"Did you get what I asked you to?" (William)
"It was easy, the old man usually leaves a spare set of keys under a flower pot." (Tony)
"I just had to make sure I'd be with my dad, I always go swimming with him once a week." (Tony)
William didn't respond to Tony's words, he just silently took a sip from his coffee cup. A couple of weeks had passed since the meeting in his study and Father's Day.
"Tony." (William)
"Ahem, here you go, I brought three samples as you requested." (Tony)
Tony felt embarrassed. He always tended to ramble on in conversations and chats. After coughing, he placed a brown paper bag on the table, which contained three test tubes with samples of David's blood from when he was alive.
"Thank you. Here's your payment."
William took them and put them in his backpack, but not before paying Tony for the favour of entering the morgue to steal blood samples instead of having to do it himself.
"By the way, what do you want them for?" (Tony)
Tony was curious. It was a very strange request, stealing blood from a dead person.
"It's just for a little experiment." (William)
(Experiment? It's still a bit creepy, but it's good for me, and a few extra quid never hurts.) (Tony)
"Anyway, if you need anything else, just give me a call." (Tony)
Tony put the money in his jacket pocket, picked up his somewhat worn rucksack, and left the Veleta cheerfully.
(With this, I can buy a couple of limited edition figures.) (Tony)
If William knew his thoughts, he would have given him an extra.
"You have a very lively friend." (Valerie)
"He's a bit of a disaster, but he's a good lad." (Valerie)
"You talk as if you weren't the same age. Here's some cherry pie, this week's special." (Valerie)
Valerie still smiled affectionately at William. Apparently, she hadn't lost hope of having something with him. With her red apron and attractive face, many boys tried to approach her, and she tactfully rejected them all.
When Valerie's slender, soft hand placed the plate on the table, a bracelet shining like gold immediately caught William's attention. They could see the small runes marked, hidden and woven throughout the body of the bracelet.
(Ancient, and very powerful...) (William)
"My bracelet caught your attention." (Valerie)
Valerie caught William's gaze on her wrist; it wasn't that hard to notice.
(Finally, a topic of conversation.) (Valerie)
"Sorry for staring. Where did you get your bracelet? It's the first time I've seen you wearing it." (William)
Valerie smiled charmingly and smoothed her hair before taking a seat directly across from William. She held her bracelet as if it were a precious object.
"It's an heirloom from my grandmother. Today is the anniversary of her death. She passed away two years ago. She slipped in the bathtub. We always told her to wear her sandals when she took a shower." (Valerie)
"Or she would tell one of us. She was a strong and independent woman." (Valerie)
"I'm sorry to hear that." (William)
"Don't worry about it. Getting back to the subject, I only wear it on this day of the year. It's like a little ritual for me." (Valerie)
"This may sound rude, but would you be willing to sell it? I can offer you 50k." (William)
"...!!!" (Valerie)
Valerie's eyes widened in surprise; she hadn't expected that turn in the conversation.
(That would be enough to get me out of this godforsaken place.) (Valerie)
Valerie's breathing quickened a little. So much money for an old bronze putty covered in a thin layer of gold.
"You don't have to answer now. You have until the end of the school year to give me an answer." (William)
"I will!!!." (Valerie)
"You have a bank account to make a transfer to, or would you prefer cash?" (William)
William wasted no time, taking out his wallet and mobile phone, the case decorated with a photo of Enid snarling at the camera.
(She looks adorable when she shows her teeth like that.) (William)
William's attention was briefly diverted and he smiled. Valerie noticed, and her expression turned slightly annoyed for just a moment.
"A transfer is fine, but..." (Valerie)
"But...?" (William)
"I want a chance, a date just you and me!!!" (Valerie)
Valerie's hands on the table clenched into fists; it seemed to take a lot of courage for her to say those words out loud.
(I'm sorry, Grandma, but I can't stand living here anymore, and if this gives me a chance at love, I want to take it and hold on to it.) (Valerie)
"I have to think about it." (William)
"25k is fine for the bracelet, but I want an answer today." (Valerie)
Valerie stood up, the excitement causing beads of sweat to cover her skin, making her look a little more attractive than usual, as did the sparkle of excitement in her eyes.
"One last thing, can you give me a scoop of ice cream on top of my cherry pie?" (William)
"O...of course." (Valerie)
(I was originally going to use that as a conversation starter, which is why I didn't bring it up from the beginning, but now that was pointless.) (Valerie)
The shame of the meaning and how desperate her words sounded had finally begun to take effect on Valérie, added to the stares of the customers at Veleta, the smiles on the faces of the older women and the teenagers who liked romance only made matters worse.
Her voice trembled as did her hands, the clinking of the slice of cake plate clearly audible in the café.
20 minutes later - The Veleta.
"That's the last bite..." (William)
"You said something, William" (Enid)
(Yes, she looks angry....) (William)
A smiling Enid was sitting right across from William, but it was obvious that he was angry about something. She took William's fork and ate the last piece of cake.
"Who told you?" (William)
"Many people, and there's also this." (Enid)
Enid placed her mobile phone on the table and played a video. It was Valerie raising her voice and asking William out on a date. In the video, you could see how nervous the girl was, and William's smile led everyone to believe that his proposal had gone very well.
*Tink*
With a slight crack, Enid's sharp claws expanded. She placed them lightly on the table, leaving marks in the wood—that's how sharp they are.
"She is here?!!" (Enid)
"I think his shift ended 10 minutes ago." (William)
"Good." (Enid)
Enid didn't pursue the subject, she just stood up, grabbed her pink backpack, and prepared to leave the Veleta.
"Where are you going?" (William)
"Come with me." (Enid)
William didn't ask any questions, he just followed her silently. They walked through Jericho to the outskirts of town, to a large park with leafy trees and green grass.
"Enid, let me explain..." (William)
Before William could begin to explain the whole thing, Enid pushed him to the ground and sat on his lap.
(She tastes like cherries...) (William)
"Mmmm.ahhh...What did that bitch want with you...mmm!!!" (Enid)
Enid asked a question before continuing to kiss William.
"I thought you were angry..." (William)
"I know you well enough to know... mmmah!!" (Enid)
*Gasped*
"It's not about that..." (Enid)
(Almost a year of relationship, it wasn't in vain.) (William)
Enid trusted William more than he realised; she was just a little jealous. They stopped talking for a long time, but the saliva on the corner of Enid's lips and the lipstick marks on William's neck gave her behaviour away.
"So you want to buy her bracelet for your research on runes?" (Enid)
"I think it's some kind of protective artefact, the perfect combination of major runes in a single object." (William)
"And she wants a date as part of the deal." (Enid)
Several minutes had passed, and they were still sitting on the grass, except that William's back was resting against a tree and Enid was sitting on his lap, her hands around William's neck.
"Should I say no?" (William)
"After all, it's just an object. There are other ways to get it, and I can even raise the purchase offer." (William)
"It's not necessary. You can go, just don't let her touch you." (Enid)
Enid's last words were spoken with a slight implied threat, knowing that Valerie touching William would indeed anger her.
Nevermore - William and Xavier's bedroom.
"I heard about your argument." (Xavier)
"It wasn't an argument, did you see the video?" (William)
"Who didn't see it, it was pretty popular." (Xavier)
William put down his textbook and pen and leaned back in his chair before picking up his mobile phone. He had to respond to Valérie's proposal before midnight; she had left her number on a napkin.
[I accept.] (William)
[You won't regret it. In two weeks, it will be firefly season at the lake, about 15 minutes from Jericho. The lake will be full of their lights.] (Valerie)
[OK, just send me the location and time, and I'll be there.] (William)
[Great, I look forward to it.] (Valerie)