Aladdin- chpt 1

"I ran, fast, of course.  The police weren't far behind.  I ducked into an ally way and into a trash can.  Thank God it was empty.  But it still smelled.
I heard the police come into the alley.  They were obviously confused, but didn't bother to keep looking.  I waited awhile until I was sure they were gone.  Then I jumped out of the trash can and onto the street.  I brushed the dirt off my tee, and shook out my legs.
It never hurts the guys in the movies to steal, but off course, this is real life, and stealing is a crime.  But if you have no money and no way to get it, it's your last option.  Living on the streets of Santé Fe ain't that bad, but it has its rough spots.  There are a surprising number of gangs that appear only at night, and the heat is horrible.
Otherwise, I've got it.  I mean, there are so many abandoned houses, and some are in pretty good condition.  Food comes by, if I don't steal it, the restaurants throw away some pretty descent food.  But that's more embarrassing than stealing.
I've tried performing on the streets, and have gotten chased off by cops.  I have been to shelters, but they treat you like the piece of crap you are, and no one needs reminded of that.  And with all those names, you know, those names I've been called, in public, even, you start to get the idea that you really are a piece of  crap.  But I'm not, I hope.
When my mom died, I went from foster home to foster home.  Ran away from all them.  Then, at sixteen, I dropped outta school and didn't let 'em get me.  Dad's never been there.  Left when I was five, haven't seen him since.
  Now 18, I've done lotsa, bad, things.  I've been arrested so many times, but I've always got away.  And if they did catch me, heh, well…It won't be pretty.
Walking down the alley, I took out the beef jerky, (yes, I stole beef jerky.  It lasts long) and opened it.  Inhaling, I dived in.  The bag was halfway gone when I stepped out of the alley.  I shoved it into my pocket and hurried on.
There was a Native American Festival today, or something of the sorts.  A lot of overpriced jewelry, art, and blankets were all, really.  And a lot of people.  In fact, the crowds were so thick with tourists that I just took the beef jerky out again.  The cops wouldn't even notice it.
The swarms of tourists buzzed around me.  I could hear bands, many of them, playing all different songs in the background.  There were stalls set up everywhere; it had an overall claustrophobic effect.  I strolled for awhile longer, then, saw the cops.  One was talking and pointing at me.  I ducked my head down and carried on, back into a dark corner of the city.

The abandoned house was on the outskirts of Santé Fe, but you could still see it all clearly, actually, it had a great view.   I tried the door.  Locked.   Good; that's how I left it. I took out some wire and quickly had it open. I swung open the door, and heard a noise.  Looking up, I saw a ferret, my ferret, (named Rux) hanging from the light, scrambling to hang on.  I reached up, he fell into my hands.  Lord knows how he got up there.
He scurried up my arm onto my shoulder, he wasn't coming down.  Chuckling, I ran up the stairs, to the upper bed room.  Narrowly missing the 7th step, (actually, there was no step) I almost fell, but got up and kept running.  (It was actually odd the house had a second floor, most houses in Santé Fe are one-story with a traditional flat roof, this one had an arched roof.)
Of course the house was in pieces, what would someone expect?  I had no idea how long it had been kept here, but the ceiling sagged, the wood rotted, the windows gone, the doors broken, and all in all, it was my home.
I had cleaned out all of the non-salvageable pieces of….whatever.  Someone had obviously lived here before me, but had made the mess worse before they left.  I have no idea who it was, I just knew that whoever was here was definitely up to no good, and I mean, worse than me.  The no-good in-jail-for-10-years kind.  Not the stealing-but-I've-got-an-excuse kind.
The room I used as my own had a large hole where the front wall used to be.  It looked out right over the city, a perfect view.  Of course, I had a sheet hanging in front of it, but it could be drawn back on those crystal-clear nights.  Or for sunsets.  Or the sunrise.  The sunrises were the best here.
I had a small mattress on the floor, a rope ladder I used to climb out of the hole (also good for emergencies,) and pretty much more than most "street rats" did.  I mean, sure, my clothes were dirty and ripped, but why does that matter?  People buy jeans with the rips already in them!
I took the newspaper (not stolen- I bought this one.  Sort of….) and the beef jerky out and threw them on the floor.  The newspaper flew open to a page in the middle of the paper.  I read the title.
"KING AND PRINCESS OF AGRABAH VISITING SANTE FE GOVERNER THIS WEEK"
How interesting- not.  Then I saw the picture of the princess. Oh mama.  I became quickly interested and began to read the article.
"…country ruled by king but advised by another?.."
"…princess to find husband…"
"…Leaving poor on the streets…"
Hmm.  Sound like a nice place.  (That was sarcasm)  I was getting the idea that the king wasn't really ruling, the city was overrun with poverty, and the princess was going to be forced to marry.
I wondered…when were they going to get here?
2 days.
I'd better get ready.