“ See I told you I knew a good place to eat.”

“ We passed five other different restaurants on the way here, all of them looking better than this, but you choose this run-down-looking place sitting on the beach, and.” Stopping, Lucy brought up her foot showing Issac that the bottom of her feet were caked in sand. “ Since I don't have any sandals like you, my feet are now covered in sand, which if you didn't know, doesn’t feel very nice, so no, I don't think this is a good place to eat.”

With a scowl on her face, Lucy stomped on the ground, glaring at everything around her. Plopping herself down onto the first open seat that she saw. Lucy sat there, growling at anyone who stopped to stare at her.

Everyone else either quickened their paces or plain out ignored her, all of them somehow scared away by a little girl. To Issac, it just looked adorable, like a little puppy barking at its surroundings.

Not even thinking to stop and get her cleaned up, Issac had taken her straight here. The aptly named Burger Shack.

Overlooking the beach was a small shack manned by a single chef. The shack itself was mainly just an open deck patio with a roof and a small room in the back where the chef would look out over the whole restaurant. Seeing as the lunch rush had already ended barely anybody else was here, basically allowing Issac and Lucy to have the whole place to themselves.

“HAHAHA it's fine, don't you know the more terrible the exterior looks the better chance there will be a hidden gem, excuse me, Senhor two burgers with fries Por Favor.”

After calling out to the chef Issac turned back to Lucy, wondering just how he could approach the subject of just why he needed her help. He knew that for at least two years she had lived on the streets, younger than he was when he started, but then again she was much smarter than he was at that age. No one could just teach themselves four languages at six unless they weren't some kind of super genius.

Thinking about it, Issac believed that given a few years she could have pulled herself out of the streets and probably made a good living if she wanted to. But even with her intellect she still caused way too many problems for people.

No matter how smart she was, she was still a child. Not grown enough to hone her emotions and know the correct paths to take. Even though she probably knew that stealing was bad she still chose to do it believing that her smarts would see her through the worst not once thinking about her physical limitations.

Sooner or later her talents and smarts would have been recognized by some of the more unsavory people on the streets and at that point whether or not her smarts would save her then was up to fate.

Just thinking about how lucky he was to find her now caused him to smile again. It also helped him understand how he should proceed, by luck.

“ So as I’ve said I need your help with something, I need information about someone, I need to find them but they are now hiding out in the forest.” Reaching into his pockets Issac pulled out a packet of gummies, tearing open the package he reached in to grab a handful before throwing the whole bunch into his mouth.

Watching him Lucy couldn't believe that this guy could just sit there eating candy after taking all the way here for a burger.

“ What the Fuck are you doing.”

“What did I tell you about cussing?”

“Don't change the damn subject you brought me here to talk but all you've been doing is stuffing your face with some fucking candy.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you want any?” Sarcastically Issac tried to present the opened bag to her despite already knowing her response.

“ I don't want any of your damn candy, start talking you fuck!”

Deciding that he should stop playing, Issac rolled the bag of candy back up into his pocket before turning his attention back to Lucy. Placing his hand on his heart Issac said. “ I am Issac Gratis, a hunter, but that is not all I do.”

Reaching across the table, Issac waved a hand from behind her ear presenting her with a quarter.

With a cheeky smirk, he said.“ I am also a street magician, one of the best if I do say so myself.”

“ I don't care if you could pull a car out of your ass, tell me what you want!” Angry that she was being ignored Lucy slammed her hand on the table silencing the whole shack. Looking around they saw that the few remaining people still eating had stopped and were now openly staring, watching as a young man and a child in rags argued from across the shack.

Neither of them wanted to be the first one to continue with the conversation now that everything had turned awkward. So they sat there staring, daring the other to be the one to break the silence. This continued until the waiter brought over the food for them.

Looking down, Issac saw the beside sitting on a medium plate of fries. The burger seemed to look just like any other burger. Cutting it open he noticed that under the toasted buns as a perfectly cooked burger that just oozes juices onto the fries underneath. Taking a bite, Issac decided that he should stop stalling and get right to the point.

“Well, Little one what I was trying to say before was that I am a hunter, and I need your help.”

Taking a bite of her food as well Lucy spoke back. “ Look if you're looking to go into the forest I can't help you, I have never gone that far and I wouldn't even know anything about any game that lives there.” Looking at him she continued. “ And even I know that besides any big game most of the animals there are snakes and other poisonous wildlife, if you want to go hunting just stick with the Savanna, the Amazon makes for a terrible hunting ground.”

“See the problem is that though I don't hunt regular animals, I hunt animals that used to be people, and this particular animal seems to have hidden deep in the forest.”

Sensing that the mood had shifted Lucy set down her food and concentrated on what he had said. Thinking back to when they were on the roof Lucy remembered that he had talked about looking for someone in the woods.

But regular people would never think of going into the jungle to hide. If they needed protection there was the police and if that wasn't an option there was technology to turn your house into a fortified bunker. But every one of these options does not require you to leave the city.

The only people who would do something like that were those who believed that nothing in the city could protect them. If he could make someone choose to hide in the forest where anything could happen away from civilization then who was he?

“ Who would be dumb enough to go into the forest, and.” Looking around confused. “ Even if someone was that stupid it still doesn't help me by telling me what you need me for, I still can't help you in the woods.”

“ That's ok, that's not what I need for you.'' Reaching again into his pocket Issac saw Lucy narrowing her eyes at him as if daring him to grab the candies again. Placing his hands in a placating manner he started explaining again. “ What I need from you.” Pointing a finger at Lucy “ Is your street expertise.”

“Who exactly are you looking for ?”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Issac took a second to think about what he was about to say next, truthfully he didn't need her help. In fact, instead of helping, bringing her would instead create greater problems for him down the road. But the rewards of bringing her along outweighed any problems that she would bring.

Now the only thing left is to find a way to give her the information without her making another scene over it.

To not make Lucy suspicious of him not talking, Issac started to eat again. After taking a few moments to chew Issac finally decided treating it as no big deal would be the best way to stop any outburst. “ That is easy, I am looking for Senhor Manuel dos Piscatoris Silva.”

“WHAT !” Jumping to her feet Lucy slammed her hands onto the table leaning over to get closer to Issac’s face as if to see if he was just joking with her and in the process knocking over her plate of food.

“Now look at what you did, that was a perfectly good plate of food.” Reaching down Issac began to pick up the discarded food again trying to ignore the looks of the people around them. This was starting to get uncomfortable for him. He as a rule tried to stay out of people's line of sight and now he is constantly being made the center of attention thanks to this little brat.

“Idiota, forget the food, you just mentioned the head of the Southern Angels cartel, the biggest cartel in Brazil, maybe even all of South America. That is the person that you are trying to ‘hunt’ !”

Jumping down Lucy began to punch and kick at Isaac as if trying to force the crazy idea of trying to hunt a South American drug lord out of his head.

“OW! OW! Stop it you little brat, don't you know that you should respect your elders''

Raising to his feet Issac picked Lucy up by her hands preventing her from using her hands and feet from causing him any more pain.

“ SHUT UP, YOU'RE NOT EVEN THAT MUCH OLDER THAN ME, YOU BETTER TELL ME THE TRUTH, NO WAY YOU'RE LOOKING FOR HIM !”

“Stop your screaming, everyone is looking okay, calm down and I’ll explain.”

Settling down Lucy glared at the surrounding people daring them to say anything about her outburst. Afterward, she helped Issac clean up the mess and sit back down. Looking around to make sure no one is listed, Lucy leans forward and begins to question Issac again now in a whisper.

“ Now you better tell me the truth, who are you? No one blurts out the name of a drug lord like that out in the open.”

“ You know you don't have to whisper right, you would be surprised at how little people pay attention, and.” Holding up his hand to stop her. “ Even if someone was listening in you don't have to worry he already knows that I am looking for him.”

Taking a sip of water Issac stared over the rim of the glass at Lucy checking to see her reaction.

“ Now, knowing that, are you prepared to help me track him down..”

“ If what you said is true, then what you are saying is that you are so dangerous that you forced one of the most notorious Crime Lords in South America to leave his more than likely fortified home to go into some hidden jungle safe house.”

Issac couldn't help himself from snorting, to him someone who ran away without even seeing his enemy was not worthy of the title Crime Lord.

That was something that had always perplexed Issac, when civilization turned tiny villages into the massive cities of today people lost the meaning of what it meant for a person to be truly dangerous.

When villages were attacked by bandits it wasn't unusual for every villager to be killed. Every single one of them would be gutted, down to the last woman and child. Back then towns would instantly be turned into ghost towns at a moment's notice.

But nowadays you give someone a gun, have them kill a few people and you get everyone all hyped up by how ‘dangerous’ they were. They call the death of ten people a massacre, they give decorative names to killers that never show their faces.

The only true danger that most of these so-called killers caused was how many bullets were in the chamber; even then, it depended on how well they could aim.

“ And even if I wanted to help you I can't, I don't have any connections to those kinds of people, I wouldn't even know where to begin in finding out where that guy is,” Lucy said, interrupting his thought process.

“ See I don't believe that, you are someone who has spent a considerable amount of time on the streets. You are smart, resourceful, and are just curious enough to stay right where you are even though you have heard just who it is I am hunting.”

“ I can't help you, I don't know where he is.”

“ Don't worry I can find him, I just need to know how he got that little safe house he built.”

Lucy couldn't believe what she heard, he was completely ignoring what she was saying. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't help him, she didn't want to help him. When she first met him she thought that he would be like everyone else around her. Someone who would just cause her pain.

And then, for a second, as he annoyingly dragged her to this run-down shack she thought that maybe he would be different, maybe he would be the one person to give her help, give her a way out.

But instead, the only thing that he wanted to give her was trouble. Trouble in the form of a drug lord that would hunt her down and kill her, or worse, for even talking about his death. Trouble that would only cause her already terrible life to get that much harder.

A harder life is something that people who live on the street already have, and she did not want more of it. And now this guy walks up and expects that just because he buys her some food she would be willing to invite trouble into her life, all for a stranger?

“ What is it that makes you think that I can help you anyway, just because I live on the street I have to know these people. They are dangerous, the kind of people that will cut you up into little pieces and send you to your family just because they can.”

Getting and walking around the table Lucy looks directly into Isaac's eyes. “ And he might be scared of you for some reason, but they certainly are not scared of me, so no thank you I will not endanger my life just for your ‘hunt. Goodbye.”

“ Don't you want them to fear you, just like they do me?”

Not even turning towards her retreating figure, Issac continued to eat his burger. Convinced that she won't leave before hearing what he has to say, especially with the idea of her being like him now put into her head.

“What do you mean ?” Stopping but not turning Lucy concentrated on his words listening to see for even a speck of falsehood in what he was saying.

“ I mean that when I am done with my job I plan on taking you with me out of Rio.” Turning around to face Lucy Issac held up his hand. “ What do you say? Help me find this man and I can give you a new life, one where your future isn't dying on the streets as a nobody.”

Issac could see that Lucy was fighting the decision over in her head. To leave the life that she knew and go into the unknown.

But looking back Lucy already knew that her life would be dangerous. Ever since she left the orphanage she knew that would likely die on the street. What she wanted most of all was to be free, to soar through the sky and leave all her worries behind. And if strength was the answer then she would take the gamble of following this strange man that crashed into her life.

“ Fine I’ll help you, but you better not be lying to me or you’ll be sorry.”

Seeing a child trying to look at the treatment almost made Issac laugh his heart out. But because that probably wouldn't help his case of trying to reassure her he held it in.

“ Don't worry Little one, all I need is your help answering some questions, I can take care of the rest.”

Grabbing her hand Issac sealed their deal.

“ And after that, I’ll do as I promised and take you away from this place, and I’ll make you stronger than anybody.”

“Stronger than you ?”

“HAHAHA, maybe not that strong, but who knows.”

“So what do you need from me?”

“Well.” Standing up Issac, dusting off the crumbs off his pants and reached into his wallet to pay for the food. “ Seeing as you made a scene, let's take this conversation somewhere else, I saw a nice park just a block that way.” Placing a twenty on the table, Issac took off walking in a direction not even waiting to see if Lucy was following him.

“ So we walked all this way, to this beaten-down place, just so that we could talk and now we’re going somewhere else to continue talking.”

Running after Issac Lucy tried not to show her annoyance as she tried to grasp the thought process of the boy in front of her. One who seemed to find enjoyment in wasting anybody's time, even if it was his own time.

“ Come on, don't be like that, look. I think that park might have a playground, we can play there if you want.”

“ I don't stop treating me like a little kid and tell me what you want.”

“ Patience is a virtue you know.”

“AAARRGH.”