Everything is new to Lucca. He understood how cars function from the movies he had watched back in the institution and also in a few instances where he asked questions about it in private lessons he received there. His papa was kind enough to educate him even though he is locked away. But somehow, deep inside him, he doesn’t feel that grateful. Lately, he resents him. It made him feel like it was wrong. Like he was wronged… by papa.

 

“Do you want to try to drive a car?” With the question asked by Caleb, he snapped back to reality. He is in the car now with Caleb behind the wheels. The car that he’s driving has a button to be pushed to start the car unlike ordinary cars he sometimes saw in his favorite movies. It feels odd now to think of the practicality of the situation. He begins to think to himself if he’s ever going to try to drive one.

 

“I don’t have a license,” Lucca replied, refusing to elaborate further and marking his rejection in the matter as well. He can’t trust Caleb beyond the point of yesterday. Looking at him is also out of the questions. He’s afraid to make eye contact. A stupid dream and stupid kiss had made everything seems out of place and awkward.

 

“And you don’t know how to, right?” Caleb teased as he appears to be so laidback and skillful in controlling the wheel. It crosses Lucca’s mind that he must’ve been driving all his life. For that, he envies him a little. This guy, he was free. It’s something he never had a taste of and it pisses him off beyond words but he won’t give Caleb the satisfaction by snapping out at him so he pretended not to care. “Must be hard being locked away like that. That’s like losing half of your life already,” Caleb added, pouring salt to the wound.

 

Lucca inhales deeply and he lets out a slow breath in order to calm himself down despite of his act made it obvious he is pissed. He then said in an indifferent manner, “I have more years to live. I’m only 17. I can still learn new things.”

 

At what Lucca had said, Caleb raises both of his eyebrows in a cheeky way and teased; “New things? Like with sex?” He grins and winks one of his eyes towards Lucca as he asked.

 

Lucca moves his body so that he is facing Caleb directly to show him how annoyed he is. “Are you always just thinking about sex, Caleb?” He asked.

 

“Not really,” Caleb quickly answered but just as quick, he shrugs a little indecisively. “No. Yeah. Actually, I do. I think about sex a lot. For instance,-”

 

“-stop-” Lucca tries to stop him as he already knew that’s whatever going to come out from Caleb’s mouth must be dirty.

 

“-at this very moment, I’m thinking-” Caleb continues despite of Lucca’s demand.

 

“-stop, Caleb-”

 

“-about fucking you-”

 

“-you are such a-” Lucca gave up and just thought of cursing at the moment.

 

“-doggy style.”

 

“-disaster.”

 

They both completed their statement simultaneously and that gives room for Caleb to laugh. All he can think about was how adorable annoyed Lucca looks. “You’re cute,” he commented. He of course knew that Lucca won’t think the same way. He knew that Lucca must be irritated at him for his teasing. But it was true though. He did think about fucking Lucca most of the times. He can’t help himself. Lucca is interesting and rare. It’s not like he’ll meet a psychotic pretty face with two identities every day.

 

“And you’re horrible,” Lucca remarked.

 

“Why, thank you. I’ll take that as compliment,” Caleb simply teased again in an effort to annoy Lucca even more.

 

At that, Lucca shakes his head in disbelief and begins to question his agreement to go out with Caleb to the mall in the first place aloud. “I wish I didn’t agree to this.”

 

“Then why did you agree?”

 

“I had my reason.”

 

“Aww…You’ve fallen in love with the bad boy~~”

 

Lucca closes his eyes, holding in his anger. Damn it, he thought silently. “Honestly, Caleb, anything that comes out from your mouth sounds absurd.”

 

Caleb only laughs at Lucca’s remarks while Lucca just stares out the window towards the vast land surrounding the area. There are not many cars around. As soon as Caleb stops laughing, they drove quietly for a while before Caleb broke the silence again by saying; “anyway, we’ll go to the tech-shop and buy some night-vision goggles, we’ll buy some clothes, and some condoms, of course.” His eyes were lecherous and there’s a wide grin on his face. Lucca regrets even paying attention to what he was saying. He quickly turns his head to look back out the window into the nothingness. What does he want to do with night vision goggle anyway? Lucca thought silently but it was answered aloud by Caleb. It was like Caleb can read his mind.

 

“I have a plan,” Caleb stated. This time, he sounds serious. No hint of amusement or of him out for a tease again.

 

֍֍֍

 

It was hard to avoid feeling nervous. Lucca had never even once stepped into a shopping mall before. But to the fact that Caleb was there made him feel a tiny bit at ease. He looks around at all the places and things foreign to him. So this is the place where clothes come from, I guess, he thought, eyeing a few clothing store as he walks slowly behind Caleb. “Hurry up, Lucca. We don’t have much time,” Caleb said. What is he even rushing for? He thought to himself but he catches up to his pace anyway. “You look like you’ve never been to a mall before, Lucca,” Caleb teased. Lucca only gritted his teeth at him in defense which led to Caleb laughing aloud amusedly.

 

He stops mid-way of tailing Caleb when he saw a huge open space to his right side with kids running around and machines in different box-looking sizes lined up to its’ right and left while some mechanical devices move around here and there. He is amazed by what he’s looking at. What is this place? He thought. “That’s a mini indoor amusement park, Lucca,” Caleb informed as if reading Lucca’s thought yet again. For that reason, Lucca’s heart aches a little. He begins to think that if he had been free, he would be able to experience all this. Understand all this. This wouldn’t be strange to him. “Do you want to give it a try?” Caleb asked.

 

Lucca can’t help but to shed a few drop of tears from that question. But he quickly wipes them away with a straight face. “That’s very considerate of you, Caleb. But no thanks. We’re in a hurry, right? You said so yourself,” he rejected and turns away immediately back towards where they were headed before regardless of the fact he’s clueless where the destination is. He just wants to stay away from that fun-looking place and those smiling kids enjoying their times there. He secretly envies them.

 

Caleb catches up to Lucca and redirects him towards the tech-shop he’s been planning to go to after watching the amusement park for a few seconds, understanding how painful it must’ve been for Lucca. He has a tiny little wish in him to someday, probably, take Lucca out to a place like that. He wanted to see Lucca smile like those kids there. Or even scream as he rides a roller-coaster or something. Any emotions at all. That would’ve been nice, he thought.

 

Caleb brought Lucca to all the places he had declared of going earlier. He bought two night-vision goggles at the tech-shop complete with straps to fasten to their heads if they were to wear it. He bought some shirts, pants, jackets at a few selected clothing stores. Oddly, he bought some for Lucca as well, sizing him up at every chances. Lucca was pissed off at him here and there for his wandering hands. He feels like he had been sexually harassed. And… he also did buy a pack of condoms. It surprises Lucca of how much this guy stayed true to his words.

 

It was a short and quick trip. It almost made Lucca wondered why Caleb is in such a hurry as they headed out of the shopping mall. He thought that they have all day or perhaps he doesn’t like going out much or maybe, Caleb doesn’t like the fact that he’s going out with him, who knows. “What are you staring at?! Piss off!” He suddenly heard Caleb snapped at some girls passing them by. Only then that he turns to look at the girls, who shied away from them, whispering to one another.

 

“What’s wrong, Caleb?” Lucca feels the urgency to ask since he’s clueless as to what had happened for Caleb to snap like that.

 

“You,” he said, pointing his finger towards Lucca. The tip of his index finger landed on the middle of Lucca’s chest. “You is what’s wrong.”

 

“What ar-”

 

“-people had been staring at you. You didn’t notice, did you? I guess it’s the curse of your pretty face,” he said. “I bet you didn’t notice as well that there were two men who had been following us?” Then as quickly, he grabs Lucca by the wrist and pulls him away from the crowd heading towards the parking lot.

 

Once inside the car, Caleb throws the stuffs that they had bought to the backseat of the car angrily but keeps the night-vision goggles on his laps. Lucca just sits quietly at the passenger’s side. It’s better not to add fuel to the fire and lets Caleb calms down by himself. “They’re your father’s men,” he then informed. When Lucca looks at him quizzically, he further elaborates; “those two men that had been following us.” He then clicks his tongue and smiles arrogantly. “I knew your father would send people to watch over us. Or more precisely, to watch over his precious son here,” he said. Lucca just looks into Caleb’s eyes, refusing to comment. All he wants now is just to go rest or sleep. The fact that he had been at a crowded place just now only made him feel exhausted. All the nervousness, anger and sadness mixed together. He feels like he can’t function anymore. This is all papa’s fault, he heard a voice in his head said.

 

“It’s getting dark,” Caleb suddenly said. “We’ll travel the road less travelled. I promise you, Lucca, everything is going to be okay from now on,” he assured with a smile. “Trust me,” he added. Lucca thinks that it’s odd of Caleb to say such things but he’s too tired to even say anything back to him so he just slumps down on his seat, buckling his seat belt, closing his eyes. He just wants to disappear.

 

When he opens his eyes, he realizes that his surrounding is completely dark except for the headlights that shine the path ahead of them and the fact that he had dozed off for a while. They are travelling on a road that has no single lamp post on at the moment. Caleb is still looking laidback and skillful as he controls the wheel. There are no other cars on the road. “They are still following us,” Caleb said. At that, Lucca turns to look over his shoulder. True enough. Another pair of headlights shine behind them.

 

He turns to look back to the road ahead of him when he feels something hard was place on his laps. He looks down to see a night-vision goggle was placed on them by Caleb. “Put on your goggle. We’ll go dark,” he instructed.

 

“Why?”

 

“Just do it,” Caleb instructed again as he fasten his own goggle to his head, letting go of the steering wheel in the process. Lucca panics for a while but immediately felt relieved watching him grabs the wheel back after only a few seconds. It appears that he won’t take no for an answer. Is this some kind of game? Lucca wonders but he still picks the goggle up and fasten it to his head, feeling dizzy at the intensity of his eyesight now. That’s when Caleb turns his car’s headlight off.

 

“What the fuck, Caleb?!” Lucca panicked but then he realizes that they can see in the dark. The car behind seems to quicken its’ speed to take them over but Caleb steps on the pedal and speeds up. Lucca is in shock as he realizes how fast they’re going. He heard Caleb laughs and screams in satisfaction as the shape of the headlights behind them seems to grow smaller by the distance. Among the sounds of the engine ramp up, he heard Caleb’s voice saying something unbelievable; “WHOOHOO! We’re running away, Lucca. Or in other words, I’m kidnapping you!”