Lesson #1: Stealth

Fillmore sighed and rubbed a hand down his face as the crowd of kids shuffled back into the building, complaining and mumbling. At least half of them were stained with the red dye. Hank had finally found the key to the maintenance room and turned off the water until he could figure out how to remove the dye from the water.

"You have to admit, that girl's good."

Fillmore glanced at Ingrid. "Maybe so. But the fact that we don't have a shred of evidence against her is killing me."

"Speak of the devil."

Amazon came through the doors with a lazy smirk on her face. Catching the Safety Patroller's eye, she smiled innocently. Another blonde, with pink and purple streaks, followed her gaze and smiled brightly. Amazon turned the corner, with the blonde hurrying after her like a little puppy.

"Who was that?"

Ingrid thought for a moment, going through the many files in her head. "Liz Hanson. She got suspended for fighting last year."

Fillmore groaned. "And she's hanging with the number one delinquent in the state? Perfect."

...

Amazon turned to her new pupil and studied her. "Rule number one. What I teach you stays with you. No telling anyone where you learnt it and no teaching to anyone else unless I say so. Rule number two. Do what I say and don't ask questions. Trust me, you'll understand later on."

Liz nodded eagerly. "I promise!"

Folsom had no choice but to cancel school for the day, and possibly for the rest of the week. With that many students and no access to water was just not an option. Amazon had taken Liz to the park, and they stood hidden among the bushes. Amazon smiled in satisfaction. "Good. All right. The first thing a good delinquent needs is stealth. You won't get anywhere if you keep tripping and knocking things over. We'll start with something small."

Scanning the grassy hills and playground equipment, Amazon's eyes landed on a girl sitting on a park bench, reading. No one else was near. "Always make sure your target is alone. Less of a chance of getting caught. Now watch."

Amazon slipped through the bushes and pulled her music player from her pocket. She put the ear buds in and pretended to be listening to music. Shuffling up behind the girl, Amazon did a casual glance around and stooped down carefully. A pack of Fruity Flavour gum was sticking out of the girls back pocket. She pinched the edge of the packaging between two fingers and gently tugged it out. As quickly as she had ducked down, she straightened and continued on her, putting the gum in her pocket and taking another casual glance around.

"That was awesome." Liz awed. Amazon grinned. Safe in the cover of the bushes, she popped a piece in her mouth and offered one to Liz.

"Why did I pretend to listen to music?"

"So people would think you were out for a walk, and minding your own business."

"Good. You don't linger after you've taken the desired object from your target. You keep going, as if you've never stopped. Only glance around to make sure no one noticed, but never look back."

"Did you know the girl had the gum?" Liz asked.

"Nah. It was just a perk." Amazon blew a bubble. "We'll do a test run. I'll stand here, and I want you to go off someplace and count to fifty. Then come and try to steal the gum from me."

Liz obeyed, running through the bushes and out of sight. Sticking the pack in her back pocket, Amazon turned on the music and waited patiently.

What is taking her so long?

A twig snapped, and Amazon smiled. She could hear heavy breathing, and there was a tug on her back pocket. It lasted for a few seconds before it was gone and Amazon whirled around and snatched it out of Liz's hand.

"Not bad. Work on slowing down the breathing, and don't hesitate. Just do it. One more time."

It was on the fifth try Liz managed to do it without giving herself away. After a few more test runs, Liz had it down pat. Amazon pocketed her music player and thought for a moment. "We need to give you a field run. How about..."

Her forest green eyes roamed the park once more, and it was a sense of glee she spotted a red-head with the orange sash around his neck. "See the guy with the red hair and a camera around waist?"

Liz nodded. "His name is Danny O'Farrell. He's on the Safety Patrol."

Danny was leaning against a tree, the camera tied around his waist as he surveyed the landscape before him. Why the camera wasn't around his neck, Amazon didn't know. Or really care. "Take the camera from him."

Liz paled. "I don't think-"

"Sure you can. You just need the confidence. Now get going."

Liz took a deep breath and crossed the park, looking everywhere but Danny. She walked into a clump of trees and then turned around. Soon she was behind the tree Danny was leaning against. She glanced around, and silenced her breathing. Bending down, she kept her eyes on the camera as she untied the straps. Wait. Wouldn't he notice the sudden loss of weight? Spotting a small rock at the foot of the tree, Liz picked it up and as soon as the camera was free she tied the straps around the rock. Scooping up the camera, she walked away and glanced around.

Amazon nodded in approval when Liz showed up. "That was pretty good. Bonus points for the rock, by the way."

Liz happily handed over the camera, and Amazon paused. "Why do you want to learn these things, anyway?"

"My life is so boring. And well...there's this group at X called the Delinquent Hazards, and they only accept top-notch delinquents. It's such a secret and exclusive group that not even the Safety Patrol has caught them yet. They don't even know who's in it!"

"Does the Safety Patrol catch everyone?"

"You're the only one they haven't caught. Fillmore and Ingrid are the best of the best, and that's why everyone wants to know who the Delinquent Hazards are. I'm really surprised that they haven't asked you to join!"

Amazon raised an eyebrow. To be truthful, she was wondering the same thing herself. But she didn't know if she would accept or not. She had always run solo. "So you want me to teach you all that I know so you can be a part of this group?"

Liz blushed. "Yeah...is that ok? I mean, you don't have to teach me ALL that you know. Just the basics!"

"Well. I guess so." Amazon played with the camera for a moment before a smile curled onto her face. "When was a crime last pulled at X?"

"Two days ago, actually. Someone wrote all over Folsom's portrait in the front hall and it wasn't very flattering."

Amazon stared at the camera for a moment. "Film, huh?" Opening the small hatch, she removed the film and held it up to the sun. Liz gaped as Amazon replaced the film with a grin. "That should teach Folsom not to tell me when I'm about to get bombarded by foam balls."

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you'll be in if you get caught?" Liz asked.

Amazon simply smiled, taking out a cloth from her pocket and wiped the offending fingerprints off. "Two tips you must always remember; clean off all fingerprints and always carry a cloth or rag with you."

Liz shook her head in amazement. "You think of everything."

"When you strive to be the best, then you HAVE to think of everything."

...

Danny shuffled into the Safety Patrol the next morning in a slight panic. Vallejo was going to KILL him when he found out he lost his camera. It held all the pictures of the Folsom Vandal, and there were no other pieces of evidence except his pictures. By now, Folsom had already replaced the soiled portrait and refused to put another one up until the criminal had been caught.

"O'Farrell!"

Danny winced and faced the Junior Commissioner. "Yeah?"

Vallejo angrily held up the burnt pieces of film, which Danny stared at in shock. "You burnt the entire roll of film! How are we supposed to catch this punk if you keep screwing up like-"

"But someone stole my camera yesterday at the park!" Danny cried out. Vallejo froze, and then began another tirade.

"YOU LEFT YOUR CAMERA UNATTENDED IN A PUBLIC PLACE?"

"No! It was tied around my waist and someone stole it, and replaced my camera with a rock, I swear!"

Vallejo frowned before sighing. Danny wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was honest. "All right. Develop this and see what you can salvage."

As Danny went to do his job, Vallejo called out to him. "Hey, why was the camera around your waist?"

"My neck was sore."

"...I knew I shouldn't have asked."

I do not own gum or music players or cameras. Review please!