As a new day dawned in Alzawaya, the streets were bustling with activity from the previous night. Children were playing, and people were buying and selling food and other necessary items, the ones that could afford it, that is.
The smells of fresh fruit, exotic spices, fertiliser and camels lingering in the air brought a mix of pleasure and disgust in one's nostrils.
Women washed clothes, and children kicked a ball around or played in the dirt while also drawing pictures with sticks or their fingers on the ground.
Outside the 'boarding school', run by a robust madame (although everyone knew it was anything but), the girls wore colourful and elaborate clothing and belly-dancing, which was very comically bad.
But it grabbed the attention of some boys passing by, and they stared lustily while the girls flirted and teased them, the beads and coins on their clothes jingling as they moved which made the boys even crazier with lust.
The madame then scolded them, and the girls hurried inside to start their 'lessons,' to the boys' disappointment.
Although the city was large, the gap between rich and poor was vast, with many not even having a single penny to their name.
The only one who had wealth was the Sultana and her family, living high above in the palace, which stuck out like a big white sore thumb, especially when compared to the narrow, dusty and crowded buildings below.
As the Sultana lived in luxury and spent money freely as she pleased, she was oblivious (or deliberately chose to ignore it) that nearly all the citizens were in poverty and struggling to get by.
Some even went without food for days, which caused great distress to families as they couldn't feed their children. They tried hard to get food, but they lacked the funds and means to do so.
It was a heartbreaking sight to see young children whose families couldn't afford food, looking pleadingly at passing people, hoping that they would give them even a slither of bread or a thin slice of watermelon or a single grape.
If that didn't work, they dug around in dustbins in the alleyway in a vain attempt to find scraps, or if they were lucky, they ate chunks and crumbs off the ground.
And even those with jobs, like market vendors, were barely scraping by and were desperate enough to sell anything and everything they could, even if it was rotten or unsafe.
'Stuff for sale!' a market vendor called out, 'Bad, cheaply made stuff for sale!' while holding up a chipped vase.
'Fresh fruits!' the fruit vendor shouted, holding up a giant watermelon, 'Fresh, juicy watermelons!'
'Green and red grapes straight from the vine! Sweet yellow bananas! Shiny, crisp and juicy apples! Get them before they go bad!'
'Spices!' a spice vendor called, 'Exotic spices from faraway lands!'
'Freshly baked bread, straight from the oven!' a baker called out, taking a hot loaf out of an oven behind him, 'Get it while it's still hot!'
And some had to resort to stealing food to get by.
Many street urchins, often orphans, ran in the streets while hiding to avoid the detection of the palace guards.
They were on patrol daily in the city and kept a sharp eye out for the street rats and mice that slipped under the radar.
And two particular street urchins were whom the guards always vowed to catch but never succeeded.
They were a young woman called Leila and her younger sister, Inaam. They were the bane of the guards' existence as they always gave them the slip whenever they crossed paths.
And she was the street diamond.
At that particular moment, Leila and Inaam were hiding behind the fruit stall, occasionally peeking out to make sure the coast was clear.
Leila was a beautiful young woman of seventeen with a slender build, long dark-brown hair and deep brown eyes, and she wore a light-green vest, dark green tunic and brown harem pants.
She looked no different to any other street urchin, but she was kind-hearted, cheerful, spunky and fiercely protective of her sister.
Inaam was twelve years old and was a natural at trickery and deception, as she was the one who created diversions to distract the guards with her somewhat comical fencing moves.
At the same time, she and Leila made their escape which was why they never got caught. That and the fact that they were skilled at hiding and taking food undetected.
Inaam was a slender girl with long dark brown hair tied in a low, loose ponytail with a fringe and wore a mid-blue short-sleeved shirt with a light blue baggy vest and black harem pants with various dirt smudges.
She was very spunky, feisty, and wise-cracking. She was always energetic and crafty, and Leila loved her fiercely and would do anything to protect her, as she was the only family she had left.
On top of Leila's shoulder was her pet monkey, Dalia. She wore a green tunic, and a had green bow tied haphazardly on her head.
She was a kleptomaniac who took anything and everything in sight, especially when they were shiny jewels and fruit but was a loyal friend and partner to the girls.
Dalia was squeaking as she had spotted a banana at the fruit stall and was reaching out for it.
'Whoa, Dalia, just wait a minute!' Leila chuckled as she gently grabbed the monkey just as she took the banana.
Dalia chittered as she tried to put it back but decided to keep eating it as she had already taken a bite.
'Well, looks like you're off to a good start, Dalia.' Leila said as the monkey squeaked as she finished eating and reached out for another banana,
'Whoa, let's not get too carried away. We don't want to get into trouble too early,' Leila then said, grabbing Dalia again, and she gave her a raspberry.
'Oh, come on, Lei, let Dalia have her bananas,' Inaam said, 'Besides, you're only in trouble if you get caught, and we never get caught!'
'I suppose so, but we only steal what we can't afford, and that's everything, and we have to keep one jump ahead. The guards and lawmen are baying for our blood, and we always have to..' Leila said.
'Yeah, yeah, Lei, we know this already,' Inaam said, irritated, 'But I'm hungry, Dalia's getting impatient, and WE NEED FOOD NOW!'
She shouted the last sentence as Leila tried to quiet her as the fruit vendor turned around to see where the noise was coming from, as the girls ducked down.
'Inaam, be quiet!' Leila hissed, 'we'll get our food now; the guards are distracted by Madame's students.
You stay here and grab three pieces of fruit and THREE pieces only as too much will be suspicious.
Dalia and I will get three loaves of bread. Please meet us at the baker's stall and try not to get caught! Got that?'
'Oh, yes, master, but only three pieces of fruit? That's a bit stingy..' Inaam began to complain, but Leila gave her a look, and Inaam slid behind the stall.
She grabbed a large amount of fruit, put them in a basket, and gave Leila a thumbs up.
Leila smiled wryly at her sister, and she and Dalia then slid undetected through the maze of people and vendors, with Dalia swiping a few bits of jewellery on the way.
'Hey, give those back, you filthy monkey!' the angry vendor shouted, but Dalia was too quick for her.
'Vandal!' he then shouted as the two ran away, with Leila scowling at Dalia.
'Dalia, don't get carried away. You'll draw attention to us!' she hissed.
Dalia scowled as they approached the bread stall just as the vendor took out freshly baked loaves of bread, with the sweet smell entering Leila's nostrils as she sniffed appreciatively.
'Oh, how I love the smell of fresh bread in the morning,' she said.
As she snuck behind, the vendor was distracted with putting more bread in the oven, and she chose three loaves and put them in a basket.
'Oh, that does that smell good; Inaam and Dalia will love these,' she said, unaware that Dalia had spotted a shiny golden pot and was running eagerly towards it.
'Dalia!' Leila exclaimed as she ran towards her, but the monkey had already grabbed the pot just as the vendor shouted angrily,
'You dirty, rotten, filthy monkey! Come back with that cheaply made pot!'
The shout attracted the guards' attention when they saw Leila dashing towards Dalia, and Leila leapt in alarm when they saw them coming.
'Ah, ha! We've got you now, street mouse! You won't be getting away this time!' they shouted.
'Uh oh,' squeaked Dalia.
'I think they may have spotted us,' Leila said, 'let's grab Inaam and run! Gotta keep one jump ahead of these chumps!'
She scooped up Dalia as she ran, avoiding people as she zig-zagged through them, ignoring their angry shouts of,
'Riff raff!'
'Street mouse!'
'Scoundrel!' as the guards followed her.
'Stop, thief!' they shouted, just as Inaam, having also been spotted by the other guards, began to make a run for it.
'There's the other one!' they shouted.
'Get them both and cut off their hands! They won't get away so easily!' the other guards said.
'I'd like to see you try!' Inaam shouted, 'you're too fat and slow to catch us, you bloated old chumps!'
'We'll have your hands for trophies, street mice! We'll catch you, and…' one guard said, before running out of breath, while the girls and Dalia snickered as the guard heaved and panted.
'How did you do, Lei?' Inaam asked as they ran, 'do we have a fabulous banquet?'
'Three freshly baked loaves,' Leila said, holding up the basket as Inaam sniffed them, breathing in the heavenly smell as they ran,
'But all this for some bread?' she then said.
'And a basket of fruits,' Inaam said.
'Inaam, I said only three pieces of fruit and you practically took the entire stall!' Leila then said, frowning as she saw the whole basket.
'But we have a fabulous banquet to feast on!' Inaam protested.
'Only if we don't get caught first!' said Leila, almost angrily as they kept running.
'Stop, thieves!' the guards yelled as the girls and Dalia ducked into an alley and hid into a house, where three women were hanging out their washing.
Using that as a cue, the girls disguised themselves in the clothing while Dalia used the pot she had stolen earlier like a bowling ball that knocked over a pile of watermelons.
The melons rolled towards the guards, knocked them to the ground, and splattered sticky pink goop on them as they shouted and angrily raised their fists.
The women chuckled as Leila and Inaam giggled at the comical sight of the guards covered in pink goop and spitting out the seeds in anger while Dalia chittered in triumph.
'Great work, Dalia,' Inaam said as she gave the monkey a high five.
'Morning, ladies, lovely weather we have today,' Leila said, as the women smiled and shook their heads fondly at her.
'Getting into trouble a little early today, aren't we, girls?' the older woman said.
'Well, we have to eat to live, and we have to steal to eat, and these guys don't appreciate we're broke,' Leila said.'
'And besides, you're only in trouble if you get caught,' Inaam said, a little too cockily, 'and we NEVER GET CAUGHT!'
As she said it, the guards snuck up from behind and grabbed them by the wrists.
'Until now!' she then said.
'Gotcha!' the head guard said, 'I finally got you street mice, and you won't get away easily again!'
'You thought that was easy?' Leila said, 'well, you are wrong!'
She, Inaam and Dalia shook themselves free and started to run again, grabbing their baskets.
'You idiots!' the head guard screamed, 'you let them get away again! Grab your swords, for we're about to get our trophies!'
The chase between the girls and the guards attracted attention as people watched them in amusement and disapproval as they giggled and shook their heads.
They ran through people's houses, jumped high on buildings (which required some expert pole vaulting which Leila and Inaam were good at) and jumped on awnings.
And no matter how hard the guards tried, the girls were always one jump ahead of them.
'It's such a shame that a beautiful young girl has to be a common thief,' one of the women said, shaking her head.
'I agree; she and her sister have become partners in crime,' another one said.
'I'd blame parents, except they haven't got them.' The third one said.
'There goes that street mouse, Leila, again. She would've been a good student of Madame if she put on a little bit of make-up and dressed better instead of those tatty street clothes,' one of the girls said.
'Just as well, who would ever want to be with a lowly, filthy street mouse like her?' another one said, rolling her eyes in disgust.
The chase continued as Leila, Inaam and Dalia led the guards through hot coals, burning their feet and making them yowl.
They hid behind a strong man and threw fruit at them from Inaam's basket (to her dismay), tip-toed through sheep, and jumped on an obese man who was napping obliviously.
Dalia also stole two swords from an unfortunate sword swallower who gasped when the monkey pulled them out of his pants.
Soon, the girls found themselves at a dead-end at the back of a wall with the guards surrounding them.
'Now, we've got you once and for all!' the head guard said, grinning triumphantly.
However, Dalia pulled out her stolen sword and waved it at the guards, who gasped in shock at seeing the monkey pointing the deadly weapon at them.
'The monkey has a sword!' they said, shocked.
'So do I!' Inaam said, pulling out her sword.
'The street mouse also has a sword!' the guards said again.
'I don't feel so good,' one said uneasily.
'Don't you idiots have any brains?' the head guard said, irritated, 'we've got swords, and there are more of us than them!'
'Oh, yeah, we forgot about that,' the guards said, embarrassed, before pulling out their swords.
'Engarde, chumps!' Inaam shouted, making her fencing moves rather comically.
Inaam and the guards started a massive sword fight, which involved slicing some of the guards' pants down, Inaam dodging every move and leaving the guards in a tangle.
She finished the fight by cutting a rope that held a new pile of watermelons at the fruit stand and smirked to the horror of the vendor.
'Oh no, you don't!' the vendor exclaimed as he tried to stop the melons, but it was in vain as the guards were yet again knocked over, and they landed in a big pile of fertiliser.
'Eugggh!' they exclaimed as Leila, Inaam and Dalia made their escape, grinning triumphantly as the guards shouted obscenities at them.
'Great job as always, Inaam, your fencing skills are second to none,' Leila said as her sister grinned at her, while Dalia frowned, determined not to be left out.
'You too, Dalia,' Leila then said as Dalia chittered happily.
'Thanks, but you did most of the work, Lei,' said Inaam, 'I create the diversions. It's all about teamwork, you know, and we're in this together.'
'You're not wrong there, but you did get a whole basket of fruit which you then threw at the guards….'
'Not all of it, we still have a bunch of grapes, three apples and two bananas, and that will last us for a while,' said Inaam, looking into her basket,
'That's true, and they're our favourites. After all that running, our stomachs have been telling us for some time that it's time to eat! 'Leila said, chuckling.
'Say no more, I'm starving!' said Inaam as Leila got out the loaves of bread and passed two to Dalia and Inaam, who chomped down on them greedily, while Leila took a couple of bites.
'Take it, easy, you two!' Leila laughed as they walked down a shadowy alley and saw two children digging through some dustbins, trying to find a measly scrap of food.
Seeing the hungry and desperate look in their eyes, Leila smiled at the children when they saw her.
She then broke her loaf in half and gave them two pieces each.
'Oh, thank you, kind miss,' they said as they gratefully ate the bread.
Leila then coaxed Inaam into giving them the last fruit, which she initially showed great reluctance.
But after some convincing that they needed it more than they did, she had a change of heart and gave the children two bananas each.
'Thank you again, miss,' the children said as they left, and the girls continued on their way home.
'You and your big heart, Leila,' said Inaam in an almost teasing way, 'always thinking of others before yourself.'
'It was the least we could do. Those poor children looked like they hadn't eaten in days, and it was the first time anyone had kind words for us.' Leila said,
'But one day, Inaam, I believe things are going to change for us. I have a feeling that it will.
Maybe fate will lead us to live in a big palace with fabulous riches beyond our wildest dreams, and we never have to worry about anything again.
I'm more than just a simple street mouse, and I want the chance to prove it.'
Inaam rolled her eyes at her sister.
'Oh, Lei, that's never going to happen, and you know it. Nothing's going to change for us.
The sultana doesn't give two figs about us and the city. She's too busy wasting her money on luxury goods and sitting on her butt all day, doing nothing while the city crumbles under her feet.
Besides, you have to marry the crown prince, and the law states that he has to marry a princess,' she said.
'But it might,' Leila said wistfully.
Then, the girls and Dalia silently made their way home to a hovel that sat atop an abandoned building.