Rotting garbage, stinky gutters and smoke was all Colby ever knew. After being abandoned by his unknown mother, he learnt to fend for himself on the streets of Waterbroke. The large industrial city was a hub of commerce and as such, it was rife with wealthy business people, and crime, of course.
At first, he was taken care of by a kind old lady who was also stranded on the streets. They made regular rounds each day, barely gathering enough to keep their bellies mildly satiated. At least, that was until she succumbed to her fatal illness.
He woke up one morning to be greeted by her cold corpse. He was held in her protective embrace, protected from the fierce, cold winds of the dark night. She died keeping him safe and warm...
He was just four at that time, barely old enough to make out what was going on. He mourned for her death, but was secretly glad she passed on in her sleep. Maybe it was a painless death. He would never know.
Unable to purchase a space to bury her, he and some other homeless people ended up burying her in the outskirts of the city. That night, Colby stood before her grave, his heart frozen solid, as solid as the ice beneath his feet. In the darkness of night, he swore he would do all it took to survive, even if it meant loosing his way...
....
Time passed quickly, and five years flew by. In order to survive, Colby learnt the art of pickpocketing. In the bustling streets of Waterbroke, no one would be able to escape such a fate.
Over time, he built up on his skills, becoming an expert pickpocket. His quick movement, his expressionless face that gave nothing away. No one would suspect the child who looked ready to keel over at any moment to have stolen their wallet or purse.
Of course, Colby wasn't selfish or greedy enough to use it all up by himself. There were other people who needed it just as much as himself, maybe even more.
That night, when Colby got back to the run down abandoned building where the group of homeless people he stayed with lived, he was greeted by the younger children among them.
"Colby!" The children surrounded him, all cheering at his return. He grinned back at them before holding up a hand to keep them at a distance.
"Guess what? I brought back food!" He raised his other hand which held a large leather bag that was bulging with various foodstuffs.
"Yeah!!!" The skinny children all cheered, snatching the bag from him to go ahead and show the adults of their group. Colby followed behind them, smiling widely at their behaviors. Although they always tried to keep smiling no matter what, it was still hard to maintain a smile when your stomach was chewing on itself from the inside out.
Colby walked up to the gathering of people and sat down in a space left for him by the adults. As soon as he sat down, a little girl ran over to him and hugged him.
"Thanks, big brother." She smiled before running back to her little circle of children.
Food was shared around and soon, everyone had enough to keep them going through the night and until the next meal came around. After having his own meal, Colby got up and went over to where the leader of the group was seated. Although no one voted him in as the leader or anything, it was an agreed fact that he possessed the best qualities to lead them. Over the years, he had led them around the large industrial city, helping them cope with the various changing times.
Colby had noticed the man shooting him a glance earlier while he was eating and assumed that he needed to say something to him.
"Sit." The hooded man said when Colby got close enough. Colby did as he said, sitting down cross-legged before him. The man brought down his hood when Colby sat, revealing his face. He could only see through one eye, the other one having been slashed shut sometime earlier before Colby had met him.
"You should be more careful, Colby. You might get caught someday." The man chided, his aged face showing some concern as he spoke.
Colby sighed and rubbed his head, taking on a very mature air that didn't match his childish stature. "You know I can't do that, Audu. If I don't go out as often as I do, then the kids will starve. I just can't watch as that happens." He shook his head sadly. He knew that he was getting the district heated as the number of pickpocketing incidents scaled upwards, but whenever he saw the hungry faces of the kids, he couldn't help but have pity on them and go out to steal again. It wasn't a clean lifestyle, but it ensured they stayed alive.
Audu sighed and shook his head. He felt the weight of his age weighing him down. "At least be careful. If everything goes according to plan, then all the kids, including you, will be put into a good orphanage. I know it's not the best, but at least your meals will be guaranteed, and you'll have a proper home to live in." He smiled sadly.
"What about all of you old folks? What's going to happen to you guys?" Colby leaned forward, interested in the idea of having a proper home, proper meals and a good bed. At least, it would be better than sleeping on the hard floor, no matter how bad it was.
"We will be alright. We'll be taken to a shelter that specifically takes care of old people like us while the others who aren't old enough or too young will be given some menial jobs and an adequate home to live in." Audu nodded as he went over everything, pulling on his grey beard slightly.
"That's... Great!" Colby threw up his hands in excitement.
"Shh. Keep it down, I want to make it a surprise. After all, you can't let someone down if they don't know you were trying to lift them up." He threw a wink at Colby. Colby blinked, unsure of what Audu meant. Although he tried to act mature, he was still a child at heart.
"Anyway, go ahead and get some sleep. I'll be heading out early tomorrow; if you can wake up on time, you can tag along."
"Alright." Colby nodded before standing up and walking over to the pile of blankets and pillows where people slept. The younger children were already gathered there, snoring with their limbs stretched out.
"Colby?" A small voice called out to Colby. He turned around to meet the owner of the voice with a smile.
"Yes, Athena?"
"Can I sleep with you tonight? I don't wanna sleep alone." The four year old looked up at him with wide eyes.
"Sure, come over here." He patted the space beside him and watched as she crawled over to him. He enveloped her with his arms, hugging her to his chest as she slowly fell asleep.
Of everyone in this their group, Colby was much closer to Athena. Just like him, the person who had taken care of her when she was a baby had passed, leaving her to fend for herself in the harsh world. Luckily, they had managed to get to her before she starved to death. She had been with them ever since.
With a smile on his face, Colby drifted into a deep sleep.
...
By the time he woke up the next morning, Audu had already gone out for the day. The old man left him a message not to get into trouble and to mind where he went to.
'Humph! What does he know? I know this district like the back of my hand!' Colby snorted and sneered mentally. He hated being looked down upon by people. He had been doing just fine on his own before joining this group and so he knew what to watch out for on the streets.
After doing his best to freshen up a bit, Colby bid the kids goodbye and left the abandoned warehouse where they were settled in.
He made his way through the busy streets, keeping an eye out for someone who was unassuming enough to let their guard down. With the recent upscale in pickpocketing, most people on the streets were much more aware of their surroundings and so it would be much harder to catch them unaware.
From the corner of his eyes, he caught the glint of an old fashioned pocket watch that caught the glare of the sunlight. Fixing his eyes on a random person, he stumbled along, following the flow of the bustling crowd while inching his way to his target. He bumped into the man, stumbling slightly before muttering an insincere apology and walking off slowly in order not to draw any unwanted attention.
He ducked into the first alleyway he saw, hiding behind a large dumpster while his heart thumped widely in his chest. He raised up the wallet he managed to snag, watching it with wide eyes and a slack jaw. The wallet was packed full of cash, thick and bulky in his tiny hands.
He snagged a big haul! This would be enough to let everyone eat to their heart's content for the rest of the week!
"Not so fast there, kiddo." A low gruff voice rumbled from the entrance of the alley. Colby's heart wrenched in his chest and his eyes widened.
Had someone noticed what he did? Or was someone intending to mug him as well?
"You can come out from behind the dumpster now. I don't have too much time to waste." The voice sounded impatient.
Colby held on to his hopes that the person was just bluffing and would go away after a while, but reality was against him. Footsteps sounded from behind him and soon came to a stop beside the dumpster. He reluctantly raised his head up, coming face to face with a sour looking face.
With a face framed by a smoothly shaved dark beard, dark eyes to match, and a look of annoyance on his face, the person resembled the personification of 'annoyed'.
"I don't have time for games, but I gotta say, you've got some guts." The man spoke as he stepped before Colby.
Colby shivered before the imposing figure before him when he realized he recognized the inividual. It was the same person he just stole from!
"To be able to steal from me... Haha! I never thought I would see the ay! What d'you say kid, wanna work for me?"
.....
That night when Colby got home, he still hadn't gotten over the shock. After the man had proposed a job opportunity to him, he had refused. The man hadn't given up and had instead given Colby a written address where Colby could reach him and a sum of money. Colby could hardly believe that he was currently in possession of a thousand dollars.
"Hey Colby!" A voice shook him out of his stupor. "You okay, kid? You've been standing there for a while now."
"Huh? I'm fine, I'm fine. Colby waved off the curious young man. Although he had gotten quite the sum of money, he didn't plan on exposing any of it yet. He had to think of what to do first before anything else.
He made his way over to the pile of blankets where everyone slept, making up an excuse of being tired and wanting to sleep after a day of fruitless labor. Audu only just looked at him with s suspicious look, but didn't say anything else.
After finding some peace and quiet, Colby finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
Several hours later, Colby woke up to the bright light of the sun shining in his eyes through a hole in the ceiling of the abandoned warehouse. He groaned groggily before opening his eyes. After a good night's rest, his mind felt refreshed and he had finally come to a decision on what to do about the man's offer from the day before.
He would accept the job!