Chapter 2: A Stranger in the Alley

## Synopsis

The first chapter of the book introduces our main character Lyall. After chasing his niece through the city for the long conquest for bread, they return home at a late hour, but it appears someone may be following them...if only it wasn't extremely obvious to the reader who it is...oh boy I need to work on my writing.

## Chapter 2: A Stranger in the Alley

Rain pitters down on the island bubble as a man looked up in the sky, standing on an overhang above an alleyway. A cloak wrapped around his face, covering his features. He looks through the alleyway, sneaking above a building, and overlooking the roaming streets. No one sees him as rain pitters down on them. He’s in the poor islands, where they’re too poor to purchase a SILVERS system, so rain affects the islands. He overlooks the streets, faces, and expressions covered by umbrellas. But he’s looking for something else.

A flash of silver appears near a shop, and the man’s head turns, as the scampering flash of silver disappears into the streets. He jumps onto a building and gives chase. The flash of silver flashes through the crowd, pushing others aside, as more silver clashes. The man jumps into the gap formed by the flash’s rampage and chases after it. He pulls a small orb from his pocket and runs after the flash. It seems like every day this happens. Luckily, this is a daily occurrence, and he knows where it’s going. The man watches the flash turn a corner as he quickly scales a building with the help of a portable SILVERS, employing low amounts of gravity. Just as the flash approaches the shop, the mand lands on the ground and smirks.

“Well, you never stop trying do you?”

The flash lifts off the ground and a man stands up from the ground.

“Well, I can certainly try, Lyall.”, the figure replies.

The figure has a sleek build, jet black hair, and a silver coat, with endless blood-red eyes that seemed to never reflect light. Innocent and lightly tanned golden skin contradicted the devilish teeth full of teeth the figure gave Lyall.

“If you keep sneaking out for food alone, you could get lost, like you already did, nearly die, like you already did, or get kidnapped, like you already did.” Lyall sternly says.

The man snickers, as he claps his hands, “Well then, uncle, you’d just pay for my ransom, won’t you…”

Lyall shrugs “Well, Kitsune, you’ll drain my bank account eventually.”

Kitsune groans as he sighs, “That was once. I can fight now!”

Lyall sighs “Sure, you can literally wipe this entire town blindfolded with your hands tied behind your back, but you’d probably trip over a rock and fall in the ocean and drown.”

Kitsune flinches as he glares at Lyall “Again, that was once.”

“Well, you have to be careful, don’t you?” Lyall remarks, raising an eyebrow “Let’s just go home. The rain’s killing us”

Kitsune shakes himself, slightly drying his coat. “I still don’t understand why we must stay on such a poor island. We certainly have the money, don’t we, uncle?”

Lyall glares at him “For the last time, we are only staying here to stay undercover from the government!”

Kitsune glares back and let's lose a snarl “Well maybe if you hadn’t pissed them off the government by nuking a research facility!”

Lyall sighs, “We are not having this argument again…”

Kitsune shouts back “And we never finish it! We hide from the government because you think that they’re studying our kind and you had to like, save them?”

They both start walking away from the shop

Lyall’s eye twitches. If only you knew how ironic that was…

Kitsune sigh “But can’t we just take some food from the bakery before we go home?”

Lyall smirks “You just want to see blue eyes.”

Kitsune’s face blushes, “Her name’s Luna.”

Lyall laughs “Oh ho ho, oddly protective…”

Kitsune hides his flushed face and sighs “Well, every time you come with me you just scare her!”

Lyall laughs “Me? Scare someone? That’s not possible!”

Kitsune sighs. Uncle does this every time. But I remember what happened then…

—Flashback—

Kitsune smiles as Luna hands him his food.

Kitsune smirks, “Thank you, little Moon.”

Luna sighs. “Every time…without fail…”

“Well…you could agree to-”

“No.”

“We could go to-”

Suddenly, Lyall looms over Kitsune.

“Where were you going to take that girl, Kit?”

Kitsune shakily turned his head, sweat flowing down his neck as he sees Lyall looming over him, sharpening a knife.

“N-n-n-n-nowhere….”

“Are you ssssssssssssure?”

Lyall screams and tries to hide behind Luna, only to see she was hiding behind the counter.

“Oh no, oh no, oh nooo” Kitsune whimpers

Lyall grabs Kitsune and drags him out of the store as he cries, whimpering about being tossed into a pot and cooked on high heat

Luna peaked over the counter, and thought “huh, he left his food.”

She looks out the door and shouts, “hey! You left your food.”

…

Well, I guess I’ll keep it.

—End of Flashback—

Kitsune shakes his coat as they enter a covered alleyway.

“Can we at least get some food, please?”, he whines.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Last time you did it you slipped in a note for that one person. Who was it, Luna?”

“Yeah…but really! Their bread is really good!”

“Hmmmmm. It’s good, but we’ll get it in the morning.”

“But then her shift will be over…”

“Ha! Of course, you want it during her shift…”

“Yeah but-”

Lyall’s hand flashes as a silver knife fly out from his sleeve, disappearing down the dark alleyway.

\*silence\*

Lyall snarls as his eyes flash around, grabbing Kitsune. “Go.”, he demands.

Kitsune’s eyes flash before he pulls out a similar orb, scaling the building and disappearing.

Lyall scans the alleyway, before quickly following after Kitsune.

Down the alleyway, a cloaked figure lies low, with the silver knife caught in it’s hand. The cloaked figure notes the moon overlooking the building. The hood slips back, revealing blue ocean-like eyes.

(c) Kevin and Kenny Yang 2023