The Staircase

Chapter 1

There isn't a word to describe the awful events that have occurred up until now. Disastrous? No... Devastating? No, not that... This would be a much easier read if I started from the beginning, but that wouldn't be as fun. There's no point starting from the earliest event. Let's start from when Liam looked in the puddle. Yeah. Let's go from that bit. That was quite an edgy moment. I'll walk you through this story, which you probably shouldn't read if you don't like depressing things. Ok so...

Liam looked in the puddle. He kneeled down in the damp pavement and he felt the coldness on his knees through the rips of his baggy jeans. He stared at his weak face, lit up by the street-light, which was bound to bruise after a fight like that. After staring into his own dark-blue eyes, he ran his fingers through his thick, brown hair and washed his grubby hands in the puddle and slowly stood up. He sighed and dusted the dirt off his green jacket. He thought to himself, "A year ago today, I was probably at home, eating pasta and thinking about schoolwork. Now, I've got no house, no job, and I've just lost my bag to those idiots."

He walked aimlessly around the street that night, looking for somewhere to sleep, looking for food, looking for anything. And he found nothing. The night went slowly, allowing him time to think about all the stupid decisions he'd made in his life. Why did he never pay attention in school? Why did he leave home at just-gone seventeen? Why did he live with a girl like that? These thoughts haunted him every single slow, painful second.

In the morning, after a lot of time thinking, he went to find, again, something that would keep him going. And again, nothing.

The bit coming up makes me really annoyed because some people say it all started off from here. I disagree but poor Liam would strongly agree...

He subconsciously stared at a couple in expensive-clothing, who began to walk faster after realising they were being looked at. He then looked in the window of a fast-food restaurant and take-away to see children and adults on technology. He made eye contact with a white-blonde girl- no older than five, who pointed at him and spoke to her mum. The mum then looked at him and signaled for him to go away.

He jumped when the boy, not much older than him, stood next to him and said, "Stuck up gits, aren't they."

Liam looked at the boy. He had smooth, tanned skin, slick blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a grey and light-blue hoodie and black, skinny jeans. "Jamie Keen." He held his hand out and Liam shook it, "Liam Deere."

"You haven't got any cash on you, Liam?" Jamie asked.

"I wish." He sighed, "I'm homeless, mate."

"Same." Jamie crossed his arms, "Not fair is it?"

"I'm questioning why you look so clean." Liam's eyes began to smile.

"I pull a sneaky one every other morning and use the beach showers to wash myself." Jamie winked, "I take it you saw the invite, too?"

"Invite?"

"Yeah," He rolled up his sleeves and pointed to a lamppost. "Come this way."

The two boys made their way to the lamppost and Liam read out the poster that was stuck to it: "Need a home? Tired of living on the streets? Want a job? We have it all. And for free!" He then started to read out the address but Jamie interrupted.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"You coming or what?"

"I guess so." Liam said. He looked at the floor and realised it was the same lamppost from the night before, when he looked at the puddle. Why didn't he see the notice then?

The boys set off.