When Rae and Prosper finally got back to the Stella, Bo immediately tackled them in greeting. Neither of the two older kids said a word about the detective who had caused them to be gone so long. Hornet had begun to ask why they had been so late in returning, but then Rae had pulled out the money they had gotten and Hornet forgot about her question completely. Rae handed it to Prosper and then inquired about where Scipio was.

Apparently he had disappeared around lunchtime, leaving a note saying that he'd be back later in the evening. Bo dragged Rae into a game of Hide-and-Seek, and it was a bit harder than usual because Shasta kept finding the person hiding and tackled them to try and lick their face—causing them to splutter and giggle, and be found easily.

About two hours late, the bell rang and the Thief Lord was at the front door. For once, he had arrived before midnight. Rae opened the door without asking for the password, and therefore got into an argument with Scipio—her excuse was that no one had ever told her the password so how could she be expected to ask for it? Neither of them were actually mad at each other, but the argument was beginning to get a bit heated. Bo came up just in time, running excitedly toward Scipio with the wad of Barbarossa's money in hand. When Prosper told him how much there was, Scipio's jaw dropped. He took the money and counted every single note, his eyes wide.

"Well," Rae said, grinning at his expression. "What do you say to that?"

"Now you can tell Hornet to buy me some paint for my boat!" Mosca said.

"Your boat? Sure, sure…of course." Scipio nodded absently, before turning to Rae and Prosper. "Was there anything Barbarossa liked especially?" he asked.

Prosper shrugged, but Rae cut him off before he could say anything. "He liked the sugar tongs," she said. "He fondled over those like a child with a doll."

Scipio frowned. "Yes…they were probably quite valuable," he murmured. Suddenly he shook his head as if he wanted to get rid of a troublesome thought. "Riccio," he said, "go and buy some olives and sausage. We've got to celebrate—I haven't much time, so hurry."

Riccio quickly stuffed two of Barbarossa's bills into his pocket and dashed off. When he came back with a plastic bag full of olives, bread, salami, and a bag of mandolati (the chocolates wrapped in colorful paper that Scipio liked so much) the others were already sprawled on blankets and pillows in front of the curtain. Rae, Bo and Hornet had gathered all the candles they could find and the flickering light filled the theater with dancing shadows and a warm glow.

"Here's to a few carefree months!" Hornet said once they had all served themselves. She poured grape juice into the goblets Scipio had brought back on one of the raids.

Rae raised her glass to Prosper. "Here's to you, because you got the Redbeard to part with all that dough!"

Riccio and Mosca raised their glasses too. Prosper didn't know where to look. Bo, however, leaned proudly against his big brother and put one of the kittens on his knee.

"Yes, here's to you, Prop!" Scipio said, also raising his glass. "I name you my chief loot-seller. However…" He toyed with the wad of money with his long fingers. "I'm thinking it might be wise to take a break after a raid like this." For a moment he fell silent, rolling onto his back and relaxing, his eyes closed. "A thief should never become too greedy—or else he'll be caught," he said.

"But there's one more thing you've got to do before you take a break," Rae said. "Barbarossa told us something…interesting today."

"And what was that?" Scipio asked, popping an olive into his mouth.

"A customer of his is looking for a thief," she explained, looking up at the ceiling. "The deal is 'very good' and we're supposed to ask you if you'd be interested." She glanced back at him. Scipio gave Rae a surprised, slightly concerned look, and she knew why he was worried. He didn't know how to actually steal. "Sounds good, doesn't it?"

Riccio stuffed a slice of the sausage into his mouth. Its spiciness made him choke and his eyes stream. He quickly handed his empty glass to Hornet, amid amused giggles from the rest of the gang.

Rae's POV

Scipio still hadn't answered, and I finally had to say something. "If you don't take it I will," I said calmly, and tugged on his ponytail, grinning slyly. "I bet you're too chicken to take it, anyway." I looked at the others as Scip looked at me, his eyes narrowing. "What do you say guys? Should I take it?" I asked jokingly.

"Too late, I am taking it," he said, sitting up and glaring at me. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Why not?" he challenged. "What will I have to steal?"

"No idea," I lied, settling back down. "Not even Barbarossa knows anything." I grinned. "They probably think you're some tall, thin, shady character who creeps around pillars of the Doge's Palace like a cat; or maybe sits in the rafters of the Cathedral." I laughed. "If only, if only… He wants a quick answer, by the way."

Everyone looked at Scipio. He sat there, his eyes hard as he stared into mine. It was so quiet that you could hear the crackle of the candles. "Again…why not?" he asked. "Take my answer to Barbarossa tomorrow morning," he said to me. "Riccio, you go with her, to make sure she doesn't take it on herself."

Prosper was watching us with a undecided look on his face, as though he still had a feeling that nothing good could come of this. I had that feeling too, but I knew what I was doing. Sort of. Scipio shifted his stare to Prosper. "What do you think of all this, Prop?" he asked.

"Not much," Prosper answered after a moment. "I don't trust Barbarossa." He shot me a glance, and I knew that it said, 'If Bo gets caught up in this I'm blaming you.'

Great, Prop…make a girl's life harder, will you?

Scipio nodded.

Just then, Bo, of all people, let Prosper down. "So what?" he said. He knelt next to Scipio, his eyes shiny with excitement. "It'll be easy for you, won't it? Right, Scip?" I could see the hurt, betrayed, slightly angry look on his brother's face. I knew exactly how he must feel. A smile tugged on Scipio's face. He took the kitten out of Bo's arms and placed it on his lap, stroking its tiny ears. "And I will help you!" Bo moved even closer to Scipio. "Right, Scip? I'll come with you."

Oh great.

"BO!" Prosper shouted, jumping up. "Stop talking such complete nonsense! You're not going anywhere, is that clear? And you're definitely not going to do anything dangerous." He whipped around to me, his face furious. This is all your fault, his bright eyes shouted at me. The look on his face said everything. I don't think I've ever felt worse in my life than I did under that boy's gaze.

Bo's eyes were shining with tears—the first time I had ever seen him this upset. Prosper glared at Scipio, Bo and I steadily before turning and stomping off to his mattress in the other room. Bo's sniffle broke the following silence, and then we all saw his blond head streaking out of the room, the sound of sobbing reaching our ears, moving farther and farther away inside the Stella.

I stood after an eternity of silence, and then ran off in search of Bo.

I found Bo sobbing into Shasta's fur, in an old, abandoned janitor's closet. I had been walking down a hall, when I heard small, quiet sobs from behind a door. When I opened it, I saw Bo and Shasta curled up, with the other of the kittens Scipio had brought Bo.

"Bo?" I asked softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Go away!"

"I agree with Prosper," Hornet said, breaking the silence. "There's no reason to take any more risks. We've got enough money for now."

Scipio examined his mask and poked a finger into one of the hollow eyes. "I will take the job," he said.

Riccio's scrawny face beamed all over. "And this time you'll take us along, won't you?" he asked. "Please! I'd love to see a big, fine house from the inside—just once."

"Yes, I'd like that too…" Mosca gazed dreamily up at the curtain, which was glittering in the candlelight as if it were covered in golden spider's threads. "I'd often wondered what it must be like. I've heard that in some of the houses the floors are paved with gold and that they have real diamonds on the doorknobs."

"Well, go to the Scuola di San Rocco if you want to see things like that!" Hornet gave the boys an angry look. "Scipio just said himself; he should take a break for a while. After all, they're probably still looking for the man who broke into the Palazzo Contarini. Another break in would be madness right now. Just stupid!" She turned to Scipio. "If Barbarossa knew that the Thief Lord hasn't got a single hair on his chin and doesn't reach up to his pudgy nose, even in a pair of high-heeled boots, he would have never asked him anyway!"

"Oh yeah?" Scipio drew himself up, his face stony and his dark eyes blazing. "Did you know that Alexander the Great was smaller than me? He had to push a table in front of the Persian throne so he could climb on to it! I've made my decision. Tell Barbarossa that the Thief Lord will take the job. I have to go now, but I will be back tomorrow." He stood and started to leave, but Hornet blocked his way.

"Now listen," she said quietly. "Maybe you're a better thief than all the grown-up thieves in the city, but when Barbarossa sees you in your high heels with all your grown-up playacting, he'll just laugh at you. Hear that? He. Will. Laugh."

The others looked at Scipio in embarrassment. Never had anyone ever dared to talk to him like that.

Scipio stood completely still and ramrod straight. Then his mouth twisted into an arrogant sneer. "Well, the Redbeard is not going to see me!" He said, pulling the mask over his face. "And should he ever dare to laugh at me then I'll just look into his moon face and laugh right back at him, twice as loud. He is just a fat, old man. I am the Thief Lord." With a sudden spin he walked around Hornet. "I'll be quite late tomorrow… Tell Rae she better hurry up with that idea of hers," he called over his shoulder.

Then he was swallowed by the shadows.

Rae's POV

"Bo, Prosper just wants to keep you safe," I tried to get him to understand why his brother was so aggressive about Bo not joining in on raids. "What would you do if you were in his shoes?"

"I'd let me have fun!" Bo said stubbornly, his tears stopped but face still wet. I sighed; he was acting just like my little sisters…

"Look…Bo…You've got to understand…Prosper would die if anything bad happened to you. We'd have to chain him up and nail him to the floor to keep him from throwing himself off a roof or into the canal. Maybe, one day, he'll loosen up, but you've got to face it; you're just not old enough to go out on your own."

He sighed, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "I guess you're right, Rae," he yawned. "Can you read me a bedtime story?"

I smiled and picked him up, shooing Shasta with my foot. "Sure, Bo. Let's get you into your pajamas, and then I'll read you a bedtime story."

The next morning, Riccio and I went to Barbarossa to give him the Thief Lord's answer, just like Scipio had told us.

"He accepts? Good, that will please my customer," the red-beard said with a self-satisfied smile. "But you will have to be patient. It won't be easy to get a message to him. He hasn't even got a telephone."

For the next two days Riccio returned to Barbarossa's shop in vain, and while he was gone, I was trying to find Scipio. I had gone to his house many times, and I had waited through rain that hit against my skin like icy bullets, just standing outside on his balcony. I tried knocking on the glass; I tried picking the lock and looking inside…

He was never there.

Alright, I admit it; I was a bit harsh with the teasing. Sometimes I get carried away, alright? It's a habit I got from school—people tease me, I tease them. And win. It's a bad habit, and I had been doing better on it, but sometimes I just tease a bit and then I'm actually hurting them. And then I feel really, really bad. I wanted to apologize to Scip so badly...but he never gave me a chance. I could just tell that he was avoiding me.

As I stood outside his balcony again, my black-coated shoulders hunched up like an old raven sitting on a telephone wire back home, I was getting a bit angry. So he wanted to sulk, did he? Well then, the next time I saw him I'd give him a real reason to sulk!

My shoulders slumped and I leaned against the cold glass, resting my cheek on it. No, I couldn't do that…

"Scip," I said knowing he would be able to hear me through the glass if he was actually in there—which I doubted. "I'm sorry, alright? I shouldn't have teased you so much—I'm sorry…" I sniffled. I had been getting a runny nose lately, as it was getting deeper into the winter months. "If you want to talk…I'm always ready to listen."

Then I turned and made my way back down to the slick cobblestones below. I could have sworn I heard a muffled sniffle much like mine from the balcony.

The third day the Redbeard had what we had been waiting for. "My customer wants to meet you in the Basilica, the Basilica San Marco," Barbarossa explained. He was standing in front of the mirror in his office, snipping away at his beard with a tiny pair of scissors. "The Conte likes to be mysterious, but there are never any problems business-wise. He's already sold me some very nice pieces, and always at a fair price. Just don't ask him any nosy questions, understood?" He swapped the scissors for a pair of tweezers.

All through this I had been staring glumly out the window at the rain, and the bedraggled Shasta. I knew that if Scipio was in real danger Shasta could tell me—he always had a way of being a rescue dog. He was currently sitting under the overhang thing outside the shop front, watching the rain fall just like I was. He looked a bit sad.

"The Conte?" Riccio asked, impressed. "Does that mean he's a real count or something?"

"Indeed it does. I just hope the Thief Lord behaves accordingly." Barbarossa looked very self-important before plucking a hair from his nostril. "Once you meet the Conte in person you will see that there can be no doubt as to his distinguished ancestry. To this day he hasn't told me his name but my guess is he's a Valaresso. Some members of this venerable family have not been blessed by fate. There has even been talk of a curse. Anyway." The Redbeard moved a little closer to the mirror and tugged at a particularly stubborn hair. Be that as it may, they are still one of the old families—well, you know, like the Correr, Vendramin, Contarini, Venier, Loredan, Barbarigo, and countless others. They've ruled this city for centuries without anyone of us ever really knowing what was going on. Isn't that right?"

Riccio nodded respectfully, but I just moved my chin up and down a bit, absently, staring into space past the falling rain. Of course Riccio had heard all the names the Redbeard had just so pompously strung out. He knew the palaces and museums that bore their names, but about the people themselves, he knew nothing.

I vaguely remembered that "Valaresso" was the family of Vampires in one of my stories that I was working on…I'd have to finish it someday. If there was a someday.

With sudden intensity I felt a stabbing pain in my heart. I might never get home! I felt my eyes sting and blinked them away quickly—I couldn't let the Redbeard, of all people, see me cry. But as they spoke, I couldn't help but debate whether or not I wanted to go back. I was happy here; or relatively happy. Once I got everything worked out I could have a fun, happy life here. Back at home there was only endless teasing and being annoyed by my little sisters, right? Yet in a way I had grown to love that, I had grown immune to the teasing, I had even gotten used to the gross jokes that my friends always liked to tell.

Still, Scipio was here—the first guy who had actually, openly liked me liked me, and the first one to even do anything about those feelings of his. I felt the same way in return, and I'd probably die if I was away from him. Was it love? At this age you couldn't be sure, even if you thought it was the strongest attraction in the world.

I had made better friends here than I could have ever hoped for before—Hornet; shy and gentle at times, but with a tongue just like a Hornet's stinger; Prosper, like a brother to me, sometimes unsure, but ready to do anything for his Bo; Mosca, with his humor and talk of boats that even got me interested; Bo, how could you not like him? Riccio… I wasn't so sure about Riccio. He didn't seem to like me much. But still—I'd miss his hero-worship of Scipio and his pick-pocketing skills.

"So as I said, just address him as Conte and he'll be pleased. The Thief Lord will probably get along fine with him. After all, your leader also likes to shroud himself in mystery. Probably quite a good idea in his line of work, right?"

Riccio nodded once more. He couldn't wait for the fat man to get back to the point so that he could deliver the news to the others. It was obvious from the way he shifted impatiently from one foot to the other. "When? When are we supposed to meet him in the Basilica?" he asked as Barbarossa stepped up to the mirror again—this time to pluck his eyebrows. Ugh.

"Tomorrow afternoon. Three o'clock sharp. The Conte will wait for you in the first confessional on the left. And don't be late: The man is always very punctual."

"Fine," Riccio mumbled. "Three o'clock. Confessional. First left. Three o'clock sharp." He turned to leave.

"Hold on, hold on, Hedgehog!" Barbarossa waved Riccio back once more. "Tell the Thief Lord the Conte wants to meet him in person. He can bring any companions he likes. Apes, elephants, or even his little children. But he has to come in person. The Conte wants to judge for himself before he tells him anything more about the job. After all," his face took on a rather hurt expression, "he hasn't even told me anymore about it."

That really didn't surprise us, but the Conte's condition to meet Scipio made my heart skip a few beats. I had almost forgotten about that. "That, that…" Riccio stammered, "…Sci--"

I cut him off. "Fine. See you," I said, dragging Riccio to the door.

"Have a nice day," Barbarossa called.

"Same to you," Riccio muttered, poking out his tongue at the red-beard's back before turning and leading me off. I grinned at his back.

Just another reason to like Riccio.