Disclaimer - I do not own DGM
Chapter Seven - Making a Living
After the first theft, which Allen had been forced to do in order to survive, the boy had vowed to do everything in his power to make an honest living. He didn't like the thoughts of taking things from others but on the other hand, he had to eat in order to survive. Hopefully this dilemma would be solved by finding work.
Not that Allen really expected for it to be easy for a child his age to find a job of any kind. But he was determined to at least make the effort.
So the child set out, looking for anyone who could be convinced to hire a child his age. And a deformed child no less.
Unfortunately the search did not start out so well. A couple of people acted like they might humor the child with some sort of small job but those offers were quickly withdrawn whenever the people got a glimpse of his left arm.
Allen was now covered in bruises due to the fact that people felt the need to strike out at him when they saw his arm. As though he could do something about the way he looked. He hadn't asked for the deformity and he sure as hell didn't want it.
Why couldn't people see that?
They were always so quick to deem him a monster the moment they caught sight of his hand, judging him solely on his appearance. He was different from them and therefore must pose a threat.
And they seemed to think that this gave them the right to hurt him. The child was covered in bruises and more than likely would have suffered more were he not so good at dodging.
His reflexes were honed from dodging the attacks of the other children at the orphanage.
The rest of the day progressed in much the same manner and, by the end of it, the small child was sore and completely covered in bruises. He didn't understand why so many people wanted to hurt him but he vowed that he would never trust anyone ever again.
All people did was cause him pain and he had already endured enough of that in his relatively short lifetime.
The sun was beginning to sink below the horizon and the people on the streets were beginning to retreat to the warmth and comfort of their houses. Allen knew that he wouldn't be finding work on this particular day and, with a resigned sigh, he gave up.
Tears formed in Allen's gray eyes as he once again wandered back to the alley where he had spent the night. It wasn't exactly comfortable but what other choice did he have? No one would take him in, owing to his deformity, and this was the most sheltered place that he could find.
Here at least he felt a measure of security. He was out of sight of the people who would cause him harm and people weren't likely to venture far enough into the alley to see him.
With a sigh Allen sank to the ground, once more finding himself wondering why life had to be so unfair. He couldn't recall anything that he'd done to deserve the treatment that he received at the hands of others and yet here he was, sitting alone in an alley covered in bruises and with nothing to eat.
"Fear not little one… It'll all be better soon. You just have to keep moving forward for a little while longer."
For the first time Allen found himself wishing that this strange voice would just leave him alone. It wasn't going to get better and there was no point in holding out hope for something that wasn't going to happen. It would only make him feel worse in the end.
Shoving at some of the trash that littered the alley, Allen slowly curled into a ball. He was desperate to sink into a dreamless sleep; the only way he knew of to escape the torment.
Allen was awakened the next morning by vicious pains in his stomach. He hadn't had anything to eat the day before, having failed to find anyone who would give him work, and the little boy was miserable. He didn't really feel like making another attempt at finding work but the pain in his stomach forced him to get up and get moving.
He had to have food and for that he either had to have money to buy it with or else he had to steal it. And despite the fact that the second of the two options would be easier Allen didn't want to resort to that again if he could avoid it.
So the brown haired youth staggered to his feet and left the alley where he had spent the night. Moving out into the throng of people who were walking along the streets, Allen shoved his left hand into his pocket and attempted to fade into obscurity.
He was hoping that people would ignore his presence and thus leave him alone. He didn't want to talk to these people, afraid of what they would do to him should they discover his deformity.
His gray eyes were downcast as he walked along the street however he lifted his gaze slightly as he caught sight of a flash of white dash by. Allen's gaze followed the blur and a small smile crept across his face as he saw that the blur was in fact a small brown and white dog.
Having once nursed a stray kitten back to health Allen felt himself drawn to the dog. Animals were far more accepting than people and the child had a soft spot for them.
They didn't judge.
Still making every effort not to make eye contact with any of the people that he passed on the street Allen began to follow along behind the little dog.
"That's it little one…"
The dog quickly made it's way across town and Allen had to run in order to keep up. Unfortunately he wasn't quick enough and he eventually lost sight of the dog.
When he realized that he could no longer see the little dog that he had been following Allen came to a stop, debating what he should do next. He was far across town now and wasn't entirely sure if he would be able to find his way back to the alley that he had been calling home.
"Just keep moving forward…"
This little nudge was seemingly all that Allen needed in order to come to a decision. He had been debating a course of action and now he had decided upon one.
His stormy gray eyes were focused forward.
The road ahead seemed to lead out of town but Allen decided to follow it for a little while, just to see exactly where it led. It seemed to be well traveled which made the child curious.
Where would this road take him?
As Allen walked along the child soon became aware of a great deal of noise coming from somewhere beyond his field of vision. Quickening his pace Allen half ran down the road and his gray eyes widened as he rounded a corner and saw a sprawling expanse of tents and wagons.
It was a circus.
Now of course Allen had never been to a circus but he had seen the colorful posters that were plastered on buildings whenever the circus came to town. This one seemed like a huge circus to Allen and the child found himself inexplicably drawn toward it.
Almost as though something were pushing him to move onward.
"Maybe I can find work here," Allen thought to himself, taking the first step toward the circus grounds.
It wasn't exactly hope that led the child forward at that point; he had long since given up on that particular feeling. Experience had taught him that hope only led to disappointment. His life was a never ending series of pain but for some reason he was drawn to the circus. Perhaps it was curiosity or perhaps something impossible to explain.
But that inner voice was telling him to move forward and take a chance and for once Allen decided to listen to it. It wasn't as if his life could really get any worse at this point so in his eyes there wasn't anything to lose.
But perhaps there was something to be gained.
A/N - Hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought. And thank you to everyone who has reviewed thus far; you're all wonderful!