This chapter is connected to Chapters 4 and 14.

  Shark: “Why do you want to meet my family?”

  ???: “As a couple, you eventually have to reach the next stage. I think the next stage is our parents. My parents don’t live here, so yours are first.”

  Shark: “Uh, but… does it really have to be right now?”

  ???: “It can be any time. I’m just wondering why not now.”

  Shark: “I have to… I have to tell you something first.”

  ???: “Oh? Then go ahead.”

  Shark swallows nervously and looks at the floor. They had prepared a peaceful breakfast, but the calm and cozy atmosphere is now gone.

  ???: “Finally, speak.”

  Shark: “Well, I have…”

  ??? takes Shark’s hand and looks deeply into his eyes. She smiles with her beautiful face and whispers to him that he doesn’t have to be afraid of anything. She loves him, and she cannot imagine anything that could destroy her love for him.

  Shark takes a deep breath and sits up straight. He looks at her bravely and slowly opens his mouth.

  Shark: “I already have chiiiiiildren!”

  Shark closes his eyes. He waits for ???’s reaction. After several minutes, there is still no response. He slowly opens his eyes. He expects a slap or the sound of a door slamming shut because ??? wants to leave him.

  But instead, he sees her sitting in front of him. She is holding her hand over her mouth and clutching her stomach.

  Shark: “Are you okay? Are you feeling sick?”

  ???: “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

  Shark looks at his partner skeptically. He still thinks that something hurts her or something similar. Her laughter is almost inhuman.

  Shark: “Speak! What’s wrong with you?”

  ???: “Sorry… I couldn’t hold it in. It looked like it was really hard for you to say that.”

  Shark: “Because it’s something very important. I can’t believe you’re laughing about it.”

  ???: “Anyone would laugh at the way you dramatized saying that sentence. Now explain to me why this should be a reason for me to break up with you.”

  Shark: “I don’t know… Maybe it scares you?”

  ???: “That just shows that I’m dating a mature and responsible man. How many?”

  Shark: “Three.”

  ???: “Why did you separate from the mother?”

  Shark: “Uh… we were never together. At least not really.”

  ???: “What do you mean by that?”

  Shark: “As you know, I come from a high-ranking family. We’re not one of the top five, but we’re not unknown either.”

  Shark: “Those children are political children meant to support alliances on an international level. The women only had one child with me, nothing more.”

  ???: “Women?!”

  Shark: “Each child has a different mother…”

  Before Shark can finish speaking, ??? jumps up and starts running in circles. She grabs her hair and whines in frustration.

  ???: “One woman would be completely fine, but three women—and not even out of romance, but because of power. That’s too much for my heart.”

  Shark stands up and tries to catch ???, but she avoids his attempts to hug her and runs through the apartment.

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  Shark: “I thought nothing could change your love for me.”

  ???: “Apparently three children can…”

  ???: “Wait a second, where are these children right now?”

  Shark: “At my home.”

  ??? lets go of her hair and steps closer to Shark. He realizes he is in danger and takes a few steps back.

  ???: “So you don’t just have three political children, you also leave them alone? You haven’t been home in ages, even though you have children waiting for you.”

  Shark: “I needed some distance.”

  ???: “Children are not toys you can throw away after a few days. They need love, affection, and support—and you leave them alone?!”

  With a disappointed look, she walks toward the door. She is no longer sure if she fell in love with the right person.

  Shark clings to her legs and stops her from leaving the apartment.

  Shark: “Please! I’m begging you! You have to understand me too.”

  ???: “A father who leaves his children… how will that be with our children then?”

  ??? gives Shark a sad look. He sees her love slowly fading away.

  Shark: “You know that I have my problems… I also left so that I wouldn’t hurt my children.”

  ??? closes the door again. She tries to sit down on the floor without using her legs and gently strokes Shark’s head.

  ???: “You know, even though I’m not positively surprised by your behavior, I still want to love you. I want to believe that you really had to do it. Can I trust that you will never do something like that again—especially if I’m by your side?”

  Shark: “I promise.”

  ??? exhales in relief and gently pushes Shark away from her. She stands up and opens the apartment door.

  Shark: “I thought you forgave me and wanted to stay with me?”

  ???: “Yes, I do. But I still want to visit your family—and now also your children. You said you would never do something like that again, or were you lying?”

  Shark: “No, I wasn’t.”

  Shark stands up confidently.

  ???: “Then let’s go.”

  With great effort, ??? manages to get her partner onto the train. They leave early because they have a relatively long journey ahead.

  ???: “What is your family like, anyway?”

  Shark: “They’re actually nice, even if they can be annoying or strange sometimes. My childhood was a bit more complicated than my brother’s, but that was more because of me.”

  His tone suddenly changes. His voice trembles slightly.

  ???: “What do you mean by that?”

  Shark: “I was just a difficult child and had to be treated a bit differently.”

  ???: “That sounds serious. Please be more specific.”

  Shark: “Sometimes I had episodes… but I haven’t had anything like that in a long time. So you don’t have to worry.”

  ???: “Alright. Were those episodes the kind where you became aggressive, or where you forgot what happened during them?”

  Shark: “I’d say both.”

  ???: “Hmm, okay. But your family isn’t made up of bad people, right?”

  Shark: “No, no. My mother has already passed away, but my father is still alive and is a loving grandfather. My brother is also a really nice guy.”

  ??? turns her face away and drops the topic. She wants to learn about his family, but not come across as someone who gossips excessively.

  Shark: “Since you’re grilling me with questions, what is your family like?”

  ???: “My family is terrible. They’re not evil or anything, but they gossip a lot, are incredibly lazy, and I think they don’t really like me.”

  Shark: “That was a short but detailed description of your family.”

  ???: “My family just isn’t as big and complex as yours.”

  Shark isn’t sure whether that was an insult, a fact, or a compliment. They continue talking about their families and their relationships with them.

  The train comes to a stop. The conductor makes an announcement.

  Conductor: “Unfortunately, we have to stop the train. An unauthorized person is on the tracks. Until this person is detained, we must remain at this stop. You may step outside to get some fresh air.”

  Shark and ??? look at each other in annoyance and both let out loud groans expressing their frustration.

  Shark: “Should we go outside for some fresh air?”

  ??? nods, and they step outside. They stretch their arms and legs. They buy a soda and enjoy drinking it when they notice a situation involving a man and a woman.

  Man: “If you want my help, you have to pay for it. How much money do you have with you?”

  The man looks like a typical businessman, with a sly face and a briefcase.

  The woman is wearing an old-fashioned, long dress. The dress is very dusty and has a few stains of dirt or blood.

  Woman: “Um, n-no money, but I’m supposed to take a train or whatever it’s called. I can’t read and wanted to ask if you could help me?”

  Man: “Stop talking so weird. I already told you—pay or leave. Junkies are such a plague… but maybe you could pay in a different way?”

  The man steps closer to the woman in a strange manner and slowly raises his hand. The woman doesn’t seem to understand properly and thinks the man wants to help her. Shark and ??? become highly suspicious of the man and intervene.

  Shark: “Hey, stop. That’s not how you treat a woman.”

  ???: “Someone should beat some manners into you.”

  Shark grabs the man by the neck and forces him down. ??? kicks him in the face and stomps on his body.

  ???: “So, how can we help you?”

  Woman: “Um, thank you… could you read this ticket for me?”

  ???: “Of course… Oh wow, you have to take the same train as we do. Come with us.”

  The couple takes the woman back onto the train. She sits with them, and they start talking.

  Shark: “You woke up in a forest? Aren’t there supposed to be many phoenixes living in that forest?”

  ??? agrees with Shark, and they look at the woman curiously.

  Woman: “I don’t know. I woke up, and a stranger gave me this ticket. He told me I had to go to a train and travel in this direction.”

  ???: “Can you remember anything from before that?”

  Woman: “I think I was on a stage with my father, but I can’t remember anything after that…”

  The woman suddenly falls asleep. Her head drops onto Shark’s lap. He wants to wake her, but ??? stops him.

  ???: “She’s probably part of a traveling circus or something like that. Let her sleep.”

  Shark: “Doesn’t that sound a bit strange to you too?”

  ???: “Doesn’t matter. Until we get off, we should watch over her. Besides, this way we can do a good deed.”

  Shark smiles at his partner and looks at the woman. He silently thanks her for indirectly ensuring that Shark will live a happy life.