Chapter One:

"Have you seen this man?"
"No, I haven't."
"Have you seen this man?"
"Nope."
"How about you?"
"NO!"

Brooke kept grabbing people as they passed, asking them that same question. Her voice was growing sore from the endless hours she had been asking it, 'Have you seen this man?' She held a photo in her hand of a grinning man with crooked teeth. "Have you seen this man, miss?" she asked a passing woman with a fancy coat. She held up the picture and the woman shooed it away in disgust, walking off. Brooke sighed. 'How long have I been at this?' she thought. She looked at the picture of the man and said, "I will find you." She felt something wet on her hand and looked into the sky.

Rain was beginning to fall and Brooke had no shelter. People with umbrellas rushed by; too selfish to share with her. 'Assholes,' she thought, running into an alleyway. The rain dripped down onto her hair, wetting it. She walked through the dark area, looking for a place of shelter. She saw a large dumpster and sighed. Brooke walked to it, and she lifted one of the lids, resting it on the side, covering a large area and making it dry. She sat under it and shivered from the cold.

Meow!
"Huh?" Brooke murmured, turning to her side. A cat meowed at her, rubbing its black and white head on Brooke's side. "Hey there," Brooke said to it, putting her hand out for it. The cat sniffed her hand and licked it. A smile spread across Brooke's face. She rubbed its head and said, "You lost?" The cat purred at her and curled up around Brooke's dumpster shelter. It stared up at Brooke with blue eyes. "You're such a cute cat," Brooke murmured, rubbing its back.

Brooke felt the cat rub against her and she woke up. The shower was over. The cat purred, and Brooke put the lid of the dumpster back on. She walked back to the spot she had been, the cat following close to her feet. Brooke found her small bag and through it over her shoulders. The cat brushed against her legs and Brooke ran her hand over its back again, getting more purrs of pleasure. Her bag was a little damp but she knew the things in it were safe.

Brooke felt a slight shiver at the breeze and dug through her pocket, taking the photo out. She unfolded it and looked at the man. "I told you to stay home, stupid," she muttered. "But no! You had to go off after him. Such an ignorant little boy." Brooke let out a short gasp as a breeze picked the photo out of her fingers. "No!" The photo soared through the air and she ran after it below. "Come back!" she shouted, as if it were a puppy running away, not a lightweight picture soaring in the wind.

Brooke stopped walking and panted heavily from running so fast so far. "Excuse me?" said a voice close to her. "Huh?" Brooke looked up and saw her photo, held out to her by a man sucking on a drink. "Is this yours?" he asked, flickering the photo. "Yes, it is," Brooke answered, taking it slowly. "Thank you." The man sucked on his straw and nodded, turning away. He began to walk away.

"Wait!" Brooke shouted, running to him. He turned around and she said, "I forgot to…to ask you a question!" "What question?" the man asked, sucking on the straw. She held up the photo. "Sir, have you seen this man?" The man looked closely at the photo and Brooke already knew his answer was he had not.

Brooke smiled widely and felt her heart leap over the Great Wall of China when the man nodded, adding, "Yes I have seen him." "Oh my God! Really, you have?" Brooke said, overjoyed. "Yeah," he replied. "That's wonderful!" Brooke shouted. "Where? I need to know. 'Cause I do miss him so much." "Who is?" the man asked, sucking on his drink again. "Oh! He's my little brother, sir!" Brooke replied happily, smiling.

"Sir?" Brooke asked, as it seemed as if the man had stopped breathing at 'He's my little brother!' "Sir, are you okay?" she asked him. The man sucked on his drink nervously and said, "Yeah…" "So where did you see him? Was it in this town? Is he in this town?" Brooke asked, biting her lip. "Yeah it was in this town," the man added nervously. "I really gotta go-!" "Please, sir!" Brooke said, grabbing his arm. "I need to know! I have been looking for almost a month! If not for me, but his sisters," Brooke added, sadly. The man looked at her sad face and shook his head. "I gotta go!" he replied, and he left.

The cat jumped up on Brooke's leg but she did not notice. "Atleast I know he's in this town…But when was he seen! Damnit! I should've asked that!" Brooke muttered, almost tearing the photo in her fists. She unfolded it again and looked at it. "Meow," came the cat. "Meow!" Brooke looked down at it. "What is, boy?" she asked it. "Meow…" Brooke looked at towards the street the man had disappeared on.

"Maybe he went home…He must be at his house!"