Prologue: Their shared past

So this is just a little prologue/teaser to a story I'll be updating completely randomly, so don't expect any more chapters any soon... unless I get eager to update. My new OC ,Isabelle, is a raccoon. Her fur is darker than Sly's and her tail has two darker rings on it. She is a little shorter than Sly. Her hair is as black as a raven's feathers and her eyes are deep blue. There's a scar going across her left eye, but she covers it with her hair at all times.

!ATTENTION! THE COVER IMAGE OF THE STORY ISN'T ISABELLE. IT'S JUST THE BEST PICTURE I WAS ABLE TO FIND.

Izzy's POV

It was just another boring, rainy and all in all dismal evening in the Happy Camper's orphanage. I was walking down the dimly lit hallway towards the entrance hall. Mrs. Puffin had ordered everyone to get there. No one knew why, but there was no disagreeing with that crone. I sneered even at the thought of the horrible woman.

I myself have my own personal reasons to hate her, even more than an average orphan here. She knew my family, especially the one person I hate even more than her, my father. Mrs. Puffin once said to me that she had always known he was up to no good and as much as I hated it, she was right. So, we didn't like each other, at all.

My father on the other hand is an alcoholic. He's the very reason I am in this hellhole. Funny, how one day can so easily shatter the life of a normal seven-year-old...

Flashback...

I was happily walking home from school. My little sister had left early, complaining that she felt sick. I knew she wasn't really sick, but we had a mutual agreement for covering for each other, so I went with it and when the teacher had asked, I just said that she had said something about not feeling well in the morning as well.

"Mom! I'm home!" I called from the door.

"Mom?" I asked again when no one answered.

"Isabelle? Is that you?" came a sweet sounding voice from the kitchen.

I immediately recognized my father's drunken voice and tensed.

"What is he doing here?" I thought, scared now.

My parents had divorced two years ago due to my father's growing drinking problem. A year ago he'd come back to our house. He had been drunk that time too and we didn't let him in. He had refused to leave until he'd gotten to talk to us. He had slammed himself against the door and that was when we'd called the police. They'd come in minutes and took him away. The next day we had a restraining order made and everyone assured that he wouldn't trouble us anymore.

But he was here now. I slowly walked towards the kitchen door...

I screamed. I screamed like I've never screamed before.

There, on the floor, in a pool of blood, lay my mother. She had one of our knives buried in her chest and she was bruised and beaten.

Then I screamed again.

Behind my father was my little sister. Laying, completely motionless. I knew she was dead or at least close for she didn't breathe nor did she move.

"Shut up, you little brat!" my father snapped and slashed at me with another knife.

Time seemed to slow down as I tried desperately to jump away. But I wasn't fast enough...

He hit my left eye and I screamed for the third time. I stumbled back and ran.

I ran from the kitchen, from the house and straight to our neighbor's house. I pounded my little fist to the door until they opened it. I jumped in as soon as the door opened enough and closed it immediately.

I heard a gasp and then someone gently gripped my shoulders.

"Izzy, Izzy! What's wrong?" came an alarmed voice of our neighbor's wife.

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

She gently stroked my cheek and I found my voice again.

"Quickly! Lock the door! My father... he... he's coming!" I whimpered.

Her eyes widened and she quickly locked the door.

"John!" she shouted.

Her husband was there in a second and apparently, something in her wife's tone had alarmed him because he was holding a shotgun. He was a soldier.

"Izzy? Mary, what going on?" he asked.

"Her father is coming. I'll call the police, just make sure he doesn't get in" she told him and ran off.

"Izzy, follow Mary. You better not see this" John said.

I only nodded and quickly ran after Mary.

Flashback end...

From there on, everything is just one blur. I can't recall anything. Just some bits and pieces, like the police hauling my father off, taking me to hospital, falling asleep in there, waking up and finding someone asking questions about the whole thing.

A week later they'd let me out from the hospital and I was sent to the orphanage. Another week later, my mother and sister's funeral was held. Mary had come with me and I'd cried the whole time. She had brought my little possessions that she'd gotten from our house. After that, I never saw her again.

It's been a year now and I'm slowly getting over it. I don't cry myself to sleep anymore and I can smile again, not that there'd be much to smile in here.

I was now in the entrance hall, watching all the commotion. Everyone was asking everyone "what's going on?", "Why are we here?".

Mrs. Puffin walked in and everyone shut up immediately.

"We have a new kid here today" she announced and turned to her office's door, "Come on now, don't be shy" she beckoned.

Everyone's eyes snapped to headmistress's office door.

Out walked a raccoon kid, about the same age as me. His tail had three rings on it and it swayed back and forth behind him. He was taller than me, but a little scrawny. He was wearing a blue shirt with yellow cuffs and collar. He had brown trousers and on his head was blue peasant cap that was too big for him. He looked like most of us on our first day: Broken, sad and completely detached from this world.

"Introduce yourself" Mrs. Puffin commanded.

The raccoon winced a little, but nodded.

"My name is Sly Cooper, my parents are dead" he told bluntly in an emotionless voice.

His gaze, which until now had been on the ground, rose and met my eyes. They were warm chocolate brown, but the sadness that radiated from them made them dull and empty. I smiled a little and waved at him.

To my surprise, he smiled back. Very little, but smiled nonetheless.

"Most of us can't smile in weeks" I thought.

"Isabelle!" Mrs. Puffin said.

I snapped out from my thoughts and looked at her.

"Yes?" I asked.

"You're going to share your room with him" she announced.

I was about to object, but then I saw that Sly was looking at me with hopeful eyes. Something in those brown orbs just made my resistance melt away and I nodded and said: "Sure"

Everyone looked at me with confused glances, even Mrs. Puffin. I never agreed to have anyone share a room with me and the few times they tried, ended badly. My every roommate was out in a week and even Mrs. Puffin couldn't get them to come back. So, until now, I'd never willingly offered to share my room with anyone.

Sly smiled again, this time wider and his eyes lit up just a bit. I smiled at him and beckoned him to follow me. He glanced at Mrs. Puffin, but she'd already walked back to her office. He shrugged and walked to me. I offered my hand for him to shake and he took it.

"Hi, I'm Isabelle Solus. Nice to meet you" I said.

"I'm Sly, but you already know that" he joked, again surprising me, "It's nice to meet you too"

The other children stared at us bonding and I could hear a few silent gasps. I didn't really have any friends here. You could say I was a little antisocial.

"Come on, let's go" I said and pulled his hand.

I lead him to my, well... our room and I noticed that his things were already there. There was a small backpack and some sort of stick with a golden hook in the end.

"What's that?" I asked.

"It's a... tool that my family has designed for our... um, family business" Sly stammered.

"And what exactly is your family business?" I inquired, cocking a brow.

"We've been at it for some... millenniums" he answered, clearly trying to avoid the question.

It worked, though.

"Millenniums!?" I asked, incredulous, "How is that possible?"

"Well, the heritage has been passed on pretty well... I guess" Sly replied unsurely, rubbing the back of his head.

"But what is the heritage?"

His ears and tail drooped. I felt bad for saying anything.

"What is it?" I asked softly.

"I don't have my heritage anymore. It was stolen by... the same people who... who... killed my parents" he explained, breaking into tears.

I surprised myself by hugging him tightly. I felt strange, but... good. Something about him made me feel... different. Better than in the year I've been here.

Sly brought his hands around me and squeezed. His crying turned to sobs and after a while the sobs subsided and he let go.

"I'm sorry" he sniffled.

"Don't be" I whispered, grabbing his hand.

He looked at our joined hands and blushed a little. I smiled at him and gave his hand a squeeze.

"I know how you feel" I whispered.

"You do?" Sly asked, sounding surprised.

I just nodded.

Sly gave me hand a light squeeze.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

I bit my lip.

"Do I want to talk about it?" I asked from myself.

"Maybe later" I finally replied, quietly.

"Ok" Sly replied.

He didn't appear to be sad or disappointed by my reply, actually it sounded like he understood completely why I didn't want to talk about it.

"He does" I realized.

He smiled at me again and I smiled back.

Suddenly, our moment was broken by a loud ring of a bell and then Mrs. Puffin's voice echoed through the hallways: "Time to get ready for bed!"

"There's the bathroom. Do you wanna go first?" I asked, pointing at the door in my room.

"You have your own bathroom?" Sly asked incredulously.

I giggled. I actually did have my own bathroom.

"Yeah, it's my own or technically I'm supposed to let anyone who wants to use it come here if they need to, but my reputation tends to keep everyone away" I explained.

"But how can you still have your own bathroom?" Sly wondered, "And what reputation?" he continued, somewhat suspiciously.

"I got lucky. When I came here the orphanage was almost full, but one of the ladies who worked here retired. This was her office, so it got turned into a room. And being that it's former office, it's also bigger than the other rooms. And as for my reputation..." I gave him slightly cheeky grin, "... I have a reputation as a troublemaker"

Sly grinned back. His grin full of mischief.

"I think we're gonna get along just fine. We're gonna be best friends!" he declared.

I was slightly surprised, but happy. It was odd that we'd got this close so quickly, but I found that I didn't really care.

"Pinkie promise?" I asked, bringing my little finger to him.

He hooked his own little finger to mine.

"Pinkie promise"

Once we unhooked out fingers I grabbed a towel and threw it at him.

"You go first"

"No, you go first" he insisted.

I raised a brow.

"Why?"

"My dad..." his ears drooped, "... always told me to let the lady go first"

"But you're the guest, so I must let you go first" I remarked.

"Well, technically, I'm your roommate" he amended.

"Yeah, but you only just arrived"

He tried to think of something to say, but couldn't come up with anything.

"Fine, I'll go first"

I gave him a triumphant smile and he just rolled his eyes. Sly took the towel and walked into the bathroom. He showered, brushed his teeth and changed into his nightwear. He came out and I went in to do the same things.

When I came out he was already lying on his bed, eyes closed, back against the wall. I climbed to my own bed and wrapped the covers around me tightly and curved into a ball.

"Good night, Sly" I muttered, not expecting a response.

"Good night, Izzy" he replied, pronouncing the new nickname somewhat cheekily.

"Izzy?" I asked.

He opened his eyes and grinned at me.

"It's easier to say than 'Isabelle'" he shrugged.

I laughed, but at the same time I thought: "We've only known for one evening and he's already given me a nickname"

I decided that I liked the name.

"I need to think one for him... hmm..." I pondered different ideas.

The problem was that I didn't know him well enough yet. My gaze wandered off to him and I saw that he had turned his back on me. Then, my gaze snapped to his tail that was sticking from beneath the covers. I noticed that it had three darker rings instead of two. We raccoons usually have only two rings...

"Hmm..."

My eyes finally lit up as I came up with a perfect nickname.

"Well, good night then... Ringtail"

He turned back to me, laughing.

"Ringtail?" he asked, emphasizing the word.

"What? It's a good name!" I exclaimed, "It suits you because you have three rings on your tail. Normally raccoons have only two" I explained. (This is not true BTW)

His laughter stopped suddenly and he looked at me oddly.

"Really?"

I nodded.

Sly looked at his tail.

"I didn't know that" he said, "My dad had three as well"

His ears drooped again at the mention of his father.

"Oh" I said.

He laughed to break the awkward silence that'd fallen upon us.

"Well... good night" Sly said again and closed his eyes.

"Good night" I said and closed my eyes too.

I felt strange again, but good kind of strange. I felt that I had found a good friend. And somehow, I just knew that we would always be together and have each others' backs. We would never fight or anything like that and I would never be mad at him...

So, I hope you liked this chapter. There's more coming someday, maybe even tomorrow or maybe it'll stretch to next year. Who knows? Review and stuff...