Mirko and Zina had tried three of Jade’s hideouts before they finally found her, in the cardboard colony that had sprung up behind a strip of urban wilderness under a viaduct.
Zina headed straight for the far side of the small encampment, nose to the ground and completely oblivious to the startled faces peering out of several makeshift homes along the way. Three seconds later, she barged into one of the shelters, her tail wagging excitedly.
The fragile construction didn’t stand a chance. Mirko looked on as it collapsed on the occupant and her unexpected visitor, whose arrival was met with squeals of delight, and he kept his arms firmly crossed during the two friends’ struggle to extract themselves from the lightweight debris.
Both were grinning widely as they emerged, but the mere sight of Mirko wiped the smile right off Jade’s face.
“We’ve got to talk,” he said.
“I don’t think so,” she replied, catching her breath. The short interlude had brought her out in a sweat; her head was spinning.
“I don’t care what you think. I’ve earned the right to say my piece, and you will listen.”
Mirko hunkered down in front of Jade, who had her left arm firmly wrapped around the mutt.
“Piss off, Mirko. I don’t owe you.”
“No, you don’t. But, just out of interest, how do you think this will play out?”
He looked around at the sagging tents and the soggy boxes, at the assorted chairs and reclaimed mattresses surrounding a stack of mouldy pallets that probably served as a table. There were signs of community in this desolation, there was resilience and ingenuity, but how long could anyone hold up in this hardship?
“I don’t know why you left home,” he pursued. “I’m sure you had your reasons. And I know you’re coping, for now, although you’re clearly not well. But what happens in a year? In five? At -5 C°? At +32? Or if the wrong people find you?”
“Because you’re the right people?”
“Don’t be an idiot. You know you’re safe with me. With us.”
“Who is this guy, Jade? Is he bothering you?” While they were arguing, a group of young men had assembled on the sidelines. Three of them approached with their hands in their pockets, their dark eyes narrowing as they took in the scene.
Mirko rose to his feet.
“It’s OK, Sameer,” Jade replied while the men squared off. “He’s a… he’s my uncle.”
Her body guards seemed unconvinced, but they retreated to the central seating area with their friends. An older woman emerged from a tent and joined them, keeping a close watch on the proceedings.
“Your uncle?” Mirko hid his amusement as he crouched back down to face her.
“Had to say something.”
“OK, my turn to say something. If you stay here, this won’t end well. You know that. And maybe you do have other options; if so, great. But you’re welcome with us at the tavern. No one will tell you what to do, but it’s a safe space where you can breathe and plan your way forward.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why would you do this for me? What do you want?”
“Nothing. I’ve told you. I meant it.”
“Everybody wants something, Uncle.”
A pause, while he tried and failed to come up with a suitable reply.
“I mean, why me? Just because I’m young and cute?”
“You’re about as cute as a patch of beard-rash pustules.”
Despite herself, she smiled.
“Seriously though. Why?”
“You remind me of someone,” he replied reluctantly. “My kid sister. I had to leave her behind.”
“So it’s not even about me. It’s about you.”
“Well, initially, yes. I guess so. Does it matter?”
In a way, it did. As potential motivations went, this one worried her far less than some of the other possibilities that had crossed her mind.
“So what about them? Don’t they deserve help?” She gestured towards the small crowd that had assembled in the communal area.
“Of course they do. But I’m not able to help them all. I’m here to help you, if you want my help. This is my final attempt. But you’ll always be welcome if you change your mind.”
He rose to leave, but she called him back.
“OK already. Could you help me up?”
At her direction, he assembled the few belongings she wanted to take. She stopped near her neighbours on the way out.
“I’ll be away for a while,” she said. “But I will see you soon.”
“Sure,” said the woman, while the lads murmured farewells. “Take care.”
Mirko and the girls had only walked a few paces when Jade decided to turn around. Stepping back towards the improvised table, she opened her backpack and extracted a few goodies, setting them out for the others to share. A packet of biscuits, a bottle of orange juice and half a tablet of dark chocolate.
There were two blister strips of paracetamol, as well. Jade handed them to the woman, who could be trusted to know who’d need them the most.
“Feel free to salvage the rest of my stuff,” she told the woman, tipping her head towards the remains of her shelter. “There’s a good pillow in there; maybe you’d like it.”
A quick hug, a few more goodbyes.
“Let’s go,” Jade said as she handed her backpack to Mirko and followed Zina out through the shrubs.
***
Meanwhile, at the warehouse café, Azélie was enjoying a quiet cappuccino with two vampire friends when a contrite lutin climbed up on the table.
“What the fuck do you want?”
She still seemed angry, but she wasn’t grabbing. The emissary concluded that it was safe to approach.
“We’re here to apologise,” he replied, gesturing to the others. Behind him, the hostel’s entire lutin population assembled in an orderly queue.
Heads bowed and caps in hand, they filed past Azélie mumbling apologies as they went, each depositing a small gift next to her cup. A snowdrop, a biscuit, a shiny button – and, perching on the growing pile’s teetering top, her lipstick returned, along with the rest of the missing make-up.
Josse and Adelphine were watching from a nearby table.
“Let me guess. You had a word?”
“Yes,” he replied. “We had a little chat about rule no. 5.”
“‘Fellow residents are not prey’,” Adelphine recited. “Fine as it is, but I preferred the old wording.”
“‘Fellow residents are not food’ did have more of a ring to it,” he conceded. “But the new version does cover more ground.”
They watched in silence as Azélie unscrewed the lipstick and inspected the mangled tip.
“You know what? Have this one on me.”
She exchanged a glance with her companions before looking over to Josse and pulling a face. In front of her, the ecstatic lutins somersaulted off the furniture and out of her view.