OLD chapter 1 - Thievery 101
Read the new version here.
Fuck, fuck, fuck..! The cold of the night buzzed around Jace as he walked down the barren alley in just his hoodie. The hoodie was run-through after 6 years of usage and the memory of receiving it as a Christmas present from his then boyfriend, now ex, felt more like a mockery at the moment. Just thinking of how it was the only thing he had against the cold after being kicked out by said ex made him flush in shame.
Hell, first getting kicked out by his parents for liking guys, and now he gets kicked out by his boyfriend? The one who he disobeyed his parents to be with? His life was a joke.
It was his third night out on the streets and the cold was getting worse. On top of that, he had started running out of cash. His empty stomach was a testament of that.
Jace stumbled deeper into the alley, trying to find a quiet place to sit down on. After being kicked out from stores, libraries, hell, even public parks, he didn’t really care if he had to sleep on the cold concrete anymore. He slumped down on the wall, trying to twist his body to cushion against the hard slab, but his efforts were futile.
Jace sighed, watching as his breath frosted in the air.
Suddenly, he heard movement. Footsteps, to be precise. And they were drawing nearer.
Jace felt a rise of goosebumps on his back and these ones were not from the cold. He reached into his pocket, gripping his pocket knife as he crouched low. Was it the police again? Or maybe another homeless person trying to steal his spot? The steps got louder and louder, resonating like thunder inside the closed-off alley.
Finally, a face appeared and Jace finally relaxed. Phew ...
It wasn’t the cops or other homeless people. No, this blond, tall man dressed in a black trench coat was clearly very, verydisoriented. His onyx eyes, partly obscured by his messy hair, were dazed and red. Was he lost? On drugs?
Jace’s stomach rumbled. He looked at the man’s warm coat and what appeared to be expensive jewelry. If he could just get one bracelet, he would be able to sell it at the pawnshop down the road for quite the price. Then he would be able to eat something! His hand tightened around the grip of his blade.
Jace had never robbed anyone before and up until this point, he never thought he would even consider thievery, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Jace crouched low, stalking closer and closer, making sure to stay covered in the night.
He lunged out, flailing out his blade, trying to hide the way his fingers shook from nerves, guilt, and probably the cold. “If you don’t want me to fucking rip you apart, you better hand over all your valueables! Now!” He demanded.
Surprisingly, the man didn’t flinch, didn’t scream, or even widen his eyes. He calmly turned to face Jace, his expression dark.
Just a few seconds ago, the man looked completely dissociated, so why did he have the growing feeling he was the one being hunted all of a sudden? He’s not the one who had a knife pointed at him!
“D-Didn’t you hear me?! I said-!” Jace was interrupted with the sensation of rough hands shoving him into the wall. He yelped as his wrist was roughly pulled behind him and the man’s weight crushed him into the concrete. “Hey!”
“Fuck, this day couldn’t get worse,” the man grumbled, sighing irritated. “Where the hell are your parents, kid?”
Jace jolted, confused, “What? Why you asking?”
“Well, obviously to call them. Either that or I call the cops on you. Someone’s gotta keep you accountable and I assure you, you would not like me to be the one to,” Jace couldn’t see the man’s face, but he got the distinct feeling the man was rolling his eyes as he said this.
“Fuck,” Jace whispered. “Listen, man. Um. Please don’t call the cops. I was - I was just so. Hungry.” Jace pleaded, trying to turn his face and look back at the man.
The man sighed, seemingly softening, “Your parents should really teach you better than this. If you’re hungry, they should feed you. So just give me their number and we can work something out.”
“But,” Jace paused, “they kicked me out…”
Jace coughed, “Well, I’m not joking…”
The man paused as if taking in Jace’s appearance for the first time. Jace knew he probably looked (and smelled) awful. “How about I take you home with me? Set you up a meal?”
Jace’s stomach gurgled happily at the thought, but he wasn’t stupid. Desperate, yes, but not stupid. “No, I’m fine. I'm not a kid anyway. I turned twenty.”
“Sure, sure,” The man laughed. “How very grown up you are. Well, it’s either you go with me or you go with the police in handcuffs.”
And that’s how Jace ended up in the passenger seat of the stranger he tried robbing a couple minutes prior.
“Safety first~” the man chirped, reaching over Jace and fastening his seatbelt. “Oh, and the name’s Theodore, by the way.”
Jace shuffled nervously at the touch, feeling the man linger against him, “Jasper, but everyone just calls me Jace.”
Snapping his attention to the window, he watched as buildings turned into trees before finally the car glided to a stop. “Well, here we are!”
Jace turned his face, his jaw dropping at the woodland mansion before him. He should have known from the man’s - Theodore’s - attire, that he was well off, but this was just ridiculous.
Theodore leaned over the steering wheel, staring at Jace amused, “You like it?”
“ . . . It’s okay,” Jace admitted.
Theodore laughed, “Sure. Let’s go in then?”
Jace paused. This man was a stranger. One who was clearly stronger than him. Is it really the right choice to enter this stranger’s house? His stomach growled. . . . Well, it was already too late to worry about that now considering he’s in the middle of the woods with him.
Reaching for the handle, Jace nodded, sealing his fate, “Let’s.”
Jace peered over his shoulder at the familiar scent of porridge cooking over the stove. Moving around the kitchen with practiced ease, Theodore sprinkled in more sugar and stirred as he hummed a song. Jace didn't recognize the lyrics. The steam from the pot danced throughout the room, creating an eerily domestic scene. So domestic, in fact, that it made Jace feel as if he should cover his eyes.
Jace could feel his mouth drool, “Good.” Looking down, Jace traced the design on the wooden table he sat at, mumbling, “Reminds me of my mom…”
Theodore laughed fondly, “Yeah, my wife and I made porridge everyday for breakfast. It’s her favorite.” He trailed off as if remembering something. “Um. I mean it used to be…”
A sense of quiet grew between the two, only breaking when Jace cleared his throat, “I’m sorry. For trying to rob you, I mean.” He paused, an awkward expression on his face, “And for your loss.”
A pained expression bloomed across Theodore’s face, “Have you ever loved someone, boy?” Theodore browsed over the look on Jace’s face, smiling knowingly. “Don’t let go of it when it finds you. I wish I didn’t.” A shadow cast over the man’s face. His eyes grew dark, reminding Jace of the man he met in the alleyway. He had a feeling there was a difference between the two.
Jace shivered, flinching when a steaming bowl of porridge was placed in front of him. Shaking off the sensation, he eagerly picked up the spoon and started shovelling food into his mouth despite the burning sensation it gave his tongue. It was delicious, especially after having nothing for days!
The man, now sitting across from Jace, watched as Jace stuffed his face longingly, “You know, before she died, my wife and I wanted to start a family of our own… but it just didn’t work out that way.…. You’re a good kid, Jace. My wife and I would have loved you as our son,” He paused, a bitter look crossing his face, “but instead God gave you to those undeserving. I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”
“Thanks…” Jace trailed off, shoving another spoon full. He was beginning to feel increasingly unsafe. This man clearly wasn’t very stable. How could he find an opening to leave?
The man continued, sounding more and more disgusted, “Nowadays, people just take love for granted and accept it in its watered-down state.” He peered into Jace’s eyes, “How could someone just kick out their own kid? No offence is worthy of such treatment. Clearly, they didn’t care enough to put in the work to raise you, love you. I would do anything to be given that chance - the chance to raise a child.”
Theodore reached across the table, cupping Jace’s face in his palm, “I could take better care of you than your parents. Wouldn’t you agree? Wouldn’t you like to stay here?”
“I - I think I’m just going to go, actually,” Jace stammered, shooting out from his seat and stumbling around to get to the door while keeping his eyes on Theodore.
“Wait, don’t go. I didn’t mean to scare you!” Theodore scrambled after Jace. “Where are you going? I know you have nowhere else to be!”
Jace reached the handle, stretching his hand to pull the door open.
“I won’t let you go! I won’t make the same mistake again!” A loud voice boomed behind him. Rough hands spun him around and pushed him into the ground. Theodore climbed onto Jace and used both hands to press down on Jace’s throat.
Jace sputtered and gasped, writhing on the floor. His vision blurred and he dug his hands into the man’s hands to try and pull them off fruitlessly. He could feel wetness streak down his cheek and he realized that he was crying. “Please…” he gasped.
“Shhh, Shh, you’re okay. You’re okay,” the man hushed, “Just go to sleep and everything is going to be okay. You’re young, so of course you don’t understand that this is for the best! God intended for this.”
Jace’s eyes rolled up and his pulse slowed. He was out.
Theodore stared, looking down on the young boy in his arms, huffing from the adrenaline. Leaning down, Theodore wiped the tears off Jace’s face with a coo, “You’ll appreciate this one day.”
Suddenly, Theodore snapped back, his eyes clearing. He looked at the unconscious boy, realizing the gravity of what he just did. He strangled him out with his bare hands.
He did not plan for this! He needed more time to figure his shit out before Jace woke up and ran away! Panicking, he looked around for where to put him, his eyes meeting with the basement door.
...It would work for now.
