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.

41. May at Age 10

'Kay, I kinda have some bad news. I'm going to be busy experimenting with other types of writing the week after the next, and it's really confusing if you try to write two fiction things at once. So, the week after the next (there'll be an update next week), no update. Also, since I'll need time to actually write the chapter, the week after that will probably have no update too. Sorry. :(

The Month of Hunting (May) Age 10

Week 1

I woke up earlier than usual again. If I don't watch out, this might actually become a habit! Anyway, I still felt awful about Dad. It really did feel like bereavement again. But I refused to believe that he was going to die. He's way too smart for that, and like Kanrik said, he's a Master Thief. The Guild leader wouldn't send his apprentice's father on a suicide mission, right? Right. So why was I so worried?

I made my bed, like Mom always told me to, and went to the kitchen. Mom wasn't there yet—she stayed up late last night crying. I heard her all the way from my own room. I had thought about going to her, and then thought better of it. One of the things she hates most is when she appears weak, even though it's for a perfectly good reason. I realized that it was just going to be the two of us for what probably is going to be a long time, despite what Dad said. I bit my lip, slightly worried. Mom's the stricter parent, and I have a feeling that without Dad's interference, I would've ended up in a locked room where she could always keep an eye on me.

Nah, scratch that. She tried to do it once before, and she let me go on her own. I know we're going to get along in the next few months.

I ate some cereal really quickly, scribbled a note for Mom, and then went out. I wasn't exactly sure where I was going—it was the weekend again, and I was just wandering about. Usually, I'd go with one of my parents to do something or another (like exploring the nearby hills, scouting a few jewelry shops, normal stuff like that…). Now I didn't know what to do with myself.

Then I saw Marie. She was wearing her hood again, so I almost mistook her as Masila. I do know now that her cloak is a lighter tint of blue than Masila's. In fact, that's the only way to tell them apart when they're both hooded. I followed her. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"To the castle," she said calmly. I stared. "Oh, don't worry. I might be a thief, but I rarely ever get caught and always keep my face carefully hidden when I do. Those guards only recognize me as Sam's mother, and the widower of their late general." Her voice turned sad at that.

"Can I come?"

"Why?" she asked.

"I'm bored. I don't really have anything better to do."

"The devil plays with idle hands," she warned me.

"What?" I said, frowning.

"It means not to say that. Having nothing to do is better than having a big problem to solve. I thought you of all people should know that by now, as you've challenged Masila these last few months."

I shrugged sheepishly. "I guess you have a point. But I like challenges."

"I'm sure you do," she said, smiling knowingly. "Or perhaps you just want to keep busy to keep your mind off a few…things?" She had read me like a book, seeing the real reason why I wanted to tag along. I didn't want to think of Dad again. I nodded. "All right, dear. You can come. Just keep your head down," she added.

I sighed gratefully and followed her into the gates. We maneuvered around, mostly avoiding the hall for the younger kids where Brynn stays. At that time of the morning, she was probably still sleeping, but we didn't want to take any chances. And yeah, we didn't see her. We did see someone else, though.

A large Usul in a business suit was waiting impatiently in the hall. My jaw dropped. "What is it, Hanso?" Marie asked when she saw my face.

"It's…It's Hazel's dad," I squeaked. "He's come to take Violet away again!"

She frowned. "What?"

I did my best to give her the whole story in a nutshell. "So," I was finishing, "As long as Violet stays in the Guard she's protected from the Tradition, but as soon as he takes her home she'll be forced to marry someone by the time she's fifteen. Sam tried to prevent something like this, he made a group called the Rebellion…"

She shook her head. "He's been leaving a lot of stuff out of his letters."

"Maybe we should talk to him," I suggested. "He might be…right there!" I said as I saw him go down the hall. "Sam-"

"Samuel Ritch, come over here this instant!" Marie said in her best mom-voice. "You've got a lot of explaining to do!"

The teenager froze in the hallway and turned around. "Mom?"

"Do you have any idea how worried I've been, young man?" she said, taking him by the ear.

"Ow! Ow!"

"No crying out," she snapped. "Didn't they train the guards to face worse? Anyway, what you did with Kanrik was highly risky. Letting a bunch of little girls – and a few boys as well – in the Thieves' Guild?"

"Nothing happened to them," he said weakly.

"Well, Marie did get locked up for like a month," I supplemented. "So you can argue some bad stuff happened form there anyway."

"You got locked up for a month?" he said, his jaw dropping. "Who did that? I'll take care of them-"

"No need, son," said Marie dryly. "I did it for you. But next time, you're going to have to tell me when you're going to smuggle some guard girls in. I might not have your aunt's voice, but I might be able to talk you out of it anyway. At the very least, we'll be able to organize something a bit more stealthy."

"Okay," he said, grinning. They hugged.

"Um, not to try and break things up too quickly, but did I just see Violet's father going to the Draik man's office?"

Sam cursed. "Yeah. They're trying to catch us off-guard so he can get Violet out of here without notice. But Robin Hood knows she has friends—I'm pretty sure she's getting help from the Rebellion right now, or at the very least Brynn and Sophia."

"What are you waiting for?" Marie asked. "Aren't you going to help her?"

He hesitated. "Should I? I mean, I would, I always would, but he's an adult…"

"So will you be, in a few years," said Marie sternly. She raised her eyebrows. "I thought you of all people wouldn't be scared of a guy like him."

"You told me to never use the voice thing unless it's for emergencies," he pointed out.

"So I did," she said, and for a moment a look of guilt flashed on her face. "Still, this can count as an emergency, don't you think?" She pointed to where I knew the Draik man's office was. The door was slightly ajar, so we could all hear what they were saying.

"Pack your bags, girl. And put your clothes on; we're leaving," Violet's father told her. Someone closed the door. Since Marie and I were trained to listen carefully, we still had no problem listening to what they were talking about. Sam, though, had to cup his hands around his ear and press his face against the door.

"No we're not!" I heard Violet cry out.

Her father laughed cruelly. "Getting feisty, are we? We'll soon knock that out of you. Your brother has a wonderful way of dealing with these things."

"I'll go pack," she said so softly that I almost couldn't hear. Then I realized what was happening. Marie managed to duck under a table just in time—I was still standing in the middle of the pathway. She blinked when she saw Sam had been eavesdropping (the cupped hands were a dead give away) but she looked absolutely gob-smacked when she saw me. For a moment she forgot all about her fear and opened her mouth to scream.

I raised a finger to my lips, and gave her a look that said, If I'm going down, you're going down with me. And she would have done. I could've claimed that she helped me sneak in the castle.

Realizing this also, she glared at me, knowing that I had the upper-hand. Thankfully Brynn and Sophia didn't notice, as they were still staring at Sam. I quickly backed away and hid with Marie. Sam grinned at Violet a little and pushed her back in the room. He closed the door. "No one's going anywhere," he was saying to Violet's dad, "Except you." His voice became really persuasive that you couldn't help but believe him. "You're going out, or you're going down. It's your choice, but I warn you not to underestimate me."

"Who's this guy?" Violet's dad asked in disbelief.

"Sam," I heard Sophia say.

"He's a trainee guard here," the Draik man explained.

"For another three years!" Sam happily reminded everyone. "Then I can kick your butt legally, sir, for it will be my job."

"Get out of here, kid," Violet's dad snarled. "We don't have need of you."

"She does," Sam said, and I guessed he meant Violet.

"Violet, get your stuff."

"She's staying here!" Sam snapped.

There was a brief silence, and I seriously wondered what was going on in there. Marie had a small, sad smile on her face. "Scary, sometimes," she told me, "How much he reminds of Masila when we were younger."

"Until she got the voice thing," I muttered.

She shook her head. "She was reluctant to use it at first, like I said last month. One of her problems was that she wouldn't speak up."

"She didn't seem to have any problems with Galem when I saw them in the crystal ball," I pointed out.

"Don't underestimate him," she warned. "He might seem dopey at the time, but you have to know that he eventually understood that he needed to be cunning in order to maintain his position. He just wasn't cunning enough." She looked away. "And anyway, it wasn't Galem she had that much trouble standing up to."

"Who?" I asked.

"I better not say," she said simply.

"Was the person one of the other persuasive people you were talking about?"

"Sort of," Marie said. "But still, even that person could only bully Masila so far." A half-smile appeared on her face. "Masila had what you would call…a berserk button, shall we say-"

Before she could tell me anything else, we heard Violet's father sneer, "I'll go. But next time, my girl, I will bring your brother." The door banged open, and we had to duck again. Just for a second, Violet and I got a glimpse of each other. It was enough. She mimed putting a finger across her neck—I was pretty sure I understood the message.

"I guess I better go," I said. "I don't think Violet likes me here."

"Indeed," said Marie. She looked at me with a sad expression on her face. "Let me get this straight. She's a rich girl but is working to escape the Tradition, right?" I nod. She shook her head, almost in awe. "Wow. She didn't seem that self-resilient. In fact, to be honest, she doesn't seem like the guard-type."

I shrugged. "I guess she'd do anything to get away from the Tradition."

Week 2

Like I promised Hazel, I went to visit Charlie today. Honestly, I hate myself for putting it off for so long, but I did need to get over the whole bereavement thing to the stage of acceptance. Still, I think I'm still somewhere along denial. He's not going to die. And that's a good thing. Because he's not going to die. Right?

It was lucky that I had Timmy with me. He wanted to go on the swing with 'Teddy,' the same bear I gave him a few years ago. I'm actually kind of touched that he kept it. Briefly, I wondered how long until he'd get tired of it; possibly never. I still sleep with Pudding, a stuffed toy that my mom got me when I was little.

I'm so glad that no one can read this journal. If anyone found that out, I'd be the laughingstock of the Thieves' Guild.

The sun loomed overhead. A sweet breeze wafted around us. It's always beautiful in the rich kid neighborhood; it's just too bad that most of the rich kids here are so rotten. I hurried over to Charlie's home. It's now officially fully rebuilt from that fire a few years ago. What I didn't understand was why they made it exactly like the house before. Couldn't they have made something more original?

"Hanso?" Charlie said. He had a tired expression on his face, but he smiled. "I'm-" *yawn* "Terribly glad you're all right after the whole incident from-" *yawn* "two months ago. Too busy to see me, eh?"

"Sorry, Charlie," I apologized. "It's just-"

"You got huddled up again. I understand," he yawned. "Awfully boring being a rich kid. The only thing you get to do in life is to crunch numbers, and I positively hate Math." He made a face. "Ah, well."

"Sorry," I said again. "Hey, why are you so sleepy? You staying up late?"

He grinned mischievously. "A little trick I learned from you thieves. Remember you once told me about your secret codes?"

"Yeah," I said, half-fearful that he actually figured them out. Even if he is my friend, who knows what he could do with that knowledge.

But he continued, "I haven't gotten the thieves' codes, as your all-too-easy-to-read face shows you're scared of, but I did learn Morse code."

"Morse code?" I asked.

"Well, you do it with a flashlight, and you respond with a number of clicks and silences."

"Whaaa-?"

"Oh, well, it's rather difficult to explain. But basically, you can do it with a flashlight. Since our parents generally sleep early, and we're almost right across the street from each other, Hazel and I are able to communicate through that."

"Wow," I said, impressed. I never gave that much credit on how resourceful Charlie is.

There was something sad in his face, though. "But…"

"But?" I questioned.

"I haven't actually seen her since two months ago. I haven't talked to her about her much about her little talent, but I know it's bothered her dreadfully." He shook his head. "That's the annoying thing about codes—you can't pester someone to answer. I know she's really, really scared of what might happening to her- and she mentioned once having a voice in her head."

"Don't worry," I told him. "I got Marie to take care of that. She's Masila's younger sister and Sam's mom, so she has a lot of experience with it. Anyway, she said that if Hazel stops using it for awhile, it might go away."

"Do you really think so?" Charlie asked. He seemed slightly disappointed.

"What?" I said.

He shrugged. "It's nothing, just…do you know how much good Hazel could do with that gift? Why, she can stop her brother from bullying her. Heck, she could stop her father from bullying her. She can convince her parents exactly who she wants to marry—though I doubt anyone would ever be strong enough to convince their parents to let her break free from the Tradition itself."

I knew were this was going. I shook my head. "Charlie, Marie had the same idea when she was younger. It didn't work."

"What?" he said, astonished.

"Well, she and Masila were bullied a lot," I explained. "When Marie found out that Masila had the gift, she pushed her to use it. Eventually, it overpowered Masila, and she just couldn't stop anymore. You know how she is now."

"But Hazel won't turn evil," Charlie pressed. "She's too nice."

"Masila was nice too," I said. "Well, Marie said she was. Anyway, I don't think we should chance it."

"You're probably right," Charlie conceded. "But I wish I could see her, at least."

"Why dwon't we?" said Timmy. We both jumped, forgetting he was there. "I wanna visit the pwincess!"

"Charming idea," said Charlie with a smile. "But her brother would kill her if he found out."

"Or I could kill her anyway," said a voice behind us. We whirled around.

"Ebony," Charlie spat.

"Charles," said Ebony. "Nice to meet you, as always." Needless to say, he was lying.

Charlie glared at him. "It'll be nice to meet you when you get dragged through Moltara and left to burn-"

"Uh-uh-uh," said Ebony, wagging his finger. "Wouldn't want my little sister to get hurt, hm?" He pulled Hazel behind him. He had stuffed a handkerchief in her mouth and had a blindfold to keep her from warning us, but she was struggling to get away from him with all her might. She was no match for him, though, and he just laughed as she kept getting more and more tangled.

Charlie was outraged. "Why, you dirty scumbag-"

"What's this I hear about a talent?" he cut in. He grinned evilly at Hazel. "I always thought that my little sister here was just a whimpering weak thing. Hardly ever doing anything enough to be called a person. At least Violet had enough initiative to start a gang of her own, though it was composed of girls." He made face. "And at least I know she can shoot. This one is just my poor, invisible mother through and through. She's…"

"She's nwicer that wou'll ever be!" Timmy cried. "Wet the pwincess go!"

At that, Ebony pulled Hazel's gag out and squeezed her wrist until it made an awful crunching sound. She screamed and fell in her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Don't you dare," Ebony warned when Charlie rushed to help her. Charlie glowered at him, but backed away when he saw his members of his gang approaching. "I'll repeat myself: What is this little talent?"

"Nothing," Charlie lied.

"Really? You were making such a big fuss of it. Said that it could even defeat my father. I'd love to know what she has that I haven't-"

"Othwer than she uses swoap? You're stwinky!" Timmy said cheekily. I couldn't help but laugh. A few of Ebony's side laughed, too, though they instantly silenced when he looked daggers at them.

"Think you're so smart, do you, little guy?" Ebony said, going closer. "I remember you. The one who I pushed off the swing."

"'Cept this twime," Timmy said bravely, "I would'a pushed wou back."

"Is that so?" Ebony snarled. As fast as lightening, he grabbed Timmy's teddy. The little guy's face froze with horror. Ebony grinned and ripped the teddy's head off its seams, pouring a large amount of white fluff and stuffing to the ground. "Whoops! It seems Teddy…lost his head."

"Teddy!" Timmy wailed, trying to get the body and the head. I held him back, knowing that worse would come if he approached the bunch of spoiled rich kids.

"G-give it back to him, Ebony," said a weak voice. Even though Hazel couldn't see what was happening, she probably put two and two together. It was the first words that she said. And for some reason, they sounded different. More…persuasive. With dread, I realized she was using her talent, even though Marie told her not to. "It'd be a really good idea if you gave it back, don't you think?"

"Hey, yeah," said Ebony, as if dazed. "That's what I'll do. Here you go, kid." Then he blinked. "What just happened?" He stared at his sister, shocked. "You-you just cast a spell on me, didn't you?" Hazel stayed silent. "Answer me!" He started shaking her by the shoulders violently.

"N-no," she whispered.

"If you won't," he sneered, "I guess you'll just have to spend the night in the shed again."

"My friends will come after me-"

"What friends? These?" He grinned. "Try and rescue Hazel and I swear I'll push her in the river with her still blindfolded. And she can't swim."

She struggled. "Then…Violet."

"Pfft. Was she here the last time? Or the time before that?" He shook her again. "She's not going to come. She abandoned you three years ago!" He pushed her, and smashed against the wall like a rag-doll. A sharp cry came from her before she could fully conceal it. I tried to step closer, but two members came and went around her. She was trapped. "I suggest you get out of here," Ebony said from behind the hulking people. "You wouldn't want to hear what I'm about to do." As if to prove his point, Hazel shrieked. I guessed that he just twisted her arm.

Timmy began crying then. I guess this was too much for a four-year-old to take. Although I hated being told what to do, Ebony was right—we had to get out of there. I glanced at Charlie. His fists were clenched. I had a feeling that if I didn't interfere, he would've charged out and did something drastic. Instead, I grabbed his hand along with Timmy's. "Come on," I told them.

I had no idea where we were going. We just randomly went to the marketplace and collapsed on the bench, all upset and angry. "The pwincess…Teddy…" Timmy whimpered.

"There, there," said Charlie, but he was obviously thinking about what was happening to Hazel. For a few minutes, none of us had any idea on what to do.

Then I felt someone slide next to me on the bench. "What's up?" said Brynn softly, indicating Charlie and Timmy.

I looked at her, slightly surprised that she paid attention to me even though I wasn't stealing anything. I blinked and sighed. "There's absolutely nothing you can do to help."

"Of course there is," she persisted.

"Brynn!" an annoying voice called. I rolled my eyes. Great. The other mean sibling. "Sam's mother is different! Hanso is not your mother so it is wrong to be friends with him!"

That comment took me by surprise. I nearly burst out laughing. Smirking a little, I commented, "I'm actually kinda glad I'm not your mother." Then I realized that might have sounded rude. "Not that I don't like her but…"

"How would you know about Brynn's mother?" Violet said accusingly. Oops.

"I have my ways," I said. I didn't say anything else about it.

"You still haven't told me what's up," Brynn told me.

Before I could answer, Timmy held up his toy. "He bwoke Teddy," he informed her tearfully. I have to admit, I was a bit surprised on having him say that so quickly to her. He was raised to hate guards. Still, I guess having me as a kind of mentor definitely helped.

And I guess it didn't hurt that Violet went on her knees and inspected his toy carefully. "Brynn's mummy can fix this," she said with confidence. She turned to Brynn. "Can she?"

Brynn seemed slightly taken aback by the change of mood. "Yes," she said, after a pause. "It might take a few days, but she's very good at sewing."

Timmy nodded and clutched what remained of his stuffed animal. "Who did this?" Violet asked him. I guess his fear caught up with him by then, because he didn't say anything. She turned to me instead. "Who did this?" she repeated. She had a familiar, angry, fiery glint in her eye. I was so glad I wasn't her enemy.

"You won't like my answer," I stated.

"Tell me," she pressed. She looked like she wanted to shake me, like Ebony did to Hazel.

"Your brother," Charlie snapped before it got to that point. He looked up, frowning. Violet does look different with her armor on. "It is you, isn't it? I would feel awfully foolish if it wasn't."

Violet stiffened when she saw who answered her. She gritted her teeth. "Last time I checked, yes, I am me."

"Yep," he muttered, almost too low for me to hear. "Definitely Miss Firecracker." Out loud, he told her, "You would never have said that sort of thing before all this…business." He gestured to her armor, her bow and arrow, and her confident stance. I didn't know who she was before, but judging by the way she acted when her dad came…definitely not like she was now.

"That idiot can't hold on to me forever," Violet said angrily.

Charlie rolled his eyes. "I doubt you would say that to his face." Violet glared at the ground—she knew he was right, and she wasn't happy about it.

"So," Brynn interfered. "Violet's brother did this?"

"Yep," I confirmed.

"And we're sitting here doing nothing?" she added, raising her eyebrows.

My shoulders slumped. "What can we do?" I asked her. "He's older than us, bigger than us. Anyway," I said, holding up my arms, "We only have one dagger between the three of us." And that is, if she doesn't confiscate it.

Instead, she said determinedly, "Add on a sword and a bow and arrow between the five of us." My jaw dropped. She was going to help? As in, officially, directly help? That's the first time she really did that. And, no that I think about it, the first time that I really needed it.

But it was still hopeless. "Okay. It's still nothing. He probably has big guns or something hidden in his shed."

Violet smirked. "As if Mum would allow that! Mind you, Dad has all the power…" At the mention of her father, she cringed and shook her head desperately, her eyes wide with fear. "We can't go."

"Violet!" Brynn snapped. "Our job is to look after the citizens of Brightvale." What she didn't say though I knew she wanted to (and what I wanted to say for myself): She is your sister, for Fyora's sake! Even if you don't like guarding, she isn't just a citizen of Brightvale. And you're leaving her alone. What a coward.

Brynn shook her head and turned to us again. "Did he do anything else?"

Charlie and I glanced at each other. There was a long pause. Finally, he said, "He locked Hazel up in that shed of theirs."

Violet straightened up visibly. Her fists were clenched, just like Charlie's had been earlier, and she had a very, very angry expression on her face.

"We tried to stop them," I began, not wanting Brynn to think I abandoned Hazel.

"But they were too swong," Timmy finished.

"I suppose Violet would prefer not to be involved," Charlie said slyly, noticing the effect it gave the snooty guard. "I understand that."

"No!" she yelled, finally cracking. The fiery courage was back again in her eyes. "He's taken it too far!" She grabbed Charlie by the shoulders. "Did he hurt her?"

"She was screaming an awful lot," Charlie said, with a pained look on his face. "Though we didn't see very well." Surrounded by minions and all.

"Okay," Violet said, standing up. "We're going to sort this out right now." I grinned slightly. That's the Miss Firecracker we all know and love. She stormed right out of the marketplace and into the rich kid's neighborhood with her head held high—even though she was clutching her bow and arrow.

I began to feel a little apprehensive, though. If it was just me, fine. But Timmy and Charlie, against Ebony? Well, I guess they did help beat Masila. But I was still kind of uncomfortable letting them get in danger on purpose. Seeing my worried expression, Brynn flashed me a smile, and I instantly forgot what I was thinking. "Coming?"

"Yeah," I said, dazedly. She was pretty when she smiled. I blinked, shaking my head. That was odd. "Timmy? Charlie? You two ready?"

"Yes, we jolly well are!" said Charlie, standing up.

"Timmy?" I asked him.

"Yep," he replied. He was still clutching his teddy, but it was clear Timmy was out for revenge. One thing I should remember: Never mess with a little kid.

They began walking quickly to Violet's house. Maybe a little too quickly. Charlie was red in the face, and remembered that as a rich kid, he wasn't used to extortion. Not to mention that stupid heart disease. I glared at Violet's back. She should know this! "I'm all right," Charlie panted when he saw me glance at him. "I want to get to Hazel fast, too."

"Still," I said. "You are a rich kid, Charlie."

"So?" he snapped.

"So…well…oh, never mind," I said. We all raced up to Hazel's house, me practically dragging Timmy along. Charlie puffed behind us.

Violet banged on the door like she was mad at it. Instantly, it was opened by a lady whom I recognized to be her mom. She was pretty, in a porcelain-doll sort of way, like she would break any moment. I can see why Ebony said that she was weak—still, he's saying that about his own mom. I can't get my mind around that.

"Who are you?" she asked tentatively. Whoa, Violet does look different in her guard suit. Then her mother blinked and realized who she was. "Violet!" Her eyes darted around, just like Hazel's did. "You have to go! If your father catches you here…"

As if on cue, a voice yelled, "Honey! Who is it?"

I saw Charlie roll his eyes, almost imperceptibly. "What?" I said silently, not wanting to distract Violet. She and her mother were talking.

"Nothing," he said. "Just another stupid part of the Tradition. When girls are married, they have to change their names into their husband's customs. So, if a rich girl who had the name of a fruit married a guy who had a name of a vegetable, she'd have to change it to fit the family."

"Wait…her name is Honey?" I said in disbelief. He nodded. "Wow. That's kinda weird."

"I suppose. Hazel has a boy cousin whose name is Hot-Pink."

"You're kidding."

"I wish I were."

"Honey!" Violet's father shouted. "Get in here and sort my tea!"

"Coming, sir," she called back. I honestly can't believe it. She calls him 'sir?' My mom would beat Dad up if he ever tried to get her to call him sir.

Of course, he'd have to be here. I swallowed the lump in my throat. I couldn't get distracted now.

"Be careful, kids," Honey said finally. Before she ran back inside, she eyed Charlie seriously, as if the warning was meant for him.

"Now where?" Violet asked in frustration. I heard Ebony mention that they were going to lock Hazel in a shed, so I assumed that was what she meant. "The quickest way I can think of is getting over the back gate, but how do we do that?"

I grinned, remembering my first lesson with Kanrik. He made me jump…about fifty walls? "I can help with that. It's the sort of things they teach us thieves."

"Why do they never teach us guards anything we'll actually use other than weapon use?" Violet said, stamping her foot.

"Hanso," Brynn said.

"Yeah?"

"Could you show us how to get over the gate?"

"I sure can!"

Violet practically pushed us all there. I mimed the steps carefully, especially for Timmy and Charlie. I wasn't worried about Brynn—I was pretty sure she could handle it on the first try. But I knew I wasn't the best teacher. I made sure they all understood, and then did it myself. "It's easy," I tried to reassure them from the other side.

Timmy came up first. He clutched at the top of the gate, scared, and then toppled over. I caught him in mid-air, and we both collapsed near the shrubbery. I hoped Violet's father wouldn't notice.

I stood up—and got knocked over nearly jumped the entire thing, grabbing on me to keep balance and shoving me to the ground. I glared at her, but she didn't pay attention to me. Luckily, Charlie was a lot more cautious, and all I had to do was to help him climb down. Brynn landed perfectly, like I knew she would.

The garden was actually pretty. Huge, too. I wouldn't be surprised if Hazel and Violet used to play hide-and-seek there; or maybe if they used it just to hide from their brother. The landscaping was awesome, with sloping hills, blooming flowers, and even a water-fall. Violet ignored all that, though, and ran to the stone shed in the center.

"Hazel?" Violet said, banging on the door again. "Are you there?"

"No!" her panicked voice said. Obviously a lie, and almost a funny one, if the situation hadn't been so serious.

"It's me, Hazel. It's Violet." She tried to make her voice sound comforting. "It's okay, I'm here to get you out."

"Violet?" Hazel said in disbelief. "Really? Ebony said you weren't gonna come."

"When has Ebony ever been right?" Violet said. Hazel giggled.

As sweet as the moment was, we had a time limit. Violet's father or brother could be outside at any second. "I hate to break it to you," he said, "but how exactly are we going to break in? We don't have anything of use, really." After all, picking locks is useless here. They'd just inform the Guard, and Mr. Daley to boot. We'd all be in real big trouble.

Violet was about to retort (she was probably going to say something like, you break into shops everyday!) but Brynn interrupted, "He does have a point." Violet glowered at her, and then at the ground.

"Hazel," she called finally. "Is there anything you can use in there to get out?"

"There are some boxes in the back," Hazel admitted. "I think Daddy keeps his and Ebony's hunting things in there."

"Okay," Violet said. "Is there anything you can use in there?"

There was a pause. "I found Daddy's rifle." I nearly choked. They did have rifles! Sweet Fyora.

Violet's expression never changed. "Okay. I'll let you know when we're all out of the way and then you can shoot down the door and get out."

My jaw dropped. Shoot down the door? "Could that actually work?" I whispered to Charlie.

He shrugged. "Hazel would try anything for Violet."

"And for you too," I added. He shrugged again, and looked determinedly at the door, as if willing it to open.

There was a jumble of boxes being turned over. Then the jangling stopped, as if Hazel was thinking something. "All? Who else is there?"

Violet took in a breath. "Brynn; she's my friend from the guard." I saw Charlie raise his eyebrows, like thinking that the name sounded familiar. Then his eyes widened with understanding.

"Who else? There's someone else or you would've said 'when both of us are out of the way.'"

Violet took a deep breath again. "There's a little Wocky kid-"

"Timmy?" Hazel said hopefully.

"Yeah!" Timmy confirmed.

I grinned. Now that Violet's mentioned Timmy, she had to add me in. "There's…the thief friend of Brynn's…"

Charlie gave me a half-smile. I called through the door, "Here, Hazel!"

"And there's…" Violet hesitated. Charlie looked daggers at her, as if daring her to leave him out. She glared back. "There's Charlie."

"Charlie!" Hazel squealed excitedly.

Violet rolled her eyes and made us get out of the way. She nearly pushed Charlie to the ground. "Sorry," she muttered. Then she said, in a deadpan voice, "Fire away."

Immediately, there were two big bangs. I glanced briefly at the doorway, but it seemed that no one had heard. Hazel carefully stepped out of the hole she made and rushed over to Violet, hugging her tightly. It was a good escape plan, I decided. But it left too much damage, and I had a feeling that Hazel or at least her mother would get into big trouble for this. For the moment, though, the little princess didn't care. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"If anything happens," Brynn said, "Send someone to come and get us."

"Yep," agreed Hazel.

Violet turned away. "We should go. If Ebony gets here, I'm dead."

Brynn hesitated, and then turned to me. "Are you going to get back all right?"

"Yeah," I assured her. "See you around, I guess."

"Yeah," she said, grinning. "We always bump into each other, so I think that's a safe bet." She didn't seem too sad about that.

I smiled back. Timmy even waved. "Bye."

"Bye boys," she said. She went to Charlie and Hazel, who were chatting like a mile a minute. "Bye guys."

"Good-bye…" Charlie paused. "I don't recall you telling me your name." He had a small grin on his face.

"Brynn," she told him.

"Aha! Glad to finally meet you, Brynn," he said, grabbing her hand and shaking it. She looked at him in astonishment, and then turned to me. I just gave her a knowing smile, and she rolled her eyes.

"Bye Brynn!" Hazel said sweetly. I frowned. Too sweetly. She used her persuasive voice again.

Violet grabbed Brynn's arm and dragged her back to the guard base, saying something about all the criminals they didn't catch because they wasted more time than they needed to over here. I wasn't sure she was leaving to avoid her brother, me, or Charlie.

"Hey, Hazel," I said. "Why'd you use your persuasive voice when you said bye to Brynn?"

"I did?" she said, confused. "I didn't know." She was being honest, like always. "I've done what Marie said to do—I haven't been using it and trying to ignore the voice. But sometimes it just…slips out." She bit her lip. "I'm sure it's weakening, though."

But she had a worried expression on her face.

Week 3

I stopped by Brynn's house for a bit with Timmy. We really did need to get Timmy's teddy fixed, and since I knew where she lived, there didn't seem that much point in waiting until next month. As soon as training was over, I went to Timmy's house. It was in a fairly decent neighborhood, unlike most folks. But nobody knew that thieves lived there. Sure, people knew that Timmy's mom was a thief, but they didn't know where she went. She was that good.

She greeted me with a small smile on her face. "Going to fix Teddy, are you?" she said. I nodded. "You know, I'm really curious on how you're going to do it. I can't go to the seamstress near the marketplace—I'd stolen from her millions of times, and I think that you have, too."

"I have my ways," I said.

"Resourceful, aren't you?" she approved. "I hope it rubs off on Timmy. Sometimes I think he has his head trapped in a book much too often." Her face darkened. "And sometimes I think it gives him the wrong…ideas."

"What?" I asked.

She shrugged. "It's nothing, dear. Nothing I can't put a stop to at some point. I'll just have to take the tough love route sometimes, you know? Anyway…Timmy!" she called. "Hanso's here!"

"'Kay," Timmy said, appearing in the living room with the remains of his stuffed toy. He gave me a toothy grin. "We gonna go to Bwynn's house now?"

"Brynn?" his mother asked. "Who's she?"

"Um…an acquaintance. Come on, Timmy," I said, grabbing his hand.

It didn't take a long time at all. Brynn's mother took one look at the teddy and me (whom she recognized at once) and Timmy's tearful face, and she ushered us to come in. "Teddy's going to take awhile to get better, though," she said gently. "You'll have to come back around next month or so when he gets better. Don't worry, I'll make sure he'll be extra comfy."

"You sure you can fix this?" I asked. I didn't know anything about sewing, but Teddy didn't seem in great shape.

"Oh, don't worry," she said. "I have experience with stuffed toys. Brynn's always had one. I gave her one a few years ago…" She smiled slightly. "I don't think she'd want me to tell you that."

"You mean Blue?" I asked. "Oh, I know about him. She told me before."

"Really?" she said, raising her eyebrows. "I never did know how you two meet. You're obviously not a guard, and she spends most of her time at the base. Out in her patrol, then?"

"You could say that," I admitted. She laughed, and I knew she figured out who I was. I smiled sheepishly. "You could say that I'm, er, the main focus of her patrols."

"So you're Hanso?" she said. "My daughter had been accused of being your accomplice. You're not trying to involve her in anything, are you?"

"No," I promised. Well, not really. I was just supposed to spy on her. When she was grown up. For now, all I had to do was to be friends and make sure we had a good connection.

"Well, come back in a couple of weeks or maybe three. I'm going to be a bit busy, but I'll see what I can do. Don't worry, Timmy," she said to the Wocky. "He's going to be all better when you get here." Afterwards I just dropped him off again to his mother's house and said that he'd get his teddy back a few weeks.

She seemed surprised, but generally nice about it. You know, there's something odd about that lady. Not in a bad way, but…no offense to her, but she seemed like she was almost kissing up to me, like I see sometimes people do to Kanrik. She kept talking about my parents and how they were the Guild's top thieves, and did I have any idea how they did that?

I told her no, I didn't know much about my family's past. She looked disappointed—from what I can gather, she doesn't know either. I've heard that she was one of the more recent members of the Guild (If you can call staying for seven years recent).

Overall, she's okay. I have to wonder, though. What were those ideas that Timmy's mother considered 'wrong?'

Week 4

I went to Charlie's house after school, figuring that he'd be lonely again. I was right. He was sitting on his doorstep trying to read, but he kept glancing to Hazel's house. "Charlie!"

"Hanso?" he said, turning around. "What are you doing here?"

"I guessed you needed some company," I said. "My training's done for the day."

He smiled, a little bitterly. "Hazel wasn't punished," he confessed. "But her mother was. She told her husband that she had clumsily shot with the gun when she was cleaning up."

"What did he do to her?" I asked, aghast.

"She had to fix the door herself, plus work half the night. But she usually does anyway." Charlie sighed. "At least Hazel's mother loves her. Mine…perhaps she does. But I wouldn't know it." I remembered his mother. The one that kept calling her husband 'dear' and bossing him about. I would never want to meet her, much less call her 'Mom.'

Then I had an idea. "Hey, Charlie, why don't you come to my house?"

"What?" he said. "I thought thieves lived in the Thieves' Guild."

I laughed. "Common misconception," I told him. "Most do, actually, but my parents were lucky enough to move away. You don't want to be stuck in a place filled with thieves, even if you're one yourself. Anyway, you'll like my mom. She's nice."

"I'm…" He hesitated. I have to admit, he's a lot tougher and nicer than most, but he is still a rich kid. He's probably a bit scared of thieves. But he continued, "I'm sure you're right. Where should we go?"

I led him round a few blocks. It was kinda confusing (that was the whole point, my parents said to me once). Anyway, it's dangerous to give someone a thieves' address. But I trusted Charlie—I really doubt there'd ever be a situation in which he'd rat me out. Still, I began questioning my decision once we were almost there. It's definitely not what he's used to, and who knows how my mom will react?

I knocked on the door. "Hanso? Is that you?" Mom's voice called. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," I said. More playfully, I added, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you never knock!" she laughed, opening it. Then she blinked. "Oh. You've brought a visitor." She scrutinized him, taking in his fine clothes and his strict stature. "A rich kid, hm?"

"My name's Charlie, ma'am," he said nervously. "I could go if it's not a convenient time."

"Oh, no, that's all right," she said. "But isn't…aren't you the same kid that my son had to rescue from the fire a few years ago?"

"Erm, yes," he said sheepishly.

She shrugged. "Just checking. Come on in, dear." I relaxed when she began calling him 'dear.' She was warming up to him.

Charlie's jaw dropped when he saw my house. For a moment I was worried—then he grinned. "Sweet Fyora, this is amazing!" he said, peering at the pictures. The wall was just littered with them. "Oh, is that you on a bicycle, Hanso?"

"Yep," I said. I began praying that he wouldn't see the one where I-

Charlie burst out laughing. "Why, you painted yourself pink! Hot pink!" He laughed harder. "Oh, I have to tell Hazel when I meet up with her again..."

"Now that's just cruel," I commented.

"What were you doing?"

"Hey, I was three. It was a botched attempt at camouflaging, so I painted myself the exact color of the couch." I pointed to the sofa. He chuckled, talking about this piece and that while I told him the back-stories. And that was just the living room! He hadn't seen my room or the hallway (or as we like to call it, the hall of 'misdemeanors') yet.

But I knew we wouldn't have enough time, so we just hung around there and tried to cover the whole room. It was hard, though. There were a lot of things to talk about. I started wondering why I was worried about Charlie not liking it here. It almost seemed he never wanted to leave.

"Want a sandwich?" Mom offered when she came back. Both of us ate them appreciatively, though Charlie had an odd look on his face when he ate his.

When we began the back-story thing again, he said, "Mother never does any of this, you know."

"What?" Mom asked. She had come back with us, since she enjoyed hearing the stories as much as I did.

"Keep track of me. At times," he hesitated. "At times I thought she just wanted to get rid of me."

"I'm sure that's not true," she said. He shrugged. "So, darling, I've been meaning to ask you something. Your name is Charlie, right?" He nodded. "I was under the impression that rich kids had strict names, and that doesn't seem very formal to me. Though it is lovely," she added.

"Oh, my real name is Charles," he told her. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "But my father called me this when I was little. I believe it had something to do with the belief that kids respond better when their name ends with a vowel."

"I know about that," Mom said, winking at me.

"And, well, I liked it. It seemed a lot nicer than the stiff name 'Charles.'"

"Good decision." Mom glanced at the clock. "I hate to bother you, boys, but it's getting late. Shouldn't you be getting-"

"Sweet Fyora!' Charlie stood up. "I've missed tea! Mother will be so displeased!"

Mom laughed. "Slow down, dear. I doubt she'd be too worried about that. Do you want me to talk to her?"

"No!" Both he and I said at once.

She blinked. "All right, all right."

"But," he said hopefully, "May I come back next week?"

She laughed. "Of course you can." He thanked her and quickly rushed home. I wasn't worried about him at this point—he knew how to take care of himself for the most part. Mom turned to me. "Dad sent a letter."

I sat up. "What! And you didn't tell me?"

"You were with your friend," she pointed out. "He's a nice boy. You should invite him around again—like he said, next week."

"Yeah, yeah. Can you show me Dad's letter?"

She gave it to me, a bittersweet smile on her face. I spent the rest of the night reading it again and again.

Hey guys,

It's me. Obviously. So, I've been in Terror Mountain for a few weeks now, and it's freezing cold. We haven't quite reached the hideout yet, as apparently a few people have forgotten where it actually is (and Kanrik forgot to give us directions). The folks that our awesome Guild leader have chosen aren't very friendly, and we bickered on whoever's fault it was. The scapegoat was Norbert in the end. You remember him? I saw Hanso talking to his son on the dock. He's pretty cool and a lot smarter than he looks—but he's generally a push-over. I can see why it was easy for Masila to convince him. He'd do anything for his family.

The same goes for me as well, of course, but he really shows it. Since family is all we both ever talk about, most of the thieves here are sick of me telling how brilliant Hanso is (hey, it's true) and him telling how brilliant Jordan, Kenny, Jerry, Bridgette, and Tyler are (when he talks, he talks LONG).

I'm a lot more used to traveling than these guys, so usually I'm in charge. It sucks. I don't know how Kanrik can stand leading a group of five people, let alone the entire Thieves' Guild. But whatever, they're depending on me. I hope you guys are all right, and not missing me too much. I'm okay. And yes, Liz, I've been eating three meals a day and keeping by the fire.

Hopefully the Mistress of Double-cross hasn't actually escaped, and that it was just a false alarm (though I'll never let Kanrik hear the end of it if it is). I'll find out one way or another; but don't worry, even if she is here we won't actually be fighting her.

In the meantime, remember what I said, Hanso. Use your snooping skills! And take care of your mother. Liz, don't you dare work harder than you have to. Chillax sometimes, 'kay, darling?

Love,

Peter

An interesting thing I found out as I was looking through the story is that I never put in what species Hanso's parents are. Some families (like Violet's) are all in the same one, but it kinda confuses me sometimes since usually families in Neopets are actually different species. So. I'm choosing at random here—I haven't put this in the story yet, so you can tell me suggestions for a particular species if you have one in mind—for now, Lizzie is a Xweetok and Peter is a Lupe. Everyone okay with that?