Chapter Two-

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What the fuck? Hold on a thecond there." He spun around, trying to get a view of what- or rather, who, was on his back. The only thing he could see were the small hands gripping the knife and the small legs that were wrapped around his torso. The knife pressed deeper into his throat, sending a sudden bout of nausea at the thought of blood. "Okay, okay." He thrust a hand into his jeans pocket. "Oh thyit, I gave thothe exthtra four dollarth to the nithe lady at McDonald'th." There was a moment of dead silence. "Do you want my McDonald'th inthtead? There'th a toy inthide too."

"McDonald's?" the girl asked cautiously.

"What, have you never had McDonald'th?" Richmond asked skeptically. "Are you crathy?" He handed her the bag. "Here, have it." When she didn't move, he sighed. "Come on, I ain't gonna hurt you. Promith. There're two cheethburgerth." When she still didn't budge, he thought of an idea.

He began to spin around, the wind whooshing past him. He let out a laugh, spinning faster and faster until he felt like he wasn't spinning at all. The little girl on his back let out a shriek in his ear- which quickly turned into a mad giggle. The giggle turned into a cackle, and it interwove with the sounds of Richmond's own laughter. Finally, when he felt like he was going to vomit, he slowed down, stumbling across the dark alleyway. His head was reeling and his stomach twisting, but he knew he had succeeded when he heard the girl still snickering. The sharp edge previously pressing against his skin was gone as well.

"You're crazy," she muttered. "Crazy, crazy bald guy." In a flash, the knife was at his throat once again. "And I still want your money." Richmond sighed.

"I thwear, I don't have any left. You can check."

"Face the wall with your hands up," she commanded. He obliged. A moment later he felt the body slide down a foot before the weight lifted and she jumped to the ground. He felt a small hand rifle through his jacket pocket and all four of his pant pockets. The only thing she could find was a small candy.

"You can have that if you want," Richmond murmured. "They're really thour though." He heard the rustle of the wrapper as she unwrapped the sweet and popped it into her mouth. He waited in anticipation. Suddenly, she let out a little yelp. Richmond kept his face pressed to the wall, but he could easily hear her hopping about, trying to quell the bitter taste assaulting her young taste buds. After a minute, the girl couldn't stand it anymore and spit it out. The candy clattered across the pavement, echoing loudly.

"Yucky," she whimpered.

"I told you tho!" he laughed. "I imported thpethially." He bit his lip, holding in laughter. When he finally was able to control himself, he waited a moment before speaking. "Can I go now?"

"Yeah, I guess so," she sighed defeatedly. Richmond turned around.

He was surprised to find how young she was- she couldn't have been older than eight. Her long black hair was tied up with a broken rubber hand, and she was awfully thin. Hunger had hollowed out her high cheekbones. Her dark eyes surveyed him. He could see the spark of intelligence in them. She wore a dirty looking pair of jeans and small boots, along with a tattered looking black sweater. The sweater hanged around her skinny figure, at least two sizes too large.

"Where'th your mommy?" he asked quietly. She looked up at him with her big, sad eyes, shaking her head.

"Bye bye," she called, before sprinting away, the McDonald's clutched in her fist. Richmond stood, watching her dart deeper into the alley.

That night, when he finally arrived home, he had a hard time sleeping. After tossing and turning for hours on end, he eventually gave up. Lying on his back, he thought about his encounter with the girl- how underfed she was, how quickly and easily she had snuck up on him, how comfortable with the knife she had been… And most of all, if she was lonely. The look she had given him when asked about her mother sent chills up his spine. It reminded him of how he felt all those years ago… long before he graduated university. Apparently the girl's mother was gone, dead maybe. Did she have a father? Sisters or brothers? Friends? Richmond shook his head, trying to clear the sound of her laughter in his ear as he spun her around.

An hour later, at seven a.m., he threw the covers off his bed and got dressed. He told his chauffeur to drive him to the McDonald's, where he bought a Happy Meal. Grasping it, he told his driver to wait for him. A while later, he arrived at the alleyway where he had first met the girl, only just realizing he had memorized the location.

Placing the food on the ground beside him, Richmond Valentine slid to the cold pavement, and waited.

Sorry if Valentine's lisp is annoying. XD

Theoretically, this story is going to start from where it is now and go right about up to the events pre-Eggsy. Like, B.E. (before Eggsy).

Thanks for reading! Criticism, ideas, and/or advice are always appreciated. :)

-happynomnom