Two more years.Ominous, right?
By that time, the little 2-3 years old kid became 5 years old one
Sara was grown enough she could count to 30, read some words, and talk like a normal 5 years old kid. I would say an average 5 years old kid, in general, but under the circumstances she was raised, it was pretty good I guess. She finally graduated for been on the level of a monkeyMaybe a dolphin now?they are pretty smart I heard
Maybe a dolphin now?I heard they are pretty smart
She still lived with her big brother max, and around 7 or 8 years old kid that was practically her parent at this point. And besides her big brother, there were also her little brother John, that was a little younger than her, and her sister jess, that was a little older. Like her, these two were around 5 years old and begged for money on the sidewalk
All four of them lived in a corner of an abandoned factory with other people all around them. Some were kids in the same situation as them, others were old homeless people with nowhere to go, and from time to time, some people that came to make a “deal” or stuff like that
The factory used to belong to a factory that got close down after a smart super(usually called thinkers) found a way to make their product cheaper and better.Soon after the factory declare bankruptcy and sold everything they could
It was big and steamy, and since it would cost more to put down the building than the cost of the land some place else, it was left alone
It was a perfect place to live under for people without a home, so it didn''t take long for the place to be filled with people like them
Like the rest, they started living in that factory since it was quite hot thanks to the steam. It wasn''t exactly free since they did have to pay rent to the mafia, but it was cheap and "nice". Luckily the four of them got along nicely among them and the people around them, so there wasn’t much trouble each day. And even though the 4 weren’t actually blood-related, they were like a big family
Soap story I know, sadly, that''s the story you get. Besides, it is a common story, like it or not
There are lucky kids that born millionaires, or with super powers, or even born in perfectly normal families
On the other hand, why do you think a 6-month old kid is crying in the slum? because he is having a mid-life crisis
dark joke, I know, but also true
That''s how the world works, don''t ask me why
And I guess you are wondering about the two years thingy, right? I even skip ahead two years, so you are probably expecting to tell you what happened?
Did the big brother run away, was he kidnapped, did he suffer some major injury, did he just disappeared? Lots of possibilities, one answer
But let''s just not jump ahead
Let''s start at the day it happens. Why "it"? well, if I just went out and say what "it" was, you would miss the impact when "it" happens, so play the pronoun game with me for a little while
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.It all started on a typical night after a "comfortable" day of begging on the streets. Like most nights, Max was teaching the three kids and some of the neighbour kids some letters and reading something to them. From time to time some of the other kids would give Max candy as thanks, so he didn''t mind them joining
Some of the old guys would watch as an amusement and others would do their thing, probably lamenting how their life turned out or stuff like that
And there were a little more people than usual there thanks to the "deals" that happened in the factory from time to time
The place belonged to the mafia so they couldn''t complain, and the real reason they left kids and old people to live there was to use them as a shield during those "deals". With them there, the "heroes" couldn''t use big attacks since it could hurt the innocent bystanders
If the police came, they would just use one of the escape routes and use the bystanders as a diversion. If heroes came, they would use the bystanders as shields or camouflage and use an escape route to get away
So heroes and the police usually left them alone since it wasn''t worth the risk
Usually
You could say there were two kinds of deals, the average ones that happened two-three times a week, with little to no escort and rarely good interrupted
Then there were the especial deals, with a lot more people involved and some supers. Those happened 2-3 times a year, and Sara only saw them getting attacked one time before
It was a compleat mess, but luckily they got out unharmed
And as you can probably guess, these time, it was the special deal, instead of the normal one. Besides the increased number of armed guys, you could feel the tense air all around them
That is why Max decided to read a book to the kids since it would help calming everyone down
Besides, they couldn''t leave. Part of the deal for staying there was that they couldn''t leave during "deals" or they would get kick out. In exchange, they got reduced rent for every deal it went, and for the special kind, they would get a bonus
They didn''t even had to pay rent for 3 months when sh-t broke loose the first time, for those that were there that time and survived
It worked as an incentive to stay even if you have to risk your life a little.Besides, if you didn''t do it, you would get kick out and have to find a new place to live
And even if the mafia didn''t care enough to see who stayed and who didn''t, those living there did care, and would tell who run away since it was unfair for them to receive the same the reward than those who stayed
So almost no one leaves the place no matter what kind of deal was going on
It could be said it was the only option they had, so it was the right choice or, at least, it would be in any other case
Sadly, in a year from there, a new factory would be built there, since the land was cheap thanks to not having to pay for the demolition cost....