"Palenne," man from the front desk calls him to take his attention. "Your girl is here."
Don turns his look toward them, showing a formal smile on his lips. "Yes. Give me a second," he says and turns back to look at the young man in front of him. They were standing near the stairs, right next to the front desk where people first stop to sing themselfs in. Dons expected guest has finally arrived. Meaning his time with this kid have to be put on hold for now. "If you don't mind, go and wait in the waiting room. This won't take long."
"Can I just leave now?" this fourteen years old kid mumbles, like annoyed. He was feeling sick. Extremely nauseous. But his facial reaction didn't really change.
"Go sleep in there," Don tsihs, heartlessly. "If you are gone before I get back I throw you back to the wolfs. And our deal is off. Your call."
Young man just hums for understanding and walks toward the waiting room area. "I will get you something to eat later," Don adds after him. Then he turns his focus to this woman standing at the front desk. When he walked closer, he realizes the woman who was here to meet him wasn't actually alone. There was a young kid standing behind her, eyeing around them.
Oh shit, this junkie has a child?
Hiding his impassive mood, he welcomes the woman calmly. Then turns his look back to the kid. Long, dark hair was tied back in the ponytail. It was hard to say how old she actually was. Those light blue eyes were now looking straight to Dons eyes.
"Could you escort the lady in the room number six," Don says to the man behind the front desk. Then looks the woman who hasn't said a thing yet. "Kid doesn't need to be in. She can wait in the waiting room. It's alright, someone will look after her."
Woman turns to look at her child, speaking flatly. "Aki, quédate aquí. Hacer lo que él dice." Don didn't speak Spanish, but he could understand it well. There was some coldness in womans voice, althought this woman wasn't so lively anyway. Not a bit of a mother in her. Aki? So the kid was actually a boy?
Other man shows the way to this woman. Boy was calmly eyeing them leaving. The look on his face was as lifeless and impassive as his mothers. Like not caring a bit. Not scaring been left alone, like kids usually would have felt.
Don was carefully eyeing him, wondering where exactly she has been keeping this kid in. He has met her multiple times this past month after starting to investigate this very group woman was involved with. Never ever she had mentioned a child. Nor Don ever saw any sign of him. But they both have the same smiliar blue eyes and beautiful faces. No doubt they were related.
How ever, Don has to deal with the kid first before he could focus the main reason woman being here, hear her out. When the woman was gone, Don actually gets down in front of the kid, to talk with him properly. Now kid turns to look Don.
Very sharp, intent staring. So this kid still had some life in him.
"Aki, was it?" Don shows his best calming smile he could possible wear. He hate talk to young kids. Even more when this one might not even understand him at all. It felt pointless, the waste of time. But there was no reason Don to act cold toward him. The kid couldn't choose where he was. "I'm Don. Nice to meet you. I need to talk your mother about something. It will be something boring so you should wait in the room next door, okay?"
Kid didn't say anything. Just stares Don. Right. Should he get someone who speaks Spanish? To translate?
While thinking would it be just okay to escort the kid in the waiting room and just leave him there, Don turns his look toward the skin area behind the kids left ear. A small, clear heart shaped tattoo could be seen there. Man sighs. They seriously have inked the kid? Was he a toy? Just when Don was about to raise his hand closer to the ear and ask if he could look better, kid immediately takes a step back when man moves.
The stare he received from the kid wasn't actually scared. But more like furious. Something Don has never seen on any childrens face before. Don lows his hand back down, understanding his gesture must have made the kid feel charged. "Sorry. No one here will touch you if you do not want so. Don't worry. Come. I will show you the room," he gets up and walks calmly toward the waiting area, showing the way, looking kid to slowly follow him. Okay, at least he could understand.
Don escorts the boy in one of the waiting rooms, the same room where the other kid was in, laying on the couch, staring them with tired eyes. "Sit down. If you are thirsty, there is water machine here you can use," man casually quides. The kid sits down on the couch next to the doorway, eyeing the older kid on the other couch, withut a word still. Don stays staring the kid a while, thinking. Then he moves his eyes to the older one in the room. "Do me a favor and look after him."
Young man hums back. "Why you have a kid here?" he asks tiredly. It was very weird to see any one close to his own age inside this building, when every person he has seen here were all adults.
"Aren't you a kid yourself too.. My guest has a child, apparently, and brought him with her," Don answers and once again gets down in front of the kid, looking straight to his blue eyes. Young boy looked all right from the outside. It was quite surprising to see that woman could actually take care of another human being. But the environment kid was living with that woman must not be suitable for children. Or anyone. "Are you okay?" Don asks then, following how kid would react this time. Not a word. Just an impassive glance back. "There is not much to do, but try to stay in this room. Ataro here will keep you company. Okay?" man turns his finger to point the other kid behind him. "He might seem scary, but he is actually really nice. So nothing to worry."
Boy turns his eyes on the other, then looks back to Don. That made Don smirk. "So you do understand me," he sighs while standing back up. Final glance toward the kid and Don leaves the room, closing the door behind him.
After man was gone, both kids stare each other. Until the older one closes his eyes and takes a better position to relax. If he was only supposed to stay here and watch the other not leaving, he could do so while saving some energy in progress.
The silence falls to the room. Aki was intently staring the older kid, who was laying quietly on his own hand, calmly breathen.
This was the first time Aki has met someone like him. Younger. "You..," he finally dares to talk quietly. The other boy opens his eyes now, calmly eyeing back. With bored face. "Are you the same?" Aki ends his question.
"The same?"
"...," boy keeps just staring at him, trying to figure the right words to use. But he had nothing. "The same..," he simple repeats.
Boys eyes were somehow empty. Full of this cold hate. That stare belong to someone who has lost all his hope. Who has lost his inner light to live.
Sigh. Older kid closes his eyes. He kind of understood what the other was trying to ask. Without answering back, the room fall to silence once again.
Sure. They might be the same.. Nothing to live with. Nothing to live for. Not in this world of adults.
Hoping this all would just end sooner than later..