The Breakthrough

Part 1

There was a faint glow of orange illuminating the cobbled streets. It was after midnight–well past time for a boy Ridley's age to be roaming around. Ridley stood hunched on the side of the road. Snot flowed down his lips, making his mouth taste strangely salty. Dry blood matted his forehead from an ugly wound. It was a warm night, yet he shivered.

In front of Ridley was an intimidating man dressed in a red uniform. Seeing Ridley's rough shape, the man felt guilty. He tried to look less frightening, but it didn't work. Ridley stared at the man with weariness. It wasn't the man's fault that he looked so intimidating; he was a guard hired to patrol the neighborhood. Few nobles would hire a friendly face to intimidate potential thieves.

The man knelt on his knee to lower himself. The man smiled, but Ridley didn't smile back. "Can you tell me about that wound?"

Ridley shuffled on his feet, muttering nonsense to himself and not giving an answer. The guard's frown deepened. After a while, he let out a sigh. "Where do you live?"

Ridley pointed hesitatingly to a house on his right. The guard followed Ridley's finger with his gaze. The house was one of the larger homes in the neighborhood.

"I'll go now ..." Ridley muttered softly, drawing the guard's attention back to him. When their eyes intersected, Ridley jumped. His feet had gravitated him towards that house a few steps.

The guard put his hand on Ridley's shoulder, stopping him. Ridley flinched at the touch, but the guard didn't let go. "Let me walk you home. Your parents are probably worried."

Hearing this, Ridley panicked, grabbing the guard's arm with tears gushing from his eyes, "No! I don't want them to know!"

A person would have to be dumb not to realize something was wrong just from Ridley's appearance. The guard wasn't dumb, but he didn't expect Ridley to react with such panic.

Frantic, the guard hastily amended, "It's okay. I won't tell them."

Hearing the guard, Ridley smiled meekly. Following this, he wiped his nose on the guard's sleeve. The guard pulled his sleeve away immediately. Inspecting his sleeve to ensure nothing got on it, the guard grumbled, "Can you tell me why you don't want them to know?"

Ridley released a hiccup and started to sob. Seeing the boy break down in tears, the guard didn't know what to do. Awkwardly, the guard patted Ridley on his back. He didn't hold back his strength. It hurt enough that Ridley quickly put distance between them.

The guard's hand dangled in the air. Helpless, the guard asked, "What are you crying so hard for?"

"They don't want me!" Ridley cried, hiding his face in his hands.

It took the guard a few moments to respond. "I'm sure that's not true," The guard said; however, he didn't sound convinced.

"They don't care about me!" He screamed. He lowered his hands and stared at the guard in anger. He reasserted, "They don't care!

"If they find out the neighborhood children bully me, they won't ever like me!" Ridley's anger turned into sadness. His eyes widened his eyes into a plea, revealing the shimmering tears that hung in his lashes, "Please don't tell them!"

The guard groaned. He couldn't respond since he didn't know the child's circumstances. "Fine, fine, alright! I won't talk to your parents. But I will walk you up to your front door. No objections!"

Immediately, Ridley grinned. "Thank you!

Ridley slowly walked to the house with the guard trailing behind him. Halfway there, Ridley tripped over his own feet. As he headed towards the ground, the guard caught him by the arm.

Ridley thanked the guard softly. He held his head, holding himself still for a few seconds. The guard, concerned, asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Ridley replied while lowering his arms. "I just got a little dizzy."

The guard lowered his eyes as he observed Ridley. He walked a little bit closer after he tripped. At the front door, Ridley reached into his pocket to fetch his keys. After rummaging, his handkerchief fell to the ground. Ridley tried to catch it but almost fell over in the process.

Seeing this, the guard double-checked Ridley to ensure he was okay before he picked up the handkerchief. Unfortunately, it had gotten caught in a breeze and fell a few feet away. When he'd retrieved it, Ridley had unlocked the door and removed the key from the lock.

"Here," The guard said, holding out the fabric.

Ridley kept the key in his left hand and took the handkerchief with his right. Ridley was grateful and smiled widely, "Thank you!"

A grunt in response was all that the guard said in response. With a swift turn of the knob, Ridley waved goodbye to the guard and stepped into the house, shutting the door to hide from the guard's eyes.

"What an idiot," Ridley remarked coldly. In his left hand wasn't a key but rather a pair of lockpicks. He had fooled the guard completely.