6:32pm The New York Inquirer
"You going to be alright by yourself Kelly?" Max asked as he buttoned up his coat. The weather was starting to get chilly as the evening sun slowly wafted behind the tall buildings.
"Yeah sure." Kelly replied, her face still buried behind the typewriter."I just have to finish this article by tonight, and Lupin and Grognard are okay with you spending the night over at the hotel . Just see you don't give them any trouble...."
"....And no jumping on the bed.."they both uttered simultaneously.
"Hee hee I won't..." Max answered gleefully. "You sure you don't need my help here? "
Kelly looked up and smiled amusedly at Max. "Thanks for the concern, but I'm really quite all right. Now you had better get going before it gets really dark."
"You're very sure?" Max grinned."At night is where all the scary creatures come out.." He stretched out arms in a zombie like fashion and scrunched his face.
Kelly laughed as she tossed Max's cap to him. "Alright you little imp. Move it already!"
"Yes ma'am!" Max stuck out his tongue and quickly darted out of the door before Kelly had the chance to get another word in.
"That Max..." Kelly shook her head and smiled to herself. She secretly wondered how she ever got by before Max came along....
***************
She was on her first assignment then, and adamantly refused any help for directions ~ She didn't want any special treatment just because she was a woman reporter. Besides, it can't be that difficult to find a big building, or so she had thought. Finally stopping to take a breather from her fruitless search, Kelly felt someone gently tugging at her pants. Looking down , she chanced upon a young child, five-ish or so. He was dressed in clothes that were at least one size bigger, and he seemed to be alone by himself. Kelly thought that the poor lad might have lost his parents and needed help finding them.
"Well hello there little friend. Are you lost?"
"Nope. But you lost?" he quipped half-innocently . Kelly was quite surprised that the question was directed back at her. Fact is, she is VERY lost. But it took this perceptive little boy to get her to admit it.
"Oh dear, Is it that obvious?" Kelly laughed at her own stubborn foolishness.
The lad nodded his head. " This is the..." he looked at his hands as he counted the fingers. "....fifth time you walked back here.." he chuckled delightfully.
"Name's Max. Max Leblanc." He smiled warmly as he introduced himself, and looked at her in expectation.
Kelly smiled.".Pleased to meet you Max. And I'm Kelly. Kelly Kincaid."
"Pleased to meet you Kelly Kincaid.." the youngster mimicked back effervescently. He glanced at Kelly's attire curiously. "You're a news person?"
"You mean a reporter? Why yes... my you sure are quite an observant young fellow."
"I've never seen a lady ree-por -ter before..." Max tiled his head sideways and circled around Kelly as if to get a different perspective, then satisfied with his little experiment, concluded. "They're much prettier!"
Max had said it with such innocence and earnesty that Kelly couldn't help laughing again. She warmed up to her new friend as she looked around. "Won't your parents be worried that you're out alone?"
"I live at the orphanage. Father died a year ago.." The boy abruptly fell silent.
Kelly was embarrassed. "Oh...I'm sorry...I thought..."
"That's okay. " he shrugged his shoulders but hurriedly returned his smile again, much to Kelly's relief. Max quickly pointed at the map Kelly was holding in her hand.
"I can help you find your place.. let me see that?"
"Why not?" Kelly thought it couldn't hurt to let the young lad try. After all, if he was smart enough to roam around these streets by himself , he might actually know his way around. In any case, she couldn't get any more lost then she already is. Max took the map and glanced at an area circled in red . There were a few words scribbled on the top.
"Ne..w...Yor..k...In....qu...Inqui.."
"Inquirer..." Kelly helped. "I'm supposed to be reporting to my new editor -in-chief first. It's where I'm working."
"Lots of ree-por-ters like you there?"
"Uh-huh. Do you know where it is?"
"I think so." the young urchin nodded his head and pointed left. "It's nearby, I'll show you!" he giggled and ran off towards the street.
"Hey wait for me!" Kelly grinned as she quickly caught up to Max . She was now strangely glad that she had lost her way, otherwise she'd have missed the chance of getting aquatinted with this really special young lad. He was charmingly mischievous, yet there was a certain air of maturity about him. Not only was Max quite self-reliant , he was also bright and eloquent for his age. It's a pity that he lost his parents, Kelly thought to herself. If only someone took him in...
"We're here Kelly!" Max interrupted her thoughts as he tagged the building wall. " See I told ya it wasn't far!" He handed her the map and teased. "You must take care Kelly, I won't always be around to help you get unlost ya know..."
Kelly gave a quiet laugh as she gently ruffled his uncombed hair . Thinking hard for a moment, she suddenly smiled. There was a perfect candidate for Max after all.
"Then how would you like to be my assistant Max? I could really use the help. "she said sincerely, then winked. "... then I'll never get lost again!"
She was elated to see Max's eyes light up with excitement.
"BOY WOULD I!" the young waif shot a wide grin.
"Well then Max." she chuckled as she put her hands around his shoulders. "Come on, you can start by helping me find a place for lunch ..."
**********
And that was how it started. After working out a couple of details with the orphanage, Max eventually came under Kelly's guardianship. As she had expected, Max was a fast, diligent learner. He quickly picked up the tricks of the trade within a couple of months, and developed a new interest in photography. Kelly never had to worry too much about him ~ Max was independent enough to take care of himself when left alone, and he shared Kelly's love for travelling and investigative journalism, which fitted perfectly with Kelly's own busy lifestyle. Best of all, Max still kept his great sense of humor and innocence that Kelly was endeared to the first time they met. He never fails to make her laugh, and always made her bad days seem more bearable. Max is indeed growing up to be quite a charming young fellow...
Kelly laughed to herself at her sudden realization.
Oh my God! He's turning into Lupin!
Kelly broke off her thoughts suddenly as she let out a little yawn. Jolted back to reality, Kelly realised has been sitting in front of the typewriter for almost two hours straight, and have yet to come up with a decent commentary to write. She decided she needed a break, and got off her seat to do a little stretching. The sky was starting to look exceptionally dark except for the faint flickering of light coming from a street lamp two buildings down the street. Kelly could hear a faint rumbling of thunder in the distance as she glanced out the window.
hmm...Looks like the rain is coming back...
She closed the windows, leaving a little gap to allow some air to enter. Looking around, she approached the coffee pot with her mug as she massaged her neck.
The pot was Empty.
*sigh!*it's going to be a looooong night....
@-'--
01:34am
Someone knocked on the door.
" Now who could that be?" Kelly wondered as she walked towards the entrance.
A lady in a trench coat stood at the doorway, drenched from the late night showers. She seemed a bit embarrassed for soiling the floor and took great cares to ensure that she had wiped her shoes clean before entering. She was of a petite built, almost no older than Kelly herself, and her face was almost completely hidden by the light. As she removed her hood, her chestnut hair fell down her shoulders, slightly tasseled by the heavy winds and rain outside.
"I'm sorry to trouble you...." the lady began.
She took her time removing her cloak as her eyes darted about the room. There was a brief moment of uncomfortable silence.
"Excuse me.. Mrs..."
Ouch.
"Miss..." Kelly stated as a matter-of-factly. Surely she didn't look that old? Kelly mumbled something under her breath, slightly ruffled by her lack of coffee and the midnight toil over her work. She saw her reflection on the closed window.
Fine...so maybe I do look a little....
"Kincaid. Kelly Kinc..." she stood up extended her right hand..
"I'm sorry Miss Kincaid" the lady interrupted her unintentionally. "but I was wondering if you knew that young child that followed you into this building the other night..."
"Who? Max? he's with me..." Kelly answered back bluntly and retracted her hand; this time taking a closer look at the lady who had so very imprudently cut her off. She must have thought that Max was her child that why she...
Kelly paused. What was she doing spying on her and Max in the first place? She began to eye the woman suspiciously. There was an air of familiarity about her that Kelly can't quite put her finger on, but she quickly shook it off. At this time of night, timid looking or no, she didn't trust the lady one bit.
"The boy...Max...is his last name 'LeBlanc' by any chance?" She continued to probe. This time she was more persistent and obvious in her intentions.Funny how she seem to have a great interest in Max. Now how did she know what was Max's last name?! Kelly quickly made a mental scan of her mind to see if she had unknowingly mentioned it to her during their brief conversation.
"Miss.."
"I was married." she corrected her.
Ouch again.
"Excuse me Madame but you haven't even told me your name, and you just barge here in the middle of the night with all your questions!?" Kelly became defensive as she eyed the lady again. "Look, I don't have time for this. Just who are you and what is your purpose in coming here? And why are you spying on us? "
The lady was slightly taken aback by her reprimanding .".. Oh I'm so sorry, I'm just so anxious to find out...."
She paused and checked herself, realizing that she had forgotten to observe the proper protocols. "Oh dear I'm sorry for being so rude..." She repeated her apology again. "Please...permit me to introduce myself."
She extended her hand.
"My name is Iris Cassady LeBlanc...."
End of chapter one