Broken and Lost {Big Hero 6 Fan Fic}

Chapter 8

Effie made her way back to her block that night, by an alley across from The Lucky Cat Café. Her neighbors from the apartment had heard the gun shot that killed her mother and her old apartment was now a crime scene.
She was homeless now.
All she had time to take before fleeing the scene was a backpack which had her phone, a baseball cap, a few pairs of clothes in a plastic bag, her combat boots (which she was wearing), a blanket, and her savings ($100). Her money would only last her so long, she asked people that would walk past her on the street for tips they would drop in her hat during the night and early in the morning.
She didn't have to be homeless, though. Her grandfather lived around downtown, probably half-an-hour away if she took a taxi. However, she knew this was better. If she went to live with her grandfather, the men who worked for this Dr. Nishimura and the other scientist would kill him too. Compared to them killing more of the ones she loved, living homeless was a small price to pay.
Effie sat down in the corner of the alley and checked her phone. 8:02 p.m. Hiro wouldn't be here until midnight, she still had time. She couldn't have him know she was some hobo. She'd hide deeper in the alley when he got back home.
Home.
Effie started to find that word hurting. She couldn't call any place home now. She was a street rat, now. Tears were starting to form in her eyes. How weak she was. Pathetic.
Her hand reached for the baseball cap in her bag and set it in front of her. The first woman out on the street walked by.
"Can you spare any change?"
"Get a job!" she spat back and kept walking.
Another person came by, a man carrying a suitcase.
"Can you spare any change?"
He stopped and looked at her for a moment. Then he reached into his pocket and dropped in a few quarters into her hat.
"God bless you, kid," he replied and kept on walking down the street.
Maybe not everyone was so bad.
She spent the next few hours asking everyone that came by the same question. Most would say no, other would drop in some pennies, maybe even a dollar and keep on walking.
Effie went deeper into the alley, behind a large garbage can and counted the money. She'd collected $10.23. It would be enough to get a burger and a drink for the night. She checked her phone again. 10:32 p.m.
Effie had about an hour left. She grabbed her backpack and ran for the Burger place at the corner of the block she now lived at.
The door bell jingled as she walked in. She took a seat at the counter top.
A man, probably in his early 30s approached her. "Hey, kid. How can I help you?"
Effie glanced at the menu in front of her. Everything was pretty cheap.
"I'll just have a cheeseburger and a Sprite."
"That it?"
"Yep."
He yelled over to the man in the kitchen her order and he replied with a loud, "GOT IT!"
The guy gave her the can of soda.
"Why you all alone?" he questioned suddenly.
"What?"
"You walked in alone. Why's that?" She didn't expect some stranger to be concerned about her.
"Uh, my dad's waiting for me outside," she lied, trying her best to look at him straight in the face. He kept looking at her and she looked down and sipped some of her soda. He finally shrugged and went into the back.
Why would he care? Effie thought, slightly annoyed by him coming onto her. A few minutes passed and someone else came by to give her her order. She gobbled up the whole plate, fries and burger. She didn't realize how hungry she was, she hadn't eaten since this morning.
Effie payed for the food and walked out immediately, noticing the man coming back. As soon as she was out, she rushed back to the alley and hid behind the dumpster.
With her stomach full, she started to feel a bit sleepy and dozed off. Not a lot of time passed before she was awakened by someone shaking her shoulder.
"Hey. Hey, kid."
Her eyes slowly opened. It was the man from the restaurant.
"Wha-"
"I'm about to close up the place, why don't you sleep in there? I don't want you out on the streets."
"Why should I trust you?" she asked, still trying to keep herself awake.
"It's better than sleeping by a dumpster, isn't it?"
Can't argue with that.
Effie slowly nodded and the man helped her up to her feet, guiding her inside the empty restaurant. She laid down in one of the booths and wrapped herself in her blanket.
"Thanks, man," she muttered, yawning.
"The name's Thomas, kid." He turned around, only to find her asleep.
"Night, kid." Thomas put up cardboard boxes to cover the windows and locked the door. He went upstairs to his apartment, and got ready for bed himself. He had to figure out what to do with this teenager tomorrow morning.