As I promised. Chapter four.

Number 33: Wanted.

4. Help Wanted if Needed part 1

Man, what a week. He had never had such an… eventful week; or two. First chased by a couple of henchmen's for trying to pickpocket their boss. He gets shot and (thankfully) ends up in the care of the famous toy maker. Sure there was the few days of fever recovery, but they had been the most comfortable days of his past three years. If there was a chart to show how comfortable to how miserable those his life has been, those days would had been his highest point. They would then take a steep drop. Getting beat up by brute high school kids for defending much younger ones, not fun.

He was just glad that girl showed up when she did. After everything that he had to face, it would suck for his life to end in a dumpster. Those how think that would be poetic are just sick. Well, he supposed there was nothing left to do, but figure out… what to do. Jack had never really gotten this injuries before. Heck, the shot to the arm was more than a first for him. Another thing was that he had never been to a hospital or clinic either. He was pretty sure that you needed to pay for stuff like that or have… what was the word? Insurance? Yeah! That! What ever that is.

"What do I do now?"

Jack didn't have means to either and didn't have anywhere to go. Except for one. He had thought about the off that the kind man made him. Part of him wanted to, but another part of him just wasn't sure. No could blame him for thinking that. After all, living your life on the street isn't easy and walk in the parks can turn to hiding from rangers who have caught you too many times trying to sleeping there.

"I really don't have many choices here, do I?" The man had saved his life and he felt like he owed him for that. This is what he thought of on the way there. Jack figured that it be best to try the back do when he got there. No one would want to see his kind in that store. "If he asks me to stay the night, I guess, but just one night. Leave in the morning." He really did hate to bother him like this, but Jack figured it wouldn't be too much trouble. He hoped.

Jack was now just outside the back door. Now what? It would probably be best to knock, but would anyone even hear him or answer? Well, there was only one way to find out. Jack knocked on the door and waited patiently. The frigid air caused small impulses of shivers to his body. It could be worse of a feeling if he had only his old clothes. These ones that were given to him did a better job of keeping him a tad warmer. Even if only a tad.

Jack knocked again on the door. This time someone answered. It wasn't North, however. This guy was, in comparison, equal tall, large, and also had a lot of facial hair that made his face look… well hairy. Only this guys mustache and hair was more wild and less groomed and he appeared to be just a few years younger.

"Umm… Hi…"

North was thrilled when one of his workers came to him, saying that a strange white-haired young boy was at the back door claiming to know him. He took a break from his work to go greet him. It had been a week since the homeless teen had left. While he won't going to hold the boy against his will, he still worried. A boy that young shouldn't be living on the streets.

When he got to the back of the shop, he found Jack sitting in a chair in the corner with Phil standing not to far. He didn't look too pleased about this boy showing up and Jack didn't look too comfortable either. "It is alright, Phil. I do know him. You may go." The hairy man said something in Russian, that only North could understand, before walking away. North looked to Jack, who seemed a bit confused, but glad that the other guy saws gone.

"Do not worry. That's Phil, head of security here."

"Does he speak or even understand English?"

"He understands a bit, but his native tongue is Russian."

North finally noticed the black eye and other scrapes on Jack's face. "Jack, what happened to you?" Jack looked to the floor as though he was ashamed. Taking a deep breath, he figured it wouldn't hurt to tell him the truth.

"After I left that week ago, I stopped by at the school of this friend of mine. He's in elementary, but he's a really cool kid."

North found this a bit odd, but stayed quiet and listened.

Anyways, some older high school kids also showed up and started to gang up on him and his friends."

He was pretty sure where this was going and didn't like it.

"So I stepped in to try and stop them, but I…"

"-Got beaten up?"

"What?! No! Not quiet." The boy looked to the strange staff he had. North saw it as an odd thing for anyone to have. What was it about it that made it so special? Jack grabbed it, held it in his lap, judging something about it. Finally he spoke. "This staff… it allows me to… do stuff."

"Like what?"

"Look, I'm not really use to this, so give me a break."

"What do you mean?" Why was the boy getting so agitated?

"This! This whole coming to someone for help and… them actually caring." Now he understood. It made sense, too. The boy had been living on the street long enough to know that you can't always trust anyone and his trust in others was very slim. He could tell that with Jack, he wanted to trust him, but just those few years alone had built up walls.

"Come. I take you to infirmary. We talk more there."

Jack shrugged and stood up out of the chair. North noticed that he was gingerly holding his arm. The same arm that was previously injured. As they walked, he got the boy to come out with more of his story. He didn't care if he didn't give the details of his staff.

"Well, when they wouldn't leave the kids alone, we fought, and I kind of ended up sending them to the hospital, but it was anything serious. I don't think I'm strong enough to do anything that bad."

"You'd be surprised. In that situation, you were protecting little ones from being harmed. I think you could if you had to."

The boy looked surprised. North then asked him to continue on right as the got to the infirmary.

"Well, you see no one believed them when they told the doctors or the police that I beat them up, so earlier today, they found me and… I let them do this to me" gesturing to his face. Now that explained it, but North still had one question. Well, he would hold off on it for now. Jack need medical attention.

Who ever those teens were did a number on Jack. The doctor had given him an ice pack to keep on his one swollen eye. This time Jack's right arm was placed in a sling. While there was no broken bones still, it had most likely been still healing from the gun shot wound and would now take longer for the muscles to heal now. North brought Jack up to the living area of his shop.

Jack could guess now with more certainty that he was going to ask him to stay at the workshop again. He didn't want to be a burden. That and, as comfortable as beds are, he wasn't use to this kind of living.

The toymaker took him in to a kitchen/ dinning area. "Cookies?" asked North as he gestured to a plater of cookies under a glass cover. "Um… No thanks."

The two of them sat down across from each other at a large wooden table. North then proceeded to ask the question that had been on his mind from earlier. "I am curious about one thing from your story. Why did you let them beat you up when they found you? Why not fight back like before?" Not the question Jack was expecting, but it still put him in an uncomfortable position. "Well, I had this thing hidden," he gestured with his staff. "I guess I figured that it be better to hide it, get beat up, and still have it later than have it, fight, and risk losing and having it taken. Or worse, broken."

"It means that much to you?"

"Well, it's the only thing I have. The only thing I can call mine."

"I see."

For a few moments there was nothing, but silent awkwardness filling the space. Finally, North spoke. "Jack, after you left, I've been thinking and while I know neither one of us hardly knows the other, I want you to hear me out on this." Jack wasn't sure what to expect now and was frankly a little scared. Still, Mr. North had been more than kind to him so far, so what could hurt, right? Jack nodded in agreeing to hear the old man out. "I can understand from your view that it can be hard to trust people, but I want you to understand from my view, how hard it is to see someone of your age living out on the streets. Follow?"

Jack thought about what he said. Was he pitying him? Sure sounded that way. He kind of understood what he was saying, but Jack didn't really get the true meaning at the time.

"In short, I want to help you, Jack."

Jack never thought he would hear those words. He never even thought if he thought he would hear those words. Someone helping him because they wanted to? He had to be dreaming, right? Just the thought made Jack give a light chuckle, as though he found it amusing. "Help? I had been on my own for like, three… four years now?" Jack stood out of his chair. "I've had to scavenge for food, clothing, and and a half comfortable place to sleep. And now someone wants to help me?" Jack didn't believe it. He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't.

Before North could say anything to calm the boy down, he started to leave. He rushed out the door, through the workshop, passing Phil along the way, and ran out the back door. North ran after him the whole way, trying to get him to stop, but failed and only watched as the distressed homeless teen ran out of sight into the alley. When Phil asked him what had happened, North didn't give him a straight answer. He simply told him to mind the shop while he went out.