I came up with this story after reading Secret at St. Something. I love that book!
Roxas shifted his weight as he knocked on the apartment door, tightening his grip on his ripped up coat. The man who answered it paled at seeing the boy there. Roxas was here to collect payment for his step father, Xemnas, owner of the apartments.
The man pulled out his money and shakily handed it to the boy. "I'm fifty cents short." The man said, making Roxas pale. "Tell him I'll give him the fifty cents to him as fast as I can."
"Are you sure you don't have fifty cents any where else." Roxas protested, hoping the man did. But fate was cruel to both him and the man.
"I'm sorry boy. But I don't have it right now. You'll explain it to Xemnas, won't you?" Roxas nodded feebly and went on with his arraign. He went from door to door, collecting payment. Everyone had paid their amount, except for that one man.
What would Xemnas say or do to him? His step father wasn't a very nice man. Actually he was cruel. He beat on him and yells at him when his baby brother, Danny, starts to cry and won't stop. Oh how he wished his mother was still alive and here with him today.
It was the eighteen hundreds in London, England and Roxas has been living here all his 15 years of living. It used too be just his father and mother, until his father died when he was five. His father's friend, Xemnas, had then married Renoah and used to be nice and gentle to them.
But one night, when Xemnas came home from his favorite bar, The Whole Hog, he started to beat on him and his mother. And when Renoah had Danny, things got a little harder for them. Then one day his mother died of some kind of sickness, leaving Roxas to take care of his baby brother by himself.
Luckily, his mother taught him how to read and right and sent him to school. She also had taught him how to sew so Roxas could patch up any of Danny's clothes. But after his mother married Xemnas, he hasn't been able to go to school anymore, having to stay home and take care of his mother.
Roxas pulled out his watch, a present his father had given him, and sighed at what time it was. His step father is probably suspecting him right now. He slowly walked out of the building and started heading towards his step father's favorite bar.
Once there, he looked around the bar for Xemnas, looking at all the strange people around him. He found the silver haired man sitting and talking to a couple of guys he had never seen before. The one on Xemnas' left was tall and buff with black dreadlocks and violet eyes. The one on the right was just as tall, but a lot skinnier. He had an eye patch over hi left eye and had black hair with gray in it, tied back in a low pony tail.
Roxas slowly made his way over to his step-father's table, thinking of the things his step-father might do to him. He held out the money to him shakily, looking at the other two men. Xemnas swiped it out of the blonde's hand greedily.
But the man soon frowned. "It's fifty cents short." He stated blandly. He stood up and grabbed Roxas by the collar, dragging him to the back of the bar. He then threw Roxas into a hole in the wall and covered it up with his body. Roxas began to panic.
"Why is it fifty cents short, Roxas?" The man asked coldly. Roxas gulp and stared into golden eyes.
"Mr. Cringle said he didn't have enough money to pay the rent, but he'll repay as soon as he can." Roxas explained, trying not to shake. The man punched the wall beside Roxas' head.
"You're not lying to me, are you?" Roxas quickly shook his head and gulped. "I believe you, but you are going to go get that money and not come back until you have it, or else the Cringles and their brats will be living out in the cold this fall. Understood?" Roxas nodded, not looking directly at Xemnas.
Xemnas straightened and grabbed him by the collar again, dragging him back to the table. The two men sneered at Roxas and smirked. Xemnas sat back, looking back up to see Roxas still there.
"Well what are you ready for? Get going." Roxas was about to leave before a hand on his wrist stopped him.
"Hold on a sect Xemnas. You never told me you were living with someone. He's pretty cute." The skinny one said, hand still on the blonde's wrist. "I'm Xigbar and this is Xaldin. Who might you be?" Roxas hesitated, not trusting the two men before him.
"Well go on boy, tell them your name." Xemnas said, annoyed when Roxas didn't answer right away. Roxas shifted his weight and answered with a small,
"Roxas."
The two men boomed in laughter, letting go of the boy's wrist. "Roxas?! What kind of name is that?" The buff one howled. Roxas looked down at his feet angrily. "What? Gonna cry for your momma?"
"He wishes." Xemnas smirked. "The bitch's dead, leaving me with him and his thing he calls a brother." Roxas was really about to cry when he heard this. He ran out of the bar crying, followed by howls of laughter.
Roxas ran into the hotel and to his and his step-father's apartment. He ran into his tiny room and cried. How could Xemnas say that? He thought that his Step-father loved her. Guess he was wrong. And how was he supposed to find fifty cents before sun down?
Then he suddenly remembered something. His mother hid him three dollars in change before she died. He new, and only he, knew where it was. He stood up quickly and stood on top of a stool to reach inside a kitchen cabinet that Xemnas never uses.
He reached his hand to the top shelf and pulled down a box. He opened it and pulled out fifty cents and put the box back on the top shelf. He quickly put the fifty cents into his coat pocket and ran back to the bar. When he entered, Xemnas was surprised to see him back so soon.
He grabbed Roxas by the collar again and dragged him back to that hole again. "You got the money?" Xemnas asked coldly. Roxas nodded and pulled out the fifty cents. Xemnas swiped it and looked at him questioningly. "You weren't stealing from me, were you?"
"No sir. Mr. Cringle had found a way to earn some extra money for you." Roxas lied. Xemnas narrowed his eyes and let him go. The blond quickly left the bar and went to go get Danny from the nursery. He walked quickly to the house where his brother was staying at and entered.
He saw Danny in the corner, screaming his head off and crying. He quickly picked him up and left that hell hole of a nursery. Danny had quieted down some when they were out of the house and started to baby talk to Roxas, as if he could understand him.
Roxas smiled down at him and entered his home, taking off his jacket and getting Danny's bottle ready. Danny started to cry again just as Xemnas came home. He was really getting annoyed with the baby's crying. When the baby wouldn't shut up, he snapped.
"Would you shut up?!" He raised his hand about to hit the baby in the cradle. Roxas saw this and quickly went over to Danny's cradle, picking him up and quieting him down. But Xemnas swung down anyways, hitting Roxas in the back. "You better keep that baby quiet while I sleep. And you're not 15 anymore. You're 18 and will start working at the House tomorrow." Roxas paled and nodded, feeding the baby.
What just happened there? Xemnas tried to hit Danny and he's going to work at the House from now on? Roxas couldn't-wouldn't- stand for that. They had to leave. What would have happened if Roxas wasn't there to save Danny the next time? Would he have died? Be brutally hurt? No, they couldn't stay here any longer.
It was decided. Roxas would runaway and take Danny with him. But would happen after they left? Danny can't not have a home. He needed warmth and comfort, not be with him and be cold. But he couldn't stay here with Xemnas. Certainly not.
But if he left Danny on the steps of a church. Some one might want him and take him home. Then he could follow his brother's new family then ask if he could live with them, since Danny is his little brother. That might work. They will leave tonight and never come back.
Roxas heard snoring coming from his step-father's room and knew it would be safe to leave now. So he got everything ready and packed up Danny's clothes and things and packed up some food. But wait what if they only want Danny and not him? That would be fine with him as long as Danny is happy.
But what about himself? Surly his now two dollars and fifty cents would be used up by the end of the day. Then what? Surly he could become a shoe shiner and earn some cash. But know the first thing of shoe shining. And he most certainly didn't want work at the House and become a prostitute. Maybe he could learn as he goes along in life.
But then an idea came to him. He could steal something out of Xemnas' stash of things. He could then sell it at a pawn shop and earn some money. But what would that make him? A thief? But this was a matter between life and death here, so it didn't matter.
Quietly, Roxas opened Xemnas' door and entered. He saw the man fast asleep and looked behind the big mirror for the key for Xemnas' stash. He quickly unlocked the top drawer. He didn't even look to see what was inside. He just reached his hand in and pulled out a gold locket and a gold pin, obviously stolen.
He put the items in his pocket and got ready to go. He dressed Danny in his warmest clothes and bundled him up in a blanket. He put his own jacket back on and picked up the baby and the bag. He opened the door and exited his home, running down the stairs and to the entrance of the building.
He was finally free, both of them were. But when he opened the door, a cold biting breeze blew against his face. Maybe he was making a mistake. But then the image of Xemnas over Danny's crib, ready to hit him made him rethink the idea of turning back. He can't turn back now.
So he pulled Danny closer to him and headed out into the cold.
First chap! I probably won't be typing anymore until Monday. So read the next chapter on Monday.