X-Kid (Sequel to "Little Boy Named Train")

The "Ace" in the Hole

A/n: I feel like I should let you get to know Aiden aka Ace a little better, so this chappy's all about him ^.^

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Ace awoke bright and early the next morning. Early as in 5:00 A.M---the time when everyone was sleeping and the staff were cleaning the day's mess. He ran into the hallway and down the stairs into the lobby of the home. He approached a woman who was cleaning a table in the living room (which was placed to the left of the lobby).

"Miss?" he asked, tapping her shoulder. She stood up and turned around, her brown eyes meeting his.

"Oh! Aiden, right?" He nodded. "What do you need, hon?"

"I was wondering if I could help you clean and get a bit of an allowance each week?" She bit her lip.

"Oh I'm sorry, that's not my place to answer. You're going to have to ask Mistress Lenora." Ace's face quickly flashed shock.

Shit! Mistress Lenora? She's the creepiest motherfucker I've ever met. There's no way she'll say yes! There's also no way in Hell I'm talking to her!!

After his thought, an image of him at the Green Day concert with Train flashed in his head. The thought of seeing them made his heart skip a beat.

This could be my only chance to meet my heroes...I have to do this!!

"Yes ma'am, thank you." He walked away from her and down a hallway to the right of the desk in the lobby. He turned left to face a door with a plaque on it that read "Delilah Lenora: Mistress". The lack of light made the door more ominous when he first came here. Ace took a deep breath and let it out.

Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh my fuck oh my fuck oh my fuck...

 He knocked on the door. His heartbeat was the only thing he heard afterwards.

I've done it now...there's no going back....

********************

A young boy known as Aiden stood, a broken toy in his hand. Tears rolled down on his face as his father towered over him, glancing down at the broken toy for a second, then fixing his cold eyes on Aiden's.

"Another broken toy, huh?" his father growled in a low voice. Aiden nodded quickly.

"Please don't..." Aiden muttered.

"Do you know what that means, boy?" Aiden backed away slowly.

"I...I...don't do it..."

"It means you are a bad boy. It means you could hurt someone. That could be your little brother." His father yanked the broken toy out of his hands, throwing it on the ground and pulling Aiden down to face it with a deathgrip on his arm. "Do you see this? This could be Noah!! You could've done this to Noah!"

"Daddy, stop! You're hurting me!" he cried.

"BUT YOU COULD'VE HURT NOAH!! YOU'RE A BAD BOY, AIDEN!!! A VERY BAD BOY!! YOU DESERVE TO BE HURT!!"

"NO!! DADDY PLEASE!!" Aiden screamed and writhed away from his father's grip to no effect. He cried and tried to run. His father started dragging him to the bedroom. Aiden scratched at the walls and finally had an epiphany. He twisted a bit and scratched his dad's arm as hard as he could. His dad yelped and let go. Aiden bolted to his room and locked the door. He ignored the curses and shouts from his father and dug through his dresser until he found a small, round, zipper case. He unzipped it and pulled a CD out of the first page. He put it into his CD player and placed his headphones on him, turning up the player as loud as possible.

"Stranded...lost inside myself

My own worst friend

My own closest enemy

I'm Branded...maladjusted

Never trusted anyone

Let alone myself"

Aiden took deep breaths in and out, listening closely to the sound of the drums...the sound of the bass...the sound of the guitar...the sound of the vocals...He listened to them separately...he listened to them at the same time...he just listened...

"I must insist

On being a pessimist

I'm a loner in a catastrophic mind

Elected the rejected

I perfected the science of the idiot

No meaning...no healing

Self loathing freak and introverted deviot

I must insist

On being a pessimist

I'm a loner in a catastrophic mind"

"Aiiiiiideeeeennn!!" his mother called, obviously drunk. She giggled. "C'mon down here sweeeeeetieee!!" He knew she only liked doing the same thing his father did to him. He didn't budge.

"Stranded...lost inside myself

My own worst friend

My own closest enemy

Elected the rejected

I perfected the science of the idiot

I must insist

On being a pessimist

I'm a loner in a catastrophic mind

I'm gettin' pissed

I'm a worthless pessimist

I'm a loner in a claustrophobic mind"

*******************

A woman with brown hair held in a bun and glasses on the edge of her nose opened the door. She looked down at Ace.

"Oh, Aiden."

"Umm...Ma...Ma'am?"

"What is it?" She gave him a sweet smile.

Don't think of Mom, don't think of Mom, she's not like that, she won't hurt you....or will she? She looks identical...maybe they're the same person....GAH NO!! GET OVER IT AND ASK HER!!

"C-c-could I...maybe...help out around here....i-in the mornings...f-f-for an allowance?"

"Oh? And what would this be for?" She tilted her head to the side in curiousity.

"Well..." He took his index fingers and nervously pushed them against each other and twirled them around each other. "...You see...me and Train...we wanna see...a band...in Colorado Springs this Summer...Okay, not just any band...Our favorite band...and the one that saved my life...the one that kept me safe from my parents..."

"That's right, you were abused, poor thing. And this band...their music...it kept you safe?"

"Y-yes and--" She placed her finger over his mouth.

"Say no more. You can work. How's $10 a day sound?"

"$10 a day?!? You don't have to pay me that much!"

"I insist." She pat his head. "Now go to bed. You'll start tomorrow."

Ace grinned. "Thank you so much, Mistress Lenora!!"

She smiled. "My pleasure." He started to run back to his room. "Oh, and Aiden?" He stopped.

"Yes?"

"When you see this band...give them my thanks..." He smiled.

"I will....and call me Ace, if you'd like..." He ran down the hall and back up the stairs. He tiptoed into his room and climbed back into his bed. Mistress Lenora slid back into her office, closing the door behind her.

If it's so important to him...and if they are the ones who helped him find his way here...then I have to support him...I'm sure the other faculty members will give them full support as well.