Chapter 21: Harley

That night, I practiced writing again by writing the alphabet over and over again in rows. I decided before that I would practice with both left and right. I thought it's only proper because the original Jack is right-handed while I am left-handed. I was never comfortable with either of the two.

And now, since I currently have a splint in my right arm, I can only practice with my left tonight.

As I was repeatedly writing the letters, I thought I should write my goal just so I could organize which action should I take first. So I would know my priority.

Heh! I remembered when I was still on earth, I was a sucker for making bullet journals and planners. A habit is very hard to kill indeed.

I took an empty notebook and wrote a big "GOAL" on the front page. After waiting for the ink to dry, I flipped the page and on the second page, I wrote "Long Term Goal".

Becoming a millionaire was on the first bullet point. Although I wanted to become rich as soon as possible, I am aware that making haste is only a recipe for disaster. Instead, I set it up for 5-10 years. I don't want to be harsh on myself so I gave myself some leeway.

So far, becoming a millionaire is still my only goal. I can't know for sure in the future but the only thing I am certain is I will definitely make it happen. I won't wait for some miracles and whatnots. Nor will I wait for luck because I know that luck only comes to those who exploit opportunities.

I am guessing that by tomorrow, Dr. Stitch will already need my assistance. I'm kind of curious about the kind of person Mr. Alec spoke so highly of. That was the very first time I heard him praise another person aside from when we did a good job with the request that we took.

But still, Dr. Stitch, huh. I am certain we haven't met yet but there is something inside me that's telling me that he is not just a normal scientist. My instinct is screaming at me at this moment that I have to be careful around him. And that I should be mindful of my actions especially. I don't like this. I already accepted the request so I cannot refuse it anymore.

"Ethan," I thought I should ask this guy what's his thought on this.

"Yes?" When I turned, I found him picking up the banana peels scattered on the floor and putting them inside the paper bag.

"What do you know about Dr. Stitch?"

"Dr. Stitch the scientist?"

"Yes"

He put his right hand under his chin and went silent for a while.

"He's famous so it's obvious I would know about him. There's no doubt even the kids know him as well. He's that famous. Not to mention that he has a very good reputation. I don't really know if it's right of me to tell you this, but personally, I am not a fan of him. I mean, he's cool and smart, nicknamed as the agent of change, and is greatly favored by the King. But I honestly find him weird—and inconsistent.

"Inconsistent? How so?"

"Do you really have to know all that? These are just my own take on him though."

"Yes, first of all, you're my informant so you need to provide me the information that I ask of you. Second, I hastily accepted his request simply because of the high pay. He specifically asked for me. Mr. Alec's opinion of him was all positive so I thought it will be fine. But only now did I want to back out. I don't feel good about this."

"To be honest, all I ever heard about him were praises. But when I thought about it, all those praises are way over the top. They're all too good to be true. But there are two things I can be certain of. He is a very intelligent scientist who had made a lot of contribution in the field of medicine. And second, he almost never leaves his underground laboratory."

"Mr. Alec told me that as well."

"It's not really a secret so I am not surprised. But here's what I personally think, he's suspicious!"

"Why do you say so? You also mentioned he has a lot of inconsistencies earlier."

Ethan sighed in defeat while scratching the back of his head.

"I got curious about him before so I dug information about him as well as public's opinion. Of course, I did all that discreetly. And here's what I got. He was the reason why the healthcare facilities are advancing way too fast. He was also the first to discover surgery. He invented a lot of medicines including the antibiotics. We would be talking all night long if we were to talk about his achievement. It's that many.

"So because of his achievements, I thought he was a genius. I don't see any problem with his contribution honestly but here's the thing. He is discovering and inventing stuff one after another non-stop. Every year, it's impossible not to hear about his new invention. It's hard to believe it's only because of his intelligence. I am thinking he must be something nonhuman. But he's not a shapeshifter either."

Hearing what Ethan just said, I wanted to back out all the more. I need money but what will I do with the money if I'm already dead?

"You want me to come with you?" Ethan said while I was still weighing things in my head.

"I thought you didn't want to interact with people so much and now you're showing yourself to a bigshot?"

"Yes, I did tell you that. But I guess I should explain my situation to you so you would understand. I don't want people to know that I am a shapeshifter because there are people targeting shapeshifters of any kind. I'll be dead for sure if they caught me. I didn't tell you at first because I'm afraid you won't listen to me anymore once you knew some people are after me.

"I only told you now because the situation has change. You cannot live without me anymore. I need you and you need me. Introduce me as your pet and don't call me by my name in public. Call me—Harley."