Ticco was closing from the side. Adriano from behind. Enric kicked the rags further and increased speed. None of them could match his run. None could stop him. Arosa was scared because Enric was almost at the goal’s reach. He screamed orders, but the rest hesitated. Leandro, the son of the butcher, once broke his leg trying to stop him. He never came back to play. So, the others never dared to take the ball. He was way too strong. When Enric kicked again, he forgot to contain himself and the net holding the ball snapped. The rags flew and Arosa yelled.

“Again? Are you dumb?” asked a passing Ticco. Enric chuckled and scratched his dirty hair.

The two teams gathered, and after a brief chatting, they all moved away. All except Arosa, who yelled a bit more. “We decided you cannot play anymore. Don’t come tomorrow!” As the chubby son of the baker turned, Enric chuckled again. They always decided that, and he always returned.

Enric followed the group because home was that way. They stopped in the corner of Tiras’ house and Adriano and Arosa halted. “Do not follow us, freak! Leave us alone!” Adriano took a stone and threw it. It hit the wall. He was not good at aiming. Arosa was good, and his stone hit Enric straight on the forehead. It didn’t matter. Such a tiny beat didn’t hurt, and it would heal really fast. The rest took stones and raised their fists. One blow was fine, but many were annoying, so Enric frowned and rushed towards them.

If he wanted, he’d caught them, but that was only another play. To scare them. They screamed like cowards and disappeared behind the mayor’s gardens. “Go away, freak! Go away!”

Enric scratched his itchy nose in anger. Freak was a word he didn’t like at all. He was special. He was a masterpiece. Mark always said it.

He turned back and hit a pebble, crushing one of old Linna’s flower pots. She came outside, pan in hand and also yelling. The town people liked to yell. She rushed towards him, but stopped midway. Enric was strong, and like everyone in the town, her anger was just pretend. They were all scared. It was funny to see them trying to be brave and scary, but failing. Enric closed his fists and tensed. As he made an angry face, she turned and ran back to her house. That was always fun.

He headed to the stepped alley. It was a steep street towards the hill where Mark lived. It was long and boring, and many gasped at the end, but not him. He was never tired.

In the corner of the baskets, Silia and her sister were waiting to throw the dirty water over him again. Once, they hit him with pee and he was really mad. That day Mark had many troubles with the town people and the sisters tried with water only afterwards. He ran, and they missed. Enric didn’t care to be splashed with only water, but Mark hated when he soaked the floor.

As he turned the street of the hats, Enric saw people gathering on Mark’s porch. It was always like that. But this time the group were not soldiers or men pretending to be scary like usual. There was a strange-looking woman. She was elegant as a lady, and serious as the mayor. Her eyes were narrow. A really strange thing. The others didn’t stand out as the woman, but they both seemed young and athletic enough to play ballgame with him. The man smiled effusively, and he liked that. The other, a woman who seemed angry, was not too much to his liking. Perhaps the man would like to play a little. But he would not say anything to the girl. Girls didn’t play ball.

“Wat ya’wan?” Enric said, rushing to put himself between them and the door. The strange woman was pretty and her smile was warm and nice. He liked her. “My name is Lim. Would you mind telling Dr. Wells I am here?”

“Hies no home,” Enric lied. He knew Mark sometimes didn’t want visits.

“He is!” The angry girl put her hands over her waist. Maybe she was from town because when she spoke, she did it yelling. “Go tell him we are not leaving. If he wants to smoke peacefully tonight, better deal with us as soon as possible.”

Enric took off his key pendant and carefully opened the door without taking his eyes off the trio.

Mark was awake, and already in the welcome room. He was walking with his crane, which meant his leg was hurting again. “Let them enter, lad. Some pests are impossible to get rid of.”

As they came in, Mark sat on his sofa, inviting them to rest on the couch. None did.

Enric took a dried bread chunk from the table and sat on one of the wooden chairs. The couch was too soft for him. “At least David’s daughter didn’t come this time,” Mark said. “What do you want? I thought we had a deal settled already.”

“She is busy. This time I’ll be the one throwing punches,’’ said the angry girl.

Enric stood defiantly, and the chair dragged backwards with a loud squeak. “Wach ya’mouth or Ai brek’ya nose!”

The man with a big smile raised his hands and kneel in front of him. “Hey Mon’Lad, easy!” His voice was calm and friendly. “Listen. We and Mark are good old friends but we are a bit angry at each other. That’s obvious, isn’t it? Friends get angry sometimes. But that doesn’t mean they are enemies. Right?”

Enric’s eyes widened and shot to the side, trying strongly to remember Arosa and the rest. They were his only friends and indeed; they were angry all the time. As he nodded to the realisation, he returned to his seat and to his bread.

The eyes of the lady Lim were very narrow, but Enric could still see them sneakingly staring at him. “Is this boy one of them? He was not here the last time,” she said.

“My most perfect work, Enric. He is a masterpiece,” Mark said.

Enric chuckled, and his hanging legs moved back and forth with energetic strokes. “Ai’am Perfect!” he declared with pride to the friendly man, who broke a small piece of chocolate from its package and put it in his mouth. The delicious aroma made Enric’s belly roar.

“Nice to meet you Perfect. I’m Ced.” His new friend shared a really big piece of chocolate, and Enric could barely contain his excitement. “How old are you, my good lad?” Enric revealed a brownish tooth and held up three fingers, raising Ced's eyebrows very high.

Forgetting his actual age was a secret, he briskly turned to Mark, startled to be punished. Mark always used the stick without restraints. It never hurt and Mark knew it well, so after a few strokes, he always punished him without dinner, and that was really, really bad. Luckily, Mark didn’t notice. He was too busy being angry at the lady.

“Not so perfect after all,” said Lim. Enric’s legs stopped dangling out of a sudden. He didn’t like her anymore.

“They always come with setbacks, even with my new modifications,” Mark said. “Seriously, what do you want this time? I ended the letters a long time ago.”

“I’m really disappointed, Mark. When I opened your eyes to this knowledge, it was for good means not to twist it and use it for war.”

“They pay well, and I need money for my medication.”

“The abuse of the Argia’s flower has a death rate of fifty percent over the span of a year. Seventy at two and a hundred before five. The data is conclusive.”

“Data is conclusive? Look at you, the majestic lady Lim…so smart… so, so-” Mark stood with the help of his crane and moved away. “That’s what you came for? To mock my work and foresee my death? Who do you think you are? Feeding Herjard army? Haven’t you done the same? Get out!”

The angry girl stepped forward but froze with Lim’s raising hand. “Leave us alone, please. Do not worry.” The girl obeyed in silence and diligence, but Ced was already a friend and took his time to gift him with more chocolate. That made Enric feel really happy, but also a bit sad. Not many people were that nice to him, and his new friend was already leaving.

“We can’t trust you anymore. Donna is now in the asylum with my team. They will take everything to Mestra, including the last patients. I will make sure they survive.”

Mark clenched his jaw and shook his head. “Two have the crust. I don’t think they will survive until the delivery date. The third has the white scourge, may birth a healthy baby, but not even you can cure her. Her fate is sealed.”

“Maybe I can treat the illness. Though your modifications of my work do vastly greater damage.” Lim looked askance at Enric, but he noticed. “How could you do this to them? Shame on you Mark.”

“It was the only way to improve the results, and they all willingly agreed. Even for Herjard to take care of their children after demise! I’m not a monster! All of them were deadly sick and with no family. Women with no hope and a future for their babies! The Empire gives the kids shelter, food and education. They will have to fight when older? Like everyone else! How dare you judge me in such a way!”

Mark was definitely angry, and Enric wondered if he was going to eat dinner that night. Possibly not, because even though he was not the culprit of his anger, when Mark was like that, he ended up smoking a lot of his medicine and leaving dinner undone. “Look at you! With your new face and your new voice.” Mark yelled, like a town person. “Pretend as much as you want, but under the aberration you have made of yourself, I can see the same haughty and pedantic nurse you’ve always been.”

Enric took the last bite of bread and wrinkled his nose. There was only one word he hated more than ‘freak’, and that was the one Mark had used: ‘Aberration’.

“David had agreed to provide you with a stipend of a thousand crowns each month. So you can kill yourself without having to sell children to warmongers.”

Mark leaned heavily on a chair and swung his cane as if it were a sword. “I don’t want your pity, nor your help! Keep your money and take all my research. Be my guess. I only ask you one thing, for the sake of our lost friendship and love. Never come back.”

Lim, who was stoic all the time, crouched down to speak. “Come with me, dear.”

“Ai not goin’nowhere!” Enric tensed and squeezed his fists, but the lady didn’t seem scared.

“I’m a cripple, and he is my only help. He stays. Now, get out or I’ll start screaming your real name to the four winds. I’m sure not even Marie and her flamboyant friend know who you really are.”

When lady Lim departed, the house felt empty and boring. But Enric didn’t care, he was hungry so he hurried to help Mark walk upstairs. “Be a good lad and bring me my medicine… and don’t forget the pipe!” Mark said after he sat on his bed. Enric ran as fast as he could. He couldn’t wait to eat the goodie Ced had given him.

He left before the smoke would fill the top floor. He hated the smell. With a blanket over his shoulders, and chocolate in his hands, he huddled in the corner of the kitchen, where he used to sleep every day. He didn’t mind. Beds were too soft.

Night arrived, and the candle went out. With the belly full for once, he giggled. That had been a great day. He won the ballgame, made a new friend, and he had the best dinner ever.