The Chronicles of Magic~ The Technologist

Tobias ~ Pickpocket

Tobuscus~ Pickpocket

I had been hopping buses for about a day when I finally arrived in San Antonio. I had come here because it was a place often visited by my father and I. He was friends with a motel manager, so I decided to begin there.

It took me nearly forty minutes, but I finally found the motel. It was even more run down than I remembered. The sign was bent and falling apart, the windows were covered in mold and ivy, that is, if they weren't broken already, and the bushes were unruly, climbing up the walls. I walked inside.

The paint was chipping, the carpet was stained and falling apart, and the man behind what was supposed to be a desk looked either asleep or very drunk. I cleared my throat.

"Do ye want the room er not?" he hollered.

"It's me. Tobuscus."

"Hey hey! Toby! Where is that father of yours? " he said.

"I was about to ask you the same question," I said, cooly.

"Huh? You mean he's gone?" he asked, wheezing.

"Nevermind. You obviously know nothing, I shouldn't have expected any better," I said storming out.

He grabbed a bottle and followed me. "Now, now, I don't know what you are talking about, but that father of yours, he ain't been around here none. You might ask the pretty lady at the store. She knew him good, " he sputtered, before going into a coughing fit.

"Wait, who is this woman? "

"Uh, I don't know. She knew him in college, or somethin'. Hadn't seen her in so long, though."

I grew agitated and began walking off. This man was no help to me at all.

"Tell yer cousin Sue I said hi! "

I was done. I had no cousin Sue. The remaining light bulb in the sign fizzled out as I ran down the road, anger bubbling inside me. I had expected more of him, stupidly.

As I walked into a twenty-four hour breakfast, the sun was beginning to rise. I walked up to the front counter, where a tired, but good looking, waitress was standing. "Good morning, may I take your order?" she said in fake happiness.

"May I get the waffles and toast, with a water? "

She nodded, filling my water cup and shouting my order to the cook. I was disappointed that I couldn't fill the cup with soda, but I would take anything.She handed me the water as she read the total cost.

"Five ninety-nine."

I reached into my bag, where my money was supposed to be. I felt around for a moment before going into panic. Where was my money?

Then I realized. Riding buses and getting food wasn't cheap after doing it continually. I didn't even have much to begin with.

"Look, kid. I'm going to be honest. I'm tired, and I've got my own problems. Now stop messing around and pay up."

I was unsure of what to do. I couldn't just walk away, my ego was hurt enough already. A large man walked in, with a very noticeable wallet.

I focused all of my energy to finding something to do, anything to get some of his money. I pretended to search through my pack. I quickly sensed power cords directly under where he was standing. I channeled everything I had to shock the man with them, and I quickly succeeded.

The man fell to the ground. I rushed to his side in fake surprise, kneeling down. I felt around for his wallet and snatched up a handful of bills.

"Water!" I shouted.

The waitress handed me my cup. I dumped it on his head and he soon came to consciousness. Embarrassed, he walked out.

"So, about that payment? "

The whole day I had been cleverly stealing money. Helping an old lady cross the street, I grabbed a twenty. A hippie with headphones practically handed me the money, leaving a fifty poking out of his jacket pocket. And on it went, from early morning until dark. When I finally sat down to count the cash, I found a total of five hundred and fifty two. I smirked as I put the money away and climbed on the bus.

As I sat, I thought about the incredible rush of adrenaline I got from pick pocketing. I did feel some guilt, but not enough to rob me of any sleep.

I slept like a baby, and had only a few dreams. One with the strange and blurry woman, and the others about my father.

I awoke in the early morning, and saw that I was in Dallas. I was more hopeful about this place than San Antonio, because my father had a love interest here.

I stepped off the bus and into the dull night. I struggled to remember where Serenity lived. I wandered around aimlessly until I saw a familiar apartment building. I rushed into the building.

The new struggle was the room number. B1? B2? I climbed the stairs until I saw the door with the crooked handle, which I had used as a kind of landmark, the months we had spent here. I knocked on the door.

Serenity opened it after a minute or so. Her over tanned skin and bleached hair was stuck into my face.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Have you seen my father, Gabriel, Serenity?"

"Tobuscus?"

"Yes."

"Come here, honey."

She wrapped me in a big, unpleasant hug. She ushered me in and sat me down to a cup of tea.

"Now, tell me about your father."

I told her everything, leaving out the burning down the orphanage and the stealing money parts. I trusted her, a little at least. She had been a mother figure to me until it got too dangerous for her.

She took pity and convinced me to stay, covering the couch in blankets and putting my dirty clothes into a basket to be washed the next day.

I lay awake, unable to sleep in the most comfortable environment I had been in for weeks.

The clock read three twenty one. The green numbers seemed to taunt me as I slipped into dreamland, feeling so close, and yet so far from my father.