Queen Uni

SC1: Cory- On the Streets

He looked over his shoulder, seeing how far back they were as he ran with a loaf of bread and four alums cradled in his arms. He narrowed his lens and sprinted a little faster, abruptly turning into an alley and vaulting over the fence at the back of it. He tore off a chunk of the bread as he rounded the corner, and quickly turned another to throw them off. He hid behind a crate, just in time to watch about half of the group who had just been tailing him rush by. He breathed a sigh of relief and climbed over the crates to a small area at the back, hidden by the boxes and right up against a stone wall.
Days earlier, he had found this nook after having to move away from his old one, kicked out by the same gang who just tried to take the food and money he worked so hard for. He had taken about a week to make himself a little crate castle out of what was there, making a roofed area to sleep under, an unassuming wall blocking off anyone's view of him, a little peephole that he could use his slingshot from, and a place to hide in case of situations like the one he had just been in. He had spent the little money he had gotten from taking shifts at the blacksmith's and the baker's to buy a sleeping bag and a small pad, and used a piece of cloth and a forked stick to make himself a slingshot to defend himself, if necessary. Although it wouldn't do much, it made him feel safer, and every now and then he could shoot down a small bird with it and spend a night in the forest around the city cooking it on a campfire.
Cory took the money out of the bag of bread and dropped it into the small cloth bag he had hidden under one of the smaller crates. He ripped off a chunk and stared at the crates in front of him, a little tired, but mostly bored. Stupid crate wall, colorless, boring, he thought to himself, once again taking out his frustration at the world on the crate fortress he built for himself. I never see anything different. Guess I never will, will I? His thoughts turned a bit bitter, but he took out his slingshot and climbed over the wall. Might as well do something, rather than just sitting here.

He put another rock into the sling and shot it at the tree, hitting it a bit off the center mark of the target he drew on using colorful berries from around the area. He bit his lip, picked up another rock, and started to aim. A little sound from a tree behind him startled him, and he let the rock go on accident. It flew way off target, but he didn't care, and spun around to look at the noisemaker.
A blue and gold bird twittered on a tree branch behind him, practically glowing in the sunlight. Cory's annoyed grimace turned into a small grin as he pulled out another rock and pulled it back, locking his vision onto the oblivious bird.
Suddenly, the bushes next to him shook. The bird stopped singing and looked down, hopping on its branch a little. Cory froze and narrowed his lens, but kept the slingshot up. It seemed as if the bird wasn't too worried, as it settled down and began to sing again. Cory pulled back his sling and shot-
"I HEAR BIIIIIRDS!" A yellow and brown blur jumped out of the bushes and landed on the branch the bird was resting on. The bird flew away in a panic, and the colorful-looking kid grinned, pumped his arms, and picked up one of the feathers the bird left behind. He then suddenly seemed to realize that Cory's stone had hit him.
"Oww! Right in the schvinkter!" The freak in the tree exclaimed.
"Dude, what the heck?" Cory called right back. "That could have been food for tonight! And what did you even want it for, one of its feathers? Cause that's all you got. I'm just saying."
"Same reason as you. You think getting food around here is easy?" The kid looked down, swinging his legs. His yellow face seemed to be permanently carved into a grin, and his eyes never seemed to focus on one place. His leather jacket had tons of pockets, and was super battered, yet somehow the white t-shirt underneath stayed completely clean.
"Pffft. Get a job. You'll survive." Cory said, a bit annoyed.
"Yeah, uh huh," The freak responded, swinging down from the tree and landing in a handstand, before digging down with only his hands. Cory stared in disbelief. The kid came back up in the bush he had come out of before, right side up, and popped his head out, staring at Cory. "You think anyone wants to hire a freak?"
"A freak? Dude, they say that to you?" Cory asked, starting to feel a bit of sympathy. "That is so unchill."
"I live with it." The kid stepped out from the bush and walked towards Cory. Cory flinched and put his hand on his slingshot. "Dude, you okay?"
"What do you mean?" Cory said, backing up a step. "I'm fine."
"Most people aren't that defensive," the kid's eyes showed concern, but the smile remained, painting a strange picture.
"I- I'm fine." Cory looked over his shoulder.
"What, someone messing with you?" Cory only looked to the side a bit, narrowing his lens. "Hey," The kid continued, "Let me help you out." He put his hand on Cory's shoulder, and Cory flinched a little, but relaxed. "Because I scared away that bird, I can... well, what do you want me to do?"
"You... don't seem like the kind of guy who can help, sorry," Cory said to him, and quickly changed the subject. "So where do you live?"
"The woods," the kid shrugged.
"What?" Cory almost laughed. "You live out here? Actually, I'm really surprised."
"I... manage," he said, looking past Cory and off into the distance. "There's a decent amount of food, I usually don't get rained on-"
"Dude, come with me," Cory said, pulling the kid by the arm. "Maybe you can at least stay in my place when it's raining."