Chapter 1
The Bag of Tricks

"I'd be happy if I were you, orphans! You'll be able to meet your relatives, of which you don't see very often! Now, Cassandra, you knwo that once you arrive at Sir Walton's house, you will introduce your siblings and yourself in that famous Bourne manner?"

Mr. Mailen's voice droned on and on as the Bourne orphans gazed out the window at the passing city. They had lived here all their life. They remember going down to Miss O'Neill's in the mornings to buy fresh bread for their parents. They saw Mr Cuthbert's ice cream cart as the Mailen car zoomed down Front Street and onto Diggon Avenue. The orphans would never see any of this again.

Cassandra, the eldest Bourne orphan, was clipping her bangs behind her ears. Anyone who knew Cassy well would know that when she did this simple task, she was thinking deeply about something. Cassy had a knack for building things, and for inventing. She was a great mechanic and spent most of her time in her father's garage with the tools. Alexander, the middle orphan, loved to read. All he did was read books or talk with his siblings, his favourite was the first option. And there was little Valentine, still an infant, who, like any baby, loved to bite and wail and all that other stuff. The Bourne fire had destroyed everything: the mansion, Cassandra's father's garage and tools, the great Bourne library, and all of Val's playthings. This fire had turned the Bourne children into the Bourne orphans. And now all they had was Mr Mailen, who was always hacking and sneezing and seemed to have a never-ending flu.

"Yes, Mr Mailen," said Cassandra polietly, realizing that the banker was talking to her. "I will inform him."

"Good," said the banker, turning off Diggon."because we're there."

Cassandra's hair fell as he lifted her head so suddenly. Alexander tore his eyes from his novel and gazed out the window. Valentine started to cry. Cassy took her sister in her arms to comfort her, but she was shaking as much as the infant. The three Bourne orphans were not ready for this. And they did not know what terrible events would befall them inside this house.

Chapter 2

Isaac Walton

"Why can't we just live with you, Mr Mailen?"

The question was out of Alex's mouth before he could stop it. He knew that living in the Mailen household must be germ infested and dull, filled with paychecks and bills and other bank papers the orphans had no interest in.

"Why, Alexander! It is a great thing to be able to manage you children and your fortune, but it is simply not possible for you to live with me," said Mr Mailen, who looked quite shocked at the youngster's question.

"But why is that, sir?" asked Cassy quickly.

"Cassandra, sweet girl, clever girl. Your mother and father had stated clearly in the Bourne will that you were to live with one of your relatives. I am your family's financial adivser and banker, not a relative. Let's not delay Sir Walton any longer, children, he must be waiting. If you ever need to call me, you can reach me or my associates at Marden Money. Understood? Now, come quickly, and step lively." said Mr Mailen, leading the way up the jagged rocks that Sir Walton used as welcome mats.

The orphans and their banker reached the front door. Mr Mailen wrapped his knuckle on the metal door. A slit in the middle of it opened and a pair of eyes appeared. The slit closed, and the door opened.

Standing there was a man who looked run down, but with full fo energy. He hadn't shaven that morning, or for any other morning, and he had a large bald spot on his head. He wore a fancy pinstripe suit with a rip down the right sleeve. His pants were patched in numerous places and the ends didn't each his ankles, revealing a tattoo of an arrow on his leg.

"Well, well, well," he said in a raspy voice that reminded the orphans of a snake. "Look at these little orphans. This must be..."

The took a minute to eye them all, memorizing their faces and clothes. "Cassandra." he said, his eyes resting on Cassy.

"Alex," he said, gazing at the middle child. "And little Valentine," he said, pickign up the baby. he hissed at her and dropped her into Cassy's hands.

"All I ask is that you do ever little thing that pops into my head, while I enjoy my spare time," said the Count, leaning against a nearby banister. "Your rooms are on the fourth floor, in the room marked 'Storage'. You can go up and unpack while I talk to your grandpa, here."

"Not grandfather," the orphans heard Mr Mailen say as they hauled their heavy suitcases up the creaky and unstabbled stairway. "Banker. Edmund Mailen, Sir. I need ot tell you some important information about these orphans."

The trio stopped dead. They now stood on a solid stone staircase that met the creaky wooden one. It seemed that the creaky stairs were there to replace the old stone steps that must have fallen years ago.

"Cassandra, Alexander, and Valentine," said Mr Mailen. "Are the three children of Max and Julie Bourne, the millionaires. Their fortune is now passed onto the children and can only be used once Cassandra is of age. No sooner."

At this, Sir Walton's eyes lit up with greed. The orphans got an upset feeling in their stomachs.

"That is all. Please take good care of these excellent children, Sir Walton." said Mr Mailen, leaving the room.

"Oh, I will," said the Count, ushering Mr Mailen out the door and locking it.

The orphans ran up to their bedroom, which was a cleared out storage room. It contained only a mass of blankets and one pillow, which was stuffed with rocks. The orphans started dumping their clothes into the small drawer that was next to the very dusty window in their room. They rolled out the blankets and made a nest for Valentine, but kept one for themselves. They would exchange the blanket every night: one night Cassy, one night Alex.

Finally the silence was too much.

"Cassy, what are we doing here?!" shouted Alex, stamping his feet on the stone. "Sir Walton wants our fortune, can't you see that? Why would Mr Mailen leave us with such an evil man?!"

"I don't know," said Cassy thoughtfully. "Maybe it was a misunderstanding? I heard Mr Mailen say that we can't use the fortune until I'm of age. If I'm the only one that can use it, I don't see how Sir Walton could get his hands on it. Maybe we just need to get used to living here, right, Val?"

Cassy picked up her baby sister and instantly knew she was wrong. It wasn't their fault the fire had burned down their gorgeous house, it wasn't their fault their lovely parents had died, it was all such bad luck to happen in one day.

The orphans nestled on their blankets and cried. They cried for grief of losing their parents, they cried of fear of living with Sir Walton, they cried of only having a few blankets and not a bed.

Little did they know that their misfortune would grew steadily worse in the time to come.