Thieves

Dez's Chapter (chapter 2)

Scar stood outside the next day in the shopping bazaar. He had forbidden anyone to leave the house until they found a new home. Until then, it was up to him to provide the food for the family. A group of rich looking people passed by him. His hand snaked out and he easily grabbed a few dollars. It wasn't much but it was a start. It was only about nine in the morning. He had plenty of time. He planned to head off around noon to search for a new place.

A little hand tugged on his sleeve. He looked down to see a child that he didn't recognize. "Hey there. Did you lose your family?" he asked, bending down to look her in the eye.

The child nodded. "Yeah. I lost my mummy," she said, wiping at her eyes as tears started to form. She looked about three. That was the age he had found Dez.

Scar smiled. "Come on. Let's go find her," he said, holding out his hand. As the little girl took it he remembered the day that he had found Dez.

The weather had been similar except that time he had been looking for a bigger place to stay. It had started to get crowded in their house with Gray and Gloria living with him. At that time, they had lived in a small abandoned warehouse.

He had been looking for someone with money when he saw a little girl walking around, confused. He walked over to her and gave her a smile small smile. "Hey, munchkin. Are you lost?" he asked, bending down to her level. Scar had been fourteen and not exactly the most polite person.

The little girl looked up at him with wide eyes and shook her head. "I went out to find Daddy because Mummy wouldn't wake up," she said. Her brown eyes were full of confusion. "And I thought I should go off and find Daddy because I have never met him."

Scar looked at her for a moment and couldn't resist. This little girl was obviously an orphan too. He reached out a hand. "Come on. I don't know where your Mummy and Daddy are but let's take a look. If we can't find them you can come with me," he said gently.

Scar and the girl never found her family, not that he had expected they would. It sounded like her father had deserted the two or something and then the mom had died. He sighed, looking down at the little girl. He didn't have the heart to leave her in the bazaar or bring her to an orphanage. "Come on. I don't know where your Daddy is but it is getting late. You need to sleep," he said. By then, he had been carrying her for a while because her legs had started to hurt.

The little girl nodded slightly. She had been crying earlier, missing her parents, but she had stopped because she was exhausted. "Ok," she murmured quietly, already starting to drift off.

Scar took her back to the abandoned warehouse. He gently set her down on his bed before turning to the other two who had started talking the minute he walked in. He held up his hand. "Will you shut up and let me explain?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

Gloria and Nath looked kind of sheepish. "Sorry," the murmured in unison. They were quiet for a moment.

Scar sighed. "Good," he muttered, annoyed. He took a deep breath before explaining everything that had happened and what the little one had said about her family. He saw the look of sadness as he mentioned what she had been through already and she was only three.

They eventually agreed that they would keep her. She wouldn't remember much about her parents except for rare memories that stayed with a person their whole life. Then they had to decide on a name. That took longer. They eventually decided on Dez because of how much she had been deserted in life. Each one of them made a promise to make sure it didn't happen to her again and raise her as part of the family.

Scar shook his head, as if shaking away the memory for the moment. It didn't take him long to find this little girl's home. He smiled slightly at the parents as he returned the girl to them. He turned and walked off before they asked any questions. He didn't feel like lying again.

Scar spent about an hour more in the bazaar; pick pocketing what little he could. He wanted to be able to buy Gray something for his birthday, even if it was a small item. That day was coming up soon. Surviving to fourteen as a thief was impressive, especially without ever being caught.

He moved on a little after noon in search of a house or other abandoned building. It was time to move on. They had lived in one place long enough. The police had even paid them a visit. His eyes went to the sky for a moment, enjoying the sun before moving on. One didn't get much peace as a child pick pocket. They had to enjoy those chances every time they came along.

(Who joined the family next?)