Cash in hand, I thanked them quickly and dashed away, adrenaline pumping from my victory. I"d only been on the streets for an hour, and so far, things were going exactly my way.

My lucky streak continued as I approached the bus stop and saw the line headed for Huntington Park already there. I easily caught up to it in my new sneakers and found a seat all the way in the back.

Now all I had to do was enjoy the ride, and hope the rest of my night would go as smoothly.

I got off at Compton and Gage, where the sense of belonging belonging immediately flooded me. A cheerful yellow rooster glowed from above a fried chicken joint, wings spread wide as if in welcome. And even though it was closed, the immediately flooded me. A cheerful yellow rooster glowed from above a fried chicken joint, wings spread wide as if in welcome. And even though it was closed, the Pizza Loca Pizza Loca I pa.s.sed smelled of familiar greasy goodness, making my mouth water. I pa.s.sed smelled of familiar greasy goodness, making my mouth water.

But I had to push those feelings aside, because this was not not my home, and it was dangerous to get too comfortable. Even a change of a few blocks could have meant new gangs to deal with, and I was a good six miles away. Since no one here would know me, it was likely they"d consider me an enemy first and ask questions later. my home, and it was dangerous to get too comfortable. Even a change of a few blocks could have meant new gangs to deal with, and I was a good six miles away. Since no one here would know me, it was likely they"d consider me an enemy first and ask questions later.

I started heading down Compton Avenue, stopping at each side street to peer into the darkness. All I saw were tiny, rundown houses with windows barred and doors double-bolted, bravely defending their occupants from the crime that surrounded them. By the time I hit Florence, I felt like I"d gone too far, so I turned around and tried going north instead.

Ten blocks later, on 62nd street, I saw someone who I thought might be able to help. She was sitting next to a bush on the side of the road, wearing a mini-skirt, black hose, and ankle-high boots. Large, squishy-looking b.r.e.a.s.t.s-the kind that came from being sort of fat-popped out the top of her low-cut t-shirt. street, I saw someone who I thought might be able to help. She was sitting next to a bush on the side of the road, wearing a mini-skirt, black hose, and ankle-high boots. Large, squishy-looking b.r.e.a.s.t.s-the kind that came from being sort of fat-popped out the top of her low-cut t-shirt.

I headed over at a swift pace, keeping a wary eye out for any trouble.

"Isn"t you a little young, sweetheart?" she asked when I came to a stop in front of her. Then she stood and dusted off her a.s.s. "But h.e.l.l, if you gonna pay, I can still help you out."

She had a cold sore on her lip, coated with a blob of makeup, and my stomach turned. "I don"t want...I mean, I"m not here to..."

"I don"t take no little boys to the prom," she said impatiently, her hands on her hips. "What do do you want?" you want?"

"I"m...I"m looking for Mimi. A friend said she...works around here."

"Mimi? Boy, you don"t need her. If you got the cash, I"m sure I can-"

"No, no, no." I shook my head, jerking back as though she"d tried to touch me. "Mimi"s my sister. She"s about...five-five, brown hair, pretty skinny, the last time I saw her..."

The screech of wheels on asphalt had me ducking for cover behind the bushes, and a black car with tinted windows pulled up beside us. Heavy ba.s.s pounded out through the speakers, making the ground shake.

A man rolled down the window, a cigarette poised at his lips. "There a problem?"

"Nah. He just wanna know where Mimi at," the girl answered.

"Get moving," the guy growled at me.

I wanted to tell him to f.u.c.k himself, but thank G.o.d common sense got a hold of my mouth before I did. His car squealed away again in a cloud of smoke, and I pulled my backpack tighter against my shoulder, preparing to take off.

"Try 71st," the girl shouted after me.

"71st? I was already by there."

She shrugged. "Try it again. You maybe gotta look a little harder. There been police around here lately and we been trying to stay out of sight."

I nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

It was nearing three a.m., and I was starting to think it"d been dumb not to have headed straight home, and maybe crashed at Jose"s or Diego"s. But that was probably the first place they"d have looked for me, and I was not not going to go through all this trouble just to be sucked back into the system after a single night of freedom. going to go through all this trouble just to be sucked back into the system after a single night of freedom.

I didn"t put much faith in the girl"s word, but all the same I turned right when I reached 71st and headed down the street, my eyes darting about for any signs of life. After this, I"d have no other choice but to walk the forty blocks down to Watts, and that thought had my feet already dragging in protest. and headed down the street, my eyes darting about for any signs of life. After this, I"d have no other choice but to walk the forty blocks down to Watts, and that thought had my feet already dragging in protest.

I saw nothing. Just more little homes, many of them converted into apartments so they could squeeze in as many people as possible. All the lights were off. The place was dead to anyone but the roaches scuttling through the garbage on the street, or the rats that were clever enough to remain hidden.

"Alejandro?"

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I turned slowly to face the oncoming footsteps.

"Alex? What the h.e.l.l are you doing out here?"

Then I ran. I ran straight for her, keeping the tears from my eyes by laughing like a lunatic instead. "Mimi!" I buried my head in her shoulder.

Mimi was still for a few seconds before she brought her hand up to stroke my hair. "Alex, what the h.e.l.l?"

"I came to find you."

"But...why?"

My breath started to catch in my throat. If I wasn"t careful, tears would soon follow. "They took me away from Mom."

"Who did?"

"The cops and social services."

"s.h.i.t. For real?"

I stepped back to avoid the temptation to cry in her arms. She was even thinner than I remembered, her hair in greasy curls and her eyebrows penciled in with dark makeup. She wore a spaghetti-string tank top that hung off her bony shoulders, and a skirt I could barely make out below it.

"So what"re you doing here in the middle of the night?" she pressed.

"I ran away."

"Jesus, Alex." She shook her head. "Why?"

"It"s a long story." The day with all its insanity was finally catching up to me, and my eyelids were the first to signal defeat. They drooped down halfway and refused to reopen fully. "Can"t we go to your place to talk?"

Her gaze drifted left, then right. "I"m working, Alex. I can"t go."

"But I"m tired."

She tousled my hair. "Same old whiny Alex."

I was too weak to protest.

Mimi dug into her bra and produced a key. I tried not to think about it resting against her breast while she worked as she handed it over.

"6724 Makee Avenue, number two. It"s the unit on the right. Go get some sleep and we can talk in the morning."

I smiled. A home. A bed. I had family family again. again.

"And don"t scare Star when you go in."

"Star?" I crinkled my nose.

She sighed. "I know. Angel didn"t like Estrella. Said it sounded too ethnic or whatever."

I shook my head, closing my hand around the key and squeezing it tightly enough to leave an imprint. "Okay, then. See you in the morning."

I"d already turned away when I heard her respond softly, "See you in the morning, hermanito hermanito."

6724 Makee Avenue was worlds away from the mansions of Bel Air. But it was a hundred times more familiar, and I kept grinning like a fool as I approached the door, floating on the cloud of everything-is-working-out happiness.

Reality sank in after I took a step inside and turned on the lights.

The place was a dump. Even worse than my house had ever been. There was trash on the floor, and no one had taken the garbage out in a while because it stunk, with fruit flies dancing above it. The cabinets were old and broken, and the sink was piled with dishes.

I tripped over a stuffed animal in the hallway. My ankle connected with a stained couch, and I hopped around clumsily as I tried to m.u.f.fle the cries of pain.

But I wasn"t quiet enough. The hall light flicked on, and a pint-sized girl in a long-sleeve pink shirt and Barbie underwear appeared in front of me. "Who are you?" she asked.

Crouching down to her level, I smiled and tried to appear non-threatening. It must"ve been scary to wake up and find a strange guy in her place, especially since she was home alone. "I"m Alex. I"m your tio tio. Your mommy is my sister."

"Really? I didn"t know you were my tio."

"I am," I responded, hoping I sounded authoritative and not creepy. "Your name is Star, and I haven"t seen you since you were like two years old."

"I don"t remember stuff from when I was a baby." She rolled her eyes at me. "No one does. Don"t you know that?"

She was Mimi"s kid, all right.

"Yeah, I know." I laughed. "But you can get to know me now. Your mom"s... working...so she said I could stay here to sleep for a little while."

"Do you have any snacks?"

I shook my head. "It"s the middle of the night. You"re not supposed to have snacks in the middle of the night."

She sighed. "Okay. Let"s go to bed."

Without hesitation, she grabbed my hand and began pulling me down the hall. I tried not to think about why a five-year-old would be this undisturbed by a stranger breaking into her home that she actually invited him to her bedroom.

As it turned out, there was no bed in the closet-sized room, just a mattress on the floor, covered with a mess of blankets.

"You can sleep with me," she announced. "Tuck us in?"

She threw her body onto the mattress while I hung back. I didn"t really want to sleep with her, but the couch outside looked disgusting, covered with ash and cigarette-burned fabric, and I was sure the other room was the one Mimi shared with Angel.

Whoever that f.u.c.ker was.

"Okay. But you go right to sleep, all right? I"m really tired."

She nodded solemnly.

There was only one beat-up pillow, so I let her settle on it first before I kicked off my shoes and took a tiny corner for myself. Then I pulled the blankets over her, happy that though old, they at least seemed clean.

She yawned as she burrowed in against me, her miniature mouth stretching into a perfect circle. "I always wanted a tio."

"That"s good, kid." I patted her head awkwardly, and silky soft curls shifted under my fingertips.

Her drooping lids popped open a few times, like she was checking to make sure I was still there. But eventually she gave in, drifting off to sleep with her lips parted slightly and a bit of drool making its way onto the pillow.

Tiny fingernails-painted pink-rested on my arm. I gently moved them to the side so I could scoot back in an attempt to make myself comfortable on the thin cushion.

Reality was a b.i.t.c.h. The excitement of being home was steadily seeping away. Seeing Mimi again meant more to me than I"d probably admit, but I couldn"t deny the fact I"d traded my bedroom in a mansion for a mattress on the floor of a dingy apartment. I couldn"t hide from the truth of what my sister did for a living. And I couldn"t forget that my life had dead-ended. Without a high school degree, I"d be destined for a career in manual labor-or dealing.

Star squirmed, making a cute little noise, and I glanced over at her.

She was a really pretty kid, with Mimi"s straight nose and a fair complexion. Still so innocent, she looked perfectly happy sleeping on the dirty floor. What kind of life would she have, I wondered?

No father, a mother who...did what she did, and an uncle who was a high school dropout. Did she even stand a chance?

I slid my finger into her little hand, and she squeezed down.

"Don"t be like us," I whispered in her ear.

Chapter 15: Rescue.

"Tio!" Tiny hands shook me awake. "Tio, I"m itchy!"

I blinked wearily, fighting off sleep as I attempted to focus on the room.

"What?"

"I"m itchy," Star repeated. She was standing above me, still clad in the Barbie underwear, her leg directly in front of my face. "See? I got b.u.mps."

My eyes adjusted. "s.h.i.t," I mumbled.

Her thigh was covered with tiny raised spots-some old and scratched into scabs, others fresh. I quickly looked over my own body and found five b.u.mps along my left arm.

"f.u.c.king bedbugs."

Star didn"t jump on me for my cussing. I had a feeling she heard that kind of language a lot.