A blistering wind from the west punctuated an already cold January afternoon. A yellow taxi pierced the wind and came to a stop at a red two-story brick house on the east side of Riversdale. Clarke got out of the passenger seat of the taxi. "Thanks for the ride." he said to the driver. Clarke opened the back seat, and Jamie slowly hobbled out. After almost two months in the hospital, Jamie was finally let go. He still had a lot of work left to do. Getting around was a chore, and he still needed to visit the hospital twice a week for rehab.
Jamie thanked the driver. The two proceeded towards the house. Jamie froze as soon as he got to the stairs. Oh, how he hated stairs! Since the surgery, going up and down stairs was a nightmare. "Do you need help?" asked Clarke. Jamie put his hoof around Clarke's neck, and he slowly led him up the stairs. A sudden gust of cold air blew in and filled the inside of Jamie's coat. It was the same coat he was wearing when he was shot. It was a thin flimsy coat already, and the bullet holes only made it worse. Sadly though, it was the only coat he owned. Jamie shivered and shut his eyes.
When they had made it to the top of the stairs, Clarke used he magic to pull out his keys. He unlocked the door and the two shuffled inside. "Well, we're here!" Clarke exclaimed. "The guest room is upstairs, just make yourself at home, I guess." Jamie looked around, he had never been to a house like this before. He was in awe of all the space. He couldn't believe how big it was.
"This place is like a mansion!" said Jamie in complete shock. "It's not Canterlot Castle or anything…" Clarke chuckled. "No, It's great! I can't believe you live here. I've never been in a place like this! Thanks for letting me stay here!" Jamie shouted clutching Clarke by the collar of his vest. "It's the least I could do, you can stay here while you rehab your hooves. Then, we can go after Malone." Clarke had a twinkle in his eye when he said that.
Just then a yellow mare came strolling down the stairs and into the living room. "What's all the commotion?" she chimed in. Her voice that an odd melody to it. She seemed completely happy and cheerful, something Jamie wasn't used to. "Jamie, this is my wife, Lauren." Clarke spoke up. "Honey, this is the kid from the hospital I was telling you about." "I'm pleased to meet you, Jamie." Lauren's tone then changed to a more serious one. "I couldn't thank you enough for saving my husband's life. I owe you a great debt." "How about you start repaying that debt by making us some lunch, huh?" Clarke joked.
Lauren made her way into the kitchen. Jamie limped slowly behind her. "What's cookin'? asked Jamie. "Uh… I was thinking about some noodle soup. What do you think, hmm?" Lauren smiled at him at a second, and then turned around to turn on the stove. The stove struck Jamie as weird. "I've never seen a stove like that before. Where does the wood go?" Lauren giggled. This isn't a wood stove, silly. It's a kerosene stove." The words didn't make sense to Jamie, and Lauren's cheerful tone of voice only confused him more. "Kero-what?!" exclaimed Jamie. "Kerosene! It's the gas that powers the stove." Jamie stood there slack-jawed, staring at the tin and porcelain marvel. The expression on Lauren's face turned from one of cheer to one of sadness. She quickly turned back around and continued cooking.
Lauren had left to run some errands after she had finished cooking. This left Clarke and Jamie by themselves. Clarke used his magic to finish the rest of his soup, and turned to Jamie. "You're not used to all of this, are you?" asked Clarke. Jamie looked up from his own bowl. "Um… no." The room got quiet after that. "There's no use in hiding things from me. The less you tell me, the worse this all reflects on you." Clarke was right, if Jamie didn't talk to him, he more suspicious he looks. Clarke is a cop after all. "I never had much in life." "I sure you have a family that loves you, right?" Jamie sat there with his head down not saying a word. "Tell me, Jamie, what happened?" Jamie took a deep breath and proceeded to talk.
"Well, My dad had died when I was a foal, during the Great Cavallian War. So growing up, it was just me and my mother. We were never a wealthy family. We barely made it month to month. When I was in fourth grade, my mother died of a heart failure. After that, I lived with a kinds of different family members, but I couldn't stay anywhere for long. I guess I was just a burden on everypony else" Jamie's voice trailed off. There was silence for a moment or two, and then he continued his story. "I eventually dropped out of school, and started living on my own. Life was tough living on the streets. I turned to purse snatching, to break-ins, or anything else just to make ends meet. After that, I went from pillar to post. So I guess I'm not used to all of this. Gas stoves, two-story houses, it's just all farfetched to me."
Clarke gave him a straight face, and put his hoof around Jamie's shoulder. "You're not alone, y'know?" Clarke said softly. "In my line of work, I hear stories like this all too often. But, they always break my heart." Jamie couldn't look up at Clarke. His eyes stayed glued to the floor. "So, when Malone came up to you promising all of this money, it seemed to good to be true, huh?" "Yeah…" Jamie mumbled. "That's what he does, he prays on the unfortunate to do his dirty work. He promises fame, money, and whatever else then he hordes it all for himself. That's why we gotta stop him." Clarke had a deep form of intensity in his eyes. "I'll get you out of this, Jamie. I promise."