"I didn't hear what you said earlier, mind repeating that?" A confused Daniel asked James who secretly sighed in relief.
"I said are you interested in the job?" He asked Daniel.
Daniel sighed. The job sounded suspicious but just like his friend had spoken, he needed to change his life for good. Cut out some invaluable habits, change his appearance, and become someone worthy of attention.
"I'll do it," he said. Though he still sounded unsure of his decision, he didn't seem to be going to change his mind any time soon.
"After the drink tonight, I'll take you over to the place," James said to his friend and the latter nodded and they began to drink.
------
After much drinking, they were both a little bit drunk but that didn't make them forget what they had in mind to do. James quickly paid and then the two boys left the hotel.
Outside, James led Daniel to where he had parked his car and the moment Daniel saw it, he screamed in excitement.
"Wow, bro! How did you manage to pull this one? I can't believe you now own a car, one as neat as this one."
James chuckled as he came to where Daniel was, caressing the car like he owned it.
"This one is small," James said. "I now own a big house, some cars and a company that deals on computers."
Daniel was dumbfounded. The last time he remembered, James was poor — like literally poor that he couldn't even afford a day's meal. Sometimes, he spend most of his days in Daniel's home, eating and surviving. He was an orphan who was sent out of the orphanage for stealing food. Since then, life has been miserable for him. He met Daniel when Daniel still had everything and they became friends.
Suddenly things became bad for Daniel and to not bother his friend with his own problems, James decided to leave for good.
Now he returned, not as the ssme person. Daniel was not only surprised, he was amazed.
"Did you get all these things just by doing drugs—"
James hurried placed a finger on Daniel's lips to keep him from talking more. He glanced around, as if nervously and then whispered. "You don't go around saying that."
Daniel peeled his friend's fingers from his lips. "Are you scared of being arrested?" He asked him.
James clicked his tongue. "Far from it," he replied. "I keep a very low profile, I do not want people knowing my real identity so please do not go around telling people that I do something so illegal."
"I see," Daniel muttered. "Fine then, it's not like I'm the gossipy type. As long as you're careful."
"Don't worry," James assured his friend with a smile. "I'm always and will always be careful."
After they finished chatting, the two climbed into the car and James drove off.
Hours later, they arrived at a quiet side of the city. The place had less activity with only few buildings in sight.
As they both stepped down from the car, Daniel could not help but feel scared.
"Hey, bro, are you sure about this?" He asked James. "I do not like this place even for a second."
James laughed lightly. "The day I was introduced to my job, I was just like you — scared and all that but I thought back to the kind of life I was living and made a decision — A decision to change my life for good and see where I am today. So, you must pick up the courage and make a decision now. You can't be begging forever, you can't let people look down on you and your mother."
Daniel clenched his fists. His friend James was right. He was tired of being poor, tired of seeing his mother struggle day to day without any improvement, tired of being laughed at by people who knew them before, tired of.... Tired of everything.
It was time to make a change. Yes.
"Let's go," he turned and said to James who smiled.
"That's the spirit, bro."
James led his friend carefully to a small bar. When they got there, they pushed open the door and went in.
As expected of a bar located at a secluded place, there were no much people inside. Just a few people, chatting and drinking among themselves. The moment the two boys stepped in, all eyes turned towards them. Some curious, some angrily, while some didn't even care a bit about who they were and what they wanted.
But despite the way they were being stared at, the two boys walked ahead. James led the way while Daniel followed behind. Before they had walked into the bar, James had told Daniel not to look at anyone so Daniel obeyed and didn't turn his head to glance around.
When they got to the counter, they met an elderly man with a bald head and white beards.
James then tapped on the wooden counter three times and the man nodded and walked out of the counter. Dan watched silently as the man led the both of them out of the bar through a door on the left side of the wall. Silently, they walked through the dimly lit corridor and finally stopped after arriving at another door.
The old man placed his hand on the door and knocked three times. After which the door opened up for them. James bowed slightly and went in, followed by Dan.
When they stepped into the room, the door closed back and Dan raised his head to look around. The room was dimly lit with only a few candles lighting the place.
"Who do we have here?" A voice asked and suddenly, a man walked towards them. His face was hidden by a white mask.
"My friend here seeks a job," James replied and gestured to Daniel who stepped out and came forward. Then James continued. "I hope you accept him."
"Him?" The man asked, he tilted his head, studying Daniel with a stillness that felt unnatural. The dim candlelight caught the hard edge of the mask — bone-white, smooth.... it was expressionless.
"Him?" The masked man repeated, slower this time. "He looks... soft."
Daniel stiffened but said nothing. James opened his mouth to speak, but the man raised a gloved hand.
"No, James. I see it now — the eyes," the man said, stepping closer to Daniel. "Those are the eyes of someone who is dangerous."
Daniel didn't blink. "I'm not dangerous," he muttered.
"Not yet," the man murmured. "But that's exactly why you're here."
A tense silence followed. The room smelled faintly of wax and metal, and Daniel could feel his heartbeat in his throat.
The masked man circled him slowly, like a wolf deciding if the prey was worth the effort.
"Tell me, Daniel…" the man finally asked, his voice soft but sharp as a razor's edge. "What are you willing to give up to change your life?"
Daniel hesitated. "Whatever it takes."
"Your name?"
"If necessary."
"Your morals?"
"If they keep me broke, yes."
"Your life?".... "What about your life?"
Daniel paused longer this time. But then he looked up, meeting the hollow gaze of the mask.
"If it gives my mother a better one — yes.
I don't mind."
The man stopped walking. The candlelight flickered across his mask.
James, still standing off to the side, let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
The masked man sighed. "Can you keep by the rules?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Certainly."
The masked man smiled. Though no one could see his face, the masked stretched out. "Very well then. I'll give you your first mission."