Open it just a little and look into the future

      Another day in Millport. Neil was already thinking about a new story, perhaps Mexico next. All that was left was to finish the season with the Dingos, say a nice goodbye, and disappear. Brush up on his Spanish a bit, and everything would be fine. He'd be fine.       The morning run today had been more than successful; it wasn't raining, the sun hadn't been too hot yet, and the wind had barely picked up like yesterday.       Neil was already heading back to the stadium; training would soon be here, but he had only one thing on his mind:       "Caesar, Dionysus... Elias?"       He didn't have time to choose. Feeling someone breathing down his neck from behind, he couldn't even flinch. His eyes widened slightly in fear. Have they really found it?             Run. Run. Run. Run.       But just as he jerked to the side, about to yank it off and run without looking back, something descended on his head—presumably a bag, because he felt the tightly tied fabric rubbing against his neck.       Getting some air into his lungs proved impossible. Either fear had dug into his brain, preventing him from breathing, or the rope around his neck was cutting off his oxygen supply.       Neil felt a prick. Oh. It definitely wasn't his father. What's going on? There's still a chance...       But his mind clouded, and no matter how hard he fought, his knees buckled, and he went limp in someone's arms, like a limp doll. No-no-no. No.       Coming to his senses was no easy task. His head ached as if he'd just jumped out of a moving car and "hello" a tree. His neck was burning; touching it with his own cold hand eased the hellish sensation a little, but didn't help completely.       Neil opened his eyes and shot up from what he assumed was his bed, so abruptly that he almost fell back down when his vision darkened and he began to fall to the side. But he stayed put; he couldn't show weakness. Blinking, he scanned the room with a predatory gaze.       " Well, as expected... It wasn't my father. Then who the fuck kidnapped me? If it's that easy, will he find me soon? Or is it someone more influential than my father? "       The room was different from the ones in his father's mansion and was definitely not a basement. Although it looked bright, neat, and comfortable enough, something about it deeply unsettled Neil, but he couldn't undersrend place it.       Opposite the bed where he stood was a large, dark closet. Neil took a step and yanked the doors wide open. Inside, there was nothing suspicious except clothes.       The tension eased slightly, and he could think better. He closed the closet doors a little more quietly and noticed a small nightstand next to the bed. It was bare except for a lamp, but inside was a piece of paper. A perfectly ordinary piece of paper, blank.       Neil carefully picked it up with his fingers and turned it over. Scrawled on the back in scrawled handwriting was this:       Go into the living room. All rooms except the guest room should be empty.       His breath caught in his throat, and the RUN was flashing in his head like a siren. That's when Neil realized what was wrong with this room.       Not a single window.       Neil's breathing quickened and he lunged for the door. Luckily, it quickly gave way and opened.       A long hallway with many identical doors revealed itself. Neil was about to carefully exit and find the door to the street, but then another door opened, and a familiar face met his gaze.       That smile was chilling, sending shivers down his spine. Brown eyes, slightly lighter than his own, darted down the hallway, but a second later they landed on him.       Andrew Minyard. Neil had read everything he could about him since Kevin started go him around, and it seemed impossible not to recognize that face and that chemical smile that seemed to whisper, "Today you will die."       Neil froze like a deer in headlights, his eyes wide, his breathing shallow. He wanted to retreat, wanted to lock himself in the room, because that look didn't bode well for him either. But one of the doors opened again, followed by another, and another.       The heads of the other "Foxes" appeared, as well as Kevin's. Kevin-damn-Day. No, no, no... It can't be. He didn't recognize him, did he? He wouldn't hand him over to his father now?       The words burst from his throat:       — Kevin? – Neil didn't recognize his own voice, so hoarse and painful...       Day's surprised gaze darted toward him, along with a few others, but he chose to ignore them.       — Neil? – Josten's expression turned cold. How did Kevin know his name? Had he been stalking him? Had he finally found out? But he seemed surprised too, what the hell?...       — Where...? – Neil began, stumbling, but Day interrupted him:       — I saw your training notes; Coach Hernandel wrote to us. We were planning to go recruit you very soon.       Neil guessed who "we" were. It would definitely be Wymack, and also Kevin and his pet dog, Andrew. Maybe someone else, but he wasn't sure.       "Stupid Hernandez"       Either overhearing the conversation or just now finding the note, more people emerged from their rooms. Among them, he recognized the entire Fox squad, with the exception of... Jenny? Jessica? It didn't matter. Coach Wymack himself was there, along with two women he didn't recognize.       The first to break down was the tall, blond man with a crew cut. Seth? Seth Gordon. He looked fierce and brutal, and now, as he stood out of breath in the doorway, arms folded, he looked very, very aggressive. His green eyes seemed to shoot lightning bolts at everyone gathered. His voice was loud and hoarse, just like Neil's had been a minute earlier:       — What the fuck?!       After that, the others, who had been standing rooted to the spot and staring wide-eyed, began to stir.       Now a sweet-looking girl with short hair spoke up. She was slightly taller than Neil and looked... soft. But Neil didn't want to believe it; he suspected she had her own skeletons in the closet. Perhaps a whole wardrobe full of them?       There was no longer the smile she always flashed during interviews. Her voice was quiet, but everyone turned to look at her anyway.       — The note said to come to the common room. Maybe we should go there to see what's going on?       — What if it's a trap and they're just expecting us to go there, and then... And then... – Nicholas, Cousin Andrew, stammered, his voice shaking. He looked like he was about to faint. Or burst into tears. The girl gave him a small smile.       — Nicky, we can't just stand in the hallway all the time, can we? We should go.       The gruff, adult voice made Neil flinch before he realized what Wymack was saying:       — Rene's right, you idiots. To the common room. Now.       The others, who had remained silent, followed their coach, but Neil froze in place. He only moved when he felt two intense gazes on him. He didn't have to guess who was staring at him; only Andrew and Kevin remained behind.       " Well, at least it's not Dad's. We'll go to the living room now and I'll find a way out somewhere..."       The walk down the hallway to the living room took less than a minute. The room was huge and bright, with a coffee table and a huge sofa arranged in a square in the center.       As far as Neil could tell, the team was divided into several groups: the Monsters, as the others called them. These were Nicholas, Aaron, his evil twin, and, appropriately, Kevin. Everyone else was separated. Although it was noticeable that Seth and the long-legged blonde, Alison, were trying to keep a little apart from the others.       The Monsters occupied the entire side of the sofa. Danielle sat across from them. She was the team captain, so she also evoked a certain recognition in Neil. Next to her sat a huge, towering man. By process of elimination, Neil deduced it was Matthew. Next to him, huddled close together and pushed back against the edge of the sofa so that Alison was practically sitting on Seth's lap, sat a couple of blonde. On the other side of Danielle sat Renee, and next to her sat an unknown woman. Neil might have heard Renee call her Bee, but he couldn't recall anyone on the team by that name.       Wymack sat between them, along with another woman whose name he hadn't heard.       He couldn't recognize her either, but judging by her medical gown, she could be the team doctor. This worried Neil, so he sat on the sofa opposite her, alone—even better that way.       They sat for a minute, then two. After five, Neil lost count. Nothing was heppend. When he'd counted off five minutes for the second time, a piece of paper landed on the coffee table. A perfectly ordinary white one. If Neil had been able to, he would have been surprised, but he was already tired of sighing and groaning.       He didn't bother picking it up himself, but there was no need. The female captain, her dark brows furrowed tensely, quickly grabbed the paper and absentmindedly read aloud:       — All rooms except the guest room are to remain empty... What?       The blonde shook her long tail and snorted. Baring her teeth and adding venom to her voice, she asked:       — That's not all? – Neil tensed as Alison drew a mark on him with her manicured red nail.       — We have enough of this homeless guy. – Neil pursed his lips as one of the monsters chuckled tensely. As if that wasn't enough, it had also drawn his attention.       The woman in white, the one named Bee, rose slowly, smiled, and said,       — I'll look for someone who can stay in the rooms.       The woman left, and everyone else stared at her. He chewed his lip nervously and waited. He didn't have to wait long; the first questions began after just a minute.       — Who are you?       — What's your name?       — Why are you with us?       — Do you know where we are?       — How old are you?       The only ones who remained silent were Wymike, the female doctor, and Renee. Andrew sat there, stricken, giggling.       Neil felt uneasy; everyone here knew each other, but he alone knew nothing and understood nothing, and even if he decided to escape, he wouldn't be allowed to. They think he dragged them here, but he never needed answers himself. He was confident he could take on two, maybe three at most, but no more. And it certainly wouldn't be Andrew or Matthew. Or Wymack.       He remained silent and only answered the question about his name:       — Neil. Neil Josten. – He spoke quietly, uncertainly. What if they know who he is? Maybe Kevin recognized him and told everyone? Maybe this is a way to distract him? Maybe, maybe, maybe...       The foxes kept asking strange questions, but Neil didn't answer any of them. After a while, the team realized they weren't getting anything out of him and reluctantly let go.       Soon, the woman named Bee returned to the living room. Behind her stood two... Teenagers? The children couldn't have been more than fourteen, one probably even younger. But that wasn't the main thing.       Neil recognized this child: red-haired, without disguise, he was looking into his own eyes. His father's eyes. Neil remembered that moment. He was twelve. For weeks, he and his mother hadn't left the hotel, tinting his dark hair for the next disguise.       Neil felt like he'd forgotten how to breathe. He tore his gaze away from one child and looked at the other. This one was the same height, though he didn't look as frightened as Neil himself seemed. The child seemed completely unaware. His face seemed blank, but Neil could tell by his posture that he was tense. The boy also seemed familiar, but Neil couldn't recall any child he'd seen before who looked like this one.       — Oh, fuck, are those kids?! – Matthew asked, judging by his voice.       — What's your name? – Renee asked softly.       Neil saw both kids tense even more, saw Stefan's eyes searching for an exit, any door, or even a window.       Quickly sorting through his thoughts, he remembered the languages ​​he'd spoken back then.       Revealing himself to so many people would be dangerous, but that wasn't his only trump card, and if he didn't calm the kid down, he'd do something really bad... At twelve, he wasn't as well-versed as he was now; he didn't watch his language and was incredibly aggressive.       Neil spoke in Spanish:       — Hey, Stefan... – The boy gave him an angry, tense look and pursed his lips. He was silent for a long moment, and Neil felt several more glances, all belonging to the Foxes, piercing him. But he didn't turn around and stared back just as intently.       The boy finally answered:       — What? – he said, also in Spanish, and Neil was glad he hadn't been a dumb kid as a child.       Now that he had the boy's full attention, he said:       — To the kennel. – It was hard for him; he hadn't said that in a long time. But Stefan's reaction pleased him; he suddenly turned completely toward him and narrowed his eyes.       — You're from your mother? – Neil didn't want to remember her, but...       — Not exactly, Stefan, I am it's you, I'm... eighteen. – Stefan's eyes widened at him at first, then he burst out laughing. He didn't believe it. Then Neil sighed and said,       — I can tell you all your names, their ages, and the stories behind each one. I can tell you all your scars and how you got them. – When Stefan looked at him, first fearfully, then absentmindedly, Neil asked,       — Do you believe me? – It took almost a minute for a hesitant nod to appear. Neil breathed a sigh of relief.       He turned to face everyone else, meeting many stares. He didn't know what to say, but now he surprised Andrew, drawing all the attention to himself. He looked at the second child as if he was about to draw and quarter him. Neil was initially frightened, but when he looked at the boy, he realized why he seemed familiar. Now, looking at both of them in turn, he could tell that the problems from the past had not only caught up with him. Andrew spoke in German:       — Kid. Andrew. Colony. Fourteen. Six months. – At first, Neil thought he'd forgotten all German, because he couldn't understand what Andrew Sr. said. But the younger one seemed to understand everything. He asked:       — Who?       The older one laughed and smiled wider. His eyes darted over the child, as if scanning. Finally, he answered:       — You.       Neil was completely confused and simply turned his head back. Now Stefan collapsed next to him, pressing himself against Neil and the back of the couch, pulling the hood of his gray sweater over his head and tucked his feet up onto the couch.       Andrew, the child, stared tensely at the two more vacant couches. With one last glance at the spot next to Wymack and the female doctor, he sat down on Neil's couch, as close to the armrest as possible and as far away from the two people already sitting on it as possible.       Then they began chattering in German again, and Neil realized he could still understand. Perhaps Andrew had simply said something only he could understand. It was Nicholas, on the verge of hysteria, looking from one Andrew to the other and whispering loudly:       — Andrew, oh my God, am I going crazy? Tell me, you see it too, right? He's your little spitting image. Andrew! – He raised his voice at the end, but Andrew still didn't look at him. The older one. But the younger one stared at the brown-haired boy with his angry eyes, and, noticing this, Nicholas turned to him with a nervous smile:       — Hey, kid... Um, what's your name? – The child was silent. For a long time. He glanced at the people around him, and then back at Andrew Sr.       — Andrew. – Nicholas blinked, confused, and fell silent...       A loud knock was heard, and everyone turned their attention to the table. Stefan almost jumped in surprise. There were three books on the table, and Neil didn't like it because he could see his face on two of them... He felt Stefan tense up too, but he couldn't do anything about it. He stared at the books until Wymack took one of them.