Chapter 1

You're Under Arrest!

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Author's note: A single quote means he is thinking.

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Hector Zeroni awoke to the sound of birds chirping very loudly. He sat up, dreading the day. It would just be another day of homelessness. But he had to - he couldn't stop the world.

Hector got out of the playground tunnel. He walked out of the playground, but it was hard, because his shoes were very tattered and torn.

'I need new shoes,' Hector thought. Today he would go to the homeless shelter and try to get some.

First he bought breakfast with the little money he had. Then he walked across town to the homeless shelter.

When Hector got there, he saw some little kids clinging to their mother. 'I wonder if my mom will ever come back,' he thought sadly.

He saw an amazing pair of shoes on display. They had cool red x's on them. 'I want those! 'he thought.

So, Hector grabbed the shoes and put them on. They were big, but he would grow into them.

A few minutes later, there were some people talking about the shoes Hector had taken.

"Where did they go?"

"Somebody stole them!"

Hector realized that the shoes were not free. But he really wanted them. He walked out of the building, trying to act normal. When he got farther away, he ran.

There were police cars chasing him and he was scared. 'Will I be arrested?' he thought.

Just in case, Hector hid and took the shoes off. He threw them over the wall and watched as they hit a boy who was walking by. 'Oops!' Hector thought. 'I hope he doesn't get arrested.'

Just then some police cars drove up to that boy and said he was under arrest.

"But, they hit me on the head!" the unlucky boy said.

"You have the right to remain silent," said one of the cops.

Hector walked away from the scene. He didn't want to be found. But now, he had no shoes. Would he have to walk around the city with only his socks on? Yep.

He went back to the park. The next day he would probably go get some shoes. He would have to steal them, even though he didn't like stealing.

Hector tried to be calm. He thought about his mother - the way she smiled. The way she talked. He missed her so much! 'I'll find her again... someday.'

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The next day, Hector was really tired. His feet were cold. He needed shoes - and he needed them fast.

Hector got up and walked to the nearest shoe store. He tried on a pair, and it fit him perfectly!

He put the box back, and walked to the front of the store, pretending he was just seeing how they fit. He took a deep breath, and ran out of the store as quickly as he could. An alarm went off, and the store owners came looking for the burglar.

Hector hid behind a wall as they ran by. Not a good idea. One of the searchers saw him and shouted, "Here he is!"

They kept him in their grip until the police car came. The cop put handcuffs on him. She said, "You have the right to remain silent."

Hector said nothing.

He got in the car when she told him to. She said, "Those shoes you stole were worth seventy-nine bucks!"

'Oh, man,' he thought, 'I'm busted!'

They put him in jail for the night. He was scared... 'What will happen to me?'

The next morning they took Hector to court right away. The lawyer said, "There's an opening at Camp Green Lake. It's your choice - jail, or Camp Green Lake."

"I'd rather go to camp," Hector said quietly.

The lawyer said, "Okay then, 18 months at Camp Green Lake!"

'Oh, great! 18 months!' Hector thought, angrily.

"Pack up your things, because you'll leave tomorrow."

Hector didn't want to say that he didn't have many things.

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Hector was pushed onto a bus the next morning. He was the only one on it.

"It's an 8 - hour drive to camp," said the bus driver.

'Gee, where is this camp?' Hector thought. 'In the desert or something?'

Hector was yet to find that it really was in the desert.

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Do you like it? Please Read and Review! It's my first fanfic!