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"Learn to Fly"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl

   The evening was just starting in a town called Radical City.  It was a bustling city, one of the largest in the country, but also one of the oldest, and thus a great deal of it had fallen into decay.  One side of the city, the one that most of the world recognized it for, was home to the headquarters of many multi-million dollar companies.  Inhabited by thousands of people, there was plenty to do within her city limits.  Dozens of restaurants known for their fine cuisine could be found here, but at same time there were plenty of everyone’s favorite fast food joints on almost every street corner.  There were plenty of places to shop, and was a healthy contender in the list of top ten cities in the country, among the ranks of Starshine Town, Casinopolis, and Metropolis City.

   But there was also a dark side to Radical City, and the heart of this trouble rested in the Northern District, and slowly began to bleed into the northern areas of both the East and West Districts.  Radical City was founded in the area of the Northern District, but as time passed and modernized, and because the local population began to swell to bursting, the city began to grow southward to accommodate the changes.  Unfortunately, this meant the Northern District was slowly abandoned, and as the local population filed out, the more unsavory members of the population, made their way in.

   Drug runners, murderers, thieves and gangs made the Northern District their home.  It was not only where they lived, but also where they worked, and thus not a single soul that wished to remain innocent ever crossed into this side of the town again.  It slowly became a taboo conversation subject; if you mentioned the Northern District, people would begin to suspect you of dark deeds, and in Radical City, word spread around fast.

   Not all of the denizens of the Northern District were ne’er-do-wells and criminals however.  Infact, the Northern District soon provided a home for the homeless inhabitants of Radical City.  While they weren’t the best accommodations, the abandoned buildings of this area provided a great community of homeless a place to sleep at night.  Of course, in order to find food and water every day, they had to venture to the northern areas of the East and West districts, which contributed to the spread of so-called “common filth” to the “unsoiled” parts of town.

   This was something the good citizens of Radical City could not tolerate, and so if you were a homeless person who was in the know, you were aware of all the places you could go for a free meal, and a list of people who would be willing to buy you a beer or a carton of cigarettes as long as you promised not to infiltrate their “beautiful” town.

   And so many of the homeless were well off, and the ones that weren’t didn’t have to suffer for long.  This community put helping others at the top of their list, and so they spent their days begging for money and food, while doing their best to stay away from the criminals they shared their side of town with.  Some of the homeless were artists, others wrote poetry and books; some played sports together, while others were craftsmen.  Still some gave their heart to music, whether it meant playing or singing, to make it through the days.

   This is the story of one homeless man with a song in his heart, and the undeniable urge to help the suffering soul of another, a brown hedgehog boy named Joel.

   Joel was barely eighteen years old when he arrived in Radical City.  After his abusive father was sentenced to fifteen years to life for his crimes, and his mother too traumatized to look after him and his little brother, the two siblings were separated and put in foster homes.  Unable to bear the thought of living without his brother, a then thirteen year old Joel ran away from his foster parents and never looked back.

   After five years he found his way to Radical City, and had picked up a fondness for smoking and beer along the way.  It was merely a coincidence that he entered the city from the North, for unknown to him, this was exactly where he belonged.  Holding a half-empty beer bottle in his hands, he took a puff from his cigarette and exhaled as he looked around.  He walked slowly; the appearance of the buildings around him matched his disposition.  The buildings were in disrepair, trash littered the street in abundance, and power lines were cut and fallen…the entire area was dismal and grotesque.

   Considering this was the way Joel looked at his existence, it already felt like home.

   Unfortunately, Joel was also unaware of the invisible boundary lines that blanketed the Northern District.  He had the qualities of a drunken bum, just another homeless guy, who now found himself in the territory of one of the gangs that made this place their home.

   A member of this gang spotted Joel walking the streets with a beer in his hand and a frown on his face.  Alerting his fellow members to this abnormality, the gang quickly approached Joel as he reached an intersection.

   Quickly surrounded by a group of seven or so, Joel’s face remained undaunted, unchanged even in the face of a supposed threat.  His eyes were glazed over with apathy, and as he stuck his cigarette in his mouth, he crossed his arms, looking over the group with half-closed eyes, almost as if it was a burden for him simply to have to look at them.

   The leader of the group was the last he looked to, and while he was not the leader of the entire gang, he was one of the higher ranking members, sent to address the threat.  He already didn’t like this brown hedgehog with red highlights in his long hair, styled into dreadlocks with a ruffle of bangs sweeping down between his eyes.  Leaning forward, he glared at Joel and said, “Are you stupid or something you hedgehog?  This is OUR side of town, and you have no right strolling through like you own the place.  Who the hell do you think you are?”

   Joel still appeared unfazed by this all too apparent threat.  He casually removed his cigarette from his mouth long enough to finish his beer.  Taking one more puff from his cigarette, he blew smoke into the face the man who stood before him, then with a sigh, he replied, “I think I’m a Class-A criminal by now…no better than the rest of you low-lifes…,” looking up to the man as he tried to brush away the smoke, “…at least in the eyes of those do-gooders I’ve met everywhere else I go.  I think…this is where I belong.”

   Pausing, he took one last whiff of the cigarette before taking it and putting it out on his forearm, which was covered by the sleeve of a blue sweater he wore, tossing the butt down at his feet.  He then added, as he crossed his arms again casually, “But then again…I wouldn’t be caught dead with the likes of you.  I may not belong with the rest of society, but I sure as hell don’t approve of rogues like you causing murder and mayhem everywhere you go.  I’m an insider.  I dwell with the scum of the earth, and then destroy them.”

   Throwing the beer bottle at the feet of the leader, Joel threw a punch at him, knocking him back once his fist smashed into the guy’s face.  Running over to where the leader lay trying to nurse a bloody nose, Joel loomed over him and shouted, “I sir, am Joel.  Consider that an abbreviated term for your worst nightmare!”

   In an instant, the shock of what had just happened faded away, and the remaining six members ran for Joel.  Where the brown hedgehog obtained his fighting skills was unclear, but even so, without hesitation, he whipped around, throwing punches and kicks like a master.  Not a one of them was able to launch an attack that successfully connected with Joel.  Within a couple of seconds, the entire group was down, licking their wounds.

   Rubbing his hands together, Joel shook his head and laughed at them softly.  “What gutter trash…take away their tattoos, guns, and bad dental work and they’re nothing but a bunch of elementary school aged bullies on a playground for grown-ups.”

   As Joel turned his attention to where he would find his next beer and cigarette fix, the leader, who ironically had three tattoos and two gold teeth, pulled out a gun and aimed it for Joel, struggling to rise in order to get a better shot.  It was at this exact moment that a homeless man named Alvin, curious after hearing the scuffle from his side of the invisible boundary line, rounded the corner, just stepping over this line in time to witness this gang-banger ready to shoot down Joel.

   Running for them, he cried out, “Hey you!  Look out behind you!”

   This got Joel’s attention in just enough time for him to address the threat and dash out of the way, just as a bullet came flying for him.  It grazed the grey short-sleeved shirt with frayed sleeves that he wore over his blue sweater, singeing it only slightly, but that was the extent of the damage.

   Joel paused to catch his breath; he had already had three beers that day and was slightly dizzy because of it, even though by now he had developed such a tolerance for alcohol that hangovers were a rare occurrence for him.  While he did this, Alvin finally arrived, grabbing the man’s gun before he could fire another shot.

   The man stood up as Alvin shouted, “That’s enough Mario!  The poor boy is obviously new in town!  He was only defending himself!  Besides…that’s not fair…the seven of you taking on a feller that’s nearly a foot shorter than yourselves!”

   With all seven gang members on their feet, Mario growled, glancing at his wounds and those of his comrades before looking back to Alvin and snatching his gun back from him.  “You dunno the half of it you insolent bum!  You’ve crossed the line, both of you, a line you are supposed to respect!  You take that filthy wretch where he belongs with the rest of you maggots.  He’s nothing but a drunken debt to both ours and modern society.  If we see him again, it’s over!”

   Mario said nothing more; with a huff, he ordered his followers to leave the scene with him.  Growls, snarls and curse words filled the air, and they all gave a cold glare to Joel before leaving in the same direction that they came from, into the shadows of their realm in the Northern District.

   Joel turned his attention to Alvin, who now stood beside him.  Looking Joel over, Alvin saw that for someone who walked the streets of the Northern District, Joel didn’t look like he belonged there.  He was fairly well dressed, considering he wandered on his own for the past five years.  He wore layered pants, grey on light blue, and a pair of black and green boots with yellow cords around the backs.  His white gloves were better than the homeless people Alvin knew could ever hope to dream for.

   He knew this was a place that Joel didn’t belong.

   Putting his arm around Joel, he said, “I hope I didn’t offend you sonny.  You took care of those thugs quite well…I only said what I did to get them off your back.  I’m sure he wasn’t the only one among them that had a gun you know.”

   Shaking his head and smiling, Joel replied, “No, that’s alright.  Even I know when it’s time to stop.  The fools.  Do they give you trouble a lot?”

   With a laugh, Alvin replied, “Ah no my boy.  My fellow brethren and I simply live on shared territory.  You’ve landed yourself in the Northern District of Radical City, home to the city’s gangs and criminals, as well as her homeless.  I’m one of the homeless members of the community, and my name is Alvin.  You can’t see it, but there’s a boundary line my friends and I never cross, right in the middle of the intersection.  If you could have made it fifteen more steps without being spotted, they wouldn’t have bothered you at all.”

   “Because they would think I’m a drunken bum and a homeless guy right?” Joel asked.

   Nodding, Alvin replied, “That’s right sonny.”  He paused, giving a thoughtful gaze to Joel, and added, “And yet, something tells me this isn’t where you belong.  I think you have quite a story behind you, am I right?”

   With a heavy sigh and a frown, Joel lowered his eyes, only able to nod.  Alvin was able to catch a glimpse of Joel’s heavy heart, and realized that perhaps the reason Joel was alone, was because he had run away from terrible persecution.

   He wanted to help Joel.  Something told him that Joel was in desperate need of help.  Perhaps he was running out of time in which he could be saved.  Maybe if nothing was done, Joel would reach the point of no return, and thus would lose out on what could be a bright and happy future.

   Nodding at the other side of the intersection he looked back to Joel and said, “Come on sonny.  We shouldn’t stay here too long.  From what I heard there’s a bounty on your head now if they see ya around again, so let’s make tracks.”

   As Alvin started walking towards the other side of this invisible boundary, Joel found himself following the man slowly.  Over the past five years Joel had never spent much time in one place, and now it seemed this homeless man was offering him a place to stay.  Still, Joel thought that maybe he could at least get his next cigarette fix from this place, and maybe even a beer or two.  And so he followed Alvin into the homeless side of the Northern District.

   Joel found himself immersed into a society entirely separate even though it borrowed plenty from the world around it.  As he followed Alvin he saw the abandoned city streets of the Northern District, he saw a multitude of homeless, living out their daily lives on both sides of the street.  Some were singing together, others were playing sports up and down the street.  Some painted the walls of alleyways, and others talked; some slept on the door steps of buildings, and there were those who simply gazed at Alvin and Joel as they passed through.

   Alvin led Joel to his “residence.”  Alvin lived near the edge of his homeless neighborhood.  Because he was one of the first ones here, he had become a leader of sorts, and had first choice when it came to where he wanted to live.  He had chosen an abandoned apartment building, taking up living on the second floor, while some friends of his filled up the remaining upper three floors.  The first floor had become more of a sitting room…a place where all of them could gather and socialize.

   It was a relatively stable building, still nice looking even after being abandoned by the citizens of Radical City nearly five years earlier.  Joel looked around in amazement as Alvin led him up the stairs to the second floor.  Joel could hardly imagine that Alvin and his friends had any reason to call themselves homeless anymore.  They were all lucky to receive the gift of coincidence.  Radical City was the only city that purposely left a quarter of its city abandoned for the sole purpose of keeping the homeless and criminals of their city out of the more desirable places to live and work.

   Joel was quiet for most of the day.  Alvin introduced Joel to his friends and got him something to eat, for Alvin was one of the homeless who knew where to go to get a meal.  If Joel did speak, it was only to ask for a cigarette and a beer after dinner.

   As night fell, Alvin went to take care of some business, leaving Joel to rest in his “apartment.”  Joel spent most of his time looking out of a window at the homeless on the street below.  He smoked his cigarette casually, trying to process everything that he was seeing.  Joel had found a society within a society.  These homeless people were only given help because they promised not to inconvenience the remainder of society with their meager presence.

   He remembered telling Mario that he was an insider, but as he watched the world below him, Joel began to remember he didn’t always belong here.  He was with them now because of where his life had guided him, and so he began to wonder what brought the remaining homeless to such a lowly state of existence.  The gangs and criminals were here because they wanted to be…the homeless were here because they had no other choice.  And yet, it was inspiring to see them making the most of what they had instead of drowning in despair.

   This was something Joel had never been able to do.

   Joel had been running away from his past for five years.  During that time he had seen many different people and places, but had picked up nothing from it except for a nicotine addiction and a love for beer.  He had lost sight of his future.  In his mind, all he had to look forward to was dying.  He was living from one day to the next.  There was no reason for him to keep trying to live again…or was there?

   He spent the next few days with Alvin, just happy he had a steady supply of cigarettes and beer.  He wouldn’t talk too much to Alvin, and so the most that Alvin could figure out about Joel’s past was that his father was serving a sentence for abusing his mother, his mother was unable to care for him anymore, and he was separated from his little brother.  By now, Joel had all but given up, not only on his future, but on ever seeing his brother again.

   “I convinced myself a long time ago I’d never see Lucas again.  I didn’t run away to try and find him again.  I ran away because I refused to be confined to a prison with no hope for release.  I figured I had a better chance to make things work on my own,” Joel explained.

   Alvin was saddened by Joel’s sad story.  He asked his friends for advice, and they suggested that perhaps if Joel had a hobby, it would give him something to work on…something to keep him from getting depressed.

   Joel had so much potential, and yet there was only one thing Alvin could think of that would be perfect to try and teach to Joel.

   After a week had passed since Alvin met Joel, Alvin decided to try and teach Joel how to play guitar.  One evening, Alvin found Joel smoking a cigarette as he looked to the star-filled sky after dinner.  Exhaling a breath of smoke with a sigh, Joel heard Alvin approaching him.  He turned around to see Alvin standing a few feet away from him.  Around his neck hung a black strap, which hooked up to a red bass guitar.  The instrument gleamed under what light was left in the room, and Joel was in awe from the simply fact that Alvin was able to afford such a beautiful instrument.

   Once he tuned one of the strings, Alvin looked up and could see the shock and awe in Joel’s eyes.  With a grin and a chuckle he said, “Ah my boy, this is my prized possession.  I received this many, many years ago before I moved from one part of society to the other.  It’s the one thing I wasn’t forced to abandon, besides my hope.”

   Joel let out a sigh, afraid Alvin would try to talk him into trying to rebuild his life.  Alvin placed his hand on Joel’s shoulder, and added, “We all need something to hang on to Joel.  Just because life isn’t at its grandest, doesn’t mean we should give up on it.  You see the rest of them…we all have something to do so we have a reason to have hope.  We have hope that things will get better…we don’t just…sit around all day and wallow in sadness, angry at what brought us here.”

   The hedgehog narrowed his eyes; before he could speak, he turned his head, coughing hard as his throat irritated him as he breathed.  Alvin looked at Joel sympathetically, rubbing his back as he said, “You’re killing yourself Joel.  You’re barely eighteen years old, and already you’ve smoked five years off your life.  You simply have to find something to do besides smoke and drink beer all day.”

   Almost glaring at Alvin, Joel pulled away, backing into a wall, and growled, “It’s my life…I can die how I wish to.  I have nothing to live for.”

   “You don’t know that,” Alvin said with a smile, “Your life could be en route to a major change…but if you die you won’t be there to see it.  You can’t give up on hope.  The negative circumstances that brought you here won’t last forever.  Whether you find your brother or not, simply the fact that you are not dead yet, is a sign that there are many stories left for your lifetime.”

   Joel let out a gasp, unable to find anything to refute Alvin’s words.  Sighing once more, he dropped to his knees, and rested his head on his arms as he looked outside at the night sky.

   Taking the guitar off his shoulders, Alvin knelt down next to Joel, holding it out to him.  Once the hedgehog looked to him, Alvin said, “You need a song in your heart.  I bet you have quite a beautiful singing voice Joel.  You have to find what makes you happy and let it out in words and song.  Let it move you…let it soothe you.”

   He helped put the guitar strap around Joel’s shoulders; however, Joel stopped him, holding up his hand and said, “I’m left handed…let me do it.”

   With a smile, Alvin watched as Joel positioned the guitar correctly, continuing to look it over in awe, for it was a very nice instrument.  Laughing, Alvin said, “That’s perfect.  I’ll have you playing bass guitar in no time.  We’ll start with basic scales, then technique, and soon we’ll have you singing to the music.”

   Joel looked up at Alvin with a questionable look in his green eyes.  He asked, “Are you teaching me music so I’ll have something to ‘hang on to’ until things get better?”

   Placing his hand on Joel’s shoulder, Alvin laughed softly and said, “My boy, you already have something to live for.  I want you to know music…so you’ll always have a song in your heart.  Not just during the bad times…but always.”

   With a weak smile, Joel’s only reply was a nod.  With that, the lessons began.

   Over the next two years, Joel lived with Alvin.  As time passed, his heart began to heal.  Alvin’s lessons slowly began to mold Joel into an expert bassist, and pretty soon Joel was singing to the tunes he learned to play.  He began to write songs, both lyrics and melodies.  He and Alvin even wrote songs together, and often times would perform them for the other homeless people in the neighborhood.  This was possible because there were also those who could play acoustic and electric guitar, as well as drums…although, the drums they played on weren’t the best in the world.

   Joel was happy with his new family, something he hadn’t known, outside of his little brother, for his entire life.  He began smoking less and less, and his desire for beer slowly faded away.  He found it easier to breathe, was coughing less, and generally felt better than he had in years.  Alvin was pleased with the change in his new friend.  He knew that Joel’s day would come someday, and with a song in his heart and a positive change in his disposition, Joel would be ready to embrace the changes in his future.

   This meant however that Joel’s happiness with Alvin and the homeless would not last forever.

   Nearly three years after taking up residence with Alvin in the Northern District, things would begin to change for Joel.  Still needing a cigarette on occasion, Joel found himself lighting one up as he walked along the invisible boundary where he first met Alvin.  Unknown to him, the gang that he had fought before had spotted him.

   Even though he was still on his side of the boundary, the gang was desperate for a reason to attack him.  After three years he had not once crossed into their territory again, and it didn’t look like he was going to any time soon.

   The same gang member who spotted him that day three years ago spotted him again.  One of his fellow members stood beside him.  Grunting, he muttered, “There’s that hedgehog again…I wish he would cross the line so we could punish him.  It sickens me that he’s still around…the louse.”

   His fellow member was silent, watching as Joel walked along the boundary line smoking his cigarette.  He narrowed his eyes, watching Joel’s feet as he walked.  Poor Joel had gone for so long without a cigarette, his head ached him terribly.  He had promised Alvin to get off smoking entirely, and he was almost there, but now was one of those times he gave into weakness.

   His head was throbbing terribly, and as he inhaled a puff of smoke, his throat stung at him painfully.  Joel coughed and sputtered, trying to find relief, holding his head as his steps faltered.

   The gang member watched with anxious eyes and a wry smile as he saw Joel’s footsteps stray for a brief moment over the invisible boundary line as he cringed in pain, trying to regain his balance.  Pointing at Joel as he resumed his walk on his side of the line, the gang member said, “See there?  I believe that counts as…crossing the line.”

   “Finally,” the other one said, grinning deviously as he slammed his fist into his palm.  “At long last that hedgehog will get what’s coming to him.”

   The two gang members ran to get their group, the same ones that Joel fought that first day he came to town.  By the time they got back to the intersection, Joel had finished his cigarette and was walking home.  He had regained hope in his future…pretty soon, he planned to leave Radical City to try and find his brother Lucas.

   And yet, things were about to change forever.

   His hands were in his pockets.  He walked with his eyes almost completely closed as he tried to remember all that he could about his brother.  He smiled unlike he had in years; after learning music and so much about life from Alvin, Joel was ready to face anything.

   He stopped walking; looking up he could see shadows out of the corner of his right eye.  Looking over into gang territory, he could see the same group that harassed him before approaching him.  Trouble was brewing again, and for some reason Joel knew that this time they weren’t going to play by the rules.

   Turning to face them, he folded his arms across his chest as the same high-ranking member from before walked up to him.  They stood toe to toe on the boundary line.  Joel was silent, going from a happy smile to a stone-faced frown.  The gang member just smiled devilishly.

   Pointing at the ground, he looked up at Joel and said, “You crossed the line, jerk.”

   Joel looked back up at Mario, his eyes flashing with horror.  Growling softly, he glared at them and shouted, “Oh come on!  So I stumbled while I coughed!  I’ve been here three years, and something tells me you’ve been looking for any reason to finish me off from before!  Why don’t you just act like the perfect criminals you are and shoot me for no good reason!?”

   The gang laughed at Joel.  Without answering him, Mario punched Joel square in his jaw, causing him to fall hard to the ground.  Mario then pulled out his gun and aimed it at Joel as he held his bleeding jaw in anguish.

   Holding up his hand to silence his friends, Mario continued, “Oh Joel…this is why we will forever be infinitely better than you.  We may have malicious intentions, but we do everything by the book.  You are about to become an example of a textbook murder.  You are a classic example of someone who is gonna die simply for existing.  You should thank us…we’re finally putting you out of your misery.”

   As opposed to three years earlier, Joel was eager to live the rest of his life, and with the barrel of Mario’s gun threatening to explode at him at any second, he began to cry out desperately, almost like a frightened child would for his mother…or father.

   Just like three years ago, Alvin heard the scuffle, as well as Joel’s cries for help, and rounded the corner in enough time to see Mario within seconds of pulling the trigger.  He called out to Joel, then he shouted, “Please Mario!  Don’t do this!  Don’t deny him his right to live when at last he has found joy in his spirit!”

   Alvin ran for Joel, crossing into gang territory in the process.  Mario looked up, equally as disgusted with Alvin as he was with Joel.  Realizing he had enough bullets left in his gun, he decided to take care of Alvin first.

   With a smirk on his face, he lifted the aim of his gun from Joel, to Alvin.

   Blood was leaking into his mouth.  Just as the taste of it rolled over his tongue, Joel turned his attention to Alvin.  He reached out for Alvin, almost like a child reaching out for his father.  However, his ears picked up the sound of a click as Mario cocked his gun, aiming it at Alvin as he ran.

   Trying desperately to rise, Joel cried out, “Alvin!  No!”

   Once Mario pulled the trigger, there was no turning back.  A bullet, soon followed by another, fired from the gun, heading straight for Alvin as he ran to save Joel.  Unable to react in time to dodge the gunfire, Alvin was hit by both of them, one pierced his arm, and the second, delivered what would be a fatal wound to his chest.

   The bullet tore through his aorta, and as he fell to the ground, Joel could feel rage  tearing through him.  The good feelings were gone as he saw the man who had become his guardian angel, falling to the ground, severe internal bleeding drawing his life to a tragic end.

   Joel jumped to his feet, screaming as loud as his body would allow him.  Without fear, he reached for Mario’s gun with the speed of a striking cobra, grabbing it and throwing it to the ground.  Still shouting uncontrollably, he punched and kicked Mario with all the power he could muster, only pausing to knock back any of Mario’s friends who tried to help him.  He finally threw Mario to the ground, and with tears pouring down his face, Joel cried, “Stay where you are you son of a bitch!”

   Without another word, Joel ran to Alvin’s side.  Alvin was lying motionless on the ground.  Blood was filling his mouth as he continued to hemorrhage, and yet he opened his eyes as he watched Joel kneel down beside him, picking up Alvin up so he could hold him.  Joel had calmed down, and wept terribly as he faced losing his best friend.  Joel, who only minutes before was ready to face the world and look for his brother, was slowly reverting to the brown hedgehog who hated the world and for that reason did his best to remain a mere shadow in it.

   This isn’t wasn’t Alvin wanted.  The last thing he wanted was for Joel to give up hope.  He didn’t want him to lose sight of that song in his heart.

   Reaching up to hug Joel, Alvin, who could feel his very life force slipping away, murmured, “Run away from here Joel.  Go back to our home, retrieve the guitar, and run away.  Go find your brother Joel.  There’s nothing left for you here.  You have a bright future coming to you.  Don’t let Mario cut it short.  Don’t let him kill the hope in your heart.  Please…don’t lose faith in the music that soothes your soul and guides you through your life.”

   Frightened, Joel held Alvin tighter and cried, “Please, don’t leave me Alvin!  I—I’m not ready to lose you yet!  Please!”

   Alvin smiled weakly, his breath running short, and murmured, “Don’t let go…of the song…in your heart.  Keep playing…keep singing…keep striving to be happy.  You’ve been broken by the past Joel…don’t let it hurt you again.  You have to learn to fly high Joel, so high…and far away, to a place…where the pain will never hurt you again.  Let the music guide you…never give up…on hope.”

   His heart breaking, Joel only heard Alvin’s words, focusing entirely on grieving for Alvin.  “Alvin…please…,” he whimpered sadly.

   With his vision fading, and his breath almost gone, Alvin smiled, gazing at Joel as everything went dark, and whispered, “Learn to fly Joel…don’t give up…on your life.”

   “No…,” Joel cried.  He watched as Alvin closed his eyes, and then exhaled, not breathing again afterward.  Letting out a pained cry, Joel shouted, “Alvin!  Oh Alvin!  Why?  Why are you gone?!”

   He held Alvin close, hugging him as he wept.  Alvin was more than just his lifesaver, inspiring him to keep trying; Alvin was his guardian angel.  Without Alvin, Joel would have never found hope for his future.  Joel would still be alive, but would be nothing but a shadow of the world around him…a world that promised to give him a second chance…a world that could possibly bring him back to his brother again.

   Joel could feel anger building up in a rage inside of him.  Growling softly, he glared at Mario, who was now rising to his feet.  Tears still falling from his eyes, Joel gently laid Alvin down on the sidewalk, before rising to his feet, fighting off his sadness in favor of punishing Mario for his crimes.

   He ran for the gang, screaming and shouting angrily before ramming into Mario, knocking the others back and away from the two of them.  Pulling back, Joel tackled Mario and began to punch and claw at him furiously.

   “I will kill you!  I’ll make you pay for taking Alvin away from me!  You bastard!  Go to hell!” Joel shouted.

   Joel it seemed had the advantage, but Mario quickly rose to his feet, and fought back.  The gang watched from the sidelines, for Mario had made it clear…that it would be him alone…that tasted Joel’s blood.

   The gang members cheered for Mario, shouting curse words and insults at Joel as he fought.  Driven by rage at the death of Alvin, Joel was no longer concerned for his own safety.  And yet…as he fought, he remembered Alvin’s words.

   “Don’t let go of the music in your heart.  Don’t stop striving to be happy.”

   It was then that Joel realized why Alvin meant so much to him.  Not only did he give Joel the desire to live again, but he loved Joel like a son.  For a boy who had never had a real father, Alvin had filled and healed that void, if only for a little while.  That wound of the past, could no longer hurt him, even though Alvin was now gone.

   His mind was distracted as he fought, and because Mario was so dead set on killing him, neither of them could hear the cries of Mario’s friends…or the bellowed honking of a semi truck that was heading straight towards them.

   Before either of them could move, the semi slammed into them, crushing Mario underneath its eighteen wheels, but for whatever reason, sent Joel flying through the air, saving his life.

   However, this didn’t mean he escaped serious injury.  He landed on the sidewalk within inches of Alvin’s body, his body racked with pain.  The truck driver stopped the vehicle, and having seen the fighting he turned his attention to Joel, running to him first while the gang members struggled to free Mario, who was now dead, from underneath the truck.

   The truck driver, who took the detour through the Northern District to save time, was shocked when he found Joel alive, but barely clinging to life.   As he took Joel in his arms, he asked, “Hey, buddy, are you alright?”

   Joel, who could barely breathe, let alone speak, muttered, “They…they have guns.  They killed…they killed Alvin.  Get out…out of here, before they kill you too.”

   The man then noticed Mario’s gun lying on the ground a few feet away.  He saw the gang members about to free Mario’s body from where it was pinned.  He realized that Joel needed a hospital, and that he had to get both Joel and Alvin’s body out of there fast.

   Looking to Joel, he picked him up and said, “Don’t worry, I’m going to help you.”  He took Joel and put him in the truck cab, before running back and putting Alvin’s body in the back of his truck.  He jumped into the cab, turning the engine on quickly while the gang was distracted, mourning the loss of one of their leaders.  The truck peeled out of the scene, and headed straight for town.  The truck driver was desperate to get Joel to the hospital before it was too late.  Even now, Joel could feel his life slipping away, and yet, he still had faith in his future.

   Alvin had promised him that no matter what happened, Joel would be alright, and he believed it.  He knew that he was ready to fly…no matter what happened, he wouldn’t let go of that song of hope in his heart.  Alvin had saved him, and now Joel’s future hung in the balance.  The skills of a handful of doctors and nurses, would decide whether Joel lived or died.

   Whether or not he found peace…was a matter yet to be seen…

   It was night time before Joel woke up again.  He didn’t know where he was, but he did know he was lying down in a semi-comfortable bed.  He could hear a constant beeping that was a sign that his heart was beating.  Some device over his nose and mouth made it easier to breath.  An IV in his arm helped get rid of the pain.  Another IV made sure plenty of fluids made it to his system as it healed from being hit by the truck.

   Joel could feel every bone in his body, which was strange, because he knew that bones themselves could not register feeling.  It seemed the nerves wrapped around his bones were doing everything they could to let him know that his bones were shattered and broken, especially from the waste down.  Although, simply being able to feel his legs comforted Joel to some degree as he awoke from his slumber.

   He wanted to open his eyes, for even though he was in massive pain, he was tired of this frightening darkness.

   As he took heavy breaths, he focused on opening his eyes.  While he did this, he heard…voices, whispering softly, barely audible over the beeping sound next to his ear.

   “Nancy?  I think he’s waking up!”

   “Shh, whisper softly Lucas.  We don’t want to startle him.”

   “Maybe you should go get George…”

   “…Are you…absolutely sure this is your brother Lucas?”

   “I—I’ve been looking for him for a long time.  I haven’t seen him for eight years, but I remember his face as clearly as I did the last time I saw him.”

   Finally, Joel opened his eyes.  Under the dim, fluorescent light of the hospital room, he could make out the image of a brown and red furred hedgehog, one he shared many features with…the one he had just heard respond to the name, Lucas, calling Joel his older brother.

   Lucas returned his attention to Joel, a smile creeping to his lips as he saw Joel’s green eyes gazing at him curiously.  Placing his hand on Joel’s forehead, he whispered, “Hey…Joel?  It’s me…your brother Lucas.”

   While tired and consumed with a dull pain, Joel’s eyes widened quickly with shock.  Still able to speak even with the breathing apparatus covering his mouth and nose, he murmured, “Lu—Lucas?  How…how are you here?”

   Smiling bravely, Lucas replied, “I—I live in Resort Bay Joel.  I was…adopted, a few months after you ran away.”  Looking to a rose pink hedgehog standing behind him, he added, “This is Nancy, my adopted mother.”  Returning his attention to Joel, he resumed, “George is my adopted father…he’s around here somewhere.”

   Taking the hint from Lucas, Nancy smiled and said, “I think I’ll go look for George.  I’ll be back later.”

   Joel watched as Nancy left the room, preoccupied with everything that Lucas had said, until he noticed Lucas gazing at him with sad eyes.  “I was told to forget about you.  My social worker told me the odds of finding you alive were slim to none…I never understood why you ran away, and while I never gave up hope that you’d come back, it’s still something that bothers me.”

   Joel lowered his eyes, unable to look Lucas in his.  He replied, “I failed you Lucas.  I had taken care of you since you were born for the most part…and then they separated us, and I couldn’t keep us together anymore.  I—I couldn’t look after you, and so I ran away.”  Looking back to Lucas, he added, “I’m not the same Joel you remember; I started smoking…drinking beer…two things I would never recommend for anyone to pick up no matter how desperate they are.  I had given up on life even as you kept strong faith in it.  Yet…when I arrived in Radical City…my life changed…”  He fell silent, his thoughts returning to the loss of his dear friend Alvin.  He was unable to speak further.

   Smiling a bit, Lucas turned to retrieve something leaning against the wall behind him.  Presenting it to Joel, he said, “This is yours, isn’t it Joel?”

   A shocked gasp answered for Joel once he saw what his brother held in his hands.  It was Alvin’s red bass guitar, the same guitar that Alvin used, not only to teach him to play and sing, but to bring a song of hope back to Joel’s spirit.

   Trembling heavily, Joel whimpered, “How?  First you are here…and now…Alvin’s…I mean, my…my guitar…how?”

   It was at this point that George and Nancy returned to the room, but hung back as they watched the tender scene unfold between the brothers.  Lucas sat the guitar down again, and leaned forward to hug his brother tightly.  As Joel returned the hug, Lucas explained, “It was on television Joel.  The truck driver that saved you told everyone what happened.  That gang territory was raided and the gang members that witnessed it all were arrested.  The story was on the news…a homeless man dying and a homeless brown hedgehog nearly dying when he was hit by a truck.  They had no name for you, but the homeless knew who you were.  They raced to the hospital with the guitar, and told the news crews all about you, and how you were looking for your brother.  Once they had found out your name, all the news stations were talking about a brown and red hedgehog named Joel…looking for his little brother Lucas.  I saw it on television, and without thinking I told George and Nancy we had to come here.  The homeless left the guitar with me, and told me to tell you that they give you their best wishes.  They want you to know how lucky you are to have a second chance.  I sure am glad that you do.”

   Joel felt tears forming in his eyes as he hugged Lucas in return.  Closing them, he realized that without Alvin to protect him and inspire him to keep trying that he might have never found Lucas.  The circumstances of that day, however painful, were worth it in the end.  Alvin did not die in vain, and Joel knew that on the other side, Alvin was smiling at him and saying, “Never let go of that song of hope in your heart.  Take your wings and fly away.”

   Smiling bravely, Joel sighed happily and whispered, “Me too Lucas…me too.”

   While Joel’s injuries were severe, he would make a full recovery from this near-death experience.  After leaving the hospital, Joel spent the next several months recovering in Resort Bay, living with his brother Lucas and his adopted parents George and Nancy.  Even though Joel was never adopted into the family, Lucas’ parents made sure he knew he would always be part of it.

   Still, the time came when Joel decided to return to Radical City.  He wanted to thank the homeless folk he called his family and lifesavers for all they had done.  It was on this visit that he met the ones who would become his life long friends, two hedgehogs named Zachary and Bill.  Music had influenced their lives almost as heavily as it had in Joel’s life, and they both had their stories to tell of struggles and hard times.  Just as it had with Joel, music inspired them to keep trying, and it was this bond they shared that would ensure they were friends for life.

   With Bill on the electric guitar, Joel on the bass, and Zachary playing the drums, the three friends formed a band that they called quite simply, the Radical Rockers.  They quickly became famous in Radical City, and so Joel took up living with them in an apartment they shared in the Southern District.

   Joel’s life was finally moving forward on a path that would surely bring him untold happiness, just as Alvin knew it would.  Now reunited with his brother, Joel was now able to live his own life, unburdened by the past.  He gave up smoking and drinking completely, and his new best friends, along with Lucas, would make sure Joel would never slip into darkness again.

   The Radical Rockers, inspired by what happened to Joel when he crossed paths with the gang that killed Alvin, took up a mission of keeping order in the Northern District.  The denizens of Radical City could no longer ignore the problem that the gangs and criminals of the Northern District had become.  Joel, Bill, and Zachary led the movement to incarcerate every criminal and gang member they could find.  This meant that the Northern District could be rebuilt and lived in once again.  It could be a part of the beautiful metropolis Radical City had become.

   However, Joel wouldn’t let the homeless denizens of the city go unforgotten.  Part of the restoration process included building several homeless shelters to accommodate those who, like Alvin, looked after Joel for those three years…trying to live the best lives they could while going without, just so the remainder of the city could be beautiful.  Once these shelters were built, the homeless and less fortunate now had places they could go, and were no longer shoved into isolation where they could be out of sight and out of mind.

   One year after Alvin’s death, the Northern District was slowly becoming part of the rest of Radical City once again, and while there were still places for rogues and thieves to hide and conduct business all over the city, Joel, Zachary, and Bill made it their mission to keep them under control and preserve peace, while rocking their fans in Radical City to their music on a regular basis.

   Joel at last had learned to fly.  Alvin had helped him find hope again through that song in his heart that was impossible to ignore.  Whenever Joel felt lost or sad, he would sit down and write music, and think of Alvin.  If it weren’t for Alvin’s care and concern, Joel was convinced he wouldn’t have survived this dark time in his life, and so he owed it all to him.  For Alvin’s memory, Joel would keep living happy and well.

   Now that he had learned to fly, no matter what sought to bring him down, Joel, would soar above it all, for through music, he found hope, and it was this hope…that set him free.

Description
"Learn to Fly"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl

   The evening was just starting in a town called Radical City.  It was a bustling city, one of the largest in the country, but also one of the oldest, and thus a great deal of it had fallen into decay.  One side of the city, the one that most of the world recognized it for, was home to the headquarters of many multi-million dollar companies.  Inhabited by thousands of people, there was plenty to do within her city limits.  Dozens of restaurants known for their fine cuisine could be found here, but at same time there were plenty of everyone’s favorite fast food joints on almost every street corner.  There were plenty of places to shop, and was a healthy contender in the list of top ten cities in the country, among the ranks of Starshine Town, Casinopolis, and Metropolis City.

   But there was also a dark side to Radical City, and the heart of this trouble rested in the Northern District, and slowly began to bleed into the northern areas of both the East and West Districts.  Radical City was founded in the area of the Northern District, but as time passed and modernized, and because the local population began to swell to bursting, the city began to grow southward to accommodate the changes.  Unfortunately, this meant the Northern District was slowly abandoned, and as the local population filed out, the more unsavory members of the population, made their way in.

   Drug runners, murderers, thieves and gangs made the Northern District their home.  It was not only where they lived, but also where they worked, and thus not a single soul that wished to remain innocent ever crossed into this side of the town again.  It slowly became a taboo conversation subject; if you mentioned the Northern District, people would begin to suspect you of dark deeds, and in Radical City, word spread around fast.

   Not all of the denizens of the Northern District were ne’er-do-wells and criminals however.  Infact, the Northern District soon provided a home for the homeless inhabitants of Radical City.  While they weren’t the best accommodations, the abandoned buildings of this area provided a great community of homeless a place to sleep at night.  Of course, in order to find food and water every day, they had to venture to the northern areas of the East and West districts, which contributed to the spread of so-called “common filth” to the “unsoiled” parts of town.

   This was something the good citizens of Radical City could not tolerate, and so if you were a homeless person who was in the know, you were aware of all the places you could go for a free meal, and a list of people who would be willing to buy you a beer or a carton of cigarettes as long as you promised not to infiltrate their “beautiful” town.

   And so many of the homeless were well off, and the ones that weren’t didn’t have to suffer for long.  This community put helping others at the top of their list, and so they spent their days begging for money and food, while doing their best to stay away from the criminals they shared their side of town with.  Some of the homeless were artists, others wrote poetry and books; some played sports together, while others were craftsmen.  Still some gave their heart to music, whether it meant playing or singing, to make it through the days.

   This is the story of one homeless man with a song in his heart, and the undeniable urge to help the suffering soul of another, a brown hedgehog boy named Joel.

   Joel was barely eighteen years old when he arrived in Radical City.  After his abusive father was sentenced to fifteen years to life for his crimes, and his mother too traumatized to look after him and his little brother, the two siblings were separated and put in foster homes.  Unable to bear the thought of living without his brother, a then thirteen year old Joel ran away from his foster parents and never looked back.

   After five years he found his way to Radical City, and had picked up a fondness for smoking and beer along the way.  It was merely a coincidence that he entered the city from the North, for unknown to him, this was exactly where he belonged.  Holding a half-empty beer bottle in his hands, he took a puff from his cigarette and exhaled as he looked around.  He walked slowly; the appearance of the buildings around him matched his disposition.  The buildings were in disrepair, trash littered the street in abundance, and power lines were cut and fallen…the entire area was dismal and grotesque.

   Considering this was the way Joel looked at his existence, it already felt like home.

   Unfortunately, Joel was also unaware of the invisible boundary lines that blanketed the Northern District.  He had the qualities of a drunken bum, just another homeless guy, who now found himself in the territory of one of the gangs that made this place their home.

   A member of this gang spotted Joel walking the streets with a beer in his hand and a frown on his face.  Alerting his fellow members to this abnormality, the gang quickly approached Joel as he reached an intersection.

   Quickly surrounded by a group of seven or so, Joel’s face remained undaunted, unchanged even in the face of a supposed threat.  His eyes were glazed over with apathy, and as he stuck his cigarette in his mouth, he crossed his arms, looking over the group with half-closed eyes, almost as if it was a burden for him simply to have to look at them.

   The leader of the group was the last he looked to, and while he was not the leader of the entire gang, he was one of the higher ranking members, sent to address the threat.  He already didn’t like this brown hedgehog with red highlights in his long hair, styled into dreadlocks with a ruffle of bangs sweeping down between his eyes.  Leaning forward, he glared at Joel and said, “Are you stupid or something you hedgehog?  This is OUR side of town, and you have no right strolling through like you own the place.  Who the hell do you think you are?”

   Joel still appeared unfazed by this all too apparent threat.  He casually removed his cigarette from his mouth long enough to finish his beer.  Taking one more puff from his cigarette, he blew smoke into the face the man who stood before him, then with a sigh, he replied, “I think I’m a Class-A criminal by now…no better than the rest of you low-lifes…,” looking up to the man as he tried to brush away the smoke, “…at least in the eyes of those do-gooders I’ve met everywhere else I go.  I think…this is where I belong.”

   Pausing, he took one last whiff of the cigarette before taking it and putting it out on his forearm, which was covered by the sleeve of a blue sweater he wore, tossing the butt down at his feet.  He then added, as he crossed his arms again casually, “But then again…I wouldn’t be caught dead with the likes of you.  I may not belong with the rest of society, but I sure as hell don’t approve of rogues like you causing murder and mayhem everywhere you go.  I’m an insider.  I dwell with the scum of the earth, and then destroy them.”

   Throwing the beer bottle at the feet of the leader, Joel threw a punch at him, knocking him back once his fist smashed into the guy’s face.  Running over to where the leader lay trying to nurse a bloody nose, Joel loomed over him and shouted, “I sir, am Joel.  Consider that an abbreviated term for your worst nightmare!”

   In an instant, the shock of what had just happened faded away, and the remaining six members ran for Joel.  Where the brown hedgehog obtained his fighting skills was unclear, but even so, without hesitation, he whipped around, throwing punches and kicks like a master.  Not a one of them was able to launch an attack that successfully connected with Joel.  Within a couple of seconds, the entire group was down, licking their wounds.

   Rubbing his hands together, Joel shook his head and laughed at them softly.  “What gutter trash…take away their tattoos, guns, and bad dental work and they’re nothing but a bunch of elementary school aged bullies on a playground for grown-ups.”

   As Joel turned his attention to where he would find his next beer and cigarette fix, the leader, who ironically had three tattoos and two gold teeth, pulled out a gun and aimed it for Joel, struggling to rise in order to get a better shot.  It was at this exact moment that a homeless man named Alvin, curious after hearing the scuffle from his side of the invisible boundary line, rounded the corner, just stepping over this line in time to witness this gang-banger ready to shoot down Joel.

   Running for them, he cried out, “Hey you!  Look out behind you!”

   This got Joel’s attention in just enough time for him to address the threat and dash out of the way, just as a bullet came flying for him.  It grazed the grey short-sleeved shirt with frayed sleeves that he wore over his blue sweater, singeing it only slightly, but that was the extent of the damage.

   Joel paused to catch his breath; he had already had three beers that day and was slightly dizzy because of it, even though by now he had developed such a tolerance for alcohol that hangovers were a rare occurrence for him.  While he did this, Alvin finally arrived, grabbing the man’s gun before he could fire another shot.

   The man stood up as Alvin shouted, “That’s enough Mario!  The poor boy is obviously new in town!  He was only defending himself!  Besides…that’s not fair…the seven of you taking on a feller that’s nearly a foot shorter than yourselves!”

   With all seven gang members on their feet, Mario growled, glancing at his wounds and those of his comrades before looking back to Alvin and snatching his gun back from him.  “You dunno the half of it you insolent bum!  You’ve crossed the line, both of you, a line you are supposed to respect!  You take that filthy wretch where he belongs with the rest of you maggots.  He’s nothing but a drunken debt to both ours and modern society.  If we see him again, it’s over!”

   Mario said nothing more; with a huff, he ordered his followers to leave the scene with him.  Growls, snarls and curse words filled the air, and they all gave a cold glare to Joel before leaving in the same direction that they came from, into the shadows of their realm in the Northern District.

   Joel turned his attention to Alvin, who now stood beside him.  Looking Joel over, Alvin saw that for someone who walked the streets of the Northern District, Joel didn’t look like he belonged there.  He was fairly well dressed, considering he wandered on his own for the past five years.  He wore layered pants, grey on light blue, and a pair of black and green boots with yellow cords around the backs.  His white gloves were better than the homeless people Alvin knew could ever hope to dream for.

   He knew this was a place that Joel didn’t belong.

   Putting his arm around Joel, he said, “I hope I didn’t offend you sonny.  You took care of those thugs quite well…I only said what I did to get them off your back.  I’m sure he wasn’t the only one among them that had a gun you know.”

   Shaking his head and smiling, Joel replied, “No, that’s alright.  Even I know when it’s time to stop.  The fools.  Do they give you trouble a lot?”

   With a laugh, Alvin replied, “Ah no my boy.  My fellow brethren and I simply live on shared territory.  You’ve landed yourself in the Northern District of Radical City, home to the city’s gangs and criminals, as well as her homeless.  I’m one of the homeless members of the community, and my name is Alvin.  You can’t see it, but there’s a boundary line my friends and I never cross, right in the middle of the intersection.  If you could have made it fifteen more steps without being spotted, they wouldn’t have bothered you at all.”

   “Because they would think I’m a drunken bum and a homeless guy right?” Joel asked.

   Nodding, Alvin replied, “That’s right sonny.”  He paused, giving a thoughtful gaze to Joel, and added, “And yet, something tells me this isn’t where you belong.  I think you have quite a story behind you, am I right?”

   With a heavy sigh and a frown, Joel lowered his eyes, only able to nod.  Alvin was able to catch a glimpse of Joel’s heavy heart, and realized that perhaps the reason Joel was alone, was because he had run away from terrible persecution.

   He wanted to help Joel.  Something told him that Joel was in desperate need of help.  Perhaps he was running out of time in which he could be saved.  Maybe if nothing was done, Joel would reach the point of no return, and thus would lose out on what could be a bright and happy future.

   Nodding at the other side of the intersection he looked back to Joel and said, “Come on sonny.  We shouldn’t stay here too long.  From what I heard there’s a bounty on your head now if they see ya around again, so let’s make tracks.”

   As Alvin started walking towards the other side of this invisible boundary, Joel found himself following the man slowly.  Over the past five years Joel had never spent much time in one place, and now it seemed this homeless man was offering him a place to stay.  Still, Joel thought that maybe he could at least get his next cigarette fix from this place, and maybe even a beer or two.  And so he followed Alvin into the homeless side of the Northern District.

   Joel found himself immersed into a society entirely separate even though it borrowed plenty from the world around it.  As he followed Alvin he saw the abandoned city streets of the Northern District, he saw a multitude of homeless, living out their daily lives on both sides of the street.  Some were singing together, others were playing sports up and down the street.  Some painted the walls of alleyways, and others talked; some slept on the door steps of buildings, and there were those who simply gazed at Alvin and Joel as they passed through.

   Alvin led Joel to his “residence.”  Alvin lived near the edge of his homeless neighborhood.  Because he was one of the first ones here, he had become a leader of sorts, and had first choice when it came to where he wanted to live.  He had chosen an abandoned apartment building, taking up living on the second floor, while some friends of his filled up the remaining upper three floors.  The first floor had become more of a sitting room…a place where all of them could gather and socialize.

   It was a relatively stable building, still nice looking even after being abandoned by the citizens of Radical City nearly five years earlier.  Joel looked around in amazement as Alvin led him up the stairs to the second floor.  Joel could hardly imagine that Alvin and his friends had any reason to call themselves homeless anymore.  They were all lucky to receive the gift of coincidence.  Radical City was the only city that purposely left a quarter of its city abandoned for the sole purpose of keeping the homeless and criminals of their city out of the more desirable places to live and work.

   Joel was quiet for most of the day.  Alvin introduced Joel to his friends and got him something to eat, for Alvin was one of the homeless who knew where to go to get a meal.  If Joel did speak, it was only to ask for a cigarette and a beer after dinner.

   As night fell, Alvin went to take care of some business, leaving Joel to rest in his “apartment.”  Joel spent most of his time looking out of a window at the homeless on the street below.  He smoked his cigarette casually, trying to process everything that he was seeing.  Joel had found a society within a society.  These homeless people were only given help because they promised not to inconvenience the remainder of society with their meager presence.

   He remembered telling Mario that he was an insider, but as he watched the world below him, Joel began to remember he didn’t always belong here.  He was with them now because of where his life had guided him, and so he began to wonder what brought the remaining homeless to such a lowly state of existence.  The gangs and criminals were here because they wanted to be…the homeless were here because they had no other choice.  And yet, it was inspiring to see them making the most of what they had instead of drowning in despair.

   This was something Joel had never been able to do.

   Joel had been running away from his past for five years.  During that time he had seen many different people and places, but had picked up nothing from it except for a nicotine addiction and a love for beer.  He had lost sight of his future.  In his mind, all he had to look forward to was dying.  He was living from one day to the next.  There was no reason for him to keep trying to live again…or was there?

   He spent the next few days with Alvin, just happy he had a steady supply of cigarettes and beer.  He wouldn’t talk too much to Alvin, and so the most that Alvin could figure out about Joel’s past was that his father was serving a sentence for abusing his mother, his mother was unable to care for him anymore, and he was separated from his little brother.  By now, Joel had all but given up, not only on his future, but on ever seeing his brother again.

   “I convinced myself a long time ago I’d never see Lucas again.  I didn’t run away to try and find him again.  I ran away because I refused to be confined to a prison with no hope for release.  I figured I had a better chance to make things work on my own,” Joel explained.

   Alvin was saddened by Joel’s sad story.  He asked his friends for advice, and they suggested that perhaps if Joel had a hobby, it would give him something to work on…something to keep him from getting depressed.

   Joel had so much potential, and yet there was only one thing Alvin could think of that would be perfect to try and teach to Joel.

   After a week had passed since Alvin met Joel, Alvin decided to try and teach Joel how to play guitar.  One evening, Alvin found Joel smoking a cigarette as he looked to the star-filled sky after dinner.  Exhaling a breath of smoke with a sigh, Joel heard Alvin approaching him.  He turned around to see Alvin standing a few feet away from him.  Around his neck hung a black strap, which hooked up to a red bass guitar.  The instrument gleamed under what light was left in the room, and Joel was in awe from the simply fact that Alvin was able to afford such a beautiful instrument.

   Once he tuned one of the strings, Alvin looked up and could see the shock and awe in Joel’s eyes.  With a grin and a chuckle he said, “Ah my boy, this is my prized possession.  I received this many, many years ago before I moved from one part of society to the other.  It’s the one thing I wasn’t forced to abandon, besides my hope.”

   Joel let out a sigh, afraid Alvin would try to talk him into trying to rebuild his life.  Alvin placed his hand on Joel’s shoulder, and added, “We all need something to hang on to Joel.  Just because life isn’t at its grandest, doesn’t mean we should give up on it.  You see the rest of them…we all have something to do so we have a reason to have hope.  We have hope that things will get better…we don’t just…sit around all day and wallow in sadness, angry at what brought us here.”

   The hedgehog narrowed his eyes; before he could speak, he turned his head, coughing hard as his throat irritated him as he breathed.  Alvin looked at Joel sympathetically, rubbing his back as he said, “You’re killing yourself Joel.  You’re barely eighteen years old, and already you’ve smoked five years off your life.  You simply have to find something to do besides smoke and drink beer all day.”

   Almost glaring at Alvin, Joel pulled away, backing into a wall, and growled, “It’s my life…I can die how I wish to.  I have nothing to live for.”

   “You don’t know that,” Alvin said with a smile, “Your life could be en route to a major change…but if you die you won’t be there to see it.  You can’t give up on hope.  The negative circumstances that brought you here won’t last forever.  Whether you find your brother or not, simply the fact that you are not dead yet, is a sign that there are many stories left for your lifetime.”

   Joel let out a gasp, unable to find anything to refute Alvin’s words.  Sighing once more, he dropped to his knees, and rested his head on his arms as he looked outside at the night sky.

   Taking the guitar off his shoulders, Alvin knelt down next to Joel, holding it out to him.  Once the hedgehog looked to him, Alvin said, “You need a song in your heart.  I bet you have quite a beautiful singing voice Joel.  You have to find what makes you happy and let it out in words and song.  Let it move you…let it soothe you.”

   He helped put the guitar strap around Joel’s shoulders; however, Joel stopped him, holding up his hand and said, “I’m left handed…let me do it.”

   With a smile, Alvin watched as Joel positioned the guitar correctly, continuing to look it over in awe, for it was a very nice instrument.  Laughing, Alvin said, “That’s perfect.  I’ll have you playing bass guitar in no time.  We’ll start with basic scales, then technique, and soon we’ll have you singing to the music.”

   Joel looked up at Alvin with a questionable look in his green eyes.  He asked, “Are you teaching me music so I’ll have something to ‘hang on to’ until things get better?”

   Placing his hand on Joel’s shoulder, Alvin laughed softly and said, “My boy, you already have something to live for.  I want you to know music…so you’ll always have a song in your heart.  Not just during the bad times…but always.”

   With a weak smile, Joel’s only reply was a nod.  With that, the lessons began.

   Over the next two years, Joel lived with Alvin.  As time passed, his heart began to heal.  Alvin’s lessons slowly began to mold Joel into an expert bassist, and pretty soon Joel was singing to the tunes he learned to play.  He began to write songs, both lyrics and melodies.  He and Alvin even wrote songs together, and often times would perform them for the other homeless people in the neighborhood.  This was possible because there were also those who could play acoustic and electric guitar, as well as drums…although, the drums they played on weren’t the best in the world.

   Joel was happy with his new family, something he hadn’t known, outside of his little brother, for his entire life.  He began smoking less and less, and his desire for beer slowly faded away.  He found it easier to breathe, was coughing less, and generally felt better than he had in years.  Alvin was pleased with the change in his new friend.  He knew that Joel’s day would come someday, and with a song in his heart and a positive change in his disposition, Joel would be ready to embrace the changes in his future.

   This meant however that Joel’s happiness with Alvin and the homeless would not last forever.

   Nearly three years after taking up residence with Alvin in the Northern District, things would begin to change for Joel.  Still needing a cigarette on occasion, Joel found himself lighting one up as he walked along the invisible boundary where he first met Alvin.  Unknown to him, the gang that he had fought before had spotted him.

   Even though he was still on his side of the boundary, the gang was desperate for a reason to attack him.  After three years he had not once crossed into their territory again, and it didn’t look like he was going to any time soon.

   The same gang member who spotted him that day three years ago spotted him again.  One of his fellow members stood beside him.  Grunting, he muttered, “There’s that hedgehog again…I wish he would cross the line so we could punish him.  It sickens me that he’s still around…the louse.”

   His fellow member was silent, watching as Joel walked along the boundary line smoking his cigarette.  He narrowed his eyes, watching Joel’s feet as he walked.  Poor Joel had gone for so long without a cigarette, his head ached him terribly.  He had promised Alvin to get off smoking entirely, and he was almost there, but now was one of those times he gave into weakness.

   His head was throbbing terribly, and as he inhaled a puff of smoke, his throat stung at him painfully.  Joel coughed and sputtered, trying to find relief, holding his head as his steps faltered.

   The gang member watched with anxious eyes and a wry smile as he saw Joel’s footsteps stray for a brief moment over the invisible boundary line as he cringed in pain, trying to regain his balance.  Pointing at Joel as he resumed his walk on his side of the line, the gang member said, “See there?  I believe that counts as…crossing the line.”

   “Finally,” the other one said, grinning deviously as he slammed his fist into his palm.  “At long last that hedgehog will get what’s coming to him.”

   The two gang members ran to get their group, the same ones that Joel fought that first day he came to town.  By the time they got back to the intersection, Joel had finished his cigarette and was walking home.  He had regained hope in his future…pretty soon, he planned to leave Radical City to try and find his brother Lucas.

   And yet, things were about to change forever.

   His hands were in his pockets.  He walked with his eyes almost completely closed as he tried to remember all that he could about his brother.  He smiled unlike he had in years; after learning music and so much about life from Alvin, Joel was ready to face anything.

   He stopped walking; looking up he could see shadows out of the corner of his right eye.  Looking over into gang territory, he could see the same group that harassed him before approaching him.  Trouble was brewing again, and for some reason Joel knew that this time they weren’t going to play by the rules.

   Turning to face them, he folded his arms across his chest as the same high-ranking member from before walked up to him.  They stood toe to toe on the boundary line.  Joel was silent, going from a happy smile to a stone-faced frown.  The gang member just smiled devilishly.

   Pointing at the ground, he looked up at Joel and said, “You crossed the line, jerk.”

   Joel looked back up at Mario, his eyes flashing with horror.  Growling softly, he glared at them and shouted, “Oh come on!  So I stumbled while I coughed!  I’ve been here three years, and something tells me you’ve been looking for any reason to finish me off from before!  Why don’t you just act like the perfect criminals you are and shoot me for no good reason!?”

   The gang laughed at Joel.  Without answering him, Mario punched Joel square in his jaw, causing him to fall hard to the ground.  Mario then pulled out his gun and aimed it at Joel as he held his bleeding jaw in anguish.

   Holding up his hand to silence his friends, Mario continued, “Oh Joel…this is why we will forever be infinitely better than you.  We may have malicious intentions, but we do everything by the book.  You are about to become an example of a textbook murder.  You are a classic example of someone who is gonna die simply for existing.  You should thank us…we’re finally putting you out of your misery.”

   As opposed to three years earlier, Joel was eager to live the rest of his life, and with the barrel of Mario’s gun threatening to explode at him at any second, he began to cry out desperately, almost like a frightened child would for his mother…or father.

   Just like three years ago, Alvin heard the scuffle, as well as Joel’s cries for help, and rounded the corner in enough time to see Mario within seconds of pulling the trigger.  He called out to Joel, then he shouted, “Please Mario!  Don’t do this!  Don’t deny him his right to live when at last he has found joy in his spirit!”

   Alvin ran for Joel, crossing into gang territory in the process.  Mario looked up, equally as disgusted with Alvin as he was with Joel.  Realizing he had enough bullets left in his gun, he decided to take care of Alvin first.

   With a smirk on his face, he lifted the aim of his gun from Joel, to Alvin.

   Blood was leaking into his mouth.  Just as the taste of it rolled over his tongue, Joel turned his attention to Alvin.  He reached out for Alvin, almost like a child reaching out for his father.  However, his ears picked up the sound of a click as Mario cocked his gun, aiming it at Alvin as he ran.

   Trying desperately to rise, Joel cried out, “Alvin!  No!”

   Once Mario pulled the trigger, there was no turning back.  A bullet, soon followed by another, fired from the gun, heading straight for Alvin as he ran to save Joel.  Unable to react in time to dodge the gunfire, Alvin was hit by both of them, one pierced his arm, and the second, delivered what would be a fatal wound to his chest.

   The bullet tore through his aorta, and as he fell to the ground, Joel could feel rage  tearing through him.  The good feelings were gone as he saw the man who had become his guardian angel, falling to the ground, severe internal bleeding drawing his life to a tragic end.

   Joel jumped to his feet, screaming as loud as his body would allow him.  Without fear, he reached for Mario’s gun with the speed of a striking cobra, grabbing it and throwing it to the ground.  Still shouting uncontrollably, he punched and kicked Mario with all the power he could muster, only pausing to knock back any of Mario’s friends who tried to help him.  He finally threw Mario to the ground, and with tears pouring down his face, Joel cried, “Stay where you are you son of a bitch!”

   Without another word, Joel ran to Alvin’s side.  Alvin was lying motionless on the ground.  Blood was filling his mouth as he continued to hemorrhage, and yet he opened his eyes as he watched Joel kneel down beside him, picking up Alvin up so he could hold him.  Joel had calmed down, and wept terribly as he faced losing his best friend.  Joel, who only minutes before was ready to face the world and look for his brother, was slowly reverting to the brown hedgehog who hated the world and for that reason did his best to remain a mere shadow in it.

   This isn’t wasn’t Alvin wanted.  The last thing he wanted was for Joel to give up hope.  He didn’t want him to lose sight of that song in his heart.

   Reaching up to hug Joel, Alvin, who could feel his very life force slipping away, murmured, “Run away from here Joel.  Go back to our home, retrieve the guitar, and run away.  Go find your brother Joel.  There’s nothing left for you here.  You have a bright future coming to you.  Don’t let Mario cut it short.  Don’t let him kill the hope in your heart.  Please…don’t lose faith in the music that soothes your soul and guides you through your life.”

   Frightened, Joel held Alvin tighter and cried, “Please, don’t leave me Alvin!  I—I’m not ready to lose you yet!  Please!”

   Alvin smiled weakly, his breath running short, and murmured, “Don’t let go…of the song…in your heart.  Keep playing…keep singing…keep striving to be happy.  You’ve been broken by the past Joel…don’t let it hurt you again.  You have to learn to fly high Joel, so high…and far away, to a place…where the pain will never hurt you again.  Let the music guide you…never give up…on hope.”

   His heart breaking, Joel only heard Alvin’s words, focusing entirely on grieving for Alvin.  “Alvin…please…,” he whimpered sadly.

   With his vision fading, and his breath almost gone, Alvin smiled, gazing at Joel as everything went dark, and whispered, “Learn to fly Joel…don’t give up…on your life.”

   “No…,” Joel cried.  He watched as Alvin closed his eyes, and then exhaled, not breathing again afterward.  Letting out a pained cry, Joel shouted, “Alvin!  Oh Alvin!  Why?  Why are you gone?!”

   He held Alvin close, hugging him as he wept.  Alvin was more than just his lifesaver, inspiring him to keep trying; Alvin was his guardian angel.  Without Alvin, Joel would have never found hope for his future.  Joel would still be alive, but would be nothing but a shadow of the world around him…a world that promised to give him a second chance…a world that could possibly bring him back to his brother again.

   Joel could feel anger building up in a rage inside of him.  Growling softly, he glared at Mario, who was now rising to his feet.  Tears still falling from his eyes, Joel gently laid Alvin down on the sidewalk, before rising to his feet, fighting off his sadness in favor of punishing Mario for his crimes.

   He ran for the gang, screaming and shouting angrily before ramming into Mario, knocking the others back and away from the two of them.  Pulling back, Joel tackled Mario and began to punch and claw at him furiously.

   “I will kill you!  I’ll make you pay for taking Alvin away from me!  You bastard!  Go to hell!” Joel shouted.

   Joel it seemed had the advantage, but Mario quickly rose to his feet, and fought back.  The gang watched from the sidelines, for Mario had made it clear…that it would be him alone…that tasted Joel’s blood.

   The gang members cheered for Mario, shouting curse words and insults at Joel as he fought.  Driven by rage at the death of Alvin, Joel was no longer concerned for his own safety.  And yet…as he fought, he remembered Alvin’s words.

   “Don’t let go of the music in your heart.  Don’t stop striving to be happy.”

   It was then that Joel realized why Alvin meant so much to him.  Not only did he give Joel the desire to live again, but he loved Joel like a son.  For a boy who had never had a real father, Alvin had filled and healed that void, if only for a little while.  That wound of the past, could no longer hurt him, even though Alvin was now gone.

   His mind was distracted as he fought, and because Mario was so dead set on killing him, neither of them could hear the cries of Mario’s friends…or the bellowed honking of a semi truck that was heading straight towards them.

   Before either of them could move, the semi slammed into them, crushing Mario underneath its eighteen wheels, but for whatever reason, sent Joel flying through the air, saving his life.

   However, this didn’t mean he escaped serious injury.  He landed on the sidewalk within inches of Alvin’s body, his body racked with pain.  The truck driver stopped the vehicle, and having seen the fighting he turned his attention to Joel, running to him first while the gang members struggled to free Mario, who was now dead, from underneath the truck.

   The truck driver, who took the detour through the Northern District to save time, was shocked when he found Joel alive, but barely clinging to life.   As he took Joel in his arms, he asked, “Hey, buddy, are you alright?”

   Joel, who could barely breathe, let alone speak, muttered, “They…they have guns.  They killed…they killed Alvin.  Get out…out of here, before they kill you too.”

   The man then noticed Mario’s gun lying on the ground a few feet away.  He saw the gang members about to free Mario’s body from where it was pinned.  He realized that Joel needed a hospital, and that he had to get both Joel and Alvin’s body out of there fast.

   Looking to Joel, he picked him up and said, “Don’t worry, I’m going to help you.”  He took Joel and put him in the truck cab, before running back and putting Alvin’s body in the back of his truck.  He jumped into the cab, turning the engine on quickly while the gang was distracted, mourning the loss of one of their leaders.  The truck peeled out of the scene, and headed straight for town.  The truck driver was desperate to get Joel to the hospital before it was too late.  Even now, Joel could feel his life slipping away, and yet, he still had faith in his future.

   Alvin had promised him that no matter what happened, Joel would be alright, and he believed it.  He knew that he was ready to fly…no matter what happened, he wouldn’t let go of that song of hope in his heart.  Alvin had saved him, and now Joel’s future hung in the balance.  The skills of a handful of doctors and nurses, would decide whether Joel lived or died.

   Whether or not he found peace…was a matter yet to be seen…

   It was night time before Joel woke up again.  He didn’t know where he was, but he did know he was lying down in a semi-comfortable bed.  He could hear a constant beeping that was a sign that his heart was beating.  Some device over his nose and mouth made it easier to breath.  An IV in his arm helped get rid of the pain.  Another IV made sure plenty of fluids made it to his system as it healed from being hit by the truck.

   Joel could feel every bone in his body, which was strange, because he knew that bones themselves could not register feeling.  It seemed the nerves wrapped around his bones were doing everything they could to let him know that his bones were shattered and broken, especially from the waste down.  Although, simply being able to feel his legs comforted Joel to some degree as he awoke from his slumber.

   He wanted to open his eyes, for even though he was in massive pain, he was tired of this frightening darkness.

   As he took heavy breaths, he focused on opening his eyes.  While he did this, he heard…voices, whispering softly, barely audible over the beeping sound next to his ear.

   “Nancy?  I think he’s waking up!”

   “Shh, whisper softly Lucas.  We don’t want to startle him.”

   “Maybe you should go get George…”

   “…Are you…absolutely sure this is your brother Lucas?”

   “I—I’ve been looking for him for a long time.  I haven’t seen him for eight years, but I remember his face as clearly as I did the last time I saw him.”

   Finally, Joel opened his eyes.  Under the dim, fluorescent light of the hospital room, he could make out the image of a brown and red furred hedgehog, one he shared many features with…the one he had just heard respond to the name, Lucas, calling Joel his older brother.

   Lucas returned his attention to Joel, a smile creeping to his lips as he saw Joel’s green eyes gazing at him curiously.  Placing his hand on Joel’s forehead, he whispered, “Hey…Joel?  It’s me…your brother Lucas.”

   While tired and consumed with a dull pain, Joel’s eyes widened quickly with shock.  Still able to speak even with the breathing apparatus covering his mouth and nose, he murmured, “Lu—Lucas?  How…how are you here?”

   Smiling bravely, Lucas replied, “I—I live in Resort Bay Joel.  I was…adopted, a few months after you ran away.”  Looking to a rose pink hedgehog standing behind him, he added, “This is Nancy, my adopted mother.”  Returning his attention to Joel, he resumed, “George is my adopted father…he’s around here somewhere.”

   Taking the hint from Lucas, Nancy smiled and said, “I think I’ll go look for George.  I’ll be back later.”

   Joel watched as Nancy left the room, preoccupied with everything that Lucas had said, until he noticed Lucas gazing at him with sad eyes.  “I was told to forget about you.  My social worker told me the odds of finding you alive were slim to none…I never understood why you ran away, and while I never gave up hope that you’d come back, it’s still something that bothers me.”

   Joel lowered his eyes, unable to look Lucas in his.  He replied, “I failed you Lucas.  I had taken care of you since you were born for the most part…and then they separated us, and I couldn’t keep us together anymore.  I—I couldn’t look after you, and so I ran away.”  Looking back to Lucas, he added, “I’m not the same Joel you remember; I started smoking…drinking beer…two things I would never recommend for anyone to pick up no matter how desperate they are.  I had given up on life even as you kept strong faith in it.  Yet…when I arrived in Radical City…my life changed…”  He fell silent, his thoughts returning to the loss of his dear friend Alvin.  He was unable to speak further.

   Smiling a bit, Lucas turned to retrieve something leaning against the wall behind him.  Presenting it to Joel, he said, “This is yours, isn’t it Joel?”

   A shocked gasp answered for Joel once he saw what his brother held in his hands.  It was Alvin’s red bass guitar, the same guitar that Alvin used, not only to teach him to play and sing, but to bring a song of hope back to Joel’s spirit.

   Trembling heavily, Joel whimpered, “How?  First you are here…and now…Alvin’s…I mean, my…my guitar…how?”

   It was at this point that George and Nancy returned to the room, but hung back as they watched the tender scene unfold between the brothers.  Lucas sat the guitar down again, and leaned forward to hug his brother tightly.  As Joel returned the hug, Lucas explained, “It was on television Joel.  The truck driver that saved you told everyone what happened.  That gang territory was raided and the gang members that witnessed it all were arrested.  The story was on the news…a homeless man dying and a homeless brown hedgehog nearly dying when he was hit by a truck.  They had no name for you, but the homeless knew who you were.  They raced to the hospital with the guitar, and told the news crews all about you, and how you were looking for your brother.  Once they had found out your name, all the news stations were talking about a brown and red hedgehog named Joel…looking for his little brother Lucas.  I saw it on television, and without thinking I told George and Nancy we had to come here.  The homeless left the guitar with me, and told me to tell you that they give you their best wishes.  They want you to know how lucky you are to have a second chance.  I sure am glad that you do.”

   Joel felt tears forming in his eyes as he hugged Lucas in return.  Closing them, he realized that without Alvin to protect him and inspire him to keep trying that he might have never found Lucas.  The circumstances of that day, however painful, were worth it in the end.  Alvin did not die in vain, and Joel knew that on the other side, Alvin was smiling at him and saying, “Never let go of that song of hope in your heart.  Take your wings and fly away.”

   Smiling bravely, Joel sighed happily and whispered, “Me too Lucas…me too.”

   While Joel’s injuries were severe, he would make a full recovery from this near-death experience.  After leaving the hospital, Joel spent the next several months recovering in Resort Bay, living with his brother Lucas and his adopted parents George and Nancy.  Even though Joel was never adopted into the family, Lucas’ parents made sure he knew he would always be part of it.

   Still, the time came when Joel decided to return to Radical City.  He wanted to thank the homeless folk he called his family and lifesavers for all they had done.  It was on this visit that he met the ones who would become his life long friends, two hedgehogs named Zachary and Bill.  Music had influenced their lives almost as heavily as it had in Joel’s life, and they both had their stories to tell of struggles and hard times.  Just as it had with Joel, music inspired them to keep trying, and it was this bond they shared that would ensure they were friends for life.

   With Bill on the electric guitar, Joel on the bass, and Zachary playing the drums, the three friends formed a band that they called quite simply, the Radical Rockers.  They quickly became famous in Radical City, and so Joel took up living with them in an apartment they shared in the Southern District.

   Joel’s life was finally moving forward on a path that would surely bring him untold happiness, just as Alvin knew it would.  Now reunited with his brother, Joel was now able to live his own life, unburdened by the past.  He gave up smoking and drinking completely, and his new best friends, along with Lucas, would make sure Joel would never slip into darkness again.

   The Radical Rockers, inspired by what happened to Joel when he crossed paths with the gang that killed Alvin, took up a mission of keeping order in the Northern District.  The denizens of Radical City could no longer ignore the problem that the gangs and criminals of the Northern District had become.  Joel, Bill, and Zachary led the movement to incarcerate every criminal and gang member they could find.  This meant that the Northern District could be rebuilt and lived in once again.  It could be a part of the beautiful metropolis Radical City had become.

   However, Joel wouldn’t let the homeless denizens of the city go unforgotten.  Part of the restoration process included building several homeless shelters to accommodate those who, like Alvin, looked after Joel for those three years…trying to live the best lives they could while going without, just so the remainder of the city could be beautiful.  Once these shelters were built, the homeless and less fortunate now had places they could go, and were no longer shoved into isolation where they could be out of sight and out of mind.

   One year after Alvin’s death, the Northern District was slowly becoming part of the rest of Radical City once again, and while there were still places for rogues and thieves to hide and conduct business all over the city, Joel, Zachary, and Bill made it their mission to keep them under control and preserve peace, while rocking their fans in Radical City to their music on a regular basis.

   Joel at last had learned to fly.  Alvin had helped him find hope again through that song in his heart that was impossible to ignore.  Whenever Joel felt lost or sad, he would sit down and write music, and think of Alvin.  If it weren’t for Alvin’s care and concern, Joel was convinced he wouldn’t have survived this dark time in his life, and so he owed it all to him.  For Alvin’s memory, Joel would keep living happy and well.

   Now that he had learned to fly, no matter what sought to bring him down, Joel, would soar above it all, for through music, he found hope, and it was this hope…that set him free.