Hanso's Journal

by Reese S. Quill

The thief needs a story too, right? So how did Hanso become the oh-so-charming one that saved Neopia? This when he's 7 to 18, when TFR starts. Written with the permission of amethyst3232.

21. September at Age 8 and 9

The Month of Gathering (September) Age 8

Week 1

The beginning of my happy month started when Kayley tried to kill Razor. Okay, maybe not kill, but...we had a quick lesson on combat that day. Normally, thieves don't do battle. We take the stuff and leave. Sure, if we're daring enough we can stay for a minute and gloat, but only for awhile. But the Kyrii said that it's really useful, especially if you're being ambushed or something. I guess he meant me from last month.

Wisely, he didn't pair the twins up like he usually did. The results of doing that last time still showed on a couple of broken desks in the corner. Instead, Julius was benched (he was the best in fighting- fast and strong make a good combination for that- so he didn't need another lesson) and we were matched up. I got Juliet.

It was civil enough while the Kyrii was in the room. Then a messenger knocked on the door and said that three letters for him arrived, and he rushed off. As an afterthought, he paused and told us to behave ourselves. Sometimes I think that he's less responsible than us.

Juliet wasn't as brawny as her twin, but she still had lightning reflexes. It turned out that all that energy wasn't just from the candy, though that did help. I did my best to defend myself. Though it was hard, keeping silent and concentrating really wasn't my thing, so I struck up a conversation with her. "So…hi."

"Hi," she replied, trying to stab me. I dodged.

"Julius would be a better match for you," I grumbled as she succeeded into scratching me.

She swiped. "Why?" She asked in a deadly voice.

"He's as quick as you. I can barely keep up. Woah!" I ducked as she jabbed.

"I like strategy more than fighting," she said. "Julius is all bronze…I'm more of brains. Though thanks for the compliment." She would have whacked me on the side if I hadn't parried.

"When are you going to apologize?" I questioned, jumping as she lunged.

"Apologize? For what, exactly?" She glared, confronting me to answer. I decided not to- at least not while she had a pointy object in her hand.

"Sorry, I meant when are you going to forgive him?"

"Better." She tried an attack in my left. "As soon as he says sorry, I guess. Or if I have a good reason to."

"What type of reason do you need?" I deflected her blade.

"Why do you care, anyway?"

"Why did you care when Kayley and I were arguing?"

She pounced, and I ran out of the way just in time. "Kayley's my friend. I know things about her that'd make you hide your face in a paper bag for shame."

"Such as?"

"I don't think she'd appreciate it if I tell you." She swerved away from a blow. "Speaking of fighting," she said, changing the subject, "You know how Kayley hates having bad grades?"

"Yeah."

"She didn't exactly forgive Razor for the one he nearly gave her. And I think she's getting her revenge right now."

"Huh?" She gestured to them. Kayley was attacking ferociously, her dagger nearly touching his neck. He whimpered. "Switch partners? I'll take Kayley."

"Fine. But I haven't really forgiven Razor too," she added. I ran in just in time, blocking Kayley's blade from drawing blood. She frowned.

I grinned cheekily at her. "Come on, beat up someone your own size."

"Alright," she replied as she hit me instead. I jumped back. "You shouldn't have stopped me, you know."

I crouched down. "You would have murdered him!"

"I wouldn't have hurt a hair on his head…much." She tumbled as I tried the forward-slash motion. "You know what he almost did."

"Almost- but I saved you, remember? We all got higher marks than him."

"That's no excuse," she stated firmly, trying to kick me.

I rolled my eyes as I twisted around. "Guess I'm not too popular with girls today, huh? Why do you have to be so aggressive?"

"Girls? Aggressive? Who gave you that thought?" She nearly succeeded cutting my arm open.

The Kyrii came in and clapped his hands. "You all know how to defend yourselves excellently," he declared, ignoring Razor. "I think we can move on."

Razor wasn't the only one who sighed with relief.

Week 2

Those spoiled brats! They didn't nearly kill me; they nearly killed the whole neighborhood!

Maybe I should expand on that. Okay, so we got the little kids again. Because of the fiasco that happened last time, they didn't mind going to the playground. The day was perfect for it, actually, with a crisp taste in the air and the plant life looking fresh and green. That's why I was surprised not to see Charlie there.

It's amazing how much you like someone after just a few meetings. I only met Charlie twice, but I found it weird to be in the park without him. Restless after watching the kids endlessly build piles of sand and then stomp on it, I started wandering around in the borough. Of course, Kayley didn't approve.

"What are you doing?" She said sharply as she saw me walking away.

"Relax!" I told her. "I'm just taking a short stroll."

"Not without Timmy!" She insisted, dragging the poor guy out of the mud and pushed him to me. "I am not taking care of him while you're off gallivanting."

"I'm not going off 'gallivanting,'" I lied. "I'm, um…going to Charlie's house." I was probably going to do that anyway. After I, um, maybe accidentally-on-purpose broke in to one of the houses.

She put her hands on her hips. "And how do you know where his house is?"

"I visited him once."

"You know how to sneak inside one of these mansions?" Razor asked indecorously, stepping outside. "Not even Master Thieves-"

I cut him off. "He invited me in."

That wasn't the right thing to say, either. "And you accepted?" Kayley cried. "Are you mad? That's dangerous. For all you know, he can have a pack of guards planning to ambush you."

"Charlie wouldn't do that."

"Charlie is a rich kid!" She argued. "He's only a few years younger than us- he could already have a plan to bring us down!"

I stared at her. "You are paranoid."

"Am I? Did you forget what happened with that Usul? He made Julius and Juliet fight- and they were one of the closest siblings I know!"

"We might have fought anyway," Juliet reminded her, going out as well. "I was already feeling those things before."

"But you would never have let them get out of hand." Well, that was true, but she frowned defiantly at her brother and Kayley.

"Oh, come on," I whined. "He's my friend. You nearly took another away from me- I'm so not letting it happen again."

Kayley's eyes narrowed. "If you're talking about that girl, then mayn't a point out that you got her back?"

"After nine months."

She threw up her hands in defeat. "Fine. We'll all go. Don't blame me if this all ends in tears."

I led the way. At first I was scared that I'd forgotten, but then I remembered the rose-colored bricks and went towards the house that had one. I rang the doorbell and waited nervously. To my alleviation, Charlie answered. "Hanso! What a pleasant surprise. Come in!"

"Actually, we'd rather not," Kayley said rudely.

"Why ever not?" He asked. "My mum's upstairs getting ready for the party, and that'll take ages. Dad's at work. Even the servants have a day off. It's safe, really."

"No," she said firmly.

He let the tone slide. "That's quite alright! It's too lovely a day to spend indoors." Then he made a face. "Apparently my parents think so, too. Like I said, they're having a slight extravaganza." I noticed he was wearing tight, uncomfortable clothes, with a collar that seemed to be nearly choking him.

I shook my head with pity, and then had an idea. "Is Hazel coming?"

He gave me a sad smile. "I wish she was. No, her mother thinks her too fragile to let her go outside. The rest of her family is coming- along with that dear brother of hers, I expect." He sighed with irritation as a thought struck him. "Sorry, I have to put yet another layer of clothing before the guests arrive. Excuse me." He waddled inside again, up the stairs.

"What? Who's Hazel?" Razor asked. I forgot that I didn't fill him in yet (because he was a jerk at that time). I quickly explained. "Well, that's awfully mean of him."

"Say that again," called a voice. It was the Usul.

I smirked. "Hi, Ebony."

"Think my name is funny, do you Hansel?" He sneered.

I gritted my teeth. "It's Hanso."

"To-may-to, to-mah-to," he replied. He skimmmed our group and wrinkled his nose. "Charlie didn't invite you, did he?"

We frowned at him. "He let us in, if that's what you mean," Juliet spoke up.

Ebony smiled. There was something evil about it, something even eerier than Nort's or maybe even Harry's. "But he had no right. It's my territory, if you recall."

"Last I heard, it was Hagan's kingdom," I shot back.

"You heard wrong. And do you know the punishment for intruders?"

"Nothing good, I guess."

"Normally, we'd give them a good….scare." He simpered. "But I'm guessing that won't work with you. So I- oh, sorry, we," members of his posse crowded around him, "Decided to play nice just this once. Instead, we're going to give the penance to the little troublemaker who called you all so cruelly. Don't worry; we're just going to give him a little barbecue."

"Barbecue?" We all looked confused.

"You'll see." He snapped his fingers. Within moments his band each grabbed one of us and hustled inside to the backyard. They covered our mouths, probably not to alert Charlie. We all struggled, especially Kayley. The look on her face simply shouted I told you so.

"Now," he continued. "Matchbox, please." A large, hulking Skeith gave him a lighter. Next to him was a pile of hay, propped against the manor. My eyes widened as I realized what he was going to do.

He took his time selecting a match, inspecting each one carefully before nodding and setting brushing it against a rough surface. The small flame seemed to laugh at me, and as it was thrown into the stack and grew, it roared and taunted. I started sweating. Tendrils of smoke wafted above, and soon the house was alight. All the while, Ebony watched grinning.

The fire started catching everywhere, seeping into small spaces. It began stretching to the other side. The spoiled brats laughed. "You can kiss you're posh little friend good-bye!"

I looked on in horror. I couldn't do anything; I was frozen. Of course I've been in high stakes before, but never life-and-death. My muscles just wouldn't work- and I hated myself for it.

I heard a small gasp behind us. "Charlie!"

We all whirled around- to find another a younger Usul there. She was tiny, petite you might say, and wore a fancy, neat dress. But what caught my attention were her eyes; her big, brown eyes. I instantly knew who she was.

Ebony's smile vanished. "Hazel! Get back in the house!"

The little girl started to tremble, but took a step towards us. Another. Another. Then she moved faster, racing to the house at top speed. Ebony cursed and chased after her. Some of his henchmen followed him, unsure of what to do. Mine was one of them. But I still couldn't walk.

Ebony caught her rapidly. He twisted her arms, and she cried out, her face streaking with tears. "Stop it! Let go of me!" Judging by her weak attempt at getting away, she'd never tried to fight back before. She knew it was futile, so instead she hung limp as her brother motioned to carry her away. But as she did, she scanned the crowd desperately. She fixed her piercing eyes on me. "You! Get Charlie! Please!"

That snapped me out of it. I shook my head to clarify it, and went right to work. The only ones who were still tied up were Kayley and Juliet- but like I said before, the girls could handle themselves. I guess once they saw one of us finally acting, they snapped out of it too. Anyway, they kicked Ebony's friends hard in the shins and shoved them against the tree.

My mind was going double-speed. I don't know how, but it started making calculations swiftly, figuring if Charlie was alive, what I could do, and all that jazz. Some people would call it a one time thing, maybe an over-shock. But hey, it's a thief's instinct to think speedily.

"Razor," I ordered, startling even myself with the authority in my voice. "You're best with the little kids. Can you make like a water brigade or something?"

He was taken aback. "Um….I'll try."

"Do it," I urged. "Don't just try. I'm depending on you, for Fyora's sake!"

He gulped, but his face hardened. "Okay."

"Timmy, please help him!" I begged to the tot.

I turned to Julius and Juliet. "Wocky twins- I saw some crooks in a pub nearby. Some of them are decent-looking; get them to help." I could see they weren't happy to be addressed together (especially Juliet) but they knew this was serious and didn't question it.

"Kayley-"

She didn't answer. She was pointing her dagger to Ebony and his friends, who were back from hauling Hazel to the house (and probably locking her in, too). "Make one move to stop us- one move- and I will personally slit your throat."

Most of them moved behind Ebony, but the ring leader himself only smiled. "You're already too late. That kid is gone!"

"Shut up," I told him. "Kayley-"

"You're not going in there alone. And remember, there are two people inside."

I suppressed a grin. "I thought you didn't like Charlie."

"He doesn't deserve to die. He's not a guard, at least." Her fierce face made me relieved that she was my partner for this. I needed someone I can depend on.

"Okay. I'll take Charlie, you get his mom." She bit her lip; there was something bothering her, I knew it, but we didn't have much time. We didn't have any time. "Go!"

She karate-kicked the door down for me- I had to admit, that was pretty cool- and then we both darted our separate ways. I knew that Charlie was upstairs, so I had to leap up from flaming floorboards. Besides that, smoked filled the space. I couldn't see or think clearly, but I needed to get to Charlie. I coughed as I went, pulling my jacket over my nose.

I found him lying flat on the floor. I thought at first he was dead, and a burst of anger and sadness hit me. Then he moaned. He was alive, but I had to get him out of there. Carrying him was hard, with me taking deep breaths of the harmful, dark fumes. Was this what those poor meat loafs feel before they're burnt to death? I knew I'd never eat barbecue the same way again.

I made it below just as the staircase collapsed. If Kayley was still up, then she'd have to discover another way downstairs. But I had bigger problems. The doorway was completely blocked by a huge pillar made out of marble, which had probably fallen when the boards did.

There was no way out. At this point, tears stung my eyes. I honestly couldn't breathe. If I spent too long in there, I would suffocate. Then I spotted it; the window.

It was shut and bolted. No matter how much I pushed and pulled, it wouldn't open. I'm not stupid, I knew I could've broken it, but that would be hazardous because of the splinters. Besides, a phrase that Charlie said to me kept ringing in my head: If you break one shard of glass, sirens start wailing and you'll be in mounds of trouble.

For a split second, I hesitated. Not only would my whole class be cornered, but I also doubted that they would let the little kids go free. If they were taken to jail….but I knew I couldn't risk Charlie's life. We had to get out of here. The pipsqueaks would get over it- I think they'd prefer us being alive and them traumatized than us deceased and them alright. I grabbed a small trinket- a hair brush, I think- and smashed it against the fragile frame.

Like Charlie said, alarms rang across the whole empire. I jumped outside. A sharp sliver pierced my arm, and I mentally berated myself- You idiot! You survived Juliet, Kayley, and Ebony, and you let one sliver of glass beat you! But I was out. That's what's important.

Razor went to us, his eyes bulging from their sockets. "Is he-"

"No," I answered. "But he will be soon, unless he gets to a hospital."

"I don't think we have a problem with that." Though they were just specks in the horizon at that point, we saw a troupe of guards coming towards us. "There's a lot of people helping out. The twins brought a bunch of thugs from the pub, and they're putting out the fire. Though some took a few things." He was right- the fire was slowly beginning to wane, and the house was barer than before. I hoped Charlie had insurance.

"We could still get away!" I exclaimed suddenly. "If we can get everyone to-"

"Hanso, what about Kayley?" He questioned.

A lump formed in my throat. "Did something..."

"No, but- you better take a look." He pulled me around the house. On the balcony, Kayley was stranded. A few criminals spread out a rug as a makeshift landing, and it wasn't that very high anyway. But Kayley was as paralyzed as I had been earlier. In her expression was the one thing I've never seen in her: absolute fear.

"Kayley- jump!" I yelled. "The guards are coming!" It didn't help; if anything, she was more scared than before. I glanced around and saw a tall fence that reached the rooftop. I climbed, using the vines that grew there as safety belts.

"You're going back?" Razor shouted. "Hanso, don't- your lungs won't be able to bear anymore smoke!" I ignored him.

I reached to the top, where Kayley was as immobilized as a deer caught in the headlights. The sight worried me. "Hey, are you okay?" I nearly laughed once I realized what I just said. Was she okay? We were trapped on top of a burning building!

She blinked as if coming out of a daze. "A fire-"

"We'll survive," I promised. "We just have to go down. Are you, um, scared of heights then?"

She frowned at me. "No!"

"Then we better get going. That the old lady?" Charlie's mom did what every sane person would do if there was a fire and she was being rescued by a thief- fainted. "We could carry her together, though it seems like she's too heavy for you alone. Was that why you weren't going?"

"Um…yes." She was lying, but I couldn't ask her about it now. We each took an arm of Charlie's mother. "On three, right?"

"One," I confirmed. We took a step up.

"Two," she said. She didn't seem to mind how high up we were, for some reason.

"Three!" We hopped out, maybe free-falling to our death. But our friends wouldn't allow that.

We fell on the rug with ease, bouncing in the air once and going back down permanently. "Thanks," Kayely said, withdrawing her hand. There was blood on it. Her jaw dropped. "Hanso- what happened?"

The shard of glass didn't cause me a minor scratch; no, it just had to give me a large one that ran down from my shoulder to elbow. I guess I didn't feel it because I was too busy panicking about Charlie. "It was just…it wasn't- I didn't think it was crucial…"

"You'll get killed because of blood loss and smoke inhalation, stupid!" As soon as she said that, my vision started becoming woozy. I swayed on the spot, but she caught me. Then everything went black.

Week 3

Just as a means of explanation, I didn't write week two when it was still in week two, though I labeled it that way because that was when it happened. We cleared up now? Good.

Don't ask me what it was like to have a near-death experience. I can't remember much, though no, I didn't see a light or whatever they do in the movies. It wasn't fun, that much I can tell you. All I can recall is feeling numb all over, especially my heart. It was almost weightless. Once- I wasn't sure- I was on the brink of something. I don't know what, but something peaceful and happy and sweet. Paradise? I didn't know. I didn't even know that thieves could get to Paradise.

Then a fire washed over me. Not a literal fire (it was liquid), but it was as hot and as alerting as one. It flooded into my head, my arms- everywhere. It pushed me, giving me energy, forcing me to get up. My joints were still stiff, which meant that I haven't moved in a long time. I cracked open my eyelids instead.

At first everything was fuzzy. Then it all swam into focus. My joyful awakening was made even happier when I saw I was in prison. Kayley stood over me, an empty bottle in her hand. As soon as she checked me over, she shouted down the hall, "He's okay!" There was a loud cheer, but it was hushed by the patrolling guards. I took a few small steps, which I found was easy. I was nearly cured, except my arm.

"Are you alright?" The twins called from the parallel cell.

"Over here!" Razor was in the next one.

"Hanso!" The little kids chirped from the others surrounding. It was sad that they were captured along with us, but they were okay with it. In fact, some were excited- Their first time in the dungeons! Wow!

"Could someone please explain what happened to me?" I pleaded, stretching.

The twins volunteered. "The guards came and took as away," Juliet began. "They didn't want to take you to, since you seemed near death, but we insisted you were a thief."

"Sorry about that, but they captured everybody who tried to help us. We couldn't send you back to headquarters, to a Mynci managed to get a message to Kanrik," Julius put in.

"At first, the royal physician refused to see you-"

"-Because you were a crook!" They said together.

"But all the little kids made a huge racket with the screaming and the banging, so he had to," Julius asserted. "But like we suspected-"

"-He just told us it was nothing serious." Juliet gritted her teeth. "You could have been killed for all he cared. So we came up with a plan. We didn't talk to each other-"

"But we sort of knew. Me and Juliet distracted the guy with our, um, double act-"

"And basically drove him mad. While he was shouting at us, Kayley nicked some potions that Razor pointed out. Apparently, he knew a recipe that could heal you. She tossed the items to him, and-"

"-He brewed this weird, red mixture with sparks crackling on top. None of us knew if that was a good sign. Kayley almost didn't let you drink it-"

"And since she was the only one in the cell with you, it was her choice. But she did it anyway-"

"And it worked!" They finished in unison. "But we couldn't do much for the scar- we ripped up our coat and soaked it with water, then wrapped it around the thing."

"Do you guys completing each other's sentences mean that you're not fighting anymore?" I asked hopefully. They took a step away from each other, which was a plain no.

"But we're stuck here," Razor reminded. "We were mostly waiting for you to wake up before we do an escape strategy."

"We'll figure something out," Kayley assured him. I noticed she said it very politely. "Hanso probably won't want to spend his birthday in jail."

I totally forgot that my birthday was next week. "Oh yeah…"

"Start brainstorming for ideas," she commanded. "I need to, er…have a word with Hanso." Everyone chatted in their own cell. She turned to me, and I saw that her eyes were a slight red. She bit her lip. "I'm sorry."

"What?" I asked blankly. I might have mentioned this before, but Kayley's not known for admitting she was wrong or apologizing.

"I...I couldn't do anything in the balcony until you came. If you didn't, then maybe-"

"Hey," I interrupted. "You saved me in the end."

"That was Razor," she mumbled. "I guess he's not all useless."

"Uh-huh. Look, don't worry about it. I'm fine, okay? But…" I hesitated. "I would like to know what made you, you know. Choke."

She took a deep breath, and then released it slowly. I had a feeling that was about to tell me one of her deepest, darkest secrets. "I-"

A gong sounded, which was the mark of switching patrols. Instead of more adults, however, there were children. I guess they were the ones who missed their shift yesterday- which was week two of the month. That means it included Brynn.

Sure enough, she gazed at each cell confused, maybe wondering what the little kids were doing here. Her friend (Viola?) tugged at her arm impatiently and started towards the end where we were. My attention was diverted, and Kayley didn't go on. She glowered at Brynn and hid in the shadows. "You're bag is near the hayloft, if you're looking for it."

I'd been carrying it everywhere the whole month, including last week. It had Brynn's book inside, and I was going to return it if I bumped into her. I took the heavy volume out and threw it at Brynn; but I wasn't very good at aiming with one hand while the other was injured. "Catch!"

She ducked (wise move) and it slammed against her friend's face. "Whoops! Sorry!"

"I would hit you really hard were these bars not in the way!" Brynn's partner seethed.

From her expression, I whole-heartedly agreed. "I have no doubt you would."

"Hanso," Brynn said; her voice was curious and eager, though she was trying not to show it.

"Yes, Brynneth?"

"What exactly happened yesterday?"

"Is this my interrogation?" I teased. "'Coz I was expecting to be tied to a chair or stretching rack or something for that sort of thing."

"Hanso!" She groaned.

I smirked…and then glimpsed at everybody in the cells were staring at us. Brynn didn't notice- she was too preoccupied complaining- but I sure did. I spent so much time telling them about her, I guess they were dying to know what our regular exchange was. They were pretty excited, some pressing their faces against the bars. It was creepy. "Alright, I'll tell you! Some of the rich kids from the other side of town set this house on fire. They had a bit of a falling out with a little boy there and took their revenge a little too far." An understatement. "Us thieves, well most of us anyway," besides the one who were too drunk in the pub, "Were there to try and help the family inside. There were a few scavenging the wreckage, sure, but a lot of us were helping the woman and her young son out. The husband was a work."

Viola…no, Violet. She looked at me as though she didn't believe a word. But Brynn did. "Have they managed to catch the actual culprits?" She ignored Violet's griping.

I pushed my head against the bars, gazing around. Luckily, the lesion was covered by my coat. I was disappointed to see that they didn't. At the same time, I glared at the people who were watching us a bit too intently. "I don't think the have," I finally said.

"So who did they catch?" She had a note of frustration in her voice.

"Any thieves in the area," I said bitterly- even the ones who were close to death. "Guards typically always blame the thieves- it's not fair!"

"And they should!" Her annoying friend stated. "I mean, you guys do break the law for fun."

"Not necessarily," I argued, thinking about those impoverished criminals who had to depend on the Guild's storage to survive. As a rule, if we had any excess loot we had to give to those who needed it. "Some people have no other option. You two live in a big castle with, I've no doubt, soft beds and big gardens. A lot of thieves have nothing like that!"

"I didn't automatically think it was thieves," Brynn said softly, almost to herself.

"I heard that!" I smiled. "And I thank you."

"Brynn!" Violet bewailed. "Don't talk to the suspect."

"We should go," she said reluctantly, picking up her book.

Violet sighed. "At last, something we agree on!"

"Bye, Brynn." I paused. "Oh, and if I 'accidentally' helped a couple of innocent kids escape, you wouldn't mind, would you? I mean, they didn't do it and there are some kids in here who aren't only four years old so…"

"You imbecile!" Kayley hissed from behind me, but softly enough so that Brynn couldn't hear. "She's not going to consent to that-"

"Okay," she consented. Kayley shut up. "But I never said that. Tell and I'll beat you to pulp." Brynn directed her threat to her openmouthed friend. Then the gong sounded again, and they left.

Razor gaped. "Woah, you do have influence on her."

"Does not," said Kayley irritably. "She gave her permission, as if that's any use. She didn't actually help him."

"But how many guards would do even just that?" Juliet asked. "If he has more time..."

I was getting a bit uncomfortable with everyone talking about me. "Let's have this conversation outside of the dungeons, shall we?"

It only took a few minutes for us to knock the guards out, steal the keys, and unlock the doors. I doubt that it had anything to do with shabby security; no one probably wanted to keep little ones in there, so they made themselves easy targets. I could have sworn that a guy actually fainted on purpose.

Kayley didn't speak to me at all, though I sensed that she was still shaken up by the nearly dying thing because of her. One thing's for certain, though; we're so pass the deep-dark-secrets stage.

Week 4

I think I'd rather spend my birthday in prison rather than in my room. As soon as I got home mom screamed when she saw my wound. She replaced it with a proper linen bandages, and even that turned crimson quickly. I nearly passed out three times again under her care, though finally she made one that looked like an extra head that spouted from my shoulder blade. It wasn't red, so she was satisfied.

There was no way she was going to let me go to school or anywhere else, though. I didn't get what was the point. I was so bored. I remembered a time when Brynn became ill, and the apothecary shopkeeper said that we'd all get sick sometime. I wish she wasn't right.

Everyone besides Kayley came to visit me. Razor even brought a whole bunch of books to let me catch up- he'd hate for Kayley to be the top of the class and rub it all in. But the visitor I was most surprised to see was Kanrik.

"Well, perhaps you're not so indestructible after all," he remarked, but stared at my arm sadly. "Perhaps it is better we don't give you the responsibility of younger ones anymore."

"No!" I sat up rigidly. "I like having Timmy to play around with. I mean, he increases my thieving skills; sort of reminding me about the basics while I move forward."

Kanrik raised his eyebrows. "You mean it's handy having them around?"

"Yes."

"Hm…" He seemed to be giving that a lot of thought. Meanwhile, I was even more bored than before. "Enough about health, then. You're nine years old now, correct?"

"Yup," I answered. "Too bad it was without the falling cake."

He smiled. "Besides that, what would you want for your birthday?"

"I don't know," I said, exaggerating a bit. "The crown jewels, a castle of my own, a gazillion neopoints…"

"Something affordable."

I picked my brain, this time seriously. I shook my head. "I don't need anything."

"You're a thief, and you're saying that you don't need anything?"

"What's the fun if someone gets the prize for you?" I questioned. "Nah, but…"

"What?"

"Can you get Julius and Juliet to make up?" I blurted out. "Oops, sorry, I guess that's not what you had in mind…"

"The Wocky twins? The sugar-crazed ones?"

"Not so sugar-crazed anymore," I pointed out. "But yeah."

He grinned. "Consider it done. It might take a month, though…they're still in the Lost Desert, I think…" He began his own trail of thought, which I couldn't follow. He was lost in thought yet again. I honestly didn't think he could solve this problem for me. I know that he's the guild leader and all, but there wasn't any problem he could fix I couldn't either. Still, I won't underestimate him. If there's one thing I learned, it's that life's full of surprises.