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Step 4: Words
« Come on! » said the boy cheerfully as he lesd Anika through the mazes of the District's alleyway.« We have to make sure that we don’t get caught by the cops! »
For the first time in years, Anika felt an urge to speak her mind, to express in words how she felt, to say out loud that she was actually feeling something that resembles to comfort if it wasn’t comfort itself.
But she resisted the urge to do so because of fear of what her voice might sound like to this boy. After all, she hadn’t muttered a single word in three years. Who knows what awful sounds could possibly come out of her mouth? The sound of her voice could possibly chase this boy away as well as haunt her for a long time afterwards.
Eventually, the two of them stopped running and they were both in extreme need of catching their breaths. Stopping in an alley where barely any sun made it there, the two of them sat down. The young boy, sitting next to her, gave her another warm smile and reached for something in his jacket. He then took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.
« You want one? » he asked, taking out a cigarette from his half crushed pack and extending it to her.
Anika shook her head.
« Alright, your call, that just makes more of them for me! » he replied .
She had learned in school a few years ago that smoking was a bad thing, that It killed you slowly as well as the people that breathed your second hand smoke. Why would such a young person want to throw his life away so recklessly. But then again, this boy, like her, was a child of the streets and they really didn’t have much to live for.
Survival, as she had learned the hard way, was a much more difficult task then it seemed. But then again, all this hard work to survive was worth it in the long run. She knew that there was no way she would come back to living with the Hammonds. She would sooner die than to have to spend another day with them.
« My name’s Hugo by the way, Hugo Barrel ! « he said as he took a deep haul of his cigarette.
« Hugo… that’s a beautiful name… » answered Anika instictively. She then realised that she had just spoken. The first words she said in years, and they were there to compliment a guy she had just met and who had shot a creepy old man who tried to molest and hurt her…her voice didn’t sound as awful as she was afraid it would be after all. Not to her ears at least.
« Thanks! » he replied « So what’s yours? »
« Anika... Anika Jansen! » she said , feeling blood rush up to her head.
« You’re blushing, Anika! »
Anika looked away, feeling uncomfortable at living through such a situation. But she couldn’t help herself from giggling.
« Well, Anika is a beautiful name for a beautiful girl you know? » he said .
« Oh stop it! » she replied still giggling.
Hugo looked at her with his bright and understanding eyes as he took another drag off his cigarette before throwing it away in front of him.
« I’m serious! » he then replied with an innocent look « Anyway, how long have you been living on the streets Anika? »
« How did you know… »
« Oh come on, I grew up on the streets, I can spot any of us from miles away, and one way or another, you wouldn’t be stealing food from the supermarket if you still lived at your parents place… » he said pointing at the bottle of water and the pack of meat that stuck out of her jacket. « So where do you squat? And with whom? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with any of the other crews before, and every time I saw you before you were alone.»
Anika looked away.
« I…I squat alone, in an abandonned warehouse in sector 9… »
« Sector 9 ? That’s the Speed Demons’ turf ! If they see you there, you’re going to have a whole world of trouble! »
« But I’m not hurting anybody there… »
« I know you’re not, but you have to understand that the Speed Demons are jerks! They see themselves as the next big thing in the underworld of organized crime. They think they can scare off anybody because they get their merchandise from the big guys in the Syndicate. And they want to show that they’re bad asses and that they can intimidate anybody… I personally hate them and their junior squadron. My crew and me have squared off against the Junior Demons countless times… »
« Your crew? Why? What's the point of fighting amongst yourselves? »
« Well, the Demons want to take over Sector 16 and that’s pretty much where we all squat…They may eventually get our homes, but we won’t give up without a fight...Hey, if you want to move youtr things over to Sector 16, you’re welcome too…the crew and me will make sure the Demons don't harass you!»
Anika looked at Hugo for a moment and she felt the sincerety in his words...
« Thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to think about it… » she answered softly.
« Suit yourself… »
A heavy moment of silence came over them and both of them were obviously a little uncomfortable with it.
« So what are you doing tonight? » said the boy to break the silence.
« I…I’m not too sure… »
« Well, we’re having a party in Sector 16, and, well, you’re welcome to join us if you feel like it… It never hurts to meet new people you know… »
The first thing that came to Anika’s mind was that she would be hurt if she attached herself emotionally to anybody again. It was a fact to her that she was alone, and that anybody she ever cared about would be lost to her, leadingto her being hurt. Almost every single cell in her body told her to get out of here, run away from Hugo and return to her comfortable solitude. That was what logic told her, her heart told her to follow the handsome young boy that had brought her so much joy and comfort in so little time.
« I’m all for it ! » she replied smiling.
Hearing the sound of her voice muttering tose words, Anika knew that she was making a huge mistake.
But she simply didn’t care…
« Where is the Anika! » screamed Patrolman Song angrily at the Hammonds.
Ridley had wanted to give Anika a surprise visit at her new home, with the Hammonds, and he only found out that the young girl had run away and that these two irresponsible cretins that had adopted her hadn’t reported her in. Rupert Hammond was looking at Ridley with fearful eyes.
« If you don’t answer me now, I am going to lose my temper! Do you have a single idea how much that child has suffered? And your irrresponsabilty is going to make her suffer even more! »
Rupert looked at Diana, who backed off and lowered her eyes. The fact that these two didn’t answer him agered Song even more.
« Alright then, you two are under arrest! » said Song « I may be off duty, but i still have the authority to arrest you when you commit a crime, and I’m arresting you for not reporting a child that has run away… You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can… »
As Ridley cuffed the Hamonds in their own appartment and kept on reciting a speech he had repeated hundreds of times in his lifetime, his only thoughts were worried ones about the blonde child he knew was on the streets right now and without any doubt suffering…
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