It was not uncommon for people to leave the slums.

Most of them left either dying or the simple act of dissappearance. In a surge of emotions, Foxy had agreed to go with Idris to wherever he wanted to take her.

But now she was unsure.

The slums were changing. Soon, Idris and Kez will build it up to a established facility and all of the slum dwellers will have a job with good pay. Did she want that?

She was not sure but it was a far better life. But the life that Idris was offering -- the life where she would be under him. What was that life? What would she be? He had made it clear that he would not be her father. Then what? But he had promised that he would not dissappoint her. What did that mean?

If she relied on her feelings, as she had done last night, she wanted to go so bad. She wanted a change. She wanted to experience. She wanted to understand him and get to know him for herself. Yet, logically, it didn't seem like the right decision. Trusting a stranger who could not even give her his name?

No matter how many times he said that they were alike. They were not. She was a simple slum dwellers -- a survivor. He could be anyone.

Foxy sighed as she paced. The sun was going to rise anytime. Soon, he would come. She was already packed. She had even decided to wear the fresh clothes that Idris' workers had given them. The clothes that had been given to her, didn't fit her. Maybe because she was too petite. It was simply a blue shirt and black pants. But it smelled so nice. She had spent a lot of time simply sniffing it.

All this would change. She wouldn't have to care about clean clothes anymore. She would get that in abundance. She would not have to care about stale food. She wouldn't have to care about muggers and drunkards. She reminded herself of the way she felt when she lay on a pool vomit mixed with blood. The pain.

Maybe this was an idiotic decision; but she had made up her mind. This was an opportunity for her. No sane person, no matter what their age, would ever let go of such an opportunity. None of the dwellers were even if they didn't know who was recruiting them. Why should she?

She didn't have a moral high ground to take.

Foxy stared at nothing defiantly. She had made up her mind.

▪

He came in the noon. It looked like he didn't have any other coat other than green one. But he had decided to change his shirt to a light blue one. He nodded at her when he spotted her. They were at the Kitchen. Emma stood waiting for his attention to be on her. She would be the one who was pronounce the decision made by the dwellers.

However, he didn't care about her existence until the man with the cane entered.

Kez spotted Emma easily, he grinned, showcasing his crooked teeth. "Emma, darling, you look stunning as usual."

"Kez." Emma gave him tight-lipped smile. "We have some questions."

"Of course, of course," he waved his beefy hand. "Someone do this limp man a favour and get him a chair, eh? One of these bright, cute, kids. I've missed my dosage of pain killer and the pain is excruciatin'. Come on." He motioned for one small girl to come to him. She was stuck to her mother. Her mother pushed her towards him and Kez smiled at her kindly.

"What's your name, sweet-ling?" Kez asked.

She looked at her momma, then at the big man, then at everyone who was staring at her. She didn't utter a word. Her momma answered for her.

"Beauty."

Kez's grin became wider. "She is a beauty!" He exclaimed. "Now, Beauty, do this old man a favour, eh? Grab one of those red chairs, eh? Get it for me. I'd die if I had to stand any longer. And when you return, I've got something for you. Go on." He ruffled the kid's head as she nodded and ran outside.

"All right, missus." He directed his gaze to Emma. "Ask your questions."

Emma stood straighter, "The facility you are setting up. What's it for?"

Idris answered, "Packaging and transportation. We need a centralised hub for all our products. All our products will come here, you will pack, and other partners will pick up and transport it to other stores or directly to the customers depending on the type of order."

Emma nodded, "And what is that you supply?"

"It could be anything. We're traders, to be precise. We do not actually manufacture anything on our own. Customers ask us something and we get it for them at a reasonable price. We have just added packaging, installation and transportation in the services we provide to get better rates and higher profit margin."

He was talking gibberish for the dwellers. It was Emma who understood some of it, Foxy knew.

But he continued, "In our set up, here, I want you to be our supervising officer, Emma. Clearly these people listen to you."

"She is a mighty clever woman." The kid had brought him his red chair and Kez sat on it. He massaged his left leg as the kid looked at him eagerly.

"Want something?" Kez asked.

The kid looked at her momma.

"Oh, don't look at your momma. Come, I promised, and I deliver." Kez said as he put his hand in the black coat and took out some colourful things. "These are candies. Very tasty. Want some?"

The girl nodded, eyeing the candies greedily.

"Take them." He poured the candies in the little girl's hand. Then looked at everyone who was staring at them. "Oh, sorry for my interruption, go on!"

Emma cleared her throat, "Supervising officer?"

Idris nodded. "You have influence on the dwellers and we need someone local, some one who can understand. And then you can help us assign other duties based on their capabilities."

"What about our home?" Someone else asked.

"Getting constructed, as we speak, love." Kez answered. He was playing with the kid, Beauty. She was examining his cane. Foxy had seen the kid before but had never connected. In fact, in her life that she lived in the slums, she had not connected to many people. She had never been part of their weird community.

"I'm not your love." The man said.

Kez didn't look at the man. "You are whoever I want you to be, love." He smiled at the kid. She smiled back.

There was an edge in his tone and underlying threat. The dangerous vibe that he had -- it was back. He could be kind, he could hand out candies and juggle objects. But in the end, no one could forget who he was; a dangerous man. Even if people did, he wouldn't let them forget that.

No one replied to him for few seconds. Idris cleared his throat. "Right, it will take few days to set up the facilities. Till then, we have tents set up for your stay. We will provide food and medical facilities. So if anyone have issues please let us know. Once, the facilities are set up and your house constructed, we will send trainers, to well, train you. I think that's it until further notice. Anything else?"

No one said anything.

"Right, one more thing. Foxy is coming with us." Idris said nonchalantly. 

The reaction from the crowd was of complete confusion.

"What does that mean?"

"Let's say I'm adopting her." Idris answered to whoever that had raised the question.

"What about my kid?" Beauty's momma asked Kez. As if, just because he had been kind to her, he was planning to adopt her. Foxy still didn't understand why she was being adopted. But it didn't mean they would adopt any kid.

"Ay, lady, I don't think we have been clear, eh?" Kez stood up. He winced as placed some weight on his bad leg. His cane tapped against the ground. "We are adoptin' all of you. We are the darn fuckin' guardian, protector, saviour, messiah of your lot. Now, you may come at us with a stick up your arse and ask us ridiculous questions." His voice boomed. The anger in his tone evident. "While what you should be doing is lick our feet, eh? Because we are treatin' you like humans. Not arse wipes, eh? I'm getting tired of all your questions." He pointed his fat finger at Emma. " I'm done being kind, eh? Have I made myself clear? If I'm lettin' you be ballsy does not mean you grow some."

Now, he took a deep breath in, looked at Beauty's momma and said with a smile. "What were you sayin'?

The change in the mood, the smile, it shook the people. Foxy exhaled along with the people.

"Nothing, sir, nothing." Beauty's momma said.

"We ain't going to be fathers to Foxy. We need her. She will work for us, just as the way do. Understood?"

"Yes sir." Emma said.

"Good," Kez said and then eyed Foxy. "Go bid your people good-bye, Foxy. We will be waitin'."

▪