This chapter will contain improper language~! (Warning for the clean folks)
_
The young girl swiftly increased the distance between the two people, becoming a miniature pink spot at the far end of the street, before she finally took a pivot to the left and vanished. He raised an eyebrow at the young lass who had acted so peculiar. "Now who was that li'l girl?" he said to himself, honestly not recognizing her. Her face rings a few bells, but… "Ahh! I don't have the time ta be worryin' 'bout this!" the man turned to face the final house on the street. "Miss Vienna! Ya' el'gant lass! I need a word with ya'!" he shouted.
"You better not be trying to make another quick move on me!" She snapped, holding a tray of small treats.
"Aw Vienna, you know I'd never make a move on a woman willing to hurt me with silverware, but mooching off your food is like a blessing!" He smiled, showing some of his decaying teeth. "Now if only I can have a bite of these…err…"
"Scones" She stated indifferently.
"Why thanks!" He took the recently baked treat and put it in his mouth, letting his saliva do the work of softening it before he began to chew.
"Heinrick McCarter! Did your mother fail to teach you manners along with grooming?" she hissed icily.
"Will you quit acting like her? I swear, you act as her spitting image, only with a deadlier tongue" He pulled the scone out of his mouth as if to return it.
"As if I'd want it now!" She spoke harshly and distantly.
"There's that deadly tongue of yours again!" Now to get me some more of her home-made grub! The man always came to her to receive his dinners. Heinrick only had enough money to get one meal per day; that one meal was free, the forced courtesy provided by Vienna. Despite the nice woman she normally was, her temper was quite short with McCarter. However, having known the man since the time he actually deserved title, Vienna could not help but take pity on him and spare some of her own staples with him during her time of surplus, which was his time of need.
'Pity' does not mean 'liking' though. She rarely spoke to him. When she does so, it is typically an insult, or something around the lines of 'Shoo! Go away!' Ms. Greene pointed to the wooden table, which had some stew, more scones, and tea on top of it. Heinrick did his signature sleazy smirk before sitting and chowing down. "Hmm~ hardly any of the young ones came by today, and I even made extra scones just for them."
"I wouldn't waste time on brats that won't even appreciate it"
"So maybe I should stop giving them to you?" Vienna gave a smile so sweet it gave him chills.
"Hey! I appreciate every last crumb!"
Heinrick McCarter: he despised children from the very pit of his heart, but tried his best to hide it. After all, harboring hatred towards young children is frowned upon. His reason for loathing youth occurred three years ago. His family's business was trading materials; he was even a merchant that traveled overseas at times, but no one cared except him.
One day, he was emptying the barrels from the ship his crew owned. Many of the men made jokes on how this was the area where thieves could even hide themselves among the cockroaches! He snorted at such remarks. It was not that long after, he noticed the indistinct rumbling of the barrels. The one that had contained fruit was noticeable among the rest. He edged near the cargo he had unloaded, for he suspected an intruder, but not even a roach appeared to be there. He opened some of the containers to make sure; the barrel that had fruit was noticeably emptied. This angered him, because the price of fruit was heavy, and he had even went through the trouble of keeping it in its best condition possible for selling! His face grew a light shade of red due to frustration. Not long after, shouting would be heard from many:
"Those scoundrels are at it again! Why isn't anyone doing something?" They also said thieves were running through the market's crowd. Upon them coming into his view, Heinrick had given chase to them. The two escapees were fast on their feet, despite their somewhat short legs. The merchant was too persistent to let them escape with what literally would be his money to support himself for weeks, so his running transformed to an exponential sprint. One of the 'rats' yelled something which was more than likely a strategy; they had went into two directions. The excellent merchant followed his instincts and gave chase to the one with more of the 'merchandise'. People turned to see the two figures in a cat-and-mouse chase, before they disappeared far from the market, and near the harbor area.
The occasional, and sometimes very repetitive, glances backward hinted the 'mouse' was starting to panic. He took the advantage to shout: "Give it up now and you won't be hurt!" his only intention was an empty threat, but the young thief took this threat too seriously and began to get more and more evasive. Heinrick was now sure that this must have been a child. After several immediate turns and cuts through buildings, the merchant successfully managed to corner this now heavily panting fugitive, who let an apple drop to the dirty floor.
Without a doubt this is a kid. He took out his knife, as he always would do when there is a thief, thinking that would be enough to make the child give up. Shaking, the juvenile turned its head in different directions for an opportunity to escape. The only way was through Heinrick, who had his knife pointed forward if that route would be taken. The youngster should've cracked and surrendered by now. The man backed away, knowing that an escape attempt was inevitable, the knife still in his hand. This way there was a larger opportunity for him to capture, and a larger opportunity for him/her to escape to be used as bait. The bait was taken. The criminal pulled the cap over its head and ran forward. Heinrick ran toward the child to grab him/her, but that apple had made him trip. Just as he fell, the knife in his hand was in front of child. He moved his arm downward so he could stop his fall; he then heard a horrible screech that was terrifying to him, followed by sobbing. He got up to see a girls face, blood and tears mixing together and they dripped down her face. His glanced at his knife and saw blood on the tip.
"Little Lass, I'm terribly sorry!" Heinrick went toward the girl to see how bad she was injured. She screamed "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME ANYMORE!" while backing up. Her hand covering her right eye made him aware of where she was stabbed. "I'm not gonna hurt you-!"
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER?" was shouted so loud that the merchant was cut off and stunned all together. He suddenly felt something rough and hard, lie a brick, hitting him in the cheek. The young boy, who had thrown the stone, ran up to the injured and petrified girl; he held her while pulling her away from Heinrick, who was still kneeling down in shock. While in this state, he could hear "Livy? Livy, it's gonna be okay, don't worry" in a hushed volume. Every passerby looked at the scenario in disgust that was directed toward Heinrick, even though the boy that called him out was the accomplice in the theft. No one except the accused Heinrick knew this, because the young lad had hidden his stolen goods. Not only did the two 'brats' get away with his food, they were the cause for his reputation going to ruin. No one would purchase merchandise from a man that stabs children, then gets beat by one. His former co-workers would not speak to him in fear of their own status being spoiled; he was given the title of a mere thug, if that, all because of two kids that could have simply begged him for food instead.
"If you keep this up, I will make you bring your own teacups" made Heinrick realize that he was crushing the handle to the point where there were visible cracks. "Sorry Vienna…I was jus' thinking" About the spawn of bitches that ruined me, he kept to himself. The little manners he had left after being labeled a brute were used for putting away the emptied dishes. The final part of the routine, that had not taken place yet, was Vienna kicking him out of her home. Before he could think of a way to stall, there was a very loud and abrupt knocking on the door.
"Oh! The young ones were a little late today weren't they?" smirked Vienna as she went to open the front door.
"Not more trollop spawn" whispered Heinrick, to himself so he wouldn't deal with the wrath of the youth embracer. She welcomed the guest in, but the offer was denied. Heinrick stayed out of sight, for the only one he didn't truly hate was Vienna.
"Have you seen my sister? I was told she'd be here!" The familiarity of that voice hit Heinrick like a brick to the cheek. His eyes widened as he thought: is me own mind shitting me now? He crept toward the corner where he was originally avoiding, so he could get a peak of this 'guest'. Vienna was looking down, smiling at the brown-eyed blonde that had shamed his status a mere two years ago. If that boy is the same, then!He abruptly realized how the girl that bumped into him was missing an eye, and how she shouted "I'M SORRY!" in the same way back then. How dare they have the nerve to show their disgusting faces after ruining me?Anger gradually filled him to the point where if he looked at the boy, he would certainly end up hurting a child with intention this time around. He used logic before following his emotions, and gritted his golden teeth together waiting for the boy to leave.
"What, you didn't see her anywhere? Oh man…Well thanks for telling me!" The door slammed.
"So he finally left?" Heinrick stepped out of the corner, appearing ready to leave.
"Yes, so when will you?"
"Right now, I've grown tired"
"You should do this more often" said Vienna looking both surprised and relieved.
Without responding, the man closed the door after walking out. Oliver was nowhere in sight, which was a good thing for the both of them. Whenever Heinrick was mad, he was like an insane alcoholic, without actually being drunk. However, when he was drunk, he acted very calm and somewhat collected. The man who worked at the market place, who was his cousin, spared him a few bottles at times, typically out of pity. Knowing that, the former merchant went to go for another drink before the market was closed for the night.
Dylan McCarter, the owner and cousin of Heinrick, stepped outside upon seeing the man get closer to the market. "Hello, cousin! Did that Vienna lady kick ya' out again?"
"No, I left with my own intentions" scoffed Heinrick.
"It's been a while…did you come for a drink?"
"Do I ever come for anything else?"
The market owner laughed. "Let me guess: Beer?" He walked into the store; the former merchant followed him in. A few drinks later, Dylan looked like he would've passed out. "Ya' never been that good handling yer alcohol, have ya?" Heinrick took Dylan's half-empty cup and finished it. "I actually was having a drink just before you came! Brats got me again…" defied Dylan.
"Brats? So I'm not the only one with a problem…"
"I don't mean the weird hatred you've got for kids; I mean this kid that robbing me of merchandise. I've never been able to even catch a glimpse of the bastard…"
"Heh! A Child thief sounds far too familiar. Remember why I lost my job?"
"Ya stabbed a kid, then another came shouting?"
"Yeah, I even saw the kid today! Both of them I met by chance! Did you know that those two kids were stealing food from me the day I lost my job? The boy that came shouting is known by many of the 'petty thugs' like me, as a brigand nonetheless!"
"Are you trying to make a point?" asked Dylan, gradually getting out of his dizzy spell.
"My gut's tellin' me that the same person who ruined my career is the same who steals your goods today"
"Anyway to confirm that?" asked Dylan, now completely out of his dizzy spell and in doubt.
"When you described the kid, you said he had a bird companion, correct?"
"Yes…so?"
Heinrick pointed out toward the window, where a goldfinch had just few by. "Better follow quickly" He grabbed his cousin's arm and ran through the door, which was slammed shut with Dylan's foot. The finch continued to fly, and then it did a few circles before resting upon the shoulder of a young boy with a concerned face. "I haven't seen Olivia anywhere! What about you Ainsley?"
"No I haven't. What if she just went back without telling us?"
"She wouldn't just do that…unless she had a reason."
In the corner where the two men hid, they were eavesdropping on the conversation as Dylan was looking at the three kids. Heinrick asked if they were familiar; Dylan replied that he knew Ainsley and Noah, since they were popular amongst the town's people.
"I meant the taller one specifically" whispered Heinrick. Dylan was cut off before he could even respond.
"Well…If you really think so, I'll go and check the dwelling!" The blonde then ran directly past the corner where the two men were hiding, followed by the bird companion. Wait a minute…the way he runs is just like the thief, and that voice sounds similar to the one that taunts me! "Heinrick! This must be the kid!" There was no response, nor was there a person to respond. "What? Don't just take a piss then leave me!" Dylan took a guess and ran in the same direction that boy took. In a matter of seconds, he could see Heinrick, who was also giving chase while avoiding being in the boy's sight. The three passed by the docks, and finally headed towards the pier.
Oliver headed down the rocks as swiftly as he could before running under the pier. The wooden door that was normally closed shut was cracked open. This only made Oliver more worried. He opened the door wide enough for him to walk through; the first thing he saw was Olivia: She was sitting in the corner in a fetal position, shuddering violently. "Livy…Why are you acting like this? Why did you leave without telling me or the others? I was worried sick!" He went closer to her, so he could calm her down. "You act as if you saw someone get killed! What happened?"
"Well…I guess it's indirectly like that…" Olivia trailed off, still in fear. Her brother was confused by this.
"What happened?" this time said with a little more demand.
"Well I saw…"
"You saw who?"
"When I was about to go to Ms. Greene, I bumped into a guy that looked very creepy and ran" Olivia partially lied, so she would not have to worry her brother on the fact that she saw the man who has a grudge against both of them.
"Is that all? You're more the type to go:Excuse me creep! I'm gonna get snacks!" parodied Oliver, knowing this would get a reaction.
"SHUT UP!" Olivia clenched her fists. Okay, here it comes, he thought. Just as Olivia stood up, Ainsley came in and shouted "I DO NOT WANT TO DEAL WITH ANOTHER FIGHT!" The two immediately sat back down and giggled at her reaction. Noah added "I don't like fights either~! They are bad!"
"I agree~!" Oliver parodied Noah's voice.
"That's bad too!" Noah noticed the sarcasm (without knowing what the word for it is). The others laughed at Noah's late reaction.
"You see now? We just have to find a way to deal with this pest dwelling, and we're both set!"
"I understand how this benefits me, but will you gain from this Heinrick?"
"I get to return the favor to the little bastard! That's enough satisfaction!" his sleazy grin returning.
"So how exactly do we deal with this?" asked Dylan.
"I got to know quite a few people ever since I became a 'thug'…and I know just the right person to help us deliver revenge…for the right price…"
"Who?"
"He is called Andrew"