1

The teen leaned on the railing of his motel room balcony, savoring the light spring breeze blowing. A rarity in this desert town, pummeled by the hot sun for most of the year.
He'd never fared well in hot climates. So why he was stuck here was....a mystery at best.
The boy glanced at the small device om his wrist. 5:47:28. Still too early for most sane people to be up, too early for the crowds to come streaming into the cafe below, too early for him to be able to disappear into the morning rush.
He turned from the railing and looked over his room, a small dingy thing with one cracked lightbulb and two beds. Better then some motels in this direction, but still not quite what he was used to. And the lack of privacy. Luckily Jade was traveling with him. It meant he didnt have a random stranger questioning him at every opportunity.
Jade Eric. A prodigy of the Florence clan, the last of her family. Or so they said when shed showed up at the Wing clans door. And of course immediately the guy running this whole operation assigned Miss Firey to the guy who had specifically requested not to have a companion.
Lucky him.
He turned back to the balcony for a moment before whipping back around. Yes, hed counted two beds, but one shouldve been occupied. But no. In front of him were two perfectly made beds, both empty.
That was odd. Jades pack was still on the edge of her bed,yet she was nowhere in sight.
"Jade? Jade Eric? Where are you?"
No answer.
" jade Eric?! Are you listening or not?! "
Still no answer.
The boy growled and and clenched his fists. "Eric, if you're in here playing a joke on me...."
"Dont frazzle your whiskers, Nicky. Im right here, and I got breakfast." Jade Eric stood in the doorway, holding two plates of the local specialty, cactus soup. She shook her rainbow-streaked hair out of her eyes and offered the teen a bowl.
He grudginly accepted it and took a sip. "First, why did you run off like that? Second, do not call me Nicky, it is Nicote and only Nicote. Third, who made this? Its delicoous." He gulped down the rest of his breakfast.
jade laughed. "Same cook as the one who burned your saled last night."
Nicote shook his head. How could the guy whod somehow managed to burn a no-heat saled make such good soup? WHatever. As long as it was edible.
"Ready to move? Or are you waiting for the crowds?"
" we'll go now. People are !eaving, might as well get out of here before the rush sweeps us in the wrong direction." Nicote hefted his own pack on his back, checked for missed items, and opened the door. Stepping out into the hallway, he glanced around before moving out into the open.
Jade followed close behind as he went downstairs and quickly turned from the front doors and instead out the front doors-the motels pay-before-you-stay policy was smart yet annoying. Keeping to the sides of the large road, he trudged along to the edge of town.
Once out of earshot of any nearby passerbys or townsfolk, Jade turned to face Nicote. "Why did you have to choose that town of all towns when Desniged is just over the next hill? At least we wouldnt be so confined there!"
"Hey look, its not like we have a choice. The Boss made the arrangements, not me. Trust me Id rather be sleeping in a ditch by a farm then in the dead center of town right next to the cop station."
"Oh, so THAT was the cop station. I thought it was an office."
" Of course it looks like an office, thats practically the main point of the organization! "
"Well it smakes more sense then whatever I was dreaming up last night." Jade turned and started walking again.
Nicote sighed and followed. "And before you ask, no we are not stipping in Desniged. We just left Clayton and Floradale's only a half-days walk away."
Jade groaned. "Under a hot sun, i presume?"
" ...We're walking through a desert, if you don't remember. Of course theres gonna be a hot sun. '
"Fun." Jade muttered, trudging on.


(Sorry for bad grammar and all that. This is what my OCs mostly all come from and im writing on a tablet.... )