Project Powers

Chapter Three

It seemed like forever as we followed Miles through the maze-like city of New York. He walked fast and with confidence as Avery and I struggled to keep up. People stared at the three of us as if we were fugitives, glares and strange looks followed us as we kept up the pace.

"It's at the edge of the city, safe from any eyes that wander." Miles said coolly, glancing back at us. I kept my guard up, never trusting strangers for safety purposes, however this Miles guy seemed alright. 

"What is it?" Avery asked, carrying Iris who refused to walk. Miles grinned, "You'll see." 

Finally after about twenty more minutes of walking, the tourists began lessening, as did traffic. We cut down side streets and quickened our pace until finally Miles stopped in front of a large warehouse. Windows were broken in many places and graffiti was scrawled over the walls. The building towered high and looked like it was about to collapse. 

"Welcome to paradise." Miles said, a large grin on his face as he dramatically pointed. I sighed, inwardly impressed, but not about to show it. Avery bounced up and down, making squealing noises.

"It's PERFECT!" She cried, lifting Iris and swinging her about. Miles smirked and bowed, "My pleasure. Now, let me show you the inside!" 

A tad bit excited, I followed Miles towards the double front doors, made from metal. He knocked loudly and waited. A few seconds passed before the door opened and a scrawny little boy poked his head out. He had bright red hair and freckles dotted across his face. He was a bit younger then me and had dark brown eyes with several small cuts scattered across his face.

"Hey Aaron, I brought some guests." Miles said, stepping back to show us. The red-headed boy looked us over before a smile formed, "Welcome to Paradise!" 

I leaned over and whispered to Avery, "Do these guys actually call this place 'Paradise'?" She giggled and shrugged. Aaron opened the door wider, "Come on in, anyone's welcome."

Miles ushered us in and we walked into the warehouse. The smell of homeless hit me hard and I breathed through my mouth, looking around. There was no electricity, due to the bills, however many candles were lit and gave the place a dim look. People were spread out, seated at small tables, talking and laughing. Some were in corners, a blanket over their shoulders, staring at the ground in thought. Others sat in small circles, enjoying each other's company.

"This here is usually where the new visitors go, to meet new friends. One of my personal favirote places to hang out." Miles said, smiling as his eyes scanned the room. Aaron scampered up to us, smiling brightly, "Hi! I'm Aaron Brooks! What's up?"

Miles gave an annoyed sigh, "Aaron, go hang out with some other people, it's my turn to do the tour." Aaron frowned, "But... they have a cat!" 

Avery grinned as she held up Iris, "This is Iris! Jace got her for me." 

"Well she sort of followed me home..." I mumbled, looking between Miles and Aaron. 

Aaron raised his ginger eyebrows, "Woah, that's so cool! Is he like your brother or something?"

"Yeah, she's my sister. We ran away from home about a year ago." I muttered.

"Cool!" Cried Aaron. "I didn't run away, my mom and dad drove me to this park and then left me there. I was all alone until Miles found me. Him and I are like tight. We got a history together."

Miles rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, your welcome. Now go and find your friends." 

Aaron gave Miles a pleading look, "But-but..."

Miles breathed through his nose, "Dang it... fine. But just try not to talk too much." 

Aaron's eyes lit up, "YAY! YAY! YAY!" 

Miles grabbed my hand and a burst of emotion flashed inside me as he dragged me towards the stairs. Avery and Aaron followed, excitedly talking about cats.

"I'll try to find you two a place to stay, but it's usually full." Miles said, rushing me up the stairs. I tried pacing myself, but he was going to fast and I fell on the steps, banging my chin hard on the metal step. Miles let go of my hand, shock on his face, "Aw geez, sorry dude. I get excited and... sorry."

He helped me up and I rubbed the bruise on my chin, "It's fine, it's fine..." 

Avery ran up to me, "You okay Jace?" 

"Yeah, I'm good." I mumbled and we continued up the stairs. My legs began throbbing as we reached the top, shoving open the double doors. We stumbled onto the roof, blinking in the sunlight. Miles kept grinning as he walked out and put his hand on his hips. 

"What do you think?" He asked proudly. I looked around, finding a tent made from a stained sheet over a few bags and a sleeping bag. A small fireplace sat in the center, a metal grate over it, some hot dogs being cooked. 

"Dang, this is one nice place." I said in amazement. The view was spectacular, all of New York City spread out before us. People milled about below, cars crawling in the heavy traffic. It was peaceful up here.

"The downstairs is so crowded, I uh, claimed this place for myself." Miles said, looking at me. I gave a grin, "This is pretty awesome."

Avery danced in the sunlight with Iris, Aaron clapping along to imaginary music. It was nice to see Avery so lively and not cuddled up on some cardboard in an alley.

"So, do you want to stay here?" Miles asked, searching my eyes for any hint of an answer. I looked at Avery, twirling in the light with Aaron laughing along with her. A small smile of emotion spread across my face as I nodded, "Yeah. Thanks Miles."

Miles nodded smugly, "No problem Jace. So. We got the names down, what else should we learn about each other?"

I shrugged, taking a seat on the roof, "There's not really much to learn about us. Our mother was... angry. Very angry. She hated us so much that... well, we ran away. We are from Ohio."

Miles widened his eyes, sitting across from me, "Ohio? Holy crap... how the hell did you get to the Big Apple?"

"We took a bus here, well, several buses." I explained. "We had stolen a lot of money from my mom. Now we're broke."

Miles listened quietly, waiting for me to continue. I took a breath, "At first I had no idea what to do. We kind of explored a bit, sleeping where ever we could find. No one ever questioned us. It took about a year to get into the swing of things, and yet we still starve on a daily basis. I once got food poisoning because we ate out of a dumpster and the food was spoiled. I still dumpster dive, but more carefully. But yeah... what about you?"

Miles sighed, "Eh, ain't much of a story if you ask me... My mom got pregnant with me when she was nineteen, fooling around with some boys. The guy who uh... well... was the 'dad' didn't want anything to do with a baby, so he left my mom. She did fine with me, raised me in a happy neighborhood, had tons of friends... then one day..." He trailed off, his eyebrows furrowing. 

"Hey man, it's okay, if it's too personal-" I comforted, but he interrupted, "No, no, it's fine. My mom died from Lupus. A disease that kills a lot of woman and that no one really knows about... they took me to Child Care and tried finding me a foster family. But they couldn't find anyone. I was alone and scared. So I left. I left and became homeless. At age thirteen. Then I found the warehouse and they accepted me. That's pretty much my backstory."

"I am so sorry." I said, the only thing I knew to say to someone who lost a loved one. His eyes had watered up, but he rubbed at them, turning away, "A-anyway, feel free to f-find a room downstairs."

I nodded, "Okay, we will. Thank you Miles." 

Avery walked over, a big smile on her face, "Jace! Aaron taught me a bad word! He calls it the 'S' word." 

I sighed, "Avery, don't ever let me catch you saying that word. It's very bad."

Aaron walked up to us, giggling madly, "Yeah, don't ever say it Avery!"

Avery gave a smile, "Stupid!"

They both burst out laughing, and I pulled Avery along gently, "Alright, let's go find a room."

And with that, we descended into the warehouse, my mind on Miles.