Disclaimer : I don't own any of the characters in this story and am gaining nothing but enjoyment from writing it. lol Verity/Fallon, Benji and a few others do belong to me.
Authors Note: This story is based on the film and not book, I just wanted to clear that up now as it will cause questions, lol. enjoy
Chapter 1
Sliding down one side of the tall old parchment coloured building. A small figure leapt to the building across with cat like balance and mouse like quietness. Landing she peered over the side of the building her shoulder length black hair fell over the face as she looked down at the path below. Down on the narrow streets of Venice another figure moved along the street, his face hidden behind a crude pointed mask the sort the old doctors used to wear during the time of the plague. The first figure watched the second walk towards another tall building, its windows boarded up.
On most occasions people would wonder why the figure was creeping round the building but the figure watching knew that the old house was the home of her three friends; Hornet, Mosca and Riccio.
The figure she followed was the Thief Lord as Hornet and the boys had told her. Scipio was his real name. He had met them the day before and had offered them a better place to live. She had arrived not long after Scipio had left that night and was here tonight to make sure the boy wasn't up to any good. She had been amazed when Hornet had told her that Scipio was only 14. She herself was 13.
Watching Scipio walk up to the door of the old house she looked at his clothes more intently, she had to admit they were appropriate to the lifestyle he led. She herself wore black jeans and a black hooded jacket.
When the Thief Lord had gained entry, into the building. The Shadow Master stood up and slide down the drainpipe of the building she had been watching from. Running over the alleyway and climbed up the side of the building using another drainpipe. Climbing through the first story window she walked along the edge of the room. The floor boards were rotten and unsafe, when she reached the opposite wall she looked down through the gap at the room below.
Scipio, Hornet, Mosca and Riccio stood talking. Scipio was telling them of his thieving and how good he is at it. The Shadow Master laughed and swung down through the rafters landing in a crouched position on the floor left of the Thief lord.
The group jumped into the air in panic.
Hornet, Mosca and Riccio relaxed when they realised who it was.
"Verity!" Riccio shouted.
"Riccio, how are you?" Verity answered glancing to Scipio who was watching her wearily.
"We're good. Scipio is taking us to our new home tonight"
Verity nodded.
"That's why I am hear to make sure its up to the very best standards" she replied mostly to Scipio.
"Verity don't you think you should introduce your self?" Hornet asked laughing.
Verity stopped and looked to Scipio.
"I'm Verity the Shadow Master and you would be?"
"Scipio" he replied
"Or the Thief Lord, right?" Verity said with a slight grin. Scipio nodded watching her. She knew something that she wasn't going to say in front of the others.
As the two thieves stared each other out for a second. Hornet, Riccio and Mosca collected the last of their few belongings.
"Is that everything?" Scipio asked looked at the bags they carried.
Verity snorted "We're orphans Scipio we don't have nice things" she told him as if he should know.
Scipio's eyes flashed a second before he answered.
"I meant have you got everything and you haven't forgotten anything?" he asked again watching her.
Verity smirked crookedly raising her lips to the left in a slightly mocking smile.
"Well I think they have everything Thief Lord why don't you lead the way" She said happily again as if she had never been off with him.
Scipio didn't know what to think of her 1st she was joking, 2nd she was hostile and lastly she was happy to follow him.
Nodding he picked up one of the bags that, Mosca was carrying and headed to the door. Verity took a bag from Hornet and Riccio and followed behind them through the sad excuse for a door.
The streets of Venice were coated in shadows spilling from every alley way and doorway. The moons reflection on the canals they walked along gave a slight shimmery light guiding them along. Turning left and right and repeating the sequence the opposite way round Hornet, Riccio and Mosca became lost in the darkness and had no idea where they were. Hornet looked back to Verity whose face was creased in a frown as her eyes checked every detail of the alley in front of them.
"Please tell me you know where we are?" Hornet asked her.
Verity looked to her young friend and nodded. "Yeah I know where we are but I have no idea where we're going, the only house up here is already housing 6 homeless people.
Hornet slowed down and walked beside her friend. They had made their friendship a year ago when Verity had been in St. Marko's square picking pockets. Riccio had walked into her and as he tried to walk away she grabbed his arm and dragged him off to an alleyway. She and Mosca had run after them to find Verity taking her wallet back opening it and showing him the content. Nothing. She then took her hand out of her pocket and gave him 3 tourist's wallets and told him to share the money with his two friends.
Hornet, Mosca and Riccio had been amazed that she knew about Hornet and Mosca following. Verity had then looked to them and smiled. After then Verity had always looked out for them as she was tonight and Hornet was glad.
As Verity had told her where they were Hornet looked ahead and looked to Verity who had stopped. Ahead by only a few steps Scipio stood by the side of a small and narrow alley. Mosca and Riccio stood waiting for them with the boy. Both looked to her.
"What's the problem?" Verity asked.
"They don't trust me, they want you to check it out first" Scipio told them.
Verity looked to her friends and sneered teasingly.
"Thanks boys, let me go first" Mosca and Riccio grinned.
"You're braver than us and stronger" Riccio told her.
Sighing she nodded and looked to Scipio.
"Lead the way Thief Lord, the little scaredy mice can follow"
Turning round without answering he walked off down the alley stopping at a door way where he pulled opened the door and held it open for them.
Inside they stood in the black darkness as Scipio walked forward running his hands along the wall to find the light switch, pulling it, the room lit up.
"Wow" Riccio called out what everyone was thinking.
"Is this up to the Shadow Master's standards?" Scipio asked Verity from beside her.
Verity stood head craned up looking at the balconies and then round at the chairs and the screen.
"A theatre? Impressive Thief Lord, impressive" she said clapping her hands to him.
Scipio smiled as Hornet, Riccio and Mosca ran round with their bags. Scipio and Verity put the bags they were carrying down next to the front row of the chair and sat down on the stage the curtains to their back and the projector screen behind that.
Watching the three orphans run around and climb the steps up to the balconies. Verity smiled, they seemed happy and this seemed an okay place. Looking to Scipio she frowned he wasn't okay he was a liar.
"I know your not who you say you are" she told him.
Scipio turned his face to her and tilted his head away a scared look on his face.
"I won't tell them. You proved that you're a good person you took them out of that place and brought them here so you're in my good books"
Scipio nodded and thanked her a second later he looked to her.
"How did you know?"
Verity made a muffled laughing noise and smirked her crooked smiled.
"I went to see them the other night and saw you leave the house. I followed you back to your house I didn't know who you were and thought you were going to get them trouble. So I followed you home and then went back to see them they told me about you and I was going to tell them but they told me you were bringing them here so I gave you the benefit of the doubt. So I tell you now Thief Lord don't screw up or telling them you're a rich boy playing poor will be the least of your worries"
Scipio's listened and opened his eyes wide when she threatened him. His eyes narrowed slightly looking at her clothes.
"And who are you then Verity the Shadow Master?"
Verity glared at him.
"I'm an orphan with a family of sorts"
When he frowned she explained.
"I live with my stepmother, my father remarried after my mother died and then he died"
"Do they know that?" Scipio asked indicating the group.
"No they don't. You have one secret I have another let's keep them between the two of us okay?
Scipio held out his hand for her to shake. Lifting her right hand she grasped his and met his eyes and nodded.
When they had agreed to keep their secrets the two thieves turned their heads to the three younger children who were running round emptying the bags they had carried to the Stella. Emptying the last bag on one of the cinema chairs Hornet came to the front of the theatre where the thieves were sat watching. Riccio and Mosca followed behind and slouched into the deep red seats with contented sighs.
"This place is amazing Scipio!" Riccio told him.
Scipio smiled. "And now all you need is money to buy your food with"
Verity stood up then and clapped her hands.
"Well then I shall go and get you some things to keep you going for a while"
Hornet and Riccio smiled at Verity and looked to Scipio.
Verity noticed their looks and glanced to the Thief Lord who was looking back at her like she's grown another head.
"Why don't you join me or will accompanying another thief lower the infamous Thief Lords standards"
Hornet, Riccio and Mosca snorted at the elder girls' words.
"We'll never be hungry again with two thief lords!" Riccio said happily rubbing his t-shirted stomach in emphasis.
Verity laughed along with her friends while the thief lord watched.
"But Riccio I'm not a thief lord I am a shadow… a Shadow Master" Verity corrected him.
Riccio looked up to her and blushed slightly, Mosca and Hornet made kissing faces behind the boys head making Verity bit her lip to stop from laughing.
Bringing attention back to him. Scipio stood up and turned to Verity then to the three others.
"If you wait up then we will return with loot, and your answer shadow thief is no my standards are not lowered by accompanying you"
"Well that is very good to know" she said with a sarcastic laugh.
The two thieves left the Stella, leaving Hornet, Mosca and Riccio to make their beds for the night. The sky outside was dark almost black with the stars glowing down. Once they had left Verity looked up at the stars ad gave Scipio a genuine smile.
"Don't you think the stars are pretty?" se asked him.
Shrugging he looked up at them and subconsciously started identifying the constellations.
"Come we need to go" Verity told him. Bringing his head back down and round he saw her walking off in a fast walk down the paved street, her shoed feet making no noise at all as she moved. Running to catch up he made more noise which made her flash a look over her shoulder.
"Shush!" she hissed "Do you want to wake everyone up?"
Scipio shook his head and walked a little faster to catch up. Verity had stopped now in front of a wall that she scaled using a nearby post; once she was up she climbed up the side of the building next to it using the draining system and the window ledge. Scipio watched from the ground in amazement. When she looked down and waved her hand at him he snapped out of his trance and began to make his way up to the roof to join her.
When he made it on to the roof she turned and grinned at him and took a running leap on to the next roof. Scipio watched in amazement, again she motioned him to follow; taking a deep breath he ran and jumped landing with a loud thud.
Verity shook her head. "Jump to the next house and a little quieter, do it now or we will get caught" she told him.
Jumping again he bent his knees and landed a little softer. Verity landed a second later with hardly any sound. And set off again on to the next building, jumping from one to another and then running swiftly and quietly along the next to the other end before she jumped to the next. Scipio ran behind keeping a quiet as he could. He was impressed no more than impressed by the way she moved so quietly and efficiently.
When she finally stopped she had to wait a few moments for Scipio to catch up with her. When he landed with a dull thud she turned to him and grinned.
"So tell me Thief Lord. Where exactly were you planning to steal from, as you are obviously not a thief?" she asked him
Scipio looked at her and shrugged.
"My house" he said finally.
Verity nodded "Start with what you know. Good idea. But are you any good at stealing?"
Scipio shook his head. "I've never stolen anything, but I can sneak around"
"If what you just spent the last 10 minutes doing is sneaking round you should work on it" she laughed softly, sitting down on an air vent.
Scipio frowned "What do you mean?"
"I mean Thief Lord you aren't very good at sneaking around. You couldn't keep up with me. You're very quiet I'll give you that but you need to be fast as well as quiet"
When the boy looked embarrassed Verity stood up and gave him a guilty smile.
"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, but you needed to know. The others don't need you getting arrested while trying to provide for them. So I will help you if you want" she told him patting his arm.
Well that's the first chapter, hope you like it, I have hardly changed the plot of this story, i watched the film repeatedly to make sure I got the dialogue right in the next couple of chapters and I'm still not finished. If anyone has a link to the script I would really appreciate it. XXX
PS. Please review I'd really like to know what you think xx