Life in New York

Here is the first chapter. Warning: Violence and abuse. Hope you all enjoy it.

Tom was going to trash many pamphlets as he could. No way was he going to let that horrible woman spread gossip about magic. He knew deep down that there was some sort of powerful magic force but it didn't mean that all magic was bad. Although ten years old, he was braving and strong and he was not afraid of his cruel foster mother.

It was 5 o'clock. Perfect timing to put his plan into motion. He gently stepped out of bed and slipped on his brown slips. He tiptoed out of the room that he shared with his older brother Credence whom he had cared for deeply since the day their mother took him in.

Upon reaching the open door, he poked his head through carefully to make sure no one was awake. No one was there. He breathed in relief. He crept out and closed the door softly. He gently tiptoed down the creaky steps. He had to take it slowly or his goose was cooked. When he reached the ground floor, he tiptoed across the wooden floorboards to the piles of pamphlets stinging on a table. He gathered them in a large sack and then snuck over to the large doors. He gently pushed it open and a whiff of cold air flew into the building. Quickly he stepped out into the still silent dark atmosphere and closed it.

He walked over to some bins and dumped all the pamphlets which he deemed inhumane into the bin. He then walked back inside and made his way quickly and quietly to his room, putting away his sack and crawling back into bed without a sound. He eyed his sleeping brother and pursed his lips. He prayed that tomorrow he would not be abused by their awful adoptive mother.

For the next few hours until dawn, Tom couldn't fall into a state of sleep. He was too busy worrying. What this the right thing to do? Would Credence get into trouble for his scheme? Was dumping away all those pamphlets a perfect plan to stall their caretaker's sadistic schemes of propaganda against his kin?

Living for four years under the roof of a cruel woman had made Tom a very determined but rather agitated person. Though he was only nine, he knew magic was not completely evil because pictures in his mind reminded him how beautiful it could be if used by the right people. He remembered his parents, a man with dark hair and a goofy grin on an itchy chin, and a woman with long dark hair and bright blue eyes which matched his. They were his parents. His parents whom he had lost four years ago to a dark wizard with contrasting eyes and a powerful wand. As he remembered them, he tenderly touched his most prized treasure. A necklace of three shapes, a triangle, a circle, and a line. He had kept it hidden all his life. Though young and physically helpless, he was brave and spiritually strong.

As his eyes were glued to the ticking hands that moved slowly like snails around the clock, the hour stick struck 8 and he heard the sour bell ring and a woman shouting: "Wake up!"

Instinctively, he pulled the blanket over himself and closed his eyes shut tight, just as pounding footsteps came marching into his room. He pretended to snore.

"Wake up boys!" Mary Lou splashed her adoptive sons with a wet brush.

"Hey!" Tom shouted.

"It's early," Credence whined.

"It's 8'o clock," Mary snapped. "Get dressed or you'll have no breakfast," she marched out of the room.

"Come on Tom" Credence said walking over to a wardrobe to pass his black suits. "Let's just do what she says,"

Tom wanted to say something but he knew his brother would not be swayed. He had been obeying Mary's rules and submitting to her threats for years that he had become too yielding to stand up for himself.

They exited their room and across the top floor, two girls came out. One with dark blonde hair in a bun and another long light blonde hair in plaits. Both wore grey and held vacant expressions. They were victims just as much as them though the older one Chasity was more willing to obey compared to Modesty who was young like Tom and more rebellious like him.

They didn't say 'good morning' or 'how did you sleep to them'. They were a very unemotional adopted family. They turned and were about to march down the stairs to get their breakfast when their guardian came marching up to them with a cruel expression. "Girls, go down," she ordered. The girls obeyed her and instantly walked away.

She stood in front of Credence holding out her hand. He took off his belt and handed it to her. Tom tried to stop him but even as an adult, he had spent too many years living under the abusive care of that woman that he would obey her every command.

Instantly she whipped his hand and he fell to the floor in pain.

"Stop!" Tom shouted, coming in front of him. "He hasn't done anything!"

"I wake up and now I find all my pamphlets gone. Credence was supposed to take good care of them and they've disappeared

"How could he possibly have done this when he was asleep last night?" Tom tried to defend him. "I saw him put them in piles perfectly before he went to bed. You can't punish him,"

Mary marched up on him. He wasn't afraid. "How dare talk to me that way boy,"

"No! How dare you abuse him like this? Like you've done his entire life! Why are you so cruel?"

Mary grabbed his arm and wrangled him to the side. She was about to strike Credence again when Tom shouted up. "Stop! It was me!"

Mary Lou paused and looked at him.

"I threw away the pamphlets! I'm the one you wanna punish!"

Mary stomped upon him whilst Credence slowly twisted his head towards Tom. He looked betrayed. Tom couldn't blame him. He had caused trouble and he was getting punished for it.

"You're wasting your time gossiping about something that's not real," Tom spat out. "There are a lot of things that can cause destruction," he argued. "How can you know this is unnatural when you don't have any proof?"

Mary Lou whipped him across the face. Credence felt his heart jump.

Down below, Modesty heard the whip and jumped. Chastity however wasn't moved.

Tom's eye was black and he had a scratch that was bleeding. Although wounded and lying on the ground, he remained strong. He did his very best not to cry but his abuser knew that he was shuddering.

"You dare speak up for wicked threats that harm this city?" Mary questioned. "You dare try to destroy my work,"

"The only wicked threat here is you," Tom spat.

Mary whipped him in the face again. He fell to the floor beginning to cry.

"You will have no food today. You will write every one of those pamphlets again. And if you ever pull another trick like this, you can be back on the street where I found you," Mary stood up and walked away, not evening apologising or giving her eldest adopted child an apology or a glance.

Credence came over to Tom and hugged him tightly. "Why did you do it?"

"Because she's wrong," Tom sobbed. "She's wrong to spread ridiculous gossip and make us look like mental fools. I'm so sorry. I never meant for you to get into trouble,"

For the long morning, Tom was forced to write every pamphlet without food or even a sip of water. To make matters worse, Mary Lou also added in another penalty of being sentenced to the cellar every night for a month. How Tom hated the cellar. With the darkness and the rats and the webs. It frightened him.

Whilst Mary Lou was busy going out to buy a perfect item of clothing to present herself in, Credence and Modesty slowly came over with a plate of food and a cup of water much to his relief. They were the only good thing in his life ever since his parents were killed when he was six and Mary Lou found him on the streets and took him in just to be a pawn in her campaigns just like them.

Once their caretaker was back, she made them dress up in smart black clothes and carry banners and pamphlets. She did not carry anything at all; they were her slaves and she was their master who they would obey at all times or be punished severely. They walked many blocks till they made it to the New York bank where they made their post on the stairs.

To Mary Lou's relief, many people were coming in and out. Instantly, she began speaking out to the ground talking about strange events that had been happening these last weeks. "Something is stalking our city, wreaking destruction, and then disappearing without a trace!"

Tom rolled his eyes. It sickened him to see her talking about magic this way. Though he was six when his parents were killed, he remembered them performing beautiful magic on him and that was motivated in his goal to stall her campaigns. Though he remained very worried. He knew there was dark magic in the world. Green flashes of dark magic sparked in his eyes every night he remembered that horrible day.

As he listened to the ghastly woman's speech, he eyed the audience staring up at her. He noticed a tall woman with a bob-cut haircut under a grey hat that matched her long coat. She was reading one of the offered pamphlets whilst eating a hot dog. For some reason he recognised her; she looked so similar.

Just then, he saw a tall man with shaggy brown hair in a long blue coat carrying a brown leather suitcase stumbling towards them as if he had tripped.

His calamity caught Mary Lou's attention. "You friend. What drew you to our today?

"Oh... I was just passing," the man answered nervously.

"Are you a seeker? A truth?"

"I'm more of a chaser, really," somehow the man's answer made Tom narrow his eyes at him; there was something very strange about him.

"Hear my and heed my warning. And if you dare. Witches live us!" Mary Lou pronounced. "We have to for the sake of our children, for the sake of tomorrow!"

Tom was very repulsive. She claimed everything she did was for the greater good of others yet she enjoyed tormenting them.

"What do you say to that, friend?"

"Excuse me," the man dashed off up the stairs. As Tom eyed him, he saw him drop something from his pocket. It looked like a little green stick man; it looked...magical.

"Sir! Wait!" Tom dropped the banners and jogged after him, scooping the little creature in his hands before he could get trampled on.

"Tom! Get back here!" Mary Lou shouted but Tom didn't turn back.

Credence looked worriedly out for him.

Tom entered the bank, searching desperately for the man in the long blue coat but he was nowhere to be seen. It was too difficult to find him in such a crowded bank with people shuffling in and out. They kept bashing into him without looking. Struggling to stand out in the crowd, Tom accidentally dropped the little creature who began scurrying around in fear.

"Hey wait!" Tom cried out trying to reach him before he could get squashed like a bug. "I won't hurt you!"

He managed to spot the little creature reaching just under a bench. He came over and looked underneath but it was scared.

"Please don't be scared. I won't hurt you," he said. "I'm just taking you back to your owner," he gently reached a hand under him. "Please come out,"

The little green stick man twitched his hand. It walked over. It saw how gentle Tom was being. It touched his finger and it slowly hugged it. Tom gently pulled him out and held him in the palm of his hand behind one of the bank's supporting coliseums. "There. See. I'm your friend. Any chance you might know where your owner is?"

The little creature looked around and it pointed a finger right. Tom turned his head and he saw the man in a long blue coat with a slightly shorter plumber man with short dark hair and a moustache. The moment the tall man's blue eyes were locked on his, he fished out a long thin wand and with a whoosh, Tom was magically pulled towards him.

The moment Tom touched him and the plumb guy, he felt his entire body twisting and turning and he felt queasy. Next thing he knew he was on the stairs behind the bank's golden fences with the two men. He gasped feeling queasy too. "Oh my," he gasped, stumbling back away from the men downstairs. He was scared.

"Kid it's okay," the man said. "You're not in any danger,"

"I just...wanted to return him to you," Tom offered up the little green stick guy.

The man was relieved to see him. "There you are Pickett,"

Pickett jumped off Tom's hand onto his.

"Thanks, kid," he said. "Now please excuse me," The man jogged down the stairs leaving Tom with the plumb guy.

"Wait! Hold up!" Tom rushed after him down the stairs towards the big vault which was where the bank stored all its gold and money. "Who are you?"

The man didn't turn to him. He bent down and opened his case putting a silver cracking egg inside. "Everyone settle down," he was speaking into the suitcase. Tom cocked his head. Were there more of those little creatures like the one he had returned down there? "Don't make me come down there,"

"Who are you talking to?" Tom asked.

"Hey fella!" the plumb guy called out after him.

"Oh, so you're going to steal the money are you?" a sudden voice made Tom jump. He turned and saw a tall man in a smart suit down the corridor, the owner of the bank.

"Sir, wait!" Tom tried to speak up. "This is a misunderstanding,"

But the man pressed a button and the alarm rang.

"Petrificus Totalas," the man with the suitcase cast. Instantly the man froze.

Tom felt his heart jump. "You're a wizard," he breathed. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Uh, Newt. Can't talk right now. Alohomora," Newt magically opened the bank vault. He went inside and he grasped a little black furry creature. He dangled him upside down and to Tom's surprise piles of money and gold and shiny objects poured out of his seemingly bottomless pouch. He then ticked him.

"Oh my god. What is that thing?" Tom asked.

"Really can't talk now kid," Newt answered back.

"What is inside your case?" Tom bent in front of the closed case and opened it. "Oh my god,"

"Wait kid I wouldn't do that if I were you..." Newt tried to warn but the curious boy wouldn't listen.

Suddenly the plumb guy behind them shouted, "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" as guys with guns came rushing towards them. As he stumbled back in fright, he nudged against Tom and Tom fell right into the suitcase face first as he had leaned too far forward.

What did you all think? Please send reviews and let me know what you all thought of Tom so far. Also, I would love to hear ideas if you have any in mind. See you all in the next one.