Chapter 3

There’s a popular person inside the coffee shop. The heated air hit our faces as soon as we came in, and our ears were filled with the sound of someone talking about themselves.

Not Ilius, but a fox.

“It’s really not so hard to be a master stealer. All you need are some simple tools and a smart brain. I got both, of course.” It’s Normac Alladog, a famous thief that’s somehow still walking around in public. He’s so hard to catch that most policemen don’t even try, and most scouts hate it when they’re assigned to stop him. I went after him once on a scout mission, but well, he’s right in front of me. Normac is mostly jet black, with some lines of grey glossing his arms and legs, and his eyes are surrounded by some grey as well. Perfect fur for stealth, unfortunately. Right now, he’s bragging about himself to a pack of five fox girls who are crowding around him as they all order drinks and snacks. “When you’ve been taking things from people for as long as I have, you get to know who has the good stuff and who doesn’t. I’d give examples, but, you know. Some people actually know who I am.” He takes hold of his coffee. “We should take this discussion outside, ladies. For details.” They stroll out of the shop. Why did no one do anything? Most people aren’t even aware of what Normac looks like. It’s hard to find photos or videos of him. I think I found out only because of my scout mission, and then I told my friends about him. Usually, you aren’t allowed to talk about your missions. Drift and I order two chocolate shakes and sit down at a small table in the back of the shop. Drift flips through screens on her Connecto-Panel. I wait a few seconds before talking. “That was Normac, just now,” I say.

“It was? I knew it! People are dumb.”

“I know. He’s also annoying to listen to.”

“Not as bad as Ilius.”

“I mean, I’d say Normac’s worse. Just my opinion. Do you hate Ilius’ ego that much?”

“It’s just annoying sometimes. For me, anyway.” Silence. My Panel chimes, giving me a small heart attack. I glance at it as too many worries leak from my mind. It’s a text from Ninzurith.

“Are you sure that you can come to my house on Monday? I want the others to come too, of course, but still?”

“Yeah, of course. Just got something for you, too.”

“Oh really! I’m excited to see! Brb.”

“Similic.” I stop typing my next text to look up.

“Do you really believe what you said about Katherine being wrong about me?” I retract my holoscreen and keyboard, giving Drift my attention again.

“Why wouldn’t I? You know that I don’t lie.”

“Sometimes you do.”

“What?”

“Sometimes you do, like when you change your wording to not sound as harsh as the truth. I know that you do that. It’s obvious if you just think about it.”

This catches me off guard. This isn’t something I feel is normal for her to say. I wonder if it’s just her anger talking. Someone else enters the shop and sits down at a table near us. We don’t pay them attention.

“Well… I’m not doing that right now! I mean, okay, yes, I am easing my words when I say that Katherine is wrong because, in reality, I think she’s completely stupid and ignorant for treating you like that and saying those things.” I normally can’t say I prefer to vocalize my negativity towards someone, but in a moment like this, I think its fine. Drift looks at the table.

“I… guess. But she’s not wrong. I am quiet and weird.”

“But that’s what I like about you. You embrace who you are. Not many people do that. Not as much as they should.”

“Is it really so good to do that? It’s painful if anything.”

“Drift, you know that-” I see something that forces me to end my sentence. He’s here.

The person who just walked in? He’s looking at us. He’s leaning back in his chair, watching us. His arms are crossed, and his lips move in a way that suggests he’s mouthing a message to me. “I have a plan, but I want an understanding. You can give that to me.” Is that what he just mouthed? I feel fear jump into me. I quickly stand up, still looking at him.

“We should go. Now.”

“Is he here?” Drift asks. She glances around confusedly. “I don’t see him.” His eyes, piercing my soul like a gleaming silver knife. There’s something on his left hand. A metal gauntlet? It’s black, with red vein-like lines running along the length of it. There’s a design on the top of the palm, but I can’t make it out exactly. Half of me wants to know more, but the other half just wants to go.

“Two chocolate shakes for Drift and Similic?” An employee tiger calls. Drift, and I get our drinks and walk out of the shop with haste in our steps. I end up hitting my face against the door while looking back to see if he’s still watching us. Those piercing, scarlet eyes. That sharp, wide grin. Understanding? Plan? I can’t stop my mind from surging with discomfort.

We silently dash along the streets of Core Marcelin. We approach the train station. “Ok, what was that?” Drift asks.

“Did you not see him?”

“No? Who?”

“The person that was at the table to our right! Or, well, your left, I guess.”

“I didn’t even know that was a table. What about it?”

“He was there. Clous.” Drift doesn’t say anything for a minute. We cross through a busy intersection and step onto another sidewalk. I keep checking around rigorously. Is he following us?

“Are you serious? I didn’t even notice!” She seems to shudder a little. “He was that close, and I didn’t even see. I was caught up in my own stupid drama….”

“Don’t worry about it. I barely saw him myself. He mouthed something to me.”

“Mouthed? Like moving his lips?”

“Yeah. I know it sounds weird, but-” I stop as I think I see something. We both look in the direction of my gaze. It’s a dragon, but not him. I think. We continue to walk. Drift says my name.

“Yeah?”

“What were you saying?”

“Oh. I was saying that he said something odd. I mean, I might have misinterpreted it, but I think he said something about a plan and wanted an understanding. I have the feeling that….” I don’t want to say it. This is so weird.

“That what? That we are a part of his plan or something?” Drift lets out a laugh. The train station is close now. “I’m not gonna buy that from some stranger. I have enough to deal with on my own…”

“Yeah, same, but I just feel like…” I keep looking around frantically. My heart is racing. I don’t think either of us is in the mood to fight right now.

“Similic. Similic!” Drift says. I look at her as we continue to move. “We’re okay! I know that that’s a hypocritical statement coming from me, but still. It was probably just a drug addict. He’s gotta be gone already. We probably won’t see him ever again once we leave this Core.” I try to heed her words, but Pathway doesn’t want to. I can’t stop the fear. Just keep moving. I just realized something. I was probably supposed to stop Normac. Goddamnit. I’ll do it next time.

We step up to the Marcelin train station platform.

“I guess since we’re here, we might as well go home,” I say. Drift agrees. She goes to buy tickets for both of us while I go to sit down. I’d prefer that I be the one to pay for Drift, but I figure right now it would help more if I didn’t. As I sit down, I receive a text from Curmolae.

“Hey, dude! Would you want to play a game together? I was going to see this one movie with my parents, but it doesn’t come out today; it comes out in two weeks, lol. My parents are stupid. Obvious statement. Anyway, we don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“XDD. Yeah, they certainly are. Still sorry you have to live with them. But yeah, what game? I’m just coming back from the Garden.”

“What about Paths of Infinity?”

“Sure.”

“Yay! Also, how was it? The Garden?”

“Weird. I’ll tell you about it on voice chat.”

“Okay!” I wait for a bit as drift comes over. We sit for a few seconds and discuss whether or not we should tell our parents about Clous. I know that I won’t since they won’t believe me. We also talk about our flowers and the probability of how much Ninzurith will like them. Will it seem weird to her that we’re both getting her flowers? I mean, I do want to make that poem, but still. I hope she’s okay with this.

A few minutes later, and the train going to Core Sethisonia sounds. Drift says goodbye and thanks me again for helping her. She leaves and gets onto the train. I watch it pull out, watching Drift wave to me as her image disappears through the wall of the Core. Now I’m here by myself. I hear some other tigers talking about a recent divorce and another pair talking about a newly bought bag of candy. I glance around the platform, my nerves running along my skin. I don’t see him anywhere. I try to read a book on my Connecto-Panel. It’s a lot harder than it should be. I’m not sure how long I read for. It could be a few minutes or hours. My train is taking a while. My nerves seethe more, causing me to shift in my seat. What if…? Someone sits down next to me. It’s a dragon. “Can we talk, Similic? I’d like for us to become a little more acquainted.”