Chapter Three
Sound asleep in a dirty corner of the stairs, Lex jerked awake as she was nudged by a sneaker. Springing to her feet, she backed away in alarm as her green eyes searched frantically for an escape.
"Relax, kid. I ain't gonna hurt ya," the boy said with a smirk, his hands jammed into the pockets of his jeans.
"What do you want?" she asked, glaring at him. He was tall and lanky, his pale complexion marred by the ravages of adolescent acne, his dark eyes hidden by long, unruly red hair.
"This ain't a good place for you," he replied, nodding at her surroundings. "I'm Jack."
Lex remained silent, watching him cautiously. The boy grinned, shaking his head. "Look, kid, I already told you I ain't gonna hurt you. I don't know why you're here, an' if ya don't wanna tell me, that's fine by me. I don't care. But my boss says it ain't safe here for you. Come with me, an he'll give you a job, a bed and real food."
Lex's stomach jumped at the mention of food. It had been over a week since she'd eaten anything not thrown away, and months since she'd slept properly in a bed. Realizing she'd run out of options, she nodded and followed Jack out of the stairs.
He led her through a maze of back alleys, coming to a stop at an abandoned warehouse. Pulling back a sheet of corrugated metal, he motioned for her to precede him inside.
Nervous, Lex's jaw dropped as her eyes adjusted to the dim interior. Inside were a couple dozen kids, ranging in age from early to late teens, some clustered around a video game system, others lounging on their beds, which were lined up in rows.
"This way," Jack said, striding across the large room. Lex followed him, hesitating as he ushered her into an office. She couldn't help but stare when she spotted its odd occupant.
The man was dressed in ragged layers, from his torn khaki pants, to the several jackets draped over his gangly shoulders. Beneath a crop of dark curls, brown eyes flickered over a sheaf of papers clutched in his gloved hands.
As if sensing their presence, the man slapped the papers onto the battered desk he sat behind. His face was covered by a liberal five o'clock shadow.
"Relax, kid," he lisped around two impossibly large front teeth. "I'm Luther."
Watching him smack his thin lips together, Lex was immediately reminded of the Bugs Bunny cartoons she'd watched years ago.
"The streets ain't a safe place for a kid like you," he said. "I figure you got a reason for not goin' home, but sooner or later, you're gonna get hurt staying out there. So, I got a proposition for you. You work for me, an' I'll give you a place to stay and food."
"What do I have to do?" Lex asked suspiciously.
"I'm in the supply and demand business. You get the supplies and I fill the demands." He shrugged with a smile.
"How? How would I get the supplies?"
"Procure them from the ... more... fortunate."
"Steal them?!" she gasped, eyes round with shock.
"I prefer to think of it as liberating them."
When Lex said nothing, just staring at him suspiciously, Luther sighed and explained the situation. "Let me put it another way, kid. Look at what you got right now. Nothing. Your clothes are filthy and you haven't had a hot meal, or a bath for that matter, in over a week. You work for me, you'll have three squares a day, your own bed, a bathroom and a weekly allowance to do with as you want. What have you got to lose?"
Nothing, she thought to herself, her mind drifting to the kids just outside the door. They looked healthy and happy, and certainly better treated than she had been with her mother.
So, that was how Lex had come to join Luther's band of larcenist orphans. Jack, along with the other kids, had welcomed her into their fold, with few questions asked and even fewer answered. With infinite patience they had eased her into jobs gradually, until she had become one of the most respected members of the crew.
Six years later, there was no lock she couldn't open, no pocket she couldn't pick. She was good at her work, and was revered for it amongst the younger members. But even that couldn't have prevented her from getting caught and landing in the brig of the SeaQuest.
No, it had been her paralyzing fear of water that had done that.
Sound asleep in a dirty corner of the stairs, Lex jerked awake as she was nudged by a sneaker. Springing to her feet, she backed away in alarm as her green eyes searched frantically for an escape.
"Relax, kid. I ain't gonna hurt ya," the boy said with a smirk, his hands jammed into the pockets of his jeans.
"What do you want?" she asked, glaring at him. He was tall and lanky, his pale complexion marred by the ravages of adolescent acne, his dark eyes hidden by long, unruly red hair.
"This ain't a good place for you," he replied, nodding at her surroundings. "I'm Jack."
Lex remained silent, watching him cautiously. The boy grinned, shaking his head. "Look, kid, I already told you I ain't gonna hurt you. I don't know why you're here, an' if ya don't wanna tell me, that's fine by me. I don't care. But my boss says it ain't safe here for you. Come with me, an he'll give you a job, a bed and real food."
Lex's stomach jumped at the mention of food. It had been over a week since she'd eaten anything not thrown away, and months since she'd slept properly in a bed. Realizing she'd run out of options, she nodded and followed Jack out of the stairs.
He led her through a maze of back alleys, coming to a stop at an abandoned warehouse. Pulling back a sheet of corrugated metal, he motioned for her to precede him inside.
Nervous, Lex's jaw dropped as her eyes adjusted to the dim interior. Inside were a couple dozen kids, ranging in age from early to late teens, some clustered around a video game system, others lounging on their beds, which were lined up in rows.
"This way," Jack said, striding across the large room. Lex followed him, hesitating as he ushered her into an office. She couldn't help but stare when she spotted its odd occupant.
The man was dressed in ragged layers, from his torn khaki pants, to the several jackets draped over his gangly shoulders. Beneath a crop of dark curls, brown eyes flickered over a sheaf of papers clutched in his gloved hands.
As if sensing their presence, the man slapped the papers onto the battered desk he sat behind. His face was covered by a liberal five o'clock shadow.
"Relax, kid," he lisped around two impossibly large front teeth. "I'm Luther."
Watching him smack his thin lips together, Lex was immediately reminded of the Bugs Bunny cartoons she'd watched years ago.
"The streets ain't a safe place for a kid like you," he said. "I figure you got a reason for not goin' home, but sooner or later, you're gonna get hurt staying out there. So, I got a proposition for you. You work for me, an' I'll give you a place to stay and food."
"What do I have to do?" Lex asked suspiciously.
"I'm in the supply and demand business. You get the supplies and I fill the demands." He shrugged with a smile.
"How? How would I get the supplies?"
"Procure them from the ... more... fortunate."
"Steal them?!" she gasped, eyes round with shock.
"I prefer to think of it as liberating them."
When Lex said nothing, just staring at him suspiciously, Luther sighed and explained the situation. "Let me put it another way, kid. Look at what you got right now. Nothing. Your clothes are filthy and you haven't had a hot meal, or a bath for that matter, in over a week. You work for me, you'll have three squares a day, your own bed, a bathroom and a weekly allowance to do with as you want. What have you got to lose?"
Nothing, she thought to herself, her mind drifting to the kids just outside the door. They looked healthy and happy, and certainly better treated than she had been with her mother.
So, that was how Lex had come to join Luther's band of larcenist orphans. Jack, along with the other kids, had welcomed her into their fold, with few questions asked and even fewer answered. With infinite patience they had eased her into jobs gradually, until she had become one of the most respected members of the crew.
Six years later, there was no lock she couldn't open, no pocket she couldn't pick. She was good at her work, and was revered for it amongst the younger members. But even that couldn't have prevented her from getting caught and landing in the brig of the SeaQuest.
No, it had been her paralyzing fear of water that had done that.