There I take out cash from an ATM and go into a supermarket.
They have a counter selling phones, sleek cases, the newest models, chargers, but they also have a few disposable ones.
I buy one of them.
After leaving the store I head to a nearby park, my energy strangely focused and cold.
I have Ennio’s number memorized, and after four rings he picks up, but obviously he doesn’t recognize the phone number, because his voice sounds very formal.
"Speaking."
"Ennio, it’s me, Bay."
A moment of silence, some rustling, footsteps, like he’s walking out of a room.
"What is it," he asks curtly.
"I made my decision. I’m going after Kit."
Another silence, then he asks, "Did something push you toward that decision? It’s only been two months."
With a tense, slightly rough voice, I summarize what happened at school.
Ennio exhales and says, "Contrary to how it feels, this isn’t such a bad situation, Bay. It shows they don’t think you’re behind Matt’s disappearance if they’re messing with you like this. But now, right after that incident, you’ll be their first suspect. If you make your move, they’ll know exactly what triggered it. This may even be a deliberate provocation to flush the fox out of its den."
I stay silent, because of course he’s right, it sounds logical, but I’m practically vibrating with emotion, the desire for revenge boiling in my veins.
Ennio sighs, "Bay, I understand what you’re feeling, it’s the kind of humiliation no teenager wants to face, but please, revenge is a dish best served cold, you’ll get them when they least expect it."
I don’t answer, my teeth clenched so hard it hurts.
"Wait a little, let them lower their guard, let them forget about this, but youwon’tforget, just keep a level head."
"You don’t understand, the whole school saw it, the whole school…"
"Calm down. All the school saw was that someone doesn’t like you and decided to pull a joke at your expense, and that doesn’t mean they know what happened on Halloween. Popular guys have enemies, so stay calm and act like nothing happened."
"But…"
"Right now it feels like the world has collapsed and you’re going to die of embarrassment, but push through it! Get through this day, then the next, then the next. Got it? Keep a stone-cold face so they never see what you really feel, because the moment they smell weakness, they’ll go after you."
His words surprisingly help me settle down, I feel this wave of relief spreading through my body and I take a deep breath. Maybe he really is right and maybe waiting it out would be the smartest choice?
"There’s one more thing, I am absolutely convinced that right now, with your nerves all over the place, you would make a mistake, and when it comes to eliminating people there is no room for mistakes. The police have incredible methods now, they can pull DNA from places you wouldn’t even imagine, they can trace everything, and you really have to be on top of your game if you want to get away with something like that."
I keep taking deep breaths, Ennio’s speech sinks into me, he is right about everything, I am going to have to gather some patience, despite the humiliation, despite the anger, I have to get through this somehow.
"Fine, but if you knew how fired up I am inside right now… I feel like I could tear them apart with my bare hands!"
"I’ve got a solution for that, a safe way to channel all that energy. You could really use a sparring session with real people, not a robot."
A moment of silence follows, then Ennio sighs.
"You need a trainer. All my cousins train with a guy who used to be an underground cage warrior. It just so happens he lives halfway between my family’s place and yours, he has a training room where he takes commercial clients, and I could get you in if you want."
I blink, the offer is almost too generous. Does he have some extra interest in this? Why is he helping me like this? Of course I can’t refuse. And don’t want to.
"I’d really like that, thank you for the offer. That f-AI-t program is still good, it teaches me a lot, but sparring with a real human is something completely different."
