Stolen Innocence

01

Darkness filled the room when Kayden finally arrived at his new apartment in Cincinnati. He had a quick conversation with the landlord before rushing up to the room with his bags and attempting to unpack all of them on his own.

He was fresh out of high school, having graduated just a month before. Kayden hadn't wanted to move to the big city as a child, but he learned growing up in the country as a homeschooled child that it was going to be the only way to go for work or a job.

His main interests weren't taken into account, nor were his talents because he'd been stuck learning from home for his whole life and didn't have much exposure to the world. So, he took the money he'd saved from his five years of summer jobs and got an apartment so he could start looking for work.

All Kayden wanted was a job that would offer good pay so he could afford his apartment plus a little extra so he could also save for college. Even if it was a long process, Kayden knew he'd have to deal with it because while his parents were caring and wanted what was best for him, they believed he'd have to earn what he wanted, and if that meant he'd be scraping by to survive, so be it.

Kayden got out his old, broken laptop and began to job search in the area. He didn't really care where he got a job, as long as he got one within the next week. His saved money would cover four months of rent, five if he chose not to eat, so he wanted a job to start saving as soon as possible.

He found several corporate jobs at grocery stores and cafes, but those jobs overwhelmed him, so he'd only turn to those as a last resort. As he kept searching, Kayden found that a marketing company was looking for a janitor.

Most people would turn back to the cafes and grocery stores, but Kayden was intrigued. If he was a janitor, he'd probably be keeping to himself and wouldn't have to bother with clients or customers because he wouldn't have any. He tidied up his resume and did the online application, shocked to receive an email back within a half an hour.

Kayden was given an interview at nine the next morning, making him thankful he had purchased a nice suit before he got to the big city. That was one less thing to worry about.

He set his alarm on his phone and settled into bed, making a mental note to buy non-scratchy sheets when he had the money.

•••

When Kayden's alarm went off, he hopped out of bed and rushed to get ready, skipping breakfast since he didn't have the extra money to buy a breakfast and decided he'd just go to the grocery store later and buy something to eat in order to save.

He made it to the building and his heart sank. It was huge, so he hoped that there was more than one janitor or the company he served only had one floor. Though he'd read the description, he didn't think the company, Cross Marketing, was one of those huge buildings with hundreds of workers.

Kayden walked inside and checked his email. He found the elevator and entered, pressing the button to the twenty seventh floor. The elevator was about to close and send him to the floor when a dark skinned man pushed his way in and pressed the button for the top floor.

He gave Kayden a once over and raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"The high school is down the street," the man said, humor in his voice.

Kayden wasn't a confrontational person, but if someone else started it, he would finish it.

"So is the homeless shelter," he spat, looking at the coffee stain on the man's suit. "I'll drop you off on my way over there."

The man let out a laugh, not taking Kayden seriously at all. "You must be new here."

"How can you tell?" Kayden asked sarcastically. It was pretty clear to anyone who looked that he didn't fit in.