Chapter1

The early spring morning was cold and damp, but Scipio didn't notice. His whole body was hot with excitement as he used his fingers to pinch his face again.

"Wake up!" he said loudly to himself, only he didn't, and his dark face lit up. It wasn't a dream! It seemed like years had passed being a boring adult, even if it had only been a few weeks. But now, he was a kid again, he was sure of that.

"What happened?" Scipio asked his reflection in the mirror even though it was just as confused as he was. One day he's an adult, the next morning he wakes up as a boy? How could anyone explain it other than the fact that Venice is magical?

Rushing out of the bathroom, Scipio grabbed a large backpack from under his bed. He didn't know how old he was for sure… 15, 16, maybe even 17… all he did know was that this was his chance. His chance to go back to the life he loved; the life of the Thief Lord.

He stuffed the backpack with a few clothes, money, food, and his beloved mask. Finally he took out a piece of paper and pencil. There was no way he could just disappear from everyone's lives: Prosper, Hornet, Bo, Ida… they would all worry too much. But he couldn't tell them he was young again because they would immediately know he would go back to being a thief. Letting out a small sigh, Scipio began to scribble across the paper.

Viktor,

Thanks for much for letting me stay with you, it's been good times. I guess it's just time for me to leave, you know, start my own life. Please don't look for me. This is what I really want.

Tell the others I'll miss them.

Scipio

It would have to do. There was no way he could give anyone a formal goodbye without them realizing he was a kid again. He would miss them though, so much.

Deciding not to dawdle any longer, Scipio folded up the letter and placed it on the table in the kitchen for Viktor to read when he woke up. Without a glance back, Scipio headed out into the damp morning. It was the kind of damp that chilled him right to his bones, but he told himself to get used to it. At least spring was approaching.

The further away from Viktor's he got, the broader his smile became. His wish had finally come true! At last he was back where he belonged on the streets where adventure and his life waited for him.

At last, it was time for him to really be the Thief Lord

Hornet was the only one in the kitchen besides Ida. It had been the early morning phone call for Ida that had woke her. When Hornet had looked at her alarm clock to see it was only 7:20am on a Saturday, she couldn't help but wonder who was calling. So she sat in the kitchen, trying to be casual and munch on her soggy cornflakes while waiting for Ida to get off the phone.

"Who was that?" Hornet asked the moment the phone had been hung up. Ida turned to Hornet, looking slightly dazed.

"Viktor," she said after a moment as if she had forgotten who she was just talking to.

Hornet eyed her suspiciously, placing her spoon in the bowl and propping up her head with her hands. "Is everything alright?" she asked carefully.

Ida let out an exhausted sigh. "It's Scipio," she whispered, "he's… uh, well he's run off."

"No!" Hornet exclaimed, sitting up straight in her chair, "But if he's run off… does that means he's gone back to being a thief?"

"Well that was what I immediately thought, but Viktor seems unsure about it because Scipio is an adult now. It wouldn't be as easy for him as an adult."

Hornet nodded twice. "It wouldn't be easy," she spoke slowly, "but just because he's turned into an adult doesn't mean he has to act like one."

Ida rubbed her forehead and left the kitchen without a word, leaving Hornet to stare at her mushy cereal. How could Scipio just leave them without saying goodbye? And if something was up, didn't he trust her and Prosper enough to tell them, give some sort of warning? Hornet tried to swallow the lump that rising in her throat. Something was up, she had to look for Scipio. He just had to still be in Venice, he just had to be.

Right?