Dark Silhouette

Chapter 12

(Kay'sP.O.V)

The old man's building was some blocks away from my place but still I managed to reach to it on time. After reaching his flat and knocking on his door the man appeared being clearly surprised by my presence.

"...you're the girl, the one who defended me from that bull guy"

I closed the door behind me after he let me in, realizing he was right and I indeed knew him. It was the old man Lauren and I had saw some nights ago. Imagine my face when I understood he was okay with me ending his life...

I stood there at the center of his living room.

"So...you wanna do this the quick way or..."

"Oh no..." He interrupted me as he opened a bottle of wine "...please, take a sit. Just let me...do this in a calm way"

I nodded and do as he said, taking a sit by his settee while he poured his wine in a cup and sited in front of me. After taking a sip of it he talked again.

"So...girl. Tell me about you. I'm an old man at the edge of his life but I bet you know more than I do... How old are you?"

"Nineteen" I answered. He arched a brow.

"Sure you are. All right. I'm not asking for a specific number you know? You can just let me guess a bit about it..." I wasn't understanding why he was curious about my 'living' years but decided to answer anyways.

"I saw Trafalgar fight at sea and I met Charles Darwing when he returned from Galapagos"

The man seemed surprised at the beginning but quickly changed his expression by sipping more wine from his cup.

"Well then, I assume you're indeed older than me. Would you mind if I chat a bit? Talk about my precious memories?"

I denied with my head.

"Not at all. I'm here to do this as you please, if your wish is to speak then I shall listen for as long as you'd like" The man looked at me and smiled amused.

"You do know how to do this... to think I was terrified of you some nights ago..." He whispered more to himself, then he starts talking.

"You know girl? I was from Florida but moved here when my daughter got married twenty years ago. when she died I thought of moving back, but I couldn't. She left me this house and back at mine there where too many things reminding me of her... I met her mother during a trip to France, she was the prettiest woman I ever knew, gentile, kind...the love of my life. After marrying her was when I discovered there exist creatures like you. We where driving home one day, it was raining and we lost control of the wheel, the car fell at the bay and we where sinking, I couldn't get her out no matter how mug I tried, water was almost at it's top and I saw desperation in her eyes as water covered it's inside. We both thought there was nothing I do, but right then a man humor into water and wasted no time in trying to help her, he dragged the entire car out of the water. We where both shocked but grateful for what he did. He left us after that and we ever saw him again..."

"Then, why where you frighten I me when you saw me in that alley?" I asked not being able to contain my curiosity anymore.

"Because it was also one of you who took her away from me" he answered.

"I'm sorry"

"I believe you are. You're one of the good ones. But anyway..." He emptied the rest I the bottle into his cup "...I believe I had a good life, girl. I know you need no more words from me but, even if you can live for centuries and never get 'old', I hope all years in your existence may be as good as my short life"

"Thank you Sir" I was kneeling by the side of his sofa. "No matter the time passed by, words from worthy people are always needed and welcome"

He took a folded paper with an envelope from his pocket alongside with a flat and rounded metallic thing, a medal I guessed. He kept the paper inside the envelope and hold the medal in his left hand by the side of it. He gave me a long look and nodded.

"I'll choose the right wrist" he said and I nodded.

An hour latter I was arriving to my apparent. Fe greeted me when I entered the 'living room'.

"Oy, there you are Kay, how did it go? Wanna head out with me to a bar?"

"No mate, thanks. Being honest I'm a bit tired, I'll stay. Go and have fun" I answered.

"But you do look..." He shrugged his shoulders "fresher, than before..."

"Aye, Fe. But I'm not totally in the mood for a pub now"

"All right, I get it. See you soon. And by the way, next time, carry your bloody phone with you okay? It's being ringing for ages"

I nodded and he left. Reaching my room I lay down slowly on my bed looking at the device's flat screen. There where five missed calls from Lauren.  I texted immediately apologizing for my disappearance, cursing mentally.