Instinct [TEMPORARILY ON HOLD]

Whatever You Wish For, You Keep

A few days have passed after the hospital incident - and since I've last seen Alexander. However, the physical distance did not stop me from thinking about him. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

I spent every free moment thinking of Xander, and of everything that happened. There was something about him. Something that I could not put my finger on. I used the word 'weird' but that did not do it justice.

It was... unusual, and quite extraordinary. The things I have noticed, it was as if I was imagining them - but I knew I wasn't going crazy. There was just... something.

Something that kept me up in the middle of the night. Something, that made me look at the world around me in a different light. Something, that would not leave me alone.

So I wasn't going to leave it at that.

The next meeting, whenever that would be, I was going to find out.

In reality, I have not heard of Alexander in almost a week. I haven't seen him, nor has anyone approached me about him like that girl did at the park. I had no phone number or address to go off of - and even if I did, I couldn't have just shown up at his house, could I?

But Alexander knew how to find me. And he was going to - that I was certain of. The question was just when.

My answer to that came on a cloudy Friday evening. I had a long shift at the hospital, followed by hours of cramming for an anatomy test. I was completely exhausted when I fell into the apartment, late in the afternoon, after not getting a wink of sleep in nearly two days.

Demo was his usual bouncy self, running circles around me as I put my stuff on the counter. "I'm sorry, buddy." I told him. "It's going to be a short walk today."

I felt like a crap pet owner some days, just not having enough time to spend with my dog. I was aware that he was a large animal and he needed a lot of running, and I was more than happy to accompany him on most days.

But then we had Fridays like today, when I was proud of myself for not falling asleep on the subway ride home.

I grabbed his leash, not even bothering to change into my running gear. I wasn't fooling anyone. As we headed out the door, I spotted the little note, slid through the old hole for the mail.

No one actually used that hole anymore, instead all tenants had a mailbox downstairs, but like most older buildings, mine had it.

It was a shiny golden colored envelope. I had no idea how I missed it the first time I came in, which just reinforced that I was even more tired than I thought.

Bending down, I lifted the soft paper, turning it in my hand to open it. Demo was, of course, nose deep in the envelope the moment I opened it, and I had to wrestle him back by his collar to prevent him from drooling all over whatever was inside.

"Get back, boy!" I laughed, ordering my wolf softly in French, pushing him back. "Let mommy see what we got!"

A small piece of paper slipped out, no larger than a business card. In fact, as I examined it closely, it turned out that was precisely what it was. A business card for a restaurant - quite elegant, judging by the name and the many stars next to it. What on Earth...

But I got the answer for that mental question as well when I flipped the card around. The back was simple and white, with only a few words scribbled across it in a beautiful, slanted handwriting.

8:30 tomorrow night - A

My grin nearly split my face in half as I turned the card, over and over, looking from one side to the other, to make sure I wasn't hallucinating things in my tired state.