In the morning, the sun began to rise over the Salazar mansion. The light was weak and gray, filtered through a heavy layer of clouds.
Inside Nathan's room, the air was stale. Eli woke up. He sat up on his folding mattress, his heart jumping when he remembered where he was. He looked at the closed door, then at the balcony. Someone was standing there. His heart was pounding.
But then he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Zane. The boy was up very early.
Eli stood up, went to the bathroom, and quickly put on his shoes and his jacket. He wanted to sleep more, but he needed to work.
He walked over to the bed and shook Nathan's shoulder.
"Nathan," Eli whispered. "Nathan, wake up."
Nathan groaned and opened his eyes. He saw Eli standing there, fully clothed and looking frantic. "What? What's wrong? Is someone coming?"
"No," Eli said. "But I need to work. My shift starts soon. I have to go now."
Nathan sat up and rubbed his face. "Ahh... Okay."
