Thieves

Chapter 3 (Gray's Chapter)

A few days later, Scar called the group out from their usual spots. The group sat in front of him a few minutes later. He sighed as he noticed Gray was missing. Again. “Damnit, Gray! It’s your birthday and you’re asleep!” he called angrily and then stopped when he saw the now fourteen year old standing in front of him. “Oh. Sorry,” he muttered, having one of his few moments where he looked awkward.

Gray smirked lazily and leaned against the wall, rubbing his eyes. “Its fine. I wasn’t asleep either,” he said. “I was reading. Or trying to.”

Scar shook his head. Maybe the boy was finally growing up. That was a plus. He hadn’t expected that. His thoughts were interrupted as Dez bounced up to him. “Can we do presents?” she asked happily. The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

Scar smiled and motioned for them to go ahead. He took his own seat on the floor beside them.

The group had all managed to find presents for him. Dez had found some candy. It was a very small assortment of sweets but Gray’s eyes lit up as he hugged the little girl. Next came Nath. The grumpy ten year old reached behind him and held up a book. It was a very simple book since Gray was exactly literate. Gray smiled and nodded his thanks to the other boy. Gloria insisted on being next, not that Scar minded. She hurried out of the room and came back with a tiny cake. It was her tradition to manage to make or find a cake for whoever’s birthday. Gray grinned and hugged the older girl. Scar stood up and handed Gray his last present. A watch. Gray laughed quietly. “I’m guessing there’s a story with this?” he asked.

Scar smirked as he took a seat again and nodded. “Sit down. I’m going to tell the story of how you joined the family. Just like every year,” he said, motioning for Gray to sit down. Everyone smiled slightly. This was his tradition. He always retold how the person joined the family on their birthday. He waited as Dez crawled into Gloria’s lap and then looked up expectantly.

“Well then. Gray was right. The watch does have a story behind it. It’s the story of how Gray came to join the family,” Scar began. “We all know that our friend here can be a bit lazy at times. He’s also the newest member of our family. We found him two years ago today. I believe Gloria and I had gone out looking for dinner again. And Gloria happened to notice him.

“He was sitting under the clock tower in the bazaar. I can’t remember if he was asleep or not but he looked tired as hell and his eyes were closed. Gloria had hurried forward to check on him. She gently touched his shoulder and he opened his eyes.

“’Gray?’ I remember her asking. Guess that’s where his name came from. He had seen us and stood shakily. It was obvious he hadn’t eaten in a while and he didn’t trust anyone much. After a while we managed to convince him to come with us. He was still shaky and we found some food.

“We came home. And the first thing he did was sleep. I guess he had been out on the street one too many nights. It took him a while to come around so he could actually talk to us. I’m pretty sure you all remember that. He had problems waking up. Well…He still does but then he honestly had problems being awake. Or walking. We finally got him back into decent shape. He told us he was an orphan, like the rest of us. So we did what we always do when we find an orphan. We take them in. And Dez was ecstatic. I still wonder how she didn’t manage to keep him awake all the time,” Scar teased.

Gloria laughed quietly. “Uh huh. I remember sleepy head finally awoke and when he I did I called him Gray again. He gave me this funny look and shrugged.”

Gray grinned slightly. “I don’t remember my real name. So Gray works. And I think I finally managed to catch up on my sleep. I feel more awake than I have in a while,” he stated. That got a laugh from everyone, even Nath.

Nath sighed. “If it wasn’t for Mr. Big Heart we might be able to stay in one place for a while. Who know a guy with such a nasty scar would actually have such a big heart,” he muttered. “Then again. I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t taken me in.”

(Well. There's a bit more for all of you about Gray. And guess what! Nath almost had feelings! Anyways, feel lucky. I updated on my birthday. I wonder who the next chapter will be about. Thanks for reading!)