Lone Wolf

Chapter One

Neil Josten let the cigarette burn down to the filter. He didn't want the nicotine, but the second-hand smoke filling his lungs reminded him of his mother. If he inhaled slowly enough, he could almost taste the ghosts of acrid gasoline and flame. It was both revolting and comforting, and sent a shiver through his body. The jolt went all the way to his fingertips, dislodging a clump of ash. it fell to the concrete between his shoes,

He glanced up at the night sky, but any stars were washed out by the street lights. He wondered- not for the first time- if his mother was looking down on him. He hoped not. She'd slap him around the head if she saw him moping like this.

Footsteps had his head jerking up a half-second before the door behind him opened. Neil casually slipped a hand into his jacket and looked back. Juno was framed in the bright lights of the diner as she propped the door open and came to lean against the wall beside Neil.

"I didn't see your parents tonight," Juno said.

"They're out of town." Neil replied.

"Still or again?"

Neither, but Neil couldn't tell her that. He knew his boss and coworkers were tired of hearing the same excuse every time they asked after his family, but it was as easy of a lie as it was overused. It explained why no one would ever see the Jostens around town and why Neil had a predilection for sleeping in the booths after closing.

It wasn't that he didn't have a place to live, it was that his living situation wasn't legal. Eugene was a college town, which meant shoddy construction and fire hazards built into every apartment. it hadn't been difficult to find a unit the city had deemed uninhabitable. He'd appropriated one last summer in a neighborhood mostly populated by college kids. New neighbors constantly moved in and others moved out, all too preoccupied to pay attention to Neil, but every day he spent in the dilapidated apartment was another that he risked being caught. If people realized he was squatting they'd start asking difficult questions. It was usually easier to break into the back office and sleep there. Why Juno let him get away with it and didn't notify the authorities, Neil didn't know. He thought it best not to ask.

Juno held out a hand. Neil passed his cigarette over and watched as Juno ground it into the brick sides of the building. The woman flicked the crumpled butt to the side and twisted to face Neil.

"I asked you to invite them," Juno said.

"I didn't know they were leaving." Neil shrugged.

A couple of months ago he'd gotten a job bussing tables for Juno, an easy job that allowed him to keep an eye out for strangers. His ID said he was 19, but the only problem was that he didn't have a social security card, birth certificate, or any of the papers normal people kept. Juno paid him under the table in cash, but it seemed his luck was running out. For weeks now she'd been asking after his family, even going so far as to give free dinner to the staff if they brought a family member in. Neil spent the evening washing dishes and ignoring the gnawing hunger in his stomach. If she kept it up he'd be forced to move on to the next town. He should have left the first time she asked.

Hernandez's was a small 24-hour diner nestled downtown between an abandoned parking garage and a bookshop that never seemed to be open. It's peeling linoleum floors and cracked leather booths badly needed updating. The sinks dripped and there was a perpetual puddle in the break room, but Neil didn't mind it. It was something easy to devote his attention to, and for once it was nice to not think about running.

"I'll call them later and tell them it's urgent," he said, because Juno was still watching him. "It's not like they miss much around here."

"Not yet, maybe." Juno said. "There's someone here to see you."