Caterina Valentine: My Life.

FlorMorada

I do NOT own Victorious, or any songs that may be used.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Second update of this weekly update thing. Enjoy while it lasts. Really.

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NOTE:

" Real life ", " "Cat speaking" ", " Cat's flashback/past happenings ".

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Chapter Six

Lilith II.

[I push the glasses down into my pocket, before running out from the store, a grinning Chrome and almost proud looking Lilith sprinting close behind me.]

X

"First time I stole, that was. My first day stealing.

I wish I'd never done it. How could a sister teach you that?

How dare Lilith teach me it was alright?

My respect to humanity was a certain type of innocence that she basically took away, by doing that.

And still being young, I went along with Lilith. For a few months, the only stolen property in our house was those glasses.

But then I realised there was other stuff. My sister's stud earrings, her boyfriend's watch, even the silver iPod Nano Lilith had, along with the 274 songs from CDs burnt on it. All stolen.

And it actually hadn't bothered me too much.

Of course, I still hated it, knowing it was wrong. But having two people I trusted allowing it, made me start considering it to be okay.

My considering of that either didn't bother me.

But it was when the trip to shops changed. The 'see what you want, steal what you want' becoming to 'get in there and go steal that for me, Cat'. Me starting to be used."

That was what bothered me."

...

"Cat, the store's changing the duty rota in, like, twenty; get up."

I feel my shoulder being shaken to awaken me. Sixth time this week.

And it's only Tuesday.

Lilith and Chrome want me to steal for them, again.

I open my eyes, look at the clock. It's eighteen minutes to one am.

"Cat, we need shit. Chrome's already in the car, come on."

I groan. I've slept less than three hours.

I don't want to steal 'shit'.

"Lilith, I'm tired."

I hear her sigh. "Yeah, I know, but please, Cat? You can take what you want for yourself too, you know that."

Of course I know that. But that's not the point - I don't want anything for myself either. I don't want to help Lilith and Chrome rob stores; I hate having to do it. It's bad.

I'm so bad.

Chrome's car horn sounds. Lilith pulls me out of my bed. "Come on, Cat."

I reluctantly walk over to my wardrobe, slowly pulling my hooded jacket over my head. I see my sister smile.

I pull my denim jeans over my PJ shorts. The roughness of them is irritating to my skin and all I want is my pyjamas and my bed.

"Thanks," Lilith says.

Of course I don't reply to her.

"Last night stealing, Cat. I promise."

...

"But Lilith never kept that promise, unsurprisingly.

Me darting into stores in the middle of the night to switch alarm systems off, then throw whatever required shit to a waiting Lilith and Chrome, before running out of the shop again, adrenaline through the roof, went on for more series of weeks. Months.

And we did have a last night stealing one day. But it wasn't courtesy of Lilith's 'promise'.

I stopped stealing because we had to stop stealing.

Because Lilith had pushed it too far."

...

"There, put your leg there, Cat. Climb through the window."

I carefully adjust myself up on Chrome's shoulders and grab onto the window's latch. I use my arms to hoist a leg onto the windowsill. Getting my balance, I bring over my other. I twist the latch, pulling the handle, and, pushing it, the window opens.

We're not stealing from a store today.

Right now, I am half inside a stranger's house.

"Lilith, what now?" My voice sounds shaky. I'm kind of...worried. Chrome moves back, away from the sill.

"This window, it's in the bathroom," she says. I wonder how she's seen the house before. "Woman in this house's loaded. She keeps thousand dollar shit in there." She gestures to the room behind me. "Jump down into it. Search, and search, and search."

I swallow.

"Take whatever - we'll sell it all, so don't choose what you like. Just get as much as you can."

I'm scared.

Chrome looks up at me, sympathetically. "We'll meet you buy the opposite window, okay?" He points to it. "Easier for you to jump down from, so we can get away."

I really don't like the sound of this.

"Be quick, okay?" Lilith says. "This is risky. But you'll do it. Just...be careful."

...

"And I was careful. I was terrified.

I still remember everything that happened that day.

I jumped into the room and looked around. I didn't turn the light on. But I searched. I found bracelets, necklaces, at least fourteen pairs of giant earrings.

And, having had enough, I went over to that 'opposite window'. I wanted to spend time stealing from the innocent woman not a moment more.

I pushed the bracelets down my wrist and slung each necklace around my neck, placing each ring into various pockets. Then I placed my hands on the latch on the window. And I twisted it, like I had done with the identical other. Pulled down the handle. I pushed it.

But it didn't open."

...

"Cat, hurry up!" Lilith whisper-yelled.

I use all my strength on the window, my hands becoming slick. "I can't."

My heart speeds up.

"Cat, you did it before," I hear Chrome say, "whatever you did last time, do the same."

I twist the latch, holding it down before pulling the handle up, pushing the glass. See, I am, I am doing the same. It isn't opening!

I can't breathe.

"Lilith, help me! Chrome!" I literally mouth, but they must understand me. I stare at my sister.

She, even Lilith looks scared.

I swear I hear a voice. The woman of the house.

I let out a yelp.

...

"And Chrome, I don't know how he managed to get the message across, but I understood he was whisper-demanding me to stand out of the way."

...

Before I know it, I see a fist sized rock hurtling towards the window, and it smashes into it, glass shattering within a fraction of a second, everywhere. I can hear them now.

"Jump out," Lilith screams.

But Chrome isn't there, he's held hands with Lilith, too, looking terrified. I need to step onto his shoulders!

"Chrome, I-"

I hear the woman's voice again.

"Chrome!"

Again.

...Okay, time to change my need.

I dart towards the window. I hurriedly hoist myself onto the ledge, hands on either side of the window, the glass slicing through both palms. Warm blood starts to flow from them, down my positioned arms in bright red lines. I stare, and I let out a cry.

"Who's there?!" The woman.

Lilith grips her hair; I think she heard the woman too. "Cat, you-"

"Jump, Cat!" Chrome yells. He runs forward, with my sister. "Look, we'll catch you!"

The blood, pain, height I, "I can't, Chrome, I just can't, I-"

"Fuck, Cat, fucking jump, now!"

But I can't!

But then I turn round, and see the woman, with a terrified face, push the bathroom door open with an extreme force.

...

"And I then realised that I had to jump."

...

I fall into Chrome's strong arms, glass from where my foot left raining down over me, onto my shoulders and hair. I have not a second to let out a cry before Lilith's wet hand is grabbing my bloody own. Fragments of glass dig in, but I don't care.

"Run, Cat!"

"Hey!"

But it's too late.

...

"It wasn't just the woman's voice that I heard then. But a male's voice too. There wasn't just a woman of the house...there was a man.

And he was there."

...

"Stop there!" I hear behind me. Lilith tries to carry on, but Chrome comes to a halt. I turn round to see the man's got him by the arm. He struggles.

"No point runnin', kids!"

I suddenly see two lights in the distance, both flashing bright red and neon blue. They sound like cars.

I squint. They are.

Two men and a woman jump from them. I can't see them properly - they're dressed in black.

I turn to Lilith, who is wide-eyed.

I hear the man behind us chuckle.

The people in black run forwards, now right in from of us.

"Here, them!" The man of the house says angrily.

One man now grabs Chrome by the arm. The other grabs onto my sister.

I hear the clang of metal.

Chrome, Lilith; handcuffs.

The woman, ignoring my bloody hands, wraps one own hand around both wrists of mine.

I look up at her. I look up at both men, properly.

I feel my breath catch in my throat.

They're cops.

"Mister, ma'am, miss."

...No.

...

"And I'd seen all of it before, on TV. I had only one thought: Lilith should've known; I should've known.

And then I had no time to think. Because they said those three stupid words."

...

"You're under arrest."

A/N:

…Oh shit.

I'm ill. And stressed, so stressed, because I have seven exams. Three tomorrow, four the day after.

Please review. Review, and I'll PM you a three hundred word preview of Lilith III!

FlorMorada.