Royalty

Jay Brighton was never happy, even though it was highly imaginable, being the elder of twins, always getting what she wanted and receiving praise by every person she knew for her intelligence and beauty. However, all this did not in the slightest please her. For to be this perfect and admirable she could never lead the life she wanted to. Always she had to look sweet as candy. Always she had to follow every rule. Always she had to make a good impression. But she never complained, she wouldn’t have dared to, for only she knew what would happen if she did something wrong, even as small as yawn when she was tired at a important dinner. Therefore, she played the perfect daughter for her family and the other people she meet. However, with every day she lived like this something in her disappeared and she slowly turned into a doll, into something that slept at night, woke up and got ready to do her everyday routine once again. It was a boring life and nothing fun ever happened to her. She never knew the feeling of really smiling, the feeling of meeting new people her age on the streets of Boston and not because of her parents. However, all this changed on the night of her twelfths birthday.

On that day, her parents granted Natalie - her sister - and her a gigantic party in the town halls. Both girls were exited about this evening; it was the first party they where granted to do with only their friends and other people around their age.

Reflecting on it now, it was very boring party. Only children of the higher class people were invited, all of them not really knowing how to act like the children they were. Jay's excitement quickly elapsed and she was stuck in a routine again of greeting people, conversing with them for a little while and then going of to greet and converse with others. Natalie who had always been the quieter more isolated persona stumbled after her and mimicked her very move, trying to be as welcomed to her own party as her twin was. The party dragged on and on, first they ate dinner and then they danced.

At some point in time Jay started acting weird, she started to concentrate on one spot and while dancing the waltz. Always craned her neck so she would be able to see through a specific window. Natalie had also looked that way a couple of times, but had seen nothing but the darkness that crept over the buildings as night neared.

All of a sudden Jay went over to Natalie "Nat, Nat! I have to leave for a second, could you please take care of the guest for a while?"

"Sure, but what do you have to do in the middle of our party?"

"I saw something over there; I want to see what it is."

"Can I come with you?"

"No, someone has to take care of the guests, but I'll tell you if I find something interesting"

"Alright, but be careful."

Jay smiled at her, "I always am."

As Jay made her way towards the shadow she had noticed under the great hall windows, she wasn't bothered once for everyone was concentrating on the dances. Also the shadow didn't seem to notice her, for it was concentrating on its task until she stood behind it and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing?" at her feet crouched a boy, about two years older then her and was trying to fit a vase into his bag, which was already overflowing with treasures. The boy froze in shock and slowly turned around. Jay bit her lips as she saw the boys face. He wasn’t beautiful, no you really couldn’t say so. But there was something in his brown eyes, in the way his facial features where set that made Jay’s heart flutter. Jay eyed him up and down, taking in his silky black hair and pale white skin, his body that hinted strength and agility at the same time.

"What-What does it look to you?" he asked, his voice still a bit uncertain from the shock of getting caught.

"To me it looks as if you're trying to steal whatever that bag contains."

"Oh, does it? Well, you're wrong," he answered, regaining his confidence. It was only a little rich girl, nothing to be scared off.

"Am I?"

"Definitely so," he replied.

"And in what way, if I may ask, am I wrong?"

"Well, you know, stealing is such a harsh word that brings along many misunderstandings, I would rather call it borrowing, borrowing for an unlimited time."

"So if you are borrowing for an unlimited time, the owner of these valuables surly knows about it?"

"Well, you see, he will know tomorrow."

"Right… when he finds them missing, I believe?"

"Yes, that was the plan."

"Very interesting, but wouldn't that plan require not to get caught during the time its executed?"

"Yes, yes it definitely would."

"Then it may seem that your plan went wrong, didn't it?"

"Yes, yes it would seem that way."

"I'm very sorry for the inconvenience."

"Yes, you should be."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Well, I don’t plan on giving this back and I also plan to escape with it. Therefore, it seems like I have to get rid of you in some way."

"Some way? You mean you want to kidnap me? For that would be very stupid, all the people here would miss me if I'm suddenly gone. The same would go for killing me, for you'd be hunted down and hanged in no time, so what if I may ask is left?"

"Ummm…"

"Exactly,” she said, a smile spreading on across her face, “only one thing. I am bored with my life, I want to have some adventure," Jay smirked, "so, help me get one. Show me how to be a thief!"

The boy was quiet, then took his hand to his ears and mimicked to shake water out of it.

"What? Sorry, I seem to have misheard you. Could you please repeat?"

"I want you to show me how to be a thief!"

"No."

"No?"

"Yes, no."

"Alright you give me no other option," Jay took a deep breath and started to scream, but the boy jumped and clapped his hand over her mouth before any noise escaped. In the background they could still hear the people laughing and dancing, 'Nat must be doing a good job,' Jay thought as the boy dragged her into the shadow and pressed her against the wall. She hadn't thought about it, but now it seemed like she had made a great mistake. She had to force herself too not show her, finally, oh-so-present fear.

"Ah, now you're getting scared, huh?" he chuckled.

She breathed in and out again and then said, trying to sound tough, "Afraid? Of what? Of you? No way, keep wishing."

He raised an eyebrow and chuckled again, "Alright, so you want to become a thief? Why? You already have everything you could ever want! Do you think this is a game?" he hissed into her ear.

She swallowed. "For you? No, I don’t think so. But it would be one for me."

"You’re a fool," he whispered.

"And you’re a thief, seems like we’re equals."

Slowly he bent down towards her, his face nearing hers millimetre after millimetre, she saw every feature of his face, his caramel brown eyes that had the form of almonds, his crocked nose that was nearly touching hers and his lips, standing out against his porcelain skin, out of reflex - or so she would later claim - she closed her eyes and waited.

Suddenly she felt his breath against her face as he whispered, "Alright, meet me in two days time at midnight at the docks. We'll see how serious you are then," and with that he was gone. Jay took a while to force her eyes back open and when she looked around she didn't see him any more - nor the Vase he had been stuffing in his bag. Closing her eyes again, she took a couple of deep breaths and then slowly went back to her birthday party. She never felt this happy before, in two days time - 47 hours and some minutes - she would see him again. Then she remembered, she hadn't asked for his name.