Post by angelofmusic1992 on Nov 25, 2016 21:39:19 GMT
Sounds of laughter could be heard from the Stella Theater late one November evening, if anybody happened to be walking by it. For Yang though, that was typical. There was always laughter going on with her and her kids. At the moment, Louie happened to be telling a funny story about his encounter with a cheapskate hot dog seller earlier that day.
“And I was like ‘Buddy, your hot dogs aren’t worth crap! Sell some real Louisiana food or take a hike to New York!’”
Yang and the rest of the kids laughed hard at that. Louie tended to be like that to people who ticked him off. It usually got him into trouble, but it did make for some funny story telling.
“What did you do after that?” Penny asked, her eyes rapt with excitement.
“Well, the hot dog guy was just so stunned by my snappy comeback that I left right then and there,” Louie replied proudly. “Took him a whole minute to realize that I left without paying. By that point, I was long gone.”
“So, what did you do with the hot dog?” Cody asked.
“Eh, I gave it to a stray cat,” Louie answered with a shrug of his shoulders. “They seemed to like it enough.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet,” Jenny said with a smile. “I’m sure the cat appreciated that.”
“Hey, I didn’t do it to be nice,” Louie said, not even wanting to take step into mushy territory like that. “I just didn’t want the hot dog to go to waste. Might as well give it to something that’ll eat it.”
Yang chuckled. Louie could deny it all he wanted, but he was a kind kid. She had been with him long enough to know that. However, her head cocked to the side when she suddenly heard voices from the front entrance to the theater.
“Yeah, I heard it too. No mistake about that.”
“Jeez Frollo, you weren’t kidding. There really are kids living in here.”
“Did you ever doubt? After digging around this city for almost two weeks, I wasn’t about to incorrectly locate this hideout.”
Yang and the kids froze, their earlier laughter turning into fear. Frollo was here? The Frollo? Yang knew about him more than the kids did, but there was one thing they all agreed one: He wasn’t exactly the nicest of guys.
“Yang? What do we do?” Penny asked, her voice tiny and afraid.
Before Yang could even reply, there was a loud crash that made her and her kids jump. It sounded like the door had been kicked open. They all jumped to their feet, Yang making sure that she was in front of the kids. Her teeth gritted together and her hands balled into fists. Whoever was coming in here, they were going to regret it.
However, her heart sank when she realized just outmatched she was. Eight police officers rushed into the room, all of them armed. And right in the middle of them all was Frollo himself.
“Yang Xiao Long,” he greeted, a cocky smile on his face. “We meet at last. Such a pleasure”
Yang frowned. “I’d say the same about you, but then I’d be lying,” she retorted.
Frollo just chuckled. “You might not have been looking forward to this day, but I have,” he said. “I did a little digging when I discovered your ‘colorful’ history with the police. And my oh my, the things I found.”
Yang’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of things?” she asked, her voice not quite as intimidating as before.
“Why, the very case that led you to this sorry state in the first place,” Frollo replied. “I believe it involved your parents, some gang members, and quite a lot of fire.” He looked at Yang knowingly. “Ring any bells?”
Yang’s eyes widened. Frollo knew about her past? He knew what happened to her parents? Her heart clenched. She hadn’t told that to anyone, not ever.
“Why did you become so interested in me?” she asked. “I’m not exactly the most dangerous person out here.”
“Really Yang? You underestimate yourself that much?” Frollo asked, still smiling. “I’m making sure that criminals are brought to justice in this city, even if it means stepping out of the courthouse and tracking them down myself. And trust me, when I found your file, I knew I had to find you. Assaulting police, theft, evading arrest, these are all very serious crimes.” He glanced at the children, who either glared at him or shrank back in fear. “And now, I think adding how you’ve cared for these children can be added to the list.”
That statement finally made Yang’s temper flare. “You shut your mouth!” she yelled, fire curling around her fists. “I’ve done a better job looking after these kids than you have! They either had crappy parents or no parents at all! And you failed to help them! I take care of them here. They get to be happy, and free. What’s so wrong with that?”
“Are you really so deluded that you think you’re an adequate caregiver for these children?” Frollo asked, his smile finally fading. “Look around you! You call this a home? It’s falling apart. These kids are living no better than street rats. They have no education, no future except to keep living on the streets for the rest of their lives.” He glared at Yang. “And you’re no better. Did you really think you could keep this up forever? Living outside the system? You’re not Peter Pan and the Lost Boys who can still in their little Neverland forever. It’s time for you to grow up and face the consequences.”
Yang tried not to show how much Frollo’s words were getting to her. In a way, he was right. Growing up was the last thing she had wanted to do, for the longest time. She had just wanted to live free, outside of what society expected of her. She wanted to do what she wanted, when she wanted. And when her kids had come to her, others who had been failed by the system, she had let them become part of her world, her own little Neverland. It suddenly made her realize what. Somehow, she knew this was what she was doing. She had just never wanted to admit it. The fire in her hands receded, until it glowed dimly liked dying embers.
Frollo grinned, obviously pleased that his words had sunken in. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll be making sure these children are placed with adequate caregivers. As for you, well, I’ll make sure that you’re not a terror to this city’s streets anymore.”
The kids gasped. Yang’s eyes widened. No. They couldn’t take away her kids. They didn’t know their situations. Cody, Penny, and Jenny would be put back with their awful parents. Louie would be put back into the foster care, where nobody would love him like she did. Her hands clenched, her fingernails digging into her palms. She didn’t know how she was going to resolve this problem, but one thing was for certain: She was not going to let herself and her kids get hauled away by the cops.
“I need you guys to head to our emergency meeting place,” she whispered. “I’ll find you there as soon as you can.”
The kids gaped at her at that statement. Jenny was the first to protest.
“Yang, you can’t. You can’t take on all these guys by yourself.”
“We’re not leaving you,” Cody said. “We’ll fight too.”
Yang’s heart gave a painful pang. It touched her, to see how loyal her kids were to her. But she couldn’t have them staying now, not when the situation was so dire. “Louie.” She looked at him. “You make sure that everyone gets there. Understand?”
Louie hesitated for a moment. He didn’t wan to leave Yang either. But the look in her eyes said it all. She needed him to lead things, and she needed him to do it now.
“Right.” He gave a nod.
That was enough to get Cody and Jenny on board. If Yang was putting Louie in charge, then there was no point in arguing anymore.
The police officers started to advance towards them. Yang’s heart sped up a beat. She needed to make a move, and soon.
“When I say now, make a run for it,” she ordered quietly. “Don’t look back.”
The kids nodded, even though they all had worry plainly etched onto their faces. Penny seemed close to tears. But Yang put that all out of her mind and just focused on what she had to do. She sucked in a deep breath, then yelled loudly,
“Now!”
The kids took off running towards a side door. The police immediately started to move after them, but Yang let out a wave of fire, knocking them backwards. Frollo had to duck in order to avoid getting caught in the blast.
“Don’t just stand there, you idiots!” he shouted. “Get them!”
That was all the kids saw before the movie theater was out of sight. They ran as fast they could, with Louie leading the way. Anyone who happened to see them sprinting down the street only looked at them for a moment before going back to their business. They ran all the way to Raoul Park, where they came across a big oak tree. It was the biggest one in the park, and thus made it the perfect meet-up spot in case there was an emergency. For a moment, all the kids could do was pant for breath. They couldn’t remember the last time they had run that fast.
“What…now?” Cody panted, looking up at Louie. The girls did the same. Louie, however, only had one answer.
“We wait.” That was all he said before sitting down under the tree. The other kids soon did the same.
Fifteen minutes passed. Then half an hour. Then an hour. An hour and a half. The kids had barely said a word, but by that point, they were starting to get anxious. Where was Yang? Louie was the only one who managed to keep a brave face. He was the leader now. He had to be strong for the others. That’s what Yang would do.
“I’m hungry,” Penny whined as she scooted closer to her brother. “When’s Yang getting here?”
“Soon,” Louie replied, trying to sound reassuring. “I bet she’ll be here any minute now.”
“That’s what you said five minutes ago,” Cody said.
Louie just shot him a glare, but didn’t say anything else. Penny sighed. She didn’t want to stay here anymore. It was awfully dark, and it was a bit chilly. Suddenly, a joyful cry broke the melancholy silence.
“Guys, I see her!”
It was Jenny, and she was pointing. She and the other kids sprang to her feet. Sure enough, Yang was heading their way, propelling herself through the air with fire blasts. When she landed, they could see that she had a small cut on her cheek and some bruised knuckles. But, a big grin was on her face.
“Hey guys. Miss me?”
The kids replied with lots of cheering, laughing, and hugging. While some argued over whether they were worried about her, or had complete confidence she would return, the emotion was still the same. They were awfully glad to see her.
“Did you show those cops and Frollo a thing or two?” Cody asked.
“You bet,” Yang replied. “I gave ‘em a couple of fire blasts before taking off. They chased me for a long time, but I managed to shake ‘em.”
“Nice.” Cody gave a grin.
Jenny, however, was the first to bring up the serious issue at hand. “Yang, what are we gonna do? They’ll find us if we go back to the hideout.”
“That’s easy. We’ll just find a new hideout,” Louie replied. “There’s no way we’re giving up our street life. Right Yang?” He grinned, instantly expecting agreement from her. But his smile died down when he noticed how somber Yang was looking. “Yang? Hello?”
Yang sighed. Finding another hideout did sound great. But, was that really the best thing for her and her kids? She was finally coming to terms with why she decided to live this way in the first place, and she wasn’t sure if she could cling to her reasons anymore.
“We’re gonna crash at a friend’s place tonight,” Yang replied. “Maybe a few days. I don’t know. But I’ll think of something. Okay?”
The kids nodded. They had faith that Yang would figure out a way out of this. Yang just hoped she didn’t let them down. Without another word, they headed back into the city. Yang knew one person who would let them crash for a little bit, and not rat them out.
Omar was not very pleased at hearing somebody pounding on his door this late at night. Staying up late was usually no problem for it, but that was only when he was at a bar or a gig. Other than that, he enjoyed his sleep.
“This had better be important,” he grumbled as he made his way towards the front door, which was still being knocked on incessantly.
“You better have a good reason for waking me up, you son of a-”
Omar’s voice was cut off when he realized who was standing before him. It was Yang, with Penny in her arms and Louie, Jenny, and Cody at her side. He saw the cut on Yang’s cheek, and the disheveled look on her kids, and frowned.
“What the heck happened to you guys?” he asked.
“Long story,” Yang replied. “But we need to crash at your place for a bit. Is that okay?”
Omar’s mouth dropped open. That was the last thing he had been expecting. He sighed, but gestured for them to come inside. “This oughta be an interesting story,” he muttered to himself as he shut the door behind them.
“And I was like ‘Buddy, your hot dogs aren’t worth crap! Sell some real Louisiana food or take a hike to New York!’”
Yang and the rest of the kids laughed hard at that. Louie tended to be like that to people who ticked him off. It usually got him into trouble, but it did make for some funny story telling.
“What did you do after that?” Penny asked, her eyes rapt with excitement.
“Well, the hot dog guy was just so stunned by my snappy comeback that I left right then and there,” Louie replied proudly. “Took him a whole minute to realize that I left without paying. By that point, I was long gone.”
“So, what did you do with the hot dog?” Cody asked.
“Eh, I gave it to a stray cat,” Louie answered with a shrug of his shoulders. “They seemed to like it enough.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet,” Jenny said with a smile. “I’m sure the cat appreciated that.”
“Hey, I didn’t do it to be nice,” Louie said, not even wanting to take step into mushy territory like that. “I just didn’t want the hot dog to go to waste. Might as well give it to something that’ll eat it.”
Yang chuckled. Louie could deny it all he wanted, but he was a kind kid. She had been with him long enough to know that. However, her head cocked to the side when she suddenly heard voices from the front entrance to the theater.
“Yeah, I heard it too. No mistake about that.”
“Jeez Frollo, you weren’t kidding. There really are kids living in here.”
“Did you ever doubt? After digging around this city for almost two weeks, I wasn’t about to incorrectly locate this hideout.”
Yang and the kids froze, their earlier laughter turning into fear. Frollo was here? The Frollo? Yang knew about him more than the kids did, but there was one thing they all agreed one: He wasn’t exactly the nicest of guys.
“Yang? What do we do?” Penny asked, her voice tiny and afraid.
Before Yang could even reply, there was a loud crash that made her and her kids jump. It sounded like the door had been kicked open. They all jumped to their feet, Yang making sure that she was in front of the kids. Her teeth gritted together and her hands balled into fists. Whoever was coming in here, they were going to regret it.
However, her heart sank when she realized just outmatched she was. Eight police officers rushed into the room, all of them armed. And right in the middle of them all was Frollo himself.
“Yang Xiao Long,” he greeted, a cocky smile on his face. “We meet at last. Such a pleasure”
Yang frowned. “I’d say the same about you, but then I’d be lying,” she retorted.
Frollo just chuckled. “You might not have been looking forward to this day, but I have,” he said. “I did a little digging when I discovered your ‘colorful’ history with the police. And my oh my, the things I found.”
Yang’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of things?” she asked, her voice not quite as intimidating as before.
“Why, the very case that led you to this sorry state in the first place,” Frollo replied. “I believe it involved your parents, some gang members, and quite a lot of fire.” He looked at Yang knowingly. “Ring any bells?”
Yang’s eyes widened. Frollo knew about her past? He knew what happened to her parents? Her heart clenched. She hadn’t told that to anyone, not ever.
“Why did you become so interested in me?” she asked. “I’m not exactly the most dangerous person out here.”
“Really Yang? You underestimate yourself that much?” Frollo asked, still smiling. “I’m making sure that criminals are brought to justice in this city, even if it means stepping out of the courthouse and tracking them down myself. And trust me, when I found your file, I knew I had to find you. Assaulting police, theft, evading arrest, these are all very serious crimes.” He glanced at the children, who either glared at him or shrank back in fear. “And now, I think adding how you’ve cared for these children can be added to the list.”
That statement finally made Yang’s temper flare. “You shut your mouth!” she yelled, fire curling around her fists. “I’ve done a better job looking after these kids than you have! They either had crappy parents or no parents at all! And you failed to help them! I take care of them here. They get to be happy, and free. What’s so wrong with that?”
“Are you really so deluded that you think you’re an adequate caregiver for these children?” Frollo asked, his smile finally fading. “Look around you! You call this a home? It’s falling apart. These kids are living no better than street rats. They have no education, no future except to keep living on the streets for the rest of their lives.” He glared at Yang. “And you’re no better. Did you really think you could keep this up forever? Living outside the system? You’re not Peter Pan and the Lost Boys who can still in their little Neverland forever. It’s time for you to grow up and face the consequences.”
Yang tried not to show how much Frollo’s words were getting to her. In a way, he was right. Growing up was the last thing she had wanted to do, for the longest time. She had just wanted to live free, outside of what society expected of her. She wanted to do what she wanted, when she wanted. And when her kids had come to her, others who had been failed by the system, she had let them become part of her world, her own little Neverland. It suddenly made her realize what. Somehow, she knew this was what she was doing. She had just never wanted to admit it. The fire in her hands receded, until it glowed dimly liked dying embers.
Frollo grinned, obviously pleased that his words had sunken in. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll be making sure these children are placed with adequate caregivers. As for you, well, I’ll make sure that you’re not a terror to this city’s streets anymore.”
The kids gasped. Yang’s eyes widened. No. They couldn’t take away her kids. They didn’t know their situations. Cody, Penny, and Jenny would be put back with their awful parents. Louie would be put back into the foster care, where nobody would love him like she did. Her hands clenched, her fingernails digging into her palms. She didn’t know how she was going to resolve this problem, but one thing was for certain: She was not going to let herself and her kids get hauled away by the cops.
“I need you guys to head to our emergency meeting place,” she whispered. “I’ll find you there as soon as you can.”
The kids gaped at her at that statement. Jenny was the first to protest.
“Yang, you can’t. You can’t take on all these guys by yourself.”
“We’re not leaving you,” Cody said. “We’ll fight too.”
Yang’s heart gave a painful pang. It touched her, to see how loyal her kids were to her. But she couldn’t have them staying now, not when the situation was so dire. “Louie.” She looked at him. “You make sure that everyone gets there. Understand?”
Louie hesitated for a moment. He didn’t wan to leave Yang either. But the look in her eyes said it all. She needed him to lead things, and she needed him to do it now.
“Right.” He gave a nod.
That was enough to get Cody and Jenny on board. If Yang was putting Louie in charge, then there was no point in arguing anymore.
The police officers started to advance towards them. Yang’s heart sped up a beat. She needed to make a move, and soon.
“When I say now, make a run for it,” she ordered quietly. “Don’t look back.”
The kids nodded, even though they all had worry plainly etched onto their faces. Penny seemed close to tears. But Yang put that all out of her mind and just focused on what she had to do. She sucked in a deep breath, then yelled loudly,
“Now!”
The kids took off running towards a side door. The police immediately started to move after them, but Yang let out a wave of fire, knocking them backwards. Frollo had to duck in order to avoid getting caught in the blast.
“Don’t just stand there, you idiots!” he shouted. “Get them!”
That was all the kids saw before the movie theater was out of sight. They ran as fast they could, with Louie leading the way. Anyone who happened to see them sprinting down the street only looked at them for a moment before going back to their business. They ran all the way to Raoul Park, where they came across a big oak tree. It was the biggest one in the park, and thus made it the perfect meet-up spot in case there was an emergency. For a moment, all the kids could do was pant for breath. They couldn’t remember the last time they had run that fast.
“What…now?” Cody panted, looking up at Louie. The girls did the same. Louie, however, only had one answer.
“We wait.” That was all he said before sitting down under the tree. The other kids soon did the same.
Fifteen minutes passed. Then half an hour. Then an hour. An hour and a half. The kids had barely said a word, but by that point, they were starting to get anxious. Where was Yang? Louie was the only one who managed to keep a brave face. He was the leader now. He had to be strong for the others. That’s what Yang would do.
“I’m hungry,” Penny whined as she scooted closer to her brother. “When’s Yang getting here?”
“Soon,” Louie replied, trying to sound reassuring. “I bet she’ll be here any minute now.”
“That’s what you said five minutes ago,” Cody said.
Louie just shot him a glare, but didn’t say anything else. Penny sighed. She didn’t want to stay here anymore. It was awfully dark, and it was a bit chilly. Suddenly, a joyful cry broke the melancholy silence.
“Guys, I see her!”
It was Jenny, and she was pointing. She and the other kids sprang to her feet. Sure enough, Yang was heading their way, propelling herself through the air with fire blasts. When she landed, they could see that she had a small cut on her cheek and some bruised knuckles. But, a big grin was on her face.
“Hey guys. Miss me?”
The kids replied with lots of cheering, laughing, and hugging. While some argued over whether they were worried about her, or had complete confidence she would return, the emotion was still the same. They were awfully glad to see her.
“Did you show those cops and Frollo a thing or two?” Cody asked.
“You bet,” Yang replied. “I gave ‘em a couple of fire blasts before taking off. They chased me for a long time, but I managed to shake ‘em.”
“Nice.” Cody gave a grin.
Jenny, however, was the first to bring up the serious issue at hand. “Yang, what are we gonna do? They’ll find us if we go back to the hideout.”
“That’s easy. We’ll just find a new hideout,” Louie replied. “There’s no way we’re giving up our street life. Right Yang?” He grinned, instantly expecting agreement from her. But his smile died down when he noticed how somber Yang was looking. “Yang? Hello?”
Yang sighed. Finding another hideout did sound great. But, was that really the best thing for her and her kids? She was finally coming to terms with why she decided to live this way in the first place, and she wasn’t sure if she could cling to her reasons anymore.
“We’re gonna crash at a friend’s place tonight,” Yang replied. “Maybe a few days. I don’t know. But I’ll think of something. Okay?”
The kids nodded. They had faith that Yang would figure out a way out of this. Yang just hoped she didn’t let them down. Without another word, they headed back into the city. Yang knew one person who would let them crash for a little bit, and not rat them out.
Omar was not very pleased at hearing somebody pounding on his door this late at night. Staying up late was usually no problem for it, but that was only when he was at a bar or a gig. Other than that, he enjoyed his sleep.
“This had better be important,” he grumbled as he made his way towards the front door, which was still being knocked on incessantly.
“You better have a good reason for waking me up, you son of a-”
Omar’s voice was cut off when he realized who was standing before him. It was Yang, with Penny in her arms and Louie, Jenny, and Cody at her side. He saw the cut on Yang’s cheek, and the disheveled look on her kids, and frowned.
“What the heck happened to you guys?” he asked.
“Long story,” Yang replied. “But we need to crash at your place for a bit. Is that okay?”
Omar’s mouth dropped open. That was the last thing he had been expecting. He sighed, but gestured for them to come inside. “This oughta be an interesting story,” he muttered to himself as he shut the door behind them.