LONG author's note, but important!

I did have something to emphasize in this chapter (causing it to be super long). Chances are that a lot of the future chapters are going to long, due to the fact that this storyline is very important to the main story, it has a LOT of events (and not much room to spread out), and I planned it a lot.

I'll be revising a few chapters from the beginning of HJ (probably a bit of the first few years). I guess you can argue that Hanso could've had sloppy writing back then because, well, he was seven (reeeally hard to write in the POV of someone that young), but it's just been bothering me. One of my favorite stories, "The Princess Formula," is kind of doing the same. The writer had completely rewritten her story, and updated after three months.

I'm pretty sure that will annoy you guys, so I'm NOT going to do that because 1) I've been waiting to do this storyline since forever 2) You guys probably want to know what happens to Lizzie and Hanso (I hope…) 3) Not all of the chapters were that bad—just the early years, and they can be easily fixed in the week 4) I don't think you guys would like reading 44 chapters all over again just for the new hints. So, what I am going to do is rejuvenate the chapters I want to change (and really, they could be ANY chapter) as I go along and then put it in a future A/N which parts you might want to read over again.

Just wondering, how many of you make the background black when reading? I do. For some reason, it helps me read (If you don't know what I'm talking about, check the upper right hand corner of the page—below the ad—and press 'Dark').

The Month of Hiding (August) Age 10

Week 1

Well, my life officially sucks.

As soon as Mom heard that we were rich – rich – last week, she just turned around and bolted out the door with the rest of the family staring after her. Then they noticed I was still in there; obviously, that got me in the center of attention, and not the kind I liked. "Uh, hey," I said awkwardly. "Sorry about my mom walking out. She…uh, she does that." Then I ran after her, too.

She didn't go far, just near the main square near a plot of trees. She paced back and forth, muttering, "Sweet Fyora, what have I done to deserve this?"

"Mom?" I said hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

"No, I am not okay! I can't…the family fortune is not mine. Do you know what the Thieves' Guild is going to say about this once they found out? Heck, even Kanrik will start getting stony…."

"Then we won't let them know," I told her soothingly. "Come on, Mom. We can't just keep running away every time there's a shocking announcement, no matter how tempting it is." I hesitated, not wanting to let on how much I already knew about her past. "Isn't there someone you liked from the rich kid neighborhood? A friend or something, maybe?"

"Just one," she admitted. "But she's probably still in Meridell."

Oh. I hadn't considered that. "Well, how about William…um, Uncle William? He seemed pretty cool."

"He used to be. There's a difference, Hanso."

I sighed. Obviously, I couldn't use Grandmother as an example. "Isn't there anyone you missed from your old life? Anyone at all?" Mom shook her head stubbornly. Just then, a familiar old Gnorbu wearing a checked apron came into view behind her. Mrs. Daley was holding a bouquet of flowers—but she dropped them when she saw Mom. Since Mom's back was still turned, she didn't see her yet. I grinned. "Are you sure, Mom? No one at all?"

"Hanso," she said exasperatedly. "Just about everyone here is spoiled and lazy, excluding Charlie, of course. No, they're just a bunch of brats." Mrs. Daley crossed her arms and winked at me from behind her. I had to stifle a laugh. "There is not one person that I'd care a whit about-"

"Well! That's gratefulness for you!" Mrs. Daley scolded from behind her, beaming with amusement.

Mom straightened up, and slowly, a small smile spread across her face. "Mrs. Daley?"

"Why don't you go see for yourself?" she asked. Mom grinned, turned around, and squealed in delight. "Come over here, child! Mrs. Daley needs a hug." The two women embraced, both near tears. "My oh my, you've grown up since you've left us, little Lizzie." She winked at me again. "And raised a pretty charming son. I knew he was yours the moment I saw him."

"Wait. You knew?" Mom said, staring.

"Of course, dear. What other thief would say 'please?'" she said, chuckling. "Besides, he looks so much like that good-looking young man you introduced me to a long time ago. Peter, wasn't it? Where is he now?"

Mom's smile faded a bit. "Gone."

Before she knew it, Mom was wrapped in Mrs. Daley's hug again. "You poor thing," she said softly. "Is this why you've come back to us? Do you need help?"

"No," Mom said, breaking away. "If I needed help, there are a few…friends I could turn to. I wouldn't go back her." She turned around again. "I have a job to do."

"And does this job including bowing and scraping to your mother all over again?"

Mom flinched. "Partly."

"Well, then I suppose you should start now, yeah?" the old Gnorbu coaxed. "Just head on back there and apologize. I'm guessing you didn't start off very well."

I grinned sheepishly. "Yeah. But I guess we have a reason to freak out."

"What happened?"

"They told us…" I hesitated, but Mom gave me a nod. "They told us that Mom technically followed the tradition by marrying on the date of her twenty-second birthday and performing this…Ribbon Ceremony?...oh, and getting permission from Grandpa…so the family fortune is hers." I gulped. "And technically, we're rich."

Kayley will never let me hear the end of this.

Mrs. Daley was unsurprised. "Isn't that good news?"

"Mrs. Daley!" Mom said with reproach in her voice.

"Sorry, darling," she said, giving Mom a squeeze. "I'm just glad to have you here back with me. I didn't want you to leave so soon. Besides, your nephew needs you. Actually, the whole neighborhood needs you." She shook her head. "Of all the shenanigans I've seen through the years, I've never see ones as bad as when you left. You heard about the fire a few years ago?"

"Yes," Mom admitted. "Charlie was trapped and Hanso went to get him. I couldn't believe it. He had gone to save his own cousin before they even knew who each other were…that's when I made up my mind that they can be friends." She straightened up. "To be honest, I almost revealed myself then, going to offer some help while the house gets rebuilt. But…I don't live the way they do anymore, and lucky another lady came and volunteered."

So. Brynn's mom had bought me a couple of years from finding out the truth. I am eternally grateful.

"I was in the marketplace," Mrs. Daley sighed. "Buying things for their little gala. If only I had stayed at home. Ah well, I suppose that's how you knew how to find the place, huh? And of course, that tradition that every house must be designed just like the one before it?"

Mom gave a small nod. "But fixing things isn't why I'm here," she admitted, looking around.

Mrs. Daley arched an eyebrow. "Then what is? No, don't tell me. I don't think I'll like the answer. But whatever you need, Liz, I'll help. And little Charlie, too. He's been going bonkers ever since you gave that little announcement last month…and perhaps you can help him with a problem of his."

"What?" I asked.

"Hazel," Mrs. Daley said simply.

I nodded in understanding. "But we have to find a way of not getting rich. I mean, we just can't. We're thieves! Isn't there any laws that'll prevent this?"

"Of course there are," Mom said bitterly, sarcastically. "Just as many as there are in preventing child abuse." There was silence then. "I'm sorry. We'll just have to find a way out of this. I promise, Hanso, this is only going to be a temporary situation." She took a deep breath. "I suppose it's time to face my family again." She grinned suddenly. "I can't wait to hear what Catherine says."

Catherine, apparently, had a lot of things to say. She was red in the face, yelling at her husband and mother-in-law. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, SHE HAS THE FAMILY FORTUNE! SHE'S NOTHING BUT A GOOD FOR NOTHING TRAMP! THE MONEY IS OURS! OURS!"

"Kate-"

"Don't 'Kate' me, William! How will we even manage to survive? There is honestly no way – no way at all – to stop the eldest child from inheriting the money?"

William coughed. "Not exactly. If the eldest child is a girl, the money actually goes to the person she marries. And technically, younger siblings get their fair bit. It will decrease our finances a little, but we'll still have enough to stay in Uptown."

"We'll probably be the poorest people here!" Catherine screeched. I noticed Charlie looked delighted at the news, but then stared at the ground guiltily when he saw I was watching.

"Oh, there you are," Grandmother said calmly when she saw us. "Back for good this time?"

"Any more shocking announcements?" Mom asked through gritted teeth.

Grandmother smirked. "Just one. But we'll leave that until later, won't we?"

"This is awful," I told Marie, sitting in her kitchen again. She looked at me, amused. "I mean, I'm glad that Charlie's my cousin, but we can't even talk to each other anymore. Mom, Grandmother, and Catherine – ugh, Aunt Catherine – just fight over who's getting the money." I thought it was only fair that Marie knew what was happening to me and my mom; she was, after all, giving me secret info about my parents.

She smiled slightly. "All families are messed up, Hanso. You just didn't know how much, yet." She turned back to her sewing. "Anyway, doesn't Lizzie have any friends in that rich kid neighborhood? How about her brother? She always told me that he was one of the people she missed the most."

"Her brother, Uncle William, is awful! Once in their conversation, she wanted to run away again, so he reached over and did something to her arm. She was paralyzed until they let her go again. I tell ya, I'm glad that none of the guards know how to do that." I shuddered. "Plus, he just sat there. He didn't do anything at all."

"What about that other girl, Grace?"

"Still haven't found her yet," I admitted. "Anyway, Mom's from Meridell. Uncle William and his family came here years ago to escape Charlie's reputation. Grace is probably still there."

"Perhaps," Marie agreed. "Do you want to continue with your parents' story?"

"You bet."

My jaw dropped. Lizzie was dead.

Or so it appeared. Her clothes – I noticed that she had selected her most worn clothing in an attempt to fit in, but they were still a lot more expensive that common people's – were ripped and dirty. Her hair looked like Flynn had made a nest in it. She was lying with her back against the wall, just barely breathing. I sighed with relief to see that she was breathing.

She had reached Brightvale, though it was pretty clear it had taken her, what, like a month to get there? The crystal ball briefly flashed me images of the weeks she spent on the road, sleeping in bushes and living off berries. Whoa. No wonder she looked so exhausted. I had to remind myself that she was a rich girl then, not at all used to traveling. Now, it would only take Mom a few hours, a day at the most, to visit Meridell if she needed to.

She wasn't moving. I wanted to call out or something, but hey, I was practically a ghost there. It was obvious from where she was that no one was going to find her in their daily routine. She was hidden in an alleyway, behind a stack of barrels. Who in Neopia would check to there, besides a garbage man or something?

"Get back here, Laron!"

I jumped up, shocked. This wasn't possible. How can anyone in the past be calling me with my last name? I mean, nobody uses my last name. To be honest, it's pretty embarrassing. Just as I was about to run, I saw a Lupe and female Shoyru speed through the road and duck in the alleyway. A yellow Zafara guard kept dashing, looking for the culprits. I only glanced at her face for one moment.

It was Summer Vines. I shook my head in disbelief. This could only mean that the Lupe was….

Dad grinned at the red Shoyru, but she was having none of it. "What the heck were you thinking, Peter? You stopped and talked to that guard girl when you clearly had the loot in your hands. Kanrik is not going to like this."

"Aw, but it's so much fun winding Summer up," Dad – Peter – said. He laughed. "Did you look at her face? Oh, I love it when I rob her in the morning when she's not fully awake yet. I was all, 'Thanks!' and she was, 'Huh? Get back here, Laron!' It almost made getting up so early worth it."

"And yet it took two buckets of water to coax you out of bed," said the Shoyru dryly.

"Don't pretend you didn't like it, Janice." He smirked. "As for Kanrik…we got the loot, didn't we? Come on, let's hear it for the best thieving team in Neopia!" He gave a bow to an imaginary audience.

"Oh, shut up," Janice said, but she was smiling.

Then they heard a groan.

Janice tensed. "Someone's here," she said, drawing out her dagger. Her dark hair swept around her face, her beady black eyes focused at whatever danger that was coming. Even Peter looked tense. Then there was a loud moan again. But this time, it was obvious it was one of pain.

"Someone's hurt," Peter said, concerned. Before Janice could stop him, he pushed the barrels away to reveal Lizzie's still form sagging against the wall. "Oh, Fyora." He stared at her like he couldn't believe what was in front of him. He knelt down. "Sweet, sweet Fyora. She isn't dead, is she?"

"Don't be stupid," Janice snapped, still eying Lizzie. "She's obviously alive, what with her whimpering around like that. What are you doing? Peter, you can't mess around with her. She's asleep!"

"I know!" he said. "I wasn't going to. I have a spare healing potion—it's pretty obvious that she's been hurt, or at the very least near death of exhaustion. What?" he said, smirking. "You thought I was going to draw a chocolate moustache on her like I did to you?"

"Ugh!" Janice rolled her eyes. "You just want to help her because she's pretty."

"Ah, but I cannot leave a damsel in distress," he said, grinning even wider.

"Are you turning knight-in-shining armor on me?"

"Pfft. Summer would love that, now, wouldn't she?" Peter teased. Lizzie groaned again, and he remembered what he had to do. He grabbed a small, blood-red bottle from his pocket. I raised my eyebrows. That was weird—I never see any of those around here anymore.

Janice choked. "Where in Neopia did you get that?" He smiled mysteriously. "Well, wherever you did, don't waste it on her! Don't you know you can cure almost anything with that thing, except for the injuries of certain death? You're even allowed to use it in battle."

"Janice, please," Peter said, rolling his eyes. "I don't need it. When was the last time I've faced anyone in battle?"

"Too long, I say."

Peter ignored her protests and raised the bottle to Lizzie's lips. Immediately, the cuts Lizzie started healing. She breathed normally again. The stuff in that bottle was pretty powerful, I thought. A bit too powerful. Lizzie jerked up, causing Peter to jump backwards and Janice to lunge forwards with her dagger in hand. "Janice, no!" Peter cried with real urgency.

Lizzie's skill with the knife saved her. She countered the move, intercepting it before it could fully reach her, and twisted it back. Her eyes looked haunted. She leaped up from her lying position and moved into a clumsy fighting stance. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Easy, easy," Peter said soothingly. I wasn't sure if he was talking to Janice or Lizzie. Both had equally crazy expressions on their faces. I assumed Lizzie when he continued, "We're not here to hurt you."

"Oh, really?" Lizzie's tone held unmasked disbelief.

"Hey, that's not very grateful. I gave you my very expensive healing potion, you know, which probably saved your life."

She glared. "And you were supposed to kill me yourselves when you came at me with a dagger the moment I woke up?"

Peter shot a look at Janice's direction. "It was an accident. My friend here gets a bit suspicious." He gave Lizzie a charming grin. "Now, whaddya say we put the knife down and get out of here? You can repay us for our kind services," with that, he winked at Janice, "and if you want, we'll even escort you to your home to make sure your pretty little face doesn't get you in any more trouble."

"Pretty little face?" Lizzie shrieked. "I can take care of myself, thank you very much!"

"Sure looked like it," Janice muttered.

"Okay, okay," Peter said, holding up his hands in surrender. "You can take care of yourself. All the same, we should escort you home. No charge, seriously. That potion can't heal everything—you're probably still pretty tired, am I right?" Lizzie shrugged. "So, where do you live?"

Lizzie opened her mouth and closed it. She looked down. "Uh…"

"Let me guess," said Janice, her tone sarcastic. "You hit your head and forgot?"

"No! I just…I..."

"You can tell us," said Peter sincerely.

Lizzie looked at him, almost pleadingly. "I ran away."

There was silence. "You ran…away," Peter repeated. "Whoa. Um, did you happen to have a game plan for this? Like, where would you live if you ran away?"

Lizzie shook her head. "It was a desperate, spur-of-the-moment decision."

"I can see that," Janice said. "Don't you have any friends? Oh, no, you don't. That's pretty obvious, too."

Lizzie's face flushed. "I do! But they're in no position to help me right now."

Janice scrutinized her. "You're not answering any of our questions clearly. You're hiding something."

Lizzie was about to retort, when Peter interrupted, "Let's take her to Kanrik."

Both girls turned to him. "What?"

"Look, it's pretty obvious that she doesn't want to be asked questions or go back home. Am I right? Good. If we take her to Summer, the guard girl would probably give her straight back to her family. There's no other choice, really, unless we want her to live in the streets."

"That plan doesn't sound too bad," Janice muttered.

"Oh, come on."

"I'll go with you," Lizzie said quickly. "I just have one question. Uh, who's Kanrik?"

"What's your name?"

"Lizzie. But that doesn't answer my-"

"Lizzie," Peter said humorously, putting an arm around her. "How would you like to meet the leader of the Thieves' Guild?"

I doubted Lizzie liked it too well, but since she clearly had no choice, she followed him anyway. Despite being covered with dirt, she clearly still had her pride, and refused any help that they offered her. She even refused to drink the rest of the potion. "I'm not sure if I can pay you back," she mumbled. "At least not without my family."

"Aw, don't worry about it," said Peter good-naturedly. She smiled, and despite all the mud and sand she still looked pretty. I noticed Janice was fuming in the background, jealous. Peter, completely oblivious, took them around a familiar pathway which I knew led to the Thieves' Guild. He raised his amulet – a jewel with a golden Cobrall encircling it – and the doorway opened. The amulet was powered the heart of Terror Mountain. It's the only way of entering the Guild, unless you want to go through the very confusing back-way.

Inside was a lot different than my own time, I noticed. There wasn't a part where people could get their share of food if they needed it; no fire to keep people warm in the chilly underground; not even classrooms for training. Instead, it was just a huge hub. People were talking loudly, bustling around and eating whatever snacks they could find. A few kids were climbing on rocks, something that's not allowed anymore. The thieves were in groups, chatting with each other. The largest one was around the middle, and all the people seemed to be talking to one person.

"He's the Thieves' Guild's leader?" said Lizzie, surprised. "He looks barely older than me!" It was true. He looked…what, twenty two? Twenty three? Still, he had the same stressed-out expression, with fierce, concentrated blue eyes and black hair. He still had that 'leader' aura. I guess Lizzie didn't notice the last one, though, because she said, "Are you sure he's capable of running the Thieves' Guil-"

A dagger swept out of nowhere and hit Lizzie's sleeve. "That was a warning shot," Kanrik said, turning around. "Who said that?" Lizzie made a little choking noise. He arched an eyebrow. "Who are you? You aren't one of my regular thieves."

"She's new, sir," Peter said, stepping forward. "Come on, give the girl some slack. She was obviously noticing how cool you were to notice that you were wise as well. Am I right?" Lizzie gave a little nod, her eyes still fixed at the dagger on her sleeve.

"New?" said Kanrik. "I wasn't aware you were recruiting people, Peter. And I would've thought that you'd pick someone less…judgmental." He eyed Lizzie's clothes. "What's her name?"

"Lizzie," Peter answered.

"She can speak for herself," he snapped.

"Lizzie," she said, her voice quavering.

"Oh, so she can talk," said Kanrik sarcastically. "Good for her." He looked at her up and down again. "Very clever. Lizzie, I think I need to talk to you in private."

"What for?" she asked.

"So I can give you an…orientation," he said matter-of-factly. "Come along." Before Peter or Lizzie could protest, Kanrik took off the dagger from the wall, grabbed her arm, and led her to a corridor. It was obvious that he didn't have his own office yet; he went through a few rooms to check if they were empty, and finally selected one. Then he turned to her. "You're not who you say you are."

"How do you know?" said Lizzie defensively.

"Your clothes are too rich, your hands are too soft for servant work, and you obviously aren't used to keeping personal comments to yourself."

"Then who am I?" Lizzie glared at him, her fear momentarily forgotten.

"Elizabeth Anne Windsor, wanted in Meridell. A daughter of Henry Tudor Windsor and Anne Boleyn Windsor, a couple living in the kingdom's privileged neighborhood, she has been reported missing three weeks ago by her family. Any person who is able to give any information or bring her back will be rewarded," Kanrik said, reciting from memory. He looked at her. "A thief never forgets anything important. Lucky a friend of mine convinced me to look at news from the rest of the world, so I can spot opportunities when I see them."

Lizzie took a step back. "You're sending me home?"

"We'll have to make you forget our Guild first, I'm afraid," he sighed. "Our enchantments haven't been prepared yet. Don't worry, it won't hurt, just a few minutes and then you'll be heading on-"

"No, wait! I-I don't want to go back."

"You don't want to go back," he repeated dryly. "And where do you plan to stay, Miss Elizabeth? Here, where there's a plethora of poor kids starving? Why should I take you in and give you food and shelter when you have a perfectly good life at home, and most thieves here are at death's door?"

There was a pause as Lizzie tried to think of an answer. Then she looked at him again. "Because I'm as trapped there as thieves are in a dungeon."

He snorted. "Not trapped at all, then. We all know how to lock-pick a door."

"I could, too. I can learn. Please, don't send me back! You don't know how awful it is there." There was desperation in her voice.

"Oh, here comes the waterworks," Kanrik said in a deadpan voice. "All right, Miss Elizabeth. Tell me how awful it is there. Then we can send you home."

She glowered at him again. "Have you ever, in any time of your life, felt trapped by your station?" she snapped. "Powerless to do anything? Because that's how I felt there. I can't do anything to help, I'm being forced into an arranged marriage, and everyday I have to bow and scrape to people more important than me."

"I can check everything off that list except the 'arranged marriage' part," he replied.

"Oh, and I suppose you had a girlfriend?"

Unlike her other remarks, this hit a sore spot. He flinched, and Lizzie could see plainly that he wasn't acting at all. It really was painful. "Yes, Miss Elizabeth. I had a girlfriend. Any more stupid questions before I send you packing?"

She stared at him for a moment. "What would she say if she were here?"

"Who?" he snapped.

"Your old girlfriend."

He gritted his teeth. "That's enough questions. Come, I'll escort you to our nearest enchanter-"

"You didn't answer it yet," Lizzie pointed out. "I promise it's the last one. Then you can decide whatever you want to do with me."

He glowered at her for a long time. Then he sighed, defeated. "She would've told me to lighten up, the stress must be getting into my head, can't I see that this is a great opportunity? Then she would've pestered me to keep you as a thief, probably offering to teach you herself. Happy now?"

Despite herself, Lizzie laughed. I'm not sure, but there was a hint of disbelief in it, like she couldn't understand how someone like Kanrik liked someone with a sense of humor. To be honest, I was a little disbelieving too (with that and the implication that Masila even had a sense of humor). "Wow. I would've liked to meet her. What happened?"

"She died," he said flatly. There was silence again. "Or, if you're talking about what happened between us, she poisoned me and left me to die in Terror Mountain. It was pure luck that she miscalculated with her potion. I was talking about what she would've said if she was still just my friend. Now, wasn't that the last question?"

Lizzie shrugged. "I didn't force you to answer the last one."

"Indeed." He looked at her for a long time, sizing her up. She squirmed, but stared straight back at him. Finally, he rolled his eyes. "All right, Elizabeth. I'm giving you two years to prove you can do well—one for training, another really on the job. Unfortunately, our training program hasn't been exactly set up yet. So I suppose I'll have to let you see an old friend of mine."

"Who?" said Liz suspiciously.

"The sister of my old girlfriend, of course," said Kanrik, smirking. "Marie."

Kanrik and Lizzie walked to a cheery house that I recognized to be Marie's. But that was impossible. Marie's house wasn't exactly 'cheery.'

But I guess it was then, with flowers blooming everywhere in the garden and music playing in the background. There were screams of laughter inside, and suddenly a toddler, a Kyrii, came running out excitedly. "Can't catch me, Mummy!"

"Oh, you wait, Sam, you're having a bath whether you like it or not!" Marie came dashing outside. I was taken aback by how cheerful she looked. Her face wasn't covered in a hood, and her eyes were laughing.

Lizzie scooped down and grabbed Sam just as he was running past her. He kicked and struggled. I grinned, amused. This was hilarious, and awesome blackmailing for the pretty dignified fourteen year old now. "Whoa, there, little tyke," Lizzie said. "I think your mother wants to give you a bath."

He struggled. "You go first!"

She sighed. "You're right. Even the kid says I need a shower."

"You should let me go," Sam said persuasively. Lizzie blinked. "Mummy will give you a bath first if you let me go now. You can have the shower aaaaaalll to yourself."

She shook her head. "Nice try, kid." She gave him to Marie.

"Thanks," Marie said gratefully. "He's a naughty boy." She tilted her head, curious. "Who are you?"

"Perhaps I can explain that better?" said Kanrik, stepping from behind a tree.

"Kanrik!" Marie stared at him. "It's a good thing my husband's not around. He'd put you in jail pretty quickly."

"What, don't you have time for old friends?"

"Of course," she told him. "But you hardly ever do. Why now take time to visit me?"

He shrugged. "I need a favor."

"Sorry, Kanrik. I'm not rejoining."

"I know. We lost one of our best members two years ago." Marie rolled her eyes. "I need more recruits—and she needs particular help."

"Why?" Marie said, frowning.

"She's…." he looked around. "A rich kid."

Marie jumped. "What? Are you mad?"

"I'm right here," Lizzie grumbled.

"Sorry," Marie apologized. "But are you sure you want to do this? And training rich kids can be…well…hard."

"That's why I'm asking you. You're one of our best teachers," Kanrik said simply.

"I was one of your best teachers." Marie shook her head. "Sorry, Kanrik, but I have other things to worry about. Like giving Sam a bath." She shook her head and began walking to her house.

Kanrik hesitated, then called out, "I could've forced you to stay, you know!"

"Are you trying to guilt me?" Marie frowned at him.

"Frankly, yes."

"Please?" Lizzie pleaded. "It's what your sister would've done."

She whirled around. "How do you know about my sister?"

"It's how I guilt-tripped him." Lizzie pointed to Kanrik.

Marie arched eyebrow. "So. That's why you're being open-minded about this. To your credit, I believe you're right—she'd definitely love this chance." She frowned. "But I'm not her."

"I know," he said. "But as Lizzie's a special case-"

"I'd like to, honestly. I mean, it'd be sort of a good-bye to my sister. But if my husband finds out about this, he'd be furious."

"You'd let him tell you what to do?" said Lizzie, taken aback. "You actually let him? Whoa. And I thought the rich kids had it bad."

"What?" Marie asked.

"The Tradition," Lizzie said impatiently. They looked blank. "You know, the arranged marriage part?"

"You weren't kidding about that?"

"Oh, whatever. Might as well go back there. You're going to do whatever your husband wants, aren't you?" Lizzie crossed her arms.

Marie sighed. "Fine. I'll be her tutor…for a while. And if any of the guards catch me-"

"You'll put the blame entirely on me," finished Kanrik. "Seems fair."

Week 2

"So you're a rich kid?" said Kayley. Lilia and Timmy decided to play with her new doll and his (newly sewn-up) teddy together, so I was forced to talk with her. Besides being the usual pleasant, she's even more irritated after I left her hanging last month when she came to rescue me.

I had realized that there was no possible way I could keep this from my class, so I just spilled. Juliet's reaction was to worriedly ask if we were still friends (of course I said yes); Julius just shrugged (eh, he never shows that much emotion anyway); Razor smiled and said there was something lord-y about me anyway (I playfully punched him on the arm for that one). Only Kayley showed signs of any mistrust, and to be honest I was pretty annoyed with it. We've known each other for three years! There's no way in Neopia I'd betray her now.

"Yes, I am," I snapped. "Would you stop getting mad at me? I can't help who I am. In fact, I like it. I like being related to Charlie."

I expected her to explode, but she just rolled her eyes. "I'm not mad at you, Hanso. I'm worried."

"Worried? When are you ever worried about me?"

"Please. When am I not worried about you?" She shook her head. "You still haven't figured it out yet, have you?"

"Just give me a straight answer for once," I pleaded. "I've got enough of riddles—my grandmother's been talking about this 'one last shocking announcement' and I'm getting sick of it."

"Huh. So she's figured it out," noted Kayley. "Hm. Rich lady's more crafty than I thought."

"What is it?" I said angrily.

She looked at me. "Hanso, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but…you were talking to me about the Tradition, right? About how Hazel and Charlie are being forced to marry someone when they reach a certain age."

"Yeah," I replied.

"Why do they have to do that?"

I frowned at her. "Because they're rich kids. Totally unfair, but I guess it's a fact."

"Well…" She bit her lip. "If your mother has the family fortune, doesn't that make you a rich kid too?"

"What…" Then I realized what she was saying. "Oh, no, no. No way! I am not…I am so not going to follow that-"

"Totally unfair, but I guess it's a fact," Kayley repeated for me.

"Kayley!" I snapped. "I can't get married. Even when I'm twenty-one. I mean, seriously, girls are…" Then I remembered she was a girl, and a violent one for that matter. "Who'd marry me?"

She snorted. "Whoa, you are oblivious." I looked at her, confused, but she said nothing more. "So, find a way to get out of this yet?"

"No," I said miserably. "This is the last shocking announcement, isn't it?"

"Though it makes being free ten times more important," she pointed out. "You know, you could do what your mother did. You and your parents can run away."

"Wait—how did you know my mom ran away?"

"Rumors travel fast," she told me. "Especially the kind that concern the Guild leader's apprentice."

"Well, whatever. I can't leave, especially not now. I mean, I know that me and my…family can survive, but…this is my home. All my friends are here." I grinned at her. "Including you."

"Oh, I'm touched," she said sardonically. "I guess we'll have to find another solution."

"We?"

"I owe it to Juliet," she said simply.

I frowned. "Wait. Why would you owe it to-?"

"Guard!" Kayley shrieked, and immediately she and Lilia jumped into a bush. Whoa. That Cybunny kid's well trained.

Timmy and I turned around—to find Brynn and Violet looking back at us. I grinned, relieved. "Try anything," Violet snapped, probably mistaking my smile for something else, "And we kill you."

I frowned. Leave it to her to burst my bubble. "Are you even allowed to do that?"

She lifted her chin up arrogantly. "If I say so, then yes, I can."

I scowled. "You sounded so much like your brother just then."

Instantly, Violet stole Brynn's sword ("Hey!") and pointed it at my throat. "I am nothing like him," she said through gritted teeth. I just rolled my eyes. After a few moments of being glared at by Brynn, Violet gave the sword back. "How's Hazel?"

"Alwite," Timmy replied. I nodded. We haven't really visited her much, but I see her around a lot now.

"Ebony still gives her a bit of a hard time," I couldn't help adding. It was the truth. Violet glowered at the floor, seemingly wanting to crush all the petpetpets in the grass. For a moment, I wondered how bad Ebony would've had to be to get someone like her scared.

Brynn began talking to Violet, trying to calm her down. Seeing an opportunity, I grabbed Timmy's wrist and practically ran away. Then behind us, Brynn called, "Wait!"

I blinked and turned around. This was the first time she had called me back when I wasn't stealing. I grinned. "See, Timmy? She can't bear to be apart from me for more than a few minutes." He giggled uncontrollably. Brynn stopped and gave us a death glare—and seriously, if looks could kill, I'd be pushing up the daisies. That was a Kayley-level glare.

"Hanso," she said primly. "I need to ask you some questions."

"I didn't do it!" I said quickly.

"Didn't do what?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing."

She rolled her eyes. "Hanso!"

"I honestly didn't do anything!" I said, raising my hands up in surrender. Changing the subject, I continued, "What did you want to know?"

She stepped closer, with a worried expression on her face. "Something's happening," she said softly. "I still don't know what. Neither does Violet, or Sophia, or anyone in the Guard." There was a note of frustration in her voice. She turned away. "At least…no one we've asked. Sam does, but we don't know what it is and he won't tell us. But he's somehow involved, and his mum's involved, and…What's going on?"

Brynn looked so desperate I might've spilled everything. Then I looked over her shoulder. Morgana, Sam's great aunt, was watching me. Throughout all the weeks, she's been keeping an eye on me, and (I think) trying to watch me slip up. She arched an eyebrow at Brynn, and I gulped. Now was not the time to answer questions—and the best way to avoid them was to ask a few questions of my own. "Who's Sam?" I said, wondering how much they knew.

"A Kyrii, a few years older than me," she replied. "He's taller than me, very kind and he always sticks up for us whenever someone picks on us."

"And who's his mom?" I continued. She frowned, trying to remember.

"Who's what's who's?" Violet asked, catching up. She glared when she saw me. "Brynn!"

"He might have information on the 'little problem,'" Brynn told her urgently.

Violet frowned, not liking it, but probably deciding that she was right. "Repeat the question," she ordered.

"Who's Sam's mom?"

"Marie," said Violet matter-of-factly. Morgana glared at me, probably wondering how they got this information. This was becoming very bad for my 'traitor' reputation. I had to get out of there.

"Um, yeah," I said awkwardly, grabbing Timmy's wrist again. "We'd better get going and-"

"Hanso," Brynn said sternly, realizing that I was hiding something ffrom them. "Who's Marie?"

"Sam's mom," I said simply.

Brynn sighed exasperatedly. "Apart from that?"

There was no way I could get out of that without seeming suspicious. Morgana tilted her head, something as I read as, Give her information, but choose your words carefully. Or you die. Eep.

"I'm not too sure myself, Brynn," I said simply. "She's…a lot of things. Sometimes she's a spy, sometimes she isn't even in the Guild, sometimes she is. She's friends with Kanrik, that much I know." Morgana raised her eyebrows. Time to ask for information myself. "Okay, my turn."

"Fire away," said Violet carelessly.

"How much do you need this Sam guy?"

Violet and Brynn glanced at each other. "Well…" Brynn began. "He's the leader of our Rebellion. Without him, nothing stops Harry from beating us up and bullying us really."

"Or taking me back," Violet added, shuddering.

"Can you manage with that?" I pleaded. "Because you seem to have toughened up a lot."

Which was true. They really have grown up, I guess, with a little help. Brynn's ten times faster with the sword and is a great strategist. And Violet…I hated to admit it, but she's pretty cool, too. Not just with the bow and arrow. It's awful to think about, but the Rebellion needs Violet's arrogance, the rich kid stubbornness that she will get what she wants whether people like it or not. It reassures them. I really doubted that anything could sway her now.

I continued. "And if this 'Sam' is anywhere near as amazing as Marie says he is, we need him pretty badly right now."

Brynn looked at me, and I realized that I was scaring her. "What's going on?"

I glanced at Morgana. "I can't tell you."

"Hanso-"

"Look, I would if I could, okay?"

"Okay," she said slowly, nodding.

Timmy began tiptoeing away, clearly bored. I grabbed his arm. "Thanks," I told her. Thanks for understanding. "Bye."

"Bye!" Timmy said, obviously glad we were leaving.

"Bye," Brynn said.

Violet smiled and ruffled Timmy's hair. He quickly straightened it out, probably an automatic response because his mother did it a lot. "If only my sister could be more like you with her hair," said Violet wistfully, and for a moment, I saw she was really worried for her sister. Then she smiled at Timmy. He giggled. "Bye bye, Timmy. Bye bye, Teddy. Bye bye, Thief."

"Hanso," I told her.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Violet turned away and looked in the rich kid neighborhood, frowning. For a moment, I thought she reminded me of somebody – but it was gone the instant she began glaring at me. She reminded me of….

Nah, couldn't be. Could it?

I didn't have time to wonder—Morgana came at me as soon as they left. I noticed Kayley and Lilia slip away. "Who are they?" she demanded.

"Guards of Brightvale," I replied.

"And why do they talk to you?"

I hesitated. "Well, you know the Kougra? She's really skillful, and she's already helped me loads of times. We think that she'd be someone powerful one day, maybe Captain of the Guard, so it'd be useful to have someone close to her."

A corner of Morgana's mouth twitched. "Not very smart of Kanrik, I fear," she said, shaking her head. "You are too much like-" She stopped herself, and then glanced at me. "Despite what you may think, my niece's downfall was brought because she chose the wrong sort to befriend. See that does not happen to you."

Shoot. Maybe I shouldn't have worried Violet so much about Hazel. Because what else could have possessed her to go to Uptown and visit for herself?

It was after school, and Kayley wanted to go with me. No, needed to go with me. She said it was for something important. I didn't think it was a good idea. "My grandma's really…strict."

"So is Morgana, and I have no problems with her," she quipped. Yeah, and that so explains why she left me to deal with her yesterday. "I need to check something. The times that I've been there…something felt very, very wrong."

"Felt wrong? Of course it felt wrong! They have photos of dead relatives all over the place!" I shuddered. "Even worse, they're my relatives."

"All the same," she snapped. "I want to go and check."

"Want me to come?" said Juliet, overhearing us. I sighed with relief. She can calm just about anybody down—hopefully she could at least stop me and Kayley from bickering too loudly. Plus, she'd like all the pretty stuff, and of course the cookies Mrs. Daley bakes.

Also…something I've been noticing lately. Ever since Masila's 'defeat' a few months ago, Kayley's been looking paler and paler, like she was getting sick. Only Juliet's noticed besides me. Maybe, between us, we could get her to spit out what's wrong.

Juliet's eyes widened when she saw Charlie's house. "Wow."

"Hey, you've seen it before," I reminded her.

"Yeah," she admitted. "But then a fire destroyed it. To be honest, I keep picturing it as burnt ruins."

"And it could be mine," I said miserably.

She smiled, trying to cheer me up, and said in a rich-kid way, "What a big house you have!"

I copied her. "What a large amount of candy you have!"

"What huge gardens you have!" she countered, smirking.

"What pretty eyes you have," I said.

She spluttered, and suddenly we were both laughing hysterically. Even Kayley cracked a half-smile. Then a voice shrieked, "What are you doing here?"

I whirled around. "V-Violet?" I gaped.

"Yes! Glad you finally remembered my name," she said, glaring. "But what are you doing in my neighborhood?"

"What are you doing here? And hey, this is not your neighborhood." I glowered at her. "You don't even live here anymore!"

"You better thank Fyora I'm not," she said, tossing her hair. "Or else I would've hired guards of my own to keep you out. For your information, I'm here to check on Hazel."

I looked at her in disbelief. "What? You're going to fight Ebony is he mistreated her?"

She turned red and looked down. "No…"

"See? You aren't going to do anything."

"I can tell my mother," she snapped.

"Yeah, and does she do anything?"

"Are you insulting her?" Violet asked, her eyes snapping up.

I realized I made a mistake. "No!"

"Because I think you were insulting her," she continued. "And as you know, guards don't take kindly to thieves insulting their mothers-"

"Okay, everyone," Juliet interrupted. "Let's all take deep breaths and calm down."

"Who are you?" Violet snapped, glancing at her. Looking at them side by side, it was a weird contrast—Violet always trying to make herself pretty, with Juliet managing it without trying.

"I'm Hanso's friend," she said simply. "May you please calm down? I think we just have a sort of misunderstanding. I've watched you, sometimes. You're a reasonable person, right?" Odd. Juliet's highly talented in lying when she needs to.

Violet huffed, but I doubted even she could bring herself to be rude to Juliet. She turned to Kayley instead, who had been hiding in the shadows. "I'm guessing you're a thief?" she said disapprovingly.

"I'm guessing you have a brain?" Kayley snapped.

This wasn't good. If things didn't stop soon, it was going to be an all-out girl fight. When I was little, I thought girls were sissies, just playing with tiaras and stuff. But these three…Violet would try and scratch Kayley's eyes out if things got bad. Wouldn't help that Kayley would slit any guard's throat that annoyed her. And Juliet would try to get between them to keep the peace, although she'd probably fail and have to use her own fighting skills to defend herself. Just add Brynn into the mix, and we're one big, happy family.

"What's going on?" Mom walked towards us with a confused expression.

Juliet seized the opportunity. "I'm Juliet, ma'am. Hanso's friend," she repeated her earlier introduction. "This is Kayley. She's…uh, an acquaintance of his, too. And this is Violet. A….guard."

"What's a guard doing here?" said Mom. Before Violet could retort, she added, "And a pretty one, at that."

Violet blinked. "Um, I'm here to visit my little sister. These three were in the way."

"Well, I think they can move-" Then suddenly, Mom's face froze. "Did you say little sister?"

"Yes," said Violet, confused.

"You lived in the rich kid neighborhood? You're a rich kid?"

"Yes."

"You're a girl. And you joined the Guard." Mom shook her head. "How is that possible? It wasn't allowed when I was-" She stopped herself.

"I found a few loopholes," said Violet, pretty glad about showing off. "We have a few law books-"

"Those weren't allowed, either," she murmured. "Not unless you went to that cursed girl's school."

"Someone in Charles Windsor's family did," Violet told her. "I guess that person left her books behind. There were stuff written all over the pages, with loopholes and shortcuts."

"My law books? You found them?" Mom said in disbelief. I should've known she was the one who wrote the scribbles. I grinned.

Violet stared at her. "They were yours?" She scrutinized Mom. "Who are you?"

"Hanso's mother," she said simply. "People call me Lizzie Laron. But my maiden name is Elizabeth Anne Windsor."

Violet squealed so loudly I had to cover my ears. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! You're the Elizabeth."

Now it was Mom's turn to look confused. "Uh…I'm famous?"

"You're only a living legend! People thought that you weren't real. I mean, sometimes I doubted it because I didn't think Charlie could be related to someone so awesome. But the stories were so cool!" She was dancing around, still squealing. Mom watched her, amused. "They said you scared every single suitor away, even though there were tons because you were so pretty. How did you even do that? And you're the only person to have ever been expelled in the girls' school! And best of all, you escaped the Tradition!" Violet stopped, out of breath.

"Well, you certainly know a lot about me," said Mom, smiling. "Who told you?"

"It's been a huge rumor in the rich kid neighborhoods forever. Like I said, a lot of people didn't believe it. Who could break out of the Tradition?" She smiled and out of nowhere took out a notebook and a purple pen. "I have Hannah the Brave's autograph, and Theresa (she's a guard who's also in some magazines), and a few other famous people's. I, um, kinda ask for autographs for any amazing person that I meet. Can I pleeeease have yours?"

"Uh, sure," said Mom, leaning down and signing her name.

"You became a thief in the end, huh? Most people thought you died!" she said, chattering away. "They thought you fell in the river, or got eaten by Meepits, or-"

"Hey, wait a minute," I said. "I thought you have a problem with thieves?"

"But she did it to break the Tradition," she said matter-of-factly. "That makes a difference." She looked at Mom regretfully. "Sorry, ma'am, but I have to go see my sister now." She hesitated. "You don't happen to know if my dad's around?"

"Who's your dad?"

"Black Tennyson," she said darkly.

A small smile appeared on my Mom's lips. "Black? The color guy?"

"Yeah." Violet stared at her. "Did you know him?"

"Know him? He was one of my suitors. The last one, actually." I remembered what my grandmother said in the crystal ball. You have driven every single suitor you had away. The last one was crying!

I smirked. This was going to be fun.

Kayley was a little disgruntled at having her plans interrupted, but even she admitted it'd be cool to see a grown man scared. I noticed she and Violet kept firmly either to my side, though thankfully Juliet kept Kayley distracted. "Just so we're clear," she told me quietly, "We say nothing about this to Brynn or any of the Rebellion."

I shrugged. Fine by me. I didn't want any guards figuring I was a rich kid—I'd be a laughingstock.

"I wonder who he married," said Mom absent-mindedly. "Poor lady." She turned to Violet. "What's your mother like?"

"Oh, she's nice," said Violet. "When I was little she showed me all sorts of hairstyles, though she doesn't have time for that anymore. Daddy orders her around a lot."

"Will she be opposed to me…er, frightening your father?"

Violet laughed. "No. I think she's going to like it."

"Maybe we should invite Charlie," I suggested. "Then he could see Hazel too-"

"No!" Violet shrieked. "I don't want every time I visit my sister to be spoiled by…him." She hmphed. Mom frowned questioningly, but said nothing. Then we were at the house. But before we could open it, we heard yelling.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS? Did you actually give food to those beggars?"

"They were starving, sir!" I heard Honey's voice say. "Besides, it was vegetables. Your son does not eat them anyway."

"I don't care! I'll not have a meal fit for a prince be served to people lower than dirt! Do you understand me?" His voice held a soft, threatening, tone, and I had a feeling that Honey was in a very dangerous position then. Mom's eyes turned to slits, and she opened the door.

Black, Ebony's father, had Honey's neck in his grip, almost strangling her. "Let go of her!" Mom ordered, glaring at him.

He was so shocked that he did, throwing her in a heap on the floor. Then he came to his senses. "And who, might I ask, are you? You have no business to meddle with my family's affairs."

"My nephew and son is friends with your younger daughter, and your older one has asked for help. That makes it my business."

"Violet, eh?" Black eyed the little girl. She cowered behind Mom. "So you've coming running back here? What, Guard got too much for you? Ha! I knew a girl wouldn't last for long."

"No," Violet said, her voice quavering. "I'm just here for a visit. After that I-I'll leave."

Black laughed. "You'll never get out. Think you're new grown-up friend can do something for you? Who are you anyway?"

This time, Mom didn't even stop to introduce herself as Lizzie. "Elizabeth Anne Windsor," she snapped. Honey made a little choking sound, but that was nothing compared to Black's expression.

"No…it can't be…you're dead!"

"Dead?" said Mom calmly. "Who gave you that idea? I'm still very much alive." With that, she took her weapon of choice out and began cleaning her nails with it. "And still very, very good with knives. You remember the last time I showed you my knives, don't you?"

"W-what do you want?" said Black, trembling.

"My nephew wishes to speak with your daughter at times. Will you allow that?"

For the first time, Black smiled evilly. "Oh, yes, Elizabeth. He may talk to her as long as she is here."

Mom frowned and looked at Honey, who was still huddling in a corner. "And stop being so mean to your wife! Thank Fyora I wasn't it."

He glowered at her, and then at Violet. "Soon, my girl…" he said warningly, trooping upstairs.

Mom went to Honey and offered her a hand up. "You okay?"

"Yes," Honey replied in clipped tones. "I'm getting on well, thank you very much. You needn't meddle in my affairs." Her head was down.

"Hey," said Mom, clearly stung. "I didn't mean anything. That guy could've killed you! He just-"

"I can handle myself just fine, thanks Liz," Honey snapped, whirling around. Only, it wasn't Honey. The times I saw Violet's mother, she always seemed weak, meek, and obedient. Now, she had a fierce expression on her face, and I realized why Violet looked so familiar.

"Grace?" Mom gasped, her hands coming to her mouth. "What…how…"

"I was wrong," Grace said stiffly. "One day does make a difference, it seems."

"What happened?" Mom said desperately. "I thought you said your family would arrange a good match for you, or…"

She laughed bitterly. "I was just kidding myself. You knew that better than me."

"I'll kill him," Mom said angrily, her eyes darting to the place where Black left. "I swear I'll-"

"You'll do no so such thing," Grace told her. "And by the way, you just made things worse, and secured nothing but a few weeks of freedom for Charlie and Hazel."

"He can't go back on his word," Mom said stubbornly.

"Hazel," Grace said, "Is going to be sent to the Academy."

Violet looked as if she had been slapped. "What? No! Mum, you can't let Dad do this-"

"He's not doing it. He didn't even suggest it. I did." Violet and Mom stared at her. She sighed. "Look, no one can watch over her here, and she doesn't even have Charlie that much. Ebony bullies her all the time. I think it's best if she leaves for a bit."

"Grace!" Mom said, shocked. "They'll crush her at that Academy. You know it." And if they don't crush her, I thought, she'd have to resort to use her 'special voice.' I shuddered.

"That's not my name anymore, Elizabeth," she told her stonily. "Anyway, I have to go. Hazel will be leaving at the end of the month.

All of us stepped outside, utterly silent. Then Mom said, "What happened to her?"

Violet shrugged. "I didn't even know you knew each other."

"She was my best friend," Mom said softly. She shook her head. "I've got to end this."

"As well as break out of that Tradition ourselves," I reminded her.

"What?" Violet asked, frowning. "I thought you already broke it."

"Long story," I told her.

"I still don't know how you became a guard," said Mom, trying to change the subject. Violet began explaining excitedly, and when she finished, Mom chuckled. "I can't believe I've never thought of that. But, you know, Grace or whatever she's called now is actually the one who made the most of them. I just wrote them down."

"Hard to believe," Violet noted. Juliet and Kayely hadn't said anything, but I knew they were agreeing.

"I suppose, by the look on your face, you've discovered what happened to Grace?" said a familiar voice. Mrs. Daley went to us. "Good to see you, Violet."

"Hi," said Violet awkwardly. "Uh, I better go before my friends notice I'm missing."

"You can go out when you want?"

"If you live close enough," she explained. "A lot of people's parents live too far away."

"Why?" Mom teased. "Looking forward to the next visit? If things don't work out, I could always betroth you to each other."

Violet, Juliet, and I all said "NO!" at the same moment. Juliet turned a little red. Mrs. Daley and Mom chuckled. Weird thing I noticed, though, was that Kayley wasn't reacting at all. She was frowning at Mrs. Daley.

"I guess we all better go," Mom said finally. We began separating, when Kayley grabbed my wrist.

"Can I talk to him for a bit?" she asked. Mom nodded and left. "Hanso. That lady. There's something wrong about her."

"Who? Mrs. Daley?"

"Yeah."

"What? She's the nicest person I've ever met."

"Nevertheless, there's something wrong…I'm sensing a huge power source in her."

"Since when have you been able to detect power?" I said in disbelief.

She opened her mouth and closed it. "Look, just trust me, okay? And watch your back."

Week 3

"I just don't think it's a good idea," Kanrik snapped to Morgana. Our little council (me, Mom, Marie, him, and Morgana) was in his office. They were still arguing about the situation. "Marie, you said we didn't even have an answer yet from Sam, right? How in Neopia can we say that he'd fight her?"

"Oh, I know Sam's type," Morgana said airily. "When it becomes clear that his friends and family are in danger, he'll come around."

"Don't forget that Masila's his family too," Kanrik told her.

Morgana smiled. "Exactly! Think of all the anguish it would cause her, which is much needed. If he's decent with his sword, between his and my presence, she'd completely crack."

"But I-" Kanrik frowned.

"You want the best for your Guild, don't you? Taking Masila down is the best way. Besides," she said primly, "I highly doubt this really ends in death."

Marie frowned. "Aunt Morgana, this is a duel to the death."

"She could surrender. She might have a trick up her sleeve. But even if she does die, I know she'd give us something to remember her by, at the very least." She snickered. "Oh, I've trained her well. But now it's time to start the chain reaction. Where's that Master Serpent?"

"Right here, my lady," he said. To be honest, I was glad to see the old guy. He looked at Kanrik. "What do you need me for, sir?"

"To call Masila, I suppose," he said. "You're the one who's in the least danger when you talk to her—she was fond of you."

Master Serpent shrugged. "I was fond of her, too. You have reached a solution?" We nodded. "May I ask, before I leave, who the new lady is? You appear to have kept her exclusive, and I have to inform you that some Guild members are uneasy with her presence."

"No, you may not," Morgana snapped. "It is none of their business. Now do as your master commands you."

"Pardon me," he said stiffly. "I just thought I saw you before. Of course I'll follow my orders."

"Master Serpent-" Kanrik began.

"It's all right, Kanrik," said Master Serpent with a wink. "You're not the people who surrounds you. Although I do feel uneasy…" He glanced at Morgana one final time and slithered away to find Masila. To be honest, I had a bad feeling, too. It was as if she didn't want him to know who she was.

I followed Master Serpent to check that the coast was clear. I didn't ask permission, though Kanrik, Mom, and Marie saw me leave. They couldn't cry out—I had already gone. I wasn't really tailing the guy, I just went after him. He was already talking to Masila when I spotted him again.

"…Good to see you, too," Masila finished. She had her cloak on, but from what I could see from her face, she was smiling. I guess she genuinely did like the old guy. I wondered how they became acquainted. "I don't suppose I can coax you to join my side, can I?"

"I'm sorry, Masila. But I made a promise to a young lady that I'd look after her friend no matter what."

"I take it back!"

"You can never take words back, my dear. I would think you'd know, as they're so precious to you." He had an amused tone of voice, as if he could really afford to relax in front of her. "But I promised myself to look after the girl, too. I shall keep hoping that she will reconcile with her old friends."

Masila huffed. "Faerieland would have to crash first."

"I'm guessing you're updated on the goings-on at the Guild?"

"A little bit. Is it true, then, that Hanso is a rich kid?" She paused. "Never mind, the sweetheart can answer for himself. Hanso, please come out from behind the tree. It's not the best hiding place, especially at sunset when your shadow stands out quite clearly."

"I wasn't hiding," I grumbled.

Mom, Marie, and Kanrik came before she could speak again. Morgana was nowhere to be seen. I noticed Masila's small smile vanished when she saw them, but she persisted. "So?"

"So what?" Mom said.

Masila arched an eyebrow. "So, did you actually take in a rich kid to be part of the Guild? If my sources are correct, that rich kid is you, Lizzie." She shook her head, looking at Mom up and down. "Whose brilliant idea was that?"

"You don't have to mock about it," Kanrik snapped. "It's one of the best choices I've ever made, and I-"

"You requested that?" Masila said in disbelief. "And here I thought you had no imagination. That was…that was actually pretty good."

He stared at her. "And here I thought you were insulting us."

"He almost didn't allow me to, though," Mom couldn't help adding. "Thought it would be too much of a burden." He glared at her, and she smirked.

"Are you mad? Lighten up, sweetheart. The stress must've been getting into your head if you thought of turning down such an offer. It would've been…it was a great opportunity. As you can obviously see." She nodded at Mom. "Honestly, if I was still in the Guild I would've requested to teach her myself."

I nearly burst out laughing. I remembered what I saw in the crystal ball. Kanrik had guessed what she would've said, almost word for word. Mom, too, had a sad little smile on her face. Wow. I would've liked to meet her. Not really what she expected.

"Anyway," Masila said, her tone clipped again. "You made a decision? Or are you surrendering?"

"On the contrary," Morgana said, stepping from the shadows. "We're hoping it's you who'd step down."

Masila hardly even blinked. "Hello, Morgana. I heard you were back."

And suddenly, Morgana's calm demeanor turned to anger. "Who told you?"

"Who told me what?"

"Who told you that I was here? There is no way in Neopia that you could've remained as stoic as that unless you had prior knowledge!"

"Perhaps I've gotten better control of myself, auntie." She spat the last word. I noticed Master Serpent stared at Morgana with disbelief, and then looked at Masila desperately, shaking his head. She didn't notice. I frowned, thinking that there was something going on here that I didn't understand. "You haven't told me your decision yet."

"You're to fight your own nephew, girl, if you have the stomach for it," Morgana snarled.

"Sam?" Masila's voice betrayed nothing but a cold, biting anger. "You're asking me to fight Sam? He's just a kid. And your son," she added to Marie. "Hmph. Makes me rethink how far a mother would go to save her son…or at least, how much you'd do for Kanrik. I mean, really," she said, addressing the Guild leader. "Even for you, this is extremely low."

"He's not such a kid anymore," Kanrik said heavily.

"Well, he isn't grown up, either." Masila glared at them, and then at Master Serpent. "I should've known that you'd be in on it, too. Thanks a lot."

Master Serpent looked at her urgently. "But I didn't know-"

"Oh, save it. You're all playing dirty now, are you? I suppose I should've expected that."

"You're the one to talk of trying to play dirty," Kanrik snapped back. "Just step down. Then you don't have to fight anyone."

"That's your game, is it?" Masila shook her head. "No, I refuse. I'm not going to surrender just because some…some brat of my sister dares to challenge me. I've waited far too long for this. Let's say, end of next month?"

"No!" Marie shrieked. "Please, Masila, just reconsi-"

"Reconsider? Sister, if you don't want to have him fight, pull him out yourself. You're his mother, aren't you? Or are you too scared to open your mouth?" She turned to Kanrik. "I'm assuming it's a yes. End of next month it is." She frowned at us and began walking away.

To our surprise, Master Serpent went after her. I followed, too, but the rest of the adults stayed behind. "Masila, please, I-"

"I shouldn't have assumed more from you," she said simply. "You're loyal to Kanrik. I can see that. And I suppose you were kidding, saying that you're still looking after me."

"But I am. Always."

She rolled her eyes. "Then why didn't you tell me about her? You're lucky that I did have prior knowledge." Drat. Another spy on the loose, though I doubted it was Sasha this time. "But thank you, I guess. For before. And please tell Hanso that a boulder is not a good hiding place, either." He turned for one moment, and she quickly went away.

"Hanso," he growled.

"What was that about?" I asked him, slightly accusing.

"Something to do with her aunt a long, long time ago" was his only reply.

Week 4

Sam still wasn't coming around. Marie, had been trying to see him everyday, and there wasn't any change. I had to go and visit him—but of course, I had classes. It was a pretty boring day, of course. Jacques just went on and on about faeries and artefacts (since when will I ever need to know about that?). He was still pretty angry with Juliet, and by extension, Julius. So the only thing interesting that happened in the lesson was….

"SQUAWK! SQUAWK!"

"Flynn!" Juliet shrieked, opening the door for the bird. She hugged him, and the poor thing did a little chirp before it flew back to its perch. He seemed a lot more groomed and fed than would've thought for a bird who'd been adventuring for three weeks. Probably a Pawkeet thing.

"Miss ya, too, girly. Joks," said Flynn gravely. "Needs a life."

"You little-" But I could tell that Jacques was glad to have Flynn back, too.

Flynn was carrying a piece of paper on his beak, speaking with the other side. Before Jacques could grab it, Flynn hopped over to me and deposited on my lap. Curious, I began reading it. Half of it was smudged from Flynn's drool or otherwise torn off, but the rest was pretty interesting.

...kind of weird, because he didn't seem like a rich kid when I met him, but that rumor's already confirmed. He isn't a 'blood-sucking traitor' like I heard someone else say, though. At least, I hope he's not. But my parents were Assassins, so really, who am I to judge?

Bridgette's like Kanrik's personal assistant, now, handling all the paperwork. We all do stuff like that. Mom bakes and gives her pastries to kids who can't afford it. Jerry and Kenny invent a new escape maneuver everyday, or at least try to (some end hilariously, but none of us laugh that much anymore). And Jordan…well, I already wrote to you about Jordan. He was already kind of bad, but losing Dad made it even worse.

And as for me, I watch, as always. I still remember every word that Dad said, though I guess you can look at that as a blessing or curse. But I don't want to forget.

Miss you.

-Tyler

A letter, I knew, but weirdly one side of the page seemed to have been ripped like something off of a notebook. Why would someone write a letter in a notebook? That just wastes paper, as Mom always reminds me (I hardly every rip off any paper from my journal unless it's a huge emergency). Unless he never intended to send it? But I didn't dwell on that too much.

So at least I had one person (who isn't Juliet) who didn't think I was a traitor. I'm glad, 'cause I did like him. Thinking about it, I remember seeing him around. I also remember a blond Poogle talking to Kanrik a lot, carrying around a clipboard. One thing they had in common: Both had glimmers of heartbreak on their faces. I wasn't the only one who lost my dad on that mission.

"What's that?" Kayley asked. I'm not about to mistrust her again, so I handed the paper over. Before she could read it, Flynn flew up, snatched it, and crumpled it to pieces in his mouth. He obviously didn't want Kayley to know what was inside.

"What-?"

"Squawk!" he said sleepily, going to his bird-house. "Not yet time. Not yet time."

I don't really like visiting the Guard's base out of my own free will, but this time it was necessary. I had to talk to Sam. Unfortunately, someone was there before me. "You really think you can fight me and win, sweetheart?" said Masila, talking with Sam just outside the base. Both of them looked slightly angry.

"Hey," Sam retorted. "Who said anything about that? Mum only asked me. I never said I'd do it!"

"Wait….your mother said you'd fight me before you even gave your permission?" There was surprise in her voice. "I suppose she didn't lie. She just said you would."

"What?" he shrieked in utter disbelief. "They must be getting desperate."

"Yes," I agreed, stepping out. Sam seemed genuinely surprised—Masila was just faintly irritated, like she knew I was there but didn't think I'd actually bother to come out."We really need you, Sam. You're the only one who has enough skills-"

"Enough skills?" Masila spat. "Ha. You've certainly never seen Kanrik really fight. He has plenty enough skills. He's just scared, and thinks that he can hide behind a kid."

"I'm not a kid!" said Sam hotly. "I can take care of myself just fine."

"I know that, darling. That's exactly why I left you alone when you were arguing with that Harry kid for years."

He turned red. "You saw that?"

"Well, yes," she admitted. "I do keep track of you, you know."

"And you didn't help?"

She threw up her hands. "I wanted you to learn to fight your own battles—not end up like Marie. I coddled her too much, and now look at her, doing everything Kanrik says without question. You've got to admit, it's helped you in the long run. What was your little group called again? The Rebellion?"

"We're not just a 'little group.' We try to take care of people, and we do what's right. We also look out for one another, which is something you've never done for me."

She sighed. "I'm sorry. Perhaps I should've helped a little bit. That doesn't mean we have to fight, Sam."

"We need you," I told him again. Masila looked irritably at me. "If you don't fight and win, we're all doomed to serve Vlade." Sam still looked unsure. I took a deep breath and played my last card. "Okay, no matter how bad the Thieves' Guild is, at least none of us ever hurt your family." Sam's eyes shot up, and it was clear he got the message. At least none of us killed your father.

Masila's eyes turned to slits. "Oh, and I did? Where's your proof, darling?"

"He's got proof enough," Sam managed to say. "I'll duel her."

"Sam!" Masila's voice turned pleading. "Don't do it. You'll only get hurt."

"Like you care," he snapped, glaring at her. "I hate you."

"Why?" Masila snarled. "Your mother said so? You've been hearing stories about me all your life saying that I was evil, and you choose now to believe them? That's just like a regular guard thinking all thieves are bad."

He seemed taken aback by her response. "I-"

"Sammy," she said, anger seething into every word. "You know nothing – nothing – about hating your aunt." She turned and left, leaving her nephew staring after her.

For those of you curious, "Laron" means "thief" in old French.

Kyanite Archer/Lucy—Yeah, the conversations are kinda detailed (although I do sometimes keep conversations in my diary if I write everything down quickly), but Hanso's excuse is that "A thief never forgets anything important." Oh, and to quote Ame: "Plus, (s)he lives in Brightvale. I just use that as my excuse. Everyone in Brightvale seems to be a clever-clogs…"

For the age thing, the crystal ball sort of told him. Since he had no idea what he was looking for, the ball gave him the option of going back to Lizzie's childhood, and he knew that she was seven. Weird, huh? Maybe I should've explained that better…

Kayley didn't talk to Sam, he saw her trying to sneak in.

I'm glad you guessed it. Her up a tree + Hairdressing + Honey colored eyes= Hazel's and Violet's mother. She's Ebony's mother too (each of them has at least one trait of hers)….Anyway, she's called Honey because the Tradition states that she has to convert her name into the husband's theme (I think I said that before). Her name was Grace because she's named after the traits of a proper blue-blood…she'll have relatives called 'Prudence' and 'Poise.' After all, her last name is 'Trate' (bad pun, I know…). :D