Dancing In the Shadows
-Original Fiction-
555
by Shuuki and Pookie
Chapter 2
The clamor of street traffic rose as the two retreated from the
dark silence of the alleyway. The man led the kid by the hand out into the
swarm of rush hour and guided him through the sea of people that flooded the
sidewalks. They wove down the blocks toward
It wasn’t long before the pair arrived in front of a large apartment complex that shadowed the streets. “This is it,” said the elder as they made their way inside and headed towards the elevator. The kid loitered a moment in the lobby, scanning the surroundings, unblinking as usual. The building was edged in dark polished wood and floored with black and white tiles. It was old but immaculate. He inhaled deeply as he followed the man into the lift.
The man punched in his floor and leaned against the wall of the elevator. The lift whirred quietly upward until it made a brutal stop on the 25th floor. He smiled and stepped out of the elevator and made his way down the hall. He stopped in front of apartment number 2555 and opened it. “Welcome home kid.” He extended his arm in invitation, allowing the kid to enter first. “And don’t mind the mess,” he added with a small laugh.
Wide ruby eyes grew wider as the door swung in on a comfortable one-bedroom apartment. Dark-stained molding trimmed cream walls and a large Oriental rug covered most of a matching dark-stained floor. Potted palms sat here and there about the room by tasteful yet comfortable furniture: a writing desk and its deep-seated chair, a couch and its glass-topped coffee table, and a pair of cane-back chairs. But what made the boy’s breath catch was the enormous French window that encompassed most of the living room wall.
The man smiled as he watched the kid’s reaction. His place was nothing special but he liked it, especially the large window. He started crossing the room toward it, picking up a few old newspapers that were lying on the coffee table and tossing them on a large pile in a corner. “There’s actually a nice view from here,” he said as he looked outside. He turned to glance at the kid and motioned around the room. “Make yourself at home.” He then returned his gaze to the window, his arms crossed behind his back.
The boy’s footsteps were swift and he seemed to take no notice of the room as he made his way to the window. He pressed his palm against it and watched the ships flying through the grey clouds.
They watched out the window for a while in silence. Outside the grey sea of clouds hosted a myriad of different ships, some smaller, faster ships zooming across from dock to dock, some larger tourist ships showing off the city that buzzed below. The man’s gaze went from the skies to the boy. He stood there a few minutes, completely unable to tear his eyes from the rubies reflected off the glass window. Finally he turned around and headed towards the kitchen. “Can I get you anything to eat, or to drink for that matter?”
“Is there a way to open this window?”
“Why would you want that?” The boy’s host walked back in from his kitchen with a glass of water and looked at the window. “It’s noisy and the air is polluted with all the ships...”
The kid did not answer nor turn his eyes. The soft light reflected off their surface, lighting them up like dim fires. The man felt himself drawn again by the sight and could not break away from their reflection. He walked up to his guest and stood by his side, slowly drinking his water. “What is so interesting out there?”
The kid’s answer was slow in coming. “Flight,” he said softly. “They’re all flying to and from... through the grey... in the day or the evening… But no one’s ever been above the grey have they?”
The man looked at the kid with a hint of surprise. “I don’t know. I’ve never tried.” He walked to the side of the window and opened a small panel in the wall. He pushed one of the buttons and watched as the length of glass slowly started sliding up. As the window opened, he walked back to where the kid was standing and pulled him back from the edge. “Wouldn’t want you to fall now would we?” he said with a smile. He pointed to one of the tallest buildings. The tip of it was completely lost in the grey clouds. “They tried to go as high as they could, but it wasn’t high enough. Rumor has it someone saw through the grey from there.”
Powerful gusts whipped around the pair and thrashed at their clothes. The kid held onto his hat as he gazed at the skyscraper. “There’s a red light on its tip...” his whisper was almost lost on the wind.
The man held the kid against the strong winds and barely heard him. He looked at the skyscraper and answered, “Yes. It’s so that ships won’t crash into it.”
The boy jerked so violently that he almost lost his balance. “What? How do you know that? You said that ships couldn’t reach that altitude. Have you been to the top?! Tell me!” He balled his small fists into the fabric of the man’s shirt and gazed at him, his red eyes seeming to glow with his intensity.
The man stared at the kid with wide eyes and mentally cursed himself for talking so fast. His gaze was trapped by the glowing red eyes. He barely noticed the automatic closing of the window. As the glass clicked back into place, silence invaded his apartment. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Well... yes.”
The boy held him there, stirring the silence with his interrogation. “When? Why? What’ve you to do with that building?”
“Why does it matter so much I was up there? There is literally nothing to see...”
The boy’s musical voice was reaching a surprising pitch. “You know no one’s allowed up there! It takes the highest clearance in the city to reach that place! How did you make it up there!? Why?!”
“I was there because of work. That’s all you need to know, kid.” The man’s voice sounded tired.
The boy’s perfect features were twisted in desperation. “Please, I won’t ask who you are again, just take me there. I need to reach it!”
“Why? Why is it so important to you?”
“Please, I need to reach it. I’ve been here so long.” The kid lowered his head and choked back a sob. I’ll do anything you want... just please... If you still have the authority... please take me there.”
The dark-haired man held the boy against him and sighed. “I can’t make that promise easily. Can you understand that? But I will try to get you up there... and sorry, I don’t have that clearance anymore...”
The expression that met the man’s eyes again held more relief than thanks. The boy’s reply was in kind, “What do you want in return?” He asked without resentment or sarcasm.
The man blinked in surprise as he heard the question. He smirked, a playful look dancing in his eyes. “What do you have to offer me?”
The youth blinked, thick lashes batting a few times over his luminous eyes. He quickly collected himself and responded, “I’m a hard worker. I can take care of any job you give me. I’m an excellent marksman.”
“That’s right; you’re the kid that runs out of bars and shoots in alleys.” The man’s smirk faded and his eyes grew serious. “I have a lot of questions for you. But for now, I’ll only ask one. We’ll figure something out later.” He winked, his smile returning.
The kid nodded. “What?”
The man raised the kid’s chin up and smiled. “What’s your name, kid? Or should I just call you Kid?”
“Sophe.” The boy pronounced the name “Sopf”, mixing the “p” sound subtly with the “f”.
“Sophe.” The man whispered the name.
Sophe gazed up into the man’s kind face as his lips formed his name. Something like electricity crackled through him in the moment. The way the man looked at him, the things he said... The kid almost raised his fingers to his own cheek... it seemed warm... strange...
The man smiled gently, his dark eyes admiring the kid’s face. He could feel his heart accelerating as he watched those ruby red eyes and the light flush of his cheeks. “Nice to meet you, Sophe. My name is Nathan.”
“Nathan,” Sophe repeated quietly... and a small smile broke over his face. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
Nathan could only smile back as he heard his name escape Sophe’s lips. His smile turned into a small grin as he looked at the kid. “So shall we celebrate this over dinner and a show?”
Those ruby eyes blinked again and his smile grew wider. “Really?”
“Of course! Why not?” He patted Sophe’s shoulder and turned towards the kitchen. “That is of course provided I still have food in this place,” he added jovially.
Sophe reached inside his jacket and fished out a thick wad of bills. “Why don’t I treat tonight?” he almost smirked.
“Come again?” Nathan whirled around and froze on the spot, his eyes wide in surprise. After a few seconds, he smirked back and let out an impressed whistle. “Not bad for a kid.”
Sophe tucked the bills back into his coat and folded his hands behind his back. He rocked lightly on his heels. “Shall we go?”
“After you kid.” Nathan smiled and followed his new companion out of the apartment.