The books took the intently focused boy about two hours to complete. He hadn't moved or stopped working once, and once he had finished he looked up at Maggie expectantly.
"Jeez, Luke. You work faster than I do. You can take a break, I don't actually have that much for you do. You don't have to be around the store for more than a few hours, really, it's not that busy."
He glanced at his hands before responding. "Is it alright if I hang out here? I'll be quiet, I just don't have anywhere else to be."
She was looking at him strangely, but she nodded. "Hey, if you're going to be here, would you mind running across the street and getting snacks?" She reached into a drawer and sifted through the contents for several moments before pulling out a five-dollar bill. "There's a café. Just get me a medium lemonade, and whatever you want for yourself."
Carefully, he reached up and room the money from her outstretched fingers. He stood clumsily, his legs numb from sitting for so long, walked over to the heavy door and pulled it open.
The sunlight was blinding, although the cool air felt good after the warmth of the store. Squinting, he adjusted to the noise of outside. As soon as there were no cars he ran across the street and into the small café. The smell of pastries and coffee immediately hit him, and he breathed in deeply. It wasn't a familiar scent, but it still managed to be comforting. Walking up to the glass counter, he stared at all the choices before him. Most of the little cakes and breads were not familiar to him, and he had almost no idea what his own food preferences were. Eventually he choice a round bun topped with creamy icing, ordered the lemonade, and walked out clutching his purchases. Back on the sidewalk, he stopped. He nibbled on his snack as he gazed around him. He had seen the street already, and his eyes slid to the sky, staring at the towering buildings of the main city a ways off. He was admiring the stone and metal of the skyline when one building in particular caught his gaze. It wasn't at all menacing, but something about sleek curving of the side and the cold blue lights around the top sent a shiver down the boy's spine.
He returned to the bookstore. Handing Maggie her drink, he tried to be casual. "Do you know the name of that weird tower in the city? The tall one, with the blue words."
"Stark tower? 'Course I know it. How do you not?"
He shrugged and slumped against the wall. Stark Tower… Why does that name sound familiar? The sound of the name was filling him with a horrible, twitchy feeling, so he distracted himself by continuing to work on his snack. It worked, as it was the most delicious thing he could ever remember tasting.
Neither person said much for the rest of the day. The dark haired little boy spent most of the remaining time huddled in a corner with a book he had found, and startling customers when they noticed him. Maggie stayed at her desk, occasionally throwing glances in his direction or asking him to do a quick job. When closing time came around, she handed him ten dollars, and watched him walk off. He didn't go in the direction of the only nearby apartments, as she had expected, but back towards the stores. She stood there for several minutes, pulling her coat tightly around her against the cold, until she saw his black t-shirt disappear inside a Wal-Mart.
The cold had already gotten to the skinny boy, and he knew if he was going to make it through the night he would need a way to keep warm. HE stepped into a large store that looked like it could sell just about anything. He was greeted with the sight of several coat racks marked SALE, right by the entrance. There weren't many in his size, but he eventually settled on a long black one. It seemed thick, and the length would keep more of him covered. The price tag read twenty five dollars. This would leave him only three dollars left for food, but an icy gust of wind blowing in through the open door settled it. He would much rather go hungry for a while than freeze to death in an alley somewhere. As he paid for the coat, his eyes wandered to the food for sale by the cash register. Two dollars for either a bag of chips or a bottle of water. Casting his mind back, he realized that he had had nothing at all to drink that day. His stomach growled at him, but he knew there were priorities. Grabbing the plastic bottle and placing it on the counter, he reluctantly handed over his remaining money. The cashier handed him his one remaining dollar, and he pushed it into the pocket of his new coat. Pulling it over his shoulders, he noticed that it was slightly too large, but the fabric was just as warm as it had felt. He twisted the cap of the water bottle open as he walked back outside, shuddering as the rapidly cooling air hit him. He raised the bottle to his lips and drank nearly half of it before stopping for breath. The water hadn't been chilled, and he was grateful. A cold drink was not something he needed right now. He stuffed the rest into his pocket for later. Clutching the coat tightly to his thin frame, he walked down the street in search of a place sheltered enough to sleep. The sun was rapidly setting, and the temperature continued to drop. Around him, people were closing up shops, turning off lights, pulling on jackets. He watched them walk home, laughing and chatting as they did.
Watching the rest of the world, for the first time that day, his situation truly hit him. Hard. His head spun slightly, and he stumbled over to a building. He gasped for breath as he clutched the brick wall. I'm all alone in the middle of a city. I don't even know what city it is! I don't have a name, or a home, or, as far as I know, anything at all. His legs started shaking, and he staggered into the alley between two short brick buildings. No way he was going to keep walking.
The boy collapsed with his back pushed up against a dumpster, pulling his legs tightly to his chest. Don't panic, dummy. You're not helping things at all. He pressed his forehead to his knees, trying to calm himself. You'll work through this. You just need to keep it together until you can figure out what happened. Where you came from.
He stayed like this for a long time, almost completely wrapped in his coat and nestled in the corner between a solid wall and the metal behind him. With his hair falling forward and black fabric draped over his shoes, he was barely visible. Had anyone glanced into the alleyway, they would have mistaken the resting boy for a shadow.
Yes, I said I would update next week. But sundays actually work better for me, so I'll start updating around this time every sunday. Thank you to the four of you who reviewed, love you. Any suggestions, comments, or advice is appreciated. Reviews make my day, so please please please just take thirty seconds to help me out:)
Wish me luck with catching up to my word count!