1

  “Diaz, my foolish friend. We chose our paths. Subconsciously or not, you can’t coddle me, not anymore.”

  I wish I could rewind time.

  But that would involve understanding it, weighing my regrets, and making decisions that benefit someone in some way, and I simply don’t have the time for that. No. If I am being completely honest with you, Wisdom, I want to rewind to the beginning and turn around. Go back to the side lines instead of becoming some monumental screw up. Back to being a nobody with no concerns. Back to clarity and sunshine.

  I feel the warmth, but it isn’t something you can cuddle up to. It is an all-consuming blaze that emanates from my fingers and burns everything I touch, myself included. So yeah, sue me for wanting better days. I may have adopted the gift of poetry and learned some sense of justice, but that is a byproduct of a bystander, a mere side effect of crazy.

  “Earth to Eli!” Piped Hope, standing in Eli's way, breaking his attempts to stare at the sun, as blindness evaded him.

  “You’re in my way,” he muttered.

  “Oh no, you can pull that crap on the teacher but I know you E. We’ve been friends since middle school.”

  “If we were truly friends, you know I would never agree to what you’re asking,” added Eli.

  “Why are you acting as if this is your first time skipping school?” asks Daniel, stepping into the frame.

  “It’s technically not skipping if we are still on the premises, E,” adds Hope.

  “Fine,” Elijah sighs, grabbing his bags and walking towards the nearest trash before their further reasons get to his ear. Despite his exterior, he was glad his closest friends were still around; it added some normalcy to his days. Even though their request was risky, he would rather be there than hear about the trouble they found themselves in later.

  Buzz. buzz.

  His phone vibrated deep in his pocket, but he felt no urgency to pick up. Ignorance was bliss, and he knew he had no explanation to give Diaz about why he would be late to their meeting later that night. Well, he could throw his friends under the bus, but he kind of enjoyed toying with time. Giving himself the reins, even for a few extra minutes. Stopping in his tracks, he tilted his attention to the eager couple. “I can only stay for a few minutes, though. Mom needs me back soon.”

  He refused to look them in the eye when he said that last part. He was never a good liar, and he felt guilty for using his grief-stricken mother as an excuse to further research with Diaz on finding Q’s whereabouts every other night. He kept walking, eying his friends as they high-fived each other before pulling fliers out of their bags.

  “I don’t think anyone would mind us putting these up. Why do we have to sneak around again?”

  Daniel punched him in the arm. “ Dude. Are you all there today? Hope texted us that it's against policy to advertise for anything that isn’t a part of the extracurriculars. I don’t think tutoring for cash counts.”

  “Right. And why do you want me to help again?”

  Hope laughed at Eli’s sarcasm. Everyone knew he had the best grades, and getting a chance to tutor their classmates could help her pay for her medical bills that piled up after that fiasco with Mr Q. She shivered at the thought, as the action of thinking his name sent goosebumps to plague her arm.

  “Very funny, E. I wouldn’t be asking Daniel for help. I’ve seen his test scores.”

  “Hey!” pouted Daniel.

  “That’s true. Alright, but I get to decide when and where. I have a busy schedule for this semester.”

  “Right,” remembered the two. “You got that internship at the station.”

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  There was no internship. It was a cover-up for when Diaz needed to see Eli face to face, or they had a night investigation to attend to, without worrying his loved ones about his absence.

  “Yeah, speaking of. I've got to get to that. I will help put up more fliers in the morning. Deal?” Eli rushed, before pulling the strap of his bookbag onto his shoulder, waving and looking at his friends as their outlines faded the farther he got from them, before they could even protest his lack of participation.

  2

  As Elijah ran up the cobblestone steps, he realized that his time was split between the same places every day. As if spontaneity was stripped from his soul, the longer routine seeped into his bones.

  I am in my head too much, Wis. I am in desperate need of a distraction.

  He knocked the special way Diaz taught him, confirming his theories on the Academy truly having a course on knocking for officers. Just as he was about to text him, the door swung swiftly open and two arms grabbed him, clearing the wind from his chest, as he shuffled unwillingly into the foyer.

  “Diaz, what gives! You just can’t man-handle people for the heck of it.” Eli complained.

  “I would correct you on how you have to be a man to get man-handled, but we have more important matters. I found him.”

  “Really! Okay, so what do we do from here?”

  “Technically, he found us.” Diaz shifted in his spot before grabbing an object off the coffee table.

  Eli didn’t need to ask further what that meant. Q always had a way of being everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Not happy with where the circumstances were going, he reached his hand out. Diaz tried to give a reassuring look, but the only emotion worth mentioning was exhaustion. Not your normal tiredness that had you longing for sleep, but rather being fed up with the way things are headed.

  Elijah sighed and opened the letter.

  Dear Detective Diaz,

  Did you miss me? I haven’t really gone anywhere, but I took a mental break to sort through my ambitions. I have so much I want to do and so little time. Scratch that. I have all the time in the world. You, however, have been dragging this game into the ground. I thought my little message a few months back would be the push you needed to find me once and for all, but I expect too much from witless minds.

  Anyway.

  I don’t want to remind you again that the Rain will end. The clouds will float away, and clear skies will take their place. I am growing impatient of being the only player in this game. So I want to help you turn the tide a little.

  Here is a clue:

  The world is sick and needs some healing, as hearts and bones break alike. Within this envelope is a starting gift. May you sprint to its place by the full moon or face the wrath of Man.

  Cryptic. I know, I should just spell it out, but I enjoy testing your intelligence.

  Mr. Q.

  P.S.

  Do not forget our deal, may we fight man to man and leave them out of it.

  Looking up from the page, Eli shifted his attention to the envelope in Diaz’s hand.

  “I see Q has not lost his love of drama. So what’s the clue? And what did he mean by leave 'them' out of it?”

  Diaz pulled out a lock of hair, gesturing for him to get a closer look near the lamp.

  “I think it’s fur. Maybe he is at some Vet Center, y’know, broken heart and bones and all.”

  “Isn’t that a little too easy? I mean, would he just spell it out to you?” Mentioned Eli, making note that Diaz never answered his other question. Frustrated, he turned and felt the hair or fur in his fingertips. “Should we be wearing gloves? I don’t want to catch rabies before the game this Friday.”

  Diaz stared, as if the words would jump from the page and smack him with the truth. Coming to, he wiped his forehead. “ I will send this to forensics, but for now, I will send a few officers to check every vet in town.”

  “That shouldn’t be difficult, there's only like three. Furthering my point that I think this is a smokescreen.” Eli knew he should doubt Diaz, but it was late, and like every night, they were getting nowhere. Diaz stared at Eli, looking at the grown man in front of him. He wondered if he should just tell him, but what good would that do? Q was a ghost, and Rain was with him, and as much as the truth was important to share, he would not jeopardize what slim chance he had at getting his son back.

  “We’ll find him, Elijah. It just takes some time.”

  “I know we will, but didn’t you read the letter too? You have until the full moon. That is in two weeks, Diaz. I think we just need to check all of our options.” Elijah took a photo of the letter and grabbed his bag. Stopping at the door, he turned, “ Let me know what Forensics says. I've got to get going, my mom made dinner, and I have homework.”

  Before Diaz could protest any further on his counterparts' impatience, Eli opened the door and braced the cool, shutting the door behind him.