Guess who's finally back? Okay I'll do my spiel later, for now read and enjoy :)
The quite halls of the ivy-draped Abercorn Academy for Young Woman awoke from their slumber as the bell rang out, announcing the end of the school day. The corridors were swarmed by London's wealthiest young ladies, all eager to get out of the school as fast as possible and start their weekend engagements.
"Natalie!" Susan Calting called as she weaved her way through the crowd towards Natalie. Katherine Haggle and Jenny Mink followed in her wake. Natalie had known the girls since her childhood years, as she did most of the girls at Abercorn. Susan and her friends were the daughters of diplomats and oil-tycoons. And they acted like it.
It was more social requirement than actual friendship that made Natalie halt her progress through the halls to talk to Susan. Susan and her followers were really quite kind, in a proper sort of way, but Natalie had other things on her mind that afternoon and a streak of annoyance passed through her as Susan kissed both of her cheeks with false enthusiasm.
"Hello, Susan. Hey, girls," Natalie nodded towards Jenny and Katherine in greeting.
"Where have you been? I've barely seen you in history class as of late." Susan smiled mischievously when she referred to Natalie's frequent absences from school. "Playing hooky are we?"
"I've been busy lately." Natalie answered. It was true she had been very busy. In the last month alone the crew had pulled four heists.
"Busy with what?" Susan arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow.
Oh, the usual, Natalie thought to herself, stealing priceless works of art, conning millionaires and running from guard dogs. She wondered how Dmitri's bite was healing. "Traveling." Natalie gave an innocent smile.
Jenny bubbled into her conversation. "So, what are you doing this weekend Natalie? Are you coming to the coast with the rest of us?"
"Oh yes, you should come." Katherine chirped. "We're all going to Riley May's house in Denver. It'll be a great time. You should come."
"I've got quite a bit of work to do this weekend." It wasn't necessarily a lie. Natalie did have lots of work to do; she would be stealing a Duccio over the weekend and no one can deny that takes quite a bit of work. "But you'll have to tell me all about it when you get back. I've got to head out now." Natalie edged away from the girls. "I'll see you all Monday," she promised as she turned to go.
"Have a good weekend." The three girls watched her hurry down the front steps onto the sidewalk.
As she descended Abercorn iconic stone steps to the street a group of boys from Northgate Institute passed by. She was acquainted with most of their families so she nodded at them as they passed.
"Natalie!" Someone called from behind. This time it was not Susan or her followers.
Nat turned around to face Eric Holden, of the Holden Oil Tycoons. He broke from his group, striding towards her with one of those self-conscious yet charming half smiles on his lips.
"Hi, Eric." Natalie said, catching her breath a little.
Eric was a Holden, which meant not only was he extremely wealthy, but also, well, extremely hot. His auburn hair was touched with gold and tousled like something out of a Calvin Klein ad. He stood causally with his hands in the pockets of his uniform. Eric's light hazel eyes had a nasty habit of catching the light and knocking every girl within ten yards off her feet.
"I haven't seen you around much lately. How have you been?" He tilted his head a little, like an adorable puppy.
"I've been busy traveling." Also technically not a lie. "You must be busy yourself, with football season on its way."
It wasn't enough that Eric had to be wealthy, good looking, and have an slick American accent, oh no, he also was a star athlete. There was no denying it. Eric Holden was walking, talking girl-nip.
"Yeah, its hectic alright. And soon they'll be handing out the final projects." The two groaned in unison. As if Natalie needed to be reminded of all the schoolwork there was to catch up on.
"But I guess everyone is heading to the coast this weekend. I'm staying at Mark Sharky's place. It's just down the way from Susan's. She's a good friend of yours right? Will I see you there?" He inquired.
Natalie had become aware that Eric's friends had stopped and were now watching their conversation.
"No, I can't make it unfortunately." She shrugged. "Too much school work."
"Shame." His hazel eyes passed over Natalie's face, lingering on her lips. "I was hoping we could catch up."
"Another time, I guess." Natalie was aware she had places to be but she really didn't want to stop starring at Eric's dimples.
His friends called to him but he never so much as glanced away from Natalie. "How about next Friday?"
"Huh?" She asked. Natalie had been a little too focused on Eric's perfection.
"We have lunch hour at the same time, right? We could go to that Café down the street." Eric's smile took on a nervous air to it as he watched for her reaction.
Natalie looked down the street to the charming little café Abercorn girls frequented. It was the same café where she sat across from James on that rainy morning almost a year earlier. She smiled at the memory of his soaked hair dripping onto the table.
Natalie refocused on Eric.
"Sure." She smiled back, resisting the urge to bit her lip.
"Great!" He said just a little too loudly. "It's a date."
On the street behind her a sleek black Ferrari pulled quickly up to the curve, startling the chattering girls on the sidewalk. "That's my ride." Natalie said.
Eric's face fell a little as the window rolled down. "Your boyfriend?"
Natalie tried to suppress a laugh. "Definitely not."
Eric's smile returned. "Great, I mean, I'll see you next Monday. Here, allow me." He pulled the passenger door open for her.
"Thanks. Bye." She gave a small wave as she climbed in the passenger seat. All the girls in the school watched with curiosity as their friend got into a mysterious car.
A red head teenage boy sat casually in the drivers seat.
"Nice ride." Natalie commented. "Where'd you get it?"
"Italian Embassy."
"Say what you will about the Italians politicians, but they've got nice cars. How fast can it go?" She asked whilst securing her seatbelt.
Mac's usual subdued mask of indifference cracked into a child like grin. "Let's find out." Mac punched the gas pedal and they shot down the street, leaving the startled girls of Abercorn Academy behind them.
The Ferrari zipped through London streets, passing cars with ease. Natalie might have been worried about being stopped by the police, but to do that they would have had to catch Mac first. That wasn't likely. Despite the high velocity, the car ride was smooth, almost soothing, as Mac gently guided the wheel.
"Did you finish up in Peru?" Natalie asked. The crew had pulled a heist in Peru not six days earlier and Mac had stayed behind to tie up loose ends while Nat headed back to the real world and the rest of the crew went ahead to scout out their next target.
Ever a man of few words, Mac simply nodded in response to her question.
He handed Natalie a stack of papers from the glove compartment. "Jay says to look over these."
She scanned the pages. They contained blue prints and copies of official looking documents with the name Fox Inc. in the corner. "Is everyone back at the brownstone yet?"
"The crew should have arrived this morning," Mac confirmed. "Siena told me to give you a heads up that it will be a packed house. Aunt Kat's called in the family for her next heist."
"Oh, good. I haven't seen Rose in ages. What are the dates for the next job?"
"James says we'll pick you up on Thursday night and pull the job on Friday."
"Thursday morning? I thought you were picking my up Friday night."
Mac looked at her, his mask portrayed a slight confusion. "Change of plans. Problem?"
It wasn't the fact that she would miss more school that irritated Natalie. "No. It's just- I had plans." She sighed and watched the London streets zip by at an alarming rate.
Natalie hated the idea of not being a thief, and returning to her normal ways but the heists were starting to get in the way of life, whether she wanted to admit it or not.
It had been almost a full year since the crew had stolen the statue of Hermes. Natalie couldn't keep track of how many jobs they had pulled since then. She was now undoubtedly part of the crew. With each passing heist, Natalie felt herself improving. She became bolder. Her hands didn't shake quite so much and she could navigate a laser alarm field as well as any of the others.
She was a thief. And as any thief knows, there is no walking away from this complicated life once you're hooked.
Damn, its good to be back. Okay lets get down to it - I won't give you an excuse for my long absence and unfulfilled promises (Side note: Did you know that Uni is a lot of work? Who knew, right?) but I intend to make it up to you. I'll be upfront about this. I have the first few chapters written (six to be exact) but there may be a delay after that. To give myself more time I will only be posting a new chapter once per week (assuming I have enough self control to stop myself from posting them all at once). Let me tell you, I thought the first one was emotionally intense while writing it but its got nothing on this one. Thats all for now so I'll just say it's been far too long and I can't wait to hear from you in the reviews.
-George & Eckles (Previously NiephoraWritings)
Note: The Heist Society belongs to Ally Carter. 'We Are Thieves' is a second generation fan fiction based on the world Ally Carter created in her series. George&Eckles does not own any of Ms. Carter's original characters or content. Simply a fan.
Second Note: No idea what's going on? Wondering who the heck Natalie and James are? My friend you have stumbled upon the sequel to We Are Thieves. If you want to catch up just look for the first story on my author's page. (Trust me its worth suffering through the first story to understand the second.)