Ken crept through the hallways of the darkened building, his every movement seeming to pierce through the deafening silence like a gunshot. He crouched low, knees bent and shoulders hunched, his arms out to his side as if he were a trapeze artist constantly in danger of falling. The musty odor of old wood and untreated mold permeated the shadowy surroundings, and every few seconds a creak or snap could be heard, the subtle and ominous sounds of the ancient building settling. In the back of his head he could hear the hushed whispers of ghostly voices, seemingly closer with every passing moment. He had to hide, had to find some place safe, before he was found. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he strained his ears, trying in vain to make out where his hunter was at this very moment. Only the sound of his own muted breath and the anxious pounding of his heart greeted him. He seemed alone in the darkness, but he knew better. A thump sounded out into the house, startling the young boy. The noise was close by, and if Ken had to guess it was coming from a room a few doors down from his current position. Thinking quickly, he threw himself into a room nearby, desperate to stay out of the sight of whatever created the noise. He moved not a moment too soon, because as he crossed the threshold of the door he made out a shadow figure exiting the room where the sound had originated. It didn't seem that the figure had seen Ken, but there was no telling where it would move next. Ken had to find somewhere to hide himself before it came into this room. Looking around frantically, he could make out a set of bunk beds and a small chest in the darkness. They wouldn't provide much cover, and Ken could hear the sounds of quiet footsteps padding down the hall towards his location. Using his ninja training the boy turned and leaped up, fingers grasping the door frame. With a fluid, stealthy movement he pulled himself up and perched himself on the frame of the door. A moment later the dark figure entered the room. The figure stood still for a few seconds, surveying its surroundings. It's first order of business was to slightly move the door, checking the area behind it for hidden victims. Ken's chest became tight as the figure looked, the shadow-obscured head not 3 feet from Ken's current position. Satisfied, the figure moved on to the rest of the room, tearing covers off of beds and throwing open the chest. It peeked up at the top bunks, and even checked the crevasses between the beds and the wall. Finally done with it's search, the shadowy figure crouched and slowly exited the room, moving on to its next target. A second or two after its exit Ken relaxed, letting out the breath he had been holding involuntarily. He was safe for now. Letting himself down slowly from the door frame, the boy peeked his head out from the room, looking around to make sure the coast was clear. Suddenly a hand violently gripped his shoulder!
"I got you!" a high-pitched, excited voiced called out. Ken turned around to see the owner of the voice, a child of a few years younger than Ken himself. The little kid was wearing slightly tattered clothes and his face was smudged with dirt. He was quite skinny, likely not eating quite enough, but he was smiling widely at the fact that he had found Ken. "Man, you're getting really good at this game!" The little boy proclaimed, "Everyone else was caught ages ago!" He turned his attention away from Ken and called out into the darkness. "Olly Olly Oxen Free!" As he did so, the rest of the children crawled from their hiding spaces, seeming to materialize out of nowhere. The group had been playing hide and seek for the past few hours, and Ken had learned that these kids were pros. The first few games that he played were quite solid losses, he was the first one to be caught the when he was hiding, and everyone made it to the safe zone when he was "it." Thankfully he was a quick learner, and eventually he was able to use his ninja skills and a little luck to evade capture. He thought this was the game he would be able to win, but it seemed he was to be caught nonetheless. The many children were laughing and chatting loudly with each other, some of them congratulating Ken on being the last one standing. Ken smiled. It was great to see these kids having a good time, especially considering the circumstances. The children were orphans, and the building he was in was a run down orphanage in the Grand Palais. There was never enough money or resources for the kids, the village needing to set up a recurring mission just to get enough volunteers to help the poor children get enough supervision. Ken was happy to do it, the boy was technically an orphan himself, though he was fortunately being raised by his grandfather in the absence of his parents. Anything he could do to help show these kids some of the kindness he himself had been shown over the years was more than worth the time he put into it. And he planned to continue putting time towards these kids as often as he could for many years to come.
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"I got you!" a high-pitched, excited voiced called out. Ken turned around to see the owner of the voice, a child of a few years younger than Ken himself. The little kid was wearing slightly tattered clothes and his face was smudged with dirt. He was quite skinny, likely not eating quite enough, but he was smiling widely at the fact that he had found Ken. "Man, you're getting really good at this game!" The little boy proclaimed, "Everyone else was caught ages ago!" He turned his attention away from Ken and called out into the darkness. "Olly Olly Oxen Free!" As he did so, the rest of the children crawled from their hiding spaces, seeming to materialize out of nowhere. The group had been playing hide and seek for the past few hours, and Ken had learned that these kids were pros. The first few games that he played were quite solid losses, he was the first one to be caught the when he was hiding, and everyone made it to the safe zone when he was "it." Thankfully he was a quick learner, and eventually he was able to use his ninja skills and a little luck to evade capture. He thought this was the game he would be able to win, but it seemed he was to be caught nonetheless. The many children were laughing and chatting loudly with each other, some of them congratulating Ken on being the last one standing. Ken smiled. It was great to see these kids having a good time, especially considering the circumstances. The children were orphans, and the building he was in was a run down orphanage in the Grand Palais. There was never enough money or resources for the kids, the village needing to set up a recurring mission just to get enough volunteers to help the poor children get enough supervision. Ken was happy to do it, the boy was technically an orphan himself, though he was fortunately being raised by his grandfather in the absence of his parents. Anything he could do to help show these kids some of the kindness he himself had been shown over the years was more than worth the time he put into it. And he planned to continue putting time towards these kids as often as he could for many years to come.
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