Motifs from Ragnarok Online, Harry Potter and World of Warcraft. I do not own these.

Chapter 2: The Gangsters

However, The Wilshires were never informed that their daughter had a glowing stone thrust into her at birth, and they never asked. (They specifically frowned upon "what if" questions.)

Katie grew up like any normal girl. She was potty-trained at an early age, rode her bike, studied every night, and could take care of a puppy she wanted. She had absolutely no interest in the tall, lanky boys in her grade, (and therefore, they did not care for her) especially wit her father's constant insinuations of gangsters and devils. Now, she wanted nothing more than to find the perfect college: close to home, small, private, scholarships given, Christian, all girls and ordinary. There should be nothing too fancy about it, and if she had to, would take a college visit to ascertain.

"I want to a teacher like my mom," She told everyone who asked what her aspirations were. She also campaigned to change the lives of the crazed gangsters.

"Telephone calls? Hah!" Mrs. Wilshire was gossiping to a neighbor while Katie was on the computer searching scholarships and Mr. Wilshire was watching golf. "No, my daughter never talks on the phone! To whom? ... She doesn't date either. I wouldn't let her even if she wanted to. You know how many girls are on birth control? ... I'm telling you, these youngsters have gone crazy! It's good to see someone with some sense! … I told her to go to Oxford in England but it might not be… well…normal, you know? Can't trust those British! Hey Katie…" She called suddenly from the phone. "Would you like to walk the park with me and Amelia?

And with that, the Wilshire females moved from the house with bicycles and sweat pants. Mr. Wilshire hardly noticed; he was too busy rooting for a golfer from Pennsylvania.

It was a nice Sunday afternoon. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and puffy clouds scooted above the pedestrians. Katie was telling her mother about need-based scholarships when Mrs. Amelia Harper met them near the park.

She was a woman of 40, red-haired and never married; though she never discussed the details of her love life, she did not stop to think about the privacy of others. "Can you believe Brittany caught her husband in the act?" She said as the walked towards each other, resuming the phone conversation as if it had never been interrupted. "She was wondering if she should get a divorce-"

Katie pedaled on ahead, away from the gossiping women, and glad to be rid of them. She did not like people who teased others, mostly because she had been teased enough. She had no friends, except for her dog, and decided that was the sacrifice of being ordinarily perfect. Even if sometimes she did not feel so perfect at all. Or ordinary. She thought, glancing back as if her mom could hear her thoughts.

She forgot about the idea when she felt the cool breeze blow through her hair, and she had to stop just to make sure her hair was still in the same place.

Back at the house, Mr. Wilshire was watching the game, hopelessly dejected: the Pennsylvania's opponent had a big lead. He sneered, and yanked another handful of popcorn from the bowl, into his mouth and was just about to grab another when something silver and cold touched his neck. It was a blade.

"Get up," An odd voice whispered behind him. "And don't make a move or I will kill you."

A gangster! He knew they would get him eventually. He wanted to be smart and ask the gangster what direction he would like for him to do first, since he could not do both simultaneously. But the gangster removed the blade so that he could move. Albert stood up, still facing the T.V.

"Hands in the air," The voice ordered. Albert lifting his hands, thanking God that most of his money was in the bank. He quietly realized he would have to pray his gratitude to the man who invented the bank system. Oddly, however, the gangster did not investigate his pockets.

"Call to your wife and daughter," Albert could hear the voice better now over the golf tournament. It was low, quiet, and eerily collected.

"They're not here," Albert said, glad they were out of harm's way. He was just about to tell the guy the money was in the safe beneath the kitchen floor, but the odd voice spoke first.

"Where are they?"

"I don't know?" Albert heard a faint hiss and then felt, rather than heard, movement behind him. A second later the voice startled him when it was directly in his ear.

"Where are they?" It asked again.

"I said I don't know."

"You're lying," The fellow said simply. "We will wait," He said, turning to the walls as if he was talking to them. With his peripheral vision, Albert saw the man gesture to another. Then Albert felt a hand, pushing him back to his seat on the couch and handing him the popcorn.

"Sit. Stay calm. Eat," The voice said. Albert found the courage to glance where the voice came from but saw nothing but darkness. The man with the blade had vanished into the shadows.