Ali and Luca

Ali and Luca entered the narrow alleyway that the florist had pointed out, carefully surveying their surroundings. The street was dimly lit, lined with a few old wooden crates piled haphazardly, and a tipped-over trash bin. The air had grown a bit cooler, and a light breeze swirled dust around the corners.

Luca crouched down, trying to pick up any scents. "Cats usually prefer quiet, warm places," he murmured. "It must be around here somewhere."

Suddenly, Ali spotted a shadow flicker. "Luca! Look behind that trash bin! Something moved!"

Luca quickly approached the trash bin and leaned over to peer carefully. "There! It has white fur!"

When Ali bent down to look, he was met by big blue eyes. A small white kitten was huddled behind the trash bin, watching them warily. It had a few smudges of dirt on it and looked a bit frightened.

"Hello, little friend," Ali said gently, extending his hand. "You don't need to be scared; we'll take you back to your owner."

Luca stepped closer. "I'm a cat too. We won't hurt you. You can trust us."

The little kitten hesitated for a moment, then tilted its head slightly. Still cautious, it approached the piece of bread Ali had taken from his pocket and placed on the ground. After sniffing it, the kitten slowly started to nibble.

"I think we've gained its trust," Ali said with a smile. "But how are we going to carry it?"

Luca wagged his tail. "If you hold it in your arms, I can stand by you and help keep it calm."

Ali carefully scooped up the kitten. It squirmed a bit at first, but soon settled down, soothed by Luca's presence.

"Great! Now let's take it back to its owner," Ali said, and they set off.

---

Returning to the notice board where they had seen the flyer, they found a middle-aged man anxiously glancing around. Ali recognized him immediately and called out, "Sir! Is this your cat?"

The man's eyes lit up when he saw the kitten in Ali's arms. "Yes! Snowball! Oh, thank you so much for finding her!"

The kitten, upon seeing its owner, jumped from Ali's arms and began to rub against the man's legs. With tears in his eyes, the man scooped up Snowball and turned to Ali. "I'm truly grateful. Let me give you the reward I promised."

Ali and Luca exchanged glances. "Thank you, but what's most important is that Snowball is safe," Ali replied.

The man smiled and pulled out some coins from his pocket. "Just a small token of my appreciation. Please, accept it."

Ali hesitated but eventually accepted the coins with a thank you. As the man held Snowball and walked away, Ali and Luca proudly looked at each other.

"We completed a task successfully," Ali said. "Now, it's time for Hormonos Hotel."

Luca wagged his tail excitedly. "Yes! We need to be more careful this time. I'm sure there are things the attendant didn't tell us."

Ali took a deep breath. "Let's go. It's time to solve this mystery."

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at the front of Hormonos Hotel. It was a large, old building with worn signs stretching across several floors. A clerk stood at the entrance. Ali quietly turned to Luca. "The attendant might not tell us much again. Let's go inside first and check around."

As they entered the hotel, they were greeted by a spacious lobby filled with faded carpets, peeling wallpaper, and yellowed flowers in the corners. Behind the reception desk was the same clerk they had seen during their previous visit. Ali approached the reception.

"Hello, we're back. Last time, I received some information about my family, but I think I overlooked some details. May I check the records again?"

The clerk frowned and scrutinized Ali. "I provided all the necessary information before. The records are kept according to hotel policy; they are not open to everyone."

Ali sighed, but Luca whispered an idea to him. "We can distract him. Maybe you can pretend something spilled in the lobby, and he'll go clean it up. I can watch the records."

Ali nodded slightly. "Okay, I'll try it."

With a quick plan in mind, they got to work. Luca stealthily moved toward the back of the reception desk. Ali filled a cup with water and intentionally spilled it on the floor. "Oh! I'm so sorry; I must have slipped!"

The clerk frowned, sighing as he grabbed a cloth to clean up the spill. Seizing the opportunity, Luca swiftly started rifling through the record books.

"Ali, there's something here!" Luca whispered. "There's a different note regarding the dates when your family stayed!"

Ali rushed over to Luca. "What does it say?"

Luca pointed at the page. "It says 'Special Guest' here. Maybe we can learn more. But we need to hurry!"

The clerk was finishing up the cleaning. Ali and Luca quickly pulled back, returning to their spots as if nothing had happened. Now, they needed to figure out what to do with this new information.