The Life Hacker System - 10 A Tiger Revealing Its Stripes

Heartbeat racing.

Nerves shortening her breaths.

Hands trembling.

Trying to calm herself, Doctor Emily Harper failed miserably.

She failed so badly in fact that she couldn’t even bring herself to knock on Taka’s bedroom door.

Standing there like the last tree in a barren forest, as she garnered her courage to knock the door, a voice was heard from the inside of the room.

“Doctor please come in”

Weakly opening the door Doctor Harper walked into the tigers den.

Seeing Taka sitting there staring out of the window with a small creature on his lap, made it look like she’d just walked into the scene of a movie.

Turning around on the chair he was sitting in, Taka focused his gaze on the doctor, pupils narrowing and a smirk plaguing on his lips. This made him look like a wild animal eyeing its prey but when the cub that was lying in his lap jumped up, to lay on his head, the whole situation turn from looking evil to appearing somewhat cute. That is if you ignore the growl resonating around the room but that soon stopped as Taka stroked the cubs head.

While observing all of this play out, Doctor Harper couldn’t help but gulp.

This child was allowing one of the most ferocious animals in the world to casually sit comfortably on his head, not mentioning the fact that the animal in question was allowing a human and a human child at that to stroke its head. It was clear at this point to Doctor Harper that the wolf cub held great affection for the child sitting in front of her and she could infer that the child felt the same according to what his mother had told her about the earlier incident.

In no time Doctor Harper had inferred that the Child, Taka, was perfectly healthy but then one question appeared in her mind which made her nervous.

‘Why would he allow his parents to call me if there was nothing wrong?’

As she thought a voice snapped her thinking.

A voice with a mature flavour but obviously from a child.

“I see you’ve already figured out that my health is perfectly fine?”

The Doctor flinched, feeling as if her thoughts were being read she became increasingly nervous.

Seeing her nervousness Taka chuckled gently which calmed the tension in the room.

“There’s no need to be nervous, Emily. You don’t mind me calling you Emily, do you?”

Shock plastered her face.

“Y-Y-Y-You how do you know my name?”

Hearing what Emily had said. Taka looked at her as if she were an idiot.

“Your card, remember?”

“Oh, right. You can call me Emily when no one else in the room but please address me as Doctor in front of other people.”

Quickly nodding, Taka agreed. Emily questioned.

“Can I call you Taka?”

“Sure, whatever”

A smile so bright the world seemed to dim appeared on Taka’s face.

“Well then shall we get down to the reason I called you here?”

As Taka became serious, the atmosphere in the room once again became tense.

“What is it that I can help you with exactly?”

Emily spoke not realising she was no longer speaking to Taka as if a child but an adult.

“I need information”

“About?”

“Ways to skip grades at school, ways to contact people and I need a fresh bank account setting up.”

“Why are you asking me to do this and not your parents?”

Wondering why he’d ask her for such favour’s and not just go straight to his parents.

“Unlike them you know the truth about me.”

Her eyes widen as recognition of what he had said flash through her eyes.

“So my guess was right.”

“Maybe, it depends what your guess was.”

Taka said with a smile.

A moment passed. Emily spoke with confidence.

“How high exactly is your I.Q?”

“Hehe. . . well let’s say its high enough”

Hesitate to ask but proceeding to ask anyway for peace of mind.

“How high is high enough?”

Unable to tell her the complete truth out right in case she was unable to take the shock. Taka told her while dancing around the subject.

“Well let’s just say that compared to me, Einstein is little more than a insanely dumb baby.”

Emily’s mouth gaped dumbfounded by what she had just heard not believing it but she knew by instinct alone that Taka wasn’t lying merely stating facts. Even though she believed him the facts posed even more questions like.

‘Why wouldn’t his parents know?’

‘Why hadn’t he told anyone before her?’

‘Why did he need the information he’d asked for? Why was it so urgent?’

‘Why does he need a fresh bank account?’

‘If he’s so intelligent surely he’d find a way himself?’

Tens of thoughts racing through her head. Emily wasn’t able to calm her mind until a voice was heard in her mind.

“Hey Doc, don’t think about it so much. Everything will be explained in time.”

Returning to reality she stared intently at Taka.

“You were just in my mind?”

Taka nods affirming her that she wasn’t crazy.

Before she had the chance to speak. Taka’s voice was heard.

“Hey Doc, we haven’t much time left still my family starts to become suspicious. I know what I’ve asked of you is not something one should ask of people outside of the family but you’re the only one I trust.”

With a moments silence. Taka spoke with a voice filled with a slight sadness. While his eyes dimmed to a listless state, completely devoid of any feeling.

“I know, I probably appear as a monster to you and to many other people but I don’t want to appear that way to my family.”

An air of ferociousness pervaded the air around Taka confirming the truth about what he’d said. He continued.

–

“Even if that means destroying everyone that steps onto my path, I will protect them.”

What he didn’t realise was that after he’d finished speaking. He’d continued muttering unconsciously.

–

‘I couldn’t protect them last time but this time I will’

–

A great heart wrenching sadness could be heard from his voice.

Hearing the muttered statement. Tears could be seen in Emily’s eyes, moving toward Taka despite the Ferociousness he was radiating she pulled him into her embrace as if protecting him from his own mind.

Tears falling from her eyes.

‘Poor child, who knows what he’d had to shoulder for his family without them knowing. He’s been protecting them from the shadows by himself with no support. Even if it’s only a little I need to help him, at the very least I need to be there for him.’

–

Pushing his way out of Emily’s embrace, only to stare at her.

The wildness in his eyes slowly hiding, retracting itself back into the abyss of his soul.

With his beautiful gold and silver eyes concentrated on her, she couldn’t help but blush, Taka was truly too beautiful.

Backing away she spoke.

“The things you’ve asked of me, I’ll do, Just promise me that whenever you need help, come to me even if you can’t go to anybody else you can come to me.”

Nothing was said, only a simple nod could be seen.

Shortly after Taka made a request.

“Hey Doc, There is one more thing you can help me out with.”

“Hmm what is it?”

“Can you give me a full physical?”

“Why?”

“Because I think you’ll be surprised if you do and I need to check something.”

“Hmm really? Of course I can but you’ll have to come by the research institute i work at?”

“Sure that’s not a problem but I’ll have to find a way to get there without my parents finding out.”

“How about I tell them that you’re fine but you need time to rest, so I’ve offered to let you help me with my research. That way you won’t get bored and might learn something, plus you’ll have a Doctor looking after you?”

“Hmm, yeah that’s believable enough. It also gives me an excuse to not be at home and not at school. Yeah that’ll work. I hope you can lie well Doc?”

Emily snorted at him. Finding this little rascal cuter the more she looked at him.

“I’m a Doctor, of course I can hehe”

Taka couldn’t help but laugh out loud at how cute Emily appeared at that very moment.