Heavy raindrops fell out of the sky as Jack sought cover from the storm in a dark alleyway. Lightning struck in the distance which sent chills down his spine, yet the storm seemed to keep crawling closer with each passing minute. The roof of the building provided a little bit of cover from the downpour if he pressed himself up against the wall behind him, though it made little difference as he was already soaked all the way down to his ragged underwear. Six months had passed since his father chased him out of their family home, a night the boy still had nightmares of. Every time lightning struck he remembered the furious expression on his father’s face, which filled him with feelings of grief and hopelessness. Mixed in with the shame and guilt he couldn’t help but also feel resentful and abandoned, an underlying anger hailing from the unfairness of it all.

He knew he wasn’t the best son and that he had been a bit of a troublemaker at times, yet each and every time he did his best he was punished for things outside of his control. The scars on his knuckles stood as a testament to how many times he had punched the brick walls of various houses around the city of Laverne, seeking any means possible to air out the onslaught of feelings which tormented his head. All he wanted was his father’s recognition and perhaps a smidgen of his attention, yet what he got was homelessness and starvation. By now he had even forgotten how many days had passed since he last ate a proper meal.

A loud grumble filled his ears as his stomach rumbled, begging for any type of sustenance. He rummaged through his pockets and found a few coins which he had pickpocketed off of an elderly man earlier that day, as well as a few crumbs from the piece of bread the nice lady at the nearby bakery had gifted him a few days ago. A wave of disappointment welled over him as he tossed the coin in the air and caught it. Is this all that his life was going to amount to?

“You look shittier than usual.” A familiar voice spoke and he turned to face the boy next to him. Noah had always been a bit of an ass, but when the streets are your home you can’t afford to choose your friends. He was likely the only person Jack had ever met who was paler than himself, with many of his features reminiscent of winter snow. His short, blonde hair stuck tightly to his forehead thanks to the rain and sweat, and the ragged clothes around his body were stained with blood.

“Look who’s talking, you look like someone dragged you behind a horse for a few hours…” Jack nodded towards the dark bruise around the boy’s right eye, which matched surprisingly well with the faint purple hue to his grey eyes. “Is the blood yours or someone else's?”

“I am not sure yet.” Noah said and plopped down next to Jack. “The adrenaline hasn’t faded yet, so I guess I’ll know once it does.”

“Should I be worried that someone’s chasing you?” He asked as he rubbed his wet, dark brown hair out of his face. It had grown uncomfortably long since he was kicked out of his home and whenever it rained it had an annoying tendency to slither into his light brown eyes.

“Probably, the guy I stabbed was pretty pissed. They beat me up pretty bad after I stole his coin pouch.”

“I can tell… you’re an idiot for picking fights like that.” Jack pulled himself to his feet with a frustrated sigh.

“Since you are too much of a pussy to do it, I have too. It would be nice if you could have my back every once in a while.” Noah spat back at him as Jack reached out his hand to help him up.

“Careful or I’ll leave your dumbass here for them to find you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Noah said nonchalantly and grabbed his hand. He pulled the boy to his feet and they began stumbling towards the outskirts of town, each step feeling heavier than the last as the rain kept beating them down.

“I spotted an interesting place today by the way, a home which looked relatively unguarded. Could be a good place to pick up some free stuff if you’d come with me.” The boy eventually broke the silence, only for the storm to answer him before Jack could. Lightning struck the clocktower a few blocks away, and they could hear the distant boom as one of the roof tiles hit the ground below.

“Not interested.” Jack insisted only for Noah to sigh audibly in return.

“How long are you going to keep being a spoiled brat? Do you want to starve out here?”

“I don’t want to hurt people unless I really have too…”

“Big words from the guy I saw pickpocketing an old man earlier today. So burglary is beneath you but stealing from the elderly isn’t?”

Jack frowned at Noah’s words. He didn’t feel good about what he had done but this way he could at least buy himself something small to eat when the shops opened tomorrow morning. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“Man, you are such a used napkin…”

“What kind of an insult is that?”

“One that fits you perfectly, that’s what it is.”

“I can’t believe you’re this lame.” Jack sighed as they wandered through a series of back alleys.

“You sure talk a lot for a coward.”

“And you sure talk a lot for someone dumb enough to almost get themselves killed on a weekly basis.”

“At least I get shit done.”

“Just shut up for 5 minutes will you? I’m tired of hearing you nag.”

“And I’m tired of you being Laverne’s biggest scaredy cat, but you don’t hear me complaining.”

“I hear you complaining pretty much everyday…” Jack pointed out as annoyance momentarily overwhelmed him.

“Speaking of complaining, I’m pretty sure I’ve been stabbed.” Noah added as he glanced down at his clothes which remained dirty despite the unrelenting rain.

“I can’t believe you…” Jack mumbled to himself as he admired the boy’s resilience with great frustration. Despite being only fifteen years of age, Noah had been stabbed enough times in his life for him to be able to brush off minor injuries as if they were nothing. He had seen this young man brush off broken toes and cuts which looked sickeningly painful. “How bad is it?”

“Not too bad probably, I’ve definitely felt worse.”

“Do you want to stop and take a break?” He asked in an attempt to be the responsible one of the two, despite only being a single year older.

“I think it’s fine, we can try to find somewhere less wet first.”

“I don’t get how you do it…” Jack sighed as lightning struck again, with each strike reminding him of his fatal mistake.

“Do what?” Noah asked with genuine curiosity in his voice.

“All this in general… I can’t go a single day without missing my home… my family…” Jack lamented with clear guilt in his voice.

“You can’t miss what you never had.” Noah pointed out as if to brag. “Besides, your family sounded like they sucked balls anyways.”

“They had their moments…”

“What’s with your mopey ass today? And here I thought I was supposed to be the sad one considering I literally have a hole in my stomach.”

“I don’t know… I think it's the thunder… reminds me of the fire and-” He began before Noah interrupted him by hitting him in the head.

“So stop thinking about it. Jeez, you always have to make everything so complicated and dramatic.”

Jack didn’t respond, but simply continued down the alleyway until they reached a larger street. On the other side of the road the doors to a stable had blown open and the stableboy was nowhere in sight, as he was likely trying to calm the horses inside the stables. Running for it they made it inside and climbed the ladder up to the hay filled attic.

“You always pick the worst hiding spots…” Noah whispered as he carefully hid among the neatby wrapped hay bales. “I’ll be picking hay out of my asscrack for weeks after this.”

“You got a better idea?”

“I’m sure I’ll have one if you let me think.”

“So sit your ass down in the hay and think then.” Jack sighed as he sat down as silently as he could.

Below them horses neighed in panic as their fear of the storm grew, yet as they peeked through the cracks the two horses underneath them were surprisingly calm. The first carelessly munching on hay while the other simply stared blankly into the air before it as if it was in some sort of trance.

“Man, this storm sure is something…” Noah eventually said after a few raindrops leaked through the ceiling, hitting him in the face.

“Yeah… have you checked your wound by the way?”

“Oh right, I almost forgot.” Noah said and carefully tugged on his soaked shirt. It stuck to him and the wound somewhat, and the boy winced slightly as he moved it. In his lower abdomen a dagger of some kind had left a gash on his stomach, though it was far from the worst injury Noah had suffered this month. “See, it’s not too bad. I’ve been through much worse.” Noah quietly cheered.

Yet before Jack could say anything, the stable doors below them closed. As they peeked downstairs, a person clad in a blue robe with golden embroidery had entered, closing the door behind them. “Hello?” The voice of a woman called out into the stable, and for some reason every single one of the horses seemed to quiet down at the sound of her voice.

A moment later a stableboy stumbled up to her, seemingly shocked at the sudden change in the horses’ emotional states. “Yes, how can I help you?” He asked nervously as he approached.

“I’m here to pick up my horses and carriages.” The woman cheerfully responded.

“Oh, right. Sorry, things are a little chaotic with this weather. It’s been a little hard to keep track of everything…”

“That is alright, I am not in a rush.” She stated while lowering the hood of her cloak. Thanks to the silk gloves and the drenched robe she wore it was difficult to tell much about her appearance before now. Her damp hair looked as though it had been recently cut to a shoulder-long length and its dark brown colour matched well with her brown eyes. Like a darkened autumn leaf laying in a pool of mud. She looked well kept and shone with a bright smile reminiscent of a small sun which spread its warmth all around her, though despite her kind appearance something felt incredibly off about the woman. Now that he got a good look at her he was surprised to find her a lot younger than he expected, and carefully guessed that she’d be in her mid-twenties.

“Are you sure it is a good idea to head out in the middle of a storm? There is an inn right next door if you would rather stay the night.” The stableboy nervously asked as she followed him further into the stable.

“Perhaps not, though I must leave Laverne tonight as I have work to attend to and people waiting for me… Though if their kitchen has any leftover meals from today I would love to buy some if possible, as I prefer eating while on the road.”

“Do you want me to go check for you?” He asked as if seeking an excuse to get away from the woman for a moment.

“That would be lovely, thank you.” She handed him a few coins which caused his face to light up in surprise before speaking in a loving, motherly tone. “Get me as many meals as this would cover and if there is any money left afterwards then you are free to keep it.”

“T-thank you.” The boy exclaimed before rushing out of the stable. Once he was gone the boys observed the woman for a few moments, as she let out a deep sigh before placing her hands on her hips.

“How long are you two planning to be sneaking around up there? I’d imagine the cramped space isn’t comfortable.” She called out and looked up at the small crack between the planks above her, somehow looking straight at Jack as if she had known this entire time exactly where the two of them had been sitting.

Jack threw Noah a worried look and the boy simply grimaced in return. Had they been that loud? No, that’s impossible, they had barely moved at all and the sound of the storm gave them plenty of cover, so how had she known?

“How did you know we were here?” Noah called out with curiosity and foolish bravery in his voice.

“I can hear your stomach’s growling from here.” She said with a kind laugh. “I have food to spare if you want some.”

“I have a bad feeling about this…” Jack whispered to Noah who quickly cut him off.

“And I’m starving…” The boy whispered before calling out to the woman. “I didn’t know rich people liked giving away things for free.”

“I didn’t know I was rich either, who told you that? I’d love to have a word with them.” The woman joked as Noah shrugged at Jack before crawling towards the ladder.

“You sure look rich with your fancy robes and gloves...” Noah pointed out as he carefully made his way down the ladder with Jack reluctantly following behind him. He took careful steps down the ladder, looking over the room as he descended. Between the wooden bars of the ladder he got a better look at the horses standing around the stable. They were trembling, as if something had drowned them in paralysing fear.

“I guess I must be unaware of my own wealth then.” The woman said nonchalantly as the two boys stepped down on the floor next to her. As they plopped down on the ground her eyes widened as she looked the two of them over. “You’re bleeding.” She pointed out in a worried tone which reminded Jack of his own mother. It wasn’t uncommon for him to hurt himself back at the farm, yet it was never something as serious as what Noah managed to put himself through.

“It’s nothing, just a small cut. I can barely even feel it.” Noah quickly dismissed her.

“It doesn’t look like nothing…” She insisted in a soft voice. “It might get infected if you don’t treat it properly.”

“I’ll be fine, it really is nothing.”

“If that is the case, would it be alright for me to look at it?”

“Why? I told you it's nothing.”

“I have some experience patching up wounds and treating the sick…” The woman responded in a sombre fashion. “Even minor injuries can be fatal if you don’t treat them.”

Noah let out a slight frown in response to her act of kindness, Jack knew he had never been one to easily accept kindness from others, especially not from strangers. In the streets you had to be careful of who you indebted yourself too, and Noah had learnt that lesson first hand in the past. “Sorry lady, but I am not looking to enter someone’s debt anytime soon.”

“Oh no, I want nothing in return. I simply want to make sure you are not seriously injured.”

“Noone wants nothing in return. That’s how this world works.” Noah protested.

“I get where you are coming from, I used to think the same thing… Which is why I want to be different, I guess?” She responded with a genuine although nervous smile on her face.

Noah seemed to consider it for a moment, though ultimately hesitantly against it. “I’ll consider it… Sorry but I don’t like to accept things from strangers...”

“Then let’s stop being strangers.” She said and held out a silk covered hand. “I’m Erica, and you two are?”

“Greg…” Noah responds and reluctantly shakes her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Greg.” Erica responded with a bright smile before turning to Jack with an extended hand. “And you are?”

Jack felt stunned for a moment, as the woman’s smile and soft voice had an uncanny similarity to his mother’s. It filled him with a strange mixture of emotions which made him want to vomit. On one hand he wanted to cry and give her a hug, while on the other he felt sick and frustrated. While patiently waiting she looked at him curiously, that same warm smile still plastered on her face. “J-Jack…” He responded in a flustered manner before Noah threw him a disappointed gaze.

“Nice to meet you Jack.”

“Nice to meet you…” He responded with a guilt filled voice.

“Now that we aren’t strangers anymore, would it be okay for me to look at your injury?”

“Why are you so persistent?”

“I just don’t want you to have to suffer in silence when I might be able to do something about it.”

“I’ll consider it…” Noah insisted to which the woman let out a gentle sigh, though it was obvious he found the situation both annoying and uncomfortable.

“Just make sure to patch it up with clean bandages when you get the chance.”

“I’ll see if I can afford it…” Noah begrudgingly responded, though Jack knew that he had no interest in spending the little money he had stolen on that.

“If money is the problem I have some in my carriage, you can have them. Without any strings attached of course.”

“What is your problem?” The boy jabbed at the woman. “You don’t just give things away, no one does that! What exactly do you earn from giving me anything at all, huh?”

“I-I’m sorry…” Erica added before going silent for a moment. “I did not mean to offend you.”

“Well, let’s hear it. What do you earn from helping street rats like us? Does it inflate your ego?”

“I-” The woman began before going silent and taking a deep, calming breath. Though with each word she spoke the cheerful attitude she had earlier was quickly replaced by genuine sadness. Her body tensed up as she crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “My only child passed away recently, and I guess I just… seeing you wounded triggered some maternal instinct within me. I don’t know, things have been rough recently and these last three days have been the first time in many years where I have been allowed to relax. I feel weird to be honest… I don’t really have a good answer to your question, I just wanted to help…”

The expression on Noah’s face quickly changed as he frowned through his guilt. “Sorry…” He spoke through his teeth.

“It’s alright.” Her mannerisms relaxed somewhat, though the thought of her child seemed to break her heart further with every breath she took. After a few moments of awkward silence she spoke again. “My offer still stands, even though you were a little rude I’d hate to see you in pain because of an injury like that.”

“Fine…”

In the distance they heard a door swing open, and before another word had the chance to be spoken, the stableboy returned with large woven baskets full of rationed meals. He looked shocked and displeased at the sight of Jack and Noah. “Ma’am, are they bothering you?” He carefully asked and nodded towards Jack and Noah.

“Not in the slightest, we were simply having a pleasant conversation.” Erica responded with the same cheerful attitude from earlier.

“Oh, alright then… I brought the food you asked for.” He nervously handed the baskets over before backing away from them. “I’ll attach your horses to the carriage and bring it outside for you. You can wait inside if you want to avoid the rain.”

“Thank you so much.” She barely had the time to respond before the stableboy quickly got to work. Once the stableboy was gone she held one of the baskets in front of Noah. “Here, take it.”

Without responding Noah simply looked confused and slowly took the basket, seemingly stunned over the amount of food they were just handed.

“Are you sure?” Jack piped up to kill the silence.

“Yeah, I have more in my carriage.”

“Are you some kind of merchant or something?” He asked while Noah carefully looked through the basket for something he could quickly shove in his mouth to ease his hunger. The boy found a piece of bread which he swiftly began munching on, not noticing the slices of ham laying near it.

“Not exactly, I am simply stocking up on some supplies I need for the future.”

“What kind of supplies?” Jack pried as his scepticism of the woman had yet to disappear. The unnerving feeling he had and the heavy weight of the air was something he struggled to ignore.

“Sewing materials, food, cleaning supplies, books, some furniture…”

“What kind of books?”

“Oh, my friend called it ‘Magic for Dummies’ but that isn’t what it said on the cover…” She jokingly responded with a gentle laugh.

“You’re studying magic?” Noah questioned with a touch of excitement to his voice.

“I am about to! Though it is a little nerve wracking… But I have been told I have the best teacher out there.”

“Really? Man, that makes me jealous…” Noah audibly sighed and handed Jack a piece of bread, which he happily took.

“I heard magic is super difficult…” Jack added before trying the small loaf fragment in his hands.

“I am not sure I am smart enough to do it, but I have some hope at least…”

“There’s this lady I sometimes try to pick-pocket who always flung rocks at me using magic while I took off with her purse.” Noah enthusiastically began before realising his mistake.

“Pick-pocketing huh?” Erica asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Uhh…” Noah blurted out while backing up, seemingly getting ready to bolt out the door.

“Relax, do I look like a guard to you? I am more than familiar with poverty.”

“Yeah right…”

“No really, I’m from a small shithole of a town and I ate sawdust for dinner for years.”

“Seriously? No way…” Noah voiced his scepticism.

“You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to, but I am telling the truth.”

“How did you stop being poor then, huh?”

“Someone reached out a hand to help me, I guess? I was offered an opportunity and I took it.”

“Bullshit.”

“No, really. This is the first time in my entire life that I actually feel like I have money to not only spend but spare. I’m trying to do good with it, but I don’t really know how to do that yet…”

Noah simply gave her a sceptic and somewhat disappointed look as a response, which seemed to rile the woman up somewhat.

“You really think the worst of people, don’t you?”

“Absolutely, you got me there.”

“And you don’t think anyone will ever want to help you with your situation?”

“And what exactly do you think my situation is like?”

“Well, earlier you called yourself a street rat, so that would be my best guess.”

Silence filled the stables which was only broken by Jack’s sigh at Noah’s defeated state.

“So I’m right?”

“What if you are?” Noah aggressively hissed in frustration.

Erica crossed her arms and sighed. “Do you have to be so hostile all the time? I can’t exactly say I think I deserve your hostilities.”

“I just can’t stand rich assholes.”

“And you think I can?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know you.”

“You know, if you weren’t such a brat I’d be willing to help you out. I need capable hands back home for all kinds of work but if you are going to be this angry all the time I am not sure I’d want you around.”

Noah gritted his teeth for a moment before Jack hit him in the head in the same fashion as the boy had done to him earlier that day. “Calm down, Noah.”

“Fine, fine, sorry.” Noah said begrudgingly before crossing his arms like a child throwing a tantrum.

“You can’t be out here!” They heard the stableboy yell from outside the stable, only for the voice of an unknown woman to answer.

“Shut up kid, I am waiting for someone!”

“Sounds like that is my queue to leave.” Erica pointed out and took a firm grip of the baskets in her hands. She began walking towards the doors to the stable, the absence of her immediate presence making the air around them feel lighter.

“Wait!” Noah called out and she turned around to face him.

“Yes?”

“Thank you…” He awkwardly declared, to which she simply smiled before continuing towards the doors.

As the doors closed, lighting struck in the distance, sending chills down Jack’s spine. “I think that was the first time I have ever heard you properly thank someone.” He pointed out after a few moments of silence.

“Shut up…”

“Why are you so flustered all of a sudden?”

“Do you think I fucked up by lashing out like that..?”

“Absolutely.”

“Really?” Noah piqued up in surprise.

“Well, if she was telling the truth she could have been your ticket off the streets.”

“Don’t you mean ‘our’ ticket?”

“I am not sure, she seems nice but something felt… off?” Jack leaned against one of the stables supporting pillars as he spoke.

“So you’re telling me you’d stay behind if I went with her?”

“Of course not, but I don’t think I would go if I was alone and given the offer.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, gut feeling I guess…”

“Since when has your gut feeling ever been right about anything?” Noah nonchalantly pointed out.

“Ouch…”

“I’m right though.”

“You know what, fuck you.” Jack declared and marched towards the stable doors, annoyed with Noah’s constant teasing and attitude.

“Where are you going?”

“Since my gut feeling is always wrong, I am going to ask the woman to hire me. You can stay here in the streets since you seem to like this life.” He yelled as he left the building, leaving Noah standing alone surrounded by hay and frightened horses.

He could see a few carriages a little down the street and began running after them, slowly catching up with the slow pace of the horses. Behind him he heard the stable doors opening and closing, followed by quickly approaching footsteps. He stopped and turned around briefly to find Noah running after him. “You won’t get rid of me that easily.” He panted as he ran past Jack heading for the carriage.

“Just admit you’re scared of being alone.”

“Never.”