Of Thieves And Do Gooders

After my encounter with Jack Crawford, the days seemed to stroll past me. I sent the bank account information--tucked safely away in an envelope--to him personally. I broke into the house and left it on his desk in his room that had been locked. I was certain that he had gotten it. Other than that though, I wasn’t sure how he was doing. I had to hope that a guy that smart wouldn’t let his wife get away with cheating on him.

My hair grew longer in the weeks that replaced days and as months passed, my money began to diminish. But that wasn’t a real issue since I never quite ran out of money. Being a thief that was always short on money, I learned to allocate all of my money in the right places. I didn’t cut my hair though, I even went back to wearing girls clothes and kept the set of clothes that Jack had given me--it really was an awesome outfit. Probably the most expensive outfit I would ever own.

Pick pocketing was still my best bet to keep my income steady, but I had conducted two break-ins in the last six months and stolen a decent amount of jewelry along with expensive vases, watches and any other things I could sneak out in my pockets or hands.

I pushed my mouth silently to one side, watching as my skin was smooth on one side and wrinkled on the other. I relaxed my mouth and observed my hair, it was still odd seeing it so long--it was already touching my shoulders. The color was much lighter than it had ever been when I was younger, I was a “golden blonde” as some liked to call it. I think it had to do with all the time I spent outside pick pocketing, I thought I had heard somewhere that that sort of thing lightened your hair. Being out in the sun that is, not pick pocketing. I didn’t believe it until that moment though.

I gathered my belongings--all of which I could fit in a small duffle bag and a backpack and checked out of the hotel. I moved from hotel to hotel for precautionary reasons, in case someone decided to track down a suspicious looking thief girl because of some missing things…of course I didn’t have them anymore anyway, I’d taken everything I had stolen straight to the pawnshop.

Absently, I strolled out onto the sidewalk, brushing my hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear--how weird. It sort of felt like everyone was looking at me though, just because I was paranoid and I was a thief, one that had been a boy not too long ago. Not that any of them knew that though. So, like I said, I was just being a little paranoid.

I fished a ten dollar bill out of my pocket as I saw a flower salesman on the corner. I dropped the ten on the makeshift counter and he handed me a dozen white lilies. I hoisted the lilies up so that they were resting on one of my hips and I started toward my next destination: The cemetery. Some people might say I spend too much of my time around dead people…Not really, but if they do, then screw them, why don’t they try losing their last family member.

Besides, I was actually remembering flowers this time, one out of too many Sundays was good, right?

…

Don’t patronize me.

I walked briskly to the cemetery and arrived there in no time, the old grave keeper knew me by now and waved his thin hand at me in recognition and went back to placing flowers on graves. I waved back shortly and came to Raymond’s grave easily.

Gingerly, I set the bouquet at the base of the headstone and took a step back, squatting down so that I was eye-level with the grave. I didn’t get all teary-eyed when I saw it anymore, since I had seen it every Sunday since I had left the school, I had grown virtually immune to the unnecessary display of weakness. I’ve got to admit, it was kind of embarrassing in the beginning when I still broke down almost every time, especially because the grave keeper was always about.

I sighed and fell back onto my butt, pulling my cropped leather jacket around me a little, winter was just getting started, but it was still a little chilly. The sun touched my face carefully as I stared up at the graying sky, it didn’t look like the sun would be out for much longer. I noted the change in weather and looked back down at my brother’s headstone. I didn’t usually do much at the cemetery, I sort of just sat there most of the time and thought. About nothing and everything.

This time though, I heard someone approaching from behind and scowled a little. My quiet time was ruined. If it was the grave keeper to tell me to leave, he was about to get an earful. I waited patiently as if I hadn’t heard the footsteps and turned my face skyward again as I said, “Sorry Filch but I’m not moving.” It wasn’t a nice name, I admit, but when I looked at the old grave keeper he reminded me of the cranky janitor-guy from Harry Potter. He didn’t seem to mind though, he didn’t even provide me with another name. So, that’s what I called him.

“Too many fantasy novels?” A proper voice joked and I jumped, scrambling to my feet so I could turn and face the unfamiliar voice.

I frowned as I searched through my memory to identify the face that appeared before me. Gray eyes, sharp facial features, semi-long nose, defined jaw, dark brown hair--Oh my God!

“Jack?” I asked incredulously, looking the older man up and down. He looked exactly the same, but I hadn’t expected to see him again. Not unless I wanted to anyway, and I hadn’t had any contact with him whatsoever.

“The one and only,” He smirked and feigned a bow, before stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans--jeans? That was new. He was actually wearing very casual clothing, dressed like a teenage boy in some aspects--such as fake-old jeans that really cost one hundred dollars if not more.

“What are you doing here?” I asked suspiciously, feeling suddenly protective of my brother’s grave. It didn’t feel like anyone else should know its location but me.

“Looking for you,” Jack said simply, standing beside me and glancing down at the grave I had attempted to shield from his view. “Brother?” he asked casually, eyeing the dates.

“Yeah,” I replied a little irked that he was so comfortable around me after only talking to me once. “Why are you looking for me?” I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You know you aren’t that easy of a person to find. But you have only one habit that makes it possible for someone to track you down,” Jack stated and acted like he was busying himself with his fingernails. “You really know how to disappear in a crowd, but you come here every Sunday in the morning. As a good thief, shouldn’t you be less predictable?”

I squared my shoulders and stuck my chin out defiantly. “Being a thief doesn’t mean I tore out my heart and sold it on the black market,” I retorted. How dare he critique my skills as a thief. He had given up, I was still going strong.

Jack chuckled a little. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.” He turned his gray eyes to me and I noticed the bit of five o’ clock shadow he had.

Realizing he had dodged my question, I asked again, “Why are you looking for me? I gave you the last account number, if you think I’m holding onto another one, you walked out here for nothing.”

“No, that’s not the reason why,” Jack said slowly, thoughtfully. Then he asked, “Have you considered my offer?”

I hesitated. Which offer? I wasn’t in any trouble, so there hadn’t been a need to call him--although I did keep the card nearby, in case I needed it. I didn’t need to stay with him at all because I still had a decent income--two thousand dollars and eighty-three cents, to be precise.

“I’m not in any trouble, I haven’t been caught once,” I replied with a shrug. “And there’s no reason to live with you, I’d get lost in that big ass house anyway.”

Jack laughed once and nodded to himself. “Listen, I can’t say I’ve been exactly straight with you Ms. Frost.” He stole a glance at the grave for confirmation of my last name and waited for my reply.

A chill worked its way down my spine. “How’s that? You’re a liar like me?” I asked sarcastically, although I knew he was telling the truth about lying--oxymoron, sheesh.

Jack nodded, a concentrated look of seriousness on his face.

I rolled my eyes. “You came all the way out here to tell me that you lied to me? What? Was it my turkey sandwich? Because I already knew it was ham.”

Jack Crawford smirked lightly. “No,” he turned absently toward the rest of the cemetery and walked a few paces and stopped. “I really am thankful that you found those documents,” he said, his tone unreadable.

“…Yeah….Alright…I already said don’t worry about it, the clothes were compensation enough--and, well the money I took too, that was sort of a payment for me.” I shrugged, wondering what direction the conversation had taken.

“There are a few benefits to living in my house,” Jack Crawford said carefully, obviously trying to pick the right words.

I frowned. “Benefits?” I repeated and snorted, “Like what? Expensive clothing? Because I’m not exactly prime for the high-life.”

“Look,” Jack paused and frowned a little, “What’s your name?” he asked suddenly.

I rose my eyebrows at him in a way that said “are you serious?” and instantly produced, “Jennifer,” a sound of finality to my tone.

“Fine, Jennifer, you may not be willing to tell me the truth about yourself. But I believe you have talents as a thief, to break into my house twice, once without my noticing. Not to mention the thieving in the houses around me, no one has so much as seen the remnants of your presence. What I’m trying to tell you is that I was lying when I said I had given up my thieving life,” Jack Crawford said finally, turning to look at me now.

I rose my eyebrows again, this time in surprise. “I thought you said you shouldn’t dedicate your life to thieving?” I countered playfully, since I really had no intentions of living with him.

Jack laughed a little at that. “Only if you suck at thieving,” he said simply with a shrug of his shoulders.

A smile curled onto my lips, I liked the guy. He had a good personality and he was telling me the truth.

“And if I live with you, I suppose you want to take me under your wing?” I asked sounding bored and uninterested. Better to be uninterested rather than over eager and desperate.

“I’ve never taken a student,” Jack said sounding just as unenthusiastic, however it was a reaction to my own boredom, he was mocking me. “I’m assuming you aren’t interested in learning, then?”

Oh. Retracting the offer…he was good. My brain scrambled to reach my lips and accept the offer before it left, but I kept my mouth firmly shut, until I was sure I had control over my emotions. “I could see what you have to teach,” I offered casually, still trying to sound semi-interested at the most.

Jack Crawford smirked at the reply, “So, you’re done thinking about it?” he asked, knowing the answer. It showed plainly on his face how pleased he was to know my answer.

I rolled my eyes. “Calm down, I said I’d see what you had to teach, I didn’t say I’d stick around.”

“Of course,” Jack said and put his hand gently on my shoulder. “For starters, what’s your real name,” he asked with a curiously raised eyebrow.

“Raven,” I supplied easily. I knew enough not to trust a fellow thief too much, but a name I could give him. Depending on how long I stuck around, I might tell him more. Not much more though, if I could help it. I would learn what I could and then move on. That was how I was. How people like me were, I thought bitterly. But the thought passed just as quickly as it had come as Jack Crawford picked up my duffel bag and I picked up my backpack before he could. I wasn’t completely helpless.

Jack led me out of the cemetery, but before I left I stole one last glance at my brother’s grave stone, feeling a little guilty for talking instead of…well, I’m not sure exactly. It wasn’t like I was going to talk to him, I only did that sometimes, not on days that were perfectly normal. It just felt like I shouldn’t conduct thief-like things in front of him, I could remember the disapproval in his eyes. It would drive me insane.

Outside the cemetery gate a limo purred quietly. A chauffeur quickly exited the driver’s seat and opened the door for Jack and I. Jack allowed me to slide in first and I chucked my backpack in before me. The seats were cushy and made of leather, very suave. Jack slid into the seat next to me and the car tiptoed forward before pulling out into the street.

I stared out the window most of the time, my mind mulling over the decision I had just made. I was going to live with a wealthy man named Jack Crawford who was apparently a thief and interested in teaching me. How was it that I always found my way into weird opportunities? I shook my head slightly, completely at ease even with the silence between Jack and I. He seemed to be thinking just as much as I was, or he was smart enough to give me time to think.

Could he possibly be that good? To anticipate what people around him wanted or needed?

…

Nah.

_____________________________________________

Damion’s Point Of View

They left me. Both of them. Left me. Ditched me for holidays! As if Christmas vacation was really that important. Hayden’s dad probably would have understood, he was a cool dude like that. Leon’s mom though…Yeah, Leon definitely had to go. If anyone thought Leon was scary, they hadn’t met his mom yet. The woman was scary, especially when her kids disobeyed her.

Hell, if you would have seen her when he disappeared to join Shadowstep, I swear the Headmaster wanted to hide when she found her way out to the school. It was supposed to be impossible to find the place and yet she did it. She was pounding on the front doors, screaming at Leon before she even found him. Poor Mr. Jager had been the first one to hear her, so needless to say he had to try and calm her down before the Headmaster arrived…He failed though.

So, I was stuck at the school for the holidays. Sometimes not having a family was depressing. Well I guess I had a dad, if you could call him that. He didn’t even notice when I left he was so shit-faced. Never knew my mom though, she ran off when I was three.

Raven was still gone, I remembered that. Knowing that she didn’t have a family either was a little better for me, knowing that I wasn’t the only one. Then there was that part of me that wanted to fix her, make her feel welcome and safe.

Pfft. See how well that worked out?

She ran off without even saying goodbye. Hayden saw her as a selfish, callous, heartless bitch for it. He never said it outright, but I could tell when I mentioned her, his eyes would go all dark and suddenly her name was even taboo. So much for “not getting so attached”. He couldn’t even follow his own damn advice and he was trying to push it off on me.

Truthfully, I think Hayden’s just pissed at Raven for leaving because he misses her. He says he doesn’t, but he’s lying. It’s one of his best subjects, you know, lying. But I can still tell. Even worse, he lies about liking her. He tries to convince himself that he likes Laura more than her. But Laura’s so boring. Lifeless and normal. Ick. The worst kind of girl if you ask me.

But I guess its better for me…or it was anyway. It’s been months since she was last seen. Haven’t even gotten a hint of where she might be. So, I’m starting to think I should forget about her. There’s been this cute brown-haired girl around lately, her name’s Mary. She’s in her second year as a sophomore, so she’s not too much younger than me.

Still, I can’t stop thinking about Raven sometimes. I just want to know if she’s alive or not.

________________________________________

Leon’s Point Of View

“Leon Robert Williams!” I heard her shriek from downstairs, her voice commanding and firm. Ah, good to be home.

“Yeah, Ma?” I called back casually, dropping my suitcase on the floor of my old room. Two weeks out of Shadowstep Academy to get lazy and fat and receive presents. Life was great. It really was.

“Get down here right now and help me put up the decorations on the tree!” she demanded, the affection barely noticeable in her voice.

My mom was an intimidating woman. I would need a tough girl before I thought of bringing anyone home to meet her so I could get married. It was like trying to find Big-Foot in the middle of New York City.

I loved her anyway though.

“Comin’,” I called and jogged out of the room.

As I came down the stairs, I ducked under a wreathe hanging too low in the archway into the living room. I paused when I realized my mom wasn’t the only one in the living room. Standing in the center of the room was a beautiful young girl with dark red hair that was a little wavy and brown eyes, stern but kind eyes like my mother’s. She smiled a little, standing with raised eye brows as she waved casually in my direction.

I blinked as I assessed the situation and then I shouted in sudden recognition, “Anna!” I practically dove at her and picked her up in my arms effortlessly--she was way too skinny. I swung her around once in a bear hug that she attempted to return, but didn’t quite succeed.

“Hey Leon, how’s she cuttin’?” my sister asked as I set her down and grinned into her face. I hadn’t seen her in five years.

I hesitated over the phrase but decided to ignore it and asked instead, “What’re you doin’ here? I thought you were still living with Grams in Ireland?” I noticed that my mom wasn’t even in the living room anymore. She was already busying herself with Christmas preparations. Never mind that it was still a week and a half away. Ambitious old woman.

“I was,” she said and I noticed her accent for the first time, I wasn’t even sure when she had picked it up, “But I decided to live with Ma for awhile, get back with immediate family you know?” Anna pulled off the gloves she had been wearing--it was already snowing outside, that’s what happened when you lived in northern New York City during Winter.

“Sweet, so you hangin’ out for Christmas? Or are you living living here now?” I asked, and grinned when Anna laughed a little.

Anna Bell Williams, that was my sister’s full name. She was my younger sister and she had lived with my grandmother since she was eleven, said she had wanted to learn about our Irish culture. I had to assume after five years that she had learned enough. I hadn’t seen her since though, so it was great to see her again. She was only two years younger than me.

“Yeah, I might go back to visit Grams later, other than that though, I’m here ta stay,” she spoke extremely quickly, and through her accent it was a little hard to figure out what she had said.

But I nodded and pointed to the tree. “Wanna help me decorate this thing?” I asked, grinning when I finally deciphered what she had said. She was staying! That was great news, now Ma could stop bugging me about leaving her all alone since she would have company.

“Sure.” Anna picked up the first string of lights and started winding them around the branches. I followed suit, but started putting up ornaments. “So Leon, what’s this I hear about you joining some thief school? You canna tell me Ma’s happy about that.”

I laughed a little. “She wasn’t at first, made a big scene--you know how she is. She’s accepted it for the most part though. I’m sending money home every month,” I explained, now grabbing my own string of lights.

Anna laughed and it reminded me of a bell. She was beautiful and had a wonderful laugh, and that worried me a little. Hopefully she didn’t have some guy waiting for her in Ireland, because no one could have my little sister. Not without my approval at the least, anyway. I had decided that when I was eight and she was six, some kid had given her a flower and I pushed him in a mud puddle. Later I found out he only gave it to her because it had a bug on it though, so, I figured I had noble intentions anyway.

It was good to have her back though. Seriously, I had missed her a lot. Too bad I’d only get to see her during vacation time.

“Thieving, hmm?” Anna said when I finally balanced the star on the top of the tree.

“Hmm?” I turned around and saw that she was sitting on the couch so I joined her, eyeing the tree with a swelling sense of pride.

“Thieving. It sounds savage, it does,” Anna explained with a small smile.

I grinned. “It is, lots to do, and lots to learn. I don’t think Ma would’ve agreed if Headmaster Wilkins didn’t mention all the classes I’d be taking,” I answered with a shrug. “I’m a lot smarter than I used to be, I can tell you that much,” I assured her.

“Right, right and I s’ppose you aren’t so thick anymore eh?” she asked sarcastically.

I snorted, of course she would bring my brains into the picture. My little sister was a walking dictionary. She actually enjoyed learning. Even if it wasn’t particularly something she was interested in learning she just enjoyed the experience. Weird if you ask me.

“Whatever,” I said simply, thinking quickly when I realized she had asked about thieving without me even mentioning it. I figured she was trying to lead into something. More specifically, leading me toward the topic of Shadowstep Academy. “Why you askin’ about stealing though? Not thinkin’ about going into the business yourself are ya?”

Anna shrugged her small shoulders, an innocent look in her brown eyes. “Thinkin’ about it, yes. Not sure if I can get in though. Ma tells me it’s a prestigious little place.” She twiddled her thumbs unconsciously and I rolled my eyes.

“I could put in a good word for you I guess.” Anna beamed at me, her eyes lighting up, “But working over Ma? That’s your job. And I can’t guarantee you’ll get in. I’ll just recommend you and they’ll keep an eye on you and all. But other than that, I can’t help much,” I told her seriously.

I hadn’t needed a recommendation. I was just a rambunctious kid that liked to steal things with my friends. Turns out though, I was better at it then them and managed to escape every chance of ever getting caught. Then, just as I was about to turn over a new leaf, Mr. Jager found me and proposed that I join some exclusive school. It had sounded like a bunch of crap to me at first. But I went to check it out and ended up staying. My one fatal flaw though was that I didn’t tell Ma where I was going or that I wasn’t coming back.

She flipped on me. I don’t even know how in the hell she found the school, but she did. Ma came screaming up to the front door of the school, shrieking like some harpy out of God Of War. It was scary shit. I heard her the second she yelled my name, but I thought if I ignored her she’d go away. Didn’t happen though. She kept beating the door like it was a kidnapper and I was some lost four-year-old.

Finally Jager went out to try and calm her down. First thing she did was smack him across the face, then she directed her yelling at him rather than the school in general. Bad move on his part.

When Headmaster Wilkins showed up though, she seemed a little more willing to listen to an explanation. Still, I remember the look on Jager’s face when she smacked him. It was priceless.

“Now you’re suckin’ diesel!” she said earnestly, throwing her arms excitedly around my shoulders and then leaving the room to enter the kitchen. Already she was off to work her magic.

I wasn’t so sure how that conversation would go though, since I couldn’t see Ma wanting both of her kids to go into the business of stealing. I shook the thought away and joined them in the kitchen to witness the attempted work over of Anna’s. It was probably worth a couple laughs.

_________________________________________

Later that night Anna told me tons of stuff about Ireland, and the phrases they used. That was mainly because I had no idea what she was saying half the time though. Other than that, she told me about people she had met--and guys she had dated. Luckily though, the dating hadn’t lasted long, so she was single at the moment.

“Well, I’d best be getting to sleep, I’m shattered from the flight over here, then the guy driving the Jo Maxi kept jabbering at me.” She rolled her eyes, obviously looking jet lagged.

“Alright, night sis,” I called casually as she disappeared up the stairs. I had a feeling I was going to have a hard time keeping up with a lot of what she said. I turned to look at my mom with accusingly raised eyebrows. “You knew she was coming,” I said flatly, smiling a little at my crafty little mother.

Ma smiled thinly and nodded once. “I thought you could use a surprise for Christmas, and Anna was excited to come. It’s good to have her back.” She frowned suddenly and gave me a little bit of a dirty look, “I wish she didn’t look up to you so much though, now she’s already talking about running off to that thieving school of yours.” She crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest, her brown eyes dark and annoyed.

I shrugged. “Sorry Ma, looks like stealing’s in the blood,” I commented with a small chuckle. I pecked her on the cheek and stood up. “Night Ma, I’ll see you tomorrow, I’m sure you’ll have a ton of work ready for me.” Without waiting for a reply, I stalked up the stairs and went into my room for the night.