The air outside pierced his skin, making every breath feel like cold smoke that wouldn't go away. Nathan wrapped his old gray scarf tightly around his neck as he walked quickly along the sidewalk, which was half covered in snow. The streetlights cast a yellowish light on the white flakes that fell slowly.
It didn't seem bad enough to go home early, although that meant his income for this week would be reduced. That bothered him a little because he had planned to buy some books he hadn't been able to afford since the new semester started, even though classes had been going on for several months.
Vale wouldn't mind if he kept borrowing his books, but he still hoped to buy his own, even if they were secondhand.
Now he had to be more frugal. He put his hands in the pockets of his blue jacket, searching for warmth. White vapor billowed every time he exhaled.
"Why is it so cold?" he grumbled, shivering as he walked faster.
His mind wandered. As he crossed the usually deserted pedestrian bridge, he heard the sound of dry leaves being crushed behind him.
He became alert and immediately turned around.
It was dark and quiet. There was no one there. Only tall trees covered in snow.
He kept walking, quickening his pace. He always felt uneasy whenever he crossed that bridge because it was old and no longer used after a new one was built.
But taking that route would get him to the orphanage faster. He didn't want to spend hours walking when he could reach his destination by taking the dark path.
Nathan suddenly remembered something that made his face cloud over instantly. In exactly two weeks, he would have to leave the orphanage.
Although he didn't really like the place, living there allowed him to save a little money instead of renting a room.
But they had told him to leave because he could already work and was in his last year of high school. They said it was to reduce the orphanage's burden.
Nathan sighed heavily. He felt sorry for the children at the orphanage, as well as for himself. They received a lot of help from countless benefactors, but Nathan couldn't remember ever feeling like they had new clothes or good food, not even for a single day.
All his clothes and those of the other children were hand-me-downs.
Nathan frowned, remembering how they used his handsome face to entertain important guests, but he never got anything in return.
Although he was upset, he wasn't ready to leave yet. He had to hold himself back from buying more books. Why did he forget that important thing?
He had to find a place to live immediately. He already had some references for cheap rooms, but he was still looking for one that fit his budget.
Crack!
Nathan froze when he heard the sound of a branch breaking. He quickly turned around. This time, he heard whispering.
"Who's there?!" Nathan shouted, walking backward on alert. His hand grabbed a large rock.
"Damn! You stepped on my foot!" A whisper came from behind a large tree by the river near the bridge.
Nathan's eyes widened. There was someone there!
His heart started pounding. A year ago, there had been a murder there, and the victim's body was thrown into the river under the bridge. He didn't want to be the next one on the news.
Nathan clutched the rock tightly in his hand and ran as fast as he could.
"Damn! He's running!"
Nathan could still hear shouting from behind the tree, and he saw two figures appear, staring at him before running toward him.
"Hey, wait! We're not bad guys!" shouted one of them.
Nathan didn't care. He ran up the stairs to the bridge and crossed the wooden planks that creaked under his feet.
"Nathan! Wait!"
Nathan was shocked. He turned his head while running, but his steps slowed down. How did they know his name?
He turned around, now walking backward, his eyes fixed on the two young men running toward him. His eyes narrowed when he realized they were the same two men from the cafe who had talked to him earlier.
Why were they following him?
As the distance between them closed, the two men stopped, leaving enough space to talk.
"Hey, Nathan. We want to go straight to Grace Orphanage, but we thought it would be better to talk to you first. Do you have a moment?" asked one of them.
The man who had spoken to him at the cafe was tall with a calm, handsome face, blue eyes just like Nathan's, and slightly dark silver hair.
The man beside him was a bit taller, with a model-like build and lighter hair, also with the same blue eyes. His smile was charming, and his gaze had a warmth that made Nathan want to stop and trust him. His presence felt magnetic.
"You don't need to be afraid. We mean no harm. Let me introduce myself. I'm Roger, and this is Malvin," said the taller man.
Nathan stayed alert, still staring at them. He felt something strange about the two of them. Their eyes and hair were almost the same as his, though his were lighter. He had noticed it earlier at the cafe but ignored it. It was rare to see people with the same hair and eye color in his area.
"How did you know my name?" asked Nathan.
Malvin smiled gently. He looked younger, and his smile was calm and comforting. "Because you are our little brother."
Nathan narrowed his eyes. "I don't have any family."
"It sounds strange, I know. But you are our brother, and we came here to take you back," said Roger.
Nathan immediately became defensive. What if they were trying to kidnap him and sell his organs? Things like that happened all the time.
"No! I won't go with you!" shouted Nathan, turning around and running even faster. He had to get to the orphanage immediately!
He heard their footsteps behind him. They were chasing him!
'Damn it! I'm not ready to die yet!' Nathan kept running, his whole body shaking.
"Hey! Don't run! Listen to us!" Roger shouted.
The two men finally stopped because they couldn't keep up.
"He runs as fast as a deer," complained Malvin.
Roger was panting, his nose running from the cold air. "Do we look like criminals? Damn it!" he said, brushing his hair back. He was always proud to say he was the best-looking in his family.
Malvin caught his breath. "Whose idea was it to meet him at night like this? We should listen to Alex. We should go to the orphanage tomorrow!" he said, trying to stay calm.
"I just wanted to introduce myself so he wouldn't be surprised."
"But he was surprised!"
"I'm handsome. Why would he be scared? That doesn't make sense."
"Well, hitmen are usually handsome. Especially psychopaths." Malvin shook his head, used to his brother's narcissism.
They walked quickly, arguing occasionally, making sure their younger brother arrived safely at the orphanage, the brother they hadn't seen since he was born 17 years ago.
They had to bring him back to the Salazar family.