Clouds of iron gray huddled together in the sky over a small town. It was empty except for the occasional shopper who clutched his jacket close and cast worried glances toward the dark, flinty sky. A small boy sat on the filthy sidewalk, which was nearly dirty as himself, and pulled his knees up to his chest, looking around in silence.
Dragon was people watching as he did every Thursday. It had always interested him to watch every completely new face walk by, unique in so many ways. He was out looking for a specific person. About a year ago, which was near the time he had lost his older brother, he had spotted a woman through a thick crowd. She was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. She was…different. And even though she had been an unusually pretty woman, after a few weeks her vivid appearance had dimmed from his mind. It was difficult for him to remember her, and ever since then he had sat out look for her.
The boy knew that she had fair skin not scarred by knifes of obscured with dirt. Cherry red lips parted around perfect, even white teeth. And her hair, a shimmering golden brown, would have found a way to shine even in this sunless sky. Still, it was always a battle to remember her.
She had been escorted by a balding, middle-aged man. He was as unpleasant to look at as she was pretty. The older man had a large pot belly which seemed to put a strain on his fading black suit, and the buttons traveling up the fabric were threatening to pop right off. His lank hair, which was probably a ginger in his prime, was now streaked with gray and looked as dull as his brown eyes. The hair he had lost on his crown could be seen growing in a great abundance from each, oversized nostril. The man spoke loudly to those he recognized on the street and steered the unwilling, beautiful young woman around, almost as if she were a dog.
Then, typically, he spotted Dragon staring at the pair with wide, curious eyes. The man raised his large nose up at the boy, glaring in a superior way. He had been sitting in the same spot he was now.
“The dirty little thief!” he had exclaimed to those around him. “Just looking over at us, trying to find what’s best to steal, no doubt!:
Honestly, Dragon wouldn’t have stolen anything from the man. He know how to tell those who appeared to have money and those who didn’t. The balding man’s suit was too small for him and, if you looked closely, fraying at the ends. While the woman wore a strand of pearls, the man didn’t wear anything of the sort. No jewels, not even a pocket watch. But Dragon was looking at his hands. He knew that you could tell a lot about person by simply looking at their hands.
The mans hands were calloused. He had obviously worked his entire life. It was always easy to tell if someone was rich, because their hands were unmarked by any type of work. And Dragon only saw reason to steal from the wealthy. He knew that it was much easier to steal from them and it was always easier for them to replace what he took.
Light, the brilliant shade of yellow-white flashed with such stark contrast against the depressing clouds, it made the boy go temporarily blind. Then, almost as if the lightening had shattered open the sky, rain fell in thick droplets over the empty town. Dragon threw his arms over his head in a weak attempt to shelter himself from the freezing rain. It clung to his greasy black hair, beading up at the ends, before dripping down his cheeks in tiny rivulets and leaving grimy patterns across his face. Water pooled in the indentation where his shoulder and collar bone met. He gave a violent shudder, sneezed and put his arms around his chest, fighting to keep warm.
The rain felt like icy whips on his skin and he hardly noticed when a dark shape came over him, blocking the downpour. It took Dragon a moment to realize that the water was no longer pelting his skin. He looked up, blinking stupidly as a large, broad-shouldered woman. She didn’t look like the warm motherly type. Not at all.
**This is a rather long short story (xD) so I'll have to post it in parts. Hope you enjoy. I look foward to reading the critics! Oh, and it'll get better, I promise. Sorry you can't really see the plot yet. :/**
