Lulu, Part One

>twelve hours of physical labor has left you beyond tired
>all you want to do is go home and sleep forever
>you almost fall asleep on the bus home, but you know not to make that mistake a second time
>fucking cats can empty a man's pockets without making a sound
>you get off the bus and head to your apartment
>of course calling it an apartment would be dishonest, it was a straight up project
>the group of dobermans sitting near the door glare and growl at you as you walk up
>one of them flashes gang signs at you
>you ignore them, this is a daily routine
>you drag your exhausted body up the stairs, trying to ignore the suffocating stench of urine
>why did you have to live on the tenth floor
>you walk down the hall to your door taking in the new graffiti
>as you unlock the door you hear something run towards you
>you sigh and open it
"You're home!"
>your daughter barrels into you and knocks you to the ground
>her tail wags back and forth rapidly as she licks your face over and over
>in an instant all of your fatigue leaves your body
"Hey Lulu. how was school?"
>she smiles at you like no one ever has
"It was fun. We learned about the pyramids."
"That's great. Did you eat dinner already?"
>she nods
>you get up off the floor and get her things ready for tomorrow
>you lay out her clothes, pack her a lunch and go to bed
>as you lay in your bed listening to the sounds of gunshots and police sirens you hear someone walk in
"Can I sleep with you tonight?"
>you can't refuse her
>she curls up next to you and in minutes you can hear her soft snoring
>you've never been happier in your life
>a year ago neither of you thought things would end like this
>neither of you ever thought you could ever be happy
>as you drift off to sleep you think of what has happened to bring you to this moment

----

>you're twenty-two and you have no future
>you're a high school dropout working a dead end job
>you're barely making enough to get by
>you live in one of the worst neighborhoods in the city
>your friends tried to tell you it wasn't so bad, that crime has gone down recently
>they're full of shit
>your apartment has been broken into twice since you've moved in
>you're sleeping in the bathtub most nights to avoid gunshots
>every weekend there are groups of kids fighting outside
>a woman got raped in the field across from you last week
>you're one the only humans living in this building, and the other residents take pleasure in reminding you of that
>you walk out the door and step in a pool of urine
>you swear loudly and notice a group of young bears laughing
>they pull shit like this all the time
>you want to say something to them, but the last time you did that their mother almost tore your head off
>to them that was the go ahead to walk all over you
>that was your life in a nutshell, eating shit with a smile
>you walk out the building and to the bus stop
>a group of kids with purple bandanas tucked in their pockets walks up to you
"You got some change dawg?"
>you ignore them
>one of them gets angry
"Yo you fuckin deaf or somethin'?"
>you don't see the fist coming
>before you know it you're on the ground getting beaten and two guys are running through your pockets
>they run off with your bus fare, and your food money for the week
>for a moment you consider jumping under the bus when it comes
"What is this world coming to? These young motherfuckers don't respect a got damn thing"
>an older sheep shakes his head
"Here. I wouldn't want you to miss work"
>he hands you some money for the bus
>you take it, not mentioning your frustration at him just watching you get beat
>when the bus arrives the driver sees your bloodied face and can't hold in his laughter
>you drop the money in and take a seat
>your already angry, and you haven't even started work

----

>working at a 7-11 in a nice neighborhood would be mind numbing
>here it's infuriating
>you've had to deal with a visibly pregnant woman angry that she can't buy a 40 ounce with EBT
>two kids trying to steal candy
>a group of high schoolers posting up outside and scaring away customers
>and now your boss is yelling at you because while you were calling the police someone broke the lock on the cage and stole two propane tanks
>you figure there's no way this day can get any worse
>the bell on the door rings
>you see a young girl walk in
>a dog by the looks of her
>her fur is patchy and rough looking
>her clothes are dirty and loose
>even through the thick plexiglass you can tell she hasn't had any food in a while
>you don't take your eyes off her as she stumbles through the store
>she grabs a candy bar and brings it to the counter
"That'll be $1.05"
>one of those used to be fifty cents
>fucking sugar tax
>the girl reaches in her pocket and pulls out a handful of coins
>her hands are covered in cuts and scrapes
>you count it her money
>she doesn't have enough
>you open your mouth to say something but something about that look in her eyes stops you
>she has eyes that look like they've completely given up on life
>you see them every day in the mirror
>seeing that look on someone so young makes you sick to your stomach
>you add some of your own change to hers
"You have a nice day"
>the girl takes her candy and leaves without saying a word
>the rest of your shift ends without incident
>as you head home you can't stop thinking about that girl
>you're so distracted that you step right into the pile of shit someone left outside your door

----

>it was Friday
>the good news was that it was payday
>the bad news was that it was the weekend
>bad shit always happens on the weekend
>you deposit your check at the bank and take a little for dinner
>as you walk to get something to eat you see that girl again
>she's wearing the same clothes she was last time
>they're caked in grime what looks like dried blood
>you feel sorry for the girl so you extend a hand toward her
"'hey, you wanna come with me and get something to eat?"
>her tail sticks up
>she bites down hard on your hand and runs off
"Fuck!"
>you're bleeding
>people around you are all laughing
>you run home to put some peroxide on your hand
>after disinfecting your hand you go to the kitchen
>you don't know why, since your fridge is empty
>you think about ordering out. but no one delivers to this apartment anymore
>you look out your window and see a growing crowd of teens
>it's about that time
"YO WORLDSTAAAAR!"
>in an instant a fight breaks out
>it's one giant furry brawl
>every weekend with this shit
>you turn on your tv to watch the news
"Police are searching for suspects in a shooting that occurred in the city's south side. Police say a man was walking to his house when another man walked up and opened fire. Police are not disclosing whether or not the shooting was gang related at this time. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, bringing this weekend's homocide victims up to three on Friday"
>you turn the tv off
>you've thought about getting a CCW
>you decide against it since you'd be the first person it would get used on
>you go to bed hoping that maybe tomorrow won't be as awful

----

>your hopes were for naught
>you open the door, taking care to step over the pile of garbage your neighbors left outside
>as you walk down the street the hairs on the back of your neck stand up
>you instinctively jump to the side
>your instincts were right as a large glob of bird shit falls to the ground with a splat
"Fuck you!"
>the dove laughs as it flies away
>your day just started and your already angry
>the area around your building is like a maze
>if you don't know exactly where you're going you can get lost
>and if that happens you're dead
>you follow the path you mapped out, but you hear something in the distance that makes you change course
>it sounds like kids shouting
>as you get closer you see a group of kids throwing rocks at something
>scratch that, someone
>it's the girl from yesterday
>she's shaking and covering her head with her hands
>you can see blood on the ground near her
>you don't know what comes over you, but you run towards them
"Hey!"
>the kids all run off, but you catch one and grab him by the arm
>he thrashes and tries to slip free
"Let me go, fuckin' faggot"
>you're too angry to think straight
"Why are you throwing rocks at that girl?"
>the boy shrugs
"Ain't like she's good for shit else."
>you want to punch this kid in the mouth, but you let him go
>you run up to the girl
"Are you okay?"
>her eyes widen in fright and backs away from you
>shit, she's crying
>you back up slightly
"It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you."
>she doesn't look like she believes you
"I'm Anon, what's your name?"
>she sniffles
"Lulu. You're that man from the store."
>so she recognizes you
"Yeah."
>she stops crying and stands up
>she looks you up and down
>something about that makes your skin crawl
>you take a small step forward
>she doesn't react at all
>that's good
"Where are your parents?"
>she looks down at the ground
>that answers that question
"Are you hungry?"
>she nods
"Let's get something to eat okay?"

----

>you can feel everyone's eyes on you as you sit in the McDonald's
>that's to be expected
>a human with an anthro is strange enough on its own
>but this is a child who clearly looks like she's been abused
>you hope those hushed whispers don't turn into calls for the police
>Lulu takes small bites from the burger you bought for her
>she tries not to let her gratitude show on her face
>it's probably the first thing she's had to eat in days
"So, where do you live?"
"Outside"
>this is too awkward
>you think of something else to ask her
"Is there anyone you can stay with?"
"No"
>she looks angry
>you decide to stop asking questions
>the two of you finish your meal in silence and go your separate ways
>you figure that's the last time you'll be seeing her
>the sun is going down, which means it's time to head home
>a human outside at night is easy pickings
>if one of these animals catches you alone getting robbed is the best you can hope for
>when you get home you see that the lock on your door is broken again
>great, something else that needs fixing
>you go to bed trying to ignore the shouting coming from the apartment next door

----

>you don't see the girl again for the next few weeks
>part of you is glad. You barely have enough money to feed yourself, let alone someone else
>but another part of you can't help but worry
>some of the things you've heard about what happens to kids in this city makes you sick to think about
>you try and take your mind off of her for now
>the burning summer heat is doing a good job of that
>summertime means that everyone is outside trying to cool off
>that means a much greater chance of some dumb shit happening
>the sun is beating down on you
>you're so hot you can barely walk
>work is going to suck
>you're working as fast as you can but people are still complaining
>the heat is making them irate
>you don't dare complain, the plexiglass might be able to stop a bullet, but a charging animal is another story
>you manage to get through your entire shift without getting mauled
>as you're getting ready to leave that girl walks in
>she looks just as dirty as ever
>one of her ears looks like it had been chewed on
>she walks to the back and grabs a small slurpee
>you look at her and shake your head
"It is way too hot for a small. Get something a little bigger"
>the girl leaves and comes back with the largest size available
>she gazes at it longingly, but after a moment she looks kind of sad
"I don't have enough for this"
>she lets out a small whine
"Don't worry, I'll cover it"
>the girl eyes you suspiciously
"What do you want?"
>you don't want to know what would lead her to ask a question like that
"Nothing"
>she takes a sip of her drink and smiles, her tail swishing through the air
>as she turns to leave you call out to her
"Hey Lulu, it's not good going hungry when it's this hot out. If we happen to see each other I'll get you some food. How does that sound?"
>she turns around and leaves without a word
>her tail wagging slightly faster than before

----

>you repeat this pattern for a while
>you two come across each other in the street and you end up going off somewhere to eat
>over time you've learned how to talk to her without her shutting down
>you've managed to learn several things about this girl
>she never met her father
>her mother is an addict
>she used to stay in a foster home, but left for reasons she won't go into
>she's been living on the streets for two years
>since school is out for the summer she hasn't been eating regularly
>the more you learn the worse you feel
>you shake those thoughts out of your head
>she looks different now
>she's slightly larger and her fur is growing back
>her brown eyes have more life to them now
>she looks happy
>she looks up at you, her ears are upright and perky
"Thanks"
>you can't help but smile
>you've never felt this way about another person before
"Don't worry about it"
>she starts laughing
>an employee walks up to your table with a grimace on their face
"Eckuse me, I'm a need you and this girl to get out. You botherin' my customers"
>you look around and notice other people glaring at your table, some of them holding their nose
"Fine"
>you don't know what their problem is. This is Popeye's, not some five star restaurant
>you and the girl leave together
"I'm sorry"
>she shrugs
"I'm used to it. At least they let me eat first this time."
>you don't know what comes over you
>you wrap your arms around the girl and hold her tight
>she pauses for a moment before returning you hug
"See you around"
>the two of you go your separate ways
>you go home feeling elated
>you've had a long stretch of good days
>of course at the time you had no idea how bad things were going to get