The Plane

The shivering, gaunt boy scrambled up onto the deck as the cheers of the crowd intensified, a mass of hollering, sweaty adults. The boy turned over to look at the old man beside him.
"Go, Oliver," the man drawled, rubbing his weathered hands together greedily. "you know what the tradition is."
Oliver visibly gulped, the yelling of the adults ringing in his ears as they slammed against the frail deck, gawking at him with wide, hungry eyes. He shuffled towards the podium. The mayor looked down on him, a gleam in his eye. He snatched Oliver's lanky hand in his fleshy one and raised it over their heads, a sneer forming as he studied the crowd of adults.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our champion! When he returns from his flight, that is when you start bidding for him. Don't get too excited now!" He taunted, letting go of Oliver's sore wrist.
Oliver's eyes narrowed slightly, but his slight disgust vanished as he turned towards the hot air balloon towering behind him.
Oh it was grand, why wouldn't it be, considering it was prepared for such a special event? Subtle waves of lace were draped over the balloon brimming with hot air, as the pale pink silk that surrounded it swelled as it bobbed above the ground. Oliver gawked at it, but then flashes of his previous friends' faces appeared in his mind, prompting him of their murders, or their terrified faces as wealthy couples dragged them off. Anger bubbled in his stomach, as he spun back to the crowd, confidence building up in him. The scrawny old man raised a prickly eyebrow at this, then his chapped lips split into grin, revealing his crooked teeth to the back of the boy's head.

Oliver stumbled along the dilapidated hallway of the orphanage. The small muffled chattering of the fellow 'orphans' behind the thin walls were the only sound he could hear, apart from his small footsteps. Suddenly, the thundering of footsteps echoed behind him. Oliver whipped his head around questioningly, and his lips quirked up in a small grin as his friends bolted around the corner and towards him, shoving each other roughly out of the way.
"Oliver, man of the hour!" Charlie bellowed, throwing an arm over his shoulder. "Perhaps we should start respecting the chosen child?"
"Not a chance," the twins chorused as they hurried towards him. Something like deep sympathy glistened in Grace's eyes as her beaming face fell, and she turned and hugged Oliver's waist tightly. Even the normally rowdy Garrett's cheerful demeanor vanished as he stared at Oliver with pursed lips. Charlie's grip on Oliver's shoulder loosened as he observed the change in atmosphere.
"There's nothing we can do now, except joke about it before he goes." Charlie mused.
Grace sniffled as she let go, looking at Oliver sadly as Anna slowed down as she rushed towards them, looking at their concerned faces. Anna's face split into a grin, albeit a slightly sad one, as she hooked Oliver's arm with hers.
"Seems like it was only yesterday when I saw the skinny little toddler lining up for the porridge, and now he's already leaving me with these idiots." Her rough accent echoed as she pulled him along. Oliver chuckled, an image of a younger Anna with pigtails appearing in his mind, before sorrow replaced his happiness.
He faced the dirty, smudged faces of the only family he had over the years he had grown up.
Looking at each and every one of the faces that he might as well see for the last time, he smiled wistfully.
"I can't guarantee I'll be safe, but I really won't forget you guys. Really."
Grace burst into tears and fled to him, hugging him. Charlie didn't even make fun of her for once, miserably trudging up to them and gently bringing his gangly arms over the both of them in a group hug. Garrett didn't waste time in jogging up and squeezing his own arms around them, gripping Oliver's torn shirt tightly. Anna stared at the ground, shuffling her bare feet from side to side. Oliver poked his head up, raising an expectant eyebrow as he smiled warmly. Pretending to huff irritatedly, Anna walked over, but immediately broke out into a run as she buried her head in the middle.
Oliver stayed there in the embrace of his friends. He squeezed his eyes shut. Curse those greedy adults, tearing him and his family apart to make him try and compete just for the highest bidder to bring him off to make him a servant. He wasn't even an orphan.
Somewhere out there were his parents, who he had been stolen from by those money hungry people. Everything had ended up being just for money, with all those scared, hungry, lost children having to suffer the worst of it.
Oliver looked over the heads of his friends once more, determination glazing over his eyes.
He would avenge all the lost childhoods.