-ducks head- Sorry! Sorry Sam! -said person glares- Okay this is for you!

Come on, come on
Jump a little higher
Come on, come on
If you feel a little lighter
Come on, come on
We were once
Upon a time in love

We're accidentally in love
Accidentally in love

Accidentally in love, Counting crows

Chapter four: Men on roofs.

I angrily brushed a piece of my bangs away from my face and tucked it behind my ear as I walked slowly down the brick path towards my family's mansion in Italy.

Despite my bad mood, I had to admit it was great living here with the water street (which meant no loud cars at 3 in the morning) and you could push people in if you really wanted to and say that they tripped.

The reason for my bad mood was in three parts, one was a night club that me and my best friend had tried out (no we didn't sneak in, its for teens) and I thought it would be fun to get away and actually have fun; but (here is the second part) a boy tried to flirt with me ending in the third part where he tries to steal my first kiss. I, of course, was not going to take that sort of attitude, kicked him in the balls, and stalked out.

Man, I hate boys, teen boys and men- well how about the mile species in general (exception my Dad). They are rude, arrogant and think just because some women are smaller than them they can just push us to the side!

A sudden click and a cold metal feeling against my head made me freeze and a hard, cold, male voice said into my ear, his hot and disgusting breath against my ear, "Drop the purse." I scowled and felt my spine shiver. I wasn't going to give up my purse to this bozo. I suddenly remembered what my dad said, "When a guns to your head, act like your frightened and knock it out of the freaks hand." I pretended to jump in surprise, I knocked it out of his hand, and I whirled around in a speed I didn't I had and hit him in the balls and threw him into the canal.

I ran blindly away without admiring my work, racing through dark alleys and finally I crawled into a fire escape and on a tall building with a surprising view of Venice.

I panted and leaned against a chimney, pulled my brown hair back and sighed.

"So," said a deep soothing voice from behind me. "Whats a girl like you doing up here?"

I whirled around to find a young man about my age with a weird bird mask on his face that made me stare and when he opened his mouth to say something, I burst out laughing. I felt tears of laughter run down my face.

"Whats wrong?" He sounded indignant and as I wiped the tears from my face and looked him in the eye I said, "Your beak makes made me laugh," I stifled another giggle, "sorry."

He just smiled; to me it looked strained, before sitting next to me.

"Whats your name?" He asked after a silence. I shot him a smile and said in an innocent child way, "Daddy says I shouldn't talk to strangers." His lips twitched before saying, "I'm the Thief Lord, Scipio." He held out his hand and I shook it firmly.

"I'm Sam." I felt my face heating up at his intense stair. Thank god, it was dark out.

"You look Italian." It was a statement, to which I nodded in agreement. I felt a vibration from my purse and pulled out my phone, pausing to say my excuse to Scipio and opened the phone.

"Hello?"

A loud music filled the other line and my best friend, Megan shouted, "WHERE ARE YOU!"

I held the phone away from my face, rubbed my ear, and said calmly, "On a rooftop."

There was only the loud music from the other line for a couple of seconds before Megan shouted again, "HUH?"

"Just hanging out." I tried to sound as casual as possible.

"YOU BETTER NOT BE READING!!!" I rolled my eyes. Just because I loved to read, which I did a lot, doesn't mean I would pass up looking at these sights for reading. Unless it was a tour book, which was an exception on my part.

The next morning, I lay on my bed in my grandmother's house as the birds chirped out my window. I scowled and rolled over, only to find myself falling off the bed and onto the wood floor.

"Oh shit," I cursed and sat up on the hardware floor. I wore my flannel pants and a tee shirt. Grumbling under my breath, I grabbed my clothes and headed for the shower.

After a quick shower, getting dressed and a try at make-up, I was down stairs, where my grandmother and Megan were talking about some sort of dress on the front cover of this famous magazine that I gave no sparing glance as it didn't appeal to me what zero sized women were wearing.

I shook my head. Way too much thinking in the morning.

"Hey honey!" Grandma apparently saw me. I cursed inwardly. I had no way to escape.

"Hey Sammie!" I looked upward for a few seconds. Why! Why did she need to spot me too! Now I have no escape from their fashion tips.

"Nice hair!" I touched my messy pin up of my hair and smiled sheepishly. No real hard work there but if they liked it maybe I could slip out.

"Yeah, you know Mrs. Bichetti, I saw the same thing---," I didn't stick around the hear the rest as I slipped out the door, but not before grabbing my tour guide book, backpack and an apple.

Scipio ran a hand through his head as he read his father's shipment to their house. A book on mythological jewelry. It was supposedly to be 'secret' but his father sucked at keeping those things a secret.

"A jewel," he muttered, tracing the picture. It was a locket, heart shaped, and almost average in everyway, except for the gray gem in the middle which was rumored to have powers of its own.

He frowned and placed the book back. Just in time too, he thought, as his father came through the library doors and spotted his son, which brought a slight scowl to his face.

"Did your mother call you?" Scipio coughed slightly and said innocently, "Yes father, she was worried because she didn't see me for so long." His father's eye twitched, which amused Scipio to no end.

"She's visiting." He said, as if the world were to end and all he had left were a pair of Speedo pants and an ugly women.

Scipio grinned and said, "We're better make up a room for her." His father shoot him the, Shut up boy or I will kill you, look before stalking out.

Scipio stretched and snickered. It was funny to annoy his father.

I sat on the ancient fountains seat, as I scanned the book for something to look at.

Boring, I thought as skipped the page. Boring, boring and so many more boring things.

"Need help?" I looked up, in surprise at the familiarity of the voice, and found myself looking into beautiful black eyes of my bird man.

smirk A cliffhanger. What now! It means you will review until I feel satisfied to write another chapter. evil cackle JK.

Thanks for reading! Bookworm622