Aladdin's POV

"Thief!"

"Scoundrel!"

"Let's not be too hasty," Aladdin sang cheekily. He was pushing through the usual packed LA crowd. He shoved his newly-acquired sparkly necklace in his brown pouch "Instead let's play a game of hide and seek!"

"Stop him! Thief!"

A group of tourists caught on to the scene and tried to make a barricade to catch the thief but Aladdin dropped onto his knees and pushed through their legs. He made a quick look on his shoulder and was relieved to see his buddy and pet monkey, Abu still on his shoulder.

Then, he ran.

The wind pulsed through his long, crazed hair. His smile was just as wild. Aladdin knew stealing was wrong but he reasoned that since the world they lived in was already backwards and twisted, is taking a necklace really that bad?

"Gotta keep
One jump ahead of the tourist
One swing ahead of the sword
I steal only what I can't afford ...that's everything!"

Aladdin was skimping past tourists and hoping on brick boardwalks away from the mob of Hispanic tourists determined to save this necklace.

"One jump ahead of the lawmen
That's all and that's no joke
These guys don't understand I'm broke."

"Get that street rat!"

"Scoundrel!"

"Its just for a little snack, guys
I can take a hint, gotta face the facts
You're my only friend, Abu."

Aladdin winked at Abu who squeaked with delight back. He lifted his little monkey arms to show he also took someone's bracelet. Aladdin eyed a familiar group of teens underneath a coconut tree by the boardwalk. He hoped that if he was fast enough, he could blend in with the group. He jumped over a small brick fence and landed on the famous California sand.

"Hey guys," huffed Aladdin who seemed to magically appear in behind the group of friends.. He was dripping sweat and desperately trying to catch his breath.

"Um, who is that?" asked a blonde as she took a few couple steps away from him.

"Who?" asked another teen in a blue bathing suit. Aladdin's met this girl before at a local drum circle a few times, but he never remembers her name. He meets so many people daily. Including, the men who were chasing him are new faces to add to his list. Aladdin looked over a few shoulders and could see the men weren't fooled and were angrily heading his way.

"Oh, it's that sad Aladdin who's hit the bottom." Tsked the girl in blue. "He's become a one-man rise in crime."
"I'd blame parents, except he hasn't got 'em," chimed someone else.
Aladdin gave the group high-fives and peace signs. "Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat," Then he took off singing "Tell you all about it when I got the time!"

The sand flew underneath his worn-out shoes and the hot sun made it feel like he was running in a desert. As Aladdin hoped over another brick fence he paused and saw the men running slower due to the sand. A few men seemed to be giving up. Aladdin smiled.

"One jump ahead of the slowpokes
One skip ahead of my doom
Next time gonna use a nom de plume

Traffic was moving at a snail's pace when he crossed the road. He moved past vehicles and hopped over a stunning dark blue Rolls-Royce. The driver honked at the boy. It's always people in the nicest cars that had the worst attitudes.

One jump ahead of the hitmen
One hit ahead of the flock
I think I'll take a stroll around the block."

Aladdin went around a known alley of his. He eyed his favorite fire escape ladder that leaned a modern gray building and began climbing.
"Stop, thief!"

"Vandal!"

"Outrage!"

"Scandal!"

The men crowded underneath the ladder hollering at Aladdin.

"Let's not be too hasty
Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat
Otherwise, we'd get along."

"Wrong!"

Aladdin was reaching the top of the ladder when he noticed one of the men managed to latch on and climb up after him. Man, these guys are determined, he noted. But were they determined enough to do this?

Aladdin entered onto the top balcony that was decorated with golden frames and aloe plants. He jumped onto the next apartment building complex balcony. It was a daring jump but nothing Aladdin couldn't handle.

"Haha!" He cheered at their jaw-slacked expressions.

The sun gave a warm welcome in victory as Aladdin climbed on top of the neighboring apartment complex. The world opened up in new heights, sights, and colors. He was seeing LA in a way most tourists would dream of. Skyscrapers on one side and a carnival on the beach shore on the other. Nice puffy whipped clouds He hopped from rooftop to rooftop singing along to his own song. He noticed his followers never made it to the roof so he sat down on the edge of an old brick building.

"Let me see that, Abu," Aladdin took the bracelet from Abu's neck "Oh, wow." He eyed the fine jewelry "Oh yeah, we're gonna feast tonight, Abu." Abu jittered excitedly.

A sound from the streets made Aladdin look down. It was the weekend so LA is packed with tourists and star-struck dreamers. A man in a fancy suit caught his eye "It's crazy how much different worlds we live in than most people, right Abu?" He turned and noticed Abu was reaching for a granola bar from his backpack. Abu jumped back and grumbled.

He laughed at his pet. Abu was so adorable especially when he's expressive. "Here," he chuckled and gave him the last roasted coconut and raisin honey bar. "Enjoy, my little man."

Aladdin looked back down at the world. He did feel some pang of guilt having these stolen jewels, but he only hoped they weren't too important to the owners. The street rat life wasn't the nicest, he was no Robin Hood, but this lifestyle was his only choice having run away at the age of 16. Believe it or not, he's happier and better fed now with this lifestyle than before.

He didn't mind school or learning but he couldn't see himself slaving away to a career. Besides, no amount of money in the world could entice him to work 40 hours a week or heck even 25 hours a week. Most jobs really didn't pay a liveable wage here anyways. 80% of the people in this country live paycheck to paycheck. There are millions of street rats in the world, most just aren't bold or quick enough like Aladdin.

He'd much rather let the faith carve his own destiny. After selling jewelry online, Aladdin stood on the corner of the beach playing his guitar for tips. He dreamed of being a famous singer, like most people in this city.

Aladdin sighed "One day, Abu, things are gonna change. We'll be rich, live in a mansion, and never have any problems at all." Abu made a noise through the munching of a granola bar. "Come on, we should pawn one of these before the sun goes down." Aladdin picked up Abu onto his shoulder and found a ladder to go down onto the street.

Aladdin had no idea that his desires were about to manifest a little too soon..

After a few minutes of walking down the streets did a familiar Rolls-Royce pull up. The rich blue color and silver highlights couldn't be forgotten. The driver had a frown set on his lips as the back window rolled down "Hey you!" a raspy voice called out.

"Huh?" Aladdin asked "Me?"

"Yes, yes you! I must say, it was quite the show watching you run away from your fans. You're very athlete, indeed. Come inside here with that monkey of yours and let's talk."

Abu and Aladdin exchanged a wary glance. Aladdin decided to step inside.

There was something about this old man he felt like he felt drawn to.