Yeah! I'm listening to Starting Line right now, and it got me in a oober good mood, so I decided to write the nest chapter... yay... Yeah, sorry it took so long, but I can only write stories on my mom's laptop, and she takes it to work every day, and lately she's been working double sifts, so I haven't been able to get on it much... so... yeah, there's my life story for ya. Heh.
Ah! Story.
-The Second-Story Man's Guild
Mayfly and the Thief Lord climbed down the ladder and landed in the Thief Lord's room. Mayfly continued down the stairs, but the Thief Lord stayed back.
When Mayfly was gone, the Thief Lord walked over to the crumbling fireplace in the far side of the wall. She reached up into it with her strong arm and felt around a bit, then pulled out a small box, that had apparently been sitting on a small hidden cupboard in the chimney.
The Thief Lord wore and odd expression on her face. It was a mix of hesitation, worry, and excitement all in one.
Moving quietly, she walked over to a desk near the fireplace and set down the newspaper Mayfly had given her, and then the box. She opened it slowly.
Inside the box were many clippings and photos. Some of the clippings were well aged, others were fresh. The Thief Lord shuffled through them gently, stopping every now and then to look at a few.
She pulled out a photo from the bottom of the pile and brought it into the light slowly, biting her lower lip as she looked at it. It was a picture of a young girl, about seven, holding the hand of an older boy that looked much like the girl. The Thief Lord looked it over for a moment.
"Thief Lord..."
The voice brought her out of her dream like state and she quickly put the photo back into the box.
"One moment," she called to the voice, placing the new newspaper into the box as well. She took the box over to the fireplace and put it back on its shelf, then headed over to the staircase. "I'm coming, Kat," she said to the girl at the bottom of the stairs as she headed down.
When she reached the last step, she stopped with her hand on the railing and looked into the room. All eleven members of the Guild were sitting in chairs and on the floor, holding small plates with potato salad and a piece of bread. The Thief Lord watched them for a second, then pulled her black hood over her head again, concealing her smirk from them all.
All eleven of the girls looked up upon her arrival. The younger ones stared, not moving, and one of them even tried to conceal a gulp. Milkshake nodded at her and said, "Good evening, Thief Lord."
The Thief Lord nodded back at her, and all of them went back to their meals.
Kat, a short seventeen year old with long, curly dark hair and light blue eyes, stood next to the Thief Lord on the stairs. She had two plates of food in her hands, and handed the one in the right hand over to the Thief Lord slowly. "Empress got the food today," she said in a hushed voice, speaking only to the Thief Lord. "She took it from Mano's Diner, so we shouldn't hit that place for another week or so." She sat down on the step and began eating.
The Thief Lord sat down next to her and started eating as well, keeping her hood over her head. She nodded slowly, glancing over at Kat. "Sunshine pawned your ring," she said in her same, cold voice.
Kat nodded. "Nova told me. Ten bucks, right?" She bit into her bread as she looked sideways at the Thief Lord.
The Thief Lord nodded. She pulled her hood back down off her head and looked at Kat.
Kat was the first official member of the Guild after it was created by the Thief Lord and Mayfly. She came from a middle-class family in Manhattan, and joined ranks with the Guild after her parents died when she was twelve. She was the most educated of all the members, and did most of the planning and scheming for the Guild's major heists. She worked well alongside the Thief Lord in that sense.
The Thief Lord finished off her bread and looked at Kat. "Look, I was planning on hitting the Callahan apartment in two days," she said quietly.
Kat nodded slightly, not looking away from her food. "That in 'Hattan?" she said in the same quiet tone.
"Of course," the Thief Lord said sharply.
Kat nodded again. "Who you taking?"
The Thief Lord thought for a moment, picking at her food. "You and Artemis. Maybe Shakes and... Miracle too," she said slowly.
Kat glanced over at Miracle. She was a short, brown-eyed girl with long red and black hair covered loosely by a black cap. Miracle was the newest member of the Guild. No one really knew much about her; she pretty much kept to herself. The only hint of her past came from when she spoke; she has a subtle Irish accent. Kat eyed her for a moment, then looked at the Thief Lord.
"You think she's ready?" she asked, raising a brow at her.
The Thief Lord glanced at Miracle, then shrugged at Kat. "Not quite sure. But how else will we know unless... we get her in on a heist." She finished off the rest of her food and set the plate down on the step above her, looking around at the other girls.
Kat shrugged. "I dunno, Thief Lord. I don't trust her..."
The Thief Lord looked over at Kat, a brow raised. "O'Bryan..." she said, using Kat's last name, "...I don't trust -anyone-."
-Back in 'Hattan...-
Mush sat on his bunk in the Lodging House, staring out the dingy window to the fire escape. He was the only one in there at the time; everyone else was still out selling the evening edition. Mush had decided not to sell it today, because he'd sprained his wrist in a bad fall while he and the other guys were heading to Tibby's for lunch after the morning edition. So, instead, he sat wringing his right wrist with his left hand, his feet swinging above the bunk under his as he watched the bugs correlate around the light on the building next to the LH. After a few minutes of watching, he sighed out of boredom and hopped off his bunk, hitting the floor with a thud.
Looking around the room for some form of entertainment, he spotted one of the day's papers sitting on a bunk near the door. He sighed and walked over, picking it up and skimming it over. Sure, he'd sold the same paper that morning, but he hadn't actually -read- it. He shook his head slightly, a small smirk on his face. "That Guild... What a bunch of gits," he muttered to himself, rolling his eyes. He tossed the paper down on the bunk and walked over to his bunk again, sitting down on the empty one beneath his.
No sooner had he sat down then Spot Conlon entered the room, leaning lazily on the doorframe.
Mush looked over at him, a brow raised. "What're you doin' here, Conlon?" he asked, standing up and looked at him.
Spot pulled his cap off his head and hung it on the slingshot in his back pocket. "What, not happy to see me, Mushy?" he said with a cocky smirk, walking over to one of the bunks and sitting down.
Mush rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Surprised, I guess. It's not often you come to 'Hattan." He took his wrist in his hand again and began wringing it, biting his lower lip.
Spot shrugged. "Well, Race asked me to come. Said he made some extra money at the track a few days ago, wanted to make some more with a poker game..."
Mush nodded. He looked around the room, feeling a bit awkward, alone, with the King of Brooklyn.
Spot lit up a cigarette and nodded at Mush. "So tell me. Why ain't you out sellin'?" he asked.
Mush glanced at his wrist with a shrug. "Sprained it." Right after he said that, Jack, Race, Kid Blink and Skittery entered the room, laughing and talking about random things. Spot stood and walked over to Racetrack, and the two immediately exchanged spitshakes. Jack was next after Race. Blink and Skittery both said their hellos, and walked over to Mush.
"How are ya, pal?" Blink asked with a smirk.
Mush rolled his eyes. "Shaddap, Blink..."
"Say, Skitts, you ever seen anyone sprain their wrist while stepping onto a curb before?" Blink asked with mock in his voice.
Skittery laughed. "Never before, Blink, why do you ask?" he said, playing along.
"Shut it, guys..." Mush mumbled, rolling his eyes.
Blink took Mush into a headlock. "Why, because out own Mushy here put on quite the performance out front of the bank today!" he said with a laugh, rubbing Mush's head with his fist. He let him go and the three of them laughed, shaking their heads at Mush's expense.
Race, Jack and Spot pulled a few chairs up to a table in the middle of the room and sat down as a few more people joined their playing, including Blink and Skittery. Mush sat in a chair behind Blink; he wasn't really into playing in his current condition.
"So, I hear you guys have really been getting played by those Second-Story Men, ah?" Spot said as he looked down at his cards, a brow raised.
Jack nodded, blowing smoke from a cigarette into the already smokey air. "Race think's they're from Brooklyn."
Race scoffed. "I didn't say Brooklyn," he said, kicking Jack from under the table.
"Ow!" Specs shouted, glaring around the table.
"Oh, sorry Specs," Race said meekly.
"What makes you think they're from Brooklyn?" Spot said accusingly, raising a brow at Racetrack.
Race sighed. "I never said Brooklyn; I just said I don't think they're from 'Hattan."
Dutchy raised a brow at Race, mush like the rest of the guys were. "Why's that?"
Race shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, the richest people live in 'Hattan, so sure, they'd prowl here, but... live here? I just don't think they do." He looked around the table, seeing all eyes focused on him. He shook his head, setting down his hands. "Look, can we just get back to the game, ah?" he said forcefully, looking around at them all.
They all shrugged, looking back to their cards and continuing the game. Mush, however, watched Race.
After about three hours, Race had won two bucks, Spot one twenty-five, and the rest had lost it all. Spot decided to stay the night in Manhattan, since the next day was Sunday and it took about an hour and a half walk to get back to Brooklyn. All the guys began to hit the hay, Spot taking the empty bunk under Jack. Mush saw Racetrack sneak into the washroom alone, and followed him in slowly.
He saw Race over a sink, washing his face with cold water. Mush stuck his left hand in his pocket and looked at Race wearily. "Say, Race..." he said quietly.
Racetrack looked over at Mush, wiping his hands off with a cloth. "Yeah?"
Mush looked at Racetrack's feet. "Do you know something? About that Guild?" he asked slowly, glancing behind him to make sure no one was watching.
Race stared at Mush for a second, as though considering. Then, after a few seconds, he looked away, wiping off his face. "Of course not. I just know what I read in the papers, same as you, Mush," he said bluntly.
Mush bit his lower lip. "Oh..." he mumbled. "Oh, alright. Just wondering..." Race didn't look back at him. With a sigh, Mush gave Race one last glance before leaving the washroom, heading over to his bunk.
When Race knew Mush was gone he turned, looking at where he had just been. He gave a long, heavy sigh, shaking his head. "I know more than you think, Mush."
-End Chapter 2-
Well! There's chapter two. Yeah. For some reason, I like this chapter... It makes me like Racetrack and awful lot. Heh.
Shout outs!
Dimonah- Great! I'm glad you're cool with it. Glad you liked the chapter!
C.M.- Danke! Glad you liked it. I love the name Massimo... even though it's a guys name, heh... That's the Thief Lord for ya.
Sita- Heh, gotta love those alter egos. The Perks of Being a Wallflower... My therapist told me I should check that book out. I couldn't find it anywhere... I'll have to though. I wanna read it now. Glad you liked the chapter!
Lucky- Thanks! Glad you're Ok with it. Thanks!
Laces- Thanks! Heh, I was always mistaken for older. When I was thirteen, someone said I looked eighteen. I think they were exaggerating. I'm almost seventeen as of now, and I look my age. Ah! Off topic. Glad you like it!
Miracle- Ha, that made me laugh, you goober. Glad you like it.
Dreamer- Ooo, yeah, Race IS suspicious... heh... Yeah, I love the Thief Lord's character. She's neat.
Serena- You're welcome! Her brother... heh... There's no real reason behind Lord; just the same as the name of the Guild. They don't want people suspicious of all the girl's pawning and stuff. Heh.
Sparks- Thanks! Glad you're cool with it. I wish I could have made all of them older, but see, I need a few young'ins for 'puss', as Jack would say, and then the ones I picked for older I have ideas for, to work into the story. So, yeah. Heh.
Daydream- I love camping! How was it? Heh, glad you like it!
Wow, I sure do say "glad you like it" an awful lot... heh... Review!
Ah! Story.
-The Second-Story Man's Guild
Mayfly and the Thief Lord climbed down the ladder and landed in the Thief Lord's room. Mayfly continued down the stairs, but the Thief Lord stayed back.
When Mayfly was gone, the Thief Lord walked over to the crumbling fireplace in the far side of the wall. She reached up into it with her strong arm and felt around a bit, then pulled out a small box, that had apparently been sitting on a small hidden cupboard in the chimney.
The Thief Lord wore and odd expression on her face. It was a mix of hesitation, worry, and excitement all in one.
Moving quietly, she walked over to a desk near the fireplace and set down the newspaper Mayfly had given her, and then the box. She opened it slowly.
Inside the box were many clippings and photos. Some of the clippings were well aged, others were fresh. The Thief Lord shuffled through them gently, stopping every now and then to look at a few.
She pulled out a photo from the bottom of the pile and brought it into the light slowly, biting her lower lip as she looked at it. It was a picture of a young girl, about seven, holding the hand of an older boy that looked much like the girl. The Thief Lord looked it over for a moment.
"Thief Lord..."
The voice brought her out of her dream like state and she quickly put the photo back into the box.
"One moment," she called to the voice, placing the new newspaper into the box as well. She took the box over to the fireplace and put it back on its shelf, then headed over to the staircase. "I'm coming, Kat," she said to the girl at the bottom of the stairs as she headed down.
When she reached the last step, she stopped with her hand on the railing and looked into the room. All eleven members of the Guild were sitting in chairs and on the floor, holding small plates with potato salad and a piece of bread. The Thief Lord watched them for a second, then pulled her black hood over her head again, concealing her smirk from them all.
All eleven of the girls looked up upon her arrival. The younger ones stared, not moving, and one of them even tried to conceal a gulp. Milkshake nodded at her and said, "Good evening, Thief Lord."
The Thief Lord nodded back at her, and all of them went back to their meals.
Kat, a short seventeen year old with long, curly dark hair and light blue eyes, stood next to the Thief Lord on the stairs. She had two plates of food in her hands, and handed the one in the right hand over to the Thief Lord slowly. "Empress got the food today," she said in a hushed voice, speaking only to the Thief Lord. "She took it from Mano's Diner, so we shouldn't hit that place for another week or so." She sat down on the step and began eating.
The Thief Lord sat down next to her and started eating as well, keeping her hood over her head. She nodded slowly, glancing over at Kat. "Sunshine pawned your ring," she said in her same, cold voice.
Kat nodded. "Nova told me. Ten bucks, right?" She bit into her bread as she looked sideways at the Thief Lord.
The Thief Lord nodded. She pulled her hood back down off her head and looked at Kat.
Kat was the first official member of the Guild after it was created by the Thief Lord and Mayfly. She came from a middle-class family in Manhattan, and joined ranks with the Guild after her parents died when she was twelve. She was the most educated of all the members, and did most of the planning and scheming for the Guild's major heists. She worked well alongside the Thief Lord in that sense.
The Thief Lord finished off her bread and looked at Kat. "Look, I was planning on hitting the Callahan apartment in two days," she said quietly.
Kat nodded slightly, not looking away from her food. "That in 'Hattan?" she said in the same quiet tone.
"Of course," the Thief Lord said sharply.
Kat nodded again. "Who you taking?"
The Thief Lord thought for a moment, picking at her food. "You and Artemis. Maybe Shakes and... Miracle too," she said slowly.
Kat glanced over at Miracle. She was a short, brown-eyed girl with long red and black hair covered loosely by a black cap. Miracle was the newest member of the Guild. No one really knew much about her; she pretty much kept to herself. The only hint of her past came from when she spoke; she has a subtle Irish accent. Kat eyed her for a moment, then looked at the Thief Lord.
"You think she's ready?" she asked, raising a brow at her.
The Thief Lord glanced at Miracle, then shrugged at Kat. "Not quite sure. But how else will we know unless... we get her in on a heist." She finished off the rest of her food and set the plate down on the step above her, looking around at the other girls.
Kat shrugged. "I dunno, Thief Lord. I don't trust her..."
The Thief Lord looked over at Kat, a brow raised. "O'Bryan..." she said, using Kat's last name, "...I don't trust -anyone-."
-Back in 'Hattan...-
Mush sat on his bunk in the Lodging House, staring out the dingy window to the fire escape. He was the only one in there at the time; everyone else was still out selling the evening edition. Mush had decided not to sell it today, because he'd sprained his wrist in a bad fall while he and the other guys were heading to Tibby's for lunch after the morning edition. So, instead, he sat wringing his right wrist with his left hand, his feet swinging above the bunk under his as he watched the bugs correlate around the light on the building next to the LH. After a few minutes of watching, he sighed out of boredom and hopped off his bunk, hitting the floor with a thud.
Looking around the room for some form of entertainment, he spotted one of the day's papers sitting on a bunk near the door. He sighed and walked over, picking it up and skimming it over. Sure, he'd sold the same paper that morning, but he hadn't actually -read- it. He shook his head slightly, a small smirk on his face. "That Guild... What a bunch of gits," he muttered to himself, rolling his eyes. He tossed the paper down on the bunk and walked over to his bunk again, sitting down on the empty one beneath his.
No sooner had he sat down then Spot Conlon entered the room, leaning lazily on the doorframe.
Mush looked over at him, a brow raised. "What're you doin' here, Conlon?" he asked, standing up and looked at him.
Spot pulled his cap off his head and hung it on the slingshot in his back pocket. "What, not happy to see me, Mushy?" he said with a cocky smirk, walking over to one of the bunks and sitting down.
Mush rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Surprised, I guess. It's not often you come to 'Hattan." He took his wrist in his hand again and began wringing it, biting his lower lip.
Spot shrugged. "Well, Race asked me to come. Said he made some extra money at the track a few days ago, wanted to make some more with a poker game..."
Mush nodded. He looked around the room, feeling a bit awkward, alone, with the King of Brooklyn.
Spot lit up a cigarette and nodded at Mush. "So tell me. Why ain't you out sellin'?" he asked.
Mush glanced at his wrist with a shrug. "Sprained it." Right after he said that, Jack, Race, Kid Blink and Skittery entered the room, laughing and talking about random things. Spot stood and walked over to Racetrack, and the two immediately exchanged spitshakes. Jack was next after Race. Blink and Skittery both said their hellos, and walked over to Mush.
"How are ya, pal?" Blink asked with a smirk.
Mush rolled his eyes. "Shaddap, Blink..."
"Say, Skitts, you ever seen anyone sprain their wrist while stepping onto a curb before?" Blink asked with mock in his voice.
Skittery laughed. "Never before, Blink, why do you ask?" he said, playing along.
"Shut it, guys..." Mush mumbled, rolling his eyes.
Blink took Mush into a headlock. "Why, because out own Mushy here put on quite the performance out front of the bank today!" he said with a laugh, rubbing Mush's head with his fist. He let him go and the three of them laughed, shaking their heads at Mush's expense.
Race, Jack and Spot pulled a few chairs up to a table in the middle of the room and sat down as a few more people joined their playing, including Blink and Skittery. Mush sat in a chair behind Blink; he wasn't really into playing in his current condition.
"So, I hear you guys have really been getting played by those Second-Story Men, ah?" Spot said as he looked down at his cards, a brow raised.
Jack nodded, blowing smoke from a cigarette into the already smokey air. "Race think's they're from Brooklyn."
Race scoffed. "I didn't say Brooklyn," he said, kicking Jack from under the table.
"Ow!" Specs shouted, glaring around the table.
"Oh, sorry Specs," Race said meekly.
"What makes you think they're from Brooklyn?" Spot said accusingly, raising a brow at Racetrack.
Race sighed. "I never said Brooklyn; I just said I don't think they're from 'Hattan."
Dutchy raised a brow at Race, mush like the rest of the guys were. "Why's that?"
Race shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, the richest people live in 'Hattan, so sure, they'd prowl here, but... live here? I just don't think they do." He looked around the table, seeing all eyes focused on him. He shook his head, setting down his hands. "Look, can we just get back to the game, ah?" he said forcefully, looking around at them all.
They all shrugged, looking back to their cards and continuing the game. Mush, however, watched Race.
After about three hours, Race had won two bucks, Spot one twenty-five, and the rest had lost it all. Spot decided to stay the night in Manhattan, since the next day was Sunday and it took about an hour and a half walk to get back to Brooklyn. All the guys began to hit the hay, Spot taking the empty bunk under Jack. Mush saw Racetrack sneak into the washroom alone, and followed him in slowly.
He saw Race over a sink, washing his face with cold water. Mush stuck his left hand in his pocket and looked at Race wearily. "Say, Race..." he said quietly.
Racetrack looked over at Mush, wiping his hands off with a cloth. "Yeah?"
Mush looked at Racetrack's feet. "Do you know something? About that Guild?" he asked slowly, glancing behind him to make sure no one was watching.
Race stared at Mush for a second, as though considering. Then, after a few seconds, he looked away, wiping off his face. "Of course not. I just know what I read in the papers, same as you, Mush," he said bluntly.
Mush bit his lower lip. "Oh..." he mumbled. "Oh, alright. Just wondering..." Race didn't look back at him. With a sigh, Mush gave Race one last glance before leaving the washroom, heading over to his bunk.
When Race knew Mush was gone he turned, looking at where he had just been. He gave a long, heavy sigh, shaking his head. "I know more than you think, Mush."
-End Chapter 2-
Well! There's chapter two. Yeah. For some reason, I like this chapter... It makes me like Racetrack and awful lot. Heh.
Shout outs!
Dimonah- Great! I'm glad you're cool with it. Glad you liked the chapter!
C.M.- Danke! Glad you liked it. I love the name Massimo... even though it's a guys name, heh... That's the Thief Lord for ya.
Sita- Heh, gotta love those alter egos. The Perks of Being a Wallflower... My therapist told me I should check that book out. I couldn't find it anywhere... I'll have to though. I wanna read it now. Glad you liked the chapter!
Lucky- Thanks! Glad you're Ok with it. Thanks!
Laces- Thanks! Heh, I was always mistaken for older. When I was thirteen, someone said I looked eighteen. I think they were exaggerating. I'm almost seventeen as of now, and I look my age. Ah! Off topic. Glad you like it!
Miracle- Ha, that made me laugh, you goober. Glad you like it.
Dreamer- Ooo, yeah, Race IS suspicious... heh... Yeah, I love the Thief Lord's character. She's neat.
Serena- You're welcome! Her brother... heh... There's no real reason behind Lord; just the same as the name of the Guild. They don't want people suspicious of all the girl's pawning and stuff. Heh.
Sparks- Thanks! Glad you're cool with it. I wish I could have made all of them older, but see, I need a few young'ins for 'puss', as Jack would say, and then the ones I picked for older I have ideas for, to work into the story. So, yeah. Heh.
Daydream- I love camping! How was it? Heh, glad you like it!
Wow, I sure do say "glad you like it" an awful lot... heh... Review!