17 year old Toby lived on the south side of town, the side the light never really touched. The side where the street had more residents than the buildings and if someone takes your purse that’s honestly your fault for not holding it tighter. It wasn’t the most fun place to live but at least he knew his conscience was clear. He's not sure the rich pricks in the big city could say the same. He walked into the grocery store to his right.

The harsh lights gave him a headache. What was playing on the TV made him even more annoyed, “Superhero Dove swooped in to save 3 lives from a construction accident ”, if he had these powers he could do so much more. He’d actually go to the places that needed help, not spend his days sitting on rooftops waiting for something to happen. He didn’t want to listen to this man get a bunch of praise, that’s when he remembered he didn’t have to. Toby was  a bit of a tinkerer. Maybe that’s an understatement, his inventions make him just as capable as those with magic in their blood. He uses them for something slightly different though.

With the turn of the dial stashed away in his hoodie pocket the TV went straight to static and more importantly so did the security cameras. He dashed through the shop grabbing what he could and slipped out of the store before they could fix the cameras. Surely they’ve gotten suspicious at how much they break, he’s in here like every second day.

He flung the apartment door open and yelled “Dinner is served!”. A young girl, no older than 6 ran up to Toby and gave him a tight hug. 

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Pa, the light’s still flickering”

Okay pause, you might be wondering why a girl is calling this 17 year old Pa so let me fill that in. Toby spent most of his life alone, he decided he’d rather fend for himself than spend another day in the orphanage. So at the ripe age of 14 he left. Started working for a meal, they aren’t too concerned about labour laws on this side of town. By some miracle he eventually got a job at a tech store where he earnt enough to pay rent. So he bought an apartment, not a very safe or nice one but it was infinitely better than the side of the road. One day while walking home from work he saw a box with an about 3 year old inside, no note or anything. His terrible memories from the orphanage and all his feelings of loneliness came up at once and he decided at that moment this baby wouldn’t go through the same. The toddler wouldn’t speak but seemed keen on going with him, so he took her home and the rest is history.  

“I’ll fix it soon I promise, but tomorrow is a family outing,” he said lifting her up and placing her on the counter, “I need supplies from the city so we’ll make a day of it”

After putting Maya to bed he went into his own room, covered in blueprints and loose screws. He had so many ideas and he finally had a good enough amount of money to maybe make them happen.

Toby was up bright and early the next morning. He got Maya ready and they were off. It was his first day off in so long and he was in a better mood than ever. It was a quick walk to the train station and a 20 minute ride to be in the heart of the city. It was booming with people and opportunities. He could just imagine the type of life he’d live if he was born here.

They were in the line at the bank when they heard yelling. Then gunshots. “Everyone get down!” yelled an arm man, and so everybody did. Of course the one day he needs to withdraw money the bank gets robbed, that's just the story of his life. Maya tugged on his backpack, urging him to use what was inside. Some gadgets he made that could help them, or could malfunction and get them shot. But what choice did he have? His daughter was in danger he couldn’t just sit around, so he didn’t