Have two options… I can bore you with the details of how Seras survived the river as a three year old and grew up by using a flashback or just let you amuse yourself with the imagination… I pick imagination… (eventually I will fill in the blanks) so while you amuse yourself with your own head I'm going to grab the fist object I can see and beat my head in. which from the direction I'm facing is either a sterio system and a jewelry box. I couldn't even last a week. I admit defeat and will try to keep up all chapters. Other people have heroine and I have stories. Mmmmm… stories… and strawberries.
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Heyes: The only thing that you have to earn in life is love. Everything else you can steal.
Kid: Heyes, I didn't know you were a poet.
Heyes: I'm not, I stole it.
It was Downing Street. Loud, full of activity and life. Everyone rushing about with a manic energy and noise like an overturned ant hive on top of a be hive. Cars whizzing past and people running across the street in a blatant j-walking fashion. Peaceful and hurried. Quaint and loud. Both paradoxes were good descriptions were it not for a usual event to occur this morning. Everyone who was not a tourist and frequented the area heard the commotion and by some miracle knew to make a path to get out of the way in time. Others were not so lucky and were knocked over by the fugitive. Angry curses and shouts were hurled after the fugitive in question by an angry cop.
If anyone thought this odd they certainly were not from around here. In fact this seemed to be a normal activity. Perfectly customary. A usual occurrence. No fuss necessary. Seen it before. Certainly nothing to sneeze at or even to turn your head to see in interest. For all the notice the regulars of Downing Street, London, England gave the occurrence they could have been hearing a car drive by or someone shouting out that they were selling newspapers. After all… It wasn't the first time that that enraged detective had ran down the street, huffing and puffing only to scream out
"GET BACK HERE YOU BLOODY LITTLE PAIN IN THE ARSE! I'M GOING TO CATCH YOU AND ALL YOUR BLEEDING LITTLE PICK POCKET FRIENDS AND I AM GOING TO THROW YOU ALL IN JAIL!"
Nor was it to be the last time the answer came back, breathless with exercise and laughter.
"THAT WILL BE THE DAY! YOU'VE BEEN CHASING THIS HERE PICK POCKET FOR YEARS!" Gales of youthful laughter floated in the air behind her as she turned the corner, apparently very familiar with the streets.
To the tourists they had seen convenience store thefts before but to see the spectacle before them was slightly astounding. Not only was the thief clearly outstripping the cop in what could only be an impressive foot chase but the absolute blissful expression seen from the thieves smile. The expression on her face was as if this was the most exciting thing she had done this morning. The thing that attracted most attention was the sound for it preceded any sight. The largest noise besides the angry cop's curses was an odd clang clink clang clink clang. It was the noise of a several metal objects in a ten pound burlap sack slung over the thieves shoulder.
Then came sight when a break in the crowd allowed for a glimpse of the thief. The hair color was invisible because of the black bloused newsboy hat on her head hid it rather well. The black long sleeved shirt she wore looked baggy and large, dirty and beat up slightly. It hid her frame but she seemed very slender and short. A pair of dark blue jeans she had was the only thing she wore that actually seemed to fit, but those had rips and patches all over them. The shoes she sported on her feet were a pair of tennis shoes that looked to be far too tight. If you looked closely though, her jean legs would ride up and you would see mismatched socks. Over her eyes were a pair of black sun glasses and a price tag was still on them bouncing up and down as she ran.
The cop was rather standard though in comparison to the runner. A man of his mid-twenties wearing a black blue uniform and the standard black helmet. About six feet in height and medium build. He had light brown hair that was short and curly. His baton and side arm along clipped to his belt with a walkie talkie on his shoulder. He ran as if a mad man were on his heels and there was an enraged expression on his face. His face was steadily growing red as he was reaching the limits of running he could achieve. His chest was moving rapidly and his breathing was ragged. The frustrated look on his face made him look as if he were going to start frothing at the mouth at any moment.
Tourists starred slack jawed while the residents of the city familiar with the young girl just continued on with their day uninterrupted and completely unfazed in the slightest. After all, that pick pocket girl only targeted tourists and she had been at it for twelve and one half years. The same hustle and bustle of the city. Politics driving elderly men on the streets to arguing in outrage over what they had read on the papers. Cars passing by honking with double deckar busts offering tours of London's. And the same seemingly incompetent cop chasing the same thief for the billionth time.
This was a day just like any other.
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She dared not look back. She had learned her lesson last time she had looked back. Last time she had looked back to see if that incompetent cop was chasing her and had run straight into the chest of another. It had teken a hell of a lot of running to shake him off. She put on a burst of speed. Breath… just breath. She turned the corner and ran into an alleyway and came to a fork. Without hesitating she made another turn until she made it out onto a another street. She was only a street and a half over. Not nearly far enough to be considered safe.
Systematically she worked her way through a familiar series of streets and backdoors of clubs until she was nearing the warehouse district. By the time she had arrived at the riverside warehouse her back felt terrible from all the times the bag had whacked it and her legs felt sore. She stopped to catch her breath. Almost there. she had spent an hour getting here and surely she wasn't being followed now. To drobbed the heavy bag of cans to the ground and they landed with a loud thud and a clang. Canned food was seriously heavy.
Nearly there. she took a few minutes and picked up the back again, this time trudging back slowly. She approached the massive warehouse and eyes the broken windows. The last storm had blown away the trash bags. They would have to climb up again and cover the openings. All the cold air would come in otherwise. She got to the door and shoved hard. She winced at the loud squeal. Everyone else just said that she just had better hearing because it wasn't very loud to them. To her it was like having someone scream next to your ears. Everything to her was louder than what everyone else experienced.
Nervously she looked around already imagining Verona's reaction when she heard what had happened. Verona was such a tightwad about the rules. Mona was much better though. Mona didn't yell at her when she broke them. Seeing no one she tip-toed through the door over the shelf where they stored the food. She grinned satisfied and took off the sunglasses. She lowered the bag and begun putting the cans on the shelf. Soup and beans to the right, fruit and water bottles to the left. She had just begun to put away the canned fruit when the worst happened. Click.
A bean of light hit her right in the eyes and she yelped covering them. Bright sparkles of light dazzled her and her eyes burned painfully. Her eyes had always been sensitive, as long as she could remember. Especially to light. "Oh my god! Verona you jerk! You blinded me! What the hell did you do that for? You know my eyes are sensitive!"
Verona's sour voice broke in. "It would have been well deserved if I had, but we both know your not so quit the bloody dramatics and tell me why I shouldn't kick your arse."
She turned around unsteadily with her palms pressed to her eyes tightly. She wasn't sure if she was facing her angry friend but she spoke anyway. "Willard needed the food."
She could practically hear her friend's last nerve snapping. Her Verona's voice came out like a hiss. "Willard can rot in hell for all I care! We have rules Seras! One of those rules is to never do more than pick pockets or if the situation presents itself you can steal from a store. You can't expect us to keep getting away with this if you keep antagonizing that cop and drawing attention! He's dead set on catching us. Especially you."
She couldn't help but smirk from behind her arms. "Oh come now Mom, you know he's just about the most inept copper we pickpockies have had the good fortune of having on the force. Remember the first time the moron saw me? When he handed me a wanted poster of you, with you right next to me and then walked away? Helen Keller had better eyesight and observation skills than this bumbling idiot."
She could hear her friend trying not to laugh and then she made a sort of coughing noise to stifle laughter. She tried to continue her stern mothering lecture but Seras grinned happily. Saved by the bell!
"Oh Verona. Quit being such a sour clout. Now we have food that can last all of us for weeks and we won't have to steal as much. Seras took a big risk for all of us. And quite pouting Seras. You know Verona was only worried about you."
Seras spun in the direction of her other friend and peeked out from behind her hands. She blinked owlishly trying to test if her eyes had recovered. To her relief it had. She lowered her hands and smiled before running forward. "Mona!" She enveloped her friend in a large hugged and laughed as she felt the girl stiffen like a board at the contact. She pulled back to tease her. 'Honestly Moo! You're as cozy as barb wire! I think Moms rubbing off!"
Her friend Mona flushed angrily. 'How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?"
She gave a playful face of mock seriousness. "Once more as always Moo." Her friend just grit her teeth in annoyance, still looking faintly embarrassed. Seras laughed and dodged the halfhearted punch her way. She ran to the mattress on the floor and fell onto it.
Once more Verona saw fit to play the mother. "How many times must I tell you not to do that with the mattress? It's the only good one we could find at the dump! It was practically brand new!" Seras wrinkled her nose. Brand new her arse. It smelled terrible. They were just lucky this bed hadn't come from some sort of whorehouse or they didn't wake up with lice or something. She gave a contrite look too her friend and Verona didn't look fooled in the slightest when she pushed out her bottom lip and made her blue eyes big.
She just huffed and went to the door. She looked even angrier. "Seras. You left the damn door OPEN! Do you want us to get stabbed during the night?"
This time Seras really was sorry. She looked down in real shame. How could she forget the door? That was the most important thing to remember. They were in a very bad area and no cops patrolled because it wasn't even a neighbor hood. No. it was an abandoned warehouse district that they had taken for their own. Everyone slept here. Everyone. Every woman and young girl. someone could be robbed killed or worse… "Sorry Verona." She mumbled/
She felt arms around her. She looked up surprised at the urgency. Verona was giving her a tight hug which she returned. She took this as 'I forgive you' She smiled. "Ever the mother mom."
Verona pulled back and looked pleading. "Seras please. Can't you just be happy with picking pockets from tourists? One of these days you're going to trip or twist you ankle or get sick again and then he will catch you. We won't have you around anymore. Besides, your too naïve for your own good. Too trusting. You've lived on the streets your whole life."
"So you DO care mom." She joked. Verona acted like a real hard ass but she was the queen of softy softness. It was Mona that was relaxed but was a real no touchy feeling sort of person. "All this time I thought you were going to turn me in for the reward money."
Verona groaned. "I still can't believe he's that dead set on catching you. He's paying out of his own salary you know. Even with the small mom and pop stores you've taken to robbing for canned food it's never that much. Your not a public menace. You're just a nuisance. Ten pounds to catch a measly pickpocket."
Seras laughed. "I know! Ten pounds! Clearly I shall have to annoy them more!" Mona laughed and Verona glared looking very concerned. "Relax mom. Ill be a good girl just for you."
They both looked as they usually did. Verona had her long red hair, perfect oval face and green flashing eyes. Her jeans were covered in patches but Seras felt envious that she had found shoes in her size on someone's front doorstep to dry in the sun. Mona had her short black hair and perfect mocha brown skin. Seras envied her because it was her month to use some of the money they had stolen to get her jeans and shirts and anything else she wanted. They were just two of her family. Her family felt like that book "Oliver twist" Verona talked about.
Verona looked at her eyes and saw that she meant it. She nodded looking happier and she ran to the oil drum where the wood and newspapers were lying on the ground. She didn't look back but just started adding sticks and newspapers while saying "Beans on toast tonight." Seras grimaced in distaste and Mona laughed knowing that she positively loathed beans on toast. Verona was doing this as punishment! She just knew it! She tried not to pout.
The food was finished cooking just as the sun started going down. Soon Jed, Stanton and Millie joined them before Ducky entered and he yelled at Mona for calling by his real name; Ronald. They locked the door and sat round the fire as the sun set enjoying the beans and toast. All Seras had to do was pretend that this was pizza. Pizza that looked and tasted an awful lot like beans on toast. She had food, clothing and her dysfunctional family of homeless or runaway teens.
What could possibly go wrong?
"Take the joy offered and try to leave the sorrow behind. Enjoy the sunlight while you can, for night comes…"
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Okay! Alucard enters the story next chapter. I know we already had a basis chapter but I really felt this chapter was important. You have to have a sort of normal chapter before shit starts going down. We can't have Seras mother getting killed and then all of the sudden Seras is seventeen and Alucard has a interest in her. Okay, I know it sounds weird and cliché. Homeless teens gathered together living it rough in an abandoned warehouse stealing for food? Well thers more too it. *weakly defends story*
I would like to thank everyone for all the support. Really. It means a lot.
Reizei Nausicaa: Jesus! No need to go nuclear on me! Thank you for the vote of confidence also.
: don't give yourself a stress ulcer there my friend. I give up on my 'only two stories at a time' rule. Ill be spreading my time amongst all the stories. There's no need to choose.
Nameless Fable: Calm down sparky. I'm updating all of my stories now. I recovered and no longer have a cold. I can read, write, twirl around my room.
-He will knock four times
