What Lies Between ✔

Something More

15

Ben

"I'm sorry for this all to be such short notice. Hopefully one of the guys can take my place this week," I apologized to Reg, the owner of the little bar I was apparently not allowed to be employed at anymore.

"I just don't understand it, man," came the gruff voice from the other end of the line, "You practically begged me to give ya this job six months ago. Why the change of heart? You got yer self in trouble er somethin', Ben?"

You have no idea, I wanted to say, but swallowed the words and formed new ones. "Nah, it just felt like time for a change, you know? Thought I'd make a new start somewhere else. I'm really sorry, Reg."

"No problem, kid. 'Least I won't have ta worry about some big mouth tellin' the wrong pair 'o ears I gotta minor workin' for me anymore," he let out his short, wheezy laugh.

"Yeah, well thanks for giving me the chance. It helped out a lot. I'm gonna get going now, Reg. You take care of yourself," I said, looking across the street I had wandered to in an attempt to get some privacy away from Adrian who was now jabbing his finger at his Rolex, waiting impatiently for me by the Hummer. I glared at him. He didn't need to stay with me. I was sure I could have navigated my way through the Upper East side a few blocks to whatever restaurant he had chosen for us to dine. What did immaculate dining have to do with hunting anyway?

"Hey, uh, Ben," Reg's hesitant voice pulled my attention back to the pay phone. "Before ya go, I just wanna let you know that if it ever gets too bad again... well ya know ya got a place here for work, ya got it?"

I blinked in surprise. The big, burly Regan Wheeler was not one for deep-hearted sentiments, or emotional words for that matter, hence his hesitance to say them I guessed. It was why we got along so well, me being the same way. I thought that perhaps I had been a bit of a burden to the man, but here he was guaranteeing me a place to work at whenever I said so. For an instant, I was filled with childish glee that someone cared where I went, what I did.

But the self-doubt and the distrust I felt towards people quickly rebutted, whispering their logic into my ear. The man was just being polite, as he always had been doing since the day my dirty, half-starved self stepped foot into the smoke hazed bar. Take pity on the homeless kid -- any good person would do that, and as rough edged as Reg was, deep down he was good people. So instead of rambling on about how much what he said had meant to me, or how much I appreciated his offer, I briefly thanked the man, who had probably extended the offer half-heartedly, and hung up. Let him get on with his day.

"Goodness, Benjamin. I thought my stomach was going to eat itself, you were taking so long!" Adrian exclaimed, yelling over the roar of busy traffic and the jabbering of people who moved like a river down the wide sidewalks.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of the blue jeans Adrian had loaned me. The price tag had still been attached to them when he chucked them at me. Not surprising with this kid, I guessed. He did have two pretty amazing cars at his own disposal too, the spoiled brat, even if the H2 was a little crowded for my liking. "Where are we going anyway, and what the hell does eating food with over elongated names have to do with hunting souls?"

"You do not expect experienced hunters to hunt on empty stomachs, now do you?"

"I don't see any experienced hunters here. Just a herd of misfits."

Adrian beamed at me. "Which you and Kairos are now a part of."

"Sure."

"That's why I thought a little bonding time before all the serious business would be a good idea," Adrian went on. " You two have to get better acquainted with everyone. This morning showed how frayed everyone's nerves have been getting as of lately, what with all the increasing souls around here and the apparent possessions."