In a lifetime

Chapter 52: Joseph Flores

I got up earlier than I had to. I sit on my bed and pull out my map with the location of the next person we're going after.

I get up and walk outside to lean against the railing in front of our room to get some air. Standing there for a while I watch the cars pass until a man who looks a bit older walk-up.

"It's a nice day isn't it?" He says trying to make small talk and I would ignore him but today I wanted to do something different.

I nod and he leans on the railing taking a packet of cigarettes out. "What is someone like you doing here," he says and I push off from the railing realizing that he's trying to flirt with me.

I look at him intrigued, he holds the packet out in front and I take one. I look at it from all angles, he lights his and offers to light mine but I flick off the edge.

"Aw that was a perfectly good cigarette, no worries we can share mine," he says and I think to myself, wow this man is really trying.

"I'm not a smoker but want to see something cool," I say and he nods. I focus on the cigar smoke that he lets out and change it into whatever I want creating a scenery out of smoke.

After a minute passes of blowing his mind, I slowly move the smoke back into his mouth. I keep it there while he chokes, trying to beg he starts tearing up and I release the smoke out.

Walking back into my room I turn to face him, "think about this moment when you try to flirt with someone who's already taken" I say and close the door.

Veronica is now up and looks at me jokingly, "what was that?" she says and I smile in response. She laughs knowing exactly what I did.

"So are we waiting for nightfall again?" She asks and I grab the map, "uh there's no reason to if she's at an art gallery" I say walking out.

The man is still out there gasping for air and when he notices me he jumps back. I wink at him to help him remember what I said and head to the car.

"So she's an artist?" Veronica says joining me and I shrug as she groans in annoyance.

It'll probably be hard to find her with a lot of people around but I think I can manage.

Along the way, Veronica suggests that we change into something a little more elegant considering that we're going to an art gallery. I told her that we're going there to kill someone and look for a tree not buy any rubbish so I think we're good.

The gallery is in town so if the others have already picked up on what we're doing then they might be here but I can't help but think that they'll never find out until it's too late.

Parking already made me annoyed and when we walk in we immediately bump into someone and see that the gallery is filled with people and art critics, just my luck.

"Try and not rip anyone apart," I say walking off to search for the person who's in charge of keeping the tree.

Unlike the guy from last time, I already knew who he was but I have no idea who this woman is supposed to be here.

While I walk around all I see are pieces of art that are not meaningful and people who either think they know what they're looking at or people who are wasting their time trying to talk to me.

Veronica and I meet up after looking around and when I turn to my left I'm surprised and annoyed with what I'm looking at.

"I can't tell if this is a stupid idea or a stupid idea," I say while staring at the tree of darkness that has been displayed as an art piece.

"This is what they look like, it's almost beautiful," Veronica says and out of nowhere a woman comes up to us, "do you like it? I sculpted it myself," she says and I smile knowing that she's the one I'm looking for.