The book Secrets and Promises  is where we first get a glimpse of the alley, and meet the street boys. It’s a well-known – to its regulars – pick up place, for rent boys. 

It’s an area surrounded by old broken and derelict warehouses. It’s quite a vast area as it used to be an old industrial estate. We learn it’s owned by Julian, and that eventually Julian uses some of the land to build the new hospital at the end of the street. 

It’s an alley that starts off at street level, and inclines up to what would have been an old delivery depo, but it’s now lined with rubbish on both sides, and broken paladin bins. There’s a huge pile of accumulated rubbish at the very end, where Joe and Leo used to sit, and watch the going’s on down at the mouth of the alley or gaze up at the stars. Either side of this pile, is entrances to the broken warehouses that surround them.  

The street boys sleep in the one on the right, and the one on the left is a cut through to the busier vanilla streets, although there’s more space and places to hide, and certain boys have secretly hidden there. (no Spoilers!) 

I kind of based this place in the vicinity of London somewhere, and in my mind, it’s like a forgotten island in the middle of the modern world, which has sprung up around it. So, the vanilla’s view would just be the backs of old brick warehouses and as we know, sometimes they are too busy to see what’s going on right under their noses. It’s also a dumping ground, and new rubbish bags, furniture and boxes turn up frequently. 

The Street it stems from, is accessible by the vanillas, and the rich and sometimes famous use the road to drive by, for their business. At one end you’ll find Manni’s, the old café that has been there probably since it was a thriving industrial estate. Manni, who’s good friends with Layton, runs it with his son Mikey, and do their best to look after the street boys that frequent it. I always believe Manni knows more than he lets on, but he doesn’t share, not even with me! 

The other end of the street. starts blending in with the vanilla’s roads, and you’ll find a few quiet streets with rows of houses. This is where Layton has his safe house that he uses when he visits the alley, and probably owns a few more along there for privacy. 

They’ll definitely be more stories here. I think Joe will end up popping back, so we’ll see what happens! 

ALLEY BOYS 

Ginger -Head alley boy/sadist 

Mattie – A pleaser – plays with Kellen 

Gil – boyfriend to Sam 

Sam – boyfriend to Gil 

Myles – 

Max – 

Lenny – new boy nearly taken by junkie 

Rook – 

Cobe –  

Thomas – The smiler 

Angel – 

Noah – saved by Joe – living with Joss until he comes of age 

Joe/JJ – recovering junkie, now with Julian’s family 

Leo – Julian’s boy-Fragile x/Multiple personalities/ utter masochist – now with Julian 

Spencer – Leo Star’s Keeper- Julian’s family – Switchy Dom to be 

Mikey – Manni’s son