Chapter 11

It was a late September night in Brandon Florida, it was pouring down cats and dogs which was a bit surprising due to the time of the year.

The sky angrily erupted in thunder a few seconds after it lit up. There was traffic at the south of Hoffner road, most pedestrians sprinting with just a hand overhead since they wouldn't have guessed the turn of the weather.

Everyone coming up and down the streets seeking shelter to wait out the downpour but only a body dressed in a mere thin black hoodie worn to the tip of his head and a slightly worn out jeans with a navy blue sneakers that has seen better days walked in long powerful strides not at all minding the condensed water falling from the cloud.

People too worried about how they'll make it to their destinations in time did not seem to notice, and even if some did they did not give a care as there was enough problems in each of Thier lives to worry about another.

The black clothed body took a detour to the right seeing that there's too much people coming from that side and also with the excuse of taking a break even though they having no final destination in mind.

Yes a rest would do good. The body slumped down the wall to the floor lazily removing the small backpack he carried behind him which only contained a few articles of clothing, two loafs of bread which supposed to be able to last for about three to four days , a bottle of water and a small wad of cash.

Squirming and shivering the young person could hardly wound his arms around his body tightly.

With deep breaths he concluded to wait for a few minutes in need of a well deserved rest from the few miles he ran just to get to this point.

His grubby hands quickly reached for the half eaten loaf of bread from his trusty bag and took a few morsels of the baked delight and a gulp of water for his dinner.

Returning to his former position he decided to do something that'll keep his mind off the heavy drops for rain bruising his body through the thing sweatshirt and his soggy shoes which were promised to give out in a few hours only after months of constant use.

Instead of thinking about the next move to make his thoughts derailed and transported him back to his past as if reliving it.

Before he could stop he found himself back were he came from. In his foster home. A few weeks before his escape. Stacy and Archie Rein his foster parents had just come back from thier nightly escapade to the bar downtown.

Archie and Stacy actually had three children. A boy and twin girls. The boy Mike was the first born who left the first chance he got when he turned legal taking his sister Freya with him to fend for themselves. Unfortunately the second born Frieda died in a reckless accident years ago caused by Archie's anger and disregard to her safety by not checking if she was buckeld in the backseat. All he could see was red when a white light flash in his eyes before a sleepy truck driver collide with the side of the car. Though Freida was sat at the middle the lack of sit belt caused her to launch forward during the violent revolution of the car and smashed her little head through the window.

It was a gruesome sight.

When he came to he was greeted by the wailing siren of the ambulance and the disfigured body of his four years old caught between the window. He didn't have time to register the paramedics questions as he moved to grab her so both of them can escape from this dream.

When he woke up from the hospital he had been greeted with the bad news of his daughters death and his disabled right leg which earned him a permanent limp. Unfortunately for him the truck driver also died so he had no one else to place the blame on except himself.

Archie was already a messed up man with the sexual abuse he went through because of his maid when younger and this just made him worse.

His whole family obviously blamed him for what happened and that's when the mental abuse came in. From his childhood to the death of his innocent toddler he found himself beginning to be repulsed by touch. So he couldn't do anything physical. The only person he could be even remotely comfortable with was his wife so he emotional blackmailed her to stay his.

His firstborn wouldn't agree to this though. So the minute he turned 18 he moved out in tow with his sister.

From then on he spent nights in club dragging his wife with him almost every time, and days working a miserable job as a carpenter on call.

This happened before he was adopted by them a few months ago of course.

The orphanage he came from was a rundown building with workers wouldn't give two ducks about kids, just mostly annoyed by them. But that doesn't bother them as long as they get paid.

The day he met Archie was when he came to fix the leaky shower heads in some of the bathrooms and a few leaky pipes in both the bathrooms and kitchen.

The middle aged carpenter was done with his work when he caught sight of a teenage boy minding his own business outside sitting down on the stairs staring into space. He was avoiding the other noisy and Irritating kids playing behind the building.

Thinking he needed to rest for a bit he settled down beside the tall teen assuming he was feeling lonely and thought that nobody was willing to give him company, maybe wanting someone close.

He didn't.

A sudden memory of his deceased daughter broke through without permission but he brushed it off before he dwelled on it.

"Wonderful day huh?" Not at all surprised by the sudden presence of the stranger on the step beside him he didn't waver from his focus.

He hummed in reply and remained silent.

What did surprise him was how deep his voice that was certainly affected by years of cigarettes was. Archie was a short man that looked older than his age with a growing potbelly and a bald spot at the top of this head.

"Why you here sitting all alone" he had an accent. Almost fading either Irish or Scottish the boy observed.

With much reluctance he spoke "I like being alone." he wished the the man padded with various tools and had a bad odour of tuna and smoke would be smart enough to take the hint and leave but to his upmost disappointment he didn't. It was either the man was stupid as hell or he couldn't care less.

"It's not good for you boy!" This was what he didn't like about interacting with someone. Not even a few words into a forced conversation he was already being told what to do and judged. The teen didn't wear his emotion on his face though. He didn't want the satisfaction for a reaction which he was sure the stranger was looking for by that statement.

The older man did not give up.

"What are you thinking about" the boy did not feel any need to answer or justify himself. So he kept shut like before.

There was something about the young loner that intrigued the man.

Maybe it was the air of mystery that was lingering around him like a pest or his indifferent attitude towards him.

There was something about the boy that he liked and most certainly would not mind getting close to him especially if it meant being his friend since even in the short period of time that he knew the boy there was a small speck of comfort he provided alone just by ignoring him. This led half of him to think he was delusional and crazy.

"What is your name?" The figure the inquiry was directed to did not pay mind to the older one.

"Don't you have any friends?" The man is relentless I'll give him that. The boy continued to hold his silence. Already tired of the one sided conservation the boy stood to his full length and without a single glance at his unwanted companion he left.

Rein still sat minutes after the space behind him emptied. He was by no means offended by his attitude as this was very common with him at home.

For the next few days Archie made frequent visits to the orphanage. He found himself wandering into the children's home with the special aim to see the quiet orphan, but everytime he was rejected by the said boy refusing to grant the persistent man access into his room.

It wasn't until the headmaster of the children's home graced him with his presence at the entrance of his small room requesting to spare him a bit of his time in his office and announced that he's adoption by the Reid's family is being processed at the moment did he think anything of it.

He was shocked at this revelation when he was already sure that nobody wanted to be close to him talkless adopting him.

Who could this person be and have I met them before?.

By the time he was dismissed from headmaster Quinn's office that shouldn't even be considered an office but a room with shelves of documents, a table and three chairs he's thoughts were all jumbled up trying to remember if he ever met someone with the intention of inviting him into his family but it all came to a single face as if on cue he came down the wide spaced corridor.

"If it isn't his highness" Archie Reign took short confident strides till he stopped infront of him.

"Excited" his soon to be new son did not say anything. Maybe because he's so grateful he's speechless Archie assumed when the boy countered back in silence.

Except all that was running through his mind is why. Is it pity or just out of curiosity.

"Why?"

Mr Reign was absolutely shocked at his son's voice than his question.

"Am I some joke to you?" He could see that the kid was getting furious by the minute. This was somewhat not the reaction he was anticipating, before the boy should voice out any ideas he made sure to correct him.

"No kid. I just wanted you out of here. You seem to not like this place much"

"And what made you think I would like a place with you more?" He commented harshly with a narrowed-eye glare. This was the closest thing to a reaction he had ever received from the teenager since the day they met.

It grew silent for a while. Rein could figuratively see the wheels turning in the boy's head when he finally came to a conclusion.

"When are we leaving?"

A few days later the newly adopted son was welcomed to what he assumed was his new 'home'.

When introduced Stacy immediately took a liking to the young boy, mostly because she won't be alone again most of the time and at that point would be grateful for any form of company.

He thought that it would be different here, that the messed up excuse of an apartment would at least change and he would get to be sleep comfortably and have a room to himself left alone in his thoughts. He couldn't care less if he will later on grow close to these people.

But he then realized this place was worse. So much in the sense that he had to be cleaning up thier shit literally and figuratively, be treated as a house boy to whom they provided with little to no food, always picking glass bottles from the floor. He complained about this to the head of the family but he brushed him off saying this was what he was always supposed either here, the orphanage or someone else's home.

He took that as the last straw and left. Still a few hundred dollars bills from the dresser from the crappy master bedroom that had the permanent scent of vomit. A few of Reigns clothes and what little food he found in a cupboard in the deserted kitchen.

He had wanted to leave the orphanage sooner but the authorities would have bought him back. He saw this as an opportunity to start afresh without anyone's empty promises since he now legally belong to a family.

Slow footsteps resonated around the alley making him sit up straight now aware of his surroundings. He detected it too late because before he knew it there was a shade above his head shielding him from the harsh beatings for the icy rain.

A figure stood at attention with a heavy coat on his back ignoring the rain now falling his back due to the shift in the usage of his umbrella.

He pushed himself further into the wall not wanting to land in any trouble as he thought maybe the Reigns has finally caught up to him and throw him in jail for the stolen money.

A gloved hand reached out silently asking if he wanted to take it, though hesitant and still thinking of him as an enemy the boy got up and stood a little shorter than the man. Now that he as standing he finally observed the man.

The stranger was tall and observingly rich. His coat alone probably cost a few years lease on the Reigns apartment. Under the coat he was adorned in a black suit and a blue necktie with a dramatic grey fedora.

"Would you like to work for me?" He was baffled by the man's blatant offer. Normally when you see an estranged teenager on the streets alone there will be questions on his home and family, the need of sheltering him due to empathy and pity.

This piqued he's curiosity and he answered.

"Okay" the man reached in his pocket and removed a portable umbrella.

He held it out for him.

"What's your name?"

The boy took it and replied.

"Sid"