Hello!

I'm back, sorry for the late update but I had my semesters and I really had to work hard for them. Anyway, let's go on to the next chapter!

First of all the thanks—

Inkysubstance- yes that's the point. I'm glad you like the format! When I was writing about Bo in chapter 2 I was all giggly. :P thanks for the review.

Lee Pyro- Thanks for your honest opinion. Well, I guess I musnt make it so separate but try to make good paragraphs so that it easier for people to read. :) thanks for the review.

Everyone! I appreciate reviews and please do review as reviews keep me going! On to the next chapter...


Chapter 3.

This can't be happening!

"Well, let's say that new members are not as trustable as the old ones!"

Rosa cursed lightly under her breath as she turned over.

"What does he think of himself?" she muttered under her breath as she looked up into the vast darkness that had invaded the theatre. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep but her mind didn't exactly obey her. She sighed and sat up. She wished she didn't have the spicy sausage. She got up and thought of getting some milk for herself.

Yes, that would help her to sleep…

She got up, sighing and groped around in the darkness. She searched for a candle and match sticks. After a few minutes of groping and fumbling she got a match stick and a half melted candle. With shaking hands she lit the candle and looked around. The candle didn't have much light to fill the theatre. It hardly shed any light. She looked at the sleeping figures of the others. She knew where the milk and other stuff were kept. She walked quietly, taking care not to wake up the others.

Humming a small tune under her breath, she poured herself some milk in a cracked cup she found. She drank it thankfully. The milk was indeed soothing for her stomach. She decided to take a small stroll around the theatre.

Though she was intimidated by the huge, swallowing darkness that surrounded her, she could muster up some courage to walk around for a while. She touched the starry curtain with her fingers.

Twinkle twinkle little star…

A nostalgic melody suddenly filled her mind.

How I wonder what you are?

She looked around at the huge screen.

Up above the world so high…

A smile graced her lips and she turned around and walked to the door. She opened the rusty latch quietly and stepped outside in the cold air. She sat down on one of the steps which ran deep down into the water. She smiled as she saw the silver orb and the small silver dots around it shining brightly in the sky reflected in the dark endless water.

Like a diamond in the sky!

She stared at ripples created in the water due to the cold wind and the shapes distorting suddenly.

"Twinkle twinkle little star,

How I wonder how you are?

Up above the world so high…

Like a diamond in the sky!"

The piano ended on a beautiful note. Everyone clapped but she clapped the loudest. Marie looked at her.

"You sing really well, Rosa!" she said. Rosa blushed. "Thank you," she said politely not knowing how to react to praises. Marie pinched her cheek gently and laughed.

"Now, children, let's sing 'Baa Baa Black Sheep'!"

All the children cheered and everything went silent as the piano struck its first note.

Rosa felt herself jerk awake from her slumber. She lay down on the cold stone steps. An empty feeling entered her stomach as she got up and walked towards the theatre. The candle light was weak and faded a bit as she entered. Rosa's eyes travelled over the huge theatre. How homely it was here. But she missed her home too…her home...sweet home…

Rosa felt her eyes sting.

No, don't cry!!!

She wiped her eyes quickly and settled on the rug which was hers. She pulled the old blanket over her head and curled up like a small mouse; she closed her eyes tight and tried to think about some thing nice, like Hornet's pasta or the cakes they had eaten. Her thoughts turned to a certain raven haired boy.

Hmph! Who does he think he is??

But her next thought was

Why does he act like that? I feel so hurt…

A kind of pain gripped her heart. She sighed. She was getting sleepy now but her thoughts used to make her restless.

Scipio, the Thief Lord, eh?

Rose whispered slowly again. She loved the name Scipio and wondered what it meant. Before she could think of anything else she felt extremely tried and her eyes closed. She fell asleep instantly…

"Buogiorno!"

Rosa opened her eyes. She spotted a smiling Bo above her.

"Oh, Buogiorno, Bo! Did you sleep well?" she replied as she slowly got up.

"Uh huh! I had a dream, Rosa," Bo said sitting down besides her, "About a winged horse taking me away from Aunt Esther and destroying her best dress!"

Bo giggled. Rosa smiled at him, amused.

"Did you have a dream?" Bo asked, tilting his head to one side. Rosa's eyes flickered towards the starry curtain.

"Hmm…yes, I did," she said slowly.

"What was it about?" Bo asked, eagerly.

"Hmm…it was about my home," Rosa said, her heart filling with emotions as she remembered her small cottage.

"How was your home?" Bo asked, in an innocent voice. Rosa's face lit up as she remembered the sunny garden and the blue sky. "It was pretty…we had a small garden which was always full of roses!"

"You love roses?" Bo asked.

Rosa's eyes filled with happiness as she relieved the feeling she had at home.

"What was it like? Where you lived before?" Bo asked.

Rosa closed her eyes and said, "It was pretty…I remember sitting in the garden…the garden was full of roses and there was a small bench where we could sit. I remember on a summer's day, the sky used to be as blue as forget-me-nots and then there used to be a small stream of sweet, crystal clear water near by. The sound of trickling water used to mingle with the sound of the breeze which would carry the fragrance of roses around…"

Bo looked at her wide eyed. "That's so pretty," he said. "Uh huh," Rosa said getting up from her rug. She picked up the blanket and folded it up properly. She rolled up the rug and put the blanket and rug neatly in one corner.

"Tell me more!!" Bo begged. Rosa smiled. "Ok, sit here, I'll tell you some stories!"

"Hey, Rosa!" Rosa turned to face Hornet. "You awake?" Hornet asked. "Yes, I was just going to tell Bo some fairy tales," she said as Hornet sat down besides her.

"Why don't you tell the both of us?" Hornet said. Rosa laughed. "Ok! So, once upon a time…"


"Scipio, sit still!!"

Dottor Massimo's voice rang out through the dining hall. Scipio sat up suddenly. His spoon fell down to the floor with a loud clang. He looked up with guilt. His father glared. "How many times should I tell you to concentrate while eating?!" he barked.

"Tell me that a thousand times but I'm not going to listen," Scipio muttered under his breath.

"What?!!" Dottor Massimo barked again.

"No-nothing, father," Scipio stuttered looking below at his plate full of expensive food.

"I've got a guest coming tonight so I want you out of sight when he comes," Dottor Massimo said as he cut his food neatly in his plate. Scipio sulked. He played with his fork but took care not to attract attention of his father who seemed to be deep in thought.

Rosa…hmm…I wonder what her surname is... I wonder how they must be doing at the Star Palace. I hope I can slip out tonight. Oh yes, I can. Father has this stupid visitor coming. That's enough to keep him busy anyways.

The scraping of the chair brought him back to earth. His father got out of his chair. He glanced at Scipio's plate.

"Why haven't you finished your dinner yet?!" he asked angrily.

Scipio looked at his father with a contemptuous look and said stubbornly, "I'm not hungry."

"Don't eat then!" his father said indifferently. He walked out of the dining room. Scipio stared at his cold dinner. He felt sick yet empty. Why did he father treat him like that? Couldn't he understand how much it hurt him? Scipio got up and walked out of the dining room towards his own bed room.

The room was large. A huge bed stood at one corner. Silk draping over it. A couch was at another end. It was a beautiful room. There was a huge wardrobe in front of the bed. A shiny and clean mirror stood in one corner. He had everything he wanted. He had riches, toys, nannies but he never had a friend. It felt so empty and lonely. Even his mother was never at home much, whenever she would come, she used to be tired and would retire to sleep and would go out to work early in the morning.

His father ever gave him a second glance. He wished he had someone to talk to. But now he had friends. Prosper, Bo, Riccio, Mosca and Hornet.

Rosa…

Scipio shook his head. Where did that thought come from? He looked around blankly for a moment. Then again he shook his head.

What is wrong with me?

He wondered what the other must be doing. He was to get ready for his next robbery. A smile suddenly graced his lips. He'd have to take those precious studded goblets from the attic. Nobody would even notice that it would be gone. He walked to his bed and flopped onto it. He sighed as his head sunk into the soft velvet pillow. He was tired. He didn't want to think about anything…he just wished he could have a better life…but he was still happy with the small family he had living in the Star Palace…

Scipio jerked his eyes open. His bedroom light was still switched on. He sighed and rubbed his eyes as he got up. He looked outside. It was still night. He looked at the small gold watch at his bedside table.

It had been an hour and three quarters that he had dozed off. He stretched and got up. Maybe his father's guest had arrived.

He opened his door and got out of the room, wanting to go for a walk. He walked down slowly down the marble staircase to the floor below him. He decided to talk a walk through the passage. He walked, deep in thought through the dimly yet beautifully lit passage.

"So, how are you going to get rid of her?"

"Kill her."

Scipio stopped. He started at the door which he passed. Did he just hear his father's voice? He cautiously put his ear to the door and listened intently.

"So, you're going to kill her?"

"Yes, Dottor, no way out. She has seen enough."

"But what happened?"

"Well, her father was bankrupt and then he refused to pay back. We had to kill him," the man spoke indifferently, "His wife threatened us that she'd call the police so we'd to kill her too. The bullet we shot hit the young boy too. We set the house on fire and encouraged the rumours of a gas leak and then we realised that the girl was missing. We searched for her and finally caught her. She was sent to Drew and Joanne who left no stone unturned in torturing her. Then she ran away. She knows about us and I don't want her babbling to everyone. My reputation is on stake."

A cold shiver ran through Scipio's spine. This man was talking about killings and torturing so casually.

"Do you have a picture of her?"

"Yes, look, that's her, second from the left. Those were her parents and brother."

"Oh, well, if you need any help-"

"Sure, Dottor, I'd contact you but now I need some men to track her down. Oh yes, I'm leaving this photo here."

"I'll send you the men tomorrow. I'll put this safely in my drawer. Now why don't we go to the veranda and have a nice hot cup of tea?" his father said as there was a creaking of the drawer being opened.

"Sure!"

Scipio's mind worked fast. He hid himself in a small dark niche beside the door. He prayed they won't see him. The door opened. Scipio pressed himself against the dark wall. He stood in the shadow, holding his breath. Two people stepped out. One was a burly old man with faded brown hair while the other was his father. His father closed the door without a second glance. The both of them made their way down the passage not aware of Scipio hiding near the door.

Scipio dashed inside his father's study. He went to the desk which was full of papers. His mind started racing fast. His father's friend was planning to kill someone -a girl- he had her photo. He opened the first drawer he saw. He didn't see any photo. He quickly closed it and opened the second one.

He saw it. He saw the photo. They had left it on the desk. He lifted it. There were 4 people in it. His eyes searched from the person second from left. The second from the left was a girl. She had a pale yet happy face and black hair…and huge brown eyes…just like…

"Rosa," Scipio whispered. His heart started pacing. They were…they were going to kill Rosa! His mind screamed at him but he stood there numbly. What was the connection between Rosa and the story?

He realised then that Prosper and the others had found Rosa in the snow…hurt. She had a nightmare about someone hitting her badly…

"Rosa, no," Scipio felt his heart sink. Why did he feel so bad for her? Ever since he had seen her, he couldn't stop thinking about her, wondering from where she had come or how she ended up with them. He couldn't take eyes off her face every time he saw her…

He…he had to warn her!

Scipio dashed to his room not caring if anyone would hear him. He pocketed the photo and jumped out of the balcony of his room as quietly as a cat and set out.


Kept you hanging, eh:) Thank you for reading. Review please:) (if you want the next chapter!)

Miki Bidan