The second I stepped out of the shower, I could tell something was wrong. Whether it was premonition or a strange coincidence, I just knew. Throwing on my clothes, I ran to Nicko's room and saw the problem immediately.

    Flames. The walls around his room were being burned, but the door was shut. Locked. I pulled on the doorknob, hoping it was just stuck, but it was definitely locked. Cursing, I pulled my lockpicking tools out of my shoe and fumbled with the lock. I wrenched the door open.

    "Locke!" I heard his small voice call.

    Nicko was across the room on his bed, away from the flames but cut off from the only exit. He was terrified, huddled in the corner against the wall. He reached his hand out toward me, but I couldn't get to him.

    "You have to jump!" I shouted, too anxious to act calm. He didn't move a muscle. "I'm right here, just jump!"

    "I can't!"

    The flames were licking up the sides of the bed, threatening to overtake him at any moment. Nicko sobbed, clutching onto his book and a silver watch I'd given him last week - watches were always his favorite. My heart broke knowing I couldn't do this for him.

    "Come on, kiddo. It's just like hopscotch! You like hopscotch, don't you?" I asked. He nodded fearfully. "Okay, so stand up first. You can't play a game sitting down, silly!" I smiled despite the situation, tears forming in my eyes. He stood up shakily, crying out when a board broke beneath him with a loud crack. "Okay, now jump! Really quick, on two feet, then one, that's it..."

I coaxed him through the flames, wincing every time he landed on the ground. Tears were streaming down his face now, mirroring my own. He finally made it to me, and I hugged him tightly.

    Dragging him behind me, I saved my backpack from under the couch and abandoned the burning building. The fire had spread, but it was easier to avoid now that we were out of his room. We dashed through the front door and out to the street. I collapsed to my knees and hugged Nicko, fully aware of the extensive burns on both our legs. The adrenaline was gone, and the pain was terrible.

    "My teacher said that if there's a fire we gotta call the police guys," Nicko said quietly. He sat down on the cool grass, unable to stand anymore. I shook my head.

    "We don't have a phone, kiddo."

    "Oh." He sighed. "Why not?"

    I thought about it for a moment, but wasn't sure how to tell him. "We don't have very much money," I said simply.

At least we won't have to pay a mortgage anymore, I thought sarcastically. Finally, the reality of the situation hit me. There was no way I could take care of Nicko on my own, not now. But he was more important than money, and he needed someone to take care of him; I couldn't put him back on the streets.

"Let's go get help." I gave in.

"From who?"

"Anyone."

***

    We quickly realized that Nicko couldn't walk on his own. Since I had to carry him, we only made it to a nearby neighbor's house, and not one we knew very well. They had a phone, however. The lady was pretty old, but she wrapped our burns and told us she would call the fire department.

Nicko wasn't okay. I wasn't sure how long he'd been in his room before I got to him, but he was now coughing excessively from the smoke in his lungs and his eyes were red and watery. Among several minor burns, his left leg was burned severely up to his thigh. I only had a few burns on my calves, nothing to worry about, but Nicko would need medical attention.

"I'll call an ambulance too," the lady suggested, picking up her phone.

"No!" I shouted. How was I going to explain? "We, uh... Don't have insurance," I tried.

"Honey, he needs a doctor," she said decidedly, dialling the hospital anyway.

"We don't have any money!" I exclaimed, praying she'd put the phone away. If I showed my face in the city again so soon...

"Hello? Yes, I have two boys here... House fire... Mhm..."

I sighed heavily as she disregarded my pleas. Nicko took my hand and squeezed it lightly, trying to make me feel better.

"You don't have to come with me, Locke, " he said. I laughed a bit, my heart breaking once more at his sad eyes. 

"Yes, I do." Maybe I won't run into anyone who recognizes me. This is more important.

"I'm gonna be okay," Nicko smiled. He handed me the one watch he'd managed to save - his favorite one. "See? I'm gonna let you hold onto this and give it back to me when I come back. Then you won't miss me!"

I ruffled his hair with a pained smile. "I'm going with you, kiddo."

"Why?" Nicko whispered. "Won't you get caught?"

"Maybe." I said, ignoring the first question.

"Then why?" He asked again. I took a deep breath.

"Because I love you, kid." I laughed. He was the only person in the world I could say that to honestly; he gave my life a purpose... He was all I cared about.

"I love you too, Locke," Nicko grinned. "Thanks for being my big brother."

"Don't get all sappy on me now," I nudged him jokingly.

Author's Note!

Second chapter! This one was a bit short, but it made sense for it to be. How are we feeling about the characters so far? I love the relationship between Locke and Nicko <3

Question for this chapter: Why do you think Nicko is the only person Locke cares about? Do you think he cares about anyone/anything else, too?

Thanks for reading, love you all!

Savy