[center] [img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/9d/07/41/9d074143b61134e82373f825a25dd1b3.png[/img][/center] Ghent was appreciative that the neighborhood was quiet for once. The rain must have played a part in this, as most people would be inside their homes during the downpour. The silence was broken when a Black Sedan came to an abrupt stop. "Ghent!" Mrs. Saxon rolled down the window of her vehicle, her eyelashes wet with tears. The woman's distress was clear, and she held a handkerchief close to her heart. "Have you seen William?" Today may not have been so bad after all. Ghent shook his head, then moved himself closer to the car. "No, I haven't. Is he missing?" A stupid question, but he wasn't sure what else to say. How was one supposed to react when their archenemy was out of the picture? "Yes. He is." Mrs. Saxon sniffled miserably as she looked in the review mirror for the umpteenth time. "As I was getting into my car, a truck roared by. It scared him so badly that he ran off, and I have yet to find him!" Had this been anyone else, Ghent would have helped, but he disliked the Saxon family. Mrs. Saxon's son was a loudmouth who needed to be put in his place, Mrs. Saxon never had anything nice to say, and William was William. "I wish I could help, but I really need to pick up some groceries for my mom." When Ghent turned to leave, desperation kicked in, and Mrs. Saxon leaned out of her vehicle even further in hopes of stopping him. "[i]Wait![/i] I'll pay you for recovering him." This part of town was not one she wanted to wander through, not at this hour. "I will pay you $50!" For once, Mrs. Saxon was at Ghent's mercy, but he wasn't feeling very charitable. He'd already given away his comics, after all. That had been his good deed of the day. "No offense, but I'm not traipsing through the ghetto for $50. I really have to go now." If Mrs. Saxon leaned out of her window any further, she may have fallen onto the sidewalk. "Wait! I'll double it. $100! Please, just find him!" Ghent didn't turn around, but he was enjoying every moment of this. "You are a greedy, [i]horrible [/i]young man." Mrs. Saxon would offer no more, but then she overheard a dog barking in the distance. A large one, from the sound of it. Ghent sighed and shook his head as if the cat had died already. "Poor William." His sympathy was fake, but that was enough to up the reward. "$200." Mrs. Saxon was envisioning a funeral for her precious furbaby, and the image alone was enough for her to cough up the extra cash. With a light smirk, Ghent finally turned to face her. "Deal." He decided not to hold out for more; $200 could go a long way, and if Mrs. Saxon became any more worked up he feared that she may have a meltdown. "I know my way around." Ghent was confident about this, as he'd lived in the area for seven years. "If anyone can find him, I can." [hr] Ghent knew for a fact that William had an attitude; the Persian only followed Mrs. Saxon when he wanted to, and even then she was usually lugging the cat around so he didn't have to walk. Ghent had already invested a half hour in hunting the missing animal down, and he wasn't feeling so confident anymore. The money was the motivation he needed to continue on this way. Despite Ghent's former remark, Kingsview wasn't exactly a ghetto, though the neighborhood was sometimes described as "sketchy" by the folk living there. Ghent wasn't afraid, but he did wonder what his parents would say if they knew that he was on his own and so far from their apartment. As he passed by a former photography studio, Ghent overheard a familiar meow. William did not sound like a cat should; his meow sounded thick and warbled. Ghent followed the sound without hesitation, and to his relief he found William sitting atop a stack of crates near a dumpster. "There you are!" William looked right at home. Ghent had often felt that the cat was mangy in appearance, and he could have passed as a feral cat rather than a domesticated one. "Here William, come here." Ghent wasn't sure how to speak to him, but he didn't want to scare away his chance at $200. "Stay...good boy." [i]Just a little closer.[/i] The dumpster was overwhelmingly full, and the rain hadn't helped the smell any. Garbage bags littered the alley, and there was evidence of rats and dogs getting into the bags. Disgusted, Ghent held his breath, then used one of the crates to boost his height. As he made a grab for the animal, the crate caved in from his sudden weight. In desperation, Ghent grabbed for the nearest object to steady himself, but missed. A bag of trash broke his fall, and then William jumped down and started to trot away. "[i]No![/i] Get back here!" Ghent pushed himself up, and that only encouraged William to run. The cat was faster than he looked, and he ran right across the street, Ghent close behind. Running into the road without looking wasn't the wisest of ideas, and an oncoming driver slammed on the breaks and cursed Ghent out for being so foolhardy. "Stupid punk! What's the matter with you?!" Ghent winced, but he made sure not to look back in fear of being identified later on. "Sorry!" After this, he didn't want to leave the apartment for a while. Being cooped up with Henry may not have been so bad after all this mess. Right then, his cellphone started to ring, and Ghent answered it even while running. "Hello?" "Hi, cousin! Aunt Elise wants to know when you'll be back." Henry's timing wasn't the best. "Soon. Tell her the gas station was out of milk. I'm heading to the supermarket downtown." Ghent grimaced as he felt his sneaker stick to the pavement. He must have stepped onto a wad of gum. "It's okay, though. My friend is giving me a ride there, tell her not to worry, alright?" "Sure thing! I'll tell her." Henry didn't suspect anything was amiss; Ghent's explanation made perfect sense to him, and he didn't believe his cousin capable of lying. "I've been thinking real deep. Wanna hear my latest theory?" Ghent arrived at the park. William was slinking around near the playground. "This isn't a good time, Henry." Either Henry didn't hear him, or he didn't care. "Well, I was just thinking. I think the best when I clean, it's therapeutic. I cleaned your whole room, you know." Henry started to go off topic, and Ghent found himself wondering if this was a trait in his mother's family. "I think there's a reason Aunt Elise found you in the woods." Henry drew a breath as if he had to break some difficult news. "Have you ever considered the fact that you might've been stolen from your parents by a pack of wolves?" Ghent would have rolled his eyes, but he wanted to keep William in his line of vision at all times. "Henry, come on!" The stress of the day was getting to him, and his cousin wasn't helping. "It's possible!" Henry had a wild imagination, and he'd always found Ghent's story to be fascinating. For years, he'd attempted to uncover the mystery. Who were Ghent's parents and what had happened to them? Originally, Ghent had longed to uncover the truth, but he'd given up after too many failed leads. Henry hadn't, though. "At least consider it!" Ghent wasn't sure what was more bothersome; the stitch in his side, or Henry's crazy theories. "I have to go. We'll talk later." After he hung up, Ghent observed the playground. The playground was a large one and made almost entirely of wood. Time had warped its appearance, but that didn't seem to bother William. He was busy sharpening his claws against one of the posts, and when he took notice of Ghent, he started to climb up so that he would reach the first level. Ghent was inwardly cursing him, but on the outside, he remained quiet and considered his options. There were two ways to reach the first level of the playground. The stairway on the back, or the slide. The slide was nearest, and so he decided to try this route first. As skillfully as he could, Ghent climbed the slide, his sneakers squeaking against the yellowed plastic. The sight was rather ridiculous, but he didn't care. As far as he knew, no one was around. William did not move, he was busy scratching at his ear. Ghent scoffed at him. "It'll serve you right if you got fleas." The slide was still a little slick from the rain, and when Ghent extended a hand to reach the top, he slipped, fell backwards, and fell down until he met the end. With a frustrated growl, Ghent looked to the sky and slammed his fist to the pile of muddied water he'd met at the bottom. "Darn you, William!" Perhaps he should have pushed for $250 after all.