"Alright, we sit here any longer, you'll turn into a corpse too," The man named Kenny declared. Levi looked up toward the very tall man. He said he was an acquaintance". What was an acquaintance? That's what he said he was to his mom. Was it like a client but special? She had lots of those come every day before she got sick.

But the other clients never paid attention to him because he always hid under the bed while Mom did her work, or if they did see him, they'd quickly become scared, and on one occasion, he got spit at. This one wanted to take him away.

Levi sat frozen.

"What? Did you forget how to walk?"

"No."

"Then move your skinny little ass off the ground."

This large man wasn't going to move until he did. Levi put his hands out forward and tried to push himself upward, but it hurt. He yelped, though he bit his lip. Crying in front of this man seemed like a bad idea.

"Damn it, you eat anythin' down here recently? It looks like yer made of sticks." Kenny pulled Levi to his feet. "And the cold's bitten you. Tell me, has anyone else come in here in the past few weeks?"

The bald man visited once when a client complained about mom being too feverish to perform. He told her to let him know when she felt better and left. But she never got better. One day, she never opened her eyes again. Levi tried to leave the room- he'd been taken out once with mom when they had to sit on the street and ask for food and money to see a doctor. Other than some coins and stale bread, they got nothing. But at the desk where the bald man sat, there were some scary men who looked at him.

"Hey, little girl."

"I'm not a girl. I'm a boy."

"Even better. Boys are stronger." His toothy smile made him look like a wild dog.

"Back off. This one's not for sale. His mother has a whore's disease, and he's probably contagious. So he'd best back off to his room." The bald man snarled. Levi darted back. What was a whore's disease, and why did mom have it? Was he going to get it and not wake up one day too?

He sat in a corner, not wanting to leave mom alone. He had nowhere to go.

"No. They don't know mom's dead. I tried to tell the man at the desk, but he didn't care."

"Shouldn't be too surprised in a place like this," Kenny muttered. "A brat like you is easily disposable, even more than yer mom. A shame you had to be born here." He looked around the room. "I take it you don't have anything to bring with you."

"No." This was the most an adult had ever spoken to him other than mom.

"Good. 'Cause I don't have enough room for a whole collection of rusty pots and pans where we're goin'. Now, we're not takin' yer mom with us either. We'll take her to get buried later. Got it?"

"Y-yes."

Kenny grabbed his wrist. His grip was tight, not like the gentle one his mom had. Was this really happening? Someone had come to take him away from here? But… he didn't want to go away from here either. Outside the room, it was really dark and noisy and smelly in the streets. He hated it when the wagons drawn by horses- very big animals- splashed him with mud when he had gone out there to beg. People were loud and threw up after drinking too much alcohol- which his mom would never touch. She always drank-

"Wait!"

"What?" Kenny sighed.

"I need to get something." Kenny let his grip loose and Levi scurried to the creaky wooden cabinet where their chipped plates and cups were. He fumbled in the dark until he recognized the handle. This was mom's favorite one.

"This? This is what you want to bring?"

"Mom… loved tea."

Kenny looked back at the bed where mom laid dead, and then he knelt over and looked at the teacup. "She was keen on it. Almost drunk on it. Hadn't changed since before… nevermind. Let me take it."

"No!" Levi held it close to him. How dare this stranger try to take his mom's most precious item.

"Come on, don't be such a brat and learn to share. It'll be safer in my bag if anyone bumps into you. With yer skinny legs, not sure which one is more likely to break first. Okay?"

Reluctantly, Levi gave it to Kenny, who placed it gently in his bag as he promised. He hoped that wherever Kenny wanted to bring him, his place had a cabinet where he could put it too. Did Kenny like tea too? He didn't want him drinking from it if he did.

"Alright, that's enough. We gotta get you somethin' to eat. Gotta get your strength up before I take care of some very important business before burying yer mom." Kenny's voice sounded snarly like a street dog that was hungry. Levi didn't like dogs either. Kenny didn't seem like he wanted to eat him though. And his fingers didn't have claws in them. His nails were cut very even and thin for someone with strong hands. Though there was something on his belt that looked very sharp. It looked like a knife.

Levi looked at his mom's body one last time. She had gone cold and gray. Her hair was thin and dirty. It wasn't wavy and pretty like it was before she got sick. Why couldn't Kenny have come when she was still alive?

"Bye, mom," he choked out. He bit his lip. It really hurt.

Kenny didn't bother shutting the door. He brought Levi down the hallway to the front desk, passing by a man being led by the hand of a lady dressed in a very small tight dress. She had these stockings on that were an "X" pattern. Her face was pale, but not like mom's was now. This lady's face was white because she had put on a lot of powder that made her look almost as white as the teacup made of porcelain, as mom explained.

"Oh honey doll, let me cure you, you sick, sick, dog." The lady's voice purred. The man laughed.

Mom never did that voice when she had a client. She always kept quiet and did what they said.

At the desk, the bald man sat, paging through some book while he counted the coins. When he looked up, he looked startled. Kenny whispered, "Change of plan. Try not to drop dead of starvation for a moment. I'm taking care of that business now."

The bald man cleared his throat. "Oi, what's this? You found a street orphan in here? We get them a lot, trying to take shelter for the night. Thank you. We'll take care of it from here."

Kenny leaned over and got into the bald man's face. "It is Ophelia's brat. Isn't he?"

So Kenny did know mom's work name. She didn't like to use her real name when she had clients. She told Levi her real name was Kuchel, but that it was a secret to keep between them. She didn't want anybody finding her, she explained, but she never explained who was trying to find her.

"Ophelia's brat?" The bald man chuckled nervously. "Bullshit. She never had a child."

Kenny let go of Levi's hand and slammed both hands onto the desk. "With a face like hers matchin' in life and near death. What a coincidence." Levi stepped back. From here, Kenny was bearing his teeth.

"Alright, alright! This was her kid! I thought many times of selling him to ease her burden before but she always resisted! If you're that desperate to buy the little rat, fine, but he's not healthy, and he's too meek and might be sick with the whore's disease-"

Kenny reached over and lifted the bald man by the throat. Levi scuttled into the nearest corner that smelled like smoke from a cigar. A client entering the building took one look at the sight and took off running. He dropped some coins on the ground.

"Is the brat a whore? Because only whores get whore's disease."

"N-n-n-" the bald man choked out. He flailed and kicked his legs, knocking the items off his desk.

"No, I take it?" He gave the man a shake. Kenny was tall, but how could he be so strong to lift such a large, round man like this man?

"N-NO!" His face turned bright red, and beads of sweat fell down his face. And with that, Kenny threw him against the wall. A giant crack circled the wall like the spiderweb in the room. The hit was so strong that the ground shook and the desk fell on its side. Levi jumped back, trying to blend into the smelly corner. Why was he hurting the man?

"Maybe ye wouldn't have to think about how much less money you have now if you'd done a damn decent thing to give Ophelia some medicine, and you wouldn't have to think of selling the brat in his condition. Not that your consideration would be doing a good favor for him either." Kenny reached under his coat and pulled the knife from his belt. Levi heard the man breathing heavily and whimpering.

"R-r-ripp… per?" The bald man stuttered out. Kenny stepped over the fallen desk. He held the knife back.

"Stop!" shouted Levi. "Stop hurting him!" He didn't want another person to die. The bald man was only doing the job he did every day, taking the money of lots of clients.

Kenny looked back in surprise at Levi. He retracted his knife. "The Ripper? Oh, that bloody bastard? I thought his huntin' grounds was above ground in the rich city of Mitras. Nah. I'm only some pissed off old acquaintance of Ophelia. You're not gettin' a damn cent off of him." His boot stomped deep into the man's face with one swift kick. "Oh, learn to smile. I'm takin' care of your problem for free." The man moaned in pain. "If you promise to treat your women nicer, I'll take care of Ophelia's body too. Much better than you ever did."

"P-p-please…."

"I take that as a yes. Right? Okay."

Levi stood motionless. He'd never seen a person do something like this. Kenny exhaled.

"It's settled, brat. We're leaving. Get those coins off the ground first. We're gonna need 'em until you can do what I do to get by."

"But… they aren't ours. We have to beg."

Kenny snorted. "Beg? Are you a dog? Dogs don't cry for their meals. They hunt. But for now, we'll have to pay like other people. Just do it. That client's not going to come back crying for money he was going to give away anyways." His glare was ice cold. Levi did as he was commanded.

What did Kenny want with him?

…

Whatever Kenny wanted, Levi quickly forgot about it as he wolfed down some loaves of bread, which were so soft and fresh that he barely chewed on them. He had forgotten what real food tasted like. The coins he gave to Kenny could do all this. He wanted to find more, buy more bread, and bring it home with him. They never had this much food in the room.

Kenny was frowning at him as he enjoyed a sip of some drink that smelled like alcohol. Levi had never been inside a "tavern" before. That was where alcohol was, Kenny had explained. It was where adults gathered, so there were no other children there. Only adults who looked unhappy at him.

"Oi, eat a little slower. Piglets have better manners," Kenny whispered.

Levi gripped his bread. "But I'm hungry."

"Yeah. And I bet none of these people would have thought to take ye out of that brothel. Brothel workers like yer mom don't get the respect they need except when they need to take out their… desires on them." Kenny paused. He muttered something under his breath that sounded like, "How do I talk to brats?" He took another swig of his drink.

Levi took another bite of bread, albeit slower. Some of the onlookers turned back to their conversations, which didn't sound very happy either. A few made comments loud enough to hear that sounded like they were talking about him.

"Was that kid stolen off the funeral pyre?"

"I've never seen another Undergrounder look so pale."

"How long d'you bet he'll live?"

Kenny slammed his pint down. "Alright, take what you can carry. We're leaving."

Levi cradled the remaining bread. When would he get such good food again? He wondered if Kenny knew how to boil rats and mice to perfection just like mom did when she couldn't get enough clients. "Can we come back here again?"

"When you're ready to take on the whole world, brat."

The whole world? What did that mean? He knew he lived in a place called the Underground City which was under a big city above where only rich people lived. How big was the whole world? He trailed behind Kenny cautiously, peering at the remaining hardened faces watching his every step. One lady in the tavern who carried drinks on a giant plate covered her mouth. "Poor thing," she cooed.

The illuminated streets welcomed them, although the passersby didn't bother to greet them as they went about their own business. Levi took a bite into one of his bread loaves. He didn't want anybody grabbing them. Kenny seemed more concerned about getting a move on.

"Where are we going now?"

"We'll find a place for the night to sleep. Nothin' long term is set yet, but the money should be flowin' down soon to get an apartment."

"Down from where? Are you getting the money from clients?"

Suddenly, Kenny grabbed Levi by the collar. He yelped and nearly dropped his bread.

"Don't be talkin' about money in the open, brat. You know how easy a target that makes you? You'll get swarmed like a trough in a feeding pen."

"I'm sorry, Kenny."

"Don't apologize. Ye know nothin'. We'll talk more in the inn." He scooped Levi up under his arm and lugged him along in the streets.

…

The inn looked a lot like the place called the brothel from the inside. There was a front desk and a man at the desk taking money, but the man didn't talk about trying to sell Levi. In fact, he didn't seem to care about what Levi looked like or that Kenny was with him, only that Kenny paid fully up front for a room for the night. But Kenny didn't agree to it. He talked for some time before the man at the desk knocked down the price to something that cost less money. Levi was glad that Kenny didn't try to throw this man against the wall too.

"Lousy room taxes," Kenny muttered as he jiggled the door open with a key. The room had one bed and a wash bin, plus a dresser and mirror. Levi went toward the mirror. He'd seen his reflection in puddles of water before, but never a mirror. His hair was very long. Mom had gotten too sick to cut it. Maybe that was why one of the men at the brother thought he was a girl.

"Kenny, can you cut my hair?"

"Why d'you want that?" Kenny asked, putting his bag on the bed. "I'm not a barber. I'm better at cutting up other things."

"I look like a girl."

"I have long hair. Would you call me a girl?" Kenny dug out the teacup which Levi had forgotten about and placed it on the bed. Levi trotted over, not worried about his hair anymore. "It's yours to watch from now on. You'll never learn to be responsible if ye don't take it up young."

Levi looked around for a place to put it. The room didn't have any cabinets to store dishes, and he didn't want to put it on top of the dresser he couldn't reach. And he didn't want anybody else to find it. Then, he peaked. There was plenty of room under the bed. Other than a lone spider disturbed by the movement, there was no way anybody would guess it was here.

"Get on the bed," Kenny ordered. "It's time ye learned somethin'."

Levi climbed onto the soft mattress. He thought there was an odd dark stain on the comforter. Kenny laid out his knife. He had mentioned he was good at cutting things.

"Yer mom did a great job keepin' you safe in that brothel. Not many young women are that strong to stand up to pimps when it comes to their brats. But now she's gone. It's your turn to learn to live out here. You saw those people at the tavern starin' you down? I bet half of 'em would have had no qualms snatchin' that bread out your hands if I wasn't there."

"But we paid for it."

"Money can't guarantee anythin', brat. A bigger fish always swims around, lookin' to feed off the smaller ones. You can't let that scare ye into hidin' in a locked room the rest of your life, however long that may be." He picked up the knife. "In order to live down here, yer gonna have to learn to get dirty and bloody."

Levi blinked. "Dirty?"

"Don't tell me a little dirt is gonna upset ye after what you've been through. Tough luck if you feel the same way of getting hurt." Kenny took off his coat and rolled up his sleeve. His arm was filled with red marks. "See these? I got all these when I was barely more than your age. Couldn't cry, or I'd get my throat sliced while distracted."

It was funny to think about Kenny being so small like him. But Levi was feeling rather tired, and the blankets felt so comfortable. He undid the neatly prepared covers and climbed under. It was clean here other than the stain on top. Nothing like this dirtiness Kenny described.

"What, tired already? Well, it's your first night out and yer full. But tomorrow, we're startin', ready or not. Got it?"

"Yeah."

"Right then. Now, I have some things I need to do. We'll get yer mom ready for burial, but I have other work I do. So no leavin' this room, or I won't be able to help ye if you fall into shit. Okay?"

"Okay."

Kenny put on his coat, took his bag, and left the room. The door clicked shut. Levi was all alone once more. The blankets were very heavy on his small body, but he felt safe, like his mom was hugging him. And he had Kenny. Kenny was a bit scary, but he was bigger and stronger than him and could take on any man his size or larger. He didn't seem to be making a joke about getting dirty and bloody. That made Levi nervous.

But he was safe. And for the first time in weeks, he fell asleep.