Masking the injury to his back, he walked alongside Olivia.

“I think we’ll be fine now that some time has passed since we disappeared off the main street,” she explained. Sure enough, they emerged into the main street unnoticed. Nole breathed a sigh of relief after it became clear that they weren’t being followed. “Did you get anything off of that bigger guy?” The question caught Nole off guard. Since she had claimed Marco’s baton, there wasn’t any shame in revealing his prize. He fished the switchblade out of his pocket. “Can I see?” Obligingly, he offered it to her.

The way she prodded at the weapon was strange in Nole’s eyes. Judging by how she was holding it with the tips of her fingers and distancing it from her body, she was unfamiliar with it, or afraid of it.

“Can I ask you something?” he questioned as she was extending the switchblade back toward him. Taking her silence as consent, he continued. “Where’d you learn to fight?”

She didn’t answer immediately. In fact, a few minutes passed before she spoke. By the time she answered, Nole had thought she’d ignored him altogether.

“Before I met Betty, it was just me and my older brother.” The first line had Nole hooked instantly. Brother? “I was only ten back then, around the same age as Suri, right?” The way she looked up at the midday sun looming above them, Nole could tell it wasn’t a question for him, but one asked for her own clarity. “He was a couple of years older than me. I don’t know how you are with your brother and sister, but he and I used to fight, more than I care to admit.”

She looked down at her feet and held the strap of the bag with both hands. He couldn’t tell at first, but when she lifted her head, she was smiling. “He was a big wrestling fan. I mean, he would mimic every move he saw all the pro wrestlers do on TV. So of course, when we had our spats, those moves came out.

“Long story short, I began researching moves myself. Not after long, we were duking it out on equal ground. Eventually, we started using props to up the ante.” The short chuckle that escaped her briefly echoed around the tall buildings surrounding them.

For the first time since they’d met, Nole actually recognized Olivia’s youth. Of course she had initially told Nole she was fourteen during his tour of the complex, but her intellect, fighting ability, and manner of speaking, always made him perceive her as mature. It was only by listening to her innocent laugh that he was reminded of just how young she was.

Even though he was only two years older, his misfortune and hardships made Nole feel old. Not in the sense that he was elderly, but in the sense that he’d been through so many rough times, it felt as if he were looking back on numerous decades of his life, instead of just sixteen years.

“Where is he now?” he asked without thinking. Once he saw Olivia’s smile disappear, he instantly regretted the question. Before he could attempt to retract it, she gave another one of her concise responses.

“He died.”

Is that why she volunteered to help me? She can definitely relate to the situation of losing a brother, however in my case it isn’t permanent. At least... I hope not. He felt horrible when he thought back to how he’d suspected her of having ulterior motives for helping him.

“I’m sorry,” was all he could say. He didn’t dare ask how her brother died, or even about her parents. He’d only intended to gain information about her fighting skills, not intimate details of her past. Avoiding their pasts was initially his number one rule when interacting with Olivia, Zane, and Valerie, and within a matter days, he’d broken that rule.

They walked in silence until reaching City Square. Olivia had advised that they take an alternative route due to the increased security around the fountain, but Nole stuck with the original plan. Not only was it the fastest way, but he also wanted to see the fountain himself. Once there, they loomed in the outer edges observing, the commotion before them. There were a dozen Enforcers stationed around the Square, most of whom guarded the immediate proximity of the fountain and those crowding around it.

He’d assumed all the people were citizens trying to scrounge for water, until he saw the tape recorders and notepads they waved around. Reporters. Must be a press conference, but for who?

“This is a good time to sneak by,” Olivia murmured. “Everyone’s distracted.”

He was about to respond until he saw who it was that everyone was swarming. Despite his general disinterest in the city officials, Nole immediately recognized Nova City’s Chief of Enforcers behind the podium next to the fountain. The view wasn’t ideal, but the man was clearly distinguishable.

Despite their plan of scurrying along the edges of the Square, Nole inched closer to the press conference, Olivia hounding him all the while. Shrugging her off as he stealthily moved, Nole managed to get within earshot of the crowded area. Fully aware of the Enforcers around him, he decided that no one would be able to spot him in a crowd of rowdy and diverse people.

“They might talk about me,” he mumbled to Olivia.

“I think they’re here to discuss the fountain.”

Ignoring her reply, Nole analyzed the serious looking man facing the crowd. His thick brown mustache took the shape of a frown and his intent blue eyes, shadowed by a hat that seemed too tight for his angular face, focused on the reporter who addressed him. Even though he wasn’t looking at Nole, the intensity of the Chief’s gaze intimidated Nole somewhat.

The whispers of the people around Nole made it difficult to hear the question being asked, however the Chief’s voice was loud and clear when he responded. His gruff voice went on and on about the current investigation into the fountain’s defiled state. Right after his thorough answer, another reporter asked about when the fountain would be reopened. The question seemed to displease the Chief, because he glowered at the reporter.

“I can honestly tell you that I don’t know.” The response stirred the crowd, prompting him to go on. “I don’t want to misinform you by declaring an end date to the investigation, because doing so would be irresponsible. I am fully aware of what the fountain represents for Nova City, and I want to capture the persons guilty of disgracing our city’s greatest landmark. Not only am I putting my best men on the job, but I, too, will be keeping a close eye on every step of this ongoing investigation.”

Greatest landmark, Nole scoffed. These city officials are so naive.

“Do you have a definitive suspect for the vandalism?” a female reporter followed up.

“We can only conclude the obvious,” the Chief responded flatly. “For now, there is no specific suspect, but we do have a substantial lead. I assure you, the perpetrators are our number one priority.”

He’s avoiding naming the Paras, Nole realized. Chief Caswell doesn’t want to give them more media attention than they’ve already received, so he won’t even acknowledge their name. But number one priority? Nole was skeptical of the reply. Had he been dropped from the Enforcers’ radar?

“Chief Caswell! Any progress with the Murphy Maddox murder investigation?” another reporter shouted as if reading Nole’s mind.

“That is classified information. I have very capable men on the case, and we are making great progress.”  

“Any new information about the murderer?” another man jumped in. Nole could feel Olivia’s eyes watching him.

“We currently know his name, but that’s all. We will not be disclosing it to the press yet. The boy we’re after is highly dangerous and we advise anyone who knows anything to come down to the station.”

Another reporter asked about Captain Maddox’s current state while working on such a personal case. As Chief Caswell gave a long-winded answer about the courage and desire for justice the beloved Captain was exhibiting, an idea hit Nole.

“Ask about the informant,” Nole whispered, elbowing Olivia.

“What?”

“Ask who the witness is. He should explain why the force is using gang member testimony in such a crucial investigation.”

“No,” she shot back. “We shouldn’t even be here. I’m not going to draw any unnecessary attention to us.”

He couldn’t argue with her there, but still, he wanted to learn about the so-called witness that named Nole as the murderer. Even though it was risky, Nole couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Disregarding Olivia’s murmured calls, he threw the hood of his jacket over his head so that it shielded his eyes and approached a reporter frantically scribbling on a notepad.

“Hey,” Nole greeted casually. The man didn’t tear his eyes away from his notes at first, but he finally looked up at Nole for an instant before getting back to his jotting.

“What do you want?” he demanded, unbothered by Nole’s get-up.

“Don’t you think it’s a little strange about the witness? It’s almost like they’re hiding something.” Nole didn’t want to get into specifics; he just wanted to get the reporter intrigued enough to throw a question at the Chief. “They’re not telling us everything,” Nole said firmly. “Surely this witness would know more than just the murderer’s name, right?”

The reporter grunted in response. After a few minutes of constant scribbling, Nole decided the conversation was over and returned to Olivia.

“What was that?” she interrogated upon his return.

“If you weren’t going to ask, I had to plant the seed somewhere else,” he defended. The reporter he conversed with was still writing. Come on, Nole urged. Ask. During their conversation, Nole had pressed the man about the information known by the witness, when in reality, he only wanted to know the identity of the witness. Only a handful of people in Nova City knew his name, so the informant had to be someone he knew.

“Is this really that important?” Olivia asked, obviously eager to leave the Square.

“Yes,” Nole replied adamantly. “I need to know who’s coming after me.”

With a sigh, Olivia ceased her argument and idled while Nole observed his targeted reporter carefully. The man finally ceased writing and appeared to be looking over his scribbles. A few more questions were asked before the reporter spoke up.

“Chief Caswell! Is there any new witness information regarding the murderer?”

Not exactly what I was looking for. Nole sighed in disappointment as the Chief referenced the sketch and the unreleased name. He claimed that the sketch should be enough to bring the alleged killer to justice.

“Who is the witness?” Olivia’s voice shouted. Nole whipped his head toward the source of the question and realized that she was no longer beside him. Following the turned heads of the people around him, Nole finally found her on the far edge of the crowd, awaiting her answer. She hadn’t gone to any effort to hide her identity, but then again, she didn’t have a reason to.

Chief Caswell paused, clearing his throat in preparation for his answer.

“We will not release that information for the safety of the witness,” he declared.

“Could this witness be affiliated with a gang?” She wouldn’t back down. A wave of whispers spread through the crowd while Chief Caswell seemed to be shocked by the audacity of the young girl who’d given him such a question.

If there was one thing Nole knew about the Nova City Chief of Enforcers, it was that he was an upstanding person. Despite the highly criticized decision regarding the Enforcers cease of duty after sundown, Caswell maintained a strict rule to keep the gangs in check. Unbeknownst to the mayor, the system itself wasn’t very successful, however the Chief received much praise for his efforts regardless. His sudden judgment to shut down the fountain was also a high profile decision, as it would affect most of the city’s population.

“I can tell you with absolute certainty that the witness in the Murphy Maddox murder is not part of any gang. As I said, this case is of high importance, and we did a thorough background check of this individual,” Caswell announced, halting the whispers. “All that’s left is to ID the suspect with the fingerprints found at the scene.”

With all my trips to Murphy’s place, there’s no doubt that those are my prints, Nole reasoned. That means if they catch me, they can convict me on the spot. As the difficulty of his situation sunk in, Nole felt a sudden rush of paranoia. He regretted joining the crowd and entering an area filled with Enforcers. I can’t afford to be caught here.

When he looked over to Olivia, she was staring down the Chief. We’ve got to get out of here, Nole thought, elbowing the people beside him on his way. “That is all,” the Chief concluded, stepping down from his podium. In an instant, the still maze of individuals shifted, causing a chaotic whirlwind of shoves and camera flashes. Looking above the heads of those beside him, Nole barely made out the unmistakable strawberry blonde hair peeking through.

“Hey,” he called, “let’s go.” They navigated through the disarray and managed to reach the other end of the Square, looking over their shoulders all the while.

“Happy now?” Olivia asked, a tinge of arrogance in her voice.

Giving her an unamused look, Nole shrugged off her question and continued to traverse the crowd wordlessly.