Tomorrow. Such a big word for such a small immortal.
Cade glanced around the room, at the world around him hat seemed so quiet, so peaceful.
For now.
In a few hours, The Association would be here. Before any longer, he would be running, and gunshots would be firing. Silenced pistols would be his only companion, and the fight would be his only routine. Before then, before the run starts, Cade is Cade. Cade Canning. The young dude who barely reached 21.
"Hey." Aerie said, breaking the silence between them, "it's gonna be nine soon. Season finale for the cartoon."
"Cool." Cade said, unable to find words to reply her properly. "We can watch it together after I finished the dishes."
"It will be so exciting, wouldn't it?" Aerie replied, smiling cheerily, "I really want to know what happens in the end."
"Yeah," Cade said, "Me too."
Aerie. Reaching her ninth birthday just a few months back, she was always smarter than all the other kids at her age. Cade remembered that the day he met her was the day when she was bring thrown away by her parents. When she glanced at him with her tiny black eyes, Cade knew that there was something special about her.
It only took one moment for her to register its space in his mind, and only another for him to decide to have her with him. Aerie was four then. "Hey. Where are your parents?"
And it had been five years ever since.
"You aren't excited about it?" Aerie questioned, with her smile still so cheerful and her voice still filling with the softness that a nine year old should have, "we watched this drama for like three months everyday before the season finale today."
"Yeah, of course." Cade replied, "I have been waiting to know what happens to— you know— the main character."
"His name is John!" Aerie yelled as she made a grumpy face that spoke of nothin but cuteness, "And he will be fighting against the big bad villain!"
"Yeah yeah." Cade replied, "I was talking about him, exactly."
"Have you really been watching, Cade?"
"Yeah." Cade replied, throwing all the dished that was finished just now into the sink as he turned on the tap to allow water to run on the "Really, Aerie. Just a bit tired today, a lot of of stuff to do today."
"Oh." Aerie replied, "Really?"
"Its been the end of the month and my boss told me to type a lot of documents today." Cade said, squeezing a grin as he casually lied. The routes of running spun inside his head as he calculated the possibilities that would happen later, the number of people showing up, and for hoe far he needed to get away to get all of these people away.
"But didn't you tell your boss that you'll be watching the season finale today?" Aerie asked, curious. She took a seat in the middle of the
Cade laughed, "Nah."
"So is this the reason why they told you to do so much work today?" She asked, "I think that if you told them, they would be better you."
Cade giggled. Children have always been funny. "Things don't work this way, you know."
"Oh." Aerie replied, "So you are really really really tired, aren't you?"
"My muscles are falling out of me." Cade replied as he acted as if his mussels have been really falling out of him. "Gonna sleep like a log tonight."
Aerie laughed, giggling and rolling over on the sofa at his acting, "Muscles don't come out from your skin, stupid."
"What if they dooooo?" Cade said jokingly, "Oh no, my muscles!"
"No they don't!" Aerie said, giggling. She took the remote control and switched on the television, and curled up in the sofa, allowing her attention to be completely drawn away from her.
The background noise from the television echoed in his ears, but Cade didn't focus on the television for one single bit. The night draws, and the cars on the street across the road had been fewer than what it had been just now. People must had already headed home. Though between a moment or tow Cade could see a random black car striding across the road, windows closed and curtains down, an uncommon view for a summer day in London.
Yesterday had been a warning. A warning for Cade's seemingly peaceful life. For the last time he checked, the parents who refused to take Aerie as a child had been in their homes living the life of regular drug users. Suffering and in an endless circle that they would stay in for the rest of their lives.
He checked. Every month.
Aerie never knew. Ever since the time she had been having memories, Cade never spilled a single word about her parents to her. She only knew that he wasn't her parent, but every time her curiosity came, he would talk her into other topics gently. Cade knew that a normal life with enough food, education and love that a parental figure should have should be enough for a child like her to grow up happily, away from the life that her biological parents would have brought her.
And when he did again the day before, they were lying as if they were sleeping so sweetly under their gravestones in the cemetery.
Why would anyone want the lives of someone living in the slums anyways?
It took less than one second for Cade to know that it was directed to them. It was meant for him. That they knew whats he up to, and they are coming for him.
Though when the truth laid right in front of him, that heart of his never beat one beat faster, or one beat slower. He knew that this would happen anyways, so he allowed it. He couldn't stop it even if he came a tiny bit anyways. They would still get them.
In the long and dreadful life of his, being an immortal wandering around the world that is too small to hold him, he had bathed in glory that any hero could have, and had been the person that laid under the sharp blade of guillotines. The friends he had grew fast, but the enemies grew faster. When red carpets unrolled themselves as he went, on another corner of the world warriors swore their lives to take him down.
And in the end, most things only took a few brutal fights to mark their endings. Most enemies only took a few words of threat or a few drawers flying into their chests and they would be gone from his life. Forever.
"Are you okay, Cade?" Aerie asked, glancing at him carefully as his attention drifted back to her, "You were focusing."
"Tried." Cade replied, voice coming out like a whisper. "Very."
"Then maybe I'll sleep early today. You seemed like you really needed the sleep."
"No wait. You don't have to, Aerie. You have really wanted to watch it, haven't you?" Cade said.
"Its okay." Aerie said, still smiling so cheerfully. "You should get some rest."
"Really it doesn't matter." Cade replied, "you can- you know."
"Have some sleep, Cade." Aerie said and walked into her room, tucking herself into her bed as she spoke.
Cade squeezed a smile on his face, "good night then, Aerie."
Today would be the last day. For whatever that would happen later any minute, it would not be brought into tomorrow. And by tomorrow, he would be running from The Association, the people who would be hunting for immortals like him. And when she woke up the day after, the house would be empty, and all of the administration to get her into a good school with people to care for her would be done. Cade guessed, that with the efforts he made with the little given time would allow her to bloom as usual without him.
Though he would not be there to see it when tomorrow comes. Be lying in their facilities or being a new "Cade", his life would no longer cross hers.
"Good night, Cade."
Cade smiled gently at her, placing his hand on the light switch just see her face change suddenly, staring into him. "What's the matter?" Cade asked, "Is there something that bothered you?"
"You haven't said 'see you tomorrow' just like you would every day." Aerie said.
She knew.
"Okay okay." Cade replied as he giggled out of embarrassment, "See you tomorrow then, honey bun."
Liar liar liar.
"I want honey waffles for breakfast tomorrow." Aerie said, "and sugar."
"Okay." Cade replied.
Goodbye.
Cade gently closed the door behind him as he watched her sleep soundly in her bed. He glanced out of the window, as there were more black care pulling up at his doorstep. Maybe he could buy himself five minutes, or maybe ten, and by then Aerie would be sleeping soundly. All of these would be away from her dreams.
"Goodbye."
It came as a whisper, as a farewell. He would move on, to the people who awaited outside, to the challenges that have been waiting for him. Cade wished that she could live a great life just like the others, and blossom without the past hanging onto her.
For that would be tomorrow.
Cade gently walked down the stairs and opened the door. Its like meeting old friends. No fancy speeches and deliberations.
Its only a simple hide and seek— a game of tag.
They knew what would happen, and so do Cade. All it took was a small breath from Cade.
And the game began.
But when the summer night sparked with the excitement, Cade never knew that that was the first day Aerie stayed up overnight.
It would be tomorrow by then.