“Alright, before my friend gets here, let’s get our stories straight.” Daniel said.

  Michael and Petra nodded nervously. They didn’t know who exactly he called, but they couldn't help being taken away by the grim atmosphere.

  “I was out for a walk in the park and noticed you in trouble. Your phone was broken, and you couldn’t call anyone for help.”

  They both nodded at that; it was nothing too outlandish so far.

  “The reason you’re here was because you got mugged in a nearby alley, and you ran into the park for safety.”

  “...In broad daylight?” Michael asked incredulously.

  “It’s happened before.” Daniel said, shrugging. “Anyway, with the hubbub in the forest...”

  He paused there, unsure of what to say. There wasn’t any hiding it, and the people who saw it would surely spread the news far and wide. More to the point, there wasn’t any rational explanation that would explain the whole thing.

  “Just pretend it was a burst water pipe. If she asks about the ice, just say you don’t know anything about it.”

  “That’s not really going to work, is it? So many people saw...” Petra asked skeptically.

  “We’ll see.” Daniel said, shrugging.

  That wasn’t exactly reassuring to the pair. Unfortunately, they couldn’t really think of anything better. So, they dusted themselves off and headed towards the outskirts of the park. Petra hid herself back in Michael’s jacket pocket, and the creature hid itself back in Daniel’s bag, invisible. The group waited until Daniel’s phone buzzed. He checked the text he’d received from Samantha, and they walked over to the curb where she’d parked.

  There were many more people milling around the park than usual, most likely spectators who wanted to see the chaos. The conflict had died down quite a while ago, however, so most of them were moving on with their day. The group managed to free themselves from the crowd, but as Daniel looked around, he couldn’t see Samantha’s van.

  A horn beeped and he and Michael looked over, spotting a small green hatchback. Samantha’s head poked out the driver seat window, and she made a beckoning gesture with her arm.

  “Come on Daniel, I don’t have all day!”

  Michael and Daniel made their way over and opened the car doors, but were suddenly hit by the strong stench of fish.

  “Ack, geez.” Daniel said instinctively. “Were you hauling seafood in here?”

  “You called me up while I was working.” Samantha said, shooting him a glare. “I have to go back to the fish shop soon, didn’t have time to clean the apron.”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “Ah, right. Sorry.”

  “It’s fine.” She said, sighing. “Can you strap yourself in?”

  It took a moment for Michael to realize he was being talked to.

  “Oh, yes.” He said, clipping the seatbelt into the holster.

  He took special care to avoid smushing Petra with the belt, but due to the design of the hoodie, it inevitably decreased the space she had to work with. Daniel could only hope she could cope with it for a while. Samantha started the engine, and they headed off towards Daniel’s apartment first.

  “So, what’s your name?” Samantha asked suddenly.

  “His name is Michael.” He replied.

  “He can answer himself, Daniel.” She snapped, giving him a light slap on the head.

  “My name is Michael Santiago...” The nervous teenager said.

  “Right, Michael.” She said, as they stopped at the traffic light. “So? What happened to him?”

  “Well, I was taking a walk in the park, when I came across Michael. He said his phone got smashed, and he needed to be taken home. Then I called you.”

  “...Weren't you supposed to be working today?”

  The plan was already on very shaky ground.

  “...I was taking a break from work, so I decided to go on a walk.”

  “Daniel, your office is 20 minutes away from here.”

  His heart dropped. This was not how it was meant to go.

  “It’s true.” Michael muttered, trying to bail out his accomplice. “I got mugged in an alleyway, broke my phone, and ran all the way to the park. He found me there.”

  The delivery was a little stiff, but it was a well-timed interjection. Now they just needed to keep this momentum until he got dropped home...

  “So, you found this kid who had a broken phone, and then called me...” Samantha said slowly. “Why didn’t you call the kid’s parents instead?”

  Daniel blinked. He hadn’t thought of that.

  “Well, they’re probably working right now...”

  “And I’m not!?” She snapped.

  Daniel sweated in his chair as he thought of an excuse, but the teenager chimed in with yet another timely rescue.

  “I don’t think we should call them.” Michael said quietly.

  It was such a loaded statement that it stopped the conversation dead in its tracks. Daniel looked at the brown-haired teenager’s somewhat downcast expression in the mirror and tactfully decided to stay quiet. Samantha did the same, moving the car forward as the light turned green. After a moment of driving, Daniel tried to ease the tension and explain the situation as best he could.

  “Sorry, Sammy. It’s just that his position is a bit... sensitive, so I didn’t want to send him home with someone I didn’t trust.”

  “Now you're just trying to guilt trip me...” She said, sighing. Nonetheless, she relented. “Alright kid, what’s your home address?”

  “Uh, 27 Norwood Crescent. East side of the city.”

  “Suburbs, huh? At least it’s close.”

  The small green car soon came to a stop in front of Daniel’s apartment.

  “Alright, I’ll take him back to his house, you get back to work.” She told him. “I don’t know what trick you pulled to get out, but you better get back there.”

  “Thanks, Sammy.” Daniel said, getting out of the car.

  He made sure to carefully maneuver his bag so it wouldn’t bump into anything as he exited, lest he disturb the creature and possible give the game away.

  “If anything comes up, make sure you give me a call.”

  “Yeah, yeah. You’re real attached to a kid you just met.” She said, waving him off. “Just don’t get into more trouble, let me worry about-”

  “Petra, please stop moving-”

  Suddenly, a tiny humanoid creature burst out of Michael’s jacket. It sucked in a loud breath, expelling the inhaled air with a scream.

  “ARGH! I CAN’T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!” Petra yelled loudly.

  Michael, Daniel and Samantha all stared at the tiny, half-winged fairy, who was crawling over to the passenger seat window, stomping on the switch to roll the window down, retching at the fishy smell in the boot.

  “...Daniel, get back in the car.”

  The young man dutifully complied and got back into the green hatchback. He quietly clipped his seatbelt in, and Samantha pulled the car back out onto the road. They drove on in silence, Petra loudly breathing gulps of fresh air being the only sound between them.

  After a while, Samantha finally spoke.

  “Daniel, what the hell is that?”