A Guide to Finding Fathers (A One Direction FanFiction)

Chapter 10

I pulled my hood up and strode over to the circle of men in the corner of the alley.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. It's Tiger Thompson," The tallest sneered and I glared back at him. "What does the little alley cat want now?"

"I could have you out cold on the floor in two seconds, Snake. Don't get too cocky now. Or don't you remember what happened last time?" I jeered back. He narrowed his eyes and I bared my teeth slightly. "I want information. I'm trying to find some sad old drunken guy who might have happened to wander past here. And I want eyes. To see if he happens to come past here later."

"Oh, really now. And what's this guy to you, kitten? What do we get out of this deal?"

"You get my protection for two months."

One of the guys that I didn't recognise started to laugh hysterically and some others that I didn't know joined him. The rest of the gang stared at them in horro except Snake. I cocked my head at him.

"Haven't you learnt to control your men yet, Snake? Should I do it for you?" I asked, dangerously sweetly and Snake clenched his fists. The man who had laughed first started laughing even harder.

"Dude, she's ten, are you seriously going to let her mess around with you like that?"

I stepped forward to face him and the men who knew me stepped back. I glared up at him and the laughter died down.

"I'm twelve," I said, and sliced downwards, flicking out with the blade up my sleeve. He cried out and the new recruits flinched and stared at me with shock and horror while my old accquaintances stepped back to let me face Snake again.

"Eyes and Information, Snake. Eyes and information."

* * * * *

The next gang I encountered was the urchin gang, which meant a much easier meeting. I was honourarily one of them and so a couple of coins were enough to convince them to help the cause. One of them, Taylor, told me she had seen someone matching the description last night on Corben Road but no one had any more recent news. I left them with the same request for them to stay on the lookout and moved on.

The only other violence I had to employ was in Marco's gang on the red corner. There was a ... problem with the translation and a couple of his goons jumped me. Federico managed to slash open the back of my arm, but I knocked him out and gave Stefano a nasty cut on his thigh that he won't forget in a hurry. Eventually, however, I managed to get information that he'd tried to start a drunken fight with Stefano and promptly fainted, at which point they'd spirited him away to the gang's main house. I glared at the five men, ignoring the one on the floor, and Marco stammered that he'd bring me to Liam.

"I'm sorry for fight, it's just you haven't been around in so long: my men forget how dangerous you are," he tried to explain in his lilting accent, but I stared straight ahead and told him in a cold, hard voice that they better not forget again. He hurried to assure me that they wouldn't, and showed me into the room Liam was siting in with his head on his knees and his back against the wall. He looked up at me and snorted something about how I should go die, and Marco looked down at me in terror.

"You not slice him up like pepperoni? Even when he say that."

"I want to, but unfortunately he is very dear to someone who is very dear to me."

"I can't believe you're scared of a pathetic kid," Liam muttered darkly from the corner and Marco looked like he wanted to shoot him, but he looked at my and shrank back down. I nodded and grabbed Liam, telling him to get a move on or it wouldn't just be Marco who was scared of me.

One of the other urchins was outside and I told him to tell Sam that I'd found Liam, and if possible to get word to the other gangs as well. He nodded and scurried off, and I dragged Liam off to the town centre. The others were already there and I checked the clock over the church. Three o'clock exactly. Then Phoebe spotted me and the whole troupe of grown adults cheered and raced across to swarm us. Most of them fussed around Liam and so I managed to slip out of the crush, meeting the other Theo on the outside.

"Why is your arm sliced open?" He asked, his voice somehow carrying across the clamour from the adults and causing an immediate hush. I glared at him and he took a step back, just as Eleanor swooped down on my, grabbing my arm and exclaiming about how deep it was and how I had blood all over my clothes and how I must be dying to have lost that much blood. I tried to reassure her by saying it wasn't all my blood, but that only caused her to look even more horror-struck and I winced as she went a funny white colour.

"Theodora Thompson, what have you been doing?" She demanded. I winced at my full first name, but allowed it. She had a right to be anxious and demanding. I muttered something under my breathe and she told me to speak up, but before I could, Taylor dashed up, panting.

"We found out Marco's gang has him. Eddie saw them with a guy this morning dragging him into . . ." she trailed off as I stepped to the side and waved my arm at Liam. "Oh."

"Have you not seen Peter yet? I told him to tell you guys and the others when I found him."

"Peter's down. He tried to talk to Snake's guys and they knocked him out."

"Is he stupid. He should have told them he had a message from me. I'll go and see Snake later and sort this-"

"Oh no you won't, young lady! You are not going to see anyone who's called Snake and knocks people out! That is far too dangerous!"

"Miss, don't you know who this is?" Taylor began, oblivious to the frantic signs I was trying to send her from behind Elenor's back. "She's Tiger Thompson, the most dangerous kid in Oakland. Snake wouldn't stand a chance against her. Last time they fought he lost two of his fingers."

Eleanor fainted.

Word Count: 1120

For the amazing Nessienoodle159 for being so patient

And for Pix for kicking my butt and telling me to get a move on :D