Note: Isabella is an old friend who returns to Venice in search of a refuge away from her step-family. When they were young Scipio and her were destined to be married at the age of eighteen.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Thief Lord characters, only my own.

I stood in the shadows watching as a troop of kids came out of an alleyway. They were lead by a boy in a mask that resembled a bird's beak. Same old Scipio, I thought smiling, Can't seem to get out of old habits. As soon as they were gone I made my way down the alley they had come from. Finally I made it to the entrance of the Stella. The Stella was an old run down theater. It hadn't been used in a while, but it was still a good place to stay.

"I'm sure he won't mind if I stay and wait from him." I said to the empty room. Quickly I climbed up the ladder and perched myself on the edge of the balcony. It wasn't a long drop, if I got enough leverage and flipped just right I would land on my feet unharmed and it would also be a good to show off when they came back. From where I was Scipio wouldn't be able to tell who I was, after it had been about seven years since I last saw him. My hair, which was once short, was now waist-length but the once all brown hair and white streaks through it now, I had grown taller, and I had a jagged scar that stretched from the corner of my right eye to the edge of my mouth. It wasn't long before I heard their return. All of them were talking amongst themselves as they came in. None of them noticed me.

"I see you've added a couple to your troupe, Scipio." I called from above them. There heads snapped up and all of them stared at me. "Do you think you have room for an old friend?"

"How did you get in?" demanded a short spiky haired blonde kid when Scipio didn't answer. He looked like he needed a dentist bad.

"I used to come here all the time when I was younger." Just as I had planned, I leapt from my perch and flipped landed perfectly on my feet. "I know all the ways to get in this place."

"Who are you?" Scip asked. "And what do you mean 'old friend'?"

"You honestly can't tell me you don't remember me? I know it's been seven years but still you should remember your best friend." I stated.

"Wait…" He seemed to see who I was then. "Isabella? It can't be you?"

"But it is." I replied.

"I thought I'd never see you again." he ran towards me and smothered me in a hug.

"Can't breath." I mumbled into his shoulder.

"Oh, sorry." he pulled back but kept his hands on my shoulders, so as to get a good look at me. Then he seemed to noticed the scar on my cheek. "What happened to you?" He traced the scar with his finger.

"It's nothing." I shrugged away from him and turned to the kids that were staring at us. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Um…" I could tell he didn't want to let the subject go. "This is Riccio, Hornet, Mosca, and our newest additions, Prosper and Bo."

"You know everyone, now tell me what gave you that scar." he demanded turning back to me.

"Later." I promised. "Not now."

"It's always later with you." he sighed.

"What do you mean?" I glared at him.

"Just that every time I want to talk to you it's always later." he said.

"Would you rather me talk about what happened with a sweet, innocent, angelo listening?" I glanced over at the little blonde boy called Bo. "I don't think he needs to here the details."

"Fine."

"There's a good friend." I smiled at him.

"Are you a thief too?" Bo ran up to me. He seemed just like an excited puppy.

"Yes I am." I knelt so I was on the same level with his eyes. "Do you want to know what I'm called?"

"What?" he bounced up down waiting for me to answer.

"Shadow Thief." I said. "It's because I can find a shadow anywhere and stay hidden."

"Really?" his bright blue eyes grew wide.

"Isabella, you shouldn't be filling his head with mischief." Scip scolded.

"That's a laugh coming from you." I stood up so that I was on equal standings with Scipio.

"What are you doing here anyway?" he asked.

"Long story short, I got fed up with my life and left home." I gestured to the back pack that was sitting on the second level of theater. "I was wondering if I could crash here."

"Let her stay, Scip." Bo begged. I picked him up and settled him on to my hip.

"How can you say no to a face like that?" I grinned at Bo.

"Fine, but you are going to tell me the long story later." Scip said firmly.

"Of course."

Scipio closed the door behind us as we walked into the room I would be staying in.

"Okay, tell me why you're here." he said reaching up and tracing the scar on my face once more. "And why do you have this scar?"

"Why don't I start with the day I left." I said. He nodded. "Okay, after my father died my step-mother felt that I wasn't worthy of being married off to you. She wanted her daughter, Helen to be married to you instead. When she talked to your father and demanded that it be changed he refused her. She left Venice with both Helen and I in a fit. She blamed me for losing the marriage. She also blamed me for more than just that." I looked up to see what Scipio thought. He said nothing so I returned my gaze to the floor. "I never got to say goodbye to you and that was the way she wanted it. I spent seven years living almost like a servant. She felt I was to pretty and was glad when my hair started have the white streaks appear in it. She said it made me look like an old woman. The only thing that vexed her even more than my hair was my skin. She said it was to smooth. One day she called me into the kitchen and told me she was going to do something about it. She had a knife in her hand. She was drunk but she knew full well what she was doing. " My fists clenched in anger. "I didn't have anytime to react. She swung the knife at me and cut my face. I had never seen so much blood in my life. It scared me. But what scared me even more was that it was my blood." I could feel tears of anger behind my closed eyes. "I had cried out in agony and all she did was laugh." I couldn't finish because I was shaking with anger. Neither could I look anywhere but the floor. Scipio pulled me into an embrace and held me. I clutched him to me and cried into his shirt. In my heart I wished he would never let me go.

"If I had only known." he murmured into my hair. "My father told me that you threw so many fits that your step-mother couldn't bare to see you marry me. I thought you left because you hated me."

"I could never hate you, Scip." I spoke into his shirt. "We were best friends. There was no one besides my father I trusted more than you."

"I know, Bella, but at the time I was only ten and I couldn't understand why you left." he said. It made me feel at home to hear my old nickname again.

"So do you still have that mask?" I pulled away and looked up at him.

"Of course." he wiped away the tears on my face. "I am the Thief Lord after all. What was that about Shadow Thief?"

"I had to find money some how." Unlike Scipio I was a true orphan and thief. "Have you told them about you father?"

"No, " he answered. "I felt it was better to keep it from them. If they thought it was just a charity they wouldn't take it."

"So lying to them is better?" I asked, pulling completely away from them.

"No its not." he replied. "I'll tell them someday."

"When?"

"Someday."

Okay so this is my first every Thief Lord fanfic. Please no flames, but constructive criticisms and your ideas are always welcome. Review and tell me what you think.

-Luvs2read