◈A D R I A N◈

Life's a beach.

I cocked my head to the side as I stood in front of a mannequin displayed by the sidewalk. That grey sweater with the bold words imprinted on it clung to the bulky frame of that doll like a second skin—or plastic in this case.

I wondered what those words meant.

A sudden autumn draft swept through the streets, sending a flurry of fallen leaves to dance around my feet. I kicked at a wild leaf futilely as it circled around me like a merry-go-round as if it was mocking at my miserable state.

Looking down on my tattered hand-me-down and back to that spanking new sweater, I couldn't help but to sigh.

Whatever they meant, the sweater sure looks warm, I thought wryly as I folded my arms around my torso.

A middle-aged woman came out of the store while looking expectantly at me. "Do you want to try it on? It may be too big on you but well, oversized sweaters are trending now among youngsters," she said. "That and sagging pants revealing half the bum!"

I fidgeted uncomfortably as she continued to chortle at her own humour. Tugging my pants unconsciously, I secretly hoped she wouldn't be able to tell my bunched-up pants I tied up with a rubber band to keep them secured around my waist from under my baggy shirt.

God forbids if she mistaken the bulge to be a hormonal erection.

I hunched my back and quickly shuffled away before she insist I try it on. The more I thought of it, the more I dreaded the scenario. The last thing I needed was to have her label me as a horny teenager.

As I wandered aimlessly on the sidewalk, my forgotten hunger pangs struck once again to remind me of my fruitless attempt to get twenty dollars from Mom.

Yeah, I had naively thought going on a hunger strike would call to her motherly instinct.

Growing up in a loveless family should have taught me better to be independent but somehow, I've always had this sliver of hope that maybe she cared. Maybe she just didn't know how to show it.

Yeah, locking you up in the cupboard showed how much she cared, a sneering voice mocked in my head. I winced at the harsh truth.

Unfortunately, no matter how many times I tried to wrap my head around with this spun lies, she never failed to tear through them in an instant.

Just as I was about to plunge into self-pity, a tantalizing smell of grilled sausages called to my stomach. Saliva immediately pooled in my mouth and I took a big gulp to swallow them before I embarrass myself by drooling.

The sound of sizzling fat from the rows of sausages and bacons on the hot plate lured me to a nearby hot dog stand right beside of the antique book store. There was already a small crowd gathering around the stand, all waiting patiently for their orders.

Pickled radishes, chopped scallions and tangy mustard laden on a fat, juicy Italian sausage nestled in fluffy, warm bun.

Oh man, is that what heaven looks like?

I could feel my gastric acid slowly yet surely corroding my stomach lining as my eyes feasted on the many varieties of toppings. My heart sank when I saw the price list. Two dollars for a regular hot dog. My hands found a pathetic nickel laying in my pockets and I fished it out, staring at it grudgingly.

A nickel. That could probably get me some mustard sauce to coat my  stomach linings from the caustic acid. My lips pursed at the pitiful thoughts.

Why fret when you can steal? The same voice echoed in my head out of nowhere.

I was taken aback. What's with this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation? Was this hunger talking? Maybe the gastric acid started to corrode my brain too. My stomach grumbled loudly as if agreeing to the suggestion.

I won't be stealing if I pay with this, I mused and looked down at the coin in my palm as I started to warm up to the idea.

My eyes darted to the left and right, the coin pressed tightly in my fist as I surveyed the surroundings. The owner was busy taking orders from new customers, leaving the grill unattended.

It's now or never.

I slowly neared the cart and slid the nickel beneath the tray of buns as inconspicuous as I could. My eyes flitted between the owner and the grill, heart thumping wildly against my chest.

I set my target on the nearest log of seasoned meat. My fingers inched closer to the steaming iron plate, almost burning my fingers when they got too close to the surface. When the owner turned away to check on his supplies, I snatched the meat and sprinted.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I muttered repeatedly under my breath.

I didn't care if my fingers were getting cooked like sausages in the process as they gripped on the sizzling hot dog. I didn't care if my lungs were burning and my trachea was constricting. All I knew was I needed to get away fast.

I didn't know where my instinct led me to but I was closing in on one of the deserted parks. The trees that lined the street were getting more unkempt the deeper I went.

I risked a look over my shoulders to check if anyone had caught on me yet. To my surprise, there wasn't a single soul in sight. Maybe they thought a sausage wasn't worth chasing after me.

Glancing over my shoulders once again, my pace slowed down to a jog before I bumped into someone and lost my footing. My butt hit the ground and my grip reflexively loosened to break my fall, the sausage I spent so much effort on rolled away limply on the dirt.

Frustration welled up in me and tears threatened to spill. I bit the inside of my cheeks and the rusty taste of blood coated my tongue.

All of that for nothing!

A helping hand came into view, offering little comfort to my battered feelings. I slapped the offending hand away and slowly got on my feet.

"Sorry, man. I didn't dodge in time."

I glared at the voice, looking up only to find a black silhouette as the setting sun hid behind his back. He stepped aside to let me up and the silhouette melted away to reveal a young man, basking in the orange glow with an easy smile on his lips.

His eyes flitted to the dirty sausage and gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry 'bout that. That wasn't your dinner, was it?"

No, that was my breakfast, lunch and dinner—probably tomorrow's breakfast too all rolled into one, I spat in my mind.

I gave a dismissive grunt and his smile grew even wider at my disgruntled expression, a dimple slowly came out of hiding from his left cheek.

He opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by a tattooed arm slung over his shoulders, breaking off his attention.

"What's taking you so long? I thought you fell in the loo!" the tattoo guy chuckled while giving me sideways glances.

The other guy laughed, an air of easy camaraderie hung around them. "You're as amusing as ever, Zax. I ruined someone's dinner unfortunately," he looked at me and motioned me forward. "Come, let me make it up to you. I believe we still have some burgers to spare."

Zax frowned at that, hostility was evident in his eyes as he glared at me. "We only have enough, Damon." He didn't even bother to lower his voice.

"He can have mine then," Damon replied in an authoritative voice. It was clear that Damon was the top dog here. I gulped nervously as if I was expecting a fight between them but Zax huffed and walked off.

"Come," Damon urged and he strode to the elevated concrete deck while throwing playful punches at Zax before looping his arm around Zax's neck in a headlock. Zax only gave a wry smile.

The word burger had me salivating again and I followed him, as gullible as a three-year-old. Damon spared me a glance and smiled at my obedience.

As we were getting closer, I realized we were at a deserted skatepark. Some of the ramps had cracked and weathered while the others had potholes.

A five-metre tall vert wall was artistically designed with bold graffiti. A pair of red eyes was staring straight through my soul, the crimson from its eyes flowed to its belly and formed two words.

Rogue Hyenas.

Damon turned around and grinned, pride was evident in his eyes as he lowered his stance to a mock bow and said,

"Welcome to the pack."

✈

Author's note

This is going to be a long flashback. Probably stretching over a couple of chapters more. Sorry guys...you won't be seeing Logan anytime soon.

But, this holds important revelation to Adrian's past and his mysterious acquaintance from the previous chapter.

If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider to click on the little star at the bottom. Cheers!

{Song: This Time Around by Jessica Pratt}