The Orphan Network

Chapter One

The city was louder than I expected it to be. I guess I had gotten used to the relative quiet of the suburbs in between beatings from my step-father. My mother always looked away from the abuse if she wasn't already away, at work or hanging out with her girlfriends. The sun was starting to set and my stomach hurt from not eating. After taking a bus into the city, I spent what was left of my money on a sandwich two days ago. Ever since then, I have wandered aimlessly, in a constant state of overwhelm from anxiety caused by a blended barrage of fresh sights, scents, and sounds.

As the temperature began to drop I tugged my favorite hoodie tighter around my thin frame. It was one of the few things I possessed from my previous life, the one I hadn't actually planned to leave behind. You see, after yet another senseless beating, I left the house to get some fresh air and cool off. I had wanted to fight back against Dave, but knew he would overpower me every time. I simply never returned as my feet walked themselves to the bus station and the rest is history. I'm here now and that's all that matters. I made my bed and now I have to lie in it. Speaking of beds, my first few nights in the city were without them. I slept on park benches with one eye open and prayed to my higher power for protection.

My luck changed as I walked down a well worn street lined with parked cars in a less than desirable section of the city. I didn't know how I got there but I was eventually glad that I did. Initially, when I noticed a group of kids about my age loitering in front of a house that looked as though it needed to be condemned, my intuition told me to cross to the other side of the street. Despite their laughter, I didn't know who they were or what they were doing there. Instead of switching sides, I did my best to avoid eye contact by looking down at my feet as I walked briskly by.

"Hey, what's the rush?" asked a male voice. My heart stopped, my face flushed red, and I couldn't breathe. Was he talking to me? I looked up from my attempt at anonymity to the tall and slender guy with long jet black hair framing his friendly face. "You aren't from around here, are you?" asked the male voice again. This stopped me dead in my tracks. "Leave him alone, Ellis" said the red headed female with tattoos snaking down her arms. "No... I'm not" I stammered, my eyes darting between the two strangers. "What's your name?" asked Ellis. "Danny" I replied, not sure why I was sharing information with these two people I didn't know.

"Come hangout with us for a bit. Ashley looks like she bites but she doesn't really." said Ellis, looking mischievously between Ashley and me. "I do when I need to" said Ashley, maintaining a cool distance between herself and the situation. "Okay, I guess" I said, unsure of my decision to follow the two ruffians inside. "Welcome to The Squat" said Ellis, making a grand gesture with his arms stretched wide away from his body."It's a bit of a dump but it's our dump" he added, a hint of self deprecation going a long way. I quickly scanned the room which was decorated with presumably thrifted furniture and next-to-the-dumpster finds. Sitting on a cat scratched recliner of a throne sat a small boy who appeared to be fifteen at the oldest. His bleach blonde hair contrasting against his tanned skin made quite the statement. "Oskar this is Danny. Danny this is Oskar." said Ellis. We nodded at each other but words weren't exchanged.

A couple of pizza boxes on the dining room table caught my attention and I couldn't help but stare at them longingly as my stomach growled. "You must be hungry. When was the last time you ate?" Ellis asked. Before letting me respond he added, "We have a microwave and soda in the refrigerator." Without saying a word, I plopped a couple of pieces of pizza on a paper plate and followed Ellis into the adjacent kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and asked "Would you like a soda or we have water also?" I mumbled "Water would be great, thank you." as I started the microwave. "Look" Ellis said, his voice softening a little, "If you need a place to stay for awhile you can stay here with us. We were all in your position at one point. Believe it or not."