to make fun of me.”

“Yeah. So if you can’t do anything about it, why bother about it? Kinda like death. Its coming for us all, you can’t stop it, so why do you care about it?”

“Haha. You really don’t know how to cheer someone up.”

“That would make sense.”

He let go. His jeans were dotted with dark marks. The woman handed him a tissue, which he accepted with the grace of a crying child. When he blew his nose and wiped his tears away, he turned to face her.

Her eyes met with his. Dark, the same colour as his sister’s. But that woman was strange. Older, but not by much. Still very much a student, probably an year older, at least. No more than 4 years. Around her body was a white lab coat, a similar one to the ones found in his school's chemistry lab. A pair of dark sunglasses rested atop her head.

“Are you here with your parents? Or did a girl really dump you?” she asked.

“My parents, they would never come here with me. And as for a girlfriend, she doesn’t exist. I came here with my sister. You?”

“Very interesting. Well as for me, I came here alone.”

“You went to a theme park alone?”

“Yeap. And look what it brought me. An interesting topic.”

“Ms, you’re weird.”

“Comes with the job. Do you have a phone? What’s your sister’s number?”

“Not even asking if I ran away from her?”

“I trust my gut instinct.”

“They’re good.”

They introduced themselves. She shook his hand. Ashley, she had mentioned her name when she gripped his hand. He read off his sister’s number, and she made the call. Soon enough, the sister came rushing over.

“I was so worried,” she said between pants. “Sorry for the trouble.”

“No, the pleasure’s mine. Your brother is a good talker, and an interesting person. If you’re keen, we could meet again?”

“Oh sure thing. Would be nice to see you again,” he answered.

---

“Wait, I think we skipped something.”

“Hm? What?”

“Your name?”

“Great movie. I saw it with her, Ashley I mean, not my sister.”

“What the hell is a movie? No, we’re getting sidetracked. That’s your talent. Changing the subject. What’s your name?”

“I blocked it out for a reason. I wanna be Francis Rayleigh. But why? What does this name and body have to offer to you?”

“Quite a lot actually. For one, I can pass as a girl so easily. You have no idea how nice that is.”

“I know damn well now that our souls are just vibrating together.”

---

He sat alone in the quiet restaurant. A waiter walked towards him, with large beads of sweat falling down from his forehead. The white collar was stained grey.

“Sir, your salad.” His voice trembled. Gingerly placing the white plate in front of him, the waiter retreated.

What was going on? The boy looked around the empty restaurant. Once with a line that needed a reservation at least a week in advance, there was nothing that showed that. A skeleton crew of staff manned the place. A few waiters and waitresses, several chefs and cooks, and security guards that stared at him.

Footsteps. Multiple, maybe three people? One of them was in heels. That had to be Ashley. She had told him to head inside before her, and to wait there. And with a curious look, he shrugged and walked in.

She had her arms crossed as she stepped in, their footsteps echoing throughout the dead restaurant. Two men accompanied her. Large and muscular, their formal suits were pulled tight with the buttons threatening to pop off at a moment’s notice. Both of them wore a pair of dark sunglasses, underneath which one had a long scar that stretched diagonally across his left eye.

“Evening,” one of them said, his voice gruff. He reached out for a hand shake, and the boy accepted with a careful look. Ashley nodded, and the two shook hands.

“I’ll get straight to the point sonny, what are your plans with her?” the other asked, interlacing his fingers.

“Excuse me?” the boy asked for clarification.

“Answer the question. It's simple. What do you want to do with her?”

“Currently? Nothing much. How things go, that’s how things will go.”

“You see sonny, the young lady here isn’t your normal woman. And no doubt you too are an extraordinary boy. We have to make sure that you aren’t planning to be a threat. Now listen here, before you say anything, she has taken a keen interest in you. So I’m being extra nice here.”

“Trying to intimidate me is your definition of being extra nice?” the boy asked before turning towards Ashley, “Are you a celebrity or something? You got this place empty, and you have these two bodyguards.”

“Sonny!” He slammed his palm onto the table. “You’re asking to get hurt.”

“Don’t overstep your boundaries, Goni,” Ashley said.

“I apologise.” Goni, the interrogator, hung his head.

“But I am not a celebrity. And certainly not such a public figure. I simply have a very powerful father. One that many people would like to be friends with. So, excuse their behaviour, please.”

“Of course. Still, I will say it again. I don’t have any ill intentions, and I’m sure you can testify for me that you approached me.”

“I did, I did. I’ll go straight to the point then. I am interested in you romantically. Would you go out with me?”

“Is that a trick question? Because there’s only one answer. And that’s yes.”

“Oh that’s great. If you had refused...”

Goni reached behind him. Hidden away, on the chair of another table, was a bottle of wine. The boy flinched at the sight, and looked at Ashley with a concerned face.

“You would have smashed that over my head?”

“What? That’s for celebration. And I would never voluntarily hurt you. Who hurts their trophy? No, but I do have your sister’s number. And where you two live. And I know how close you are with her...”

“You would have held her hostage, I see. So, gangsters then?”

Ashley gave a smirk wink. Goni, an absolute thug, uncorked the wine and poured out two glasses. The red droplets caused ripples as they fell. With his large fingers, he handed it to the boy with a calm nod. Ashley reached out and interlaced their fingers together. With their free hand, both of them picked up their glasses and drank.

It burned on the way down. The boy was never that good at taking alcohol, and it showed. He struggled to finish, and with surprising ease, Ashley finished the glass when he was still sipping it.

“Not a big drinker?” she asked.

“No, not really. Also...” He leaned in close. “Are they gonna stay here forever?”

“Good idea.” Ashley clapped. “You two, go take a walk. Actually, go back to the car. Father must want his report by now.”

“Alright. I’ll see you there, lady. C’mon, move along Johnny.” Goni stood up and grabbed onto the other thug’s shoulder.

“Mm. Bye.”

“Yeap. Bye bye you two.” Ashley waved. The pair of goons walked out of the front door, and gently closed it behind them.

With the newfound privacy, the boy stretched. Unknowingly, his whole body had been tense. He pulled his arms up, his joints popping in the process. Ashley smirked, and told him to stay in that positon.

“What?” the boy asked with his hands overhead.

“Stand up. Keep your position.”

“If this is something weird...” But he obliged.

“Nice sight. It isn’t often that I see your midriff.”

“Urg. I will never understand your fetish. Can I sit back down first?”

“Yeah, sure. Let’s finish this bottle and decide where to go from there. And... You don’t mind that I’m y’know.” She poured out another glass.

“That your dayjob is murder? To be honest, I really don’t care. So long as you don’t involve my sister, or make me get involved.”

“Hey, I keep my love life separate from my work life. Don’t worry, I won’t force you to do anything.” She refilled her glass.

“And yet you’re willing to take my sister hostage.”

“Mhm. But that’s your choice. Forcing people to do things is stupid. We have standards.”

“I know I said I don’t really care, but what do you do? Drugs?”

“We’ll talk later. Finish your wine and let’s go.”

Ashley had finished so many more glasses than him. The wine bottle was empty, and the only remnant of the drink was in the boy’s full wine glass. He picked it up, and drank.

Walking out, he spotted a fancy car. Painted a glossy black, it was strangely shiny beneath a streetlamp. Inside, the lights were turned on, and two people sat in their seats. Johnny, in the driver’s seat, and Goni in the passenger's seat.

“Want a ride?” Ashley asked.

“Depends. You know my address, yes?”

“You could come with me to the house as well.”

“Are you...”

“Yes, I’m telling you to come home with me.We’ve known each other for so long.”

“Hm. I’ll call my sister. Tell her I’m staying over at a friend’s place.”

“Alright. When you’re done, come on in.”

The boy nodded. Pulling out his phone, he dialed his sister’s number. With a quick explanation, he opened the car door and stepped in. The seats were comfortable, and he sunk deep into the cushions. Ashley was next to him, and she slung her arm over his shoulder.

“To the house. And we’re there, park it in the usual spot.”

“Alright.”

After a long and winding journey, they stopped in front of a large estate. Johnny drove the car towards a metal gate, and the windows went down. A guard approached, and stared at the boy with a curious look. With a growl, Goni told him to let them through. The gates split open and they entered. Once the car was parked, Ashley pulled him out.

“My Lady! So this is your trophy?” a well dressed man asked. He stood on the steps of the house, with a cigarette in hand.

“Fuck off Roberto. He’s mine. Keep to your boyfriend.”

“Whew.” The man called Roberto whistled. “You got a good one, My Lady. Take good care of him. And if you dump him, can I take him?”

“Don’t talk about me like I’m something to be passed around,” the boy muttered.

“Yeah. I’m sorry, you’re not a trophy to anyone. You’re so much more than that.” Ashley pulled him along and into the house. Roberto waved, winked, and blew a kiss. She rolled her eyes, and yanked him towards her. “Stay with me. No one can give you trouble if you stay with me. Well, unless you meet my father.”

People bowed as they walked by. Of course, all of them noticed the boy being pulled along with her, and some took it better than others. Several tipped their hats, whilst others scowled and drew a line across their necks. Was his presence really that divisive?

“You were asking?” Ashley prompted once she opened the doors.

So this was her room. Quiet, minimalistic, and simple. Located on the upper floors of the estate, she had an overlooking view of the entire place. From the windows, he could spot the large tree bearing fruits in a corner, the gangsters coming and going as time went by. Roberto, with his formal suit and his olive skin, made his way over to the guard station.

“What sort of business are you doing? No offense, but I am less okay with certain crimes than others.”

“We have standards, as professionals should. I can’t speak for the whole family, but we don’t partake in the... Less tasteful acts. Stuff like rape, human trafickking, and such are out. The topic of drugs is still in discussion. Anything you object to so far?”

“Intriguing. So far, it seems pretty good. Strangely, I’m a lot more comfortable with murder than rape.”

“Everyone dies eventually. Perhaps that’s why.”

The crickets sang their mating songs. Ashley raised her eyebrows in a suggestive manner, and sat on her bed. Patting the area next to her, she told the boy to sit.

She held his hand. Sitting in her quiet room, with the occasional chatter of the gangsters outside. Ashley pulled him close, and he didn’t object.

“Okay. Let’s be honest here. Do you want to... Do it? Or are we going too fast?” Ashley asked.

“I have loved you for so long. Ever since you found me crying.”

“Haha, I still remember it clearly. But uh listen, it's both our first times. It’ll be awkward, it’ll be strange, so just give me some time to figure things out.”

“Same to you. I’m entirely inexperienced. I’m honoured for this opportunity.”

“I’m glad we agree. Lights off?”

---

“In what way are you better than me? You dated a fucking mafia boss! Their day jobs are literally murder and crime!”

“She was a really good girlfriend though. Too bad you’ve never felt the affection of a woman. Or anyone, actually.”