̣⭒˙✵• ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯☽✮☾⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ •✵˙⭒ ̣

嘘に絡まっているあたしはフォニイ

造花だけが知っている秘密のフォニイ

フォニイ(phony) – KAFU (可不)

He adjusts the backpack on his shoulders and turns the note over in his hands. He knows its contents by heart by now. A jump, the sensation of emptiness in his stomach, and then the path to the summit. He reaches the forest without looking back, hands tucked into the hoodie's pockets. The path opens onto a paved road. He walks along the side of the road until he reaches the clearing outside the village marked on the note. A black car, French plates. It's the only one parked. Tear climbs into the back seat. The driver is a human man in his forties, wearing sunglasses and a faint sheen of sweat on his neck. I'm glad I'm not taking the train. The man starts driving without a word, not even glancing at the boy.

The custos finds the usual package on the seat and opens it. If it's like the others, inside he'll find a human black mirror with communication shells. His hunch is correct. He turns on the smartphone, the code is the same as always, then plugs in the cable and puts on the headphones. The screen lights up without making a sound, and Tear slides a finger over its smooth surface.

"Bonjour, mon rayon de soleil!" (Good morning, sunshine!)

"Who are you?" Even though the voice is distorted as always, Tear doesn't recognize it. This isn't my usual guide.

"Not even a little greeting?" The voice switches to the Gleann language.

"You didn't answer."

"Oh, don't worry. We'll meet in person very soon."

"Where's my usual contact? Are you my new guide?"

"Désolée, mon petit." (Sorry, sweetheart.) "Your usual contact is no longer with us. But don't worry, you're not here for the usual reason."

"Then why am I here?"

"You've been highly recommended by someone for a promotion, let's say. But before we determine if you're the right fit, we need to do some training."

"I'll do my best to live up to the task."

"T'es trop mignon !" (How cute you are!) "We're all expecting a lot from you," the voice adds with a tender laugh. "Your guide never told us anything about you. We only know you have a great track record of successfully completed missions."

"How does this training work?"

"You'll spend time with me and others to learn how our workflow operates. If you do well, you'll move to the next level, otherwise... well, you'll go home."

"How long do I have to learn?"

"You'll spend a week with each of us, then you'll be transferred to a safe house for another week of trial. By the end of the month, we'll know if the recommendation was right."

"You'll be the first?"

"Oui!" (Yes!) "We'll have lots of fun together, I'm sure of it."

"One question," Tear glances at the back of the human. "My guide always told me involving the Shore locals in my transport could be problematic."

"Yes, that's true, but don't worry, the car was rented under a false name and paid for in cash."

"And the human?"

"Oh, him! I told him I have his family hostage, and if he doesn't do as I say, well..." The voice takes a deep breath. "Don't think about it. Leave it to me."

"What do I need to do?"

"Now? Nothing, just enjoy the ride. It'll take a while to get to me."

The call cuts off, and Tear lets his head fall back with a sigh. A month outside the Gleann... I didn't think my guardians would ever allow it. The Shore is vast, and the hunting territories are not as limited as they may seem.

"How wonderful! I can't wait to be assigned to the network, so I can see how human cities work and experience the wonders of the Shore," the boy smiles at the memory of those words.

Right, I bet the stray would love that. I wonder what she's doing now? I wonder if the Pack has already put her to work? There's still a couple of months before the spring equinox, and there'll be nothing to do in the fields. Maybe I should have left her the book; at least she would've discovered the ending. It's too late to think about it now, better focus on my work. My old guide used to leave music inside these gadgets for me, maybe this time too. 

The custos gently taps the black screen to make it light up. He opens the app, and a cascade of titles scrolls past his eyes. Some he recognizes, others seem new, but the feeling is unmistakable. It was my guide who prepared this black mirror, no doubt about it. I know his tastes better than my own; he infected me. I almost regret not being able to contact him anymore. I never knew his name, nor did I ever meet him in person. It's so easy for people like us to become shadows. Tear selects the first track and watches the scenery speed by outside the window

After nearly eight hours of travel, the car pulls over into what seems like an enormous gravel parking lot. There are so many people it feels like it never ends. A woman approaches the car: short hair, golden-brown skin beneath a pink blouse, black pants, and a coat the same color. She taps her knuckles on the window, then lowers her sunglasses. The man behind the wheel watches her, irritated, and looks like he's about to say something, but then stops. The golden flash in the woman's eyes is unmistakable: an Observer. The human driver lowers the window.

"Comment puis-je vous aider, madame ?" (How can I help you, madam?)

"Un instant, mon ami." (One moment, my friend.) She silences the human with a finger held up and gives a smile to the passenger in the back seat. "Soon I'll need a hand. Be good and get out."

Tear obeys as the woman turns her attention back to the driver. Her brown eyes shine gold again. She ushers the man out of the car and hands him a glass bottle with a beer label.

"Bois ça, vite !" (Drink this, quickly!)

"Oui, madame." (Yes, madam.)

The human drains the bottle without even stopping to breathe. The woman starts counting under her breath. One, two, three, four, five. The man's knees shake, and then his body collapses, unconscious. She grabs him by the collar of his jacket, keeping his head from hitting the ground.

"Let's put him in the trunk," she says to the boy in the car.

Tear lifts the unconscious man onto his shoulder as the Observer opens the trunk. They stuff him inside, and the custos raises his hand to close the hatch.

"Wait," the woman stops him and pulls a smartphone from her pocket. "Smile!"

The screen flashes with an image of the two Ravens and the unconscious human. A photo? I thought those were strongly discouraged. The click lasts less than a second and it's over. The woman quickly taps out a few more commands on the phone, then closes the trunk without looking.

"Now even the others will know you've arrived safe and sound."

"The others?"

"Yes, the others in the Order."

So my training mission involves the entire Order? What do they have in mind? What does she mean by a promotion? The woman climbs back into the car, fixing her hair as she glances in the rearview mirror. Tear follows, watching her without speaking. How am I supposed to act around her? Besides my guardians, I've never met another Observer. If they're as ruthless as she is, they're too dangerous to not be cautious.

"How was the trip?"

"Very good, my lady."

The woman gives him a languid look, her lips curling into a smile as her fingers brush a stray black lock from the boy's half-ponytail.

"Do you want me to be your lady?" The golden glint returns to her brown eyes, and her smile sharpens, like a predator ready to sink its claws into prey. "You have a nice voice. I wonder how it sounds when you scream."

I said the wrong thing.

"What a cold stare!" The woman instantly recovers her cheerful expression and taps the tip of the custos' nose with a finger. "Celeste must've been hard on you if you can't tell a joke from a threat."

The Observer shifts the car into gear, and it screeches down the asphalt. Tear watches the buildings blur past the window. If not all Observers like the same things, then the act I've been putting on for my guardians out here won't work. What should I do? A sunny, cheerful personality like the one she's shown me might help. Imitation always works.

"Thank goodness," the custos breathes out, half-laughing. "I thought the whole network was like the Gleann. I'm glad it's not."

The woman studies him from the corner of her eye before smiling.

"Now I see why Capitaine Toujours-Sérieux (Captain Always-Serious) wanted to keep you all to themselves. You're so cute, it makes me want to eat you up!"

Capitaine Toujours-Sérieux? Is she talking about my guide? Earlier, she said she knew them. That's not surprising, considering the Observers run the network. Anyone, whether Wolf or Raven, who steps outside the barrier, they know. Making us invisible to humans depends on the Order's efficiency.

"We haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Tear, nice to meet you," he tilts his head and smiles.

"I'm Dinarzad, the pleasure's all mine."

"Will the human be okay?"

"I don't know, I hope so."

"What did you give him?"

"Elias's special mix. He's the one who's good at this stuff. My area's a bit different."

"And what's supposed to happen?"

"He should wake up and remember nothing more than a few flashes from the last few hours spent in your company."

"Incredible!"

"I hope you'll have the same enthusiasm for my work, or I'll be jealous of Elias and won't let you leave for his sector."

"When do we start?"

"Right away," Dinarzad eyes him over the iridescent lenses of her sunglasses. "But first we need to stop by a couple of friends. Mind?"

Tear shakes his head, his smile unwavering.

"Is that all you have? Just the backpack?"

"Yeah, I always travel light for safety."

"Ah, I see." For a moment, the woman seems a little flustered. "Then maybe we'll be stopping with my friends for a while. Have you ever been in Paris?"

"No, it's my first time."

In the echo of his voice, Tear hears Eris's. His mind takes a second to process the last ten minutes spent with the woman. I'm not imitating Dinarzad, I'm imitating the stray. How did that happen? I've never messed up at this game. Why? The smile on his face falters for a moment. It came so naturally. Maybe I've spent too much time by her side.

"Can I ask you something?" The boy snaps out of his thoughts, breaking the brief silence.

"Of course."

"What do you do?"

"In the Shore or in the network?"

"Both."

"In the Shore, I'm one of the social media managers for a company. In the network, I monitor my sector and create fake identities for Wolves and Ravens, with a little help from the local contacts."

"Interesting."

"The pace is a bit tight, but you'll get used to it fast. Ah, of course, you'll only be helping with the network this week."

"I'll do my best to live up to it."

"You're so cute!"

"When will you give me an identity in the network?"

"Oh, well, it's a bit early for that talk."

"I was sure anyone assigned to the outside had one. Should make the process of blending into the local human community easier."

"Don't worry," the woman accelerates and dodges a line of cars, before squealing the tires as she takes a sharp turn onto a four-lane road, "you won't need fake identities because you won't have any contact with humans."

No contact? Then what will my job be? What will I be trained for?

Dinarzad's phone vibrates on the dashboard, and the woman taps it a couple of times.

"Hola chicos!" (Hi, guys!) A male voice echoes through the speaker.

"Is everyone here?"

"Present," another woman's voice.

"Didi, how many times have I told you not to use humans to do your work?" Tear recognizes this voice—it's the Observer who sent him and the stray to the nest of Gula. "You should've just bought train tickets."

"Niso, stop lecturing me. Trains are uncomfortable and slow, cars are more reliable. Anyway, the important thing is that the package arrived safe and sound." Dinarzad turns her gaze to Tear. "Want to say something, mon petit?"

"Good evening, everyone."

"So, what's he like?" The second woman speaks up.

"Makes you want to eat him alive, he's so cute."

I don't like the way they talk about me. It's unsettling.

"I knew it!"

"Something to improve, but the base is good and..."

"Didi!" Niso interrupts the conversation in a gruff tone. "Did you call just to chat? Most of us need to work, unlike you."

"You're such a grump. You should relax a little."

"If you don't have anything intelligent to ask, I'm hanging up."

"Wait, wait," Dinarzad raises her voice. "I wanted to know the order of sectors for the newbie's training."

"You'll be first, I'll be second, then Damia, and finally Elias. That's the sequence I was given."

"Perfect, I'll make sure the boy has the proper tenue for the whole month."

"I knew you'd say that," Elias laughs. "Sorry for you, tío, but Didi really loves playing dress-up and you're her new victim."

"Don't listen to him," the woman waves her hand dismissively at her colleague's words.

"Make sure to send me the photos!"

"Of course, Mimi."

"If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up," Niso is the first to leave.

"Hasta luego!" (See you later!)

The call disconnects, and Dinarzad returns her full attention to the road. Observers seem a lot less strict than I expected. I imagined a strict environment like the Nest, but instead, they all seem pretty human. Making friends with them will be a breeze—easier than with the stray.

̣⭒˙✵• ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯☽✮☾⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ •✵˙⭒ ̣