Chapter Four - Poor Boy

"Chester?!" The boy to be executed gasped, the scared tone in his voice poorly masked. He had tattered clothes and messy hair, he looked almost as bad as Chester had when he first arrived.

"Rob!" Chester yelled as Mike was one step behind him. The guards acted too slow and only managed to grab Mike as Chester charged to Rob and engulfed him into his arms, sobbing. "I missed you so much!"

"Chester, w-what happened? Where did you go?" Rob gripped onto Chester tightly as though it would be the last time he'd see his lost friend. "Don't you dare leave me again! We need to go home - you need to go home! Everyone is worried sick about you!"

"No one is going anywhere!" A voice boomed and stepped onto the floor, walking up to the two boys. It was the leader of the rich, Mark Wakefield. Chester's eyes bulged, he hadn't realized who he saw on the screen earlier was his favorite vocalist. When he was younger, his parents had gotten him a record of the singer's and Chester instantly fell in love with it. "What the hell is going on here?!"

"I..." Chester trailed off, not believing what was happening. He was heartbroken to see that who he once looked up to when he was apart of the poor, wasn't such a nice guy after all. Mark's eyes drifted between Chester and Rob before going to Mike who was struggeling in the guards grasp.

"A Shinoda boy?" Mark squinted his eyes and looked back to Chester. He gazed into the boy's entrancing eyes and Mark was struck with realization. "Bennington."

"Chester, what's going on?" Rob whispered, an arm wrapped around Chester's, who shrugged silently.

"Execute the two boys," Mark commanded, nodding towards Rob and Chester. Their eyes widened and they began backing away, frightened.

"No! No, please no! You can't do this! You can't do this to them! No!" Mike cried out, struggling even harder against the guards that were pulling him away. Cheers echoed from the crowd as two guards ripped Chester and Rob away from each other. Their arms were outstretched, trying to reach for the other as a guard had hold of them.

"Mark!" A voice called, causing all noise in the stadium to pause. Muto jumped in and quickly walked to Mark. "You cannot kill these boys."

"Muto, what is the meaning of this interruption?" Mark snarled, eyeing Muto carefully.

"The Bennington boy has been through enough, you know that just as well as I, if not better. He does not deserve to die or face the sight of seeing his good friend pass," Muto stood up for the poor boys, surprising everyone. "I do not like the poor but I will admit Chester is different. He has courage and strength, my sons and wife will vouch for me on this."

"How has he proved his worth?" Mark questioned with disbelief. He thought it was impossible to have any strength with such a scrawny body such as Chester's.

"Everyone is terrified of me, this boy is not. He has faced many hardships and has managed through it all. We have yet to learn from him, he has much to offer. I promise you, this boy will give some humanity back to the rich - it is what we need." Muto said, Chester absorbing every word. He felt honored to be spoken about in such a way.

"Very well, but it will be your head if he proves otherwise. You and the boy alone will see me and we will discuss his guidelines. If he goes outside of them, your family, his friend, you, and himself will all be executed in that order. Do you hear me?" Mark scowled and the guards released the boys, who went to Muto's side.

"Yes, Mark," He turned to Rob and looked to him sternly. "My son, Michael, will take you to our home, where you will stay. We have plenty of room. He will show you everything you need to know, tell him I said he will if he asks any questions. Do you understand, boy?"

"Yes, sir," He replied quietly and went to Mike, who was looking to Chester with concern. Muto grabbed Chester's arm, guiding him out of the arena, which was now full of hisses and boos. If life for Chester wasn't already hard enough being amongst the rich, it was going to become much more difficult with everyone knowing who he is.

Muto took the boy roughly to a fancy room that was connected to their previous location. It was full of rich leather and velvet flooring. It wasn't anything like Chester had seen before, it was richer than what the wealthy people owned. This was clearly a room belonging to Mark, who then stepped into the room with a look of disgust as he looked to Chester.

"Muto, take a seat. Poor boy, on the floor," Mark sneered and Chester sat without hesitation or flinching. He was used to this type of treatment. Muto sat on the couch, directly behind Chester. He was ready to leap in and help the boy if Mark acted irrationally and lashed out at him. "I cannot believe you, Muto. I used to believe you and I were on the same page. Would you care for a drink?"

"Scotch," He replied and Mark went to the mini bar on the other side of the room. "We are, Mark, it is different when it comes to the Benningtons. You know just as well as I what this boy and his family went through. It was not fair, even by our standards. By my standards."

"That is exactly why we should off him, get rid of the past and move forward to a brighter future. Protecting this boy is only a reminder of the wrongs we have committed," Mark replied, pouring a drink for himself and Muto, not bothering to ask Chester if he needed anything. To treat the poor with hospitality was like burning a bible in front of a christian.

"He needs to remind us that our humanity is not lost. We did not mean to spare him, but we are now, thus contradicting with our mistakes. This good deed could right that horrible wrong," Muto said and thanked him for the glass as Mark came back. He sat down in an armchair across from them. Chester hated that they talked about him as if he wasn't there.

"What does the boy have to say about us sparing him?" Mark looked to Chester questioningly, who perked up at being nearly spoken directly to. He decided now was the time to have his say, he was patient enough.

"Look, Mr. Wakefield. I appreciate your consideration of saving my life, but I honestly couldn't care less. The only lives I care about saving are the Shinoda family and Rob. If they were killed because I messed up, I'd rather relive with the past several times than to deal with that pain. Mr. Shinoda has surprised me with how kind he's being towards me, despite the things people say about him, but my life can easily be thrown away without a care."

"I see," Mark listened intensely and had to admit, the boy had guts. He was acting just as brave as Muto claimed he was. It was a rare trait amongst the rich. "Clarence, right?-"

"Chester."

"Of course... Chester," Mark paused and Chester could have sworn he heard him mutter something about it being a poor person's name under his breath. "The only poor who have lived amongst us within the past twenty years have been slaves or refugees - all of which killed eventually. Our laws state that no third class citizens are able to live amongst the first while being treated with expensive hospitality. In order to spare you, you would have to abide by our laws and become accustomed of what I expect of you. If you refuse to accept my very kind gesture of even giving you the chance, everyone you cared about will die and it will be upon you and Muto Shinoda."

"I understand. What do I have to do?"

"I expect you to be cleaner than air anytime you step around me. You are to never utter a lie to me or the Shinoda family, unless told differently. Lastly, you will be who Muto believes you are. Kind, brave, strong... These are traits you must keep in order to survive amongst us. As for the law against the poor, you would have to become a slave. It is also against the law to live under the same roof as the master's, making the Shinoda clan out of the question," Mark said and looked to Muto, who had his brows furrowed together.

"What do you propose he do?" Muto challenged.

"He will be my slave. He will go to school for half the day and spend the other half doing whatever I ask of him. He will return home around the time school outs. This will help me keep an eye on him, making sure he reaches my expectations. He will only be able to stop being a slave once he has more money than the poorest person on this side of the city."

"How much is that?" Chester asked, not sure what to expect. He didn't have but a penny back at home.

"One million dollars," Mark replied and Chester realized that was the absolute bare minimum one could have if they wanted to live here. He nodded his head, unsure how to get this kind of money. He already wants out of the deal he hasn't even agreed to yet. There was quite a price to pay in order to save everyone's lives. "And once that money is made, it will go to me. Afterwards, you and your friend will be returned to the poor."

"Chester must be clean, truthful, and brave while being your slave until he reaches one million dollars, to which will be stripped from him and he will be taken back to the poor with his friend in order to spare his, Rob's, my family's and my own lives?" Muto asked again for clarification, to which Mark nodded, having a sinister smile pressed against his lips as he looked back to Chester.

"How about a counter offer? You kill me, bring Rob back home and let the Shinoda family live?" Chester tried, but Mark shook his head.

"My offer is the only one on the table, Chester."

"But may I offer another, Mark? I find it unethical and counterproductive towards the goal of mercy if we were to send him back. If he is stripped of the money, may he stay with my family and therefore be rich once adopted? Along with this, I will not offer my money to him to use, he must make it on his own? Otherwise, I will give him the money so this may be over briefly," Muto pitched and Mark sighed deeply, contemplating whether or not it pleased him.

"Alright, Chase-"

"Chester."

"Chester. I will allow the modifications made by Muto to be made to the offer. You will be clean, truthful, and brave while being my slave until you reach one million dollars. From there, I will take the money and the Shinoda clan may adopt you, otherwise you will be returned to the poor. As for your friend, he will be put back to the poor and may not speak of his run-in with the rich," Mark paraphrased, adding his own extra kick to the deal. "Do we have a deal?"

"Okay, I'll do it," Chester breathed, running a hand through his hair. He looked between Mark and Muto, who each nodded.

"The deal will start at the beginning of next week and Michael Shinoda will be able to stay with you the whole day to show you how things are done. We will have a contract written and ready for your signature by the end of this week, to which we will need you, Muto, the Shinoda family, your friend, and myself to sign this weekend. Understand?"

"Understood," Chester sighed, nodding.