SMF Chapter 2 - Familiar face

"How long that car is gonna be here..," Dino sighs. He and Tim were sitting on stairs, watching the grey car which has once again appeared across the street. During the time of its stays no one has get out of the car, not even once. This vehicle just arrives to the street, stays parked hour or two, then leaves. Three days in a row, always the same time, around three a clock. Because Free said it was a cop, nothing to worry about, these two boys didn't mind it at first. But now it was starting to get irritating. Their all focus was on the car.

"Does it bother you? If it's a police then he's here to make sure everything is okay. For now they are on your side since you are white faces," Free calmly says while sitting down between these two boys. He had just woke up and drunk his morning coffee. Looking now fresh and energy Free also turns his eyes toward the car, smiling.

"It's scary," Dino answers quietly. Then realizes what Free just said. "Wait.. Why you hate cops if they are on our side?"

Free snorts. "The way I bring money to the table is something cops don't like me to do," he clears after thinking his answer. "In fact police exist because of the things I do. Because I don't act as they want me to. You will understand when you get older."

"He is here because of you?" Tim wonders then out loud after giving it a thought.

"Heh. Hope not. But what I meant was; the world needs police in order to keep the city running," Free sighs. "There are people who do crimes and people who are trying to stop those crimes from happening. So don't worry, you haven't done anything wrong so they are on your side. They help you if you need them."

"But not you because you are bad?"

Free should keep it simple. Or else he would get stuck of answering their questions the rest of the day if they get too into it. In these kids eyes he was the most mature one here. Someone to listen and learn from. "Yes. Not me because I'm bad.. I hate cops, I don't get their help. You should like them and they help you. Okay?"

"You should just like them too. Then they would help all of us," Tim points out back.

"You kids are the best..," Free huffs loudly, giving up. He stands slowly up, holding this calm smile on his face. "Okay. I will check him for you. Then you will know if it's a nice cop or a spookyman." Young man takes a step forward.

"I'm scared not stupid!"

Smirking back Free puts his sunclasses on and starts slowly head toward the car, carefully eyeing the man sitting in. He stops next to the passengers side, waves once his hand to get guys attention, politely asking if man was willing to talk with him. When the window gets down, he leans closer.

Their eyes met.

The very same moment Free realizes he might actually know this person. He looked very familiar. No, he had definitely seen him before. A long time ago..

His heart skip the beat. His whole body freezes for a second. Hate, anger. Then he grow scared. Before really losing his calm, Free fastly forces the coming panic back in, giving a casual smile out. There was no way anyone would recognize him after all these years. He shouldn't let himself feel this uneasy all of a sudden.

"Hey, sir. You are scaring my little brothers, you know. While watching them...," Free states surely, wearing this confident and strong mask on him. "So what's the deal here? Can I help you?" he adds the rest with slightly arrogant tone in his voice.

Older guy was calmly looking back, not first saying a word. The more Free was eyeing back, he could feel how intent that staring was. Calculating. Like this man was looking right into his soul. Just like that, did this man recognise him too?? A cold sweat flow down Frees back. Usually, what ever it was, Free could stay calm, unshaken, wear his mask. But this sudden encounter kinda broke his full focus.

But luckily the man responds with this gentle smile and turns his face forward while closing his eyes. At the same moment Free took a hold of his calm once again. There was nothing to fear. Like anyone would bother remember someone like him. He shouldn't think too much.

"No. I already found what I was looking for," man answers with a husky voice. But Free swear he could hear a tone of amusement in it. Growing even more charged now, Free chose to act even more boldly.

"Then you don't have a reason to be here anymore, right?" young man tsihs out. "Or are you not satisfied yet? There have been kidnappings in the past. So we've grown to be very, very careful now a days." Not giving man any changes here. It was time man showed his true skin.

Man sighs out, smiling. Knowing how this game was played. Calmly, he searchs his badge and shows it to Free. A Cop. Confirmed. Everyone here already knew it. And this cop knew everyone knew.

But that remove all the ifs. Now it was real. Only one way to answer to that for now. "Of course. Oh, now we can have a peace of mind," Free smiles and leans slowly away. "I will leave our safety on your care then. Won't bother you more. Have a nice day, officer." He waves goodbyes, turns and starts walk away. The second he turned, his facial expression changes from smile to cold.

"He is a cop?" Tim asks quietly when older guy had got closer to them.

"Yeah, a fucking cop. Please smile and wave to him," Free says calmly while walking past them. "He's not a problem. But I'm not a fan of his. Please keep an eye on him for me, okay."

"Sure," Tim rogers and he and Dino both showed their best acting smiles and wave to the man in the car. "There is so much rules when you get older. It's exhausting.."

Free walks straight inside the building, heading to the living area and taking his spot next to the window, eyeing out. His whole appearance was charged. And that didn't get unnoticed from Kain.

"Friend of yours?" Kain was sitting on the couch and reading some comics when Free jump out from nowhere, looking awfully charged all of a sudden. Just a few minutes ago younger was still feeling very relaxed.

"He is a cop.."

Kain snorts. "We all know he is a cop!"

"He might be a troublesome one," Free finally admits, glancing Kain once. "I might know him. No, I mean, I have met him before."

"What? You stole his car too? If it gets too hard I'm here for you, man," young man laughs and turns his focus back to the comic he was in the middle of reading.

Free smirks back. "Oh, thanks," he tsihs while turning his eyes back on the car outside. He knew that man. Has definitely seen him before. No doubt. And now, appearing out of nowhere.. Seeing this familiar face who has been part of his nightmares for years Free didn't know how to react. Couldn't feel but a little charged, scared even.

That was the same cop who was supposed to arrested his mother. When Free actually had let himself hope everything would change for the better after that, they suddenly let her go. That happened five years ago..

Because of them, because of those cops, everything remain the same. No one saw him. No one helped him. No one cared. He had to deal it all alone. Cops from tv were totally different than in reality. They weren't something to rely on.

So that very same day when Free met this freaking cop, he also help himself and he ran. And he ran far. Didn't look back.

Learning from that, years later, knowing now how this world was rolling around him, Free has realized he was something 'better people' dislike and avoid. Treat as nothing. He was an outsider. Living alone. Fighting alone. Something even cops didn't see worth to help.

But that only made him fight harder. Against them who tried to oppress him. Belittle him. His life might be meaningless to others, but how he live it and when he would die in it should be his decision. For that, he could still stand face up.

This cop should just vanish right away. Go back to his past where he belong.

Outside, the man in the car breathes out a long sigh, turning his look toward the hostel building. Thinking.

Eventually a smile gets back on his face.

"This might actually get interesting.."

- - - -

Dense pictures push their way into Frees dream. Everything was dark. It ache. He couldn't breathe. The reflection of her mother stapping the death meat again and again and again..

Crying..

Laughing..

His chest hurt. He want to get out.. Run.. Run!

Free woke himself up and was now staring the wooden ceiling, breathing heavily, tears falling down on his cheeks. Sounds from the open TV were what welcomed him back to reality.

A dream. Just a dream. He already knew it, but still it could strike badly, leaving him feel uneasy. This one he has seen many times before. But not lately. Not in years.

After taking his time to finally calm down, he gets up from his bed, grabs his jacket and jumps out from the window, walking on the roof. While sitting down and lighting a cigarette he raises his frustrated look up. The sun was about to rise. Orange ray coloring the tops of the buildings around him. Morning was coming. And because of that freaking dream Free didn't want to go back to sleep. He didn't want to remember it all what was waiting in there. Anxiety. Fear..

No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, his pass has clearly come back to haunt him..

- - -

Hours later the same grey car was infront of their House again, loyally appearing around the same time as always. Since Free didn't sleep well the whole morning, he felt damn tired. And when he has to hear this crying about the car over and over again his anger mode came out.

Who cares has Free seen this asshole before or not. Because of him Free couldn't sleep calmly, his peaceful life in the slums has been disturbed. So he took his bad mood with him and irritated steps outside the full coffee mug on his hand. While walking though the terrace he grabs the chair with him and heads toward the car parked across the street. After getting closer, next to the car, he puts the chair down backwards, sits down and drinks a large gulp from his coffee. Car window rolls down.

"Every cop smokes. You got any cigarettes? I'm out," Free bluntly asks, with angry look on his face. He didn't have his sunclasses on at this time since it was a cloudy day, so the older man could easily see Frees light blue eyes piercing him with the angry glance.

Man behind the wheel calmly searchs out his cigarette box and passes it out to Free. Young man takes one, gives the box back, lights the cigarette and breathes a long one in and out. "Thanks. You have a name, officer?"

"Don Palenne," man answers straight. Smiling.

"So, Mr Palenne. Kids woke me up, saying you are here again. Stalking them. I do nightshifts and I'm fucking tired," Free says, keeping his annoyed look. "If this here, you here, is about the incident next door didn't they take care of that guy already? Why you are here still?"

This sudden raging act from this cocky teen was amusing. Don kept his smile on and answers with a calm, sure voice. "That is one of the reasons I come here daily."

This answer didn't satisfied Free at all. "A fucking cop hanging in our neighborhood will bring problems to us living here," younger boldly announces. "Kissing cops asses is the worst you can do in the streets. You see my problem, you being here. We are not fans of yours. Can you just fuck off?"

Man kept calmly smiling. "It's a public street. Have every right to be here. Until I get what I want."

"So you are after a flesh, after all," Free smirks then. After getting most of his bad mood out just now, he should show how he really felt about this freaking cop hanging out here. It wasn't a crime to not like shit hats. "Problems at home? Need something to loosen up? I can tell you a place where even a cop like you can get ladies. Or are you here 'cause you are into young guys? You like what you see?" Free gives out this very sneaky smile, touching his own lips. Insulting the other. Like saying 'piss off or stay to play, your choice'.

Don lets a deep sigh out. So this kid was also selling himself? And clearly, even in front of a cop, wasn't trying to hide it. Offering shamelessly himself to a law officer was something an idiot would do. But this kid didn't feel like an idiot.

"You have a running mouth, kid. You want to make a deal?" older guy suddenly says. Young man here wasn't afraid of him, but speaking down instead. So trying to talk to him like talking to some normal kid would not lead anywhere. Straight, honest approach might shake him better. "Tell me who here is responsible of these nasty small-run robs around the area and I'll be happily gone."

"Robs?" Free repeats, speaking back very quickly. "You are joking, right? The worst the kids here would and honestly will do is pickpocking. Binny, the one you shitheads took with you.. He and his friends are the only here who do ganging. Everyone here knows that."

"Binny, ha? He doesn't fit the profile. Too dumbass," man moves his head a little, showing this relaxed and calm mood around him. "But I found a perfect target. Actually it walk right to me. My problem also does 'nightshifts'."

Free clicks his tongue. So that's what was going on. His bad mood has made him walk straight to his own doom. "Do I look like the one? Really? I whore. Not rob."

"Who knows..," Don answers.

"You ain't finding anything here. Just leaving problems to us staying when you are finally done with your delusions," Free gets up, showing this last annoyed look before turning around and leaving the spot. "Good day, Mr Palenne. Get lost."

Don watches the young man walking away. Then he searchs his phone and makes a call. "Hey, Mark. I'm in Kerdon again. This place might be more interesting than we thought."

Man on the other side of the call awes amazed. "What? Something happened already? You have a contact?"

"If these kids here have anything to do your case, they might go a little under for now," Don answers, eyes still locked on the building next to him.

"You bully them?" Mark laughs, unbelieving. Their plan was not interact with the residents living in the area, but simple keep an eye on them. "Well at least we would have something. Got 'em scared. If nothing changes they are either bold or have nothing to do with this."

Don hums. But then calmly keeps. "This one might not be scared so easily. I found the one Ropert and I were looking for."

Mark stays quiet a while before speaking again. "You sure..?"

"I am. The kid has as beautiful face as her mother did. That blue-colored eyes are rare here. Or anywhere. Couldn't see the scar from that removed tattoo, but I know it's him. No doubt," Don clears out. There was no way he would forget that wild gaze.

"Then would it be better to pull you out? It's my case anyway.."

"Why? If turns out he is one of those you are after, doesn't really matter even if he was the same kid."

"Why..? Man! That's called denial. You went shit after that incident! Took a sick leave for Gods sake," Mark raises his voice a little. He didn't want to hear his friend here acting this unconcerned when it was clear how that unfinished case was still bothering Don, even after five years.

"You think I'm so thin-skinned I wouldn't know what I'm doing?" Don states back annoyed. Ignoring the others pointless concerns. "My sick leave had nothing to do with that case."

"You are a fucking explosion. Sometimes you let your emotions go out first. I know it pissed you off when your case end up like that, but.." "But what?" was Dons attack, cutting others words, making clear he wasn't in the mood of caring about this shit.

"Nothing..," man on the other side of the call sighs. Gives up. Really, it didn't even matter to talk about this. Indeed Don wasn't a person to usually let his emotions take a hold of himself. He was a pro. One of the best.

"Then stop that annoying shit. Our goal doesn't change even if that kid was involved with the Ghost. You have my word. Are the cameras ready?"

Mark hums, clears his throat. "Just fixed 'em on. We are able to set them around within a few days. After that they can't move away or out without us noticing.

If we found our Ghosts, this should be over fast."