WOOHOO! OVER A HUNDRED REVIEWS! *happy dances*

Lucy—That's a great idea! I'd love to see a pic of Kayley. I added new details of her description (and about everyone else's as well) in my profile.

I kind of have a lot to catch up on with school (I have LOADS of homework) so expect updates to be kind of infrequent. I'll try to do that 'Every Friday' thing, but even that might be a little shaky. Oh well; I think this chapter might satisfy some of you, anyway. ;) *cough* Whateva, you can stop threatening me with a pointy stick now *cough*

The Month of Storing (November) Age 10

Week 1

It's been raining a lot, which matches my mood perfectly. It's been awful. I'm getting mocked loads – even more than Kayley when people thought she was a spy – and I'm kind of having a hard time cheering up. It's just…I haven't felt so gloomy since I heard that Summer died. There's like a weight in my shoulders, and I can't get it out. But I'm trying not to show it, for everyone's sake. Razor's getting teased too for being friends with me, and though he can cope with it better than I do since he's used to it, I think he relies on not letting the teasing get to me. Julius and Juliet's been pestering me a bit with asking if I was okay, and Kayley…well, we haven't forgiven each other yet, but I guess we get along.

There's another reason why I try to cheer up, too. Things have been strange lately. One is with my parents—I think they're hiding something. Once at dinner, they were asking me if I was okay, how were classes, the usual parent stuff. But one thing I didn't want them to ask was how I was in lunch. I didn't want them to know how much I was getting teased: Mom would only freak out and tell Jacques, which would brand me a loser for life. You know, I'm starting to get how Brynn felt when she was being bullied by Harry. Anyway, instead of lying (which I hate to do and am terrible at), I sort of try and avoid their questions.

So while we eat, I try to think of something to distract them. It's worked a couple of times, but a recent thing worried me. "So," Mom began, "Are things okay at school?"

I gulped down a bite of a sandwich and water to try and think of something. Then an idea popped up; something from last month which I've kind of been wondering about. "Speaking of school, you mentioned Marie taught you, right?"

And just like that, they both stiffened in their seats. I blinked. That wasn't what I was expecting. "Yes," said Dad carefully. "How did you know that? Did Marie tell you herself?"

"Um, Mom mentioned it last month. Like, when Marie commented she was getting good, she said that she learned from the best. So, was she like a teacher or something?"

"Not exactly," Dad began, but Mom shot him a look. "Actually, she sort of was."

Suspiciously, I said, "I never heard of her being a teacher."

"It's not something someone probably talks about with kids," Dad lied sleekly. He's really good at that, but what he said before kind of made me skeptical on what he's saying. "Would you like someone that could've given you extra homework or something? Really, every time I pass an old professor I try to hide just because I'm scared of getting a detention." They both forced laughs.

But pretty soon, they saw that I wasn't buying it. Dad bit his lip and looked at Mom, like saying, Should we tell him?

Mom's face simply screamed, NO!

"Ahem, I'm still here, ya know," I said, waving at them. They both looked at me.

"She was a sort of special teacher," Mom explained. "I mean, she usually didn't teach people. But Kanrik, er, sort of asked it as a special favor."

"Why? Couldn't you have gone to a normal class?"

She coughed. "I kind of arrived later than usual. Anyway, I needed more assistance than most thieves since I wasn't actually born one."

"She needed all the help she could get," Dad added. "Including mine." He flashed her a smile, and she grinned.

But somehow, something didn't seem right. I could sense he wasn't lying – I guess truth-speaking isn't that useless after all – but there was a piece of information that didn't fit. Why did she need help? Even if she did run away from home and might have needed to learn the basics, she's a brilliant thief. Okay, I'm not saying that just because she's my mom. She's a Master Thief and in top ranks; Kanrik gives Dad and her the most dangerous missions. Well, at least he used to. I think he's keeping an eye on them now because of me.

I was about to ask a question, when Mom said sternly, "Did you finish your asparagus?" I shut up, not wanting to be interrogated about that. Then I'd have to admit and I 'liberated' it from my plate and tossed it out the window when they weren't looking.

Another thing is the lessons. They are so weird! I mean, now we're talking about superstitions, which includes death omens and stars and a weird thing called Karma. I guess they don't count as strange, but they actually kind of scare me.

"Pirates, and thieves in general I guess, are really superstitious," he was saying. "That might have something to do with us having a big chance of death, and since some aren't that very good, we're worried on where we'll end up. Most of us probably think it's actually below, probably because of all the things we stole. But it doesn't depend on that, you know. It probably won't matter how you made your living; it'll be how good you were, how kind, your good deeds."

Unexpectedly, my mind flashed to that near-death experience over a year ago; when I thought I was in the brink of something. I remember I felt that everything was cold, but I was floating upwards, maybe to somewhere better. But then, there was something holding me down. Mind you, this was before Razor giving me that fire potion thing. It was like I had some unfinished business to do before I was allowed to go, and it anchored me long enough for Razor to revive me.

Kind of creepy. Like, what if this hand pulled you down when you're about to go upwards and said, You forgot to do your homework! You're not allowed to go up yet!

"Is there any proof of this?" Kayley asked, interrupting my thoughts. All of us stared at her.

"No," Jacques said.

"Then why are studying this? If it's all a bunch of baloney, I don't think we need to learn about good luck charms and all that garbage." Razor's mouth dropped open, and I didn't blame him. Kayley devours lessons every time Jacques gives them. She never called one 'a bunch of baloney.'

"It's in the curriculum. Believe me, I'd change it if I could—you don't know the number of people these beliefs scare. It gets quite annoying when you try to urge your crew to stop 'looking for cracks that break mothers' backs' and get a move on." Jacques smiled slightly at the memory. "Still, like I said, a majority of the Thieves' Guild wants people to be aware of the, er, dangers."

"Besides, loads of these things are real!" Razor said eagerly. He liked this lesson; there was nothing physical you had to do in it. "Karma is-"

"Karma is not real," she snapped. "I should know."

"Karma?" I asked.

"It's kind of like you do a bad deed, it'll get you back for it," Julius explained.

"Actually," said Jacques, "It's when you commit a wrongdoing and it comes back to haunt you."

"That's what I just said," Julius muttered. "Only in fancier words."

"But why don't you believe in Karma?" Jacques asked. "A great many people do, and even I don't find any reason to not-"

"Because it's ridiculous," she interrupted. "If you do a bad deed, somehow or another you get punished for it; but that's only part of what Karma is, right? If you do a good deed, you somehow get rewarded. That's never happened to me."

"Probably because you spent all your good luck killing little kids," I said under my breath. But loud enough so she can hear me. She glared.

"All right, enough," said Master Jacques. "We haven't discussed the solid rain yet."

"What's that?" Juliet asked.

He rolled his eyes. "I'll tell you if you stop interrupting, Miss Juliet." She frowned. "As I was saying, the solid rain signifies doomsday."

"Solid?" I asked. "Isn't that like hail? So if it hails it's doomsday?"

"No," answered Jacques. "Solid rain is when much larger and bigger things fall on your head."

"Like…giant candy?" Julius asked.

"No!" he said angrily. "Think bucket-sized. And it's not exactly solid—more like gooey clumps that will make you sink into them and suffocate you."

"Like cakes!" Juliet suggested. Jacques rolled his eyes.

You know, sometimes I think he's a bit unfair with them. I mean, sure I could understand when they were seven, but they're not just hyper balls of pure energy anymore. Julius is the strongest fighter in class, a great protector and hoarder—I think he'll be one of those tough guys who takes down those big guards when he grows up. And Juliet has more common sense than all of us put together. She'll probably be a great strategist one day. Combine them, and they'll probably be unstoppable. But I don't think Master Jacques could see that.

Week 2

I hate Masila. I hate her, hate her, hate her. Especially after what she did today. I mean, if she didn't get all interfering and stuff, everything might have been okay in the end—people might even have stopped suspecting me as a spy. But noooo, she just had to have the last laugh. I guess that's what comes as being an evil villainess. Anyway, I'm going to fast again; let's start from the beginning.

It was just going to be an ordinary class day. We were talking a bit more about divination, stars, and astrology, which was seriously lame. If we wanted learn about those sparkly stuff in the sky, then we'd have gone to Shenkuu or Virtupets or whatever weird country that thinks those shiny balls are actually useful. But we got a bit side-tracked with the Karma thing again.

"I told you, it's not real!" Kayley snapped.

"Yes it is!" Razor insisted. "Yesterday, I stepped on a petpetpet. Today, I had a bite mark. Look!" he said, holding up for everyone to see. "It's the exact shape I squished the poor thing into, and the bite is definitely from one of its kind that wants to avenge it!"

"Vengeance is true," Kayley said. "Not Karma."

"Still. A bug bite! I rarely ever get bug bites. Hey, maybe it's actually the petpetpet's ghost, coming to haunt me in its squished form. Maybe it sloshes around now, flat, one of its little legs twitching like the last time I saw it…"

"Please don't," Juliet said, looking a little green. "I hate thinking about innocent creatures dying."

"And I'm sure you haven't squished any yourself," said Jacques jokingly. I don't think he noticed Juliet's hurt face.

"Hanso…" Razor begged, probably coming to find another supporter.

I patted him on the back. "Look, buddy, you might have been a little short on bug spray. Much as I hate to agree with Kayley," with that, I shot her a glare, "I don't believe in Karma either."

"I'm of that opinion as well," said a voice near the doorway. We looked up to find Kanrik, arms crossed, leaning against the doorway. We gaped at him. It's been a long time since he's visited our class specifically, not just for mentoring or whatever. "Because if you did, then you would've certainly already been punished and not let off as easily as you have been."

I frowned at him. "And why should I be punished?" The whole class giggled. I even saw Kayley putting her hands over her mouth to stifle a smile. I sighed. "Okay, why should I be punished other than the usual stuff I do?"

"For one thing," he growled, "Disappearing for two months-"

"You don't have anything to prove that what I did was wrong!"

"Oh, so you could just go off gallivanting at a time of danger and that's not wrong?" he snarled.

"I had a good reason."

"Then what is it?"

I stared down at my desk. "I can't tell you."

Kanrik was about to argue more, when Jacques said, "Master Kanrik, no offence, but are you here just to berate one of my students? We really should be studying right now."

"You should," he agreed. "Unfortunately, I can't trust you to do just that." Jacques gaped at him. He explained, "There's been news of another slight riot in the marketplace. Vlade and Masila are there themselves, and I doubt you're actually going to stay here with your students."

Jacques shrugged and grinned. "I'm only twenty-five. That's still pretty young, you know."

"And you spend all day surrounded with childishness. Yes, I can see your point. Get up and join Lizzie and Peter at the front lines," he ordered.

"My parents?" I cried. "You put both of them in the front lines? Where they will most certainly get hurt?"

"They're our best ones," he said.

"I'll make sure they're okay, Hanso," Jacques assured me. He took off out of the classroom in a flash.

"And you?" I shot at Kanrik. "What are you going to be doing? Hiding down here while the rest of the Guild fights above?"

He looked daggers at me, and I knew it was probably best not to insult the Guild leader in the future. Still, both my parents! What if they both got injured? I'd really hate it—I hate seeing them have wounds or whatever. Though it's stupid, I always liked thinking of them as indestructible. Besides that, they'd have to get out of the Guild for a few months, and there goes my last unconditional defenders of me not doing anything wrong.

Plus, they'll probably be too weak to prepare anything but asparagus.

I glared at Kanrik. It wasn't fair. He was punishing me for trying to get help, and he didn't even know it. I was furious, until he replied, "Of course I'm going up there. And you are too."

"What?" we all gasped.

"I need to keep an eye on…some of you," he said, giving an unmistakable glance at me. "Besides, you all have been very resourceful in the past. Every year so far, you have been promoted again and again. The Guild could really use some help for now." He was saying this calmly and invitingly, but I picked out the truth. I knew Kanrik: he would never allow us to get in any danger unless we were totally desperate. Which, I guess we are.

"Okay," the twins said together. Razor nodded.

"Better than studying Karma, anyway," Kayley muttered. I just shrugged and stood up. I couldn't wait to go on a field trip—I haven't been allowed outside for weeks. But my whole demeanor changed when, while we were going out in the hall, Kayley sang, "Do you know what week of the month it is?"

I inwardly groaned. Week two: Brynn's in danger again. It's sad, I used to really like her patrols because it's one of the only few times I get to see her, even though it pretty much always ends with me in jail. But now I can't even do that, and whenever she has to go around the streets I couldn't help but remember that Masila knows who she is. And that she'd threatened to kill her if I do anything to help the Guild.

When we reached the square, it was crawling with Assassins. It was weird, too. There actually were some grown-up guards going round the streets where Brynn and Violet weren't stopping by, but they were absolutely no help—they didn't know who to arrest, and in the end just watched the fight so that they could carry the loser off to jail. It was horrible. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw one of Masila's cronies hold a knife to Mom's throat, but he was quickly pushed away and slammed by Dad.

"Long distance, kids," Kanrik ordered. "We don't want to get too close."

"How will we hit them?" Julius asked. "There aren't any bow and arrows around."

"You won't hit them," he said. "You're going to stay in those trees and observe." Most of us complained at that. "You are still children, and have already conquered many trials. The last thing you need is more danger. Your job is to find any particular strategies that the Assassins are using and inform me about it so I can put a stop to them."

"But-" I began.

"No griping!" he said.

"Even if we-" the twins started.

"Not even then!"

"Maybe if-"

"I mean it!" he sneered. "You are not to set one foot out of your hiding place. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Master Kanrik," we all said in subdued voices.

"If you need me to know anything, signal me with something red," he said. "It's not a common color this time of year. Look after each other, all right?" We nodded. He then punched the nearest assassin and was off to fight other ones.

"Well, this is going to be boring," I remarked, starting to climb the tree. I gave Razor a hand—he still isn't very nimble yet. But Juliet, Julius, and Kayley managed to get up just fine, and we didn't have any problems besides the brambles scratching us. In fact, it was a perfect hiding place, with the branches strong and thick with leaves. It was high up, too, so I could see almost everything from up there. Hazel would've loved this. It was almost peaceful; if we didn't know that right below us there was a bloodbath going on.

But I was right, it was a bit boring for awhile. I think at one point Razor dozed off, until Kayley kicked him and nearly fell off a branch. After awhile, Julius and Juliet started bickering about who had the bigger side of the trunk. Trying to ignore them, I scanned over the crowd of thieves and Assassins for like the millionth time. I gasped.

They weren't scattered anymore. Instead, they were gathered in a deformed circle, with a person or two in the middle. "Hey guys! Guys!"

"What?" Julius and Juliet snapped.

"Sweet Fyora," Razor muttered, wiping his glasses and looking closer. But it was too far away.

"Move aside," Kayley ordered, and crept closer as far as the branch would go. Then, to all of our surprise, she took out a spyglass from her pocket and held it to her eye.

"Where'd you get that?" I asked enviously.

"Jacques," she answered. "He is my mentor after all, and he still trusts me. And unlike some people, I never ridicule him in public."

"But that's no reason to give you something like that," Razor said. "Those stuff cost a fortune! And since he's a teacher to all of us, it looks like he's playing favorites."

"Did I mention it's also my birthday?" she said tonelessly.

My jaw dropped. "Today?"

"Yes, oh-repetitive-one. Even though yours is the only one we actually celebrate, thanks to the Guild leader favoring you more, I do actually have a date of birth. Not that any of you would know it."

"Oh Kayley, I'm so sorry!" Juliet cried, hopping from her branch to Kayley's and giving her a hug. Kayley nearly dropped the spyglass. "It's horrible for anyone not knowing your birthday."

"Uh, that's okay," she said, prying her off. "I mean, you guys don't get to celebrate either."

"You know there's a difference," Juliet replied. There was something weird about her voice, but I didn't focus on it. "I mean," she said, as if suddenly remembering we were all there, "Like, Julius has the same birthday as me, so I have someone to share it with whether I like it or not. Razor has his library pal, this Sophia girl or something, right?"

He nodded sheepishly. "Though she doesn't exactly know I'm a thief."

Juliet continued, "It's horrible not having friends remember the day you were born!" I suddenly felt really guilty.

"Yeah, well, I don't care—I get presents anyway even if it's not from you guys, so I'm fine with that. Honest," Kayley assured her. She looked through the spyglass again. "Oh, my. Things aren't looking well down there."

"What? What's happening?" I questioned, eager for a change of subject.

"They're talking," she said. That didn't sound very threatening, but we all knew what Masila's voice could do; and I knew that whatever it did, it had twice the effect on Kanrik. What if he got stabbed and I'm not there? We seriously need more truth-speakers in the Guild.

"We have to help!" I exclaimed, jumping down. Kayley grabbed me by the coat, making me hang in a humiliating position with her holding me up. "Hey!"

"Shh!" she hissed.

Then right below me, Vlade appeared, chasing after this nervous-looking Gelert and yelling something about not losing valuable finds to a couple of guards. I knew him. The Gelert, I mean. He was actually this quiet guy who used to do most of the paperwork of the Thieves' Guild—I heard he had a wife and kids or something. An idea began to form in my head. Did Masila threaten him or say that her Guild would make him more rich or something? 'Cause if that's the case, it would never happen. I'm pretty sure that once the evil lady has the Guild in her clutches, she'd sap ever single penny out of the treasury and leave most of us in the streets. How could she convince people otherwise?

Duh! Her voice! I'm so stupid. Well, either that or I underestimated her. Anyway, I guess I didn't get how strong persuading can actually be until I realized that she could get anyone in her side with false pretenses. Then she'd snatch the stuff away, leaving nothing to her members but empty promises. By then, Kanrik would be dead and we'd nothing left to start over with. The only way to foil this was probably to get the reluctant assassins to realize they were making a huge mistake. But how was I supposed to do that?

"Neopia to Hanso!" Kayley said, wriggling me a bit. She was nearly slipping from her branch, but Juliet was pulling her steady. "You should really lose weight," she snapped at me.

"Sorry," I said, climbing to a nearby bough. "But we really have to help Kanrik."

"But how do we do that?" said Juliet desperately.

"Kanrik's right that we wouldn't stand a chance between short-distance weapons," Julius added. "I don't think even I could hold my own against Vlade or Masila or whoever is down there. We need to throw something at them somehow, but we don't have a bow and arrow, a slingshot would be too tiny, and throwing it would just be too weak."

"I think I have an idea," said Razor unexpectedly. We waited for him to share it, but he added, "I need to talk to Kayley about it quickly to see if it would work."

"How come?" I asked, a little hurt that he'd go to her.

He stared at me. "Well, did you read 'Molypher the Garage Mynci's Guide Version 2.0'?"

"Uh….I guess you should talk to Kayley."

After a few minutes of talking quietly, she raised her eyebrows. "That might actually work. In fact, I'm sure it would." She straightened up and looked at us. "Okay, people, I have jobs for all of you. Julius, can you find some sort of bendy plank, nails, and rope? Juliet, I need you to find a barrel and roll it down here, pronto. And Hanso, get some cake. Preferably strawberry."

"What?" I queried. "Could you repeat that please? Because I thought you said-"

"Cake," she snapped. "Strawberry. Now go!"

I was in a bit of a daze, kind of unsure on what I was supposed to do. I mean, cake? Am I seriously supposed to collect a pastry? Don't get me wrong, I don't think bad about sweet stuff. The twins' candy would've been enough to prove that; throw in Marie's happy cookies, and sugar has my undying respect. But a normal one from the cake stand? Was 'cake' a code word or something?

I just shrugged. I really didn't know—I guess that's what caused me to steal the cake a bit sloppily. Whatever the case, I heard a familiar voice behind me say, "Put your hands up!"

I blinked and turned around, seeing Violet scowling at me with her arms crossed. That really wasn't the time, but the Tradition flashed across my mind. If her father pulled her back from the Guard, she'd have to be betrothed to someone in five years. It made me feel sorry for her. Sure, she's annoying and betrayed Brynn, but no one deserves acting as a servant to someone for the rest of their life.

Well, except maybe Masila.

"Hi," I said, still staring at her and Brynn.

"Hello," Brynn replied, smiling slightly. I grinned, a bit cheered up. I haven't seen her in months, and it was good to know that she didn't turn all I'm-a-guard-and-you're-a-thief on me again. Though her answering me did earn her a stomp on the foot from Violet. They glared at each other.

I opened my mouth to distract them, but Violet interrupted, probably supposed to be beginning a long string of questions, "Firstly, why would you want to steal a cake?"

I tried to think of an excuse. "I'm….hungry?" I suggested, thinking that was the most obvious answer. I definitely couldn't say Because my sort-of friend Kayley who wants to kill you told me so we could save our Guild Leader.

"Really?" said Violet disbelievingly.

"Yeah," I replied, without any real conviction. "That is most certainly why I'm here."

Brynn raised her eyebrows. She hated being lied to, I guess. She crossed her arms and said harshly, "Hanso!"

I scrambled to find another way out—but in the end I didn't need to. Kayley had spotted me talking with Brynn and Violet; she had probably thought I was chatting with them instead of doing my job. She was not happy. Her face scowling, she marched straight at me, right in front of the guards. My jaw nearly dropped. Never, ever had Brynn or she met at plain sight before.

"Hanso," she said, her voice tight with anger, "We should go."

I agreed, but I can't just run off without explanation to Brynn and Violet. They were looking confused already, and I had a feeling that if we just go like that, they'd follow us. I tried to tell her so by saying, "Hold on a minute, Kayley. I'm just-" Her eyes flashed, and I realized I made a fatal mistake: I said her name. I tried to apologize quickly, but I knew that she wouldn't budge.

"Now!" she spat.

I sighed. This was for Kanrik. Besides, it was her birthday, which I've missed for like the pass three years. I couldn't refuse her anything. "Okay, I'm coming!"

She nodded once to confirm it, threw a look of complete and despicable hatred toward Brynn (she blinked, probably wondering what was that for) and walked off. I smiled one more time at Brynn and Violet, like to reassure them that it was okay, and ran after her.

As soon as we were out of eyeshot, she whirled around and placed her dagger on my throat. Just like old times. "What were you doing? Flirting with your guard friend while we're off trying to help the Guild? Need I remind you that Kanrik is in mortal danger? Maybe you are the spy."

"Hey, I'm sorry!" I said. "For crying out loud, I was doing what you said until the girls interrupted. What do we need the stupid cake for anyway?"

She didn't answer; she was eyeing a nearby pie stall. "I guess these will do," she said, grabbing some and shoving it to me. She took a few more batches herself. "Come on," she commanded.

"Yes, Mistress," I said sarcastically. I followed her to the base of the spying tree. Then my jaw really did drop. They were building something…and can you guess what it was?

A catapult. Really.

Razor didn't have a hammer, so he made do with whacking the nails with the side of his dagger. That worked surprisingly well. Juliet helped tie it all up to make it more secure, and Julius set it to keep it steady. But I still didn't get what we needed the pies for. When Julius said, "I think we should add my and Juliet's red candy for good measure," and Kayley nodded, I nearly went berserk.

"You still haven't guessed?" Razor said pityingly.

"What kind of heist would involve a cake?" I questioned.

He grinned sheepishly at me. "I got the idea from last week's comment. Remember, when Juliet was comparing you-know-what with cakes…"

I frowned, still not understanding, but he just laughed like it was a big surprise. "Okay, that's everything," Julius said, giving the catapult a thump. It made a hollow noise which I guess meant it was good. "We just need someone to keep a look out and signal us when to throw it."

I expected that to be Kayley; but to my surprise, she handed the spyglass to me. "What the-?"

"You're more faster," she muttered. "Besides, I haven't actually listened to a conversation of Masila and Kanrik yet. For all I know, they could be making a peace treaty. Plus you're a truth-speaker."

"But-"

"Oh, just get on with it already," she snapped, pushing me up. I quickly clambered upwards to the highest branch and looked through the spyglass. It was amazing; I saw for miles around, and through it I could see ever shade and hue of the sky. Pity I had to focus on a much less cheerful sight. I fixed it on Masila and Kanrik. Then I heard it—their voices. I looked at the spyglass in shock and glanced below. Kayley nodded, confirming that it could hear as well as see.

Staring through it again, I saw her with her hood on, smiling charmingly at Kanrik. He was more on his guard than that time in the shop, keeping his dagger unsheathed and glaring at her, but I could tell that he was weakening. If no one stopped him soon, we were doomed.

Through the glass, I heard Masila say, "Well, Kanrik, nice to see you in broad daylight once again. Last time we met it was that musty old inn, and before that it was that musty old shop, and even before, that interfering little Usul was always pawing her way around you."

"Her name is Hannah," he seethed. "And-"

"She's your friend?" Masila asked. "Or do you mean was? I know you haven't kept in touch with her for years."

"I…"

"Come on, Kanrik, you don't really want her—she was the one who ruined your chance the first time, so what if she was the one who opened another opportunity. You would have never needed one in the first place if she'd died. My plan would've worked. Except for her. And look what she's done to you, even years afterward. You could have made this Guild great, made it the rulers of Brightvale, Meridell, and maybe even the whole Neopia. But no, she's given you all of her ideas of mercy and charity and…it's despicable," she hissed.

"I hate you," he replied, gritting his teeth. "You foiled the plan. And if it worked, I'm sure I would've never made the final design—just terminated, like everyone else."

"Suit yourself. But you have to know I've got you completely surrounded." I watched as Kanrik and his followers - including Mom and Dad – were pushed into a tight circle by the ranging Assassins, who outnumbered us ten to one. One order from Masila, one charge, one battle, and it would've been all over with no survivors. I nearly panicked and gave the order to shoot, but I hesitated. Something told me to keep waiting.

The Assassins weren't tense enough yet. If I did it even a little bit early, someone might guess what we were doing (whatever we were doing—I didn't get it myself) and put a stop to it before we could even begin. I had to wait just up to the right moment, or the plan wouldn't work. So even if it meant agonizingly watching my parents suffer, I had to be patient.

From the spyglass, I saw that some thieves were getting restless. I few charged at the Assassins, and were quickly stopped. I bit my lip and avoided them. It was easy—loads of people obstructed from the view of their bodies. The Assassins were impatient, too, looking longingly at their daggers and then to the thieves. But neither leader was going to call the order of battle first. They were staring at each other intensely, trying to predict what move the other was going to make. Tension was at an all time high. It just needed one more thing to set it off…

Bang! I blinked and looked down, but my class just shrugged. Whatever made it, it wasn't us. I searched desperately until I found a huge pile of crates, which apparently fell from the nearby building. But they seemed so sturdy; they couldn't have possibly toppled by themselves, and I couldn't see anyone who did it. Was it some sort of ghost? Still, it kind of gave a good effect. Suddenly, both guilds were panicking, thinking it was time to attack each other but not starting because they didn't see anyone else do it.

I gave a thumbs-up sign, and the pie shot right in the sky, higher, then lower, then right at the feet of the Assassins. It looked like it was a gooey, messy blob that fell from the sky. And I realized what we were doing. "It's the solid rain!" One of the assassins screamed. Then all Moltara broke loose.

"AAAH!"

"Let's get outta here!"

"Solid rain!"

"Hide me!"

"It's coming! It's coming!"

"The end of Neopia as we know it!"

"I want my Mommy!"

"I'm sorry I ate the last cookie when we were five!"

"We're all gonna die!"

It was hilarious, seeing them all scramble around and shriek at every solid object they saw. One actually hid under Masila's cloak, until she kicked him away and told him to man up. Luckily, we had extra pies, and just kept the craziness up. The only thing I was worried about was Kanrik and the thieves. How would they know not to bolt, too? I put the eyeglass on and looked at the guild leader.

I never thought that he would be superstitious. Then again, I doubt that he ever thought solid rain would fall from the sky. But he couldn't afford to be panicked; instead of screaming for Mommy, he went and examined one of the pies that fell. "Red…" he muttered, and a slow smile spread across his face.

The thieves were all set to make for the Guild hideout, but Kanrik ordered them to stay. A few whimpered, but all obeyed. That is being a good leader, I realized. Using the peoples' loyalty instead of fear (well, for most of the time at least—Kanrik can still be pretty scary). Masila wasn't as lucky. Her Assassins were more afraid of the solid rain than her.

He turned and looked straight at me, right to the tree, and waved for us to get down there. "Hey guys, I think he wants us to meet up with him."

"Finally! Some action," said Julius. We all practically ran to the scene.

Our pies had scattered everywhere, so the ground actually seemed like covered in blood. I didn't want to think about what would've happened if the plan didn't work—then there might've been actual blood there. I shuddered and continued, following the others. Most of the Assassins were still running around, but they were too busy yelling to notice a bunch of kids.

"Sweet Fyora," said Kanrik when he saw us. "How did you-?"

"It was Razor's idea," Kayley said.

"No, I think it was a group effort," Razor said modestly. He beamed, and for a moment I couldn't help thinking about when we were seven, when Kayley had called all his plans useless. Then when we were a bit older, when Razor appeared to be wanting all the attention and credit so he could join Nort. I smiled. In a few ways, I guess we all changed.

"Pretty soon, the Assassins will start heading towards the woods to take 'shelter'," Kanrik told us quietly. "You'll be safer here than there-"

"I wouldn't be so sure," said a cold voice. Kanrik cursed. Masila hadn't run away. Slowly, leisurely even, she walked right up to a blob and put her finger in it. "Pie?" she gasped.

"Yeah," I said before I could stop myself. "That's our new motto, you know: 'Defeating evil with pastry, one pie at a time.'"

"Is that Masila?" said a voice. Or voices. The thieves had calmed down and were regrouping with big grins on their faces, all feeling victory settle on to them.

She snarled. Then, quick as a flash, she grabbed me by the coat and pulled me center to the crowd (though it was out of earshot). She hissed in my ear, "This isn't over, little Hanso. You helped. And I told you what would happen if you helped." I gasped—she was going to kill Brynn! "Fortunately," she continued, "I'm feeling generous, so instead I shall destroy your life only. I hear that they all suspect that you're a spy?" She smiled as if it was the funniest thing she ever heard.

"So?" I spat. "You know that isn't true."

"I can make it appear to be true," she answered calmly.

"And how would you do that?"

"Why, by whispering in your ear in front of the whole Guild unarmed, making it look like we were discussing the next move," she said. My eyes widened when I saw that all the thieves were staring at me. Masila smiled and gave me a pat on the head, then disappeared into the forest. Everyone was too shocked to follow her.

Week 3

The only reason I didn't get kicked out of the Guild on the spot was Mom and Dad. Kanrik was seriously angry when he saw what happened- he thought that I was the spy for sure. But it was more than that, I think. There was a look on his face that he was hurt, betrayed—again, like this happened before. It did happen before, when Masila herself turned her back and left him for dead long ago. Loads of the Guild members were stepping forward, but he approached faster than any of them.

What he would've done, I don't know. But the next second, Dad appeared by my side. "Is there a problem, sir?" he said in the same respectful tone he always gave Kanrik, though now there was a steely edge to it. "You aren't actually going to punish my son just because she approached him. We don't even know what she said."

"She said enough," Kanrik muttered.

"She could've been threatening him for all we know," he said. He looked at me, and I nodded. "See?"

"But how can we take his word for it?" he asked as if I wasn't even there. Which hurt, because once upon a time he would always ask my opinion before anyone else.

"Why wouldn't we?" said Dad indecorously. "You're actually gonna take the word of her instead of a loyal guild member-"

"Who disappeared for two months?"

"Liz and I have no problem about that," he snapped. I looked to him in surprise, and he added, "Well, a bit of a problem, and if he ever does that again he's going to wish he'd never been born. But all's said and done, and this is no time to use that as a reason."

"There are plenty of reasons why he would be the spy," Kanrik said. "And plenty of reasons why I believe he's so. His odd friendships with guards and rich kids, for example-"

"There's nothing wrong with that," said Mom, crossing her arms. "Besides him going in a fire after them, there's no problem."

"Really?" said Kanrik, giving her a meaningful look.

"Really," said Mom, staring straight back at him. "And if you expel him, then I'm afraid we'll have to turn in our resignations, too."

"Quit the Thieves' Guild?" Kanrik scoffed. "You'll be back to nicking stuff in weeks."

"Quit the Thieves' Guild, maybe," said Dad, "but not being a thief. There are other Guilds we could join. One in particular, actually."

"We know we're some of your best agents," said Mom. "And that you would not want us to be your enemies."

Kanrik paled. They were actually threatening to become Assassins. "We don't want to be your enemies, too," Dad supplemented. "We both know you're a much better leader than Masila or anyone else, we've been with you since almost the beginning of your settlement in Brightvale, and we've proved time and time again that we're loyal."

"But before we're thieves, we're family," Mom finished.

Kanrik, and the rest of the Guild for that matter, glared at them. Then he sighed. "Fine. But keep your son under control at all times. And if I ever find some substantial evidence that he really is a spy, then-"

"We'll be punished, blah, blah, blah," said Dad. "We get it." I guess I can see why people say I take after him.

I'm still in. But sometimes I wish I wasn't. Because now the way they tease me have gone to an all time cruel, confirming that I was evil and destroying the Guild from within. Nort actually cornered me one day and was berating me about it. "Come on, just tell the truth and get it over with," he said. "Or are you worried about your parents? Don't worry, I'm sure they won't be punished. Much." He laughed. "Anyway, we always thought you were weird, conspiring with those guards and 'pretending' to be friends with them. We even heard about the first time you met Kanrik, when you threatened to overthrow him-"

"It was a joke!" I snapped.

"Of course it was," he said. "And it's not like you have anything against most of the members, getting quite a few demoted using Kanrik's favor including my father. It's pretty satisfying, actually, seeing him turn the tables on his old 'favorite'..."

I was about to say something, when I paused. It wasn't worth it—he'd get me back with another jibe. So I stayed quiet with a sullen face as their insults continued on. The problem was, the sullen face didn't disappear after we had to get back to class. I'd just stare at Jacques with a blank expression. I did answer questions and give demonstrations, as usual, but I never looked happy about it.

Jacques asked me a few times if everything was all right, which I would reply yes, of course it was, because if I ever said something different he'd inform my parents, and they'd probably get mad and quit to Guild. No way was I ever going to join Masila, whether I get tossed fruit at in lunch or not. Besides, I could tell that he never really means the question. Jacques still treats me fair, he's still nice, but every time he looks at me there's this bit of mistrust in his eyes. He's not the only one. Kayley won't even look at me; she's always lost in thought about something. Razor still smiles and chats, but there's this nervousness that didn't used to be there, like he was near someone who could be dangerous. And Julius is always a little cautious around me.

In fact, I'd just about thought that everyone hated me. I always delay going to the cafeteria for as long as I could, stalling in the classroom. Jacques had stopped waiting for me to leave and just tells me to lock up when I'm done with whatever I'm doing. One of those times, I was staring at the map again.

"You always seem to be staring at it," a voice said, and unsurprisingly, it was Juliet. She looked at me, concerned. "Why aren't you out at lunch?"

"Why would I be in lunch?"

"'Cause it's the most important meal of the day," she announced.

I chuckled. "I thought that was breakfast."

"It is," she agreed. "And lunch, and dinner, and all the snacks in between."

"You know, I always thought you'd end up chubby with all the sweets you eat. How'd you manage to stay fit?"

"Exercise," she said, seemingly exhausted. "Lots and lots of it. Mostly combat with Julius, but seriously, I can barely compete with him. Brains over bronze with me, remember?" She sighed. "Really, though, why aren't you going out?"

"Everyone hates me out there. Plus, I'd be tortured again my Nort."

"I don't hate you," she replied. "Neither does Julius, he's just being careful. I keep telling him it's stupid, since he doesn't have anything to be careful about."

"But I thought I'm some evil mastermind spy or something," I said.

"You're not," she said, with unexpected anger and certainty in her voice. "They could tell me that all they want, but you're not the spy. I'll never in a million years think so."

"Why?" I asked, surprised.

"Are you serious?" she said. "Because I've seen what you do. When you see trouble, you help, whether it does you good or not. 'Cause you don't let differences tell you what o do. 'Cause you helped me and Julius once, when we were fighting. And because you're my friend. I'm the type of person who, whether you like it or not, will never leave you alone."

"But…why?" I repeated.

"One friend can make a big difference. Don't forget that, okay?" She turned to leave. "Oh, and you seem awfully sad lately. I miss your smiles." She gave me one of her own and left.

That might've cheered me up. It really might have. Juliet's no persuader, but she definitely has a talent for lighting up the day whenever I'm gloomy. But then, of course, something had to get me back to my foul mood again. While I was turning to leave, I heard a conversation right outside the hall. And as any thief would do, I eavesdropped.

"Sir, I have a proposition for you," said Nort's voice.

"Listen, kid, I'm a bit of a hurry here." Kanrik sounded a bit panicked, like there was something urgent that he needed to do.

"But it has something to do with Hanso!" There was a short silence, and I tensed. If he was going to say something fake about me, I was going to burst out of the classroom and kill him.

"I'm listening," said Kanrik.

"Well, you know how Master Jacques's class got to choose their mentors first?" he said. "And Hanso became your apprentice?"

"He's not my apprentice," Kanrik snapped.

"Well, sir, we all know he's a spy-"

"Does this mean you have proof?"

"Um, no," Nort admitted. "But it's fairly obvious. Anyway, it's a bit of a problem that you have to spend time with him when you teach. That'll be when you're most vulnerable—you don't know when he's going to stab you in the back. So, what I'm suggesting is that you choose another kid and give Hanso to someone…tougher. Who'd discipline him, I mean."

"I doubt that anybody can discipline him," Kanrik replied.

"But at the very least you'll be safer," Nort pointed out. "But I'm not saying that you should stop being a mentor. There are loads of talented kids out there who could take over the Guild when you're gone. Namely, me." I nearly opened the door and screamed. That lousy little social-climber!

"Nort," Kanrik said in a tired voice. "Firstly, I never said that he was going to take over the Guild when I'm gone. Also, I don't know if I can switch him. His parents would definitely complain."

"But what if I find proof that he's a spy?" Nort asked.

There was another short silence. "I'll think about it," Kanrik said. Those words are still ringing in my head.

Week 4

Nort's mocking was worse than ever. He kept jumping at me from random places, wanting me to admit that I'm the spy. Sometimes I just wanted to say that I was, just so that he would leave me alone and I would get some peace. But I wouldn't—that would get me and my parents in trouble. I couldn't risk that. I also couldn't talk back to him anymore. It might sound weird, but I've sort of lost the will. I just let them keep going and just tolerate it in the inside.

Juliet was still my friend, much to my relief. But I can't talk with her much. I overheard her and Julius having a huge argument about it, and that she nearly slapped him again (but she didn't—they made up nearly right away, because they didn't want another few months of fighting like last time). I figured that I shouldn't her into anymore trouble, so I only speak to her when she's necessary.

Anyway, Nort had just finished mocking me again when he got called by a teacher to run an errand. He went away reluctantly, and for once I actually had time to myself. It didn't last long, though. Kayley slipped into my table. "What do you want?" I snapped.

She looked at me in surprise. "Even when you were mad at me, you never treated me like that."

"Who's to say I'm not mad at you now?"

"Oh please," she said. "You can never hold a grudge. Except maybe for Masila."

"Did you just come here to tell me that?"

"I came here to tell you to stop acting like such a sourpuss," she said. "That's my job, remember?" I stared at her. "Look, people don't mind if I'm grumpy a lot. They think that's just the way I am—they barely even notice. But you…you're like the epitome of annoying cheerfulness. When you're in a bad mood, everyone always looks sadder. Even Juliet."

"I doubt that you ever got this much teasing from Nort," I said.

She glared at me. "You have no idea."

"Nobody really believed it was you, anyway," I said angrily. "You never did anything that made you too suspicious, while I go for two months just to-"

"Walls have ears, and we're in a crowded lunchroom," she reminded me. I rolled my eyes. "You never used to do that much, either. It's like we've switched places." She shook her head. "I don't like it."

"You never like it when you're proved wrong."

She bit her lip. "This is really making you miserable, isn't it?" She suddenly looked very guilty.

"Gee, you think?" I said.

"Hey, Mr. Spydiculous!" Nort called out. "Like the new nickname? You know, spy, ridiculous."

"Ha ha ha. Very clever," I said. "Not."

He shrugged. "You aren't supposed to like it anyway, Mr. Spydiculous."

"Lay off, Nort," Kayley said, standing up.

He backed away a bit, but then stood his ground. "I thought you didn't like him?"

"I don't," she said.

"Then why are you defending?" I was a little confused on that part as well. Why was she defending? "Unless you're jealous. Remember all that attention I gave you a few months ago?" He laughed.

She gritted her teeth. "Oh, I remember all right."

"He's the spy," Nort said breezily. "Look at him, all suspicious and unthief-like, actually making friends with guards and rich kids-"

"For your information, he's the best thief in our class!" she snapped. "And he's not a spy."

"What makes you so sure?" he asked, smirking.

And. She. Cracked. "Because I am," she snarled. Then she gasped, horrified, her hands over her mouth. She was definitely not supposed to say that. We all stared at her, not even Nort making a sound. Then, while we were all stunned, she ran away. Just like Masila did.

Well, I never said she wasn't the spy. :)