Chapter 11: The Boy She Found

Cleo blinked and she was in an amusement park behind the big logo of a shark in a boho costume complete with a cowboy hat and a pirate necklace with words spelled amusement park.

"You want to ride the roller coaster?" The guy beside her asked but as an opportunist and narcissist he was, he didn't wait for her reply, he's already tugging her on the line for the roller coaster.

"I'm gonna warn you, I'm going to open an overview of my life to you," he said in a serious tone before the operator of the roller coaster told them to buckle up.

They're on the front of the roller coaster and there's a part of the rail where it climb higher and higher until it drops you, people were expected to scream, people screamed when they encountered that. A mix of fear and excitement and nervousness, that's what they'll feel. 

Amongst all the people in the amusement park, they both knew that the guy whom he looked  in the café was still tailing them. Nevertheless, they didn't know they both knew someone was tailing them, even though they both gaze at the big window. they saw the same, they knew his intentions but they thought differently: Cleo knows the movement of someone who follows someone and Ace knew the feeling of someone staring and following your movement, yet they didn't bother to share that information to each other.

The man has a lot of opportunities to attack when they were in the café and now in the park but he didn't. That made Cleo conclude that whoever the guy was, its not a stranger and the fact that he told her that he's going to tell her an overview of his life amidst the ride was a trigger warning to her that the guy tailing him was some sort of a fellow who wouldn't bring harm to him, at least not when people are looking. 

"Do you have someone very close to you?" he started as strong wind blows on them and muffled voices and little scream can be heard from the back. 

Cleo, despite the ranging scream of the people  heard him loud and clear and the first thought that came was the person she met that taught her what 'family' was. There's just one person that her mind pictures, but she also thought of the other side that contains the organization.

She doesn't have to thought deeply about that, she killed every person close to her and she hated him for poisoning her mind with that. So, technically, his picture together with them disappeared. "None."

"I have," he quickly said like he was expecting Cleo would say that, but before he could continue their conversation, they were already on the highest part of the rail and the people behind them are ready to scream their lungs out.

He mumbled something under the wind.

Cleo didn't catch it, her mind was filled with the endless scream made by the people behind her. She didn't shout on the ride nor did she feel nervousness instead she felt annoyed.

Irritated to say the least.

When they arrived home, she felt the need to help him with the grocery and tidy the kitchen a little bit. The feeling of annoyance was still there, she also wanted to asked him what he said.

"Why did you let me stay in your house?" Cleo asked and carried the bag of apples to the kitchen counter, she swallowed the pride she realized she had just asked a question about him.

"Why wouldn't I?"

One of the lessons they taught in the organization was to not let someone inside your personal space, especially if you don't know the person. You can't just let your guard down around that person because if that happens you'll surely not be comfortable around and it'll show in every bit of your action.

But why was it so easy for this guy to let his guard down on people?

"You don't know me," Cleo mumbled putting seven bloody red apples on the fruit basket.

"I know you, I know your favorite fruit is apple, a shy type of a person, but you can be funny at times when you need to speak, I know that you are not the typical girl who has all the courage to start a conversation, but if you do, I know it'll make sense, I'll make sure it'll make sense, you can fit into a suitcase, think fast but never bother to solve any mathematical equation, you cook delicious breakfast but need the sun to be in the full show to do that because you're a morning person and you woke up in such an ungodly hour just to watch the sunrise on the apartment's window. You see. I know you." He laughed after he said all of that and Cleo looked at him like he had just grown another head.

"What, you find me weird?" He accused.

Faking a cough she replied again, "you don't know me."

"And? You don't know me too."

Cleo, who almost choked herself just to answer him was never heard because he already talked without waiting for her to blurt the name that was lingering on her mind.

"I'm Alas Crowne."

"In Spain, I used to be one," he continued.

"I know," Cleo mumbled, looking down on the red floor of the amusement park, beside them was a fountain.

Cleo swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew she was certain that he's the one in Spain. He went to this country and made an alias for cover.

But he didn't know Cleo knew more than that.

Cleo looked at him; it would be a sad ending.

She roamed her eyes around, the people and the kids were enjoying their time, some families pose for pictures beside the pirate-gothic shark, kids were running around the fountain playing tag, some sat near and let the water splashed on their faces as they point the goldfish below the fountain.

Cleo ran down her dress with her hands then stop near her hips, just above where it was always cold and sweet.

The swiss army knife that was on the side of Cleo's leg touched her thigh in a cold manner enough to give her chills. She looked at him again, people were busy doing their businesses and nobody care about them, at the fountain, in the amusement park, on the peaking sun, and running water from the fountain.

She touched the cold metal and was ready to stab him on the side of his neck, pull his head, and put it on a silver platter.

But before she could utilize her imagination into reality, a little girl came running towards them, a little boy was happily chasing her around, but the girl fell just behind Cleo, scraping her knee and bursting out into tears.

The guy in front of her was quick to comfort the little girl and the little boy that was chasing the girl looked like he had done something wrong.

Cleo withdrew her hand back to her side. She huffed as she watched Ace wipe the snot out of the crying girl.

She went to the little boy who still looked shocked when he saw the blood out of the little girl's knee.

She lowered down to his eye level and asked casually, "Hey, what's your name?"

The boy stared at him and replied, "Klive."

Cleo nodded and she heard Ace, "hey Cleo, do you have a handkerchief?"

Cleo turned but didn't answer, instead Klive did, "I have here," he said and walked towards Ace, "do I need to wash it?"

Klive offered his handkerchief eagerly to Ace as if he knows what its purpose was; he then stared at the girl.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

The little girl peeked within her hands and with a sob, she said, "it's not your fault. I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have run."

After Ace secured the handkerchief on the knee of the little girl, a tall lady came after the little girl.

She's the mother of the little girl, and ignoring Klive, she scooped the little girl and leave after saying thanks to Ace.

Cleo snorted and walked towards Klive. "Want to give something to the girl?"

Klive looked at her curiously, "you know something?"

"Yeah. You could stop her crying," she said and pointed at a colorful machine.

They were in an amusement park, after all, claw machines were found in every corner.

"You and this big brother here," she tapped Ace shoulder, "can get her a toy while I find something more that could please her."

She didn't let the two speak, especially Ace who opened his mouth in bewilderment. She tugged the arms of the two and pushed them towards the claw machine.

"Enjoy!" She exclaimed and even waved them goodbye before turning her heels back and moving until they're out of insight.

She moved around the corner and swiftly pinned the man on a wall.

"Why are you following us?" She asked and the man in a big white coat just smiled he avoided her eyes that shouted danger.