Glassy Sky - Larry Stylinson

Chapter 2 - Strange Thing

"You'll never guess what I found today." Louis said to the five people around him. They were all gathered under the shelter, surrounded by a brick wall and two trains as they ate the food left behind from the marketplace. "I found another one like us." He bit on his apple as the eyes turned to him.

"What do you mean 'like us'?" Erin asked, exhaling the smoke from his cigarette pipe.

"I mean a steampunk."

Liam shook his head, "You can't have seen a steampunk." He argued, "We're the only ones in this area."

Louis put his apple down and shook his own head, "I did see one. He lives in the place above the coffee house, near the barber shop. He's got tinted eye-glasses, brass jewellery, the lot."

"Did you talk to him?!" Hanji asked, intrigued by the new information. "What was he like? Talk in detail, this is very interesting for my human studies." She took out a notebook and pen, eyes darting back to Louis as she scribbled something down.

Louis smiled, "Well, I was just mooching around when I bumped into him. He was wearing a black cloak that covered him so I couldn't see his face, or anything else actually. He was hiding something under the cloak so I assumed it must have been valuable. Therefore, I chatted him up an-"

"I bet you said 'oh, darling I do looove you'" Liam said mockingly. Everyone else laughed at how ridiculous Louis' flirting technique was, but they stopped when their Leader glared back.

"He bought it." Louis said, "And I ended up in his room. I was about to do the business with him but I accidentally turned my back and the cube thing was gone. Poof, vanished."

"My, my.. what a stupid little man.."

"So anyway, he took his cloak off and he's one of us." Louis said, sitting up straighter, "I think he's a libertarian, because he had the rose and sat like a prostitute, but he denied it. Anyway, he's coming over tomorrow."

"He is?!" Hanji shouted. He shouted so loud that his glasses slipped down his nose. "Bring him here! I need to study him in great detail. Just imagine, another steampunk here in the middle of London, it gets my heart tingling with science, yes it does!" The ambiguous scientist grabbed onto Louis' scarf and pulled him closer "Let me have him, please let me have him!" He screamed

"He's mine." Louis said, folding his arms. Hanji looked at him and rose her eyebrows, letting go of Louis. Louis looked back and a smile crept on his face. "You can borrow him but I get the goods." He brushed his fingers together to imply he wanted every bit of luxury that Hanji would steal if she put her hands on the man.

"Furthermore, the guy might have nothing." Louis said, leaning back on his palms, "He is from the lower class like us, even if he does have somewhere to live. All that I know is that he has things to hide, and if it's hidden, it's most certainly nothing but expensive." He looked from his friends' eyes to the fire crackling between them, "Therefore, when he's here tomorrow, I want you to watch over him. He's hiding something, and I want it. That is my only order."

***

Nights outside were cold and draughty underground, despite the trains that sheltered them either side. The straw on the ground and warm hammocks provided some heat, but that wasn't enough if they wanted to survive the approaching winter. Many beggars and lower-class people perished every year due to the cold weathers. Once you're on the street, you're alone and everything becomes a challenge.

Louis thought about this for a while as he looked up at the stars. He lay on the railway track, body fitting between the wooden planks as if he was meant to be there. The stars above him were faint, but he could see them clearly when the lamps dimmed because of the wind. He hummed to himself, tossing a stone between both hands while twitching his feet to the song in his head.