Author's Note I was unsure about what rating I should use so I thought better safe than sorry.
This is my first try at a fanfiction and I'm really nervous about it but here we go
I know that similar stories already exist but I love them and I wanted to try to create my own
The first chapter will be a trial run and if someone actually likes it then I will continue
Title and summary may change in the future.
This work has not been proofread by a beta and English is not my first language so all mistakes are mine. _
CHAPTER 1
The autumn night was unusually cold and the thin jacket did nothing to protect him from the frigid wind.
His small legs were tired, his eyelids were heavy, and all he wished for was a warm bed to curl up in.
His heart ached knowing no warm bed was waiting for him, and no one to hug him or make him hot chocolate. There was only a dirty blanket and a hard matress waiting for him.
The small boy suddenly stopped as his blue eyes met kind brown ones across the street.
He didn't know if it was the urge to warm his fingers in the soft golden fur or the kind appearance of the dog's owner that made him cross the street and timidly meet them.
The dog emitted a bark before launching at him, causing him to take a step back in fear.
"Satchmo!"
The dog's owner reprimanded the dog before taking a good look at the shivering, small boy.
"He's not dangerous honey"
Her voice was soft and warm, it reminded him of his mother.
The boy carefully got his hand out of his pocket and buried it in the dog's soft fur.
The dog licked the boy's dirty face and the boy in question let out a soft giggle, all fear forgotten.
The woman crouched down in front of the boy, her blue eyes filled with concern.
"Isn't it a little late for you to be out, sweetie? Where's your parents?"
He was asked that question a lot, but people often asked because they felt like they had to, not because they actually cared. This woman seemed different though , she appeared to be genuinly concerned.
If he told her the truth he would be taken away, thrown into another home with another uncaring soul that only wanted money, he could not let that happen.
"My daddy's in that house over there"
He said pointing at a nearby house that still had it's lights on
"I went out without permission"
The lie slipped easily off his tongue, the young boy was already a skilled liar and the small smile that followed the lie seemed to convince the woman that he was telling the truth.
"Maybe I should walk you over there"
He quickly shook his head
"I'll be fine"
The boy placed a kiss on top of the dog's head before he left them, hurrying to the house before the woman could follow him.
He opened the heavy gate and walked up the stairs of the foreign house. The boy hid behind a wall, counting to one hundred before daring to peek.
The coast was clear, the woman and the dog was gone and he quickly escaped the garden and hurried along.
That night as he was sleeping in a corner in an abandoned warehouse he dreamed about the woman. She gave him hugs, she served him hot chocolate and she sang him to sleep in a soft, warm bed with the dog by his feet.
The woman was so much like his mother, the brown hair, blue eyes and the soft, loving voice.
He missed his mother so much but he knew that he could never see her again. She was with the angels now, just like everyone else he'd ever known, well except for his dad. His father had barely been around, he hated his son since his first breath and the small boy had only recevied harsh words and abuse from the man. He did not know what a father's love felt like.
His father had hurt him and then abandoned him like he was nothing. According to his father that was exactly what he was, nothing.
When the sun rose over New York the small boy was already on the move, sneaking around in central park like a lion on a prowl.
A business man sat down on a park bench, putting down a sandwich as he lifted his phone and started to type.
Quiet as a mouse the boy made his way over to the park bench and in a swift move he took the sandwich before he started to run as fast as his little legs could carry him.
Angry yells behind him urged him to continue and he didn't stop until they ceased and he found a bush he could hide behind.
The small hands unwrapped the sandwich and he started to eat it.
The sandwich was gone within seconds, the hungry little boy hadn't even slowed down to actually taste it.
The taste didn't really matter though, it was food and that was good enough for him.
Even though it was still early, the park was already filled with people and the boy decided to try to make some money. Money was after all necessary to survive.
Most of the people didn't even notice the small boy as he walked among them, so it was easy for him to go undetected. It was harder for him to try to grab the wallets though, some of the people walked way too fast for him.
The two he managed to get was an old woman's and a slow walker's, too busy with their phone to notice the little boy and his sticky fingers.
The small boy looked around and his eyes landed on his third target, it was almost too easy.
The short, balding man was reading the newspaper, wallet all too visible in his back pocket. His small hand reached out for it and eased it out of the pocket without the man noticing it.
A proud grin spread across his face as he opened the wallet, only to find that it was empty.
"You're good, kid"
The man turned around and looked down at the little thief.
He adjusted his glasses and smiled
"But you've got a lot to learn"
The boy's mind was screaming at him to run and never look back but his legs just wouldn't listen. There was something about the man that made him feel more interested than scared.
"How old are you anyway? Four?"
The man had the guts to believe that he was four years old, the boy scoffed
"I am six"
He answered with a confident voice.
"Aren't you a little too young to be out here alone? And pickpocketing on top of that?"
"My dad is just over there"
He said, pointing in the direction of some men standing in a queue for a newspaper stand.
"Listen kid, you're quick with the lies but you can't fool me"
Who was this strange man who seemed to be able to read the boy like an open book?
"Please don't tell anyone, I can't go back into the system"
The boy pleaded, figuring it was pointless to try to conjure up another lie.
The man studied the tiny, dirty boy and he felt for the child because he knew what it was like to be an orphan, to be an unwanted little child.
"I won't tell anyone"
He promised causing the boy to release a breath he didn't know he was holding
"Thank you mister"
"You can call me Mozzie"
The man held out his hand for a polite greeting and the small hand grabbed it and shook it
"I'm Neal"
The boy said and he already knew that this stranger named Mozzie would become his friend.