Free Rat-Catcher by Chris Ryan

girl.
    Paulo looked at all the other flower-sellers. It was true. There was not one child above ten years old. Paulo looked down at his flowers. It had seemed such a good way into the street kids' community. Now he felt very foolish.
    'You are new,' said the little girl.
    Paulo nodded miserably.
    'In from the country?'
    'Yes,' said Paulo, hoping that was the right thing to say.
    'Thought so,' said the girl. 'There's no work here, you know.'
    Paulo shrugged. 'My name is Paulo,' he said.
    The little girl sighed, then seemed to come to a decision. 'And my name is Eliza,' she said. 'Come with me.'
    'Where are we going?' called Paulo, hurrying after Eliza and checking over his shoulder to see that the white van was following him.
    'To get some food,' said Eliza. 'You look like you could do with a hot meal.'
    She led him through the streets to a small restaurant that was just closing up for the night. A man with a white chef's apron tied around his big belly waved through the window at Eliza, then came to the door, carrying a bowl full of chicken, rice and vegetables.
    'There you go, little one. Bring the bowl back when you're finished.'
    'Thank you, Oscar,' said Eliza, solemnly accepting the food. 'This is my friend Paulo.'
    Oscar grunted and looked suspiciously at Paulo. 'I suppose you want some for him too?' he said.
    A few minutes later they were sitting on the kerb opposite the restaurant with a bowl of leftovers each. The chicken was dry and the vegetables overcooked, but Eliza tucked into the food as though it was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. As she ate, she lectured Paulo with her mouth full, explaining some of the rules of street life.
    'Never try to beg at the big fast-food places,' she said. 'They have armed security guards. Keep away from them. The police too. They don't like us. Oh, and never sleep alone. It's too dangerous.'
    Eliza scraped her bowl clean and peered at Paulo's half-finished portion. 'Do you want that?'
    Wordlessly, he handed it over. Eliza grabbed the bowl, then froze with the spoon halfway to her mouth as a figure stopped in front of her, blocking out the soft light from the restaurant window.
    'Leo!' she cried, gazing up at the thin, dark-haired boy towering over her.
    Leo? Paulo looked up sharply. This must be the boy Alex had warned him against. Paulo looked him up and down, trying to see whether he was carrying a knife.
    Leo drew his foot back and kicked Eliza on the shin. She doubled over in pain, dropping the bowl of food in the dust.
    'Hey!' said Paulo, leaping to his feet. Leo ignored him, but Eliza looked up, her brown eyes brimming with tears of pain, and shook her head in warning.
    Paulo clenched his fists and fumed silently.
    'I've been waiting,' growled Leo, glaring down at Eliza.
    'I - I was coming to see you, as soon as I had my food--'
    'Where is it?' interrupted Leo.
    Eliza jumped up, opened the drawstring purse around her neck and pulled out the few dollars she had managed to earn that night. She handed them to Leo, who sniffed, then peeled off one dollar bill and handed it back to Eliza.
    'See you tomorrow,' he said, turning away. 'Don't be late.'
    Paulo scowled. Knife or not, he was not going to let this piece of dirt walk off with Eliza's money. She had stood at those traffic lights for hours to earn those few dollars. She deserved to keep them. Paulo grabbed Leo from behind, wrapping his big arms around him and pinning his arms to his sides. Leo twisted and kicked, but he was much thinner and smaller than Paulo. Paulo simply squeezed his arms tighter. He had very strong arms and Leo soon stopped struggling. 'Give me the money,' said Paulo.
    Leo wheezed and shook his head. Paulo increased the pressure and Leo's hand shot out from his side, waving the dollar bills frantically.
    'Thank you,' said Paulo, reaching down with one big hand and grabbing the money. He let Leo go. Leo turned, quick as a snake, and pulled a knife on him.
    Paulo took a step back, pushing Eliza