Just a Job | DISCONTINUED |

Chapter One

Wilbur Soot, everybody knows him. He's the best P.I. in the city, you want someone found? Something solved? Hire him. His services come with a price though, and it certainly isn't cheap. Wilbur doesn't make exceptions for pricing, even when his father, Phil, asked for him to find someone, he made him pay. What can he say? No exceptions.

Ding ding!

Wilbur looked up from his desk, hearing the tell-tale jingle of the door opening. No one was there... huh. He looked up and darted his eyes around. "Excuse me mister..." A young boy, no older than six it may seem, looked up at the desk. He was barely tall enough to see over it, just his floppy blonde curls and brilliant blue eyes peaked over.

What was a boy doing here? He looked messed up too, a ratty torn up red and white T-shirt with ripped pants. The child had dirt all over him, and Wilbur stood up, walking around the desk to crouch down to the boy's height. "What's up kid?"

"Uh.. I know- I know this probably won't be enough but I can get more I swear! It's just that... my big brother hasn't come back in a few days. He never does this, I promise! He's the only one I have left sir. Can you help me find him? I hear everyone on the streets say you're the best in the city." The kid opens his fist to reveal some coins, which he likely found on the street, and some buttons. He placed them in Wilbur's hand and looked up at him with big, sad eyes.

Wilbur's breath hitched. This kid was so much like him, minus the hair and eyes of course. Wilbur remembered when his parents left him, he was the same age as the boy in his office now. He was alone, on the streets for almost a year before Phil saw him and took him home. There was no way he was going to turn down this kid. He smiled softly and handed the change and stuff back to the boy.

"Of course, I'll help you kid. What's your name?"

"It's Tom."

Wilbur smiled and ruffled the boy's hair, standing up. "Okay Tom, I'm Wilbur. Do you want to stay here or go home while I start to look for him?"

Tom asked to stay and of course Wilbur agreed. He grabbed a chair for Tom and sat it next to his own. Tom seemed so happy that Wilbur agreed to help. Wilbur couldn't help but wonder why the kid's appearance was so ratty. Was Tom truly like Wilbur when he was younger?

Wilbur opened his laptop, turning to the boy. "Is there anything you can tell me about your brother that can help me find him?"

"Yeah, his name Matthew, but I call him Matty," he began telling Wilbur everything he could think of that would be important. From the way he looks, to his friends, and his job. All this information was actually helping Wilbur search the internet for Tom's brother. "Simons is our last name by the way, I think that will help. Right?" Wilbur nodded and continued looking online.

A few hours later Wilbur had gathered at least some information to start looking around. Tom had fallen asleep in his chair an hour ago, so Wilbur set his own coat on top of the child as a blanket. It worked well enough seeing that as soon as the coat was on top of Tom, he seemed more relaxed. Wilbur smiled, but he didn't know what to do.

Tom had said that his brother Matthew was the only one he had left. If that's true, there was no way he was going to let a six-year-old go home alone until his brother was found. Wilbur put his laptop in his bag and put it around his shoulder. He took his coat from Tom and picked him up, careful not to wake the kid. He was unusually light for a six-year-old. To be fair, living on the streets doesn't make getting food very easy, even for a child. Well, might as well take him home. Tom won't mind, will he?

Shutting off the lights in his office, Wilbur left and locked the door. His car was right out front, so he set the kid in the back seat. He buckled Tom in and hopped in the driver's side of the car. Starting the car up, he turned the music off so Tom wouldn't wake up. His house was a good twenty minutes away from the office, so he got going. Phil's gonna have a field day if he sees Wilbur walk in the house with a kid in his arms.