I woke up early in the morning to Mr. Giles pounding on my door. I look over at the time, almost six in the morning, I groan and sit up. Yawning and stretching, taking my sweet time. I limp over to the door, unlock it, and open it.

"Yeah?" I ask, half asleep, rubbing my eyes.

Mr. Giles barges past me and paces back and forth, looking panicked. He throws an envelope on the table and points at it, raising his eyebrows in alarm. I give him a questioning look and pick up the envelope, opening it up and pulling out a letter.

Kyne Faux,

It's come to my attention that you've been a busy bee, one million in one day? I just have to meet you. I think you know who I am, so I'll skip the introductions. If I'm right, then I need you to do something. Today is December 20th. I want all $17,970,000 by the end of the month. If you succeed, I will have one last job for you and then you'll be free; if you fail me, however, there will be hell to pay.

-M.

I set down the letter and look over at Mr. Giles, and I return his haunted expression, almost eighteen million by the end of the month? That's twelve days, including today. Rounding out to be about one and a half million dollars a day. Is that even possible?

"Damn," I say finally.

"Kid, I know what you're thinking, but-" He starts, and I hold up my hand to stop him.

"I won't hurt anyone else, don't worry," I respond, cutting him off.

He gives me a small nod and steps out of my way as I open the door and make my way downstairs. I have to meet with the Patron again. I have to pay off this debt in twelve days; who knows how much of myself I'll have to gouge out, but it won't be pretty.

I grab my jacket and boots, I look over at Mr. Giles and nod, he seems worried, either about what I will do, or what I'll have to sacrifice. I know, the price is going to be high, that's alright, as long as I keep my humanity.

I look around, waiting outside for a moment. At first, I'm not sure what or who I'm waiting for, but then it dawns on me. I'm waiting for Nis. I wait for about ten minutes, then step into the streets, but she's not coming. Maybe she's too distracted with her new puzzle box.

I walk to Sinbad Park, passing by all the shops and last-minute Christmas shoppers. I pass by a father and daughter, and see the girl's red beanie and red mitts, and I picture Nis. I can't say why at that moment I felt this way, but a terrible dread overcame me, and I picked up my pace. The Patron, according to Nis, never hurt her, but he was prone to losing his temper. It's possible that Nis could've run out in search of me; she'd be all alone, of course, damn it, why didn't I think of this sooner?

I arrive at the park and see the Patron already there waiting, tapping his foot impatiently. He hears my approach and turns to me, no warm smile, no greeting, just a blank stare. He's good at that, showing no emotion. I walk right up to him, looking around for Nis.

"Nis isn't here," He says, reaching into his suitcase and pulling out the puzzle box.

I stare down at it; it's completely solved but covered in dried blood, my stomach turns, and a wave of nausea overcomes me. I stutter out a response, but it's too quiet and mumbled to form a real sentence or thought, my mind clouded with thoughts of what could've happened to Nis.

"It's not hers. The blood belongs to someone else. Go find her. Here's your clue," He says, shoving the box in my arms.

"Why? This isn't a game!" I snap back.

The Patron grabs me by my neck and pulls me closer, his eyes flare with all the power and rage of an active volcano, twinkles of ember sparkle in his eyes, and a glare of authority that leaves no room for disobedience or fight.

"I decide what's a game, you're getting too loud, I'm fine with Mr. Giles knowing about Nis, but you're testing my patience," He growls, his hand squeezing my neck hard.

"Okay..." I wheeze out.

He lets go, and I fall to the ground, gasping for air and holding my neck. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in, he looks up at the sky, and slowly drifts his gaze back down to me. He frowns and drops next to me.

"I'm sorry, buddy, I have a temper," He sighs, placing a hand on my shoulder before continuing.

"Look, buddy, I'll give you one million for this, bring Nis and the prize back here," He says.

"The prize?" I ask, my vocal chords are recovering.

"Yeah, it'll make sense, follow the clue and meet me back here with Nis, and the prize," He nods and sits at the bench.

I look down at the puzzle box and see that the mechanisms have been forced open. A crumpled note reads: "My origin". I ponder what his origin could mean, but then it clicks: the origin of the box, the toy store!

I stand up and head off in the direction of the toy store, moving quickly. Nis might be in trouble. I need to make sure she's okay. I push past the bustling market and arrive at the toy store, it's closed...go figure.

I circle to the back and see a window propped open over my head. A woman walks down from the other side of the alleyway just as I jump up to grab hold of the windowsill. I play it off and start doing jumping jacks, as stupid as I look, she seems to buy it. She clutches her purse and walks faster.

"Crackhead," She mumbles, passing me.

I sigh and look around again to avoid another humiliating display. As soon as the coast is clear, I grab hold of the windowsill and hoist myself up, pushing into the room and hitting the ground with a thud. It seems I'm in the bathroom of the store. I gather my bearings and carefully open the door, glancing around.

I sneak into the main area, making sure to stay out of view from the streets. I glance around and see bloodstains across the ground, leading towards the stairs to the lower level. Over the stairs hangs an employees-only sign. I slowly venture down the stairs, creaking under my weight. I hear muffled cries as I reach the lower level. I look around for the source and round a corner; the room is pitch black.

"Nis?" I call out, and the crying stops.

"Nis, it's me, Kyne," I call out again.

I fumble around against the walls and find a light switch. Flicking it, I see a room that appears to be some sort of workshop, one where they would've made the toys. Most importantly, in the corner of the room is a chair, and sitting on the chair is Nis, tied to it. I rush over and quickly undo the knots, pulling her off and wrapping her in a warm embrace.

"Kyne, I was so scared," She whimpers, squeezing around my neck. I look around the room one more time and exit, walking over to the stairs and gently setting her on the steps.

"Did the Patron do this to you?" I ask.

"Yeah, Unk was mad about the puzzle box, he said really mean stuff about you, then brought me here and tied me up, telling me you'd be along soon," She cries.

I rub her head and hug her again. I feel her trembling calm down as she fully embraces the hug. I look around again for some sort of "prize," but the lower levels are too dark to make anything else out.

"Here, he said you'd need this." She holds up a handheld flashlight.

I smile and grab it, rubbing her head and clicking it on. I look around and turn to explore deeper, but as I do, Nis grabs my leg and latches on. I stop and rub her head. It might be dangerous, but she's safer with me. I reach down my hand and grab ahold of hers, shining the flashlight as we continue.

We eventually arrive at a door, written across it in what very likely is blood reads, "Prize". I hand Nis the flashlight and approach the door. I carefully open it and reach around for the switch. I find one on the hallway wall, but flicking it doesn't illuminate the hallway. I look over at Nis and gesture for her to come forward.

"In here, help me find the switch," I say.

"Okie," She says, scanning the walls with her light.

We find the switch and illuminate the room. I glance at the far wall and immediately grab Nis and cover her eyes. She yelps but doesn't resist the pull. I clench my teeth, attempting to keep the bile from rising up my throat. On the wall is the word "Prize," which is written out in blood, but the disturbing part of the scene is what sits below it.

The elderly lady who gifted the puzzle box is leaning against the wall, her body has been skinned, and her abdomen has been cut open; inside it is a note. I lean down, making sure to cover the scene from Nis's view, and take my hands off her eyes. She looks at me, shaking in fear.

"What is it?" She asks.

"Nis, cover your eyes and no matter what you hear, keep them closed, okay? Can you do that for me? You have to be brave," I say, and she slowly nods, lifting her hands and shielding her eyes.

I sigh and stand up, walking over to the body. I grit my teeth and look at the note, which reads "Your prize is inside!". Sick bastard. I throw the note to the side and pull my sleeve back. I hold my breath and look to the side, away from the grisly sight. I push my hand in and gag, reaching around the mushy interior until my hand brushes against something foreign. I grab ahold of it and pull back, looking down at my bloodied hand, it's a small toy plastic diamond.

I turn back around, still attempting to hold back the puke. I walk out of the room and hold onto Nis's hand with my non-bloodied hand.

"Come on," I say weakly.

"Are you okay?" She asks, still closing her eyes.

"No," I say, my voice trembling.

She squeezes my hand tighter as we walk upstairs, making a quick stop at the bathroom to wash away my sins and the blood. I take a deep breath and look into the mirror. I look pale and tired. I guess that makes sense. I was digging around inside a body.

"Kyne, I'm scared," Nis says, looking over at me, her eyes finally open.

"It's okay, let's get going, we're going to talk with the Patron, just stay by my side, okay?" I say, and she nods.

I help her up through the window and crawl out after her. I stare back at the toy shop and shiver. I look around the alleyway and walk Nis back to Sinbad Park. I stop on the way, looking towards a public telephone.

"Wait a second here," I say, walking over to the telephone, making sure to keep an eye on her.

I dial the authorities and tell them about the toy store. I'm not too worried myself, for whatever reason, the police have never touched anyone in the Organization. When I was younger, just after my parents passed away, I was trespassing everywhere just to get away from Mr. Giles. This one time, the landowner caught me and wanted to press charges, but as soon as Mr. Giles walked into the police station, all charges were dropped.

"Can we have a name, sir, to know who phoned us?" They ask.

"Yeah, it's-" I hang up.

I walk over to Nis and nod, taking her hand once again and leading her over to the park where the Patron is waiting for us. As he spots us, he waves, the warm and friendly smile sending an eerie chill down my spine instead of its usual warmth. He looks over at Nis and then holds out his hand expectantly. I pull out the toy diamond and drop it in his hand. He grins.

"Wonderful, your cash is under the bench, oh, and one more thing," He says, picking up his suitcase.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"Keep the child," He turns his head to Nis.

"Unk?" She says, quietly.

He looks at her with a blank expression, all the familiarity in his eyes replaced with an empty void of impassion. She tries to meet his gaze, but her eyes seem to drift away from his, almost as if they're slippery.

"Okay..." She says, holding onto my leg.

I meet the Patron's stare, I feel the same slippery effect, but I remain strong, keeping my gaze locked with his, my eyes narrowing and my fists clenching. His eyes widen slightly, appearing to be in shock. He smiles a wicked smile and tips his hat, walking off into the distance.

I walk over to the briefcase full of cash while holding onto Nis's hand. I pick it up and shake my head.

"Does this guy have a room full of briefcases or something?" I ask Nis.

Nis whimpers and hugs onto me tightly, poor girl. Even though he was a scary guy and what he did to her was completely unforgivable, he was still family to her; she must be feeling so awful right now.

"Hey, Nis, I promise to you here and now, I won't go anywhere, okay?" I say, kneeling to her level.

I stick out my pinky finger (The good one, not the one without a nail), and latch onto hers, sealing our promise the classic way. She looks up and smiles, nodding. I look over at my wedding ring, a promise...huh. Might be inappropriate, but it's not like I'm using it to symbolize real love or anything.

"Here, keep this with you, just don't wear it or anything," I chuckle, removing the ring and dropping it in her hand.

She looks up at me, and tears fill her eyes. She nods and jumps up, wrapping her arms around my neck. I smile and pat her on the back, lifting her and starting the long walk to my place.

"It's okay, everything will be alright," I reassure her, thinking about everything that's transpired these past few days. As soon as my debt is paid, I'll take her somewhere real nice. That's another promise, one to myself, I won't fail her.