4 Leaf Clover - ᴹˣᴹˣᴹˣᴹ

5.

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Clover couldn't even calculate what he was looking at. He was astounded by the sight in front of him and they really expected him to stay there?

He refused - the aroma floating towards him from the shelter was enough to make Voldemort heave. The smell was something pungent and rotten, a combination of waste, pee and death. The sight wasn't much better, people were compressed together, living on the floor. Beds of wasting away blankets were coating concrete and mud, buckets for waste. People were disputing, small families trying to rest, and a mess of bodies.

"I'm not staying here," Clover argued as he turned to Officer Manna.

The Officer was examining the spectacle of bodies alongside Clover, even his own countenance was grimacing at the sight. Manna was astonished that the station in which he worked would even recommend a place like this - it was apparent it was used to store homeless people but the conditions it was in were basically unliveable, just how were the higher-ups getting away with this?

"Yes, I think that's fair but where else would you go?" He questioned the boy beside him.

Clover shrugged and turned away from the shelter, "Anywhere but there,"

Officer Manna was exasperated, even for a homeless person, Clover had a lot of fight in him. He witnessed how the boy refused to give up, refused to go home because of the negligence and refused to settle for a wretched shelter. Clover was filled with something those other homeless people didn't have - hope maybe, or perhaps Clover had something worth living for. Manna had seen the horrific effects of living on the streets, many who become strays turn to narcotics. At that point, they're unsalable.

"Clover, I just want to help but there is nowhere you can go," Manna replied, pursuing Clover who was in 'temporary custody' for his protection.

"Just give me a tent, my backpack and my money..." Clover trailed off, thinking about work, his overdue shift and the money in his locker, and the tent he no longer had.

"You have money?" Officer Manna asked, finding himself intrigued.

"Yes, will you come with me to collect it from my job?" Clover asked, not wanting to run away from the Officer who had promised him help and protection.

"And where do you work?" Officer Manna requested, tugging out the notebook he called his best friend.

"I don't know the name, it's on 2nd Avenue," Clover notified him, watching Manna's fingers write in appealing cursive.

"Lead the way," Manna spoke, gently pushing Clover forward so he could guide the way and Manna could keep an eye on him.

The both of them wandered rather unhurriedly down avenues, across roads and past groups of individuals. The day was peaceful, but Clover found it unsettling, especially after the incident of being cheated off the streets to be sold. He wondered if it had become significant news and if anyone strolling on these streets understood what occurred to the homeless. Clover chose to concentrate on the signs he passed to discover the proper street, and he managed to look back a few times to make sure he wasn't unattended.

"Here it is," Clover expressed as he arrived at the little corner shop which sold only the necessities alongside one ice-cream freezer.

Clover walked in first, one of his co-workers serving someone at the till. He walked to the back of the shop, the heavy boots of Officer Manna behind him. Clover forced open the door to the backroom, usually where his manager would sit doing the business side of the job. Clover's manager was sitting at a small, chipped desk with a laptop and folders beside him.