A/N: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take so long writing this chapter….. But I'm posting it now, so don't kill me. Please.
Disclaimer: I still don't own anything but Pena. And Adeline. And the plot.
The five of us crowded behind the curtain, trying to keep completely silent. I could hear my own racing heartbeat and Scipio's steady breathing beside me. Our shoulders were brushing and his eyes often flickered over to rest on my face. I refused to meet his eyes.
After a few moments of agonizing silence, a harsh scratching sound echoed through the towering shelves in the small room. I tensed, feeling myself begin to hyperventilate, and Scipio stiffened next to me. He placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and I calmed slightly. "I'll go check," he murmured almost silently.
I looked up and shook my head in panic. "No, you can't go," I started to protest, but Adeline nodded at him and took his place beside me.
"He'll be back, Pena," she whispered. "I can promise you that." A mirthful quirk pulled up the corners of her mouth.
"How are you so sure?"
Her smile grew. "I think that's his business, not mine."
I shook my head at her stubbornness and gritted my teeth together, hoping, praying for his safe return. But why? a small corner of my mind wondered. You hardly even know him. Why are you so concerned for him?
Scipio's footsteps were nearly soundless when he came back, grinning and cradling something in his arms. "It's all right," he announced as he held up the thing in his arms. "I'm fairly certain she won't hurt you."
It was a tiny, orange-and-white striped kitten. Her amber eyes were wide as she stared back at the four of us until her little mouth opened in a yawn. I reached toward her but hesitated until Scipio had placed her in my arms.
"You always did have a liking for cats," Hornet commented drily. "Didn't we have ten cats at one point, Bo?"
I ignored her and stared back at the kitten—which couldn't have been much bigger than both of my palms—until the cat started purring. A smile blossomed on my face and I held her closer, tickling her underneath the chin. "Hello," I whispered for her ears only. "You're a pretty little one, aren't you?" Her eyes opened and she rubbed her head against my hand.
Scipio's voice startled me when he asked, "Are you going to name her?"
"May I?" I asked, and he nodded. I racked my brain for a suitable name before finally deciding. "Ladra. That's Italian for 'thief', right?"
Scipio grinned at me. "That's right."
Adeline laughed. "She's already stolen your heart, Pena," she commented. I had to agree, grinning with her.
A soft knock sounded on the door and all of us froze again. I put Ladra down and she padded away. "That couldn't be them, could it? Would they knock?" Hornet whispered.
"They wouldn't waste time with that," Scipio agreed. He crept over to the door and called, "Password?"
"Raven's wings," a familiar voice called, sounding irritated. "Open the door already!" Scipio glanced back at us, worried, as the door swung open. Riccio stood outside; he held a few boxes in his arms and he griped, "Finally!" but broke off when he saw Scipio. He paused before yelling, "What are you doing here?"
"Hello to you too, hedgehog," Scipio said dryly. "Where's Prop?"
"Out," Riccio growled. His eyes remained on Scipio and that glare sent chills down my spine. "You aren't welcome here anymore."
"He was helping me," I put in, setting Ladra down and crossing my arms across my chest.
"Oh, so this is your fault," Riccio snarled, his glare now turning onto me. Scipio stepped in front of me and directed the small boy's attention back to him.
"She needed help and you didn't seem to be here, so I stepped in," he explained.
"Well, she's fine now, so you can go back to where you belong." Riccio spat the word "belong" as if it burned him. "We can take care of ourselves now, Thief Lord."
The two stood there for a moment, their intimidating gazes locked onto each other before Scipio barely inclined his head to Riccio. He met my eyes for a split second as he trudged back to the door behind the curtain.
Riccio now turned on me. "What are you doing?"
"What?"
"Why are you talking to him?"
I raised my eyebrows at him. "Um, he helped make sure I was safe. Is that a crime?"
Riccio's face darkened. "You're fra… fratan—"
"Fraternizing?" I put in drily.
He ignored me. "You're talking to the enemy!"
"He's not the enemy!" Bo said reproachfully. He glared at Riccio. "He made sure you had a place to live, even before he was the Thief Lord. Shouldn't you remember that?"
Riccio laughed derisively and stomped off toward the largest room—probably to sulk in his bed—and Bo, Hornet, Adeline, and I were left in silence.
After a minute or so, Adeline murmured, "I should probably go back. Grand-maman is probably looking for me by now. She was on the phone with Margo's mom—Margo's my best friend—when I left. I'll make sure no one sees me go." She crept out of the door and closed it softly behind her.
"So…" Hornet spoke up. "What do we do now? You obviously can't leave, in case your brother recognizes you."
"I don't know," I admitted. "Could I stay here? Is that safe for all of you?"
"You can't stay inside all of the time. You need somewhere that you can see when it's safe to go out, but somewhere no one can see you."
"The roof?" Bo asked. "She could stay up there. We could move some things up, and she could stay there until it's safe for her to come down."
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Hornet said, nodding thoughtfully. "We'll wait for the other boys to come back and then we'll ask them for help."
"Thank you. For everything." I allowed myself a small smile.
The others smiled back and I felt truly thankful for everything I'd been given here at the Stella.
A/N: Tada! A new chapter AND a new story, all in the same day! Was it worth the wait? No? Oh.
Anyway….. I had ONE person who had a one-word review: Margo! cues clapping Thank you for your one-word review: adorable. I'm flattered! Hurrah for you. You are now Adeline's best friend!
hots4vampires: Adeline is twelve.
Review thanks:
hots4vampires, InkConqueror (x6), Margo, and Clovergaze! Thank you all!