After a long day of cooking, cleaning, and general upkeep and care of the few possessions the fourteen boys owned contained within their shack, Adam was growing concerned. Pygmy Bob was late. Of course he was always late, but today he was even later than usual. The rest of the boys had already returned home over an hour ago with the necessities so PeeBee’s contributions weren’t necessary, but he was still part of the gang. And the gang didn’t stop protecting its members just because they were difficult. Especially PeeBee.
Pygmy Bob, or PeeBee to his friends, was tiny and an actual member of the Pygmy race, hence the moniker. It also differentiated him from Dwarven Bob who at nearly the height of an adult human at the age of nine was most decidedly not a Dwarf despite the original assumptions when he grew a beard at four years of age. PeeBee was a little on the slow side, but made up for it by being incredibly helpful and caring. The boy was like a puppy, eager to be involved in everything, but too clumsy to be useful. And so cute and endearing you couldn’t really be mad at him when he made a mess of things. He was also innocent, naive, and trusting, which led to more trouble than his other qualities.
PeeBee’s nature was a major reason they were a street gang in the first place, instead of still being raised in the care of the temple orphanage. One of the guards had taken a more than passing interest in the tiny, trusting child. And not in a good way. The other boys had tried to explain the dangers in being too friendly with certain guards, but he wouldn’t listen. After repeatedly interrupting the guard when he approached PeeBee resulted in sneaky beatings and threats hidden from the rest of the guards, Adam devised a plan to get them all out. Six months later they were scraping by on the street, making time and struggling to make ends meet until one of them went through their Awakening.
Their time on the streets hadn’t exactly been easy, but was still better than Adam had anticipated. Begging and pickpocketing didn't pay well, but young boys also didn't need much. As the oldest he felt responsible for the others, so they had put him in charge. His work training at the orphanage had also taught him the beginnings of several skills that allowed him to keep them all fed and clothed, although doing so left him little time for anything else. As such they started to jokingly call him Mom. It became his official title when a guard started showing interest in a couple of the boys loose in the city without parents. When his truth spell showed they weren’t lying when they said they needed to get home to Mom, he let them go and dropped his inquiry.
It hadn’t ever been easy, but Adam, at thirteen years old, hoped to Awaken soon. Depending on his Class, he could support them all without needing to steal and beg. They might even be able to afford a decent school if he got a good combat Class. He wasn’t sure of the details on how Classes were assigned, but he knew that most people got their Classes in their mid teens, although girls could get theirs as early as twelve or thirteen. All he’d learned about the Awakening from the temple was that when the mana built up high enough in children they would Awaken and receive the Gift of a Class, entering the apprentice years. Apprentices weren’t yet full adults, which happened after their Class Evolution, but most were still paid as long as they could find a master or sponsor to work for. Even less useful Classes could still easily find work, as taking an apprentice would provide experience for the master.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Adam looked around the room as he set the stew pot on the table. Still no PeeBee. “Braxton! You were with Pygmy Bob today, right?” he asked. Most of the boys were fine on their own, the city wasn’t that dangerous, but PeeBee always had at least one other boy with him. Since they had fled to the city, he’d become both needier and more morose, although no one understood why and he wouldn’t talk about it. He wasn’t alone in having a difficult time, but it made a larger impact with him. As did the growing resentment of the other boys at having “babysitter duty.”
The other boy nodded distractedly, fighting for a spot at the table nearer to the stew. After a dirty elbow to the ribs winded him, he grunted and backed off to another chair. Seeing Adam still staring at him he mumbled out a response, “Yeah, but the little mutt wouldn’t stop helping the old farts at the market. I wasn’t about to stick around for that crap. Besides, some guard was eyeballing us, so I got out of there before he got any more suspicious.”
Adam’s unease simply increased. Normally, splitting the boys up when a guard showed too much interest was the right decision, but with his abnormally helpful attitude for a street kid PeeBee was virtually invisible to the guards who were searching for troublemakers. Really the only reason a guard would be watching the boy was if it was, “Harold.” His voice was hoarse and his eyes wide with fright.
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At the utterance of that name the entirety of the shack fell to silence. It was all the more shocking as a dozen boys squabbling for food in a small one room shack that barely held them all could best be described as a cacophony. The sudden disappearance of that volume of noise would worry most people. Adam’s eyes zeroed in on Braxton again, “Was it?” he snapped.
Shacking, Braxton looked scared as he responded, “I… I don’t know. He… The guard kept his distance.”
“Was he watching both of you, or just PeeBee?”
After a moment of thought, he said, “Peebee. Gods, it’s him isn’t it?” His voice was shaking more than before.
Nodding absently Adam said, “Probably. The question is does he want all of us, or just PeeBee.” He knew there was no time, but he still needed to think. Unfortunately, he didn’t get it.
Pygmy Bob walked through the door wearing that small half smile he had always had when he’d been chatting with Harold. The man had always complimented the tiny boy, giving him sweets to convince him there was no reason to be worried like the other boys insisted. Adam knew nothing untoward had yet happened, but he also knew it was Harold’s endgame. Once more he lamented that the other guards hadn’t believed his concerns. It wasn’t entirely their fault. The other guards were family men who could never conceive of such disgusting acts, and they had faith in their co-workers. Sadly, one of their co-workers happened to be the very scum they were supposed to be guarding the children from.
Adam opened his mouth to question PeeBee on the events of his day, when the worst happened. Bob turned his head to smile at the man who followed him through the door. And in a flash Adam suddenly understood.
Pygmy Bob would never listen to their concerns about Harold. Not only was it not in his nature to be distrustful, the guardsman also affirmed Bob’s need to be glorified. Everyone wants to be told they were special, but for someone who was aware of their inability to do even the simplest of tasks without making a mistake it held an inescapable allure. The boy’s change in attitude after they fled was because they had taken him from the only person he thought valued him. They were all orphans, all coping with that hole in their hearts that used to be filled by parents and family. Most of the boys filled it not with other adults that would never measure up to the memories they had of their perfect parents, but with the other boys and girls of the orphanage who could easily be the brothers and sisters they never had. Bob didn’t do that. He needed adult validation, something a predator like Harold had spotted immediately.
Despite his moment of brilliant insight, it had come too late. A predator disguised as a protector had entered their home, and there was nothing a dozen unawakened boys could do to the guardsman. All Adam could do was stare in horror as the man entered their pitifully sized home. He’d been so happy when they had found it, a place of their own that had space for all of them, but small enough they still needed to be close. Now, with a sick dread filling him, he saw it for the cage it had become. The sound of his pounding heart was filling his ears, deafening him to the words of PeeBee as he welcomed destruction into their home.
As he and the other boys of their pitiful gang stood paralyzed with fear, Adam spotted a shadow at the doorway. His breath came in ragged gasps as he watched another guardsman step into the doorway. This one wasn’t from the orphanage though; he was a city guard, a different breed. A breed that gave them a chance, slim as it was. Suddenly the smile on Harold’s face appeared in a changed perspective. It wasn’t the smile of victory, or even the smile of a sadist looking forward to the only thing that brings them joy. No, it was a mask to hide his frustration at a lost chance, a stymied forbidden desire. Once more Adam had hope.
For a child hope is something they should never need to feel. Hope is for those that are desperate, those that need things. Children with families should only want, not need. Orphans are different though. Many of the things they need are gone. An orphanage only meets the physical needs of the children under their supervision, they can’t truly replace the love and care given by a parent. So orphan’s have hope. Often irrational, rarely fulfilled, but hope all the same. And Adam’s hope was no more rational than the hope of a child missing a departed parent.
He hoped that, this time, he could save his family.