Amanita: Poison Shot

Chapter 28: Riding Gloves

The next day was a bright Saturday, the acid rain was gone, and at ten o'clock in the morning, I went to Dawn to fix Siegfried's motorbike.

The jolly, engine sound of my motorbike, Frankie, echoed merrily along the promenade until I reached the end, close to Angel's Rock, where Amanita stood imposingly over the cliff.

Frankie was a metallic-black cruiser. It was fairly noticeable that she had been made up using spare parts of different bikes, but she was the apple of my eye. She had got a classic styling with chrome-trimmed modern dial gauges. She had got a tall seat position behind a bulbous tank. That was what you needed to control a 2,294cc three-cylinder engine with pavement-burning 155 lb-ft of torque. We had preserved the original retro style.

When I saw Siegfried's red bike, I smiled and parked mine next to it, close to Amanita's front door. I took my helmet off.

I glanced at the façade of his home, hoping for him to see me. I wasn't sure whether I should ring the bell. I assumed I'd be waking every single one of the rebels up, not just Siegfried. He must have been about to come out to meet me as we had agreed, for sure.

While I was waiting for him, I left my backpack on the ground, full of the tools and equipment that I needed.

I sighed as the cool morning breeze combed my hair. I was standing close to the railing, staring at the morning sun. The bright turquoise hues of the mad Neon Sea were beautiful in the morning. It was a bright, cloudless day. It would be hot, naturally. I was wearing blue jeans and a red T-shirt with short sleeves.

While I was waiting, I noticed that there was a group of children and their supervisor down below, on the beach, playing – fortunately, far from the water's reach. I loved watching the kids play and have fun. They must have been children from Dawn's school, which was not far away.

On Saturdays, schools did extracurricular activities. I stared at them for some time, mesmerised and happy, while I was thinking about Siegfried.

On the one hand, I felt sorry because Siegfried must have needed sleep after the previous night's game, the police raid, and, above all, having worked all night. Meeting him so early might have affected his sleep.

On the other hand, I didn't feel sorry for him. He had been mean to me. He had made me feel useless and afraid. I had good intentions. I just wanted some peace between us and help however I could.

Siegfried was made of nitroglycerin, a strange and explosive combination of bad mood and kindness depending on the moment. I didn't get him and his mood swings.

But what he had told me when he took me home on his bike was otherworldly. I didn't know what to make of it.

On top of that, he had to teach me meditation, so that I'd be able to get sensitive information under control during my next check-up. Agape had told Siegfried that he was responsible for teaching me, but I wasn't convinced that he could teach me to remain calm and try to empty my mind, since our relationship was quite stormy. I didn't think we could tune in to such a calmness-inducing mood.

However, after the unexpected and disgusting visit of that old, fat civil servant and his bodyguards the previous night, I was frightened by what might happen to us in those mandatory, extra check-ups and, thus, I was ready to see Siegfried in a different light. If he could teach me, then I'd become the best student ever.

Before I had fallen asleep the previous night, though, I had an idea. Maybe I could tame that fierce beast that Siegfried was with a gift. Would he see me in a different light too if I gave him a present?

The thing was, I had some riding gloves for Daniel's birthday, which would've been the following month. They were a pair of amazing, expensive, black leather riding gloves that I had already wrapped up as a gift. I honestly didn't want to see them at home anymore. My father had already got a pair of his own that my mother had given him as a gift years ago. I had already got a pair, too. So, if they fitted Siegfried's hands, well, he could take advantage of them. Luckily, I had noticed he hadn't got any the first time we met, on Dam Road.