A Family Affair (Hunter Street)

Chapter Nine -- A Sad Goodbye

THE SUN FINALLY peaked above the tall bustling buildings in Amsterdam now that it was midday. Cars honked at others while pedestrians shouted at each other about whatever issue was happening at that point. A chilly breeze blew through the streets and the buildings, forcing all the windows and doors to be shut from the public. It was better that way, anyway, because something bad always happened when people interacted with each other.

The yellow shafts of sunlight blinded Florian as he leaned against the railing of the balcony at Daniel's apartment. He wasn't even sure if it was considered a balcony because it was small, smaller than a normal bathroom. Then again, Daniel's whole apartment was pretty small with all the six boys living together in a three-room place. At least it was quiet out on the balcony where Florian couldn't hear the other boys arguing with each other. Well, besides the cars, people, and strange noises from all the buildings around him. So maybe the balcony wasn't great, but it had to work for right now.

Florian stared down at the street below him. Unlike Hunter House, the apartment building was located in the industrial district, meaning that they were not on the canals or water, just surrounded by buildings and more buildings and even more buildings. Yet the balcony still had a pretty nice view. The other buildings were so close to each other that they were nearly brushing against walls, but this balcony faced the very busy street and square. 

He just couldn't enjoy it. Not today. Florian had been up all night, tossing and turning on the uncomfortable floor. He refused to sleep with any of the other boys, especially any of the Hunters. He had only known Daniel for a couple of months, and he knew absolutely nothing about the other three rowdy and loud boys. That left Oliver, but Florian also refused to sleep with him. So, he had been sleeping on the floor in the living room since he first came here at the beginning of the ridiculous treasure hunt.

It didn't help that both Oliver and Sal came back to the apartment late in the night, not together, but very close in the night to each other. Florian knew that Sal had started to follow Oliver, who left after they all got back to the apartment from a day out together, going around to the favorite places of Sal and Florian himself as they were the only two who had lived most of their lives in Amsterdam. Daniel was presumably at work yesterday, but when they got back to the newly cleaned apartment, they found him in a suit and a smile. 

The rest of the boys spent the evening last night trying to figure out the clue from the notebook. Florian stayed quiet as the boys poured over it, and when he went to bed -- well, went to the floor -- they were still working on it. Florian knew that they weren't going to figure out the clue, which was proved right when he woke up this morning to hear that Sal had spent the whole night trying to figure it out. He even got a text from Anika earlier this morning saying that the girls figured out what the clue said, but they weren't sure what it actually meant. 

First of all, Florian wasn't sure how the girls got the clue, but he wasn't really worried about that. He didn't care if the girls or boys cheated during this adventure because that was where his mind went first. Second of all, he didn't tell the other boys about what Anika told him. She trusted him with that information, and he wasn't going to break her trust. 

A soft breeze blew through his brown hair as Florian stared at the small green square. There were a few kids playing tag together, probably from the apartment building. He had no idea when they started playing, but their screams and laughter ruined the peaceful moment he had all to himself. They were ruining everything.

For the slightest moment, Florian wished he had those memories where he was running around with people his age, laughing and not worrying about anything else other than what he was going to do next. He never had anything like that. He never had any friends. He never had any happy memories.