Freddy.

Freddy stared out the window. Going back to New York. Man, he'd been there so many times himself, as a homeless runaway. Now here he was, running after Zack. This made a change; usually it was him running away. Something big must have happened. Something...slightly scary, even...

He was jolted out of his thoughts, as the train screeched to a halt. He stepped off, and looked around. Freddy had changed a lot. He was older, and taller. His voice was a bit deeper, too, which was good. Zack had always teased him about sounding like Mickey Mouse. His hair was blonder, and spikier, his eyes were bigger and browner. He was wearing an old, faded Metallica shirt, and some ripped jeans.

He stared at all the sky-scrapers. Somewhere in this bustling, hurrying city was Zack. He stopped the nearest guy.

"Hey, dude, where's the coolest joint around here?" Too late he realized he was asking a middle-aged businessman. The guy looked at him strangely, then hurried off. No matter, he'd pay a call on Spider. That way, he'd have somewhere to sleep for the night, and if anyone knew where Zack was, Spider would.

A few minutes later he stumbled upon some kid begging.

"Hey, mister, my brother's lost. I need some money to find him, and..." He knelt down.

"Listen, kid, I recognize that line. You know Spider, don't you?" The kid nodded.

"Of course I know Spider! Every kid on the streets knows Spider, and Spider knows everyone. Everyone in the whole of New York."

"Is that so? Where's Spider now, then?"

"At the den. Want me to take you there?" Freddy checked his watch. It was nearly 9 p.m. Zack had been in the city for a day and three hours. Plenty of time for Spider to find out everything.

"Yes. But hurry up!"

A few hours later they were in the center of New York. They went into an old disused shopping mall. When they were inside, they walked up a broken elevator. The kid stopped in front of an old door.

"Here. But I'm not coming in!"

"Sure, sure, whatever." said Freddy, his mind on the symbol on the door in front of him. It was like, a segmented spider, like a diagram almost, but not quite...it'd been years since he'd seen that symbol. He looked down to say something to the youngster, but he'd already hurried off.

Freddy took a deep breath, pushed open the door and walked in. a teenager turned to face him, about 17, a few years younger than he was. But, and this was the thing that surprised most people, Spider was a girl. Her hard face broke into a smile, and she ran over to hug him.

"Yo, Spaz, how're you doing?!"

"Pretty good, Spid, and you?"

"I'm good." she said, nodding. "So, what makes you come here? I haven't seen you for what, five years? Four?"

"Well, I'm 19 now, and that's make it...four years, yeah. But life's good now I moved out, as opposed to ran out. I'm here because of a friend."

"In NY?"

"Yeah, so, are you aware of any new arrivals?"

"'Am I aware'? Man, Spaz, I run this city! Come over here." She went over to her laptop, and opened up a file. "Ok, let me see...boy or girl?"

"Boy."

"How long's he been here?"

"About...a day and three hours."

"Hmm...ah, we have a couple. But I think I know who you're looking for. Dark hair, dark eyes, looks a bit down, goes by the name of...'Zack'?"

"Yeah, that's him." He said, surprised. "How'd you know?"

"He has a guitar." She shrugged. "Go figure. And you know what the really surprising thing is?"

"What?"

"He's still got it. Not stolen, or nothing."

"But...what...how..."

"Look, come with me, and you can ask him, ok? In fact, today is not a walking day. He'll come to us." She picked up a cell phone. "Mouse? Bring Attack."

"Attack?"

"Yeah, something 'bout Zack Attack."

A few minutes later the door creaked open, and Zack came into the room.

"Ok, now you two happy campers are reunited, go!"

"What?"

"Look, you heard me! Go! And Spaz? Make sure Attack here goes home. I don't like having him here, he's too...look, I have to make sure he don't get hurt. And I'm not that kinda person. So go, both of you!"

They left the mall, neither of them speaking till they got outside. Then, Freddy was the first to break the silence. He sat on the ground, and Zack flopped down beside him.

"Zack."

"Freddy. Hey, is there anything going on between you and that Spider kid?"

"No! Look, I came here on the streets about four or five years ago, and she looked after me. We're like...brother and sister, I guess. Hey! Don't change the subject!"

"I'm not!"

"So?"

"What?"

"So, what are you doing here? I'm not used to being the looker, Zack, usually I'm the one being looked for."

Zack explained what'd happened.

"So, what, you just ran away?"

"Yeah."

"That's so stupid, Zack! You're 19! You could have moved out, or talked about it, or hit him back if you had to! Running away makes no difference, and believe me I know."

"I don't care. This is it, I'm doing well. I'm making $30 a day, playing at a coffee bar, and I've got my own flat, which I'm renting."

"But, Zack! You could be doing so much more! I mean, look at me. I've run out so many times, and I came back. And no offence, dude, but I was making over $100 a day, and I owned an apartment. But still, I came back!"

"Why?"

"Because...I don't know. It seemed right. I mean, there I was doing good, but I was on my own. Whereas at home, when I came back we talked. I wasn't mad at my family anymore. But hey, if you wanna stay here, you do that! I won't leave you, and you'll get by better with me, I know how to survive here. But Zack, I thought you weren't going to be a failure."

"I'm not!"

"But you're living in a bedsit making thirty dollars a day, when you could be touring with the band, making thirty hundred thousand dollars a day!"

"Fine! I'll come back, but I'm not speaking to him!"

"Who, Frank? Your dad?"

"Yes! I'm never speaking to him again!"

Zack came home, but never did speak to his father again. He regretted it when Frank died, and now wishes none of it had ever happened. He lives on his own in a mansion, but does not enjoy it.