Chris didn't let go of Ezra the whole trip to the city jail. He kept a firm grip on Ezra's shash that now held the boy's coat jacket and clothes.
He wasn't sure whether or not to trust this new guy who claimed to be a lawyer. In his experience, anyone who said that they wanted to help him and was wearing a suit never turned out good.
They were ushered to a bench and told to sit down. The room was cold and Ezra put his coat jacket on. Chris sat straight, trying not to touch the cold wall behind him.
All around them were officers running around with papers and law breakers. A few phones rang impatiently for someone to pick up. The whole place was chaotic.
Chris eyed the lawyer in the suit talking to a police officer. He also paid attention to the door which was being monitored by a single guard.
If he could just catch the man not looking then he could have Ezra slip away. Since the other boy was small, he should be able to get out easier than himself. He was used to being in a police station. He could take whatever they wanted to try dish at him.
Looking down he saw Ezra sitting up and alert. Chris smiled and went back to his scan over the room.
"Ezra, when you see an opportunity, I want you to get out." he whispered in a low voice.
"Sorry Mr Larabee, but I can't do that."
Chris looked back down in surprise.
Ezra showed him a toothy grin, "I don't plan on losing you again. We're in this together. I don't plan on letting you take the fall for something I did again."
Chris nodded.
The lawyer finished talking to the officer and walked over to them. Chris tensed to jump in front of Ezra if necessary.
The suit kneeled down to where he was about eye level with them.
"So boys, what are your names?"
Ezra looked to Chris who frowned at the man.
Neither spoke.
The man sighed, "Well my name is Orin Travis. Is there anywhere I can take you to? A home perhaps?"
Chris continued to frown, but Ezra began to nudge him.
Ezra whispered into his ear and Travis waited for the older one who seemed to be the one to speak.
"We're trying to get to America."
"The US? Well you got a little ways to go to get there if you plan on going by foot."
Travis watched the older boy slump a little and frown.
"Do you have family you can contact?"
The younger boy shifted in his seat and Travis move to work on him.
"Do you want to make a call?"
The older boy put himself in between the two, "No he doesn't. Look, thanks for bailing us out, but we'd like to go now and stop this interrogation."
Travis stood up and the boys followed.
"Well if that's what you want. Good luck on getting to the US." he pulled a card out of his jacket and handed it to the younger boy. "Take my card if you need anything." The older one intercepted it. "I'll be in town till the end of the week if you change your mind."
Travis nodded to them before taking his leave.
Chris watched him go before taking Ezra and head out in the opposite direction when they were outside.
"Are you serious about not taking his help? When someone offers you something the normal response isn't to turn it down." huffed Ezra as he ran to keep up with Chris's pace.
"In the world I live in there's no such thing as a free favor."
"In my world too, but is it seriously worth losing out on getting to the US faster. We've been going on like this for what, a month now. Everyone is probably twenty pounds underweight by now. Vin is a walking stick, your shoulder is still bad and Buck is now injured. I think whatever he is offering is worth whatever he wants in return don't you think?"
"He never said that he could get us there, Ez."
"Well, you never let him offer." muttered Ezra.
Travis watched the two boys leave the police station from his car parked on the street.
He thought about what he had the opportunity to observe. Two boys half naked with their shirts tied in little bundles on their backs. The older boy carrying a bow and arrows with a nasty bruise on his left shoulder. Both were pretty tan and thin. Neither looked like the other so they couldn't be related, but they were really close. The older one was definitely protective of the younger.
The older one also didn't like him which could mean that he didn't like grown ups or maybe just people who looked like him. The younger boy looked like he wanted to contact someone but was stopped.
Travis smiled, an interesting case fell right in his lap on vacation. Following them would probably not work in a car and he wasn't in the right clothes to be chasing them through the streets. His only hope to meet them again would be through the card he had given them.
It was night time by the time Chris and Ezra were able to find the others.
They collapsed down on the ground from exhaustion. The others began to question them, unaware of how tired the two were.
"What happened? What took you guys so long?" began Buck.
"Did you guys get caught?" asked Vin.
Ezra spoke for the two of them, "We were unfortunately caught, but a lawyer paid for our release."
"Like we're going to believe you got a lawyer." laughed Buck.
"Unless he does. Remember he was in first class on the ship." pointed Nathan.
"We ran into a lawyer and that's how we were caught, but he got us out." continued Ezra.
"Stop lying."
"He's telling the truth." said Chris finally, "He wanted to know about us but I wasn't going to talk."
"I still don't know why you wanted us to be silent." frowned Ezra.
"I've been in jail before. They just pick you for information. If I were to tell them about the others then we'd all be in jail and then put in the system. Before long we'd be split up in different homes."
"So what are you going to do with his card?"
Chris pulled the business card out of his pocket.
The others all took turns looking at it.
"Are you going to call him?"
"No. We can take care of ourselves."
Ezra scoffed but regretted the attention it caused. Everyone looked at him. Some with frowns in their brow.
Ezra turned away from the group.
"We should just go to sleep." yawned Chris.
"I was able to find an abandoned building." said Josiah.
Josiah led the way down a few blocks before they reached a large factory building.
"It looks dark and scary." said JD uncomfortably.
"It's ok JD. I won't let anything happen to you." Buck put an arm around his little friend. The pain from his wounds from earlier made him wince.
"Let's go in and find somewhere to lay low."
Climbing the wire fence, they crossed the short distance to the locked door.
Ezra was able to pick the lock in under a minute and they all went inside.
"So you really can pick a lock." observed Nathan, "I thought you only just called it that when you used the key."
Ezra didn't give his little reply but sat down on a clear spot on the floor and used his bundle as a pillow.
"I guess we should just go to sleep." said Chris.
Chris watched everyone get settled. Josiah and Nathan laid back to back. JD laid in Buck's arms. Inez slept by herself between Buck and Nathan. Chris saw that Vin was waiting for him.
Looking back to where Ezra was lying, he could see that he was facing away from the group.
Chris sighed and laid down. Vin quickly lay beside him and was soon snoring.
He listened to the sounds everyone else made in their sleep. There was a soft sniffle that he thought was coming from behind him. Looking over his shoulder, careful not to disturb Vin, he saw it was Ezra.
Chris thought back to what Ezra had said earlier to him, 'Vin has you. JD has Buck. Nathan has Josiah. I have-'
"Me." he whispered under his breath.
Carefully, he detached himself from Vin and crawled over to Ezra.
Pulling the boy's arm and thigh, he dragged him closer to where Vin and him were sleeping. Once they were close together, Chris lay back down and wrapped an arm around each boy.
Since they were in a place with an abundance of food, the group decided to take the opportunity to 'borrow' as much food as possible and gain back as much weight as possible.
Nathan bandaged up Buck's wounds a best as he could, but Buck kept complaining about how his cheek was going to have a scar.
Inez used a piece a charcoal that she had found outside the old factory and drew a hopscotch board.
She spent an hour entertaining JD while Vin used another piece of charcoal to keep practicing his writing.
Ezra would play around with the pair of die on the side of the building.
So far everything was going ok. Chris smiled confidently. He didn't need any adult's help. He could take care of his family.
A screeching sound behind him made him turn. Everyone else looked too.
A group of boys on bikes stood on the opposite side of their fence.
Chris wondered what they could've wanted.
"Which one of you is Larabee!" shouted one of the boys with an eye bandage.
Chris frowned, he didn't know how they knew his name.
"Can I help you?" he called out.
"I'm calling you out to fight."
"I don't want to." smiled Chris.
The boy's laughed as the boy with the eye patch shifted around.
"Then you shouldn't have picked a fight with me in the first place."
Chris rose an eyebrow in confusion, "When did I pick a fight with you? I think I'd remember a one eyed boy I fought with."
Ezra who was standing the farthest away got closer and stood next to Chris.
"Mr Larabee, I do believe that's the curmudgeon I was fighting on the boat that you elbowed in the eye."
"Oh is that it." said Chris turning back to the boy, "Sorry about the eye, but in all fairness you tried to hurt my friend."
"You think a sorry is going to fix my eye?"
"No, but I seriously can care less at this point. You hurt my friend and I hurt you. Lesson learned."
"I want a fair fight!"
"I don't think you'll fare any better than the last time." laughed Chris.
The boy however didn't listen and began climbing the fence. His friends followed.
JD and Inez backed up near the building with Buck who would've went to stand next to his friend, but was too injured to assist.
Josiah and Nathan stood next to Chris. Vin was pulled back by Ezra who wanted to help too.
Chris held his place as the boy drew nearer.
When they were three feet away Chris spoke.
"What's your name? I should at least know the name of the person I'm about to beat up."
"Cocky aren't ya. The names Bob Spikes."
"Well Bobby, I have to tell you that I'm not in the mood to fight right now. I'm having a good day and I'd like to keep it that way."
"And I'd like to take that pretty boy face of yours and mess it up."
Chris looked at Nathan and Josiah, "Did he just say pretty boy? I know I'm not butt ugly like him but I wouldn't call myself a pretty boy."
"I wouldn't either." smiled Josiah.
"Nope." agreed Nathan.
"Seriously, pretty boy, I take offense to that."
"He hates it, and you don't want to see him angry." said Josiah.
Bob Spikes took a step back, unsure now.
"Shut up and fight me already."
Chris shrugged, "If you insist."
Chris raised his fist and waited for Spikes to do the same. Bob charged first with a wild swing. The momentum of his throw sent him stumbling a few steps to recover.
Chris waited for him to attack again. Patiently waiting for him as he walked around.
Spikes lunged at Chris and Chris stepped to get out of the way, but wasn't fast enough and was thrown to the ground. The two scuffled on the ground, kicking up dirt. Chris was put in a choke hold and couldn't get out.
Vin ran to help his best friend, but Josiah pulled him back.
"He needs to do this, kid."
Chris's elbow found Bob's side and the bigger boy loosened his grip enough for Chris to scurry out of. Gaining his feet again, Chris put his fist up again. This time though he was done playing games.
Spikes threw another punch and Chris ducked. He kicked him in the butt and Bob fell to the ground.
"Think this is a game."
"Oh I'm not playing any more games."
Chris grabbed Bob by the shirt and punched him in the jaw.
Bob staggered back holding his face. Chris however wasn't finished and he got a running start before kicking Spikes in the stomach.
The boys all cheered.
A siren sounded and cars pulled up to the fence. Bob Spikes and his friends ran away leaving Chris and his friends.
"What do we do now?" said JD in a panic.
"Let's get out of here." yelled Chris.
They all ran for the far end of the fence.
Buck picked JD to go faster. Chris grabbed Vin and Ezra by the hand.
They rounded the corner and was met with a pile of old construction equipment blocking their way from the gate.
"What now?"
Chris used the beam that was leaning up against the fence as a bridge and began to climb. When he reached the top he beckoned the others to come up. Vin climbed up after him and then JD and Buck.
Chris helped them over the fence before turning to help Ezra. Josiah and Nathan were tall enough that they could climb over the debris and jump the fence.
Chris pulled Inez up and looked to see several police officers running towards them.
Making sure that Inez was safely on the ground, Chris jumped the fence himself and crash landed on his side.
It took him a bit to get up and had to have Vin and Nathan help him. They fled down the street but stopped short when they saw the police car blocking their exit.
"Chris."called Vin.
Chris looked back and saw the police were closing in from behind. They were trapped.
"I'll create a distraction, you guys make a run for it." Chris said before running towards the police car.
He bent down and threw a rock at the car.
The men in the police car got out and started shouting at him.
Chris continued to throw rocks and then he turned and threw them at the officers chasing them. The rest of the group ran to the side and Ezra broke open a lock and they all disappeared inside.
Chris smiled, knowing that they were safe. He turned and was beaten to the ground.
He shook the blow off and tried to get back up. One of the officers however picked him up by his hair. Chris held their hand to keep from getting his hair pulled out.
"Shows over kid." said one man.
Vin watched from a window as Chris was handcuffed and put into the back of the police car.
"We need to get Chris back."
"The idiot needs to stop playing hero and using himself as the bait." said Buck.
"I have an idea," said Ezra digging into his pocket, "but I don't' think Chris is going to like it much." He pulled the business card out.
"I thought Chris had it?" Said Nathan.
"I'm a pickpocket remember."
"Should we do it?" asked Nathan not quite sure it was a good idea.
"If it means getting Chris, then yes." said Vin.
"Well then, we'll be needing a phone first." smiled Ezra.
Travis was packing up his clothes for tomorrow morning when his flight would leave when he heard his phone ring. He picked it up and balanced it on his shoulder.
"Hello this is Orin Travis speaking."
"Uh hi." came a high pitch voice.
Travis frowned, he didn't know who was speaking.
"Who's this?"
"Who's this?" repeated the voice.
He could hear low voices in the background.
"You don't need to know my name."
"Well I can't help you if I don't know your name." Travis smiled. It must have been the small boy of the two yesterday.
He could hear the boy speaking to whoever he was with.
"He says he won't help us if he doesn't have a name. What should I say?"
"Give it here." said another voice that was much deeper.
"Hello?"
"Hi there, this is Orin Travis. Whom might I be speaking to?"
"This is Josiah."
So his name is Josiah then, smiled Travis.
"What can I do for you, Josiah?"
"I need your help getting a friend of mine from the police station."
"A friend?"
"Yes."
"Sure I guess I can do that."
"Great, we'll be waiting for you across the street."
"Okay then."
Josiah hung up first.
Travis smiled and set his phone back down.
It didn't take long for them to call.
The drive back to the station took him ten minutes to get there with traffic.
When he arrived he looked for the two boys from yesterday. The only boys on the other side of the street were a little boy about six and an older teenager.
He walked across the street to meet them.
"You wouldn't happen to be Josiah now would you?"
"Yes I would and this is JD." he said putting a hand on the little boy's shoulder.
JD gave a small wave before staring back down at the ground.
"So how did you end up with my phone number? Did you find it on the ground or was it given to you?"
"Neither."
Travis nodded, he wasn't sure of the two boys in front of him, but the little one looked anxious.
"Well how about we go on inside and see your friend?"
"We can't go in. That's why you're here?"
"I see."
"Please get our friend out." pleaded the little boy, braving a glance up.
Travis smiled.
Chris sat down on the same bench he was at the day before but this time he was handcuffed to it.
He wondered what they were going to do with him since he wasn't from around here. The rules could be different for minors for all he knew.
After a while he was taken into a room and made to sit at a table. An officer sat across from him.
"Ok son, I'm going to ask you a few questions now."
Chris thought back to what Ezra had said. He had rights and he didn't technically have to speak. Which was good because he wasn't going to.
The officer waited for Chris to respond, but after a minute passed he went on.
"So, what's your name?"
Chris only smiled, making the officer frown.
"Where are the other boys you were with?"
Chris slouched in his chair and yawned.
"So you don't want to talk. That's fine, maybe time in a cell will loosen your tongue."
The officer roughly pushed Chris into an empty cell. This didn't bother him and he layed down on the makeshift bed.
It was twenty minutes later when he heard an officer approach his cell. He looked up and was surprised to see the guy in the suit, that lawyer guy, standing outside.
The guard opened the door and the man came inside.
Chris sat up and frowned.
"So you're back already. I've a feeling that this isn't unusual for you."
Chris didn't say anything.
"Your friends want me to get you out of here."
"What?" Chris asked in surprise.
He felt his pockets and couldn't find the card with the number. Standish.
Chris frowned and looked away.
"I can get you out of here in exchange-"
"In exchange for what? I'm not going to give up my friends."
"I don't want you to. I just want to buy you and your friends a meal if that's okay with you."
Chris raised an eyebrow, unsure if he should accept the proposal.
"My friends?"
"Yes."
"And you just want to talk with us?"
"Yes, you can answer any questions and I won't force you to say anything you don't want to."
This made Chris smile, "Deal."
Travis felt like he scored a point with the kids with buying them dinner. He wasn't however liking the fact that he was visiting the police station so often.
When they got outside, he saw Chris rush to Josiah and JD. They talked for a bit and then JD ran off.
Travis watched from afar to give them space.
The two older boys came back to where he was standing.
Josiah's smile was more genuine while Chris's looked like he was plotting something.
"Are we ready?"
"Just about, we're waiting for someone." said Josiah.
Travis figured they were waiting for the boy he had seen with the one he'd just gotten out of jail again.
A few minutes passed and then a group of kids showed up.
Travis tried not to think of the cost of feeding all these mouths that looked like they'd been starving.
He saw the boy from yesterday among them as well as an african american boy, a hispanic girl and a skinny boy with long brown hair and JD and his older brother who was holding his hand.
"So is this everyone?" he asked the blonde trouble maker.
"These are my friends." he nodded.
Travis sighed and smiled, "Well I don't think I have enough room in my rental car but we can try and all fit."
He walked them to his car and Josiah took the front seat with the african american sitting in the middle. Trouble maker had the long haired boy sit next to him with the short boy from yesterday sitting on his lap. The girl sat next to the long haired boy and the siblings. JD sat on his brother's lap.
It looked pretty snug back there to him but no one complained or even spoke.
He did here a little complaint from the boy sitting on the trouble makers lap once.
They arrived at his hotel and went up to his room. There were many who stared at the procession as they went by. Seven half naked, tan and scrawny boys and one girl.
Once the door was shut he began giving them instructions. First they would all get cleaned up, if it was at least washing up with a cloth and then they'd go for dinner.
"Finally." said the little boy and he raced to get first shower.
The long haired boy pulled on the trouble maker's shorts.
"You're taking a shower too."
"Why?"
"Cause we all need one."
The boy muttered and tried to sit down on the bed but he was pulled by the ear away from it.
"You're dirty, you can't sit on it. If you want to sit on the bed you need to take a shower first."
Everyone else heard that and began rushing to the bathroom.
Travis could hear the little boy who had went in first start to complain.
"I'm not done yet!"
Soon he appeared wrapped up in a towel and was frowning.
"I think I should order for more towels to be sent up." Travis smiled.
About a half an hour later he had eight children bundled up in towels walking around his hotel room.
JD climbed on the bed and began to bounce up and down.
"Stop it JD!"
"But I haven't been on a bed in like a whole month."
His brother joined him in laying on the bed. Soon everyone but Chris was laughing and playing on it.
JD's high pitch squeals and giggles mixed with the little boy's shrieks were adorable to watch.
Travis glanced over to where the trouble maker stood watching with a smile.
He didn't know why he didn't join them.
After about twenty minutes of goofing off Travis tried to reign them all in and get them dressed. The playing had gotten carried away and now JD was pulling other kids' towels.
The only boy who didn't take part barked orders for them all to get dressed and they all settled down and did so.
Travis made a mental note that he was the leader of the group.
Chris waited till they were all dressed before telling the lawyer that they were ready. They all walked down together to the hotel's restaurant and were seated at a large table.
"So, can I get names? I know JD and Josiah."
"My name is Nathan." said the african american boy.
"I'm Buck." said the boy next to JD."
"Is he your brother?" asked Travis.
"Oh no, none of us are related to each other."
"I'm Ezra." said the small boy.
"And my name is Inez." said the girl.
"Vin." mumbled the long haired boy who sat next to the trouble maker.
Travis nodded and pretended that he heard. The boy was so quiet.
"He said his name was Vin." said the trouble maker, "He's shy around people he doesn't know."
"And you aren't?"
"No I just don't like grown ups that much. The names Chris Larabee."
The others smiled in almost reverence to the trouble maker.
"So I'm guessing you're the leader."
The boy shrugged, "Events happened to where things just became that way."
"So how did you all meet if you don't mind the question?"
"We met on a ship that sank in a storm. We were able to get to shore and we met these men with guns and explosives. Chris died but really didn't and then got shot. Then we found Inez. Buck fought this men boy and got cut a couple times but he says he's ok. I think you meet Ezra and Chris yesterday so that's about everything." smiled JD.
"Wait, I think you blazed over something important. You said that Chris died but didn't?"
"Yeah he fell from a twenty foot tree."
"And then you said something about explosives and guns."
"Yeah this place was filled with explosives and they shoot at us when we would steal their corn."
"Got it."
He smiled as he watched the boys devour their food. Only one, Ezra, seemed to have any manners and tried to use his utensils. When they had finally finished their dinner and dessert hearted them if they wanted to sleep in his room tonight.
Since Chris was the leader he asked him.
The others all began to make silent signals that they wanted to stay.
Chris however was reluctant.
"I don't really think we should."
"But Chris," whined JD, "we've been sleeping outdoors and in creepy rooms for days. Can't we for once sleep in an actual bed?"
The others began to follow JD's lead until finally Chris caved.
"Fine, but only tonight."
They all cheered.
Travis's room had two beds. The children laid side ways to fit seven of them. Chris said he wanted to sleep on the floor.
"Wouldn't you prefer the bed?" He asked.
"No." The boy replied coldly before laying down.
Chris was feeling uneasy about everything. The guy was being too nice. The others trusted the man instantly and now they were starting to listen to him.
It's only for tonight and then we'll leave. He thought.
The next morning however was to be another disappointment for Chris.
Travis had offered to switch his plane ticket to nine train tickets and take them all to the U.S.
Everyone cheered and bounced up and down. All except Chris who looked around at his friends a little disheartened.
For a month now he'd been trying to get them to the U.S. Now this guy waltzes into their lives and present them with tickets., making everything he'd done look pathetic.
They didn't even bother this time to ask Chris if they could go, and Chris didn't blame them. He was unfit to lead now.
The lawyer got them all settled into a train compartment and they set off.
A/N: I feel like I'm going to be hated soon. I won't say why because it wouldn't be a surprise now would it? Thanks for the awesome reviews. You guys make me happy.