The Hidden Boy of Alcatraz

0. Prelude: The Boy and the Reunion

After months of digging through concrete and stealing supplies to make a raft, four convicts placed dummy masks in their beds and on June 11th, 1962, broke "the Rock". Three of these convicts were never seen again. Alcatraz was known as the toughest prison in the United States and its most stunning escape attempt would become one of the most enduring mysteries of the twentieth century.

However, this all dwarfed in comparison to what was discovered in 1963, as the officers made a routine round in the infamous prison.

On March 1st, 1963, a young boy was found in the vent system of Alcatraz. All of the convicts, and the boy himself, claimed that he had been there for over eight years. Soon enough, that would be proven to be true and the boy would be reunited with his family after almost a decade apart. It wouldn't be for a few more years that anyone among law enforcement would even think to ask the boy what he knew about the most well-known escape attempt on Alcatraz.

By that time, it would have been five years since the boy had been anywhere near Alcatraz, or even the State of California.

The boy's name?

Ponyboy Curtis.

-x-x-x-x-x-

March 12th, 1963

Mr. and Mrs. Curtis - Darrel and Anne - smiled at their sons; two biological and six others that they considered theirs. They liked to have them all over, especially during the weekends, so that none of them were out and getting into trouble. All of them were too young to be out drinking - not that it stopped some of them - and fighting, but they knew better than to tell them that, or demand for them to stop. The only thing that they did was keep their door unlocked and make sure that they all knew they were welcome to come around at anytime, whether for dinner, or for a place to stay, or just a place to relax for a while.

Their eldest son, Darrel Curtis, was named after his father and usually only answered to the nickname he'd been given; Darry. He was practically an identical clone of his father, was six feet tall, broad-shouldered and muscular. His hair was dark brown and kicked out in the front, while having a slight cowlick at the back. His eyes were a pale blue-green. He was sixteen, though he could often pass for older if someone didn't know how old he was.

Their second son, Sodapop Curtis, was a very handsome boy. He wasn't as tall as his brother, especially considering that he was just thirteen-years-old, and was a little slimmer. He had long, silky and straight dark-gold hair that he always kept combed back and the summer sun bleached it to a shining wheat-gold. He had dark brown eyes, which were exactly like his father's eyes. He was an energetic boy and couldn't sit still for long, but he was always willing to listen to someone who wanted to talk and he could understand everybody. Or, at the very least, give them good advice.

Then, there were the boys that they considered their sons in all but blood.

Steve Randle was only a few months older than Sodapop. He was tall for his age, lean and had thick greasy hair that he always made sure to keep combed in complicated swirls. He was cocky, smart and had been Soda's best buddy since they were very young children. He had the potential to be the best mechanic in Tulsa once he finished school because, even at his current age, he knew cars like the back of his hand.

Two-Bit Matthews was the oldest of them, but younger than Darry. He was stocky in build and had long rusty-coloured sideburns that he was extremely proud of. He had grey eyes, never failed to have a grin on his face and couldn't stop making funny remarks to save his life. The fact that nothing seemed to shut him up was how he got his nickname: Two-Bit. No one bothered to call him by his real name, Keith, and hardly anyone even remembered that he had one.

Dallas Winston wasn't the usual kind of boy who Mr. and Mrs. Curtis allowed into their home. However, they'd known him since he was a young boy, before he moved to New York with his parents and when he moved back to Tulsa just a while back. His hair was so blonde that it almost looked white. He didn't like haircuts, so it fell over his forehead in wisps, kicked out in the back in tufts and curled behind his ears, as well as the nape of his neck. His eyes were an icy blue, which were cold with hatred. He had a rather bad reputation down at the police station. He had a rather large file and had been arrested a lot, but Mrs. Curtis was always there when he got out, just offering a warm bed and a homemade meal.

Johnny Cade was a few months younger than Sodapop, but a lot of people had often thought that he was younger. When Mrs. Curtis looked at him, she saw a small dark puppy who had been kicked too many times and could easily get lost in a crowd of strangers. He was small for his age, but had a good build. His eyes were big and black, on a dark tanned face. He had jet-black hair, which was heavily greased and combed to the side, but it was long enough to fall in shaggy bangs across his forehead. Mrs. Curtis' heart clenched when she thought about that nervous, suspicious look in his eyes that was ever-present. His father was always abusing him and his mother ignored him, except when she was hacked off. When that happened, the yelling could be heard streets away. If Johnny hadn't had a place to come to, he would've run away a long time ago.

Watching them now, Mrs. Curtis was smiling as they all played cards, with two of their friends; Tim and Curly Shepard.

Tim was a lean, cat-like teenager. He had curly black hair, smoldering dark eyes and a long scar that ran from his temple to his chin. Mrs. Curtis had never asked how he had gotten it, because she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Curly was a miniature Tim Shepard and was still trying to find out who he was, separate from his brother.

"Hey!" Curly yelled, seeing Soda hide a few cards up his sleeves as he dealt the cards. "No cheating, Soda!"

Watching the boys throw their cards down and demand new ones, Anne felt her smile fade slightly. Seeing them all having so much fun, made her remember her other child. The one she'd lost over eight years ago; Sodapop's younger twin brother, Ponyboy.

Ponyboy didn't look exactly like his twin brother, as he'd had red-brown hair and green eyes. While Soda had always wanted to run around and play football, Ponyboy had preferred sitting in the shade, either drawing or reading a book. Soda had always been a daddy's boy, but Ponyboy had been a mommy's boy and Anne mourned the loss of the one child that she had been extraordinarily close to - her youngest, her baby. She thought about him every day, always expecting to go into Soda's room and see Ponyboy in the other bed, but her wishes had always remained unfulfilled.

As Darrel moved in to be the peacemaker and deal the cards himself, so that there was no cheating, Anne's attention was drawn elsewhere. Outside the house, a police car pulled up and two uniformed officers got out, before walking up to the front door. Anne's heart began pounding in her chest. No one else had noticed the two officers and, ever since Ponyboy's disappearance, any cop had been bad news to her. Five times over the last eight years, the cops had come by saying that the body of a young boy had been found and, every time, she had broken down, sure that her son was dead.

It had never been him.

A knock on the door made the conversation in the front room halt. Through sheer will power alone, Anne got up and answered the door.

"Officers," she greeted, barely able to keep her voice steady. "How can I help you?"

She recognized the both of them. Officer Brady and Officer Williamson had both been rookies around the time of Ponyboy's disappearance. They were the only two officers in the entirety of the TPD who had never given up hope of finding Ponyboy alive.

Officer Brady smiled, slightly. "Mrs. Curtis, may we come in? We have some news."

Moving aside, Anne closed the door behind them. Darrel came up behind his wife and placed a hand on her shoulder, knowing instinctively that anything else would cause her to lose what little composure she had.

"Has something happened?" Darrel asked, silently sending a look to all of the boys, letting them know to stay quiet.

"Have you heard of Alcatraz, Mr. Curtis?" Officer Williamson asked.

Darrel nodded. "Yes, I have. It's the prison in San Francisco, right? Isn't it shutting down?"

Officer Brady nodded. "It is. However, about a week ago, one of the inmates alerted the officers to something that they hadn't known about. For the past eight years, a young boy has been living in the vents of the federal prison. Once the officers managed to get him out, he told them his name." He looked directly at Anne as he spoke. "It's Ponyboy. He's alive."

Without any warning, Anne's legs just gave out from beneath her and she began sobbing. Darrel just managed to catch her before she hit the floor and guided her to the couch. Putting an arm around his wife, Darrel looked at the two officers.

"Are you sure it's him?" Darrel asked.

Officer Williamson nodded. "His fingerprints and blood type have been matched to the last ones on record. He is definitely your son."

"I want to see him," Anne cried, looking at the two officers with tear filled eyes. "I want to see my baby."

Sodapop, who had been quiet until now, walked over to his parents. He sat down next to his mother and hugged her tightly, as she became mumbling that her baby had been found and that he was finally coming home. He didn't know what to think. He was in shock. His brother was alive?

Darry stood next to his father, thinking the same thoughts as Sodapop.

Officer Brady nodded. "The doctors at Tulsa General have been keeping an eye on him as we waited for the fingerprint and blood analysis' to come back. He's waiting there for you now."

Anne stood up on shaky legs but, as she spoke, her voice was determined. "Let's go."

-x-x-x-x-x-

As they walked over to an observation window in the hospital, Anne kept a firm grip on her husband's arm, as if it were a lifeline. Sodapop and Darry followed behind them.

"Shit, Darry," Soda whispered. "I have butterflies in my stomach."

Darry didn't say anything. His hands were pushed deep down into the pockets of his jeans, in order to keep them from shaking. What if the police were wrong? What if the results got mixed up? What if it wasn't him?

As they moved in front of the observation window, they all saw a young boy sitting in front of another window in the room, one that overlooked absolutely nothing. Only the moon as the stars showed in the window and, as she watched, Anne thought, The moon and the stars. He's looking at the moon and the stars.

The boy had their back to them, so they could only see his red-brown hair which was shaggy.

Steve moved up behind Sodapop and put a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder. Dally, Johnny, Two-Bit, Tim and Curly hung back a bit, feeling like they were intruding on a private moment. However, the Curtis' had wanted them to be there, so they came.

"Curtis family?"

A doctor approached them, holding a clipboard. It was the doctor that treated Soda and Darry whenever they came in.

"Yes," Anne replied, not looking away from the window. "How is he, Doctor Livingston?"

Doctor Livingston hesitated. "Anne, I'm -"

"Please!" Anne begged. "I need to know what's going on with my son."

Doctor Livingston sighed and turned to look through the observation window. "About forty percent of his body is covered in scar tissue and our x-rays show at least eighteen fractures that have never properly healed. He's malnourished and short for his age. He has a few tattoos that he obviously got whilst in the prison. The reason that the lights have been dimmed in the room is because his eyesight has been irreparably damaged. The lack of light in the vents has forced him to grow up in almost complete darkness and he has very little tolerance to any light above what he's got right now, without the aid of special sunglasses, which are currently being made for him. We've been giving him fluids and a special diet plan has been made for him, so that his body can get used to a proper eating schedule."

"Has he said anything?" Anne asked.

Doctor Livingston shook his head. "Very little. He says what we need to hear, but not much else. Anne ... I need you to prepare yourself; Ponyboy is very different from the five-year-old he used to be."

Anne couldn't wait any longer. Leaving her husband and two other sons behind her, she opened the door to the room and stepped in. As she walked inside a few steps, she faintly heard the door close behind her, but her entire being was focused on the son that she hadn't seen in years.

"Ponyboy?"

As the boy tensed, Anne remembered something her mother once told her, A child never forgets the sound of his mother's voice.

For a long second it was quiet and then the boy turned around, slowly. His red-brown hair hung into his green eyes and, as he stood up from the chair, his footsteps were completely silent. He moved almost like an animal caught in a trap - just like the more dangerous hoods and JDs in Tulsa - and he was small and lithe, just like some kind of big cat. However, it was the unmistakable resemblance to Sodapop that brought tears to her eyes and she had to cover her mouth with her hand, in order to try and prevent herself from making any noise.

His eyes scanned her up and down, almost like he was looking down into her very soul. She almost sobbed when she realized that he was scanning her for any hidden threats. What had happened to her baby boy?

When he finally spoke, she lost any and all composure that she had. "Mom?"

Breaking down, she brought her son into her embrace for the first time in over eight years and hugged him tightly, all the while, saying, "You're home."

Author's Note:- Hi! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please let me know what you think and review. I want to see if anyone actually likes this idea. The updates for this story won't be regular. The rating is currently T, but that might change later on in the story. I'll put a warning in, if that happens.

Disclaimer:- I do not own the Outsiders.