A/N: Thank you to all of my lovely reviewers! You guys really are the best, and the reason why I continue to write. ...wow, that sounded really sappy. Anyway, on a less sappy note, school is again getting in the way (again, I mean, really?) Stupid exams and stuff. Well, I'm going to keep writing, and your reviews are really helping. Your input is also helpful, as I write spontaneously and only have a vague idea of what is going to happen. Now, a little replying on my part... sorry if I miss your review! :)
Gyp Dark: Thank you so much, and good idea. I'm still trying to work out what kind of relationship they have, but I'll try to work it in! Thanks!
R i v e r B l e u: Thanks sooooo much!
Abbl2: Thank you! I won't give anything away ;), but the next few chapters are starting to shape up. I like the idea, I was hoping to have him gain his trust back, but wasn't sure how. You might see that soon, but no promises (well, yeah, it's gonna be in there, but not tellin' who!) Not gonna say, and the title will make sense nearer the end. Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to read my story, and review it!
Bloody Ruby: Thank you! :)
Disclaimer: Maria's turn!
Maria: I don't want to!
Kat: C'mon, Mar, it's fun.
Maria: Fine. She doesn't own anything. Happy?
Disclaimer: Sure, I can be satisfied with that. Here's the story.
Maria
I glanced over at the Thief Lord. He caught my eye and winked, the mask obscuring most of his face. It was lucky that it was dark outside, because it hid the blush creeping up my cheeks. The back of my head was throbbing with pain, and I winced every time I moved too quickly, black spots dancing in front of my eyes. As I looked out over the sprawling city of Venice, a thought struck me.
"Who are you?" I asked cautiously, glancing at the Thief Lord.
"No one you need to concern yourself about," he replied cooly, not meeting my gaze this time.
"No, really, how did you find this place? Those kids?"
"They're all orphans," he told me. "I've been helping them out." I quickly noticed that he said nothing about how he found the Stella, or if he was an orphan.
"Oh," I said, not pressing him to tell me anything more.
"Listen, I'll get you back to where you were attacked and wait until someone friendly finds you, okay? Then you can go home, and hopefully I won't have to rescue you again," he said, smirking. The tension was gone as quickly as it had come.
"Hopefully not," I said, combing my fingers through my hair, to no avail. The wind continued to push it into my face, so I let it be.
"We should probably go inside," the Thief Lord said, standing and holding out a hand to me. I took it and stood as well.
"Thanks," I replied, and we climbed back to the Stella.
The next morning, the Thief Lord woke me up at six, before anyone else was awake. "They'd cause quite a scene, saying goodbye and wanting to come with us," he whispered as we left the silence of the theatre to the streets of Venice. Back at the place I had been attacked, we stopped.
"Thanks for, well, everything, I guess. Saving me and all that," I said, smiling. He offered me a half smile.
"You're welcome, you ever get in trouble again, just call me," he told me, his hands in his pockets. Footsteps and men's voices stopped our talk, and he pulled me close, staring off in the direction they were coming from. Soon, they passed and disappeared, but he didn't let go of me. "Sorry, force of habit," he said, looking down at me.
He still had his arms wrapped around my waist, and my hands were resting lightly on his shoulders.
"It's no problem-"
He cut me off by kissing me. It was short and sweet, and, with a nod, he disappeared.
I know those eyes, I thought, sitting down with my back against they alley wall. That voice, that kiss, it's-
My thoughts were interrupted by Scipio, who came running.
"Maria, oh God, are you okay?" he asked, kneeling beside me.
"I think so," I said, smiling up at him.
"I've been out looking for you all night, where've you been?" he asked. I raised an eyebrow, knowing he was lying, but let him keep his secret, for now.
"The Stella. You know, that's where Hornet and the others have been living." I stated.
"Really? Hmm, well, let's get you home, shall we?"
"How's Kat?" I asked as he helped me up. "Did she get home safely?"
"Yes, she's a mess, but she's fine. She's been crying all night," Scip said, putting an arm around my waist to help support me. We didn't go to my house, but to the Massimo mansion. The door opened as we ascended the steps, and as we crossed the threshold, maids, and Dottier Massimo's butler, descended upon us, helping me sit and wrapping blankets around me, checking me for wounds, though I was fine. Scip was also being surrounded, by my family, who were thanking him and, in Kat's case, hugging him around the legs. I smiled, and he caught my eye and smiled back.
Then, the maids disappeared, and Kat attacked me, starting to cry as she hugged me.
"Mar! I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have run but I just did and now you're hurt and it's all my fault and I can't believe that happened and-" she began, and obviously wasn't stopping.
"Slow down, Kat. I told you to run and I'm glad you did. It's not your fault. I'm completely fine, don't worry," I said, hugging her back and ruffling her hair, amazed I had been able to catch all of her words. My parents smiled and Marco gave me a one-armed hug, reminding me of the little brother I once had.
"Thank you, Scipio," my father was saying as Marco let go of me, and I heard Marco crack his knuckles behind me.
"Stop it," I told him, smiling. He glanced at me and rolled his eyes, but did as I asked and let his arms drop to his sides. That's when Dottier Massimo himself made his appearance. He glanced at me, then to Scipio, and then smiled at my parents, gesturing that they should sit with him while they had a drink. My father glanced at my mother, and they both shook their heads.
"We need to go home, but thank you for the offer," mum said, and we showed ourselves out with a quick goodbye. Marco seemed to be sticking closer to Kat and I, and I knew why. He no longer trusted the streets of Verona, after the attempted kidnapping. I elbowed him in the stomach good-naturedly, and his shoulders dropped, more relaxed.
Scipio
"Scipio!" my father barked. His butler hurried away, not wanting to get in the way of whatever was coming. I turned to look at my father as my uncle descended the stairs.
"Who was here?" he asked, standing three feet from my father. Our wonderful, dysfunctional family.
"The Vargos," my father spat, spite dripping from his words. I looked between the two men as my uncle scowled.
"Why?" my uncle asked, his nose upturned at the name.
"My heroic son just saved their eldest daughter, Maria." They both turned to look at me, and I stared back. When neither spoke, I broke the silence.
"And what's so bad about that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Ignorant boy!" My uncle, who was closest, slapped me across the face. I didn't flinch, or stumble back, as I was used to this from my uncle. My father never laid a hand on me, he hadn't touched me since I was a baby, and always used words to convey his anger, but not my oh-so kind and gentle uncle.
"Are you going to tell me why I'm ignorant, or shall I leave?" I asked, my cheek stinging.
"Go." They spoke at the same time, and I turned to ascend the stairs. I lingered at the top of the staircase to listen to them speak. "He just had to interfere," my uncle said, beginning to pace.
"Of course he did, he's a teenage boy," my father retorted, not moving from where he stood.
"What's that supposed to mean?" my uncle asked.
"He's got feelings for the girl, and he'll go to any lengths to protect her. There has to be a different approach to get at the g-"
"What are you still doing there, boy?" my uncle demanded, cutting my father off. I swore under my breath, he had seen me.
"Just admiring this lovely picture. Is it new?" I asked, sarcasm edging my voice.
"It's been there since we first moved here," my father snapped. "Go to your room," he added, and I shrugged and left the hall, closing my door loudly behind me. I could no longer hear my father and uncle talking, and I thought about what they had said.
Who were they talking about? I asked myself. Who is this girl, and why are they trying to get her? What for? I knew that my father and uncle hated the Vargo family and only tolerated them for their money, but was the deal going to badly that they would try to kidnap their children? I doubted it, but doubt left some room for change...
Maria
"How's the deal going with Dottier Massimo?" I asked as we ate dinner. Mum scowled at her plate.
"Not well. He's asking for too much money in too little a time, and the whole idea is completely ludicrous, if you ask me," she said, glancing at dad.
"Well, it sounded good at first, but now..." His sentence trailed off.
"What was the idea anyway?" Marco asked.
"Can't disclose it to anyone. Signed a contract of secrecy. No one but your mother and I, the Dottier and Scipio's uncle know about it," dad said, taking a bite of salad that Kat and I had made. We'd given everyone the night off, so it left us to macaroni and cheese, salad and sausage.
"Well, I still think it's a crazy idea," mum said, laughing. "Excellent sausage, by the way, dear," she added, smiling at dad. We all nodded in agreement, and then I started to laugh. We hadn't eaten together as a family in almost a year, with Kat, Marco and I being away for school, and mum and dad busy with work. I wasn't sure why, but I found this quite amusing, and my laughter was infectious.
The next afternoon, the doorbell rang. As I was closest, I answered it. Hornet stood before me.
"Hi, Hornet," I said, smiling.
"Hey, Maria, can I come in?" she asked, and I nodded. As I stood aside to let her pass, I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye, and a dark shadow swiftly moved away. I noted that and closed the door.
"What's up?" I asked, and Hornet smiled.
"Bo's been in a fit, wondering how you are. I was sent to check on you, as the boys thought it would be 'inappropriate' to come themselves."
I laughed. "I'm fine, and tell them they can come over any time," I said, smiling. Hornet smiled too.
"Okay, but I give you fair warning, Bo will be here every day," she said.
"But, he won't be here to see me," I said, grinning, and Hornet laughed. We had both put two and two together and knew that Bo had a crush on Kat. Whenever Kat took his hand, he blushed and allowed himself to be pulled away to look at something new. It was sweet.
"No, of course not. Does Kat know?" she asked. I glanced around, and then motioned for her to follow me. We continued the conversation in my room.
"Not that I know of, but, you never know..." I laughed.
"For all we know, they could be together right now."
"They're so young, it's cute," Hornet said, sighing.
"And how are things with you and Prop?" I asked, elbowing her lightly.
"Fine..." she said, looking out the window, smiling. Then, she turned to me, her face dead-pan. "And how about you and Scip?"
"Fine..." I imitated, making her laugh. "I really don't know, actually. It's all confusing."
"He's kissed you, right?"
"Yeah, but... oh, I don't know. I'm just letting it happen as it happens. Does that make sense?" I asked.
"Mhmm," she said thoughtfully. "You know, it was three years after I met Prop that he asked me out."
"Really? How did you guys meet, anyway?" She glanced at me and pretended not to have heard the question by quickly changing the subject. I smirked and easily switched topics as well, and Hornet looked relieved.
We talked for the rest of the afternoon, and I invited the gang at the Stella back for dinner. Hornet relayed my message, and they all came, except for the elusive Thief Lord.
Marco scowled when they entered, but Kat greeted everyone warmly. Mum and dad had left for England a few hours ago, so we had the house to ourselves. As we ate, I looked around the table. Hornet and Prop kept stealing glances at each other, and blushed whenever they caught each others eye. Kat and Bo were talking animatedly, and Riccio, Mosca and Marco were having a heated discussion about boats. I smiled. We were our own funny little family.
A/N: There you have it. Glad I could get this up before February. A little advice taken from reviewers, got a little family life in there, and friendship, and what's with this plot the Massimo men have? *dun dun duuuunnnn*
Exams are here, so the next chapter might not be up too quickly. Please have patience with me! Thanks for reading, and I love reviews!
~nerdy