DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARCTERS FROM THIEF LORD BUT I DO OWN PENELOPE AND BELLADONNA AND BIANCA!
Chapter 3
Rekindled Friendship
"You were amazing, Griffin." Riccio said, after they had outrun the snoop. Griffin looked at Riccio and grinned at him. Riccio continued, "Seriously, I still think, Scipio should meet you." Prosper nodded and the two boys watched the brunette, waiting for her reaction, but to their surprise, she turned on her heel and walked off towards a huge hotel. Riccio and Prosper realized that they weren't going to get an answer, so they ran to catch with her. Griffin stopped and replied, in Italian, "Forse, Scipio ed io mi sono incontrato già, ma non li ho detti già?"
Riccio understood everything, being a native Italian, but Prosper had to ask Riccio what she had said. Riccio answered Prosper's question, "She said that maybe she and Scipio had met already and she already told us that." They gave Griffin a curious look. The girl walked into a store and walked out 10 minutes later, wearing a long black vampire cloak that fluttered in the icy, cold wind like a crow lifting off the ground. She turned on her heel and vanished into the hotel, without even saying as much as a good bye to Riccio and Prosper.
Riccio looked at Prosper who shrugged his shoulders and the two boys walked back to the Stella in silence. When they got there, Riccio started screaming around, "We're back……………With a lot of money." Hornet walked up to them and took the money and counted it under her breath. Mosca asked, from his seat where he was working on a projector belt, "How much?"
Hornet replied, thunderstruck, "600."
Mosca asked, with eyes as wide as plates, "600?"
Hornet nodded, "Yeah." Just at that moment, Scipio walked in to find everybody thunderstruck, and Riccio and Prosper acting all perfect. "Am I interrupting anything?" he asked, curiously looking at everybody.
"Scipio! You'll never believe it. Prosper got the redbeard to part with all this money." Hornet thrust the money at Scipio. He took the money and counted everything, while walking towards the stage. He turned around calmly, and said, "600. We should have a celebration."
Scipio gave 100 to Riccio and said, "Hurry back, I don't have much time." Riccio ran off with the 100 and came back carrying a huge bag filled with salami, olives, and mandorlati, those candies that Scipio adored. Hornet, while Riccio was gone, had lain out a blanket and pulled out the tall, red glasses that Scipio had brought on one of his previous raids. They were all sitting on the blanket, when Riccio couldn't hold the news in, "On our way back to the Stella, Barbarossa told us something very interesting."
"What's that?" Scipio asked, spitting a pit from an olive into his hand.
"A client of his is looking for someone to steal something for him. He said that there is big money involved." Riccio was now jumping up and down.
"'A thief shouldn't get too greedy or they will get caught.' Plus I think, we should get a break." Scipio said, unsure of what to say.
"Oh, yeah and Barbarossa said that I should bring him your answer tomorrow." Riccio continued.
"Well…okay. Tell Barbarossa that I will do it." Scipio replied calmly and quite openly, "But now I have to go. Wait before I go, can I ask, how did you two get so much money from Barbarossa?"
Prosper answered, "We were helped by Griffin and now apparently we know her last name."
Riccio butted in, "It's DeLuca." Scipio nodded and vanished.
Meanwhile there were festivities at the Stella; there was sadness at the Hotel del Grande Canale. Penelope felt she was a bit too mean to Prosper and Riccio but she had to protect her secret. Belladonna noticed that the young girl looked quite sad, so she came to sit with the girl. She asked, "Darling, what's wrong?"
Penelope responded with tears swimming in her eyes, "I was perfectly mean to two of my new friends and now I don't think they like very much."
Belladonna looked concerned, "Do you think that this might have anything to do with that boy who used to be your best friend?"
Penelope had stopped crying and shrugged, "I don't know, Bella. Listen, I am probably going to go and apologize for my hurried behavior."
Belladonna replied, "Well, see you later this evening." The brunette waved and walked out of the room, leaving a slightly dazed Belladonna sitting shiftily on the bed, thinking. "Now what was the name of that nice boy? Andre? Alexandro? Scipio??"
Penelope had walked out onto the rooftop of the hotel. It was her favorite spot in the whole building, mainly because the hotel was tall and looked out on all different directions. It was quiet, private and forgotten. She loved to sit there and stare out towards the direction of the Merciful Sisters orphanage every single day. Penelope muttered to herself, "I wonder, what Bianca's doing?" She sighed and remembered the charred family photo on the mantelpiece of the burned house.
On it, her parents Alexia and Philip were smiling and both had their arms around 3 little kids. Dominick, her older brother was wearing his hockey uniform and grinning happily. Two little girls had their arms around each other and they looked quite happily. On the back, there was an inscription and it said 'Be happy while you can. - Alexia, Philip, Dominick, Penelope and Bianca DeLuca.'
Now, 6 years after the picture had been taken, Penelope sat on the rooftop and she could feel tears running down her face. She began singing softly under her breath, "Think of me, think of me fondly, When we've said goodbye. Remember me once in a while - please promise me you'll try. When you find that, once again, you long to take your heart back and be free - if you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me. We never said our love was evergreen, or as unchanging as the sea - but if you can still remember stop and think of me. Think of all the things we've shared and seen - don't think about the things which might have been. Think of me, think of me waking, silent and resigned. Imagine me, trying too hard to put you from my mind. Recall those days look back on all those times,
think of the things we'll never do - there will never be a day, when I won't think of you."
Scipio heard her sing and he followed her voice which was leading him off his course for his house. He walked up to the rooftop and saw his old best friend, Penelope sitting there singing. He applauded quite loudly. She turned around in surprise and let out the breath she was holding in relief, "I thought you were Belladonna, Scipio."
Scipio walked over and sat beside his best friend. He pretended to be surprised, "Well, look who it is. My old best friend, Penelope DeLuca. What happened to you these past 3 years?"
Penelope laughed, "Consider it, being cooped up in an orphanage after a fire destroys the life that you've been dreaming of. But how's it going with you?"
Scipio looked at the girl skeptically and replied, "Nothing much, raids every week and a new assignment that I just accepted." HE looked up to see Penelope giving him a dirty look. Scipio went pale and continued, "Of course, now I don't have a nanny because I stole the sugar tongs..."
Penelope interrupted him, "So those were your sugar thongs that Prosper and Riccio sold to Barbarossa. I knew it."
Scipio looked at his best friend and nodded, "I stole the sugar tongs and my dad thought it was the nanny, so he fired her this morning."
Penelope patted Scipio on the shoulder and then she said, amused, "Listen, what do you call yourself now? What game are you playing now?"
Scipio removed his mask and scowled at her, "I call myself the Thief Lord and this isn't a game, Penny."
Penelope leaned against the chimney and she responded, "But what will happen if they found out that all you are is a crafty liar?"
Scipio looked Penelope in the eye and whispered, "They won't, trust me."
Penelope looked at Scipio and sat up and nodded, "I'll make sure they won't." The two best friends sat up all night on the rooftop, catching up on old times, but little did they know, their long-lasting friendship had set the foundations for their destiny.
Author's Notes:
- The translation may not be exact, but anyways this is what I was trying to translate 'Maybe, Scipio and I have already met, but didn't I tell you that already?'
Plus, I know this chapter is a little bit shorter than my other two chapters. So enjoy this chapter!
R&R, everybody!
Love ya'll, OliverWood'sBiggestFan
