The rain was pouring in downtown Akuma.
It seemed that the sun never shined anymore, at least not on Spencer Skeller.
People were rushing home under their umbrellas.
Some had children no bigger than him, and some were just couples.
Some were alone, and some were just a man and his canine friend.
But he had no umbrella.
He had no children, or a significant other.
He didn't have a furry companion.
He was alone.
He didn't used to be, though.
Five hours ago, he was under a warm roof.
He had a grand staircase, and large intricate framed photographs were hung onto the wall.
He had a Nanny to tend to him, while his parents were away (Which was quite often, nowadays.) and had a personal chef in the kitchen to keep him full and bloated.
But it seemed like it wasn't enough.
Inside that seemingly perfect house, was an imperfect family.
The photos seemed to slant with every thump to the floor.
His father's hand would have a certain string to it, while his mother's cheek was a bright hot red.
He could only watch from the stairs.
Every night seemed like there was tape stuck to the "repeat" button on a stereo.
Shouts would bounce off the walls, creep up the stairs and grabs his ears and tug.
He wouldn't let himself cry. He had to be strong for his mother and sister while his father was away.
Inside, Spencer was terrified.
But enough became enough.
The young child had packed his bags, and grabbed his favorite teddy bear, walking out of the manor on the rich green hills.
It was 11 o'clock at night. He had managed to sneak out while his parents were fighting.
It's not like they noticed him anyways. It's not like they would truly care.
Would they?
Akuma's streetlights were blaring at him through the pouring rain.
Asking him where he was going, singling him out for questioning.
But he had no answers.
There was no where to go, but home.
But home was Hell. And Hell was not where he belonged, under any circumstances.
Across the street, dingy neon lights were flickering. "The Pawnshop".
He ran into the back alleys, hoping to find any blankets or food the pawnshop might have thrown out.
But instead, there was a box.
An arrow was pointing down on the side, with the common phrase "THIS WAY UP".
It was soggy and wet from wear and tear of the rain, the weak cardboard about to fall apart.
It was moving, oddly enough. But the rain would've easily fooled his eyesight.
"H-Hello..?"
A head with brunette hair popped it's way out of the sopping wet cardboard box, ears resembling that of a dog sticking straight up from her head.
Fear surged through his small body, clutching his bear tight to his chest.
"W-Who are you?" His voice seemed small and unimportant in the rain, drowning him out.
He didn't know what this thing was. Or why it was in a box.
Her ears went down in fear, clutching the side of the box.
"I'm Haley.."
Her big brown eyes blinked, seeming to study if he was an enemy or not.
Spencer could only stare at the human-like creature, before forcing the words out of his mouth.
"I'm Spencer.."
Her eyes softened, moving over a little.
"Come on, we can share my box."
Was it safe to share with her? Was she even safe to be around?
Was it even truly safe to have left home?
By now, the sandwich he had carried in his hand was dripping, the tomato in the puddle beneath him.
He sighed, tossing it into the trash before flopping over into the soggy box.
She was shaking with the cold. It was the last week of December, and the rain made it all the colder.
He wondered how long she had been here.
Wondered how long she's been alone.
She coughed, a brutal noise racking her thin rib cage with pain.
His light orange eyes saddened, handing his wet teddy bear to her.
"Here.. You need him more than I do.."
A spark of happiness filled her eyes for a moment as she hesitantly took the bear, pulling it to her chest and never daring to let go.
"T.. Thank you.."
Spencer didn't know what to expect from here.
He didn't know if he'd starve. Freeze to death.
Or maybe, just maybe get out here a little bit more alive than he was five hours ago.
With no fear, and only hope.
But wishful thinking never got him anywhere, and fear was alive.
Hope was squandered.
And it seemed like a far off dream to ever have a peaceful life, with people who truly loved him.
The backdoor to the pawn shop suddenly swung open as Spencer's heart jumped.
He could hear Haley's heart began thumping, her breathing becoming shaky and heavy.
"It's bedtime, Haley. And you know what bedtime means."
A tall lanky figure stood in the doorway.
He had sandy red, greasy hair, and his eyes were a cold, soulless blue.
His teeth were perfect and his clothes clearly said "I make more money now than you ever will in your whole life."
This man gracefully walked over to the box as Haley sunk into it.
"N-No!"
He ignored her pleas as he threw her frail body over his shoulder, picking Spencer up by the collar of his shirt.
More cries and pleas were heard, I didn't know what to do.
What was "bedtime"? What did it mean?
Questions clung to the crevices and crooks in my skull, refusing to leave.
Haley obviously knew what it was, the man's hands sliding up her shirt.
He remembered something in school, clearly.
No one should EVER touch your privates unless they were a doctor, your parents, or later, much later, a significant other.
But this man was an adult!
Didn't he know better like Spencer did?
Courage got the best of me, as he yelled "Stop!"
Haley's cries growing more frantic as the young boy was ignored.
The pawnbroker tore off the rags she called pants, removing the dirty underwear from her body.
He yelled "STOP!" once more, fear coursing through his veins like heroin.
The man looked at him, anger present in his lifeless eyes.
They ate him up inside, Spencer backing up, unsure what to do.
The man stood, dragging Spencer to him.
"I won't hurt Haley, unless I can have you."
Unless I can have you.
The poor boy had never been so frightened.
Even after years of listening to his parents argue.
Haley shook her head, her body convulsing violently with fear.
"S-Spencer, no! You don't have to!"
Who was the better sacrifice? Him, or that of the small girl who seemed to want to take the beating?
Spencer closed his eyes tightly, his lips trembling as three words escaped from the back of his throat.
"I'll do it."
The young girl's eyes widened as she watched the man tear at Spencer's clothes.
He didn't cry out, or scream for help. All he did was shake, as the pawnbroker unzipped his pants and pulled out something similar to what he saw his dad use in the bathroom.
A bottle of a clear greasy liquid was poured onto his hand, coating the odd fleshy thing.
His bare legs was grabbed by the ankles, his lower body losing complete control.
He was forced onto his head and upper back, a ripping pain scorching his body.
He finally cried out in agony at the sharp tearing, tears welling up in the corner of his eyes and flowing down his cheeks.
No moment was wasted as the pawnbroker began pounding into the small boy, Spencer's yelps and cries drowning out Haley's heavy and frequent sobs.
He wouldn't stop going faster, or harder. He was too small to go any deeper it seemed, but he always found a way to go past that.
The top of Spencer's face became red, the blood rushing to his head.
Why did this hurt so much? Why did he fell small wet trickles flow down his back.
The pawnbroker picked up speed more and more, hot white juices overflowing Spencer's small cavern and down his back and the floor.
He had stopped, and reluctantly, he pulled out.
What had he just done?
Spencer curled up in the fetal position, the burning deep behind him and the soreness in his joints were left as a reminder.
He fell asleep to Haley's cries.
The sky seemed grayer than it ever had before, when he woke up.
He was back in the box with his now torn and dirty clothes.
Haley was by his side, clutching the bear with all her strength.
Morning was not morning anymore.
He couldn't slide down the staircase and have hot buttery pancakes and apple juice.
All he had was a sharp pain in my lower back, and sticking stains in between his legs.
It was apparent, what had happened.
But his mind couldn't process it quickly enough.
Haley's cough became worse.
I needed to get her to somewhere warm, and safe.
But all he could think of was the orphanage, hospital, or home.
Home seemed like the better choice.
To get away from the monster in the building behind him.
"Haley, I'm taking you back home with me."
She looked at me in question, her eyes saddening.
"They won't want me.."
"Sure they will! They'll love you."
Was that a lie? Or not? He didn't know.
He stood up weakly, grabbing her hand.
"Come on, we can go, now!"
He ran off eagerly, ready to go home to a bed.
The trip to the bloody city was not a long trip.
It was only a few paths, twists and turns away.
But even then, his exhausted body needed rests.
They took frequent stops, and just at 3'o clock, they arrived.
Snow layered a plaque on the door as he shook it away with a broken tree branch.
We do not welcome back our son.
He has abandoned us, therefore we banish him from our humble home.
- Signed, Scott Skeller.
His father had pushed him from his own family.
Haley seemed to know what this meant, she looked at Spencer with a look that read:
"Where do we go now?"
To be honest, Spencer didn't know.
He wouldn't take Haley to an orphanage, and certainly not the hospital.
That was selfish, if anything. But he would not go there.
There was only one place to go.
Situating themselves back into the box, they both sighed.
Haley's cough bantered inside her rib cage, the hollow noise ringing in Spencer's ears.
The cough was more frequent than it had been in days.
She was getting worse, and that scared Spencer.
What if she had died out here? Then it would be his fault.
He'd be a murderer.
The pawn shop door swung open, Spencer and Haley's heart burst.
"Haley, I'm bothered."
Hate sparked in Spencer's heart even more.
That was breaking a promise.
Seiyu dragged Haley out of the box and onto the ground, ripping her rags off.
His chest felt like it was on fire.
The warmth spread, he felt like vomiting.
Tingling in his brain and mouth began to hurt, his body convulsing.
Haley's cries were becoming louder, the word "stop" becoming a trend.
His eyes rolled to whites as he threw himself onto all fours, white pour breaking through every pore on his skin and covering his body.
He became long, and thin, his rib cage apparent under the white silky fur.
His teeth sharpened, a vile taste in his mouth stuck to his tongue.
A roar erupted from his throat, and for the first time, something familiar was in Seiyu's eyes.
Cold, hard, FEAR.
He stood up, stumbling and shaking to the pawn shop door.
Another roar beat on Seiyu's ear drums as he fiddled with the doorknob, slamming and locking the door behind him.
He turned to look at Haley, a small spark of fear in her eyes.
Was she looking at him like that?
He looked down at one of the puddles, seeing something that resembled a werewolf.
His once orange eyes were now a dark red, black slits in the middle of them.
What was looking at him? Wait, that WAS him.
He backed up against the dirty brick wall and slid down, the small girl across from him walking over to him. The monster in him.
"I wouldn't get too close, Haley.."
She didn't seemed to care as she sat down, taking his large furry arm in her own, like her teddy bear.
There was no more fear in her eyes.
Only gratefulness.
Courage poured into his veins once more.
"We're getting out of here. For good."
He was something Seiyu feared now.
He put Haley on his back, running through the back alleys of downtown Akuma.
They would be out of danger, and no longer be alone.
Haley was his reason, now.
God had given him a true reason to leave his home on the steep hills.
He would take care of her, promise to never leave her.
He would keep her safe, and out of harm's way, now.
The monster in him chuckled, closing his red eyes as the harsh wind swept through his fur.
When he came back..
He would rip Seiyu's head off.