Alone, but Never Alone

Living on the Streets

Chapter 1, part 2

It had been an hour since Yana woke up from the dream. She sat in the alley, her back against the building, her legs outstretched in front of her. The rain was pouring down by that time.

She pulled the hood of her black hoody jacket over her head. It didn't help, in a moment it was soaked. She had Amicus, as a small tabby, zipped up inside her jacket. They shivered at the bitter cold, the rain felt like ice as it fell.

Yana wished it was night time. Because it was always dark, night was defined differently in Amble. Night was just the time when everyone went into their fancy apartments, condos, lofts, or penthouses, and slept. Though Yana didn't know how to tell time, she knew that it was night time when the streets become vacant and the lights in the shops went off.

If it was night, then Yana would sneak into the shops for shelter from the rain. They never locked the shops because everyone that lived in Amble was wealthy (except for Yana) and had no need to steal. Crime was low. Yana sometimes did take things, but never anything that she didn't really need, and the things she did take were very small and cheap. She only stole cheap clothes when hers became too worn out. Sometimes she would steal fruits and vegetables, but only when she couldn't find anything to eat in the trash bins kept in the alleys. Sometimes she would steal a flashlight or two. Amicus hated stealing, and, besides, Yana didn't wants he shop keepers to start locking up if they noticed a few things missing, so they stole as little as possible.

Sometimes at night they would just go into the shops and play pretend games, she was only eleven after all. Their favorite thing to do was to go into the clothing shops and try on different clothes, pretending they were wealthy noblemen, provided of course they put the clothes back exactly the same way they found them.

Yana did wish it was night, but instead the streets were busy, and filled with chatter, and the air was filled with the buzzing sound of the passing train on the monorail.

The train was the most fascinating thing in Amble, or at least it was to Yana. She imagined not only using it as a daily transportation in the place of walking, but also as a great place to attend parties on one of the fancy cabins of the train.

Once she snuck into the party cabin of a train while it was stationary. The cabin was so elegant and huge that she wish she could live in it. It was the usual modern, white look, which was the theme of the entire city of Amble: white, modern, and elegant. There were white leather sofas lining the walls of the cabin. Two elegant, white light chandeliers hung from the ceiling on each end of the cabin. A long, oval bar stood in the middle of the cabin like an island. A snazzy looking bartender was handing out fancy glasses of red wine to all the guests sitting on the barstools around it. That made Yana begin to wonder what wine tasted link.

"You don't need that stuff, Yana," whispered Amicus from inside her jacket. "That's what turns the rich people into fools."

"I wasn't going to drink any..." mumble Yana. "I was just curious."

At that moment, one of the ushers of the cabin grabbed Yana's arm, gave a hard yank, and said, "We don't need the likes of you in here!" And with that, he pulled her out of the cabin by her arm and left her on the platform on the outside of the train. Before leaving he said, "When the train stops, get off, and don't ever get back on this train again!"

The usher then went back into the cabin, slamming the door. Yana heard the clicking sound of a lock.

Amicus crawled out of her jacket as a mouse and sat lightly on her shoulder. "Well, he wasn't very nice." he muttered, and they both bursted out in hysterical laughter. Silly rich people don't know any better, they then thought.

Yana had not always thought that, however. They were not always 'silly rich people' sometimes, to her, they were 'cruel rich people'. The wealthy did not favor the poor. In Amble, the poor were treated badly. Sometimes they were even driven out of the city. That's why Yana rarely saw anyone like herself.

Once, Yana had found a metal earring on the street. How could anyone leave something so beautiful behind? She had planned on keeping it; she treasured it.

However, when a city guard saw her walking with it during daylight time, he thought she stole it, and dragged her into an alley, and she got the beating of a lifetime. He then left with the earring, and all she left with were a few cracked ribs and some painful bruises.

It's times like those that Amicus wished he could do more to protect Yana. He was very capable of changing it a wolf, or tiger, or even a bear. However, he knew if anyone saw him, he would be shot on sight, and they would both die. Any injuries Yana would receive, he would receive also, so it made since that one couldn't live without the other.

The people of Amble were terrified of animals, so much so that they would kill any animal that they would see. There is even a fifty foot electric fence surrounding then entire city, heavily guarded, not from people, but just from animals. The people don't even eat meat. They live a plant based food diet, which causes to be extremely thin, some even sickly thin.

Yana had no idea why the people of Amble feared animals, but this just made everything harder for her and Amicus.

After another hour, the rain began to let up, and Yana stood up. People were heading into their homes. It was probably close to night time.

"We can't go ingot the stores tonight," said Amicus from inside her jacket. "We're too wet, they will know someone's been in there."

Yana slumped back down. She wondered what it was like for the rich people in their homes. Why should they get the warmth, and the light? Why not her and Amicus? Is it really so wrong for her to want shelter? The wealthy people of Amble don't even want her around. They don't know what it's like to have never been in a house, or apartment before. Yana wondered what it was like to actually have the money to buy clothes, instead of having to steal them.

Why could she have parents? Why couldn't she have a home? Why is she homeless? Did they abandons her? She was always on the streets, for as long as she could remember. No one had ever shown her any kindness.

Thinking of these things, she began to cry. Amicus crawled our from her jacket, still cat formed, and nuzzled her.

"We don't need these people, Amicus, do we?" she said, trying to hold back more tears.

"We don't need these people," Amicus answer gently. "We need kindness."

There was no kindness for Yana in Amble. For once in a long time, she just sad in the alley, all night, crying silent tears.

To Be Continued...