𝒮ometimes wonderful things come to life, being made happen by terrible people.

As Mrs. Davis sat behind the kitchen table, leaning heavily against the wall the letter written by Rosa laying before her, William realized that this time it was he who was that horrible person. He was the most terrible human being as he watched Mrs. Davis' old eyes fill with tears too heavy for her fiery soul.

She hadn't even doubted in the authenticity of the letter. And that had surprised the young boy who had already memorized a whole speech as to why she should let him go.

"Oh Devil with you boy, always troubles. What am I going to tell your brother? I need to find someone who would accompany you. I can not let a kid wander the train stations by himself, especially a kid like you. A hooligan," all sympathy for Mrs. Davis was replaced with annoyance.

William Rogers was not a hooligan.

Right?

"Mrs. Davis, I appreciate your concern and all, but I can do it on my own, there are only two trains, you wouldn't want to spend money on me now would you? I mean, your niece's wedding is coming up 'nd all. Wouldn't want her wedding gift to be too cheap because you hired a poor sap to babysit a man who is, might I add, very capable of taking care of himself." he said, feeling confident. He didn't expect the old woman to whip around and narrow her eyes filled with fire at him.

"Boy, who do you take me for? Your mother was my friend and I promised to look after you, you imbecile." she fumed, folding the piece of paper carefully. William gulped, realizing it wasn't the best idea to rile the woman up. "You call yourself a man, while you go and get tossed around by a group of brainless fools in the middle of the day." she hissed, referring to Mack and his dancing monkeys.

Of course, it wasn't a secret, there was a crescent moon shaped bruise under Williams right eye, giving away that he had been in some sort of fight. The fair-haired boy crossed his arms protectively, almost as if he could shield himself from the spiteful woman. "Steve fought all the time, unlike him, I managed to come out a winner." What Mrs. Davis doesn't know won't hurt her.

The woman snorted, pushing herself up. That, she didn't believe. "Who are you trying to fool here, William?" the boy wanted to laugh and say you, but he kept his silence. "The whole neighborhood knows you and that pig Mulligan don't get along nicely. The family feud seems to be still in his blood."

William did not care about Mack Mulligan, nor about his blood that was filled with envy and sugar. "Well then, you claim to be a man who could make decisions on his own, yes? Well, you have five days, William, to prove me wrong. Because how I see it, you're a boy searching for his place in this awful world. But if I let you out of the nest far too early, you will fall down and might not be able to fix your wings."

The metaphor was lost to William.

Five days was enough time for William to figure out a great plan, there was absolutely no way Mrs. Davis was going to send a stranger to accompany William.

“You're invited to William Everett Rogers' funeral, takes place within two days, please be at Rogers' Manor 2 pm sharp to mourn the loss of a young, innocent and good-hearted young man.” his tone was sour as he stared at the clear sky, lying on the rooftop. He was sprawled like a star, soaking in the last rays of the sun, because he knew soon he'd be licked by the flames of Hell.

He heard the familiar bell-like laugh beside him. Rosa was lying down as well, they had both craved their initials on the roof, at first she had been very doubtful, but seeing William do it was making her eager to try it out herself.

And then Will realized that he had already spent three out of five days just sulking around, trying to figure out what would be enough proof for Mrs. Davis. He felt like crying but first of all, Rosa was there, giggling at his sour mood and secondly, boys don't cry.

William groaned, rolling on his stomach as he pressed his face into the rough surface. “Come on, you have to have at least some sort of idea what to do? You could make her a gift?” she offered, her dark eyes filled with amusement. William turned towards her, resting his freckled cheek on the crook of his elbow. “The only gift she'd want from me would be my heart, on a golden plate.” he loved when she smiled. “to keep me forever her hostage, in the bonds of Hell.” she tried to hide her snort at how dramatic and serious William sounded.

“Stop sulking, you've got two days” as much as she was smiling, she was still worried. She didn't want him to be in too deep trouble, especially since she was the one who wrote the letter to him.

But as they say, you do stupid things for... Those you care about.

“You could clean your apartment.” She jumped slightly at how fast he raised his head, she was almost afraid he'd broken his neck. Her cheeks reddened as she realized what she had just said. “Oh, no! I didn't mean it like it wasn't nice! It was, it just, I mean—”

“You are amazing!” he exclaimed, dragging himself up as he stared at Rosa with wide, excited eyes. The girl blushed, but William barely noticed for he was stuck in his own head.

“I'm going to fix Rogers' Manor, make it look worth billion dollars!” he said, glorifying his tiny, dusty and fragile apartment. It had been years since anyone had taken care of the empty house that was still haunted by the happy memories that once were Williams whole world.

Rosa smiled gently, pushing herself up as well. She looked up at the boy who was only slightly younger than herself. “Then what are we waiting for?”

“You'll help me?” he asked, and in that moment, Rosa realized she'd do anything for a boy who had sun-kissed skin and golden hair. “Of course, William, we are friends, are we not?” he cleared his throat, friends was good. For now.

“Of course, shall we go and make the Rogers' Manor the most elegant apartment Mrs. Davis has ever seen?” the youngest Carter nodded as the two made their way off the roof.

The whole day William and Rosa cleaned the floors, windows, and doors. Even after the clock ticked to six, letting the duo know Rosa had to go home, William continued.

He scrubbed the stains from the kitchen table, cleaning dust from the couch and wiping the old picture frames. He washed the curtains and cleaned the fireplace, this time making sure he didn't fall over the bucket.

Before he knew it, the sun had been replaced by a full moon. The boy knew he should be up all night, cleaning the small basement and tidy the once beautiful garden.

But he also knew that Mrs. Davis was waiting for him. As William stumbled through the door, he wasn't met with the angry, rambling Mrs. Davis. Instead, the old woman looked amused.

Williams' hair was all over the place, it wasn't uncommon for him to look as if he just woke up, but Mrs. Davis noticed the difference. Whatever the boy had been up to, had tired him out so bad he hadn't even made it to his bedroom. Instead, William flopped on the couch next to Mrs. Davis and before the woman could ask about his day, she heard the soft snores.

She shook her head, a couple of gray hairs falling over her wrinkled face. She gently pulled a blanket over the boy, kissing his forehead lovingly.

William Rogers was a boy filled with wonders.

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