The first week of work for Arnaud and Arturo at Mrs. Juana's store passed in a whirlwind of learning about the new merchandise and organizing the shelves. At night, the hunter and the little orphan diligently set about arranging the boxes and reading the labels, reviewing what they had learned the previous evening.

Arturo was a patient teacher, spelling out each word with infinite patience until Arnaud committed them to memory. The boy showed excitement and curiosity about all the new things they were discovering together.

"Look Ar, these are cans of tuna! Do you know what tuna is? Mrs. Juana says it's a very tasty fish that swims in the sea!" he exclaimed delightedly as he placed the infamous cans in the corresponding section.

Arnaud watched him with amused eyes, admiring the insatiable curiosity of his little companion. In his time, a child had no time for such trivialities, but it pleased him immensely to see the excitement these small discoveries caused Arturo.

Mrs. Juana, for her part, observed them working with an indulgent expression, although she could not help but feel intrigued by the strange habits of the odd pair. During the first few nights, Arnaud rarely removed the hood that covered his face, remaining hidden in the shadows even under the electric light of the warehouse.

And as for the matter of food... The old woman shook her head, bewildered, as she recalled how the hooded man had reacted when she offered him ham and cheese sandwiches on the second night of work.

"Don't you want to try them, son? They're freshly made," she urged, holding one out to him.

But Arnaud declined with a slight gesture, the glint in his eyes flashing behind the hood like those of a predator.

"No, thank you. I prefer... raw" he declined in his deep, ceremonial voice.

The woman raised her eyebrows but did not insist. The next day, she had the courtesy to leave him a tray with raw meat fillets, thinking he might want to cook them himself.

It was not until Arturo sincerely thanked her, taking a piece of bloody meat to offer it to Arnaud, that Juana realized that those strange habits must be a custom of hunters or people of the woods.

"They're so odd sometimes, eh?" she commented to Julio, who helped her at the store during the day. "But well, it's not so strange for someone who lives in the wilderness, I suppose."

The young man, a bit skeptical, merely shrugged without giving an opinion.

Another peculiarity that caught Juana's attention was the way Arnaud managed to leave their small dwelling during the afternoon without being seen. At first, she assumed he would be taking a nap like most who worked at night. But more than once, she noticed that there were sometimes remains of animals, despite the man not showing up anywhere.

One day she decided to wait for him and find out what was going on. She stationed herself by the back door, pretending to arrange one of the shelves, and waited patiently with a hawk-like gaze. It did not take long, just before dusk, the door of the small house slowly opened and a figure wrapped in blankets slipped out stealthily.

Mrs. Juana stifled an exclamation and crouched down, observing through the slits of the wooden shelves. The hooded and covered figure glided furtively towards the woods, returning almost an hour later carrying a rabbit. He moved so quickly and surreptitiously like a shadow, as if he were accustomed to such secrecy.

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A moment later, the strange apparition retraced its steps and snuck back into the small dwelling, closing the door behind it. The old woman remained hidden for a few more moments until she was sure he would not come out again. Then she emerged from her hiding spot, shaking her head with a pensive expression.

"That Arnaud is definitely a very strange one," she muttered to herself as she headed to tend the store. "Although I suppose he has his reasons, maybe the food I give him is not enough?"

Her musings were interrupted by Arturo's sudden arrival, running in flushed and smiling.

"Mrs. Juana, Mrs. Juana! Can I help you tend the store today?" he implored with pleading eyes.

The old woman could not help an endeared smile. The little orphan boy seemed to enjoy every new experience his new home offered, eager to learn everything.

"Of course, young man. Come here and I'll show you..."

The days passed and the strange pair of employees learned the routines of the store. By the time the first week was over, Arnaud was able to arrange the merchandise without Arturo's help, memorizing the locations of everything. The boy, meanwhile, entertained himself each night by finding out the names of the various products and asking curiosities about them.

One particularly hot day, Juana asked Arnaud to move some heavy packages of drinks during overtime hours, as they had run out. However, Arnaud was clinging to his bulky hood and jacket, working as if the intense warehouse heat did not affect him.

"Aren't you hot in all those clothes, boy?" she could not help but ask, fanning herself with a newspaper.

Arnaud paused in his task for a moment and turned his covered face towards her in a questioning gesture. The old woman pointed to his thick attire with a wave.

"With this horrible heat, it would be cooler to work in something lighter, don't you think?" she suggested with a friendly wink.

The hooded figure stood still for an instant, as if considering it. But finally he shook his head and grunted:

"No, thanks. Sun hate me."

With that, he resumed his task without further explanation. Juana frowned, confused by his brusque response, but decided not to press him further. The boy would have his reasons, as strange as they might be.

Thus the week passed, between the hard night work and the day tasks. Little by little, Mrs. Juana managed to gather the money needed to pay the "protection fee" those thugs demanded from her periodically. Working was all she had left since her late husband fell ill and they had to spend almost all their savings to cover his treatment.

Now, without her husband to negotiate, she was forced to give in to the threats of those ruffians who took advantage of defenseless merchants. But this month, thanks to her new night employees, things were going better.

Her hopeful musings were interrupted that night by loud knocks on the store's back door. Juana jumped, startled, while Arnaud and Arturo tensed and became alert, like two animals sensing danger.

"Open up, old witch! I know you're in there!" a gruff, threatening voice came from the other side.

The old woman swallowed hard, recognizing the voices of Riquelme's messenger. She looked around for something to defend herself with, but there were only boxes and Arturo watching her with bulging eyes.

"Mrs. Juana? Who are they?" the boy whispered fearfully.

Before she could answer, the pounding resumed with more force, making the door shake.

"Open up damn it!" the voice roared. "The boss wants his money NOW!"

Arnaud then moved, placing himself in front of Juana and Arturo in a protective gesture. The woman looked at him with pleading eyes.

"They're Riquelme's thugs... They've come for the protection fee I owe them," she explained in a low, trembling voice. "But I haven't gathered all the money yet..."

The vampire said nothing, only nodding and striding toward the door with a determined step. Behind him, the old woman stopped him by grasping his arm with an iron grip.

"No, Arnaud! Don't open it! They're dangerous!" she implored with eyes bulging with fear. But he gently pulled away and kept walking.

"Don't be afraid, Mrs. Juana. I take care of it" he reassured her in an icy tone.