3rd Person
The pups huddled closely together as they followed the strange girl they met in the alley, not feeling at all comfortable – especially given their past experiences meeting people in alleyways. Still, the girl was also a pup, and she seemed to understand their position better than any of the adults they’d met. She and the little boy led them into what could only be described as an underground maze catacomb of tunnels running beneath the town.
What is this place?” Riley whispered anxiously.
It’s the old sewers. The girl replied, as if this was perfectly normal. The city put in a new system a few years ago, and this was left behind.”
The sewers?” Paisley repeated. “Eewww!”
“It’s not so bad.” The girl answered with a shrug, they haven’t been used in ages. It doesn’t smell great, but no one ever comes down here either.”
What’s your name?” Parker asked, looking around at the dark, dank walls surrounding them.
I’m Sophie.” The girl tossèd a smile over her shoulder, then gestured to the boy at her side. “And this is Bailey. We’ve been on our own for a long time now.”
You don’t have parents?” Parker questioned.
No one down here has parents.” Sophie scoffed.
There are other peoples down here? Ryder asked in wonderment.
Sure!” Sophie exclaimed, “there’s lots of orphans here, and eventually everyone needs a safe place to |go when the orphanage or foster homes get too bad.”
This, is safe?” Riley muttered under her breath.
“Safer than with grown ups.” Sophie quipped, “We have a warm place to sleep, and there’s almost always some kinda food around.”
“But aren’t there like, rats and things?” Ryder inquires, gazing around with wide eyes as if he expects to see some coming around the corner ahead of them.
“Sometimes.” Sophie confirmed, sounding entirely unbothered by the face.
“But what about school and ‘tivities?” Riley asked, “don’t you miss having a bed to sleeps in? An’ someone to take care of you?
I never had any of those things.” Sophie frowns, most of us didn’t. Besides, Fabian takes care of us.”
Parker wondered
the oldest one
living on the streets longer than any of us. He knows all the ins and outs of the city, and all the tricks of the trade.
What trade?” Ryder questioned.
pick pocketing, cons of all
you talking bout stealing?” Paisley asked, recognizing some of these
like, but
stealing’s wrong.” Paisley
don’t steal, we don’t eat.” She explained. “You’ll see soon enough, nothing here is as simple as
to your parents?”
abandoned me when things got too
as unemotionally as if she was talking about someone else’s life. “Bailey’s died.. but we
Ryder prompted, amazed that even
there are dozens of us working for
pup, so he
A moment ago Sophie had made the mysterious Fabian sound like just another orphan, but now it seemed like he was their boss. That idea didn’t sit well
just wanna get home.” Parker told
you’ve gotta find a way to make
meet?”
have to learn to
most ‘portant
faces with more understanding than the pups
wanna see them again, you have to learn
feeling churning in their bellies. They didn’t like the sound of this arrangement, though none of them could really place their finger on the reason
what’s first?” Riley
you meet Fabian.” Sophie explained. Then,
other side of the kingdom, far from the northern port or mountain villages, Eric was struggling to keep his face free of emotion when Anita walked into his father’s
King Aimon to hear his son out, and even then he hadn’t made the task easy. Eric had been forced to kneel before the King and denounce Ethan and Jane, stating that everything that had happened over the last four years had
only returned because Jane threw him over for Ethan. Still, in the years they’d been apart, Aimon’s oldest son
period to prove his loyalty once more,
trust he’d been working to cultivate between them slip away before his very eyes. He knew he was in trouble the moment Anita opened her mouth. When she
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