Years passed and seasons changed. With the orphanage's struggles, things started to change, with less and less kids being taken in and the portions for food decreasing significantly.
This continued to trouble Mother Terrisa as she saw the kids under her care continue to lose weight and the innocence in their eyes beginning to fade. For her if things continued like this, would mean she had failed them, a thought that haunted her every night.
Over time kids also started to help in the orphanage with chores and minor tasks that they could handle, and their actions encouraged Mother Terrisa as it means that at least she didn't fail in teaching her kids.
Inside a worn-out barn that looked like a small gust of wind could bring it down and was next to the orphanage building, Lucian was inside with an old tractor that the orphanage used when commuting and Alex inside the tractor with his eyes closed and taking a nap.
Lucian, lying underneath the tractor was fixing who knows what as the orphanage couldn't commute to the city anymore with it and couldn't hire anyone from outside to fix it. As he continued with his work, he heard footsteps coming towards him.
Coming out from under the tractor with grease smeared on his handsome face and his silver hair had hints of mud and grease on them, he looked at the newcomer, his face stoic as always, though a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes as he looked at Rebecca holding a bottle of water and a cloth in her hands.
Rebecca looked at Lucian and a blush crept on her face as she fiddled with the bottle of water in her hand.
'He's looking at me, Ahh…what do I do? Ohh right give him the bottle. No no, he can't drink the water looking like that right, yeah, the cloth first.'
Rebecca inhaled and gathered her courage and offered the cloth to Lucian. He looked at her and the cloth for a sec as though contemplating what to do, after what felt like an eternity for Rebecca, Lucian brought his hand to take the cloth, their hands brushed against each other and for a second the world seemed to freeze for them.
A blush surfaced on Lucian's face but left as soon as it came as he turned to face away from her after taking the cloth from her hand.
For Alex though who was observing it all happen noticed it and couldn't help but laugh inside
'It's interesting seeing him like this.' He thought to himself as he continued to observe them.
After wiping his face, Lucian responded, "Thanks." And smiled slightly at her
Rebecca was surprised and happy to see Lucian smile. This went for Alex as well as he was the one who spent most of the time with Lucian and knew how ruthless he can become outside of the orphanage.
Alex thought to himself
'I've seen Lucian snap bones without blinking... but give him a smile from Rebecca and he turns into a statue'
Seeing this, Alex couldn't help but comment
"Wow, he can smile."
Instantly the awkward atmosphere disappeared, and Rebecca noticed Alex sitting inside the tractor for the first time since coming inside the barn.
They both glared at him with annoyance and Rebecca was even more embarrassed. Noticing this Alex chuckled as he continued
"Oh, don't let me ruin your moment you love birds."
Rebecca, even more flustered by his teasing, hurled the bottle in her hand towards Alex and stormed off.
He ducked out of the way and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Feisty. Good luck, man."
Lucian glared at him.
---
With everything going on in the orphanage and the struggle that continued, Alex decided to help in his own way, and Lucian being the only person he trusted he brought him along. His plan was to make some money outside and then donate it to the orphanage.
But with Alex and Lucian being 15 and 17 respectively, the chances of finding an honest job were slim to none; in the 1990's, child labour was frowned upon. This left them with no choice but explore other less legal options.
While Lucian and Alex were outside the orphanage doing some errand work for an old man in one of the bars in the city, he noticed some people betting on horse races while looking at the black and white TV, looking at them and then looking at the bar filled with drunk men, a thought filled his mind.
'What if we make them bet as well, not on races…. but something else…. something more entertaining for them'
This thought brought a smirk to his face. That was the start for them. The start of their underground betting business. Starting out small, hosting betting sessions during school fight and bar fights and eventually during underground illegal fights. This brought substantial money for them which they donated anonymously to the orphanage.
With both Alex the brain and leader while Lucian the muscle and enforcer of the group, their business continued to grow over the years, and this led them to be more and more busy and sneaking out more and more.
Inside their room, the air was tense between the two inseparable brothers, the light bulb casting a soft glow in their room, their shadows resting on the beautifully painted walls. Lucian wearing his blue jeans and a jean jacket, his hands wrapped with bandages was in contemplation after hearing Alex.
"Are you sure about this Alex, this could be dangerous for both of us."
Lucian looked at Alex, a man who he had come to consider as his brother over the years, looking for any signs of hesitation from him.
Alex wearing his black chino and black leather jacket with a watch lining his wrist responded.
"Bro, everything we do in this business is dangerous, but we did it and look at where we are now. It's just one fight. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things."
"I know, but this fight is too big, and a lot of big players will lose their money if we do this."
Alex contemplated his brother's words,
'Not like I didn't think of that myself, but this is too much of a big chance to pass up.'
"Okay, bro, I hear what you're saying, we can just lay low after we're done with this and not like anyone knows where we stay, right."
Lucian looked at Alex,
'You're still naïve brother… things are never that easy.'
Alex seeing that he still hadn't convinced his brother yet thought of something and a slight smirk surfaced on his face as he continued.
"You can finally buy something nice for your girlfriend after we done."
Lucian perked up after hearing that. Alex, seeing this decided to put the final nail in the coffin
"I can even help you pick out something nice for her."
"Fine. Let's go," Lucian muttered, his voice low, unreadable.
Unbeknown to them, Rebecca was just outside the door listening to their conversation with a worried expression on her face.
'What are they up to now, and what's so dangerous that it worries Lucian so much.'
A bad premonition surfaced in her heart as she dashed away from their door after hearing them coming out of their room.