5 The Ghetto Prince (4)

Walking the sandy streets, the boy in rags.

Others could also be seen; walking, crouching, even sleeping in the same road he stepped on. Although there weren't that many, their miserable faces, ones that were covered in dirt-like sand, left a really good impression on him back on his early days.

Like the boy, these people were dressed similarly. The rags they wear were rather just too plain, too simple.

And perhaps it was because of that, one would have to gaze at their physical, and facial differences, to be able to differentiate. Because if they were all relatives, if they took out the one thing that separated them apart, no matter how much you try, you'd hardly be able to distinguish an old bum with a street bitch.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

"..." Walking through his daily routine, the boy smiled happily. Step-by-step, he nears sustenance. The sheer thought of filling his belly in this time of day made him very resplendent, very happy, joyous.

Seemingly the only one on the streets, out of the many few, who smiled. But like all other things in his life, he didn't care. There were only three things in life he sought for, three things he would care for if need be, and three things and only three things that he would give a shit about.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Smiling as he walked, it aroused the grim expressions from those around. Most glared with contempt, some even laughed at scorn, while others ignored, not caring much. In this forlorn abandonment, not much of the friendliness you would find in other cities remained.

But even as the scene unfolds, the boy didn't seem like he took it to mind. Because it also felt like, the grim expressings weren't expressed towards him, weren't aimed towards him, weren't meant for him. He really couldn't say, how he knew so, why it was so, or even if it was true.

Because it was just a 'feeling'.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

"It shuld be aroun... ther ya are!" Just as the boy began contemplating whether or not he was lost again, he finally turned up at the right end of a three-way street. The sandy grounds were awfully quite nice on his foot. Despite what people said about it, he simply couldn't find why?

In any case, he was glad that he lost his precious foot-splitters, they were getting sort-of itchy.

But enough of that. The work he intended to do upon was right in front of him. And even in the morning, it had a pretty long queuing line, but he was willing to wait. After all, he only needed to do very simple things, and the job paid.

"All those who wish to donate, please queue up in an orderly fashion! Those who have donated already, please line up there, where you will receive compensation. Don't worry, there will be enough for everyone!" Someone shouted out loud. His voice seemed to have echoed throughout the place, slightly yet still able to garner some attention.

"Next!!!"

Tap!

Well, based on these irritated, impatient expressions those people gave off. I guess that counted as a kind of attention at least, that's what he thought. The long wait ahead, plainly obvious, the boy unknowingly started to think of random things.

"Next!!!"

Tap!

The line extending towards the end of this rather, spacious area, was really just uncountable, literally. From the starting road here, up until the medium-sized tent right at the end. The boy estimated that there should be more than ten, when he got bored and suddenly just counted the guys up front.

"Cone, twho, tree, poor... fip, sex, sven... aight, nein, tan..."

With his last finger upped, the boy's face started to stare, with eyes of disbelief. Clearly, the line was truly uncountable. Vaguely recalling how there were only 8 people yesterday, and seeing that there were still more ahead, he forced a bitter smile.

Those treacherous kids, it must've been their work.

"Next!!!"

Tap!

Looks like his secret breakfast spot was finally "Fhukin ekspozzled..." he muttered out. He didn't really know what this word meant either. Merely picking it up vaguely when someone had barged into one of the two buildings between his alleyway, the one to the left.

"Next!!!"

Tap!

Pretty sure it went like, "Reindeer the 'Bla Bla Bla', for raping chil-'Bla Bla Bla' and faking oneself as a 'Bla Bla Bla ' teach-'Bla Bla Bla', I will now cares-'Bla Bla Bla'. You are now... ekspozzled!!!" Is how it went in his head. It did sound wrong... but when he kept repeating those words in his head, they didn't really seem wrong, did they?

Tap!

"Next!!!" Not knowing how much time had passed since he queued, or even remembering that he had been skimming through the line unconsciously as he thought of, random things. He seemed to have traveled through time, making the usually long wait, short. Other than that, what else could have happened?

"Huh, that's weird... how come there aren't any..." The male attendant got confuzzled there for a moment. He could have sworn that there was a boy here, standing in between two adult males...

"Ah, that'r be me..." The boy smiled even wider than before, exposing his teeth full of holes and black mysterious, sort of made the male attendant alarmed. For a second, he nearly jumped there. Well, that was what he did yesterday, when this boy first came in. Remembering this, and seeing his black mysterious teeth, the attendant front of him spontaneously grew uncomfortable.

"Ugh, it's him again," He thought.

"Lin... was it?..." The male attendant asked. His face, growing increasingly disgusted.

"Hmm? Ya gat a problem wit' that?" Lin countered. His face, also growing sour.

"Don't get any ideas, kid. Just get in the tent, get it done, get it over with" The male attendant spoke, with a sour face, and a sour tone. He didn't really like the kid's tone and illiteracy, nor did he like anyone who had lined up in front of him.

"Hmph. Yea, yea..." Lin harumphed, before opening the tent flaps and entering it. Like the male attendant, he too, didn't like him at all. There was something about his tone, his smartass voice that he couldn't exactly describe. Well, it wasn't exactly the attendant's fault for getting hated on. Lin hated everyone that can talk better than him, he was jealous.

Tap! Tap! Swish!

As the boy disappeared into the white tent. The male attendant gave nothing else, but a sneering face, before continuing on his shoutings as he again said, "Next!!!"