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“We grew up in the outskirts of the city,” Nole divulged, “so there wasn’t much to do.” Reminiscing about that time felt bittersweet. Although that part of his life was the last time he could remember being happy and completely carefree, it was also the time when he learned what devastation truly felt like. Olivia hadn’t meant to expose these personal details from him, just like he hadn’t meant to bring up the death of her brother.

In that moment, he realized that the entire goal of not asking about anyone’s past was silly. Speaking with someone about the most trivial of details can ignite a chain of memories tracing back to their history. “My dad was a childish kind of guy. Up until I was six, he’d challenge me to fights just for the fun of it. If anything, he taught me how to watch for openings and weaknesses, and use them to gain the upper hand. Even though I wasn’t very good at first, all that fighting at such a young age helped me improve over the years.”

Giving his father credit felt wrong. The man didn’t deserve any praise, not after leaving them so abruptly after their mother was killed. Recalling his father’s absence at the burial alone made Nole’s blood boil. In a sense, they had lost both parents in the same day.

Sitting beside Olivia in that moment, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white, he realized that it was still something he couldn’t forgive. As much as he tried to forget the past, it just kept smacking him in the face. Both the anniversary of his mother’s death, as well as Olivia’s question, were clear signs that there was no forgetting the past. “I picked up on the analytics myself, and it’s stayed with me up until now.”

That was as concise of an answer as he wanted to give. He expected her to leave it at that, however she didn’t.

“Six years old,” she repeated. “That’s a long time ago. How did you end up in the city?”

“I brought Caden and Suri here after the gangs took over,” he answered. “We’ve been living on that rooftop for the last year or so.”

He didn’t mention his mother’s death. Olivia may be comfortable sharing such personal details with him, but the feeling was not mutual. Even though he had grown to trust her much more than he did at the beginning of the day, Nole didn’t want to tell her about how his mother was murdered, or how his father had disappeared soon after.

When her questioning ceased, he realized that she had gotten the hint that he was finished sharing intimate details. Her original inquiry was answered after all, so there was no need to press for more.

As if to mark the end of the conversation, she laid on her back, using the knapsack as a headrest, and analyzed her newly acquired Enforcers baton. Although it had been hanging from her waist the entire time, he’d nearly forgotten her new weapon, as well as his own. Retrieving the switchblade from his pocket, he marveled at the craftsmanship of the handle.

The black metal-edged handle had a crisscrossing pattern. He casually flipped the blade, the sound catching Olivia’s attention. Shrugging his shoulders at her quick response, he watched her until she resumed her handling of the baton. The curvature of the knife’s jagged side hypnotized him. He’d never been prone to using weapons his entire life, not even after moving to the inner city.

He gripped the handle to get a feel for it, but couldn’t imagine actually wielding it during a fight. Then again, if he became angry enough, he didn’t know what he’d do. Recalling his behavior in front of Murphy’s shack, he trembled at the thought of almost killing the Pent member. The fact that his anger could have so much control over his state of mind scared him.

Resting his eyes on the tip of the withdrawn blade, gory images of his mother infiltrated his mind. The angles of her motionless body, resting in the middle of the living room with a steady flow of blood from her multiple stab wounds pooling underneath her.

The sickening visuals clouded his mind and made the world around him disappear. It wasn’t until Olivia cleared her throat that he realized she’d been watching him during the episode. Flipping the blade back into the handle, Nole wiped the sweat from his brow and shoved the weapon back into his pocket.

“The sirens are getting louder again,” she mentioned casually. “The Enforcers will probably circle about the general area until they find us. If they’re scouring every inch of the city, which they probably are, we’ll be trapped.”

“We need to go back to the complex,” he inferred in a defeated voice.

“It’s our only option at this point.”

He nodded, confirming her sentiments. It pained him to have to go back without Caden, yet again, but all the leads were gone. All they could do at that point was go looking through the streets, but his criminal status and current situation would make that impossible.

After working their way down the ladder, they cautiously trekked the streets while keeping their heads low. Whenever a siren approached, they tucked away in a side alley or faced away from the road. For precautionary measures, Olivia hid the baton in her bag so no unnecessary attention was thrown their way. She also came up with the plan of not taking a direct route to the complex, explaining that if they were being followed, it was best not to lead the Enforcers to the complex. Not only could Betty be charged with aiding and abetting, but the entire complex could also be shut down, which would leave them without a place to stay.

When the patrol cars became more frequent, it became apparent that the Enforcers had zoned in on the area. Hastening their pace, they were much more wary of the strangers around them. At that point, he was convinced the few plain-clothed passersby were undercover Enforcers vying for his head.

Throwing on the hood of his jacket, he noticed that Olivia didn't seem nervous at all. Although she faced potential arrest for being with Nole, she was calm, at least as far as he could by with her demeanor. However, he knew her state of mind could change in an instant, as evidenced by her paralyzed state at the library rooftop.

With a predetermined route in mind, they navigated through the deserted streets. Whether because sundown was nearly an hour away or because of the increased law enforcement in the area, Olivia and Nole soon found themselves alone. They had become an easy target due to their presence alone, and the worst-case scenario that came to fruition the moment an Enforcer called for them from behind.

Unsure about how to proceed, they froze in place while the man politely asked for them to wait. “I don’t think he suspects us yet,” Olivia mumbled. “Follow my lead.” He wanted to object considering their last encounter with Enforcers, particularly her communicational meltdown, but couldn’t because of the Enforcer before them.

“Excuse me,” he began, pulling a newspaper out from under his arm. “Have you two by chance seen this boy?”

Nole’s hood prevented him from seeing the newspaper completely, but it was easy to assume that he was showing them Nole’s sketch. Shadowed by the ridge of the hood, he read the writing on the nametag attached to the uniform – Sgt. Bellamy. What was strange was that Bellamy was alone. Despite the stakes of the manhunt, Nole had always known the Enforcers to travel in pairs at least. The fact that the Sargent was by himself raised a red flag in Nole’s mind.

“I’m not sure,” Olivia responded, her voice casual and unsure. “There were a few people running around earlier. “He may have been one of them.”

“Did you see which way he went, miss?” Bellamy didn’t appear to show any interest in Nole whatsoever.

“Down that alley I think.”

“If you don’t mind, could you show me where exactly? I’m sorry, it’s just very crucial that we apprehend him.”

Nole sensed a bit of hesitation in Olivia’s response, but she continued the rouse.

“Of course,” her optimistic tone chimed.

Leading Sgt. Bellamy toward a shady alley, Nole dug his hands into his pockets, wrapping his right hand around the switchblade. Almost instinctively, Olivia wrapped both of her arms around Nole’s right one like she had when they’d first set out that morning. She was telling him that he needed to do as she said, just like before. He was tentative to abandon his instincts regarding the lone sergeant, but he decided he had to trust her, even as they entered the alley with Bellamy in tow. “It was down this way,” she informed.

“Was he alone?” Sgt. Bellamy inquired. Nole felt her arms slide away from his as she slowed their walk, so much so that they became only a foot or two away from the following sergeant.

Her instantaneous attack took Nole by surprise. Before realizing it, she’d spun around and kicked Bellamy full force on the right side of his torso. He let out a groan while remaining on his feet. His left hand held the point of impact while the right reached for his holster.

She didn’t give him the chance to withdraw the gun. In one move, she threw both her hands onto Bellamy’s shoulders for leverage and proceeded to land a forceful knee to his groin. Sgt. Bellamy fell to his knees and let out an expansive grunt. Just watching made Nole wince.

“To answer your question,” Olivia said, approaching the disarmed enemy. “No, he wasn’t alone.” Nole watched awestruck as she grabbed the man’s head and smashed it into her knee. This time his entire body fell without a word.

No wonder Marco wasn’t a match for her. Nole recalled finding her resting on top of the prospective gang member’s beaten body earlier that day. This guy was armed with a gun too, but she didn’t falter. Remembering the chain of attacks, he replayed her initial kick to his right side – the same side from which the gun could be drawn. She was trying to disarm him right off the bat, he realized. If he’d successfully pulled the gun, the fight would have been over. “We can’t afford him finding us again. Could you grab his gun and hide it somewhere nearby?” she asked, still staring at the fallen body.

“S-sure,” he stammered, brushing past her. As he fingered the loops of the holster and retrieved the gun, he heard the click of a pistol. Confused by the noise, he removed his hands from the gun, thinking he’d accidentally flipped the safety.

“Nole.”  

“Yeah?” His eyes analyzed the weapon on the ground; still distracted by the sound he’d heard.

“Nole,” she whispered.

This time, he looked up to see what she wanted. Gazing at her from his kneeling position, he saw her facing him with arms raised beside her head. Behind her, an Enforcer stood with a gun pointed at them.