Ram's feet were moving all on their own. His mother's soft voice hummed in his ears, 'Whenever you are down, tilt your head up and gaze at the blue skies and the trees. With your head tilted up, even the green mould stuck on that brick house will glisten for you. It is beautiful, always.'

So, Ram gazed. He gazed at the reddish orange that had merged with the golden,as the blue of the sky swallowed it. It was a beautiful painting with the black specks of birds that moved in flocks. They were heading back to their nests, their homes, a place Ram could no longer return to. Ram's cheeks however became fuller as he saw at the crows on the electric wires, he stared at their jet black smooth wings. The clouds danced as they made formations for him. They were dancers in his eyes. Since he had been on the bus there, that was perhaps the first time he had been one with the nature again, for a few minutes that nine year old was a kid again.

Ram turned his head to meet Piyush's moving lips. The sound of the horns, shouts of people and vendors that he had once zoned out of was drilling holes into his ears. "We go about our business in pairs. You are my partner, we are supposed to help each other out. Do not trust the other boys or give them money, don't show sympathy and don't tell anyone that you have money on you. Ever." Ram bit into his tongue to overcome the shivers that went down his spine as he faced the bigger boy. He said, "I will help others whenever I can. You can't change me." Piyush sighed as his head bent low. "You will learn soon enough. Goodness has no place in our hearts, in the hearts of weeds like us. For the rich it is called kindness, for us it is idiocy."

Piyush looked up at the sky and seeing the orange haze that enveloped the sky, his long feet moved faster. Ram followed behind him for he had no other choice. The boys once again reached the hole in the locked wall, ducked and entered the building. The hallways were now lit up with dim red lights. Light music filled their ears as Ram was guided to the room he had slept in last night.

The boys were the first to arrive. Piyush's hand scratched the back of his as he said, "Every evening, we have to meet up here and hand over our loot. The target is two hundred rupees each. We hand over the cash and get to continue this life." Ram stared into Piyush's black orbs as he said, "What if I don't want this life and refuse?" Piyush kneeled down and matching his eye level with Ram's clasped his hands on either sides of the kid's shoulders. "That is not an option. You will understand that today" he said.

Ram searched the black eyes that now glistened with water, water that had not been let out for years on the end. The one person Piyush saw in front of him was not Ram. It was an image of him as a child, a child who had lost everything he held close to his heart, who was broken and yet refused to steal. That boy had changed so much in these closed walls that he no longer recognised himself.

Ram slowly brought his head down. He agreed to do as he was told. That village boy somehow trusted this teen, soon after he had trusted the old woman in his village, the one who had started it all. Boys began to fill the tiny room, Ram saw some of them tilt their head up as they acknowledged Piyush. No one glanced at him twice. At last, a paper thin boy with wide eyes and cuts on his legs entered the room. Frantically, he went to each and everyone before he fell at Ram's feet. "Give..give m.money. I will return it someday" he said as his widened eyes looked at Ram. Sweat matted his hair as his head touched the black floor. Ram could see his father's bent head in front of him as he stared at the boy. Ram took hold of Piyush's t-shirt and swung himself behind him, he was afraid he could be of no use, he was afraid of the boy that jumped at him and of the dark. He held onto the sides as his head peeped out to look at paper boy. "We have no money Mintu. Leave" Piyush said as he turned his head to the wooden door that creaked open.

A laugh filled the silent room as the open door revealed a olive skinned man. The man wore a green kurta(long traditional shirt) and black pants. His blue eyes twinkled with mischief as he stared at Mintu. "It is you again huh" he said. Ram closed his eyes shut as creases formed on his eyelids and his lips quivered. Within seconds, a rough hand touched his shoulder and the little boy tilted his head as much as he could to meet the owner of those burly hands. Ram was the size of a rat in front of him. The man laughed again spraying his saliva on Ram's face. Ram merely closed his eyes as he listened, "You are the new kid huh. Afraid of me aren't you boy. All well and good. Now hand me the cash." Ram's eyes widened as he drowned in the blue orbs. He could feel himself becoming smaller and smaller, his knees were moving from left to right, he did not have a single rupee on him.

Piyush at that moment held a bundle of notes above Ram's head. "Mine and his. He is new so I held on to his for him. Wouldn't want him to give it away. You know how it works down here Amir." Ram kept his eyes glued to the black floor in front him. He felt his every breath going into his body and out of it. He listened to the man ruffle Piyush's luscious black hair as the man's red eyes grew wider, he heard the man's footsteps moving away from him yet he lacked the strength to lift his tiny head up.

When the footsteps had stopped, Ram could hear muffled noises. He willed his eyes to open and his bent head saw Mintu's naked feet being dragged out the door. He looked up at Piyush who held a finger to his lips. What had happened would not be voiced ever again.

As the boys retreated to their sleeping quarters, Ram followed them. He was given a spot in between two laid out mattresses. As Ram searched for Piyush in the crowd, he was met by his black orbs. Piyush slowly closed his eyes and mouthed, 'Sleep'.

Ram lay on his mattress and faced the cement ceiling that was illuminated by the moonlight. The ceiling had uneven dark and light patches, the powder showered on his face at regular intervals. Ram tilted his body and faced the other side. In front of him lay an empty mat with a stiff pillow. Ram did not take much notice of it as he forced his eyes shut. He could see before him the pink glittery skirt that twirled with the boy under the dim lights. He could seen Mintu's arms with cuts running through, he could see him being dragged away. Ram opened his eyes and turned to stare at the cement as it's emptiness swallowed him. Ram's ears picked up the the music that played in the background as his toes moved to match their rhythm.

When the music had finally died down, Ram heard footsteps coming towards the room. He saw silhouettes of tiny girls enter the room and then move to their spots on the floor. A girl with long black hair took the spot beside him. Her open hair framed her tiny face. Ram could see the shape of her plump lips as she lay beside him. As the moonlight graced her face, he could see black rivers of eyeliner and Kajal flowing down the girl's eye. He stared as not a single shred of tear escaped her brown eyes anymore. Eyes that seemed unwilling to close. "I am Meghna" the girl whispered in the dark as her eyes too focused on the ceiling.

Ram turned to face the left side of her face as his lips moved. "Ram" he said. That day as you now know was the  day Ram met Meghna. That was the day Ram met the one person he lived his life for, who changed him. Was that the day a innocent boy who was unwilling to steal became a killer? I wonder.

**My dear reader, I love writing stories because they have the power to bring out emotions from people I miles and miles away from me. These words are my happiness and to know that it brought out the slightest emotion out of you would mean the world to me. Maybe it just lifted you lip a tiny bit or made lines appear on your forehead, please let me know for that is the sole purpose of these words. Leave a comment, your thoughts, anything. A vote would mean that you enjoyed reading it. It takes seconds and yet means the world to me, the teenager behind the keyboard