After that, Cardin found excuses to get out of the house to check the notice board everyday without fail. He was worried that the older boy would tell him it was useless, and to give up, but Keary didn't try to stop him. In fact, he gave Cardin errands to run that would take him to the shops, passing him the solitary set of house keys without hesitation. And when Cardin got back, there would always be a bowl of hot, comforting food or soup waiting for him. It was as if Keary already knew what he would find:
Absolutely nothing.
This evening, it seemed that Mochi the shiba pup had been found. Its picture had been taken down and replaced by a 3-year-old ginger cat. The budgie had disappeared from the board a couple of days ago. But nobody was looking for a blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy.
Cardin sighed. How can I have no family? It isn't possible. Everybody has to be born to someone, a mother, at least. Why aren't they looking for me?
He tried hard to recall the incidents of the night he had been found by Keary. He could remember running through the snow… the fear… someone had been chasing him… But who? And why?
I had something that they wanted… Something they couldn't afford to let me deliver…
He remembered clutching that something tightly in his hand. It had been small, and slippery from the blood that ran down his arms, and he had been afraid to drop it as his hands grew numb from the cold.
What was it… What was it…?
"That will be 50 dollars please, sir."
Cardin's eyes flew open as he jolted back to the present, the evasive memories flowing out of his grasp once again as he found himself at the cashier, clutching a snow rake Keary had asked him to buy. Caught unprepared, he fumbled in his pockets for the money.
Stepping out of the shop with the newly acquired rake, he started the long walk back to the house. His mind was so preoccupied with trying to retrieve his lost memories that it took him some time to realise that he was being followed.
To be fair to the stalker, Cardin had been so deep in thought that he probably wouldn't have noticed, except that he tripped over the handle of the rake and dropped it on the sidewalk. When he bent to pick it up, he happened to look around, and saw a hooded man in a black coat quickly move to lean against a wall, turning his head to seem as if he was looking the other way.
That was very odd behaviour for a person who had just seen someone right ahead of him drop his belongings. The average passer-by would have rushed forward to help, or just kept on walking. Pretending not to notice, Cardin began walking again, and his fears were confirmed when the stranger in black started after him.
Alarmed, Cardin thought of how dark and deserted the lane up to the house would be at this time of the evening, and decided to cross the road and head back to the shops. Even if he didn't know anybody, at least there would be more people there, and he might be able to lose his tail in a crowd. He contemplated looking for a payphone to call Keary, but realised he didn't have his host's number.
The man tailing him was persistent, and the end of the row was just up ahead. Cardin began to panic, his footsteps hastening. He heard the man behind speed up to keep pace.
At this rate, I just might have to confront him. But will it be safe? He might have a weapon on him, and all I have is… this snow rake. He took a breath. Better to do it here where others are around to help, than alone on that hill.
His hands tightened on the pole of the rake, but just as he whipped about, ready to face the stalker, a long arm grabbed him around the shoulders and a voice called out:
"Yo, Benny, there you are! We've been wondering where you've been! Did you get lost or something?"
Startled, Cardin tensed. "Wha—" He looked up at the tall, red-haired man who was grinning down at him. "I'm not—"
"Just play along. He won't dare to do anything to you as long as you're with company," the man said under his breath. Then, loudly, "Come on, everyone's been waiting for you! Mikka's starving and raising hell." Half-dragging Cardin, he bundled him through a nearby door into a café.
...
"Whew, that was a pretty close one eh?" The tall man threw himself into the chair opposite Cardin after placing an order at the counter, shedding his dark grey coat and draping it at the back of the chair.
Cardin eyed him apprehensively. He had no idea who this new stranger with the rust-coloured hair and amber eyes was. He looked like he'd just come from work, clad in formal grey pants and a white collared shirt, the sleeves of which he was now rolling up above his elbows before he let out a long sigh of relief.
"What a day…"
Cardin spoke cautiously. "Thank you for helping me back there."
"No problem! The name's Nigel."
"Thank you, Nigel."
"Again, no worries. And you're Cardin, right?"
Cardin nodded. "Cardin… Rasheville." The words still felt strange and unfamiliar to him.
Nigel observed him. "Wow, he was right. You are quite stunning." He leaned back to let the waitress serve up their order, a few plates of pastries, an Americano for Nigel, and a mocha frappuccino for Cardin.
Cardin shifted awkwardly, not knowing how to react. "Who… who said that?"
"Keary, of course!" Nigel slapped his palms together in thanks, then attacked the bakes with gusto. "Yosh, let's eat! Help yourself, you must be hungry too."
"Keary sent you? To follow me?" Cardin was extremely confused. He hadn't been able to get any messages to the dark-haired boy. How could he have known?
"Well, not really follow you. More like"—Nigel paused to swallow, his cheeks stuffed with bread—"look out for you. Yeah! That's what it is." He chomped into another pastry. "Don't be upset. He just wanted to make sure you were safe, seeing as this place is unfamiliar to you. Dude can get pretty paranoid sometimes. Usually it's just him being worried over nothing."
Cardin tried to laugh. "Except this time, it wasn't nothing."
Nigel paused. "Hm. True." He took a sip of his coffee. "Any idea what that guy wanted from you?"
Cardin shrugged and shook his head. "No idea."
Nigel's amber eyes flicked to him, his expression overly-serious. "Could it be that he also needed a snow rake very badly?"
This time, Cardin's laugh was real. Nigel was funny. The tension eased slightly from his shoulders, and he leaned forward to bite into the chocolate danish in his hands, then blinked.
"Oh my god, this is delicious!"
"Right?? It's my favourite bakery ever." Nigel piled a few more onto his plate, and Cardin glimpsed a tattoo on his inner wrist: an ace of spades. "Have more! You look like you need it."
After a few moments of hearty munching, Nigel spoke again. "So, where are you from?"
Cardin sighed. "I wish I knew. Keary found me a few nights ago, and I haven't been able to remember anything."
"Hmm." Nigel chewed thoughtfully. "Nothing at all?"
"Well, a few flashes of memories, but nothing concrete that can tell me where I came from, or why I was out in the snow trying to escape from someone…" Cardin paused. "Or who I am…"
Head tilted to one side, Nigel contemplated the blonde's troubled face. Then he asked simply, "What's wrong with just being Cardin Rasheville?"
Cardin blinked. "What?"
"I mean, think about it. Wherever it was that you came from, it can't have been good if you were running away like that. There are plenty of people who would do anything to have a completely fresh start. What's wrong with just staying here for now, until you actually remember something?"
He had a point. Cardin hadn't considered that perspective. But it was difficult to make that decision to put down the issue of his past when he had no idea what exactly he was giving up. And also…
"But I can't just keep being a parasite."
"So? It's not hard to get a job. Look—" Nigel gestured towards the bakery. "I bet she's dying to have an extra pair of hands around here."
Cardin's gaze followed Nigel's direction. It was true. There was only the one lady, a diminutive silver-blonde, who was rushing, albeit gracefully, from counter to pastry shelf to table to coffee machine. The queue of customers, which hadn't been short when they entered the café, had grown even longer in the time since they'd arrived.
That's certainly an idea, Cardin thought. A fresh start… A chance to build a new life however I want it to be… He continued to mull over the possibility as they worked their way through the small mountain of pastries.
When they left, Nigel ventured out of the café first, checking that there was no trace of the man in black before signalling for Cardin to join him. Cardin opened his mouth to thank him again when Nigel said, "It's getting late. I'll walk you back."
"It's alright! I know my way from here."
"Nah, let's just be safe, in case that bugger's still lurking around." He tucked his hands in his coat pockets and started down the street, whistling a Christmas carol.
...