The Nightmare (DiegoXOC)

1 - Somewhere I Belong

I got out of the car and turned to them, "Can I have a strawberry scoop with extra sprinkles? The colourful ones, not the plain boring brown ones."

"We'll do our best." My dad answered, leaning over my mom to speak to me through the passenger window.

My mom looked at me with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "Just, take care of yourself okay?"

"Of course, Mommy. Always."

I stepped back as I watched them drive off and then turned to the park to wait. There was an empty swing so I decided to swing on that while I waited. I waited for a while. I watched as the park emptied around and the sun started to set. I must have sat there for hours before I understood that my parents weren't coming back for me.

I tried to find my way home eventually and it took a long time but when I got there, it was completely empty. Everything was gone. I walked down street after street, not knowing what to do or where to go. I slept in an alley that night and many nights after. I didn't sleep in the same alley more than once for a while until eventually I found an alley downtown that had a low fire escape that I could use for cover. I, over time, used boxes and old sheets that I've found, to build around it and made my own little home.

I've been there for two years. I spent my nights in my little cardboard shelter and my days wandering the city, sometimes bringing back little knick-knacks that I would find to make it more of a home. Living on the streets was difficult but it's where I learned to hone my powers and use them to my advantage, which made things just a little bit easier. Getting the things I needed wasn't hard if I used my abilities.

I was eleven when I used my abilities for the last time to gain something to eat. I was walking down the street with a grumbling tummy when I saw a new hotdog vendor at a corner. The smell was lovely and I always loved hotdogs so I went up to him.

"Hi sir." I said softly as I went up to him.

He took one look at me and rolled his eyes in annoyance and disgust. I only know this because it's a look I became used too. My brown hair was long but it was also tangled, matted, and filthy. I wash myself at the splashpad at night sometimes but there is only so much water can do without soap. My t-shirt was baggy, grey, and had a few holes and my pants were much too short, stopping just above my ankles. I had on shoes but one was a black dress shoe and the other a purple running shoe. It was hard to find a decent matching pair in the trash.

"What do you want kid?" He asked, though I could tell he really didn't care.

"I'm just really hungry and was wondering if you could spare a hotdog or maybe even just a bun?" I asked, staring up at him with my hazel eyes.

"Get lost kid. I don't give handouts and you're scaring my customers away." He said and was about to turn away.

"Wait!" I said quickly and caught his gaze once again, "tell me what your dream is." I demanded

and my eyes flashed a crystal blue before settling back to their original hazel colour.

He stared off into space with a dreamy look in his eyes as he spoke of what he really wished for. He was a balding, portly man who was apparently single and pined after a woman he knows or knew once, I'm not quite sure. I listened to him speak as I slipped past and grabbed a toasted bun and placed a hotdog on it. I went over to the condiments and added ketchup and mayo before turning back to the man.

"...She's so beautiful and kind. We would have the most beautiful children, live in a beautiful house and want for nothing because my hotdog franchise will be doing well with a cart at every major intersection in the city." He finished.